08/07/2010 by Aileen.

Little Sugar is back! She’s one of our very shy calico cats. ((I used to call it tortoiseshell, but apparently it’s calico)

We came home from CenterParcs on Monday with the two boys, and only Ellie and Spice were around. We didn’t worry too much, as they are so shy and always hide from ’stangers’, butas the days went on we were vey sad (and I got very grumpy) I got up at nights calling for her.

Last night I went out about 2am, and heard a meow. It was Sugar. I picked her up and hugged her, and brought her back into the house. She struggled a bit, but I got her inside and woke John. (Yes, he wanted me to!)

We were so happy. I think she’s lost a bit of weight, it’s Thursday now, but even if she disappears again until Saturday, when the kids go, we won’t worry. I opened up a can of tuna in spring water for her, and she gobbled up the bit I gave her.

She’s not the most attractive of cats, and she dribbles, but we love her.

Anyway, back to CenterParcs (no, not literally) while the kids are still abed. I was so impressed with the organisation of it all. There is so much to do, but it is spaced out and the place never seems crowded. There are these little money spinners going on all over the place, but it isn’t at all in your face.

Various activities spread across the lake, several interlinked swimming areas, various food outlets. So well done.

The lodge carpet could do with a good clean, but it didn’t worry me. It wasn’t minging, but the place was in need of a good deep clean.

The wild life was fantastic. Red squirrels, siskins, woodpeckers. Much more.

The kids got involved with mini Olympics, football tournaments etc. and John did archery. I really will have to post some photos, but I  shoot them in Raw format and they need to be changed to jpegs.

The star was Alexander who is such a happy little baby. I shouldn’t say little as he’s growing in leaps and bounds. I have lots of photos of all of us, and must put them up.

I did ask if I could be in some, but as usual I’m not. Kieran took one of me and Alexander, and that’s the lot. Oh well. I’m no oil painting.

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18/03/2010 by Aileen.

That’s the cats. Sugar and Spice have been ‘done’ with not too much hassle. Ellis is going today and, famous last words, she will be easy to catch. We’re a bit worried about her, as she is so thin under her fur, and she gets sick quite a lot, although perversely enough, she hasn’t lately. She’s fourteen.

Anyway, it’s a morning of gardening for me, vets in the afternoon, and then I’m doing a CRB form for someone who wants to do Chidlren’s Liturgy.

I’ve finished my OU TMA. 4 poems and a commentary. It’s not due in until Friday, so I am quite free today. Oh, I have to write a fantasy story for the writing group tomorrow.

My I Belong book is being revamped by Redemptorist Publications. New illustations. I hope they don’t change the text too much. I gave up all rights to it, so haven’t much say. I’ve asked if I can write an adult book to run alongside it, but I’ve suggested this before and told no, as I’m not ‘famous.’

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15/03/2010 by Aileen.

I did a 10 mile walk with my OU friends on Saturday. Well, just under ten miles, as we started from my house instead of the Village Hall. I’m still stiff on Monday morning.

Being Monday I’m on here typing getting my strength up for an onslaught on the house.

So to catch up on last week….

We had a great time at M, F and A’s from Sunday to Tuesday. I’ll stick some photos on the end of this post. We went down to them as John had a routine check up at Stoke Mandeville. Coincidentally, when we got home there was a message on the answering machine asking him to ringabout an appointment for his op. (Small procedure to do with his big op in 2008)

Anyway, he’s back down there on Easter Tuesday, and having the  op on the Wednesday. The only nuisance is Liam and Kieran will be staying with us for the week. The Scottish contingent, and the Oxford contingent are staying with us over Easter, so maybe M and F can drive John down on the Tuesday, and I’ll take Liam and Kieran down on the Wednesday to pick John up. It’s just that it’s a long time for the pair to be in a car, even with video games.

Well, back to last week. On Tuesday I went to the WI and saw an excellent slide show from a wild life photographer. His best photos were butterflies I think. He didn’t know the names of some of the birds. Said a wren was a dunnock. Still, very good photos.

Wednesday, we went birding to Blacktof Sands.Saw marsh harriers and others. Lovely day.

This week -

Monday

I have Viewfinders tonight - we’re listening to Andrew telling us how he set up his exhibition.

Tuesday

Dentist - nothing will need doing hopefully

Wednesday

last birding before Easter. Up in the wolds, which I love.

Thursday

I must book up the cats for the vets.

Friday

Creative Writing. We have to do a fantasy story which is right up my street. Also, my OU work has to be in. I’ve chosen the poetry option and  done a pantoum, villanelle and two sonnets. I still need to do a commentary,

Then it’s the weekend again. Doesn’t time fly.

I’ll just put up some photos, then get on with the week’s dusting and vacuuming (housework is probably the reason I’m procrastinating now. Procrastination is my middle name)

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26/01/2009 by Aileen.

Where does the time go to? We had a pleasant weekend with Kev and Mag staying overnight. Today (Monday) I took Spice and Ellie to the vets. Sugar should have gone as well, but she has disappeared. Probably heard the others make a fuss this morning. Or caught sight of the cat baskets.

Going back to last week -

I started the new digital photography class on Thursday morning. It was a very basic introduction (as I expected) but there was still something I didn’t understand about different specifications between digital and film slrs. Need to google it. We have a project to do - five photos of our house/neighbourhood. The light is dismal at the moment so am waiting for it to change. We have three weeks.

