Greyling
I've been away from blogging for a long time now and there are many reasons for this.
Initially it was the horridly infected tooth. I barely struggled through the day back then. The cat routines kept me going, the feedings, the conversations, and of course, also the photographs brought some light into another wise dark time.
My wise, kind, understanding Dentist was at the time, alas, overseas.
I could have gone to the dental hospital I suppose, but the cost of being treated as badly as that over worked place treats people was too much to contemplate, as ill as I was.
My beloved Anna helped with house work and shopping.
I was too ill to call immediately after my Dentist returned. When he did return, I was too out of it from illness and pain to call at first. When I finally managed to do so, the only appointment was a month in advance. January. Apparently his growing clientele had all missed him as much as I did.
I'd used Acupuncture to deal with immediate pain, and occasionally had even resorted to anti-inflammatory pain killers which I rarely use.
I hate extractions.
It's taken awhile to recover, but since then, the felines have had more quality time and, grateful for this, are busy every evening competing in terms of their various forms of charm.
Stanley is still evidently finding extra food. During the times when I was very much house bound, I got to know more neighbours and I asked them specifically not to feed our Stanley.
I don't know enough people in the street behind Our Place to talk to them about a cat who can turn on such immense charm as Stanley can in order to get some extra tucker. It must however, be said of Stanley, that when one is feeling lonely, sad, in pain and so on, he's a wonderful armful of beautiful cat, and he's as gorgeous, as knowing and as whiskery as ever.
If he's in the mood, he'll even deliver a soft kiss to the lips. I never knew a cat to do that before.
We had news a couple of weeks ago that Samson, Arial's fluffy golden-ginger brother passed away from kidney disease.
I have to correct my estimation of the age of that litter. Along with Arial and the beautiful Squeak, their birthday was eighteen years ago this month in Bondi, children of Mummy Totty who moved elsewhere by choice when the rest of us had no choice but to move.
Arial's arthritis is now in her front legs as well as the back legs. She requires considerable gentle massage. I also apply massage points learned from the Four Directions, Five Points book on my list and have tried to take on the dietary advice offered therein.
Arial has become very fussy about the food I offer her. She eats with good appetite when she eats, but sometimes refuses everything I offer. I suppose that it's no big deal when the rest of the tribe are happy to finish those servings later in the day.
Arial continues to hold conversations with our neighbourhood human friends and, as for moustachioed Max, the cat who moved into Artist Max's old place, Cat Max turns out to be nearly old as Arial and Madame relishes turning him away with some very bad language when he attempts to visit.
She also enjoys guarding her uneaten food from the other felines. Having been bullied by another cat in a previous situation, she loves to be brave these days. On the days when she wins a feline quarrel, she purrs a lot.
Arial accepts all the food that Jos across the road brings for her.
Sometimes she tries to follow Jos back over the road to our old place. At that point I pick up the fragile old cat to take her to her nest in the bathroom until she forgets...
I focus on Greyling today who is the sweetest lovingest BEING I ever met with the exception of Arial's sister Squeak. Squeak would politely greet every guest who visited us back in that second Bondi place. Arial is more shy, but her eyes shine love for those who she loves and she's adorably affectionate.
Greyling's first name was Grey Boy, what big balls she had, and what a mistake that was!!!
We're all intrigued by new noises which have emerged from behind the fences since The Financial Crisis hit. Can one rooster crow all day long? No. Gradually, we've come to realize that there's more than one place where people have taken to keeping poultry in these large back yards. The continual yelling is, I guess at least three roosters crowing at each other.
This place feels more like a country town than ever. Not so many paddocks all around though.
None in fact, although the cleaning up around the river banks down the hill has created some wonderful native park land.
(Too far away for our cats, but that's good.)
As for my Novel, I complained to Anna that the page which the word programme supplied was too small to manage much work.
Anna then taught me to zoom.
Drat those who stopped my computer learning way back when!
Anyway, since I learned to zoom to full page, it's so much easier to write. I'm more than halfway through the novel and have found a Mentor who advises me against contacting any Publisher before the work is read by a proper editor.
That's the next step, I suppose.
I'll let you know.
