Cats on Tuesday... Olympic Special

In which Charlie (representing Team GB Kitties) takes on Ralph (representing Interlopers Anonymous) in the 'Staring at each other' and 'Lurking in a concealed manner', finals.

This battle of the giants took place in the garden and was refereed by Pepper.

The Ref...

Explaining the rules to Ralph...

Pepper: 'Look matey it's simple, I AM THE LAW!'

The competition hots up...

Charlie seems disinterested - but is it a ploy?

Oh my, yes!

Lulled into a false sense of security, Ralph moves away!

Just the Lurking in a Concealed Manner event to go now...

Oh that's a brilliant move by Team GB, 

Charlie really is on top form today.

Ralph's completely lost confidence with that last event,

and can only manage a pretty poor twig concealment.

Oh dear oh dear... I think it's all over...

Yes!

Pepper declares Charlie the winner -

look at that victory roll!

Ralph will really have to up

his game if he's going to take 

on a pro like this one...

For more kitty excitement visit Gattina's Cats on Tuesday.

It's Monday! What are you Reading?

I've been very remiss with my lack of book-talk on here... tsk tsk.  To redress this I'm going to try and link up with Sheila from Book Journey every week.

Looking at my bookcases at the weekend I was vexed at how many of the books on them I've still to read, so determined to rectify this I grabbed a slim volume and found myself with Emile Zola's Therese Raquin.  I really should have known better after having such a bad experience with Germinal...  If ever there was an antidote to the feel-good factor from the Olympics that seems to be sweeping this island then this book is it.  (I'm glad it only took a couple of days to read as I may have had to start drinking alcohol in large amounts to cope with any more - as it was I had to recuperate with some chocolate).  It's not that I don't enjoy downbeat literature, Hamlet is my favourite play for goodness sake!  Plus I love Jude the Obscure, and that's not exactly a comedy, but it is beautiful and moving.  Zola's work is just, well, grim.  To save you from reading this book and thus probably needing counselling, the short version is that it's about adultery and murder followed by the psychological and emotional disintegration of the two people involved.

Zola was much taken with the idea of Naturalism and tries to deal with the characters as subjects (or 'organisms' as he often refers to them) in a scientific experiment.  All well and good, but the problem with this is it's very hard to empathise with them.  I for one let out a sigh of relief when it had finished and I was able to be rid of the self-obsessed unpleasant pair.  I still have one Zola left on the shelf and am undecided whether to attempt it or give it to a charity shop - obviously a charity shop where only people I don't like buy books.

On a more up-beat note I've also started Kate Atkinson's murder mystery One Good Turn.  This is the fourth book of Atkinson's that I've read and I love the way she writes - she's funny, excellent at characterisation and plotting, and her books are both intelligent and entertaining.  Start with Case Histories to get to know her protagonist Jackson Brodie (ex-army, ex-policeman, ex-husband), then marvel at how she weaves her various characters, plots and subplots together in When Will There be Good News?, and Started Early, Took My Dog.  Sheer brilliance!

Next from the bookshelves will be a Dickens... not sure which one yet...

The Weekend in Black and White...

Spookiness this week - and why not?  Have been obsessing with infra red treatments in LightRoom after seeing a) the cover of a Phil Rickman book, and b) reading about infra red in a photography magazine.  I'm not about to get my camera converted so post processing will have to suffice.

Click here for more monotone magic...

Watering the crops...

Well when I say crops, I mean the hanging basket with my two very puny tomato plants in, (let's face it I'm not going to get even a small salad sandwich from these, let alone a few jars of chutney or a tureen of soup).  Part of my lack of gardening success is probably something to do with me getting distracted by the chance of a photo op...  Must try harder...

Hopefully this healthy, vitamin-enriched post will served as something of an antidote to the calorie, sugar and fat-laden goodies from yesterday.

ABC Wednesday - B is for...

Baking...

You're not going to believe this, but

I baked these just so I could

photograph them...

These are triple chocolate cookies,

with hot chocolate, and some chocolate on the side,

because seriously, when it comes to chocolate

 is there ever such a thing as too much?

I baked this ginger cake for David - 

It no longer exists...

Linking to ABC Wednesday.

Cats on Tuesday...

Because certain cats have driven me to the point of insanity today (you know who you are...) I was in two minds as to whether to allow them to appear in Cats on Tuesday.  However, I am easily swayed by big eyes pleading with me and soft little paws tapping at my hand, and so of course I caved in.

Posky's test results for his kidneys showed that his medication is working to control the loss of protein, although it did show up a rise in phosphorous levels (I think that's what the Vet said!).  So as from tomorrow he has to have some paste to take, along with the tablets, and the yucky brown liquid he doesn't like - oh well!

