Holidays and favourite food

Harvey, 2yrs 1 month

Reuben, 1yr 7 months

Well we run full steam ahead to the end of this year. I sit listening to the wind and rain outside and whilst it is already 8.00 am there is little light in the sky because of the dour weather.

Monty, 1 yr 3 months

I have just been going through the photos over Xmas and although we have not been studious in our attentiveness to this I must say we are keen on photographing food!! so I have just taken some last photos of the year of the cats.

Bertie, 8 months

Luna, 7 months

Although our run up to Xmas involved both two members of the family having health issues we did manage to get them all here for the day. Grandad was definitely fragile whilst my Sister in Law had only just had a two knee operation a week before!!

It wasn't our most lively Xmas but one that revolved around family. Everyone enjoyed their presents and I could not be more pleased with a darn lovely pair of boots and a beautiful Coach handbag, a total surprise, and my Focus magazine subscription.

Mutton……that was our Christmas dinner. Gorgeous - 5 year old heather fed Black Face Mutton.

http://www.blackface.co.uk

Full plates and only just fitting the family in.

A huge 4.4 Kg Shoulder and a 3.4 Kg Leg arrived to be shoved somehow into our normal oven. We cooked the shoulder in the end for 7 hours on 140 C surrounded by stock and wine whilst on a bed on onions and veg. The shoulder we added a mustardy/ herby crust to and cooked for 3 hours. This year we were reasonable in our variety of vegetables etc. We each had ONE carrot, yes only , but a special one. Tom Kerridges carrot recipe is a must,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/christmas_carrots_90489

 Scrape and smooth the carrot, one for each person then place in a pan of buttery, sugary water and cook for a long time. Those carrots become unctuous. Brussel sprouts were sliced finely on a mandolin and just sweated simply with butter and fried lardons. The Cauliflower cheese was just thick creamy and cheesy whilst our roasts were parsnips and potatoes done in goose fat. Yorkshires were added as golden clouds of yumminess and the deep glossy winey gravy made up from the stock upon which the mutton had cooked finished up our lovely main Christmas meal.

Then we started again!!! Dessert. But only one this year!!!

The MOST calorific dessert ever, I have always threatened to work out the calories. Croissant Butter pudding, wow, wow, wow. This buttery, creamy, whisky soaked, white chocolate saturated dessert is divine. It's light in texture with sweetness but with a kick of alcohol. To add to the unhealthyness we added custard, yumm.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/whitechocolatewhisky_86302

So that was Xmas however I had not had my favourite meal of the year yet, Venison Wellington which finally made its appearance yesterday. I am so happy. A Venison fillet had been sitting in the freezer waiting for this special moment. It did not let us down. So happy.

Apparently it is not special enough for Xmas!!! but for me this is the king of meals. The venison is wrapped in a mushroom duxcelle with added herbs and bacon held together with large savoy cabbage leaves and enclosed in puff pastry. The jus is slowly made from spare meat and veg with loads of wine and beef stock plus a little redcurrant jelly. Then finally we have shredded savoy cabbage cooked down with sweated onions and fried streaky chopped bacon with a tiny splash of cream. Did I mention I was so happy.

Well I may post again before the new year but maybe not so Happy New Year to one and all.See you in 2014.

December - Cooling winds and decorations up up up

Our variety of Christmas lights

The front garden

Well chomping at the bit at the beginning of December I attune myself to the new lights we have bought for outside. Last year we had got down to our last string but we are back on form again this year, not quite blackpool lights but our house does stand out a little with our neighbours as well.

It's amazing how long it takes! I start stringing then have a change of mind and then again. A good three hours finally gave results.

Bertie looking curlyat 8 months

The tree is now up as well and as ever with get rather carried away with size. Last year it touched the ceiling, this year however we had a hard time getting it in the car and then after soaking it for 24 hours it did not fit into the tree holding bracket : ( Out comes the saw twice once to take off and inch or two off the height and then cutting along the side to get it to fit in. Still however it has fallen over, my cutting straight is obviously left handed and NOT good.This tree is magnificent. It is SOOOOOOOO bushy everywhere, it does take up one sixth of the room.

