RIP, FELINE FAMILY MEMBERS

-

A sad day for us again. Yet another of our kitty companions had his timer run out. Last week we had Skink treated for an upset tummy – possible virus – and it was noted his kidneys were starting to give trouble. Cortisone injection and antibiotics later, he still continued to deteriorate. Last night was spent on our bed as normal, and he had his long session of stroking while he purred like a two-stroke before I was allowed to go to sleep. I could tell that as usual he was ready to issue a pointed comment with one claw (he would draw blood!) if I hadn’t given him full enough measure.

          He was violently sick this morning, though, and by afternoon we could see that he was really poorly. Much Better Half and I took him back to the vet, who said that further quality of life was unlikely, so the awful decision had to be taken yet again.

         Here we have pictures of the three we have lost so recently. Skink, then Skink with his beloved brother Mo who went last year, and finally Eddie-Puss who left us on 11th.   Go well, guys, and thanks from the bottom of my heart for sharing your lives with us.  There was a lot of companionship, love, and fun.

A VELLY SWELL TIME …

-

Small things amuse small minds. Small things that amuse me by getting bigger are therefore increasing my intellect?

 

I am fascinated by one of young R’s Christmas stocking-fillers which came out of China with instructions as follows:

 

After take water stick it in for the excitement and enjoyment of the swelling.

 

Yes. Quite so. After placing that little dinosaur in a glass of water and leaving him for a few days he does, indeed, react like an American fast foods addict. I do, think, though, that the instruction should be kept in close proximity to the toy to avoid any possible misunderstandings.

STRANGE FRIEND-IN-AIRPORT DAY.

           In my youth an airport was more usually known as an aerodrome or just ‘drome’. Today is a palindrome in numbers – done the old way, at any rate. We have 21022012. If you take that backwards, it is 21022012. Maybe that is why I have been chasing around in such dizzy circles I have been in serious danger of undertaking (note emphasis on ‘under’) speleological exploration up my own … well, you get the hole idea.

          I had to collect my copies of my new novel.

Yes, after this long and difficult labour, and all the pain and screaming, the delivery has finally taken place. Forest Circle Quest is real, it’s actual; (very nearly) all of it is satisfactual. 

         Shops will be  infected    infested   in stock in due course. Of course, those peepholes not due to wait the course can squeak to me and ve vill course der plan to beink made.

          Then I had to do some print investigations regarding the now-completed first draft of Immy and the Dragon.  Those seem promising.  Anyway, let me see if I can give you hereunder a preview of this brilliant follow-up to War and Peace, and ask if you can guess which of our esteemed bloggers is the talented artist!

          I then had to dash to collect some stock up another end of town, and arrange for delivery to yet another. In fact, the only direction I hadn’t got involved in so far was out to sea. (That was still to come.) When I tried to print the invoice, the printer said one of its cartridges was emp-per-tee, so I also had to dash to get a new one. I was also chasing up a batch of my CDs which had needed re-doing.

          With all of this, I still managed to dash into the library to return an overdue book, and thought I’d grab another while I was there. I went to the Fantasy shelf as usual, but for some reason my eye was instead caught by a SF novel of Arthur C Clarke – with a title I didn’t recognise. I haven’t read SF in ages, but something made me grab it. I looked inside, and burst out laughing. This is what I read on the flyleaf:

‘… an event that has haunted the world: the sinking of the Titanic’

          I mean, if you consider all the synchronicity I’ve already had from that wretched boat (see here), this becomes absurd. Never mind the world, that ship is haunting me, personally! It won’t leave me alone. If I saw a horse named Titanic running in a major race, I think I’d have to bet my boots on it.

          Oh yes, and we had a visitor when I got home.

 

 

 Colonialist February 2012 (Letterdash/WordPress)

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE: DOWN

-

          The current photo theme being ‘Down’ comes when I am up to my ears and up to too many other things (but not up to no good) to really get down to it. However, my favourite down which gives me an upper is from home to the beach. Let me find a random one of hundreds of pictures taken involving the supreme effort of taking a few steps out of the lounge to take this rather impressive pond which takes up the bottom of the garden. Very taking. No mis-taking, that! 

