This month so far.

I'm so tied up with my other stitching blog, that I haven't thought much about posting anything here for those who still drop in to keep up with me. Not much happening, really. Ken visited his lung specialist last week, who said Ken is doing well on the new inhaler, but will need to be monitored once every three months. Ken is happy with that; he doesn't have to see the cardiologist until next February, so the bottom line is that they have all done as much as they can for him, and it is now up to him to keep himself fit and well. The doctors all tell Ken that it isn't just luck that he is doing well; many people go back to old bad habits like smoking and eating the wrong foods, not to mention forgetting (or refusing) to take their medications! Ken is very compliant with everything he is told to do.

I am the same with my exercise routine. If I don't do the stretching and other exercises for my lower back and neck, my body stiffens up within a few days and I can hardly get out of bed in the mornings, let alone do any housework. So it is in my own interests to keep doing the exercise routine set up for me by my chiropractor.

Tiger got himself into SERIOUS trouble the other day. I heard a commotion out in the front yard, and when I opened the front door to see what was going on, there were a dozen Noisy Miners circling the garden area nearby, squawking and squealing. I saw a heap of feathers, and knew exactly what had happened. I looked over the side of the porch and sure enough, there was Tiger looking up at me, with feathers sticking out of his mouth. I yelled "You naughty little cat!" and grabbed him. I held him up so the birds could see, and smacked him! I'm sure the birds understood, because after seeing me do that, they flew away. I took Tiger inside and kept him there for the rest of the day. He was very subdued, and followed me forlornly around the house as I went about my housework. After a couple of hours, I relented and picked him up for a cuddle, and he snuggled into my shoulder and purred. Then he found this box, and amused himself in that for an hour.

When I told Ken about it, he said "Well, I don't care if he kills the Noisy Miners, as long as he doesn't go for the Lorikeets or Rosellas", and I said "That is silly - they are all birds as far as a cat is concerned - he is not going to select the less brightly coloured birds just because we don't want him to! Anything that has got feathers is fair game". I hadn't been putting the collar and bell on Tiger for a while, but he's got it on now all the time.

Topsy is bigger and fatter than ever, despite being on a 'cat food diet', but she seems healthy enough. She can certainly move fast when she wants to. Last night I was sitting on the couch with Tiger beside me, and Topsy wandered over and looked up as if to say "Why is HE there? I want to sit up there with you". I had just finished eating a banana, and, being silly, chucked the skin on the floor near Topsy. Well, you know how animals jump up in the air when they are startled? Topsy sprang into the air about a foot off the ground! Ken didn't think it was funny; he said she might have a little heart attack. But I laughed so much I had tears running down my face! I would never have thought she had so much energy with her size, but it looked like she had springs under her paws! Tiger didn't bat an eyelid; he just looked down at Topsy as to say "Are you right?"

To finish off this post, have a look at what one can do with the humble toilet roll. Paint it white, push one end down, and paint little animal faces on it!