I do have to say though if you want to see Christmas done properly my neighbour has Xmas mugs, Xmas tea towels, Xmas singing things up the stairs, wow it just is a grotto. Her hubby is of course doing the  "baa humbug" routine.

Luna, our girl, at 7 months

Pressies are soooo hard : ( I only have to do the kids. The eldest buys what he wants, the youngest needs to get his and let me pay as we need his feet, my daughter is the easiest  but even that is not that easy, now we are passed computer games I have no convenient back up!!!

Luna asleep

Soon hubby is home. Just a week and a half. He loves Christmas but he can do a bit of Gordon Ramsey grumps in the kitchen, here's hoping a change!!

Luna our lovely Selkirk variant girl cat has just been spayed, the vet wanted to do her midline because of her coat and wanted to get her weight up  to do it. Well what an amazing job!! Her shave was truly minimal, her cut so neat and as it was glued we have not had any weeping. Needless to say she did not wear those horrible head cones nor did she have a bland diet coming home, the others would have terrorised her and trying to keep her away from their food is not possible. Bertie is still entire and at the moment man-ing up. None of our boys have ever sprayed and we left them all to a year, Harvey 1 and a half, so as long as Bertie behaves we will go down that route.

We have found a great window cat shelf on ETSY which has been loved by the cats, extremely comfortable, safe and very easy bird watching from the window. As you can see our heavy weight boy fits and it holds up to the strain!!!!.

Monty trying out the new ETSY shelf

Gosh that looks comfortable

Just rushed off to get the cats their whole food prey, i.e. DOCs and small mice. We are very lucky to have one of the best suppliers in the UK literally only 20 minutes away. It's a bit gruesome but once you realise the DOCs are what are rejected from the chicken industry and they are so natural for the cats to eat and at 6.5p per chick it is a very, very, very, cheap addition to their diet.

A bag of 50 DOCs

Snoozing again

My friend's birthday - WOW

Birthday cake made by Colette

Well we left Telford in 1999 and my biggest lost was my friend, our kids were firm buddies from the day they were born and in fact before where my eldest and Carol's son were introduced as NCT bumps.

Happy Birthday moments

This weekend was Carol's big birthday, and as ever with my out going exuberant friend she meant to party with ALL her friends.  Even her close neighbours love her so much that they open up their house for her to have her party, an old chapel.

Fireworks across the Gorge

Unfortunately my eldest coming into teaching this year has so much on his plate that he could not come even though he really would have sooooo loved to. Therefore my daughter, who loves a party, and my youngest, who loves a party came to represent our family and to have a good time.

Colette all dressed for the 70s

Ben a true hippy, even a beard grown for the occasion!

We turned up for our accommodation not realising they had closed the whole of the village to traffic for a Christmas celebration topping with fireworks. Hence some firm negotiations and we finally were let in behind a marshall walking ahead!!!!!!  After sorting ourselves we made it down for the fireworks which were gorgeous, the explosions rippling around the river valley making your chest thunder. Then the long long long walk up the hill to party time.

People are so good loving to dress up, not my thing so I had come as 2013, however sooooo many people made the effort to dress up for an era. That's Carol's friends!!!!! I must be the odd one out!!! No presents were requested apart from donations to charity and all the costs of the drinks went to charity also, a party with the feel good feeling!!!

Youngest having a Roma cuddle

Jo keeping Carol fed

As expected Carol was on mega form, bringing together everyone somehow, socialising like a trooper and enjoying herself!!! She was the dancing Queen! It was lovely to see everyone, people coming up greeting like good old friends. Her family had definitely put their heart an soul into it, probably been whipped along by the Carol whirlwind, Keith with the music and images, Colette with a stunning cake and Ben keeping Carol sane.

Well, here is to you Carol, a superb party, no one could have managed it better, we had a lovely smashing time, Happy Happy Birthday. Hope at least some of the photos are acceptable. Love you xxxxx

Friends

Siblings

Just a moment

Hapiness

Joy

Me and my girl

Foods up

More cuddles

The kind people who hosted the party

Charlie!!!!

Looking for support

You scan still be seen

Grub

Cats - Autumn walks, general photos and quirky observations

Harvey walking by the lock

We are at that lovely time of year still when the weather does not always have that bite and there are some leaves on the trees. Yesterday I took the chance to  walk Harvey, and just a little stroll with Luna.

