Purpletigron

"Research has shown that these kinds of shared spaces automatically reduced traffic speed to under 20 mph - the threshold at which the chances of being severely injured in a road accident plummets. This highly counterintuitive approach - increasing risk decreases accidents is finding favour (albeit slowly and not without opposition) all over the world."

Listen again: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b018xs8t


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Still not very clear, as we were using a iPhone 4S camera from a safe non-disturbing distance in poor light, but here you go ... this is what happens when you're having too much fun & you fall asleep in mid-rassle, it seems:

( Dodge! gets Wong! in a Snuggle-lock )


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Dodge! appeared under G's car just before Samhain, aged about 4 months. Now we are just past Yule, how far as Dodge! come?

Well, monkeys are still not allowed to initiate touching with Dodge! But Dodge! is now regularly sleeping on our bed (making 5 on-a-bed :-) & snuggling with Wong! is definitely all the rage for the cold season:

( Snuggle lock )

Look closely at the pose. In the past, if Wong! was snuggling with someone, I would always assume Wong! insisted over all protestations. However, I doubt even Wong! could force someone to fall asleep with their arms around Wong!'s neck ... (In case some of you can't make out what I'm taking about, I'll post a close-up over the holidays!).


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The astronomical solstice moment falls at 05:30 GMT on Thu 22 Dec 2011: http://www.archaeoastronomy.com/ which happens to be the day I break up too :-)

In the meantime, I may also fry something, although probably not potatoes.


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After 13 months of institutional living in four hospitals and two care homes, Mater is somewhat 'hitting the wall' after 2 weeks living back in a flat of her own. EditI am not going meet the disapproving GP today - luckily, one of the other GPs saw Mum yesterday, and is much more helpful. So I'm going to make a social call on Mum this morning, then do some festive things with D!

In edit other happier news, I've experienced a little miracle. At some point in the small hours, I woke up to feel Wong! creeping into the Warm Cave in my left armpit, whilst I could feel Pip! happily snoozing over my right shoulder - I knew Pip! was happy, because I was getting gentle happy claws in my jugular from time to time. Meanwhile, whilst all this was going on around my shoulders, I could feel there was still someone snoozing between my ankles!!!

Yes, the Dodge! has slept on the bed with us for the first time. In fact, I think all the time Wong! spent sleeping outside of the warm cave, was spent snuggled up with the Dodge! :-)


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Dodge! decided this evening that the time has come to charge about all around downstairs.

Poor Wong! & Pip! have come upstairs for some peace ... Wong! occasionally ventures down, gets chased, chases back, panics, hisses & scarpers back upstairs again.

Interesting times :-)

I hope photos might be forthcoming this weekend ...


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Question: Is it possible to re-enable a disconnected cable telephone line in the UK?

Background:

Mater has just rented a purpose-built flat with a phone socket in the corner of the lounge.

A series of frustrating phone calls has suggested that this phone socket is connected to a useless piece of obsolete string.

To translate - it appears this is some kind of cable telephone line (probably Virgin Media fibre optic) rather than a copper BT line.

Can someone who knows how this all works answer a simple question which Virgin Media, BT & other phone companies are all disagreeing over:

Can Mater get this in situ line re-activated, or is it a disposable piece of junk which has to be left for dead and replaced?

Supplementary question: if these kinds of cable telephone lines are one-use-only disposable tissues, why would you run one to a purpose-built rented flat, which is going to have a new tenant as often as every 6 months?

Interesting! By living in the library for three weeks whilst waiting for a clean bill of health, it seems that Dodge! has claimed that territory.

We have had the library door standing open for 6 hours, but Dodge! has not yet ventured out.

Meanwhile, Wong! has sat staring in from beyond the threshold for much of the morning - otherwise, Wong! has been Wong!ling & Bong!ling around the house in a state of excitement, or snuggling up with me (I'm fighting the end of 'flu) or creeping over the threshold, hissing & darting off again.

Pip! is also pretty excited, but again, respecting the 'invisible force field' across the library doorway marking the territory of the Dodge!

Our best guess is that Dodge! might venture out to explore in the dead of night when the Monkees (!) are asleep.


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I am fighting off some virus today, resting to prepare for Mater's hospital discharge in 10 days.

Some items which have caught my eye recently ...