On Friday it was Creative Writing. Such fun. The group really is lovely.

Tonight it’s Viewfinders. We are taking photos with the theme of ‘blue.’ (No, not pornographic. At least I don’t think so!)

I’m about to study now, as I can’t find Sugar for the vets. We’re on to poetry. Most enjoyable.

Oh I forgot. In the last few days I have registered with Twitter (don’t know why!) and discovered that I registered with Flickr a year ago. So I have uploaded some rubbishy photos from the new year. My name is

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19/09/2008 by Aileen.

I drove down to Stoke Mandeville yesterday, and was almost there when my neighbour rang to say she couldn’t get in to feed the cats. I had left the key in the lock and exited through the utility room door. She said she would buy cat food and put it down outside. Anyway I’m going home tomorrow to make sure everything is ok, and coming back down on Tuesday. I had hoped to stay here until Tuesday.

Tuesday is my birthday and M and F are taking me out for a meal in the evening, so it all fits in I suppose. The petrol is costing me a lot though. Well, it’s costing John as I’m putting it on his card lol. I will miss birding on Wednesday, but I should be able to go to Creative Writing on Friday, then back down again.

I have made a start with the Creative Writing OU course. Today I did Activity 2, part of which was to sit outside and really observe what was around, from nearby to the sky. It was NOT meant to be a polished piece of work, so I reproduce it here, unvarnished, with trepidation. (If I can read my abominable writing)

The patio is flagstones, a snail’s silver railway lines tracking around a pot of herbs. The chrysanthemums are like little yellow lollipos, but their leaves are drooping. Autumn is here. The sun warms my neck and I take off my top. No one around. I soak up the last of the summer. That tree has ten trunks coming from its base. Did it grow from one apple - each pip germinating? The leaves are little green doilies. Something has been feasting on it. It’s not an apple tree. I don’t know what it is. I see a squirrel from the corner of my eye. It’s jumpy and furtive. No chance of feeding it I fear. Anyway, they’re vermin. Muntjacs invade the garden but I haven’t seen any today. I hear the birds. A robin  - its mournful song regretting the passing year. That sun is amazing. It warms my six decade skin. The sky in the east hurts my eyes, but further over it is a soft grey blue, like a still sea. A perfectly pyramidal conifer breaks the skyline. I hear the goldcrests. That green woodpecker is around, laughing at me from various corners. ‘Ha ha ha, you can’t see me!’ I don’t care. ‘I’ll see you yet, young man. I’ll see you yet.’

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27/07/2008 by Aileen.

We had a lovely holiday in the Borders. We flitted between England and Scotland daily. No mobile or internet access and I survived. Can’t believe it.

The week consisted of picnics, a barbecue, two pub meals, and lashings and lashings of coffee and tea. Oops. It wasn’t just food. We had lovely weather, and I took millions of photos, but I haven’t uploaded them yet.

The grandchildren are here now for a few days. They have been so good. They gave us a show yesterday, and were going to continue it this evening, but got involved in Midsomer Murders. (Sush, don’t tell mum and dad.)

They have also had the paddling pool out and done colouring and cutting out.

We’re a bit worried cos we haven’t seen one of our cats since we came home over twenty four hours ago. Sugar and Spice are really shy, and always disappear when we have visitors, but usually slink in during the night. We haven’t seen Spice at all. If she doesn’t return tonight (it’s now 11.40pm) we shall have to put up notices. I think she’ll return but John is upset,imagining the worst.

He actually asked the grandchildren to say a prayer tonight, and he’s the great unbeliever!

Anyway, here’s hoping for tonight. Tomorrow we’re probably going to Honeysuckle Farm where the kids love jumping on the hay bales. We may take in the seaside (Hornsea) as well.

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08/06/2008 by Aileen.

I’ve been looking at other people’s blogs and if they have a cat it seems that it is almost mandatory to say it’s crazy. We have three cats and none of them are crazy.

Ellie is very beautiful except that she carelessly lost her tail. She is a longhaired tabby with the sweetest expression, but she is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. If she is locked in a room she thinks she’s a rabbit and tries to burrow her way out. She used to have an even more beautful brother, called Abe. (Well they were Abelard and Eloise actually) Abe was a smoky grey colour and the most beautiful cat in the world. When he was about 8 months he came running in one day in great distress. I ruosed to Jshed him to the vets but he died as we got there. We think he had been hit by a car as he had internal injuries. He was a real little baby and used to ‘paddle’ into my lap. He was definitely ‘my’ cat as opposed to John’s.

After he died I used to see Ellie sitting in the garden looking around. I was sure she was looking for her big brother, so I went out and bought two more kittens. (Well more like rats - they were skinny little tortoiseshells.) We called them Sugar and Spice.

Sugar is a timid little thing although she is marginally braver than Spice. If people with gentle voices are visiting, like Trudie and Al, she will venture out before too long.

I’m sure no one believes we have a pair of tortoiseshells, as Spice NEVER comes out when we have visitors. But what she lacks in bravery she makes up in brains. She is so interested in John’s Scottish History studying, and at night she cuddles up to John in bed and practices her reading.You can see her working things out and would speak to us in English but probably doesn’t want to shock us.

So none of them are crazy, but they are such wonderful individuals. Watch this space for a picture or three. Most of my photos are on my main computer, and it is HOT in the conservatory so I’m not going out there now. Not for anyone. Bye bye.

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