Kittens

Mr Darcy has taken to trying to catch shadows by climbing the walls. He has not figured out that he can only go up so far and then fall. Heathcliff spends much of his time watching out the windows, calling to the birds.
This morning Heathcliff found a bell which he rang precisely at 6 am. Annoying as I had not set the alarm clock and had hoped to sleep in. However given that sort of treatment, I rose and fed the kittens. The bell will be removed. It does make we wonder if kittens were behind the alarm clock suddenly going off a half hour earlier the other day. I could not figure out how the time had changed.

My eldest arrived home on Friday and remarked at how much like cats they now look. And how big they have grown. He also thought the collies have grown. I thought he looked thinner. Mothers are allowed to have such thoughts and to worry.

I am getting ready to go to Egypt at the end of the week. Sharm el Sheikh and Sinai Peninsula. Warmth was required when the holiday was booked. We are hoping to visit St Catherine's Monestary and Mt Sinai. St Catherine's supposedly marks the spot where Moses encountered the burning bush...My eldest is looking after the house.

In which Heathcliff gets stuck in the chimney

This morning, I heard a scrambling and a faint meow as I got dressed. My husband was convinced that one of the cats had somehow become stuck in the attic. Heathcliff had been on our bed. Puzzled as to how the cat would manage this, I started to check the attic. No cat.
Nothing. Mr Darcy was asleep in patch of sun in the living room. He opened one eye. But no Heathcliff.
My husband went into his study. There was a loud meow and two paw appearing back down the chimney.
Heathcliff was entirely covered in soot. For a black cat, he was very black indeed.
He has now had his first bath.

Kittens do extreme ironing

The kittens are in a climbing stage. Anything and everything. The ironing board is a particular favourite. They leap from the ironing board to the sofa and from there on to the curtains which they climb. Heathcliff was discovered swinging from the curtain. He was taken down more to his disgust.

The ironing board had been left propped up against a wall, ready to go downstairs. (There remains a question as to why my husband when he is finished doing his ironing can not take the board down stairs but that is a topic for another day) The kittens decided that it was just the right thing to practice climbing on. So they jump on the board and climbed to the top. The board slightly swayed. The kittens hung on. With visions of broken windows, lamps and furniture, I rescued them and removed the board to a safe place. The kittens were last seen trying to climb the cane begonia in the bathroom.

If these cats went outside, they would be the sort who climbed trees and forgot for while how to come down...

Hardy decided to visit ditches on his walk. Some were deeper than he thought but he felt it was his duty to explore them all. Tess, being a good girl, gave the ditches and her brother a disgusted look, staying well clear despite all Hardy's attempts to interest her in the game. Hardy became blacker and blacker, until he went into the last hole where his face became mud brown. Muddy water dripped everywhere but his tail wagged furiously.

Back home, he did not go off the lead but proceeded immediately to the bath. A bottle of puppy shampoo, four towels, and one soaked me, he emerged...a clean dog.

My husband threatens the same walk this evening...Thankfully there are no skunks in England.

Modem Kitten likes to live dangerously

I am not sure why Heathcliff climb the firegrate and then walking on top of it was an amusing pastime...Luckily this time the fire was unlit. He has done it when the fire is going...

Mr Darcy prefers to take the tablecloth off the table. He enjoys swinging on it. Fine if there is nothing on it. Less good if set for supper.

In any case VBMK are not fed at the table...despite looking cute and adorable and doing little leaping routines.

They are kept in my study and look soulful. Do not be fooled. They want fish!

The Very Bad Modem Kittens

Last week it was electrical appliances 0, kittens 1 as they managed to break wires to the stereo speakers. This makes three different electrical items with broken wires or cables -- the telephone, the video, and the stereo.

They have also learnt to open my daughter's door at night and spend hours racing up and down the hall.

At 6 AM, they come and stand outside my door, waiting in anticipation. If I fail to get up, they begin to meow which wakes the dogs downstairs who bark. It is proving more effective than an alarm clock.

There was the 5:15 AM incident where somehow, some kitten had managed to move the alarm dial forward. Do not ask me how!! And the alarm went off. I was not best pleased...

Heathcliff is in his mid morning position in the sun room. A kitten has to have his priorities.

They also enjoy watching the Winter Olympics, and sit looking at the tv, following the skiers as they go down the hill.

Do you have coffee with a canine?

