It’s been awhile

It has been awhile since I updated this blog, I have been concentrating on my photography rather than writing.  I have also moved house with my two remaining cats. Before we moved Benji had to have his tail removed due to an injury, he came home one evening much worse for wear.  I could see his tail was not quite right.  After an expensive trip to the vet (who were wonderful) he came home minus his tail, plus a few teeth, nails clipped and feeling a little bit sorry for himself as he was wearing the cone of shame – he spent the next week or so on my bed, only getting up to do the necessary and have his food.  It took him awhile to bounce back (the vet reckoned he was around 12-13 years old by the state of his teeth) He is also a little hard of hearing and his sight is not as good as it was, I just have to change the pitch of my voice when calling him.  I have also made small adaptions (I placed a small foldaway step-stool near where he likes climb onto the sofa or the windowsill.)

Amber takes everything in her stride.  She was the first to venture outside when we moved (I kept them inside for a very long two weeks) As you can see she likes to find a high spot to view her surroundings 

Old versus New

When I first started writing, it was pen and paper in a reporters notebook, I progressed to a manual typewriter (portable) and then to an electric portable typewriter.  Then came the word-processers and finally computers and the explosion that is the internet and social media.

I have two sites on wordpress, one that is more of my photography, and this one which is more towards the daily blog, usually the adventures of my older cat aka Ninja-Cat and his daily adventures.  My photography site sits well in the new block editor, however I prefer the classic editor for this site.  Its like moving from pen and paper to computers in my writing, though I still plan my writing (articles and fiction) using the trusty reporters notebook.

It’s 2am and I am awake

My ‘Ninja Cat ‘ decided he wanted to go out so tapped me gently on my nose with his paw, when that did not work he gave his most mournful but very loud meow.  Minutes later I am opening my garden gate and and he begins his nigh time prowl of the neighbourhood

It is warm out side, and so very quiet, My cat returns briefly to my side to take a quick drink from his outside water bowl, then darts off chasing shadows like a kitten (he is an elderly cat aged about 15)

I watch for a few minutes, then return inside.  Totally awake. Knowing that sleep was sometime away, I got out my latest notebook and began to write. ( I don’t use technology late at night) This post for example is from the notes I made.

The stillness of night or early morning if you prefer, has always been a time for reflection or mindfulness. I often find I am the most creative at these times.

As sleep was not forthcoming I was grateful that it was a weekend and I could have a lie in, and with that thought I drifted off to sleep.

Ninja Cat

Books, Books and yet more Books

I am surrounded by books, boxes and boxes of books, I have already donated over ten boxes to charity and it doesn’t seem as though I have made much of a dent.

I have been an avid reader since I was about five or six, I would always get a variety of books as birthday and Christmas gifts and when I had money to spend I would always buy a book (or two or three) brand new or second hand it did not matter.

What ever I became interested in I made sure I got a book about it (no internet then) hence I have a lot of books on some rather strange subjects.

When I left home, not all the books followed me until now, hence the boxes of books to look through and donate to worthy causes.  Some I will keep for sentimental reasons, others that I donate I hope will give a little girl or boy the chance to find out something useful without having to be connected to the internet.

 

Once I finish with the book donations, I have the other boxes of ‘memories’ to go through.

 

Its Raining

It’s raining, its July and warm outside, yet it is raining. There has been rumbling thunder, a flash of lightening and torrential rainstorms for the past few hours.
As I sit in the open doorway of my Kitchen looking out at the rain I am reminded of times spent holidaying at my grandparents homes in Ireland during the 1960s and 70s.  Most days would be spent out in the fields, with my brother and sister and  the neighbouring children and my many cousins.  I was the youngest and often could not always keep up.
Rainy days would find me sitting in the open doorway of their cottage, book in hand, perhaps accompanied by one of my grandmothers dogs.  I could quite happily stay there watching the rain as it fell at let my imagination go wild.
I have recently come across some of my old school work, I can see how much the time I spent at my grandparents cottages influenced my writing then and how much it still does.  Then if I had a question about Irish folklore or history I could always ask someone.  Now of course he have google.

So now I am going to go back to watching the rain, with my cat by my side

Seven Tails

This is a tale of Seven Tails, tails that belonged to the seven cats my mother looked after, however as write this I am aware that one cat ‘lost’ her tail (all she had was a little stump but boy did she use it to the best of her ability)

Lunchtime

Afternoon snooze

All cats were welcome to visit

And would make a bee line to get as close as possible, even sneaking up from behind.

Joey (with tail) lived in a rose bush for about 6 months before settling in. He was terrified of loud noises and brooms, he loved dry cat food and was the father of  ‘Bubbles’ (without tail) and was totally devoted to Mushka (short haired smoky tortoiseshell (calico)

 

But he did into unusual spots

Below is a photograph of a painting of all seven cats my mother commissioned from a local artist

Two tabbies, two torties, one rather large black and white, one ginger and one champagne and white cat.

 

 

 

 

Past Times

Along the River Great Ouse

The riverside has changed a lot in the last few years

Buildings have come down

Careful does it!

People were curious

Peekaboo!

Lunchtime

New buildings went up

And so did a new bridge

The New Bridge

Older buildings changed use (again)

However the wildlife carried on as usual

All these photos were taken between 2012 and 2020

 

Walk on by

On a walk along the riverbank the Canada Geese are likely to swim over to you to see if anything is going.

Not to be out done….

a swan swam closer

just to make sure I could capture his beauty.

As I walked along the riverbank I noticed this little chap watching me

And what you don’t see from this next picture

is that minutes before they all had marched together  across the grass to reach the riverbank.

And now buildings old

 

and new

of times past

 

Looking through old photos

Admittedly on my lap top.  I wonder how they will be seen in the future. No longer kept in an old shoe box under the bed, with the date and who was in them written in pencil on the back, or stuck into the ‘photo album’ you know the one where only the best photos are displayed.

With everything digital and kept in the cloud, what happens when the cloud bursts? Do the pixels dissipate never to return.

Will someone pop into their local archives in say 30 years  and say ‘Have you got any pictures of what my town looked like at the turn of the century?

Who knows.

I just like looking through old photos.

This is one of my favourites, not because of the rainbow, or the lamp reflection (taken through a window) that could at a push be taken as a UFO (cue Gerry Anderson UFO music) but because that building no longer exists.

The whole area  redeveloped from this

to this

and finally

Until the next re development.

Just another Day

For a walk around a Local Nature Reserve (LNR)

No visitor centres, no other people. Just Nature!

Alas no sounds of yellow-hammers singing about bread and no cheese.
Just the alarm calls of the pheasants and other ground nesting birds as I ventured too close to them on my walk.

It the distance I could hear……….. the roar of a train as it hurtled along the tracks.

In seconds it was gone.

Peace at last

After along walk around the meadow (always following the paths laid out)

I returned to my starting point, collecting only memories and photos.