A friend of mine in the US has felt forced to take what action he can against an advertisement for Expedia, in which it is suggested it is 'funny' to leave a cat home alone whilst it's owner is away on holiday!
For the rest of the details and how you can help please click HERE
Sunday, 19 February 2006
Saturday, 18 February 2006
Cat-alogue of destruction
'Madam' has excelled herself this last week in the trail of destruction she had left in her wake. At her current rate, by the time she has grown up and calmed down we will require a small mortgage just to replace the items she had left in a state of wanting!
This weeks catalogue includes a bed sheet that she unraveled the entire hem from, the front of the stereo speakers, recently 'acquired' as personal scratch posts, a bedside lamp which she has perforated significantly with her claws, two picture frames and a floor lamp that all fell foul of her at once, when she knocked the heavy frames onto the lamp and only a very quick reaction on my part saved PG's new iPod from a shorter than expected lifespan!
Oh.....and you can add to that list, two blinds, another book, a mug, a storage basket, a serious puncture wound, including stuffing removal to the soft toy featured in the video clip earlier this week and more attention paid to the already struggling bonsai!!!
Do they do prozac for cats?
This weeks catalogue includes a bed sheet that she unraveled the entire hem from, the front of the stereo speakers, recently 'acquired' as personal scratch posts, a bedside lamp which she has perforated significantly with her claws, two picture frames and a floor lamp that all fell foul of her at once, when she knocked the heavy frames onto the lamp and only a very quick reaction on my part saved PG's new iPod from a shorter than expected lifespan!
Oh.....and you can add to that list, two blinds, another book, a mug, a storage basket, a serious puncture wound, including stuffing removal to the soft toy featured in the video clip earlier this week and more attention paid to the already struggling bonsai!!!
Do they do prozac for cats?
Saturday silliness
The ugliest kitten? No..... such thing doesn't exist, but he/she could use a coat of some description if only to keep warm!
Rex kitten
Thursday, 16 February 2006
That Johari thing
According to Justitia, among others, the Johari window is the latest 'thing' to hit the blogosphere, so in the manner of all good sheep I feel it only right and proper that I have one too!
To this end my Johari window is posted HERE, feel free to offer your opinions but remember, for good or evil, you have to be honest or the whole thing falls apart!
To this end my Johari window is posted HERE, feel free to offer your opinions but remember, for good or evil, you have to be honest or the whole thing falls apart!
Give me strength!
Am I missing something here, is there a difficulty staring me in the face that I am blind too? Is it really so difficult?
PG's car has to spend a few hours at the dealers today to have one or two routine jobs attended to, this being a used car, a loan vehicle was not readily forthcoming so a few hours in a town about 30 miles from here was forced upon him. To occupy his time, he decided among other things, to pay a few bills while he loiters without intent, one of them necessitating he visit a branch of the Halifax bank. Last night he sought the address from the internet and off he set this morning.
An hour later I receive a phone call, "I can't find the bank" he says.
"Oh" say I in reply......"and"
"Are you on the internet" he returns.....er...is the Pope Catholic?
So he asks that I check the address, which I duly do, he has the correct address.
"Well I can't find it" he says,
"er....are you in the right street?" say I.
"Yes but I can't find it" comes back at me.
Now this is where I become really confused.
What precisely does he expect me to do from 30 miles away? At this point my tired head (the result of Tilly's manic behaviour over the last two nights)is becoming a little fraught, so I put the question to himwhilst silently uttering expletives.....and needless to say got a terse reply!
I wonder, is it rocket science just to ask someone where it is or if it has moved?
Why will men just not ask! Pfftt!
PG's car has to spend a few hours at the dealers today to have one or two routine jobs attended to, this being a used car, a loan vehicle was not readily forthcoming so a few hours in a town about 30 miles from here was forced upon him. To occupy his time, he decided among other things, to pay a few bills while he loiters without intent, one of them necessitating he visit a branch of the Halifax bank. Last night he sought the address from the internet and off he set this morning.
An hour later I receive a phone call, "I can't find the bank" he says.
"Oh" say I in reply......"and"
"Are you on the internet" he returns.....er...is the Pope Catholic?
So he asks that I check the address, which I duly do, he has the correct address.
"Well I can't find it" he says,
"er....are you in the right street?" say I.
"Yes but I can't find it" comes back at me.
Now this is where I become really confused.