Recently I discovered a wonderful quirky blog called Coffee with a Canine. It is all about authors and others and the dogs in their lives. Lots of lovely dog pictures. And it is addictive reading.
Anyway, my offering is up there now. So there are pictures of Tess, Hardy and Chile in the snow etc.
When is the best time to have coffee with a canine? Anytime!

And what drink would you have with a feline?
Heathcliff and Mr Darcy are shocking as they keep trying to drink my tea. The Very Bad Modem cats have been micro chipped and completed their vaccine course.
They have also discovered how to climb the coats and sit on a hook as well as deciding that my purse with its large inside pocket makes the purrfect nest.

The telephone destroyers

I wondered why the phone had stopped recharging. The kittens snapped the wires. Or maybe it was the puppies pretending to be kittens. Anyway the electric cable has snapped. Cue new phone. But it explains why I have missed a few calls...

The kittens have also visited the V.E.T. They were too little to be microchipped but have had their first vaccinations. And as they had fleas, they have been de-fleaed and wormed. They are very sweet...and definitely male. They will be for the snip when they are about 5 months so they do not start spraying.

They have also learnt how to leap on to the dining room table and attempt to eat one's tuna fish sandwich when one is not looking... Pretty soon they will start to be partners in crime with the dogs and then nothing will be sacred or safe...

Seeing the magazine in the flesh

This morning, I got to look at Living North February edition in the flesh for the first time. For some reason it was not out on Friday, Saturday or even Monday but it is now. I had a lovely surprise when the editorial mentioned 'we meet an author who has an ability to melt the coldest heart Michelle Styles.'
It also made me laugh -- the ad next to the article is for a Pandora bracelet. Both Kate Hardy and Fiona Harper know how much I envy theirs...Is this a sign?
Anyway there are lots of interesting articles, including 10 real life historical love stories from Bessie Surtees' elopement to The Lass of Richmond Hill. I thoroughly recommend getting a print copy...

In kitten news:

The kittens have learnt how to turn the television on. They also know how to get my youngest's favourite computer game on (or at least it is what my youngest is claiming!) Tomorrow they are going to encounter the V.E.T. It is for their own good. Hopefully they will be fonder of the vet than Tuppence and Penny...
Oh and two or more kittens is a kindle.
Does anyone know what two or more puppies is?

The Very Bad Modem Cats

Heathcliff and Mr Darcy decided to be Very Bad Modem Cats and run all over my desk using the printer as a safehouse.

I came back to discover that 40k of my latest work in progress had disappeared. Thank heavens my youngest heard my scream and calmly pressed the undo button. The words reappeared. Phew. However every 6th line was a new paragraph. (still not sure how they did it!) and I went and fixed that.

Modem cats do not learn. Modem cats like to chase the computer mouse and think that stamping on computer keys gives a good sound. Modem cats bring a whole new urgency to backing up one's work. Modem cats also purr and sleep on ones' lap. Ther are reasons for having modem cats.

The 2010 mouse tally

With the thaw, the mice have begun moving again and the new trap in the basement has caught two mice. There is a rather large gray mouse (not a rat) who has been seen going in and out of the feed shed. Both my youngest and I would dearly love to catch it. However, the amount of mouse damage in the feed shed appears to be abating. I suspect the mice in the basement also make a pit stop in the feed shed...And I rather concentrate on trapping them in the basement.
There have not been more mice in the attic since my Christmas entrapment. This is good news but I remain reluctant to remove the trap...
Currently I am waiting for the AA to show up and start my car. I suspect the battery is now low...Sigh. But I am glad that we have home start.

The wip is progressing and as various bodies are back at school or work, I have no real excuse.

The kittens are growing rapidly. They are now allowed out of my study but do not hesitate to come back and meow when they think it is feeding time. They enjoy hunting toy mice and balls, so it is only a matter of time before they become fully fledged mousers.
Tess thinks the kittens are hers and does every so often try to clean them...the kittnes are not so fond of this. The dogs also assume if the kittens do not finish their food, it is fair game.

Two lovely reviews

A very good way to start the New Year was to discover two lovely reviews of The Viking's Captive Princess -- one on cataromance and the other on the Pink Heart Society Review. Julie Bonello puts a lot of effort into her reviews and has reviewed every single one of my books so I was curious as to what she might think.

So I was very pleased to read:

Clear a space on your keeper shelf because Michelle Styles has penned another winner! The Viking's Captive Princess is another captivating tale from this wonderful storyteller featuring a heroine to admire, a gorgeous Alpha male to adore, a fantastic cast of fully-fleshed supporting characters, searing emotional intensity, dramatic action, powerful romance and wonderfully rendered historical detail which never interferes or overwhelms the story.

