w.atching the w.orld unw.ind

Today's lyric:
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"Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste
I've been around for a long, long years - stole many a man's soul and faith

And I was 'round when Jesus Christ had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Pilate washed his hands and sealed his fate."

The Rolling Stones: "Sympathy for the Devil"
From the album: "Beggar's banquet"

In the absence of anything better to report from the weekend (still stone cold sober - nearly two whole weeks now) a link to Buddy's new feline..

Labels: kittens

Today's lyric:
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"I don't want to be the sweeper of the eggshells that you walk upon
I don't want to be your other half I believe that 1 and 1 make 2
I don't want to be your food or the light from the fridge on your face at midnight
Hey what are you hungry for?"

Alanis Morissette: "Not the doctor"
From the album: "Jagged little pill"

Strange how some cats are oblivious to two-dimensional images, such as the tv or mirrors?

Mythos (the blue tortie of previous posts' fame) and Amstel's counterpart is fascinated by movement on the tv, even when sat on top of the box, looking down the plane of the screen. And has discovered her reflected image in mirrors, patting and pawing at herself.

Whereas the others just don't give a to55...

Labels: cats, kittens

Today's lyric:
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"I work hard every day of my life
I work till I ache my bones
At the end (of the day) I take home my hard-earned pay
All on my own
I get down on my knees and I start to pray
'Til the tears run down from my eyes
Lord, somebody, ooh somebody, can anybody find me - somebody to love?"

Queen feat. George Michael: "Somebody to love"
From the album: "Greatest Hits Volume 3"

Now that the kittens have learned how to scale the heights that is our bed, we have any permutation of five Burmese sharing our cot at night. (Sometimes, even I think we need sherpas to get us to Base Camp)

And they've also learned the art of purring - although it's more like a cross between a geiger counter and communicating bottle-nose dolphins. So you only have to stir in the night and there's a rattling in one or t'other ear..

Fortunately, Amstel Boy is being taken to learn Pompey on Saturday, so that reduces the combination to four max.

Now maybe it's because I had an alcohol-free evening, I had some odd dreams last night.

The main one was probably sparked by an earlier e-mail from someone.

I was at an open day at The Coven, which seemed to be like some feast happening and I was helping to guard the food tables from marauding locals. As a reward, mr bw showed me what appeared - in a Wallace and Gromit (The Wrong Trousers) moment - to be the bottom half of a bear. And you climbed in and operated it by manipulating a marionette (also bisected). Though why on earth, I have no idea. It wasn't as if you could fly in it - or even run fast?

But his piece de resistance was a thought-operated submersible, just big enough for one person, and just as I climbed in... a bloody kitten started to geigerclick in my ear.

It could just be that - sub-consciously - I was thinking of things to occupy mr bw while the Familiar's away, as they say?

Perhaps a poker evening? Paint-balling day? Lap-dancing clubs?

Anyway, when the alarm went off at 5:45 this morning, Mr Michael's version of "Somebody to love" was on my mind and lips, so that's why you've got that lyric for today. Ok?

Labels: kittens

Today's lyric:
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"Stinky weather, fat shaky hands
Dopey morning Doc, grumpy gnomes
Little wonder then, little wonder
You little wonder, little wonder you."

David Bowie: "Little Wonder"
From the album: "Earthling"

So, you poor, sad little bag of bones.

The vet herself didn't give you good odds and, to be truthful, none of us thought you'd make it.

Named after the Lord of the Rings character, because of your crabbed gait, which was caused by your flat-chested kitten problem, and with a heart murmur to boot, it really was only a matter of time. And last night, having given it your best shot, you decided to time out.

You were still the cutest, though..

Labels: kittens

Labels: kittens

Labels: kittens

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Labels: kittens

Today's lyric:
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"I know why you make me so scared
You're all I can see
You speak and my hearing is impaired
You're all over me

Laid in your bed
You held my head for a while
Said goodnight and flew away."

Graham Coxon: "All over me"
From the album: "Happiness in magazines"

To have and to hold an animal that feels so secure in its world that it falls asleep on you, is a lovely feeling.

But that's enough about Mrs. D.

Kittipix have been a bit scarce of late, but as my working days start and end in the dark, the only chance I get to take some snaps in natural light is at the weekend. (I don't like to zap them with flash photography.)

Not that there's been much sunshine lately, though.

Gollum* has joined his siblings in scaling the retaining bars of the kitten pen, so we've left them all to roam free on the carpeted Serengeti equivalent that is the lounge floor. They seem happy.

