2023 Stash & Grab Virtual Pub

[rcperryls]

Right behind you Serinde. The only thing that would make this better is Lyudmila's being able to join us. that we will be able to have her join us in celebrating peace before her next birthday party!

Carole

[richardandtracy]

Oh dear. I'm worried. I was hoping to bring Ozzie, our Maine Coon. But he's a bit timid, and I think the Rabbits whether eating daffodils or not, would be just too much for him. I suspect he'll have to stay at home instead and hide in the gap behind our piano instead. Quite how a cat that big can get into a space that small I have no idea.

Regards,

Richard

[Mabel Figworthy]

We could provide a piano just for him to hide behind at the S&G!

[Serinde]

There is one, in fact. And our rabbits are very kind to cats. No boxing or kicking.

[richardandtracy]

It's what is between the cat's ears that's the problem, not the rabbit(s).

In all honesty, after having a cat (my avatar, Albert) that attacked Alsatian/Doberman cross dogs for fun and all-round entertainment, I am deeply embarrassed by how timid Ozzie is. Especially as he's so much bigger and stronger than Albert ever was. And Ozzie's claws.. 3/4" (1.9cm) long, and he never uses them on anything bigger than a small rat that he likes to bring into the house, alive out of preference.

As I said, deeply embarrassing.

Regards,

Richard

[rcperryls]

I think Ozzie sounds very sweet and sensitive. And nothing to be embarrassed about.

Carole

[richardandtracy]

But he's a cat. They're meant to be mean & heartless killers.

What we have is a snugglepuss. Pfft.
He is adorable, though.

Regards,

Richard

[Serinde]

Absolutely nothing wrong with that at all, apart from being pinned to the sofa. And I'll bet you don't mind not having to separate Albert from a terrified Alsatian/Doberman cross, either!

[richardandtracy]

We had something we called 'Albert's Fighting Fund'. It was a jar of money to put in all our change so we had a pot of cash to go towards his vets bills when he needed patching up after going fighting.

It rarely got to more than £5 before it was used again. He went in head first, claws out on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. To be honest we never had to separate him from any dogs, they always ran away and nothing, absolutely nothing whatsoever, was going to stop them.

We had one memorable moment when a really nasty Golden Retriever escaped from our other neighbour's garden. It was bred at a time when Golden Retrievers were very popular and unscrupulous breeders where selling every pup they could lay their hands on, even nasty ones. Anyway, we were out the front of the house when it got out, and there was no way we were going to risk trying to get it back in its own garden, and it saw Albert looking round the corner of the house. Albert retreated out of sight down our sideway and this dog shot after him. We hurried to try to rescue Albert, fearing the worst as he could be trapped against the gate at the end of the sideway, when we heard the most horrific cat yowl/hiss/growl and a long scream of pain that could have come from a cat, dog or even a human. Moments later the dog I regarded as uncontrollable raced out from our sideway with its tail tucked so far under its tummy it was touching its rib cage, whimpering and crying as it raced home as fast as it could manage. Albert trotted to the end of our sideway and looked both ways before looking even more smug than most cats do and trotted up to us on tippy toes as if to say 'What a clever cat I am'. That's the sort of thug he was.

And now we have Ozzie.
It's impossible to even imagine a cat with a more different temperament.

Regards,

Richard

[fccs]

Albert trotted to the end of our sideway and looked both ways before looking even more smug than most cats do and trotted up to us on tippy toes as if to say 'What a clever cat I am'. That's the sort of thug he was.

And now we have Ozzie.
It's impossible to even imagine a cat with a more different temperament.

Regards,

Richard

[Mabel Figworthy]

Oh Richard, I do enjoy your cat stories, they brighten my day

[richardandtracy]

He was a character we'll never forget. It's silly, but 19 years on we still miss the moggie.

Regards,

Richard

[rcperryls]

Not silly at all. To this day I miss my first cat, Sigmund. And that was 50 years ago. A very big (20 lbs and not fat) black cat. When I went to the shelter to get a new cat (or cats) I specifically asked for a black cat. Rosey was hiding in a cupboard and they had to bring her to me. Each pet is very special in their own way and unforgettable. Never silly to remember one you loved.

Carole

[Serinde]

I decided that, as it's raining and miserable outside, I'm going to have a coffee and try to put the Winter Cottage together today. Finger's crossed!

[Roland]

Good luck Serinde.

It’s March break here, so I have 2 of my grandkids coming for a visit. I had planned to have the house ready, but we went to our other son’s for a party yesterday, and the car still causes me pain. When we got home I was sore and exhausted….got almost nothing done. And with time change yesterday, I’m up early for my coffee.

[rcperryls]

Take some time to relax in a nice comfy chair r and enjoy your coffee. I would guess that seeing you is more important to your grandkids than whatever condition the house is in. Time change is always an adjustment for me. I think Rosey makes the change more easily than I do.

Carole

[Mabel Figworthy]

I would guess that seeing you is more important to your grandkids than whatever condition the house is in.

Hear hear!

Serinde, good luck with the cottage (or as we say in Dutch, "much success!")

[richardandtracy]

Brats.... Gaah!

[Runs screaming from the house, hands waving in the air]

Don't know what grand brats are like, though. I'm told they're much nicer to have because if anything goes wrong, they're the parent's problem. Cannot verify from my experience because our two are still(!) living at home and are seriously single.

Regards,

Richard.

[Serinde]

Happy Mothering Sunday to all in the UK (and wherever else this is celebrated) Afternoon tea is being served.

[Mabel Figworthy]

Have just had a lovely bouquet and a box of cupcakes - far too many for me to eat (the cupcakes, not the flowers) so I'll put some behind the bar for whoever fancies a buttercream-topped nibble!