New Toys

When #1 from The Poupounette came to visit at the weekend, she very kindly brought a fabulous goody bag with her which included some treats and some very funky furry balls with string and feathers on them. They even matched the Four Abyssinians fur in colour!

Everyone as very excited and interested when The Housekeeper took them out of the packet for the first time and everyone came to see what they were like.

 But it was Dino who took to them the most. He spent hours running round the house with one in his mouth.

He was also growling and hissing wildly at any of the other three cats and at The Housekeepers if they tried to get anywhere near him! It's the only time we've ever heard him hiss!

It took a long time for him to calm down. Needless to say, there are hardly any feathers left on the first of the four balls!

This last picture is a little blurry but The Housekeeper loves it because the ball is in mid air and Dino has his tongue hanging out!

Playing Up

The Housekeepers both went out last night to an evening wedding reception and left the Four Abyssinians home alone. They had obviously all been fast asleep most of the night as they were very bleary eyed when The Housekeeper put the key in the door at midnight.

The Housekeepers settled down to go to sleep and that's when the "FUN" started!

Crystal climbed into her usual spot by Mr Housekeeper and started to purr them both to sleep and Amber decided it was time for a cuddle and stood on The Housekeeper whilst she headbutted her and nuzzled.

Dino ran up and down the stairs. Sorry. No. Dino THUNDERED up and down the stairs and did circuits of the bedroom.

And Jasper!

Jasper pulled rubbish out of the bin.
Jasper started to chew the bottom of the Dry Cleaning bags containing The Housekeeper's posh frocks
Jasper stole the brushes from The Housekeeper's make up pouch and ran off down the stairs with them.
Jasper bounced on the bed

Mr Housekeeper managed to sleep through most of this after several beers at the wedding.
The Housekeeper got out of bed AGAIN! and Jasper got shut out of the bedroom!

This then meant that Dino wailed at the top of his cat voice at the door for it to be opened again and headbutted the door continuously so it rattled.

The Housekeeper needs more sleep!

Sorrel Sunday

Close Encounters of the Furred Kind!

The Visit

It's been a very exciting and special day for the Four Abyssinians and for The Housekeeper too.

#1 from The Poupounette is in England for a visit at the moment and came over to see us specially this morning.

Everyone was very, very good. Crystal kept her distance but sat "with us" and was eventually persuaded to say hello. Amber made it as far as the conservatory door to be admired and then went back to bed!

And the boys? Well they out performed each other, as usual, and gave #1 a full Jasper and Dino show!

Jasper sat at #1's feet and then climbed onto her lap for a fawn cuddle

The Four Abyssinian's have had a lovely treat bag from The Poupounette gang which they would all like to thank #1 for and send her big purry kisses. The Housekeeper says she will divvy up the contents and take pictures of the Four Abyssinians playing with the toys later on.

You can see #1's pictures of her visit to us at #1 Goes Visiting!

In The Housekeeper's own words, its a dark miserable sort of day, there's bugger all on television, the essential housework jobs have been done and its Abyssinian time!

Toasty Toes

The weather is getting milder by the day and the days are drawing out. The only current downside is the strength of the wind at the moment and the volcanic ash cloud that is threatening to engulf the UK in its midst.

The Abyssinians are spending far less time in bed and in the radiator hammocks and are sprawling out in the conservatory on the floor and on the chairs - all that is - except Jasper. He made himself a tent on one of the chairs, where the throw has pulled the top of the back cushion down and he is now sitting behind it instead of ON it to protect the furniture.

Since The Housekeeper took these pics of Jasper, "the nest" has become The Place To Be!

The Housekeeper found Crystal in there yesterday afternoon, and this morning, It's Amber turn!

Printer Problems

The Housekeeper is having problems today with her printer, the one she uses for the business. Its stopped working part way through printing a stack of invoices and dispatch notes. After trying all the usual remedies i.e. rebooting the laptop, rebooting the printer, cleaning the printer cable heads, adding more paper to the tray and turning it off and on again!, she has finally given up and got the spare colour printer out of the workshop, which of course, has barely any ink left in it. Joy!

Looks like its a trip to the suppliers this afternoon for a new printer then - and having looked online, none of the new monochrome printers take the same printer cartridge that The Housekeeper has in stock for the monochrome printer. Deep joy!

In frustration, she posted on her Facebook page that it has stopped working and her friend Katy sent her the above link, which of course just meant that The Housekeeper sat in absolute hysterics and forgot completely about the printer issues.

Enjoy - as long as you are not easily offended!

The YouTube user, Chris Cohen has posted a whole host of different cat vs clips on the same site

The Doormat

The Housekeeper has been doing invoicing for costume hires this morning. usually the Four Abyssinians would be playing around her feet or in the conservatory, but today everyone is taking a well earned rest from all the running yesterday with the wind.

Dino hasn't moved from his spot for the last two hours. The Housekeeper assumes that he is actually asleep!

The Oscars!