Thank you Julie for making my day!

My regime continues. It is the early days before a habit is established and after the initial enthusiasm vanishes that are the hardest. The newspapers are currently full of good advice. One current theme seems to be -- do not diet but savour your food. Eat slowly. If you feel you must eat cake/drink alcohol/have cream do it on a specific day. For example Wednesdays and Saturdays as then you are never waiting too long for a treat and are less likely to binge.

The kittens are can be seen by the above picture are in a playful mood. They are currently conducting a war on my legs. Thankfully this period of absolute playfulness should be short lived.

Kittens and puppies

The kittens are growing rapidly. I will get my youngest to put his pictures on the computer as the stupid computer still does not want to recognise my camera.

Tess has decided that she is the kittens' mother and keeps trying to clean them, much to Heathcliff's disgust. Heathcliff however has decided his place is in front of the living room fire and the dogs are suppose to move when he enters the room. In the end, it ended in a compromise when all of them lying down together.

The kittens also staged a break out and were discovered legging it down the hallway to my dh's study. They then had to be lured from under the sofa and removed. Because of their small size and ability to get into tight corners, I prefer to keep them confined!

Hardy has discovered that he loves cat food and if any is left down, he has taken upon himself to finish it.

It remains cold here and so I am planning on taking my big Christmas present -- new hiking boots -- for another long walk. The hiking boots are wonderfully warm and support my ankles. I wore my last pair out...

The wip is coming along slowly but steadily.

Mice also like chocolate covered Turkish delight

I went into the attic yesterday to begin my marathon bout of wrapping presents. There I discovered we had had more little visitors. Attracted by a bag of Robin food that my dh intended as a present for my youngest who is keen on birdwatching, the mice had wrecked merry havoc. They are obviously British mice as they had shredded one of my American flags. They nibbled a bar of chocolate covered Turkish Delight but left the Old Jamaica bar intact and did not touch the Rhubarb and custard creams. The mice also tore into the wrapping paper. Thankfully the mice did not get into any of the big presents -- although I suspect it was a close call as some of the boxes had been nibbled...
So I spent time cleaning the attic and moving the mouse trap upstairs. I will get another trap for the basement but the trap has been untouched for a week.
I then wrapped all the presents and moved them elsewhere. Because of the presents, no one else was permitted to be up there. At the end of the afternoon I was exhausted but all presents are now wrapped and out of the attic. The trap are set and the mice should be exterminated soon.

The kittens are growing every day and hopefully within a few months will be merrily chasing mice. Heathcliff has decided this morning that the computer mouse is an amusing toy. Mr Darcy is investigating my cup of tea. I was going to post a picture but Heathcliff and Mr Darcy managed to press the keyboard in such a fashion that the folder vanished. Kittens bring different problems than puppies.

Kitten on my lap

My old cats, acquired before I had a computer, never used to come and sit on my lap as I worked. Tuppence would come in and perch on the sofa and watch, occasionally comment but never feel the need to actively participate.

Mr Darcy (who is now asleep on the sofa) wants to help write and has taken to climbing up my leg and then jumping on the desk. Sometimes I suspect that his typing might be better than my own!

Heathcliff prefers my shoulder to supervise and now is asleep on my lap. He was not fooled by the blanket on the sofa trick. He wants a lap and every so often to be stroked.

There is something about a warm kitten, purring away.

The puppies are being good and have enjoyed their encounters with snow. However, the puppies are far too big to sit on my lap. Tess will lie at my feet when I work though and I will be glad when operation get the kittens used to the puppies ends. The puppies have worked out that the kittens are alive and that kitten food tastes good! The kittens seem to think the puppies are mobile scratching posts...

Kitten central and Mamma Mia in Newcastle

For a variety of reasons, my study has become kitten central. The kittens are mainly living in here while they get used to the big wide world and learn the intricacies of the litter tray.

The kittens are growing all the time and have discovered how to purr, chase balls and climb up the sofa. Heathcliff has also decided that Tess is a mobile scratching post and that sitting on my lap as I type is an excellent idea. Mr Darcy is a bit more refined. They have also decided in the absence of a lap, the 49ers blanket will do.

My daughter and I took the train to Newcastle to see Mamma Mia yesterday. The organisers of the show have thought about it and produced a brochure, giving train times, and finishing times of the performances. It is a five to seven minute walk from the station to the Newcastle Metro Arena.

