Saturday Seating

On Fridays Äiti attempts to teach from home a video link to her school. We are getting quite good at featuring in the lessons and the students love seeing us. Äiti is a total misery though, and tries to feed us up beforehand so we snooze all the way through.  Jaava, however, is wise to this. 

Fiendish Feline Friday

We have a treat for you today, Loyal Readers.I am delighted to revealthe latest commission for the Felocracy's Art Collection: Tamsin Lord's Fiendish Finnish Feline Midwinter Madness.

Some of you may remember her painting of Fiendish Finnish Feline Midsummer Madness which featured many of us - including my nekkid self. Now as soon as she saw that painting, Äiti knew she had to have a winter version. Tamsin Lord is a very good artist with a long waiting list, so now we have the second painting, a couple of years later. And it features a delightful winter scene on the Catio. Now of course I am not outside as it is too cold, but we have many furry felocrats featured. In fact, all those who were not in the first painting (Äiti likes to be fair).
So Sampo and Jura are fishing, and Sampo just catches polliwogs with his red pipey fishing rod. Jaava is pushing Ruska away from her fishies. Lewis is shyly sat with our winter visitor, the hare, eating his fish politely. Pekka is protecting the Catio from the snow castle ramparts, along with all the mousies which will not live to see the end of winter. Roosa has used the Claw of Doom to good effect on the squirrel - she has removed its tasty liver.  And Poo Corner is out of action so the brown bergs are piling high alongside the golden glacier.  So it is all pretty realistic! (Äiti's note-especially realistic is the girlcat stinkeye on Jaava and Roosa!). 
We are delighted with this painting and it has pride of place in the best lit room in the Castle - the kitchen so Äiti can sit and look at it when she sits at the table there. Thank you so much Tamsin, and yes, Äiti is definitely wanting another commission - and I think I should be in the next one of course to befit my status as Viscount Veikko.  She's already thinking about a sauna scene, and I am indeed a lover of the heats.

Horticultural Thursday

Our Catio and the garden beyond may be small, but Äiti tries to do different things with it.  It is not great for growing veggies or flowers, but berries do okay. This year she grew a sunflower in a pot, and it was about 2m high. Here is the flower, before she had to move it due to the roof work (Äiti's note: what roof work ? No sign of those #¤?=**@ builders yet !)

On some of the birch branches we have interesting fungi.

But of course the main thing which interestsus is kissanminttu. Äiti is here taking the flowers to dry for next year's seed - supervised by Jura.

Wordless Wednesday

Toesday with Stinkeye

Jaava takes excellent care of her paws and claws-just as well as clippy claws would result in bloods for Äiti.

 However she does not appreciate her preparations being photographed. Back off!

Monday Mayhem

The Castle roof is being replaced over the next couple of weeks-necessary but inconvenient. Äiti emailed the company to ask about the Catio (i.e. would it be safe) and got no reply so  she went ahead withher paln to just cover it.  Here is our beloved Catio, with a beautfiul sunflower too.

 All the pots were moved first. This also meant some kissanminttu was harvested-the flowers removed for next year's seeds.

Next Äiti threaded some blue ropes down from Roosa's balcony, with which she can lift the coverup over the Catio roof.

Jura was unimpressed, and Pekka was far more concerned with mousewatch as he was convinced a rodent  was under the barbecue.

Äiti hoisted the cover-grumbling that doing this on a windy day was not fun.   She rolled upthe front part so that we werenot completely blocked off: tomorrow morning she will unroll it and secure it.

In the meantime we're in a windy tent.  Äiti says tomorrow we are confined indoors until we know how disruptive it is all going to be.

Squishy Sunday Snuggle

Finally it happened - a pile of felociraptors in the beddy on the kitchen table. All six of us, and I was sleeping very peacefully - Seppo makes a very comfy pillow.