kittens

Posted on Thu 8 February 2007 at 07:11

Well, it's been ages since I last blogged - the world has been turned upside down by bloody kittens!  We went to the Vet's to buy something or other for Scotty........and I saw the most beautiful kitten in the world.  It was just so tiny and defenceless and when it asked me in a kitteney way if I would take her home, I had no choice.  Her name is Poppy and she is a pale tortoise-shell. 

So we now have two kittens.  We now have two female kittens because in spite of our lovely neighbours telling us that Scotty was a boy, when we took him to the Vet for the innoculations that said neighbours claimed he already had, he turned out to be a girl.  Now, the original name of Kitty is OK for a girl but it didn't fit the male cat we thought we had.  As she is Melissa's cat, it was her choice what to call her and she stuck with Scotty with an ie so Scottie she is.  And Scottie hated Poppy with a vengeance for the first day or so but now they are buddies.  Just the small problem of dirt trays now.  I bloody hate them but we simply have to have two of them.  Not hers and hers but one in the utility room and one in the bathroom.  If we are all out, we shut the liitle Poppy one in the hall and leave the bathroom open as it is cool in there.  Scottie has to go out as I would be afraid to come to the mess otherwise.  And the other stays in the utility room.  I am afraid to move either now in case they just assume the position in the usual place!!  They are such a pleasure to have - they entertain themselves and us all day long.  I was reading in bed the other night and when I yawned, Poppy stuck her head in my mouth!  I was just about crying laughing!

I had been negotiating to have my rota changed and have now got my own way!  As of Saturday I will work 2 late shifts (3pm - 11.30pm) then 2 early shifts (7am - 4pm) then 2 days off.  This means I have the best part of 3 days off as I don't start back until 3pm.  Excellent!  And you all know how much I hate, loathe and detest getting up.  How does it go?  All together now - "I f***ing hate mornings me".  So I only have to get up early  2 morning out of 6 now - Whoopee!!  Talking of work, I managed to spend the best part of the shift out and about the other day, on a golf course of all places.  I have always maintained that golf is a waste of a good walk but given the choice between staying on the ward aLl day or accompanying patients........well, the wasted walk won!  5 hours later with a couple of detours thrown in for good measure, we just made it back to the ward in time to write up and bugger off!  And a good time was had by all. 

Melissa has started intermediate school and seems to be liking it.  Her day must pass in a blur because she is never able to tell us what has happened.  She got a shouting today as after 2 whole days of school, she has already managed to put an indelible mark on a polo shirt.  I have told her she pays for a new one in the vain hope it may make her a bit more responsible.  I live in hope!  I cycled to school with her and her friend this morning.  we were route finding and timing - apart from the fact I forgot the watch it went OK.  I don't think they are proficient enough to be going on their own yet so they will be ecorted until either we or her friend's parent consider them safe.  I detoured on the way home and did 60 lengths of the local pool so I feel rather smug about that.  I intend to go again tomorrow and Melissa's friend's Mum (Chelly) is going to come as well.

Talking of Chelly, we all went out to eat over the weekend . Having just asked if they mind if I mention them by name 'we' was Shannon - Melissa's friend, Chelly - Shannon's Mum, Paul - Shannon's Dad and ourselves.  Steve and I had wanted to say thank you for when they took Melissa camping.  We really appreciate how they have almost adopted her.  Chelly has Melissa if we are both at work so it is good they seem to have a lot of time for her.  The girls really seem to get on very well and it was above and beyond the call of duty for them to take Melissa on holiday with them.  We went to a Thai restaurant and the food and the company were really good. We will have to go again - and if you ever get round to reading this - THANK YOU!

I did a bad thing the other day.  We had lost Scottie and assumed she had gone back next door.  So after fruitless minutes of calling, I pushed Steve though the gate of the now empty property next door so we could have a recce and, let's be honest, a damn good nose!  OH MY GOD!  I cannot believe that people could live in such squalid conditions.  The rubbish was piled shoulder high in the shed and they had left rubbish and toys and all kinds of crap all over the place.  Being the proud owner of the dumbest cat in the world (Poppy), I felt obliged to call the Council.  I assume that rubbish like that would very soon attract rats and Poppy would try to make friend and end up being breakfast.  The Environment people came out and said Yes, we need to get something done (it was like the Life of Grime, I tell you!).  It turns  out the people who lived there were tenants and left the owners with the most God-awful mess to clean up, $2500 of unpaid rent and unpaid utility bills as well.  I don't think they were best pleased that someone had reported their property to the Council.  Having spoken to them for a while, I told them it was me and they could see my point.  I saw no point in hiding it as they will be the owners for a long time yet and I preferred to be up-front about it.  Strangely enough though, the mailbox got trashed the other day and I can't help but wonder if it was the people who rented the house and buggered off because the landlords might not have found out so quick if I hadn't dobbed them in it!  Steve now thinks that someone reversed into it rather than than maliciously damaged it so I won't lose any sleep over it.

Steve's contemplation garden is beginning to emerge from the weedfest at the front of the house.  It has 2 small droopy cherry trees (in the japanese stylie) set in gravel.  Now I know and you know that it should be very small white gravel and this aint....but it will do.  He has rooted out all the other plants and now just needs a bloody big boulder and some moss.  Well the moss we can get pretty easy at a garden centre or the market but we will have to spend hours choosing just the right boulder...oh joy!  Contemplate the boulder - isn't that a little premature?