All Cats Have Asperger's Syndrome
a book by Kathy Hoopman
ISBN 978-1-843-10481-0

The Transition Companion
a book by Rob Hopkins
http://www.greenbooks.co.uk/en/Book/403/The-Transition-Companion.html

Garrow's Law
a TV series inspired by history
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrow's_Law


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Dodge! has been given a clean bill of health, but is extremely pissed off. So we'll start with introducing Dodge! & Pip! tomorrow morning to see how that goes.

Wong! is still vague & absent-minded about eating without reminders - but is now eating well when reminders are given. So looking good on that front. But Wong! will Wanic! & Wiss! (that's Wong! for panic & hiss) on meeting a new feline (for up to a week) so let's let Dodge! & Pip! get to know one another a bit first ...

Hopefully, pictures will follow in the next week or three.


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Blood tests look OK, so Wong! & I took the pet taxi back to the V-E-T for a vitamin B12 injection plus a quarter of a magic pill, both designed to stimulate appetite.

I'm following Wong! about with food still, whilst also going in to the library to feed the Dodger & trying not feed too much to Pip! who is rather prosperous.

Some signs of increased Wong! appetite :-)


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Wong! seems considerably better. Here's how that goes ... Wong! still wasn't doing enough input-output this morning, so I booked to see the V-E-T (who glories in the name of Mr Bone ). When we arrived, Mr Bone agreed that Wong! has lost a significantly more weight since we visited recently, and that's worrying given that Wong! seemed to be eating half or less than normal. Cue three-way struggle to get a blood sample from Wong!'s long, taut, panicky neck :-(

Guess what the first thing Wong! did when we got home - well, OK, the second thing after running around going "Wong! Wong! Wong!" for ten minutes? Eats the best meal we've seen since before the sickness started, then makes the most major output since same.

Fingers crossed that the blood tests come back clear, and it could just be a combination of feeling a bit post-tummy bug for 2+ weeks compounded by the excitement of knowing that Someone of the Kitten Persuasion is In The Library ...

G is now away for the next 3 evenings, so we had to see the V-E-T tonight. Le sigh!


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I'm hoping that our other resident Wong! experts can advise me.

Wong! had some kind of tummy upset a few weeks ago, involving a bit of nausea and sickness. The V-E-T said it seemed to be something Wong! had eaten, gave a 3 day course of antibiotics just in case & sent us home. The nausea subsided, but Wong! still isn't really eating enough.

Foods that Wong! used to eat happily, are now being rejected. New foods which Wong! seems to like, are only being eaten in small quantities. Wong! often forgets to eat at all.

The output measure suggests Wong! should eating about four times more ... Edit The output measure has just comfortably doubled!

We're going to try another round of tempting new morsels today, but I'd be grateful for Wong! experts if they could say if they've seen this behaviour in Wong! or any of Family Wong! over the years, and if they know of any causes?

We will of course be taking Wong! back to the V-E-T tomorrow if we're still concerned.

Thank you!


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Apart from the fact that they are such different shapes they could be different species, Wong! and Pip! are almost like siblings together now. They eat from the same bowl ...

( and they flail happily on the floor together )


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... when Wong!le's instincts turn to the Warm Cave (a.k.a. getting under the duvet in my left armpit), and Kitty Pip! tips Wong!le out of the cat hammock, even though the heating isn't on yet (!)

Yes, we will get pictures ... especially if they manage to both snuggle into the hammock together :-)


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Pip! has had a 'Ministry of Felines' check over at our V. E. T. - who thinks the wobbly legs are more likely to have been due to a spinal injury than a pre-natal infection.

That's sad. But still shouldn't deteriorate nor shorten Pip!'s life expectancy.

Lots of racing around of Pip! & Wong! taking it in turns to chase, but no 'rasslin' yet.

Still, pretty darned good :-)


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Not for some kitties ... Pip! lounging next to the Cthulhoid One: they met last night.




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Wong! and Pip! were a lot less snuggly with me last night - seems they were too busy trying to work out the rules of their new games.

It's like Wong! wants to play French cricket, and Pip! wants to play rugby. I'm sure they'll work it out - compromising on Aussie rules footie, or something :-)

They are both regularly initiating a friendly mutual nose-sniff.

They both love Wong!'s green tassley Wong!ing rod, but so far have avoided colliding whilst both chasing it!

I am a bit caught up on my sleep, but not completely ...


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