And although we request that all handlers wash their hands before (and after) picking them up (to prevent cross-infection) they are getting so much attention that, when they eventually leave us for their new homes, they will be the most humanised kittens (even for a breed famously human-oriented) evah!

So enjoy your weekends, y'all and keep your peepers peeled for feline-based 'paintings with light'.

* so named because of the way he moves around (he has Flat chested kitten syndrome) although with every day, he's getting much, much stronger and may even attain sellable status? Which we'll be very happy about - not from the monetary aspect, but because it'll mean a wrong'un turned right.

Labels: kittens

Today's lyric:

"Give me one last love song, to bring you back, bring you back
Give me one last video, just dressed in black, dressed in black
Give him a chorus and that bit at the end
Where he wails on and on 'bout the loss of a friend
Let him scream loudly 'Well this love could mend'
Let it die, let it die, let it die."

The Beautiful South: "One Last Love Song"
From the album: "Carry on up the charts

Last night, Mr Chips* finally gave up his week-long struggle to survive in this world.

We'd spent the day trying to handfeed him, because he just didn't have the strength to fight for his place at the milk bar, but we were really just stopping nature from
doing what it does?

A great shame, though, because he deserved a better shot at life.

* He was the firstborn and had a terrible delivery. When he finally made it out, he looked like a chipolata - hence, Mr Chips.

Labels: kittens

Today's lyric:

"You little shit you're in it now, I hope they throw away the key.
You should have talked to me more often than you did, but no!
You had to go your own way, have you broken any homes up lately?
Just five minutes, Worm Your Honour, him and me, alone."

Pink Floyd: "The Trial"
From the album: "The Wall

One of the four kittens (not the smallest, either) seemed to be failing to suckle, so we made up a supplementary feed last night and 'forced' him to neck it. Then got up early this morning (and yes, it's still freezing cold without the central heating boiler) to pump some more in and the little bu99er was swigging away like a teenager on lager.

You might say "Typical!" but it's a result (assuming he carries on fighting for his spot at the milk bar)

Labels: kittens

Today's lyric:

"And he's a world-wide traveller - he's not like me or you
But he comes in mighty regular for one who's passing through?
That one came in his work clothes, he's missed his last bus home
He's missed a hell of a lot of buses for a man who wants to roam?"

The Beautiful South: "Liar's Bar"
From the album: "Blue is the colour"

The Ginger Whinger finally delivered four male Burmese kittens, albeit after a Guy Fawkes night caesarian (so that's what one of 'em'll be called - Mr Guy Fawkes) to get the final two out.

She and the two that were born naturally were dragged from a cold - well, freezing - house (the central heating boiler's bu99ered) into a cold Fireworks Night and brought back with the other two slackers to face their first night as a family.

Despite the traumas, anaesthetic and general dragging about, she's coping remarkably well. But we needed a duvet day - which ended up with us half-hanging in the kitten box for the best part of the day. And although it's early doors, they seem to be quite sturdy little fellers, so there's a good chance of survival?

Labels: kittens

Today's lyric:

"Soft spoken with a broken jaw
Step outside but not to brawl
Autumn's sweet we call it Fall
I'll make it to the moon if i have to crawl
With the birds I'll share
This lonely view...."

Red Hot Chilli Peppers: "Scar tissue"
From the album: "Californication"

The Ginger Whinger is into her last week of kittency. As luck would have it, I'm being sent to Geordieland at the time she's likely to drop, so Mrs. D's charged with the photographic evidence.

When she's resting (The Ginger Whinger, that is, not Mrs.D.) her belly looks like a bunfight in a pillow case. Occasionally a limb will suddenly stick out at 90 degrees and wake her up with such a jolt that she falls off the sofa back.

Must get some pix to post...

Labels: kittens

Today's lyric:

"Now if you see me drinkin' bad red wine
Don't worry 'bout this man that you love
Don't you think it's sometimes wise not to grow up?"

Rolling Stones: "100 Years"
From the album: "Goat's Head Soup"

The Ginger Whinger is about half way through her gestation and developing nice little panniers along her flanks.

A litter of four would be ideal, as it would mean they'd be small enough not to cause too much of a problem to push out. Also, on the old 'economy of scale' principle, it'd make the selling price much more in peoples' budgets, who would otherwise be unable to afford the average 400 quid market price.

Probably though, she'll end up with one monster kitty and we'll end up keeping it, 'cos it'll have cost a mint to produce!

Labels: kittens