Posky...

Here he is looking very

devil-may-care about the whole thing...

Pepper...

Hmmm, she looks very innocent here doesn't she?

BUT she has been VERY, VERY BAD - 

it involved a bird...

Charlie...

He was also involved in badness today - 

it involved a magazine and a rug...

Due to still feeling under the weather with her cold, Mrs P decided not to appear this week - she's hoping her snuffles will have cleared in time for the Olympics...

However we do have a guest appearance from Ralph.  He has been around for breakfast a couple of times, as well as afternoon tea - this has not made him popular...

Ralph... 

For more kitties visit Gattina's Cats on Tuesday.

Oh well done!

We interrupt this blog for some sports type news (possibly the first and only time this will EVER happen!).  We just wanted to say a great big hurrah for Bradley Wiggins and the chaps in the GB cycling team for the incredible performance they put in to claim Britain's first ever victory in the Tour de France.

And would you look at what soprano Leslie Garratt is wearing there?  Am now quite taken with the idea of fashioning garments from our national flag - and I thought my earrings were patriotic... :O)

(photo courtesy of http://ibnlive.in.com/photogallery/7013.html)

Sisters...

Spent a couple of hours this morning taking photos of my big sister Cathy (not to be confused with my friend Cath...).  We're pretty much opposites - she's blonde (allegedly...), I'm brunette; she's 5'2", I'm 5'9"; she says tomato, I say... no come to think of it I say tomato too - so we do have something in common after all.

The Weekend in Black and White...

Posky...
He's almost 18...
A vet once called him 'a big hairy guy'...
Beautiful, friendly and a great companion...
He's now on medication for his kidneys and suffers from arthritis...
We love him to bits.

For more photographers who see things in black and white click here

ABC Wednesday - A is for...

Apple - let's keep it simple.

Linking to ABC Wednesday.

Cats on Tuesday...

This week it's mostly been raining.  For some reason this has meant Charlie going in and out the cat flap like an in-and-out thing.  I don't know why he bothers as it makes him even more morose than usual if he gets wet.

See what I mean?

When the sun did finally appear there was a mad rush into the garden to see who could get onto the bench first.

Of course it was Pepper...

... until she saw Charlie on the lookout for something or someone...
Apparently Ralph has been paying almost
daily visits to the garden - which was fine
until he made the mistake of trying to snaffle Charlie's food...
This was not a good move.

... She immediately became more interested

in searching out the food thief with Charlie,
rather than posing for photos on the bench.

...Next up was Posky, 

who also directed the search operation

without actually getting his paws dirty...

... and as we go to press we've discovered
that Posky has been chosen as one of the
'Most Majestic Felines' on the Cat's Whiskas
Facebook page - well done Posks!

And where was Mrs P during all this?

... As she has a slight cold she decided to stay indoors

and wear something

fetching on her head...

For more kitties visit Gattina's Cats on Tuesday.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday...

Water...
There's something incredibly nostalgic about
paper boats.  Here mine sets
sail on our birdbath.
I used the b&w version of this
on Friday, but I do like the colour
as well.

Petal...

Buttercup petals waving in the breeze...

Fresh...

Raspberries - mine all mine...

Fresh #2...

Apple Danish - not mine...

Eight...

There are eight boats here,

trust me on this...

Calm...

Not sure what it says about my state

of mind this week that I chose

a picture in a graveyard for this...

Calm #2...

Charlie having a 'calm' moment...

The Weekend in Black and White...

"These paper boats of mine are meant to dance on the ripples of hours, and not reach any destination"...  Rabindranath Tagore

Linking to The Weekend in Black and White... check out the wonderful images there!

Let them eat fruit...

Yesterday I was mainly taking photos of summer fruit, then I ate the props (I love raspberries...) so will have to buy some more for any chance of re-takes.  (The rather nice pots were a bargain I picked up in a second hand shop).

Taken with the nifty 50mm lens (of course).

The sharp-eyed amongst you will have spotted that last shot is actually lavender - not a member of the fruit family as far as I know.  But it was calling to me to take its photo and I like to oblige...

Cats on Tuesday... featuring cats with books

Did you enjoy David's balancing act with those books yesterday?  We decided to continue the literary theme into Cats on Tuesday by letting the cats choose an appropriate volume to pose with. 

First of all here's Mrs P.

Never was a title more appropriate, 

dear god that cat can talk...

Next we have Posky,

and the least said about HIS choice the better...

Here's Charlie.

Not sure if he thought that

someone had written his biography or what...

And finally...

here's Pepper in Ommmm pose.

She said that HH the Daila Lama 

signed that copy especially for her... :O)

For more kitties visit Gattina's Cats on Tuesday.