Nigella …

Well, I haven’t seen such excitement at Jannie for a while.  The Mummies were watching the news the other night and the Weather came on – and there, on the screen, was the photograph of the morning’s sunrise that M Kaz had sent in to them. She was so excited she almost didn’t get the phone out in time to take a photograph of it.  Thank goodness for her mate Trish who assured her she would be able to catch it on iView. (M Kaz had looked at it and not been able to find it – did she look well enough?  Hmmmmm.)  It does look like it was a lovely sunrise. 

Now, what else has been happening?  Believe it or not that horrible noise from the toilet in M Sooz’s bathroom has finally stopped.  I don’t know how they couldn’t be driven mad by it – the constant water trickle.  I’d like to say that M Kaz was right on top of it and she was aware that something needed to be done but it took the water bill coming in to spur her to action.  It was Brendan, the plumber, who came to fix the leak by replacing the water inlet valve (whatever that is).  He also put new washers in a couple of the taps while he was here.  It was funny.  Those Mummies were wondering when he would arrive – as I’m running to the front door because I’ve heard him at the front gate.  Whoever questioned my watch-cat capabilities will need to rethink that. Brendan remembered me too;  he let me sniff his shoes and socks – and he patted me! I hope the roof tiler when he gets here to check where the leak is coming from will be as nice. 

It’s raining here again so let’s hope they get Brian (the roof tiler) in sooner rather than later.  To be fair, it took three phone calls for M Kaz to find Brian – as referred by Len – who is currently overseas – who was referred by Owen – who doesn’t fix tiled roofs – who Flam knows. Brian is going to drop by the next time he’s in the Jannie area. 

M Kaz has a new toy although she calls it a toy.  Aunty W had said she wanted a new portable blender and, as luck would have it, Ninja sent M Kaz an email saying they had a ‘2 for 1’ deal on their Ninja Blast portable blender.  M Kaz ordered them and they arrived at Jannie during the week.  M Kaz has used it a few times to make ice drinks which is not surprising given how much M Kaz likes ice.  The Blast certainly has a smaller footprint than the other ice crusher so the question is, when M Kaz finally gets her decluttering act together, whether it will survive the cull.

I haven’t seen any of my little friends around Jannie for a while.  Kermit and the dinosaurs have been missing in action or a while now.  I think it might have something to do with the rain – or maybe because it’s getting colder. 

It’s quiet now that Uncle Wayne and Aunty Wendy have gone back to Toowoomba. Before they left, they were all sitting out in the front courtyard and I couldn’t go out there to sit with them, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t keep an eye on them.  They left yesterday morning and, yes, it’s true, M Kaz did have tears in her eyes as they drove away. I tried to cheer up her and M Sooz (she was a bit sad too) but I really couldn’t do much. They had a quiet day which seemed to do them both good. 

While Aunty Wendy was here she went shopping and found a wonderful red leather coat. I think I loved it more than Aunty W did which is why she could have and should have left it with me.

I have a bit of a new trick. M Sooz came searching for me the other day (they’re never quite sure where I’m going to be) and it took her a while but she eventually found me in my new spot in the cat tower that Aunty M’s Mimi’s gifted to me. It’s a tiny bit of a squeeze as those Mothers keep pointing out but it is a very snug and comforting and comfortable place regardless of how squidgy it looks.

Have I said how much I love my contoured box? I do know M Kaz rescued it from the shed where it was just one tiny step away from going out in the recycling. I’m not going to thank her though because she was responsible for it being out there in the first place.

While M Kaz’s siblings were here, I was discouraged (read: banned) from being on the table. M Kaz had put my contoured box on a chair at the table. Of course I sat in there sometimes but only under duress. I’m not sure why the rules change when other people (who aren’t Aunty M) are here. It’s very confusing.

I am really loving the new catfood that the Mummies’ friend R has donated to us.  That’s the Applaws brand I’m talking about, not necessarily the Fancy Feast but I haven’t tried all the flavours yet. One or two of them might be okay but whatever one it was the other night wasn’t nice. I’ve made sure that both those Mummies know that.