What precisely does he expect me to do from 30 miles away? At this point my tired head (the result of Tilly's manic behaviour over the last two nights)is becoming a little fraught, so I put the question to him
I wonder, is it rocket science just to ask someone where it is or if it has moved?
Why will men just not ask! Pfftt!
Wednesday, 15 February 2006
Oh so brave.....
...fighting tooth and nail with a stuffed toy, which incidentally was a Christmas present and I would rather like to remain intact!!
Tilly of course.
Oh so brave!
Video sent by gemmak
Tilly of course.
Oh so brave!
Video sent by gemmak
Tuesday, 14 February 2006
The perfect valentine!
If this doesn't absolutely make your Valentines day nothing will. Enjoy!
(Clickable....and worth it!)
(Clickable....and worth it!)
It is in ignorance........
....that I type this post, in the hope that at least one of you bright lot out there can solve a mystery that has puzzled me from almost the first day I made my first keystroke!
Spiders, it's spiders that puzzle and confound me so utterly. Please don't run off in horror, I am not talking here of heinous eight legged creatures that promote horror into some of us. No, instead I am referring to web-spiders and crawlers and whatever other strange names they have been given. The kind of spider that decides who and what will appear in the returns for a web search, those little creatures that control the likelihood (or not) that one's webpage will be thrown in the face of those likely searching for something entirely different.
So, this is my question....how do they work? The reason I am asking is this. If I search 'gemmak' (not that it is a word one would normally search) it can return anything from 17000 to 59000 results. On an almost daily basis it fluctuates between those two figures and I have to admit my complete ignorance in not having the remotest idea why!
So please, any bright spark with the knowledge, would you be so kind as to enlighten me a little and take a moment to explain to the intellectually challenged. And whilst on the subject, don't be even remotely tempted to be impressed at the above figures even for a moment, if you want impressive you need to check out the likes of Dooce, Instapundit or Random Acts of Reality! Now that is impressive!
Spiders, it's spiders that puzzle and confound me so utterly. Please don't run off in horror, I am not talking here of heinous eight legged creatures that promote horror into some of us. No, instead I am referring to web-spiders and crawlers and whatever other strange names they have been given. The kind of spider that decides who and what will appear in the returns for a web search, those little creatures that control the likelihood (or not) that one's webpage will be thrown in the face of those likely searching for something entirely different.
So, this is my question....how do they work? The reason I am asking is this. If I search 'gemmak' (not that it is a word one would normally search) it can return anything from 17000 to 59000 results. On an almost daily basis it fluctuates between those two figures and I have to admit my complete ignorance in not having the remotest idea why!
So please, any bright spark with the knowledge, would you be so kind as to enlighten me a little and take a moment to explain to the intellectually challenged. And whilst on the subject, don't be even remotely tempted to be impressed at the above figures even for a moment, if you want impressive you need to check out the likes of Dooce, Instapundit or Random Acts of Reality! Now that is impressive!
Monday, 13 February 2006
Eu-bloody-reka!
Woooo hoooooooo....finally the CPS have got the date of the court case I have to attend changed!!!! Yipeeeee....now we can plan our holiday and begin to look forward to it.
I have no idea yet when the case will be but it won't be while we are supposed to be on holiday so who cares.....the other 360 days of the year I can work with!
I have no idea yet when the case will be but it won't be while we are supposed to be on holiday so who cares.....the other 360 days of the year I can work with!
A remarkable cat's tale
Meet 'Holly'.......
Holly is at the center of a heartwarming and quite remarkable story, though it might not seem so to begin with. She belongs, or I should say belonged, to a long time friend of mine, I'll call her 'L' for the purpose of this story.
'L' and I met when she came many years ago to the place I worked, as a 'Saturday checkout operator'. at the time she was only 17 years of age and about to go to university but gradually, finding we had much in common we became firm friends and until I moved here to Scotland we spent a great deal of time together.
'L' had not had an easy life in her 17 years. As a child she had lost her twin to a road traffic accident in which both she and her father were also involved and injured. Some years later, in an effort to live with their loss a special family holiday was arranged as a way to try and draw a line under the past a little and make a new start. They went for a month to Canada. It was in Canada that 'L', whilst swimming in a lake, contracted a viral infection that within days had caused her kidneys to fail dramatically. Eventually she was stable enough to be returned to the UK, where sometime later she received a transplant.
