Sundays #bandofsketchers prompt was slope. I drew a cat sloping off the page, with a sloped back walking down a slope. Three digital variations…
Slope
Tag: Cats
Many things…
What topics do you like to discuss?
If you know my blog, it’s full of different things, ideas, thoughts. I try and explain things sometimes, although I might not have accurate information. But I try and get the gist of things. I like working things out. I also talk a lot about my art (which is what the page was originally set up for). Then I sometimes write poetry, although again, I wouldn’t say I was brilliant at it. And sometimes I write short stories. So all in all I try to vary things and hopefully not be too boring?
I suppose this all reflects a varied, comprehensive education. I’m definitely not a narrow minded specialist. I try and listen to both sides of an argument, but I’m not wholly impartial. If a subject seems important for the world or the environment, I will generally support it. I try not to be fooled. There are a lot of strange ideas out there, and the Internet can be an effective (and bad) way of spreading misinformation.
I enjoy science, particularly astronomy. You can find posts I’ve written where I ramble on about things like galaxies or eclipses, or disagreeing with strange ideas about the shape of the Earth.. It’s an oblate spheroid. I have collections of books, glass, paintings and other objects, so I try and keep myself enthusiastic about many and various things. And then there are Cats. That’s a whole separate post…
Recently I’ve talked about my health, but is this the right forum? Will I miraculously come across a solution to my problems? no, I think I just have to get on with things. But I certainly feel supported and I’m grateful for that.
Gratitudes
What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness?
Five things that are everyday things?
1. Washing up liquid. Not used to the excess, enough to clean plates and cutlery without polluting the waterways. You can buy ones that are ecologically acceptable. It makes me happy that I can have clean plates.
2. Clean water, to drink, for washing and for bathing. I so lucky to live in a country that mostly has this, although the infrastructure is aging and even here there are some droughts and water shortages.
3. Are Cats everyday objects? I have to say they give me great pleasure and happiness. I’m not saying they are perfect, they can be mad, silly, crafty, cheeky. And they are pretty ubiquitous.
4. Electric light. I wish more people could have this, to be able to see at night without using smoky candles or oil lamps. I hope more communities can get solar power. It’s been shown that school children do better when they can see to do their homework. And maybe more solar power for other necessities.
5. Toilets, it’s a little bit delicate to talk about, but we are again lucky to have them here. They help reduce illnesses and ideally people could be given them. I think you can twin with communities through charity to raise funds to build them in poorer societies. I don’t know the details unfortunately.
Cats sleeping
The cats asleep on the mat. No space to walk past them and I want to get in the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. Meanwhile the wind is whistling round the windows and the cat flap is rattling in the wind.
Black and white cats
On a black and white mat.
Full of purrs
These soft furs
Curled up warm
In the storm.
April Showers?
Weather forecast.. Yellow warnings for severe weather. Gale force winds and heavy rain. Apparently we have a fast moving jet stream above us which is bringing rain and strong winds over the next couple of days. Hang on to your brolly! We went out in it and got soaked, but the blossom is starting to open on the pear and cherry trees, so spring is making itself known round here. The wind has blown a couple of slates off the roof. I don’t know if I can claim on the insurance? I will have to find out, I don’t hold out much hope.
The cats keep coming in like wet otters and curling up in warm places. I don’t know why they want to go out at all. I can tell the direction of the wind because the rain is lashing the back of the house and the gutter is overflowing and dripping down onto the back windowledge, you can hear the drips. It’s also due to get colder for a few days and there may be some small snow showers, heating will have to go on again….
Flopped cat!
He came in out the rain, jumped up on the chair arm and flopped down next to me. Head hanging down by my knee. So comfortable and relaxed. He wasn’t fully asleep though. As soon as I took his photo he decided to move.
All three of our cats were within a few feet of each other earlier on. I think it’s because we are just having a couple of heaters on in the living room to save energy. So they are huddling a bit to keep warm. Mi d you I’ve got the living room light on for a change. Sometimes it’s like living in a cave when we just have a couple of lamps on. I can imagine myself doing paintings of cats on the walls, like cave paintings. X
Blowing a Hooley?
I think Hooley is a phrase meaning a gale or stormy. It’s a more picturesque word, probably quite old.
Despite our double glazing I can hear the wind soughing around the house, the vuuumming noise through the gap around the kitchen window. The cat flap opening and closing as if a fat, invisible cat was coming in and going out of the door. The overgrown bushes by the side of the house sometimes scrape along the wall. I’m used to it now but it used to be quite creepy when I first heard it. And of course it’s dark outside, dead leaves scatter and blow about on the wind, and litter scurries along the gutter on the road, picked up by the wind and dumped damply in heaps.
In amongst all these noises the cats use the cat flap, coming in and purring at me, purr-miaow? Where’s my tea? It’s not the wind this time, it’s me
How do I stop my fridge alarm?
It’s the MOST annoying thing! My fridge freezer has been icing up a lot lately and I’ve defrosted it a couple of times although it’s meant to do it automatically. We found out a couple of years ago it has a very noisy alarm and we ended up calling out a gas engineer because the noise was coming from near the gas boiler. But no it was the fridge. So at about 2.30am it started going off. I’ve turned it off and defrosted it. I cleared the vents at the back of the freezer which were a bit blocked. I unplugged it (but it must have a battery to keep it going). I plugged it back in because I don’t want my frozen food to spoil and the motor is still working. I checked the door seals, they are fine. So I’m left with a loud beeping (swear words) fridge freezer. In a small house, where you can’t get away from the noise, so I did a load of washing. At 3am.
Any ideas? I can’t sleep because of it. I’m watching TV news while I try and rest to take my mind off it. I may buy a new one but Monday is a Bank Holiday. I don’t think I can wait till Tuesday! Help… Plus the cats are fed up!
Boom
Tomorrow is November 5th, Bonfire night, Guy Fawkes night. He tried to blow up the houses of Parliament several centuries ago. There is a rhyme. Remember remember the fifth of November, Gunpowder, Treason and Plot.
Apparently gunpowder had been stored under the Houses of Parliament and a group of people intended to blow it up, but the ringleader, Guy Fawkes was caught. Traditionally children collect money to buy fireworks by making a ‘Guy’ out of scraps and wood, and asking for a ‘penny for the Guy’. This usually happened after Halloween.
So tomorrow night I’m expecting lots of bangs and whizzes. The cats will be in. I’ll have the TV on to drown out the noise. Hopefully everything will be OK.
Kittens
Facebook memory, cheered me up. Three of the black and white kittens our female cat had. She was a rescue cat, and her previous owner mentioned she might be pregnant. I think they must be over five years old now, they all went to good homes. I miss them, but if we had kept them there would have been six cats in the house, which was too many for us. But as far as I know they are all safe and happy. X
Mallaband-Brown 