It still astonishes me that everyone finds it so unusal to walk a cat. Having had Louis come back to us years ago with a huge slash down his stomach barely surviving I would not wish to put any of my cats through this nor us. Although we do not live on a main road I would also hate to think that our cats could in anyway cause an accident through cars trying to avoid them. To a lesser extent there are the risks of Antifreeze poisoning (on the increase), also anti social members of society trying to cause harm to our cats, and lastly, as they are all pedigree cats, people catnapping them for sale!!

Luna striding out on one of her first walks

Harvey is our great walker, however he does dislike bicycles, dogs and people which means we walk at quieter parts of the day. Reuben could take or leave walking, he is happy at home. Monty truly dislike it and adopts his position for all horrible situations i.e. going to the vet or burying his head into your arm so he cannot see anything!! Bertie would probably be ok, although I just feel he is happy at home, however I have just started to try Luna on a harness. She has a very gung-ho  attitude to the world and I have been proved right. On her first introduction to the harness she was up and ready to go out the door and had her tail upright and eager to look around.

Cat shelves in full use

The cat shelves are soooooooo popular, my only issue is that there is only one way up and down and if more than one wants to be on there we immediately have a blocking problem, not something I foresaw!! Instead I have gone around the house look to make sure areas where they can get height, to have a bit of variation, are in general cat friendly. Although my mantlepiece is still strictly out of bounds, my lovely china  Guinea  Fowl are too fragile. Someone suggested museum putty to hold them in place, I must look into that!!
Ohh, also we've had a new success on the RAW food front DOC's - cheap and 2 out of the 3 love them so far!!!

Harvey under the autumn Acer

Monty with his piercing eyes

A few interesting observations - odd and sometimes quirky.

• Alpha cat will only allow lots of stroking when no other cats are around. Then he turns back into a kitten. It is like your teenager boy who loves his mum but when with the rest of HIS crowd he has to look cool.

Bertie, very much our fluffy Selkirk

Reuben loving the outside trees

• Alpha cat also has to be fed away from the other cats, higher or another room.
• Alpha cat can get his food nicked very easily, the kittens will just come under his nose and nick it whereas away from the bowl he would give them a swipe with his paw.
• For five cats we have four litter trays ( I know for five we should have six). They only use one for the one use while all the others get used for the other use. In the mega tray we use Worlds Best and in the smaller other ones we use Natures Gold. I must do an experiment!!
• Present number two could take on Alpha cat but it is not in his nature however when Number twos adopted babies are threatened Number two takes Alpha cat down. General behaviour would indicate a level playing field between these two. No defence given by two to Alpha, and Alpha expects none - they associate and rest amicably together.
• The sink is the best place ever, number two who doesn't like lots of strokes will shout until a towel is put in the sink and he will jump into it and expect constant stroking.
• Boxes of different sizes and things put in or holes cut in are the best toys ever.
• Except for a pop up cube which all of them try to pile into in one go!!! it collapses, it rolls, it's the best.

  

  Luna showing off her fine tail!

  
  
  
  
  
  

Cat Shelves - Yes, we've added these as well!

Well there I was at the computer looking at our  Dining room/Office walls when I decided that there was a prime area of green wall fit for a new purpose!! The cats always love being wherever someone is sitting and if I am at the computer that usually means on top of my hands while I am typing. I thought building some cat shelves could give them a perch and allow me to get on with work quicker.

Off I went to Ikea to look at shelves, and chose the Ekby Shelving system. What was so great about these was that you could cut the shelves to any length and as the bracket fits over the ends all the cut exposed shelf was then hidden. I purchased two lengths of shelving and ten brackets. I also knew that the shiny surface was not ideal to jump onto therefore cut carpet tiles adhered to the shelving with carpet double sided tape should work. The idea for these came from several websites.


I initially did mean to fit them myself but my dearest Father in Law took it upon himself to fit them. Our cats are not light weight so we used the strongest wall plugs available, enough to hold a human I believe!!!! and the shelves were put up.

Well they are great, I think they look professional and so neat. I come into the room to find often one or two of the cats asleep during the day and it is lovely to turn around when I am at the computer to see them watching me.

Yes another thing we didn't NEED but a cat enrichment which has certainly been used and enjoyed.