As is often the case it was not all 'plain sailing' and her bodies rejection of the organ was severe. To this day she requires some pretty heavy duty medication and has to live with a permanent Hickman line in her chest. She copes admirably.She lives alone, owns her own house, works full time and has a hectic social life when her health permits it. In the days when I lived in London and she was an almost daily visitor to my home her medications became so routine that we had stocks in our fridge and hooks hidden under pictures on the wall, specifically to hang her I.V. bags from. I got quite adept over time at removing fatally dangerous air bubbles from her line and would 'hook her up', go make dinner and she would receive her medication as we ate to save wasting time later when we might want to go out. 'L' never let her difficulties restrict her more than they had to, though frequent stays in hospital often disrupted plans. She went to university, travelled some, rode pillion on many outings with us and was to overcome yet another major difficulty in her life, though the details of that are not for me to expand on here.
Among all of this one of her passions was her cats, Jarvis and Holly. Even this could not be simple for 'L'. Jarvis, a beautiful ginger and white tom, died suddenly at age four of a previously undiagnosed congenital heart defect, this for 'L' was almost the last straw but as ever, after a while, she rallied her strength and got on with her life.
Shortly afterwards she was forced to move house and she and Holly packed their bags and settled into a new home. But Holly it seemed, did not settle, and within days had circumnavigated 'L's attempts to keep her indoors until she was familiar with her new surroundings and had made an escape. She was never seen again and after weeks of advertising and hunting the search was abandoned and 'L' sadly resigned herself to the thought that 'something had happened' to her.
She didn't get another cat.
And then, on Saturday, three years after the disappearance, she called me, full of excitement. A local vet had just called her to say she had Holly in her surgery. 'L' was over the moon but skeptical.
Apparently it would seem that when Holly bolted she became stray. A kindly lady about a mile away had been feeding her all that time but not really wanting a cat had not fully 'adopted' her. This lady, a few days ago, having decided to go away on holiday, was concerned that the cat would go hungry so had caught her and taken her to the vets for inoculations with the intention of putting her in a cattery until she returned. Whilst checking the cat over the vet had noticed a small lump under the skin of her neck and on investigation had discovered it was a microchip. She scanned the cat and up popped 'L's details. Thankfully 'L' had never changed her mobile number.
And so yesterday, amid much excitement and a little trepidation that somehow this would not be Holly she went to visit the found cat. Within seconds of meeting, said cat, normally quite retiring, recognised her old friend and began rubbing around her legs, rolling on her back at her feet and purring madly........ after all that time she still appeared to remember her.....and so, for 'L', for once their is a happy ending, mother and cat are reunited and this time the doors and windows will be firmly shut until Holly is used to her 'new' home!
Holly is at the center of a heartwarming and quite remarkable story, though it might not seem so to begin with. She belongs, or I should say belonged, to a long time friend of mine, I'll call her 'L' for the purpose of this story.
'L' and I met when she came many years ago to the place I worked, as a 'Saturday checkout operator'. at the time she was only 17 years of age and about to go to university but gradually, finding we had much in common we became firm friends and until I moved here to Scotland we spent a great deal of time together.
'L' had not had an easy life in her 17 years. As a child she had lost her twin to a road traffic accident in which both she and her father were also involved and injured. Some years later, in an effort to live with their loss a special family holiday was arranged as a way to try and draw a line under the past a little and make a new start. They went for a month to Canada. It was in Canada that 'L', whilst swimming in a lake, contracted a viral infection that within days had caused her kidneys to fail dramatically. Eventually she was stable enough to be returned to the UK, where sometime later she received a transplant.
As is often the case it was not all 'plain sailing' and her bodies rejection of the organ was severe. To this day she requires some pretty heavy duty medication and has to live with a permanent Hickman line in her chest. She copes admirably.She lives alone, owns her own house, works full time and has a hectic social life when her health permits it. In the days when I lived in London and she was an almost daily visitor to my home her medications became so routine that we had stocks in our fridge and hooks hidden under pictures on the wall, specifically to hang her I.V. bags from. I got quite adept over time at removing fatally dangerous air bubbles from her line and would 'hook her up', go make dinner and she would receive her medication as we ate to save wasting time later when we might want to go out. 'L' never let her difficulties restrict her more than they had to, though frequent stays in hospital often disrupted plans. She went to university, travelled some, rode pillion on many outings with us and was to overcome yet another major difficulty in her life, though the details of that are not for me to expand on here.