When Uncle Wayne and Aunty Wendy were here, M Kaz gave them her bathroom – which I liked because it meant she brought her towel outback and hung it over one of the chairs to dry – and I used it as a tent.  Hmmmm … it does look like it’s time to have my nails done again.

I’m not sure what M Kaz is doing, but it’s certainly not keeping my blog up to date!  So much has happened since the last time I was able to get her attention long enough for her to sit at the computer and type for me.  Mind you, she does type for other people most days – not just me.  Maybe I will have to start paying her so she makes the time for my transcription too!

The big news is that Uncle Wayne is here for a visit.  I know this because when I’ve been looking out the front door ready to greet the Mummies with open arms, he’s been lurking around the corner with the spray bottle.  He’s right not to trust me, of course, but sometimes it hurts my feelings just a little.  But it’s very good to see him because I had been looking forward to our battle of wits.  I know I am currently winning but I think he would say otherwise.  He would be pleased to know that I even helped M Kaz make his bed before he arrived.  Let’s see how his anti-histamines helps him with that!  Although, and this is a bit sad, he had been crook before he came to us and he is still waiting for his eustasian tubes to clear so he can hear properly in both ears.

He would have needed his ears working properly if he had been at Jannie earlier because those Mothers watched the Semi Final 1, the Semi Final 2 and the Final of the Eurovision Song Contest.  They called it the ‘ESC’ for short and that was incredibly appropriate because it kept reminding me of the ESC key on her keyboard …. escape, escape, escape.  I did not care for it and there were some bits that the Mummies didn’t care for either but that didn’t stop them from watching it for hours and hours and hours over three nights.

While they were watching ESC on their television, I was hiding in mine (television) so I didn’t have to watch it – although I was forced to listen.  Admittedly, there were a couple of catchy tunes – Espresso Machiatto and the BBB song (I can’t remember what the B’s stand for) which was about a sauna.  The stagingnust have been amazzing because those Mothers kept waxing lyrical about it. 

I think I have moved inside for the colder months now.  I am spending a fair amount of time in my aforementioned television, and the Mummies have also seen me on the sofa, M Sooz’s recliner, the bed, under the towel M Kaz was drying out the back and … well, you get the idea.

Happy Mother’s Day!  And who knew that the day is dedicated to each individual mother and that its creator Anna Jarvis “insisted on this particular punctuation placement”, with the apostrophe before the s, when she created it in 1908.  It didn’t become a national holiday in the US until 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson made it one.  It was first officially celebrated in Australia in 1924 although it had been celebrated in church services as early as 1910.

 Fun (?) fact:  Anna Jarvis spent much of her later life actively fighting against the holiday’s commercialisation and exploitation. She envisioned Mother’s Day as a day to honour mothers through personal expressions and visits, not as a commercial enterprise.  She actively campaigned against the commercialisation, organizing boycotts and even taking legal action against companies using “Mother’s Day” in advertising.   By the early 1940s, she had become infirm, and was placed in a sanatorium by friends and associates. In one of her last public appearances, Jarvis was seen going door-to-door in Philadelphia, asking for signatures on a petition to rescind Mother’s Day.  She died, alone, on November 24, 1948. Rumour has it that a portion of her medical bills were paid for by florists as she had lost her personal fortune in the legal battles she waged against the commercialisation of Mother’s Day.

Wow, M Kaz, that’s all a bit dark for a Sunday morning in May!
Let’s think about something a bit cheerier.  I know – let’s start Cat’s Day. Oh wait …. there is already one. That would be International Cat Day which is on 8 August.  It was created in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare.  Hmmmmm …. I think the Mummies have to lift their game.  I haven’t see International Cat Day celebrated at Jannie in the six years I’ve been here!  Now you know that I know, M Kaz and M Sooz, let’s hope that changes!

I’ll wait in my television or on the recliner.  It is getting cooler in the evenings and I somehow don’t think those Mothers are going to be bringing my (Mimi) cat tower back inside any time soon. So I’ve moved inside in the evenings, and even on some of the colder mornings.  The chances of me not having to run Outback to use my litter tray are not looking good either.  Brrrrr …. I don’t think I’m looking forward to doing that in Winter!