Mamma Mia was excellent! Thoroughly enjoyable. At the start, there is a safety announcement for those of a nervous disposition -- white lycra and high heeled boots will be seen on stage!

The musical is slightly different from the movie and it was interesting to read that they have changed little bits to make the musical more accessible in each country that it plays in. For example, as the buses run on time in Toronto, they did away with the joke about you wait 20 years for a dad and three of them come along at once. The nationalities of the dads also change. In Australia, Bill Austin is Australian rather than being Scottish or Swedish as in the film.

Everyone could sing and special mention should be made of Kate Graham who played the high maintenance Tanya to perfection. The running order of the songs is slightly different and there are a few more songs in the musical version than in the movie.

The audience were dancing in the aisles by the end
I had thought the Arena might be bitter but it was toasty warm.
Anyway, Mamma Mia is highly enjoyable and was a fantastic Christmas treat. They have added an extra week and tickets remain available.

Meet the ultimate in mouse extermination

The kittens are Heathcliffe and Mr Darcy. They are both male despite the lurid pink kitten house. Some day they will grow into their names. Mr Darcy has s a white tip to his tail and loves kitten milk. Heathcliffe is all black (or rather charcoal with jet black stripes) and likes to climb. Basically they look alike except for the white tipped tail. Undoubtably the personalities will be very different.

The names are my daughter's choice as they are her big Christmas present.

Currently they are sleeping in her bedroom at night as we are not sure about how the puppies will react. Thus far the kittens have been willing to show claws to dogs' noses, particularly when the kittens are hanging off the top of the pyramid. They have also learnt how to climb up the sofa in my study.

It has snowed here and so we will be breaking out the sleds as the world is covered in white.

Persistence pays

Apparently there is going to be a BBC Radio 6 broadcast on Christmas Day about the panel sessions and some of the failures who went on to success. Jimmy Page narrates -- Kate Hardy please note.
David Bowie in 1965 was told he could not sing. Led Zepplin passed but the report said basically they were not the genuine article and were derivative and unconvincing. Marc Bolan's T-rex was considered execrable.
However, the bands improved and went on to great success. And it goes to show that what you do after a response is important. Creativity is not static.
Many times it is easy to concentrate on your field and think no one else struggles, no one else needs to be persistent.
The very lovely photographer who took fantastic photos of me and the dogs (hopefully I will get her permission to post them AFTER the article goes out) said that the thing that got her where she is was persistence.
In this world, in order to succeed, you need desire, dedication, determination, discipline and persistence.

In other news:
Heathcliffe and Mr Darcy are starting to settle in. My computer does not want to recognise my camera. My youngest has taken a few pictures with his new camera so I hope to post them soon.
Mr Darcy has a white tip to his tail. My daughter assures me that they will grow into their names. Somehow, seeing Mr Darcy hanging upside down from the kitten house roof, it gives a whole new perspective on the affair. Heathcliffe is charcoal gray with black stripes and enjoyed scaling the heights. They are barely six weeks old.
Tess & Hardy are slightly perplexed by them. Curious but welcoming. Heathcliffe paused from his exploration of the scratching pyramid to swipe at their noses with his claws. Chile just rolled his eyes and went to sleep.
The kittens are sleeping in my daughter's room in their lurid pink house. The dogs are in the kitchen. The plan is to unite the two in the kitchen once they are better acquainted.

The mouse extermination total stands at 16.

It is snowing.

Mice like peanut butter

Since putting out the lethal mouse trap baited with peanut butter yesterday afternoon, three mice have met their maker. Two yesterday evening, and then one found this morning.

All the poison has gone from the rat run and the two live catch traps. I should note here -- the poison is not able to be accessed by puppies or when they arrive the kittens -- it is why I am using the live catch traps and the rat run.

I have re-baited the lethal mouse trap with peanut butter. And have put more poison down. I am hopeful that they will just go back to their lair and die! The poison takes several doses.

After seeing the destruction they caused, both in the house and then last March having lost two bee colonies to mice, I feel no pity for them.

This is war!

And soon the ultimate in mouse destruction technology will arrive...the kittens!

The k word

Because some asked. Yes, the k word has been spoken and approved. My daughter tackled my husband about it just after we returned from Istanbul as a friend's cat had had kittens. To my amazement, he agreed that she could have it as her Christmas present.
The pair will be arriving just after the middle of December.
More news when it happens.
Me thinks Christmas is going to be chaos!