Among all of this one of her passions was her cats, Jarvis and Holly. Even this could not be simple for 'L'. Jarvis, a beautiful ginger and white tom, died suddenly at age four of a previously undiagnosed congenital heart defect, this for 'L' was almost the last straw but as ever, after a while, she rallied her strength and got on with her life.
Shortly afterwards she was forced to move house and she and Holly packed their bags and settled into a new home. But Holly it seemed, did not settle, and within days had circumnavigated 'L's attempts to keep her indoors until she was familiar with her new surroundings and had made an escape. She was never seen again and after weeks of advertising and hunting the search was abandoned and 'L' sadly resigned herself to the thought that 'something had happened' to her.
She didn't get another cat.
And then, on Saturday, three years after the disappearance, she called me, full of excitement. A local vet had just called her to say she had Holly in her surgery. 'L' was over the moon but skeptical.
Apparently it would seem that when Holly bolted she became stray. A kindly lady about a mile away had been feeding her all that time but not really wanting a cat had not fully 'adopted' her. This lady, a few days ago, having decided to go away on holiday, was concerned that the cat would go hungry so had caught her and taken her to the vets for inoculations with the intention of putting her in a cattery until she returned. Whilst checking the cat over the vet had noticed a small lump under the skin of her neck and on investigation had discovered it was a microchip. She scanned the cat and up popped 'L's details. Thankfully 'L' had never changed her mobile number.
And so yesterday, amid much excitement and a little trepidation that somehow this would not be Holly she went to visit the found cat. Within seconds of meeting, said cat, normally quite retiring, recognised her old friend and began rubbing around her legs, rolling on her back at her feet and purring madly........ after all that time she still appeared to remember her.....and so, for 'L', for once their is a happy ending, mother and cat are reunited and this time the doors and windows will be firmly shut until Holly is used to her 'new' home!
Sunday, 12 February 2006
Do I or don't I?
A few years back when I decided that my days with a trusty 35mm camera were over and I would move into the digital age I mulled for a while over whether to keep the cameras I already had alongside the new digital version or whether to sell them.
Never one to do things by halves I decided on the latter option, go the whole hog and onto eBay they went. A week or so later they were dispatched to their new owners with barely a backward glance but whilst we were gathering together all the various bits and pieces, lenses, filters, flashes, tripods etc. etc. etc for packaging, PG discovered a part used roll of film in one.
At the time I took little notice, I ditched it in one of 'those places' we all have for miscellaneous bits and pieces and forgot about it....until yesterday evening, when by chance, looking for something, else I came upon it again.
My quandary is this, do I get it developed (assuming it's contents are still intact) or do I not....I have a feeling I know what is on this particular roll of film and whilst, if I am correct, part of me is intrigued to go back the four years in time and have a little peep, part of me isn't so sure, for what this old and abandoned film contains is photographs from Christmas 2001. Just days later I left my then husband, not the best time in my life.....but still, the little nosey part of me is tempted to drop it in somewhere for a quick D&P and take a peek!
Never one to do things by halves I decided on the latter option, go the whole hog and onto eBay they went. A week or so later they were dispatched to their new owners with barely a backward glance but whilst we were gathering together all the various bits and pieces, lenses, filters, flashes, tripods etc. etc. etc for packaging, PG discovered a part used roll of film in one.
At the time I took little notice, I ditched it in one of 'those places' we all have for miscellaneous bits and pieces and forgot about it....until yesterday evening, when by chance, looking for something, else I came upon it again.
My quandary is this, do I get it developed (assuming it's contents are still intact) or do I not....I have a feeling I know what is on this particular roll of film and whilst, if I am correct, part of me is intrigued to go back the four years in time and have a little peep, part of me isn't so sure, for what this old and abandoned film contains is photographs from Christmas 2001. Just days later I left my then husband, not the best time in my life.....but still, the little nosey part of me is tempted to drop it in somewhere for a quick D&P and take a peek!
Saturday, 11 February 2006
How surprising, a happy Saturday!
Saturday is my Monday, the first day of my working week and as a consequence it is not often a much anticipated day. Add to that I have to creep out of my bed at 5 am and today had to deal also with yet again seized brakes and a thick layer of ice and frost on the car....all before 6am!
