This is my lovely fireplace after being kitten proofed this morning.
Eric kitten decided that a mountaineering adventure up the chimney was in order.
I caught him just before he disappeared.
Phew!
I now I have this to look…lets hope the kittens calm down soon.
Just over two weeks ago we finally decided it was time to get some kittens as companions for Fred cat (and us of course) as Fred cat has been a bit sad since Daisy cat died.
So I looked up the local rescue centre (I also looked on things like GumTree and local papers) but decided I wanted my money to go to someone who was doing good work rehoming cats. I found the nearest rescue centre was The Celia Hammond Animal Trust at Canning Town. After admiring lots of cats and kittens in need of loving homes on their website I sent them an email and they popped round to to see me and find out which cats or kittens might be suitable for us and our house.
There was two litters of kittens by sister cats just ready to go to new homes in pairs so we went and met them at their foster house and picked the two who seemed most friendly with us. They turned out to be one from each litter so they are cousins I suppose.
We collected them last Friday and settled them into their ‘playroom’ (aka the spare room kitten proofed).
Fred cat has met them a couple of times but he’s a bit wary and bemused so far.
They of course are running round in excitement, play fighting, eating lots and sleeping.
The black and white is a boy and the white/tabby/ginger a girl. Its a condition of rehoming them that they both get micro chipped and neutered in a few months. Why? Well the cat population is huge and unneutered tom cats are the largest cause of the spread of FIV (cat HIV) through bites when fighting or mating. And I’m happy with that because Daisy cat was FIV+ from a bite from an unneutered tom cat and in her case its seems it turned into full blown cat AIDS meaning she died at the young age of 8 and was very sick in her last few months (it is actually rare for it to be that bad but it does happen).
NB (added after posting): cats cannot pass FIV to humans so there is no risk to you in homing an FIV cat its also rare for them to pass it to other cats apart from through unneutered toms fighting and mating. It’s the biting that is the main way it gets transferred (male cats hold female cats on the back of the neck when mating and often bite them in the process).
Oh and names. Well it took ages. But….
Meet Eric:
And meet Franci (pronounced with a hard c like a k):
Last weekend I was in Lytham on the Fylde having a little promenade along the front.
Here’s the view across the Ribble estuary towards Southport
In the foreground the mud and sand flats, then the boats and shrimping tractors, then the water.
Flat and beautiful.
Three things I really rather like
They made a nice afternoon “tea” 
Just after New Year I finally got to go along to Pump Street Bakery in Orford to try out what, after only a few weeks, seemed to be fast becoming Suffolk’s most talked of bakery and coffee shop.
I went along to meet up with @Farctum and also @donna_de a couple of my Twitter chums.
And as well as great conversation I was delighted that Pump Street lived up to its advance billing.
In all respects. the building has been restored carefully and considerartely and the selection of goodies on offer is spot on.
The coffee beans are from Monmouth Coffee in London, and its fair to say I probably sampled too many cups!
I also had an Eccles cake with Kirkhams Lancashire, so good I took some Eccles cakes away with me.
And I bought a lovely loaf of light rye….great crusty lovely texture and taste.
I can’t wait for my next visit.
I only live a few miles from the site of the 2012 Olympics so quite often as I pass on journeys to or from central London I can see the progress.
It looks great when you are this close to the stadium.
So its been a little while since I did an update but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been out there doing some miles.
I have hit a few challenges though so I know I’m going to need better ways to get over those.
Here’s how its been going:
5 Jan: 3.36 miles locally round the roads near where I live. A reasonable but not exciting walk.
6 Jan: a very short canter round the block of .54 miles it was a rainy day mind you
7 Jan: horrid and rainy all day no walk
So I realised I needed a way to deal with rainy days….I don’t want to go out and get drenched but I want to do some activity even if I don’t count it to my challenge miles. Maybe rainy days are for strength and stretch training….
8 Jan: Nice walk incorporating Wanstead Park, bit muddy underfoot but some sunshine and 5.20 miles.
9 Jan: 4.59 miles across parts of Wanstead Flats and up to the edge of Walthamstow. Again muddy but a nice view to the city.
(the picture doesn’t do the view justice, the teeny buildings in the distance are the city and look so much better in reality)
10 Jan: spurred on by a good weekend I walked to the shops to get a few things needed for dinner a 3.72 mile round trip.
11 &12 Jan: Business meetings meant slotting in walking was hard and I didn’t do any miles. hoped to catch up Thursday and Friday but….
13/14 Jan: Horrid rainy days, no chance for walks.
15 Jan: Grey weather but not raining so a walk out near Ware along the New River aqueduct and the River Lee Navigation, 4.7 miles, again a bit muddy.
So I’m a scary 19.75 miles off track :0
I need a rainy day strategy…I think indoor stretches or strength training or the clonky old exercise bike tho I’m not counting those to the target they will keep me active.
I need a busy day strategy….I’m going to try to find some 1.5 – 2 mile routes from home so I can try to do them when I’m busy as its seems a quick 1/2 hour is so more appealing if I’m busy.
And I must clean the mud off my boots….