The Housekeeper went to a theatre group anniversary bash on Saturday evening and came away with the award for "Best Female in Panto" for her portrayal of King Rat in Dick Whittington in 2006. It's good to be bad! It is an especially memorable show for The Housekeeper as she managed to break her wrist on stage, at the beginning of the second week of performances, sword fighting with Dick Whittington!

Her Oscar award has got The Housekeeper's brain cells working and with a bit of help from Photoshop, she is now going to award one of The Four Abyssinians with an Oscar each week for the bestest, worstest, funnyest, awfulest thing that happens ........

Nominations will be stored via draft Oscar blog entry and the winner will be published each week!

We look forward to Amber's acceptance speech. She doesn't talk much! Jasper may go on a bit!

Fawn Friday

Camouflage Crystal!

Pictures taken Sunday 8th May 2011

Cat Map

Cat Blogging Map

Yes, you read right, We said Cat Map, NOT Cat NAP!!!! There are more than enough pictures of The Four Abyssinian Cats asleep on this blog already.

This wonderful map comes care of  our friends Freya, Teego and Chatzi why not add yourself to the map and pass on the map link information to your other cat blogger friends out there!

Reflecting

Organising Cats

Storing Cats Link!

Apparently it's not so difficult to organise them and store them after all .... Now where did I put those boxes?

The Housekeeper is thinking that organising the Four Abyssinians to do this would be somewhat more difficult. Getting them all into or out of a particular room (like getting them out of the conservatory at night to lock up) is difficult enough as it is!

Thank you Katy for this little gem, orginally blogged on a website called The Daily Tail!

Sorrel Snoozing

The Housekeeper is so pleased with the pictures that she took of  Amber yesterday, whilst her gorgeous girl was snoozing inside the laundry basket/tunnel that she has decided to print the rest of them today.

Amber really is a beautiful cat and The Housekeeper thinks that it is such a shame that she is so skittish and doesn't enjoy a cuddle as much as the other three Abyssinians. The other three Abyssinians all "belong" to one of the Housekeeper's, but Amber isn't really anybody's cat except her own and on the odd occasion that she demands a cuddle, it really is very special.

When Amber has had enough of humans, she either takes herself away to one of the bedrooms, or tells you she has had enough!

Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon

Everyone's in the conservatory. Snoozing on a cloudy but warm Sunday afternoon

The Housekeeper has washed the chair throws, so the Abyssinians have been told to keep their claws off the furniture until they are dry!

Crystal is on a conservatory chair

Amber is laying on her back in the tunnel

Jasper is also on a conservatory chair - completely zonked after leaping around all night and waking The Housekeeper up at 5:45am

Dino is in the house in the bottom of the scratching post

Company

Isn't it warm? Isn't it rosy? Side by side!

Ports in a storm, Comfy and cozy, Side by side!

Everything shines, How sweet, Side by side!

Parallel lines Who meet, Side by side!

Year after year, Older and older, Side by side!

Sharing a tear And lending a shoulder, Side by side!

One's impossible, two is gloomy, Give another number to me,

Side by side by side by side
By side by side by side by side
By side!

With thanks to Jasper and Amber and apologies to Stephen Sondheim!

Fawn Friday

How to Share a Hammock 3 - By "The Fawns" - Crystal and Jasper

Fisticuffs

Pictures taken Sunday 8th May 2011

What's in a Name?

Well... lets face it... whatever you choose to call the little darlings, you have to be prepared to repeat it 15 times at the top of your voice at 10pm at night, for all the neighbours to hear when your fur baby hasn't come home for their tea.

Not that this affects us - as all four of our Abyssinians are indoor cats! We only have this problem when someone does a Houdini act through the conservatory door!

Whatever you call them has to also "work" with your human surname for vet visits. We've seen no end of embarrassed owners hide in their collars when their cats or dogs name has been called.

Naming the two boys here caused days and days of turmoil for The Housekeeper's, back in November as it just had to "fit".

Parsnip was already Parsnip when we got him, and had been for nine months so we didn't think that it was very fair to change his name, and in any case, it suited him.

Crystal was already Crystal when we went to see her at her breeders, and again it suited her very well.

Amber was originally called Fern (as the breeder used initials of the alphabet for each of her litters in turn) however we decided on Amber for her very quickly before she arrived so that the breeder was able to call her by her name for about 7 weeks before she came to live with us.

Jasper had his name ready for him, from the moment that The Housekeeper set eyes on his kitten picture, before she had even been to visit him at 6 weeks old!

Dino, however, caused all sorts of problems. He still does!!!! The Housekeeper wanted to keep the "Stones and Jewels" theme but Mr Housekeeper didn't like very many of the names that The Housekeeper suggested. Hours were spent pouring over books and internet websites looking for ideas.

Dino is actually short for Dinosaur Bone! In case you hadn't realised!!! If you see a picture of Dinosaur Bone in it's gemstone form, you will understand why. So Dino escaped from being called ... Rubyn, Carnelian, Topaz, Garnet, Montana (Agate), Picasso (Marble) or Tiger (s Eye).

So: How did you or your humans come up with your names?

The Cat Sat ..

On the Mat

Under the Mat

On the Cat, Sat under the Mat!

Pictures taken Sunday 8th May 2011