It is most surprising therefore that this particular Saturday turned out pretty well! No one big thing, a few small incidents and happenings added together made for a surprisingly good day. The last week or two I have been in somewhat of a 'funk' as Lisa would say, kinda low and fed up, with seemingly not much other than one stress after another to deal with. Likely as for many of us the long winter dark and cold is no assistance in improving one's mood but today was different.
The first thing to happen was snow....it snowed, only for maybe an hour and only a little bit but it was snow none the less...... and that counts! The second was the two people I was working directly with today, we actually had fun among the hassles that go with manning a retail customercomplaints service desk.
And things got better yet. My thus far very unsupportive employer in the matter of the ongoing saga regarding the court date and holiday conflict, finally came through for me with flying colours. Credit where credit is due, I am keen enough to grumble about the negative things that happen at work from time to time so it's only fair that I also mention the positive. Ok, so I had to get quite stressed with the whole situation before anyone listened, but when I finally made it plain that I needed some help they gave it. My boss has contacted the company security department and from here on in, if the CPS continue to treat me as they have, he will deal with them, I not longer have to....and if the whole thing goes horribly pear shaped he and the company will support me. I can't ask for more than that and believe you me I feel as though a mill stone has been removed from my small and aching shoulders!
And finally, to celebrate this new found spell of cheerfulness, I decided to treat PG to something he has wanted forever....a baby iPod. Yeah, ok, so I can't really afford it but it was worth every penny to just see the look on his face when I gave it to him!
Yup, things are definitely looking up, a good day......... and long may it last.
It is most surprising therefore that this particular Saturday turned out pretty well! No one big thing, a few small incidents and happenings added together made for a surprisingly good day. The last week or two I have been in somewhat of a 'funk' as Lisa would say, kinda low and fed up, with seemingly not much other than one stress after another to deal with. Likely as for many of us the long winter dark and cold is no assistance in improving one's mood but today was different.
The first thing to happen was snow....it snowed, only for maybe an hour and only a little bit but it was snow none the less...... and that counts! The second was the two people I was working directly with today, we actually had fun among the hassles that go with manning a retail customer
And things got better yet. My thus far very unsupportive employer in the matter of the ongoing saga regarding the court date and holiday conflict, finally came through for me with flying colours. Credit where credit is due, I am keen enough to grumble about the negative things that happen at work from time to time so it's only fair that I also mention the positive. Ok, so I had to get quite stressed with the whole situation before anyone listened, but when I finally made it plain that I needed some help they gave it. My boss has contacted the company security department and from here on in, if the CPS continue to treat me as they have, he will deal with them, I not longer have to....and if the whole thing goes horribly pear shaped he and the company will support me. I can't ask for more than that and believe you me I feel as though a mill stone has been removed from my small and aching shoulders!
And finally, to celebrate this new found spell of cheerfulness, I decided to treat PG to something he has wanted forever....a baby iPod. Yeah, ok, so I can't really afford it but it was worth every penny to just see the look on his face when I gave it to him!
Yup, things are definitely looking up, a good day......... and long may it last.
Friday, 10 February 2006
Friday's feast (80)
Appetizer
What was a class or course you took while in school that you realize now was a total waste of time?
As unpopular as it may be I don't think any class I took was a waste of time. I might not have enjoyed them all but I learnt something from them all.
Soup
Who is the tallest person you know?
My first husbands brother. 6'7''
Salad
What's your favorite midnight snack?
Chocolate and crisps of course.
Main Course
Have you ever found money somewhere? If so, where did you find it, and how much was it?
Yes, £60 on the floor of a night club, way back in the late 70's that was a lot of money.
Dessert
Where would you like to retire?
I would just like to retire....... I don't give a damn where :o)
What was a class or course you took while in school that you realize now was a total waste of time?
As unpopular as it may be I don't think any class I took was a waste of time. I might not have enjoyed them all but I learnt something from them all.
Soup
Who is the tallest person you know?
My first husbands brother. 6'7''
Salad
What's your favorite midnight snack?
Chocolate and crisps of course.
Main Course
Have you ever found money somewhere? If so, where did you find it, and how much was it?
Yes, £60 on the floor of a night club, way back in the late 70's that was a lot of money.
Dessert
Where would you like to retire?
I would just like to retire....... I don't give a damn where :o)
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