          Of course, the ‘Down’ most in my thoughts at the moment has a TON of interest attached. I think I am going to be severely hooked on the Downton series – and I don’t DO television. Well, not normally.

 Colonialist February 2012 (Letterdash/WordPress)

HORSE HEROES RESCUE RIDER FROM RAPIST

-

          On 9^th December I heard from Younger Daughter that a friend who rides at a riding stables in Amanzimtoti had told her there had been an incident there where one of the instructresses had been attacked, stabbed, and nearly raped, but had been saved by her horse. I asked our Community Oriented Police co-ordinator whether he had any further information, saying that the horse deserved a medal, but he simply put my email on the circuit.

          As a result I had reporter Tanya Waterworth asking me for further particulars. The riding friend said that the victim, Kerri, was traumatized and probably didn’t want publicity. I regretfully told Tanya that I felt it would be unethical of me to give further information without Kerri’s consent. However, I see that as a good reporter she managed to track the stable down and obtain an interview with Kerri’s mother, so I now have no hesitation in blogging the story.

          As I heard it, it was much as it appears in the front-page spread below. She was jumped from behind and stabbed when she fought back. Domino and Archie came running and went berserk when picking up that Kerri was under attack.  In fact, Kerri had been quite afraid of being trampled, herself. It had the desired effect, though, and the would-be rapist fled pursued by Domino, whilst Archie stood guard.

         As a prey animal, a horse’s first instinct is to run away from trouble. Usually a stand will be taken only if trapped, or in defence of young. Thus it shows the bond which develops between horse and rider, as well as the (usually underrated) intelligence of horses. They will place themselves in a dangerous situation, where the option of flight is possible, for the sake of their ‘human’. It cannot be ascribed to a transferred protection of young instinct, because horses regard humans as herd leaders rather than young, and expect appropriate behaviour from them (this is where lots of horse people go wrong, actually).   

          I am therefore convinced that the rescue was done quite deliberately, and that Domino, who chased the despicable thing-in-human-shape, and Archie, who then stood guard over Kerri, are true heroes.

         

 

 Colonialist February 2012 (Letterdash/WordPress

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE: REGRET

-

          Extra regret – I’m late with this theme! So sue me.

          The first and most obvious regret relating to this picture of Mukurob, the ‘Finger of God’, near Asab, between Keetmanshoop and Mariental in South West Africa*, is that it is such a poor one. It is reproduced from a badly deteriorated slide we took in January, 1975. 

        The other regret is that this amazing sight may no longer be seen. The upper section of the sandstone formation fell in December 1988. Interestingly, a legend had grown among the Namaqua (a Khoi race now known as Nama) that its fall would signal the end of ‘white’ domination. The process for that was, indeed, well under way within weeks of the fall, although it took until 1990 for actual independence to be granted to what became Namibia.

        There is no regret about that adventurous trip, though. It was wonderful, and introduced us to a truly remarkable cat – the links may be found in the sidebar under ‘Ginger William of Orange’ in my ‘Settler’s Perspective‘ blog. 

*In Namibia, it no longer existed.

Colonialist February 2012 (Letterdash/WordPress)

RELLY AWFL TWT IN RHYME

-

Seeing that Sarchasm has so heartily recommended Tweeting as an intellectually stimulating exercise, I thought I would give it a trial run before I actually enter such a site.

mi tiny brain i wl now pit in tryng fr a litl bit nonsnscly wrdg it 140 charctrs 2 fit no ths is fr a real nitwit and maks 1 fl a prpr twit

That, according to my count, is exact. However, I must confess to being addicted to somewhat more leisurely and loquacious modes of expression, in addition to having a definite predilection towards correct and unabridged spelling; accompanied, it must be confessed, by some regrettable tendencies towards verbosity which are offset by an earnest desire to select the most appropriate verbal communicators. 

Colonialist February 2012 (Letterdash/WordPress)