Friday Feasting: happy birthday Jaava and Jura

These two are TEN today. This is a recent picture, but Äiti loves it as it is how these two started their lives, inside Momma Martta.

And here is Martta with her litter: Jaava, Jura, Isabelle, Annabella and Nomi aged 1 day.

Now Äiti is finding it hard to believe that it can be ten whole years. Aila just rolls her eyes at that - she is the only one of us to have experienced the onslaught that was the arrival of the explosive, slippery, rubbery 'burmese butter balls'. So here are some kitten pictures. This was the day they arrived here.

And as kittens they just played and played. And the others played with them, particularly Stran who just LOVED kittens. Here Jura was getting the full floof experience.

And Jura chased Punapippuri - literally driving him up the wall.

And now, of course, they are Elders of the Felocracy.  Jura has been an easy going mancat until he had some throat problems and Papu and Otso began to test him a little; Jaava is a matriarch who is assertive but very fair. She does not challenge Aila as Top Girl because Aila is older and Jaava shows respect. She will snuggle with everyone (except Otso so far), and put out the Paw of Nope as necessary. Both Jaava and Jura are much appreciated and we shall celebrate their big day with a huge feast of tuna - we have seen the tins in the cupboard and cannot wait !

Thursday Tribute

As our most Loyal Readers know, Äiti has immortalised some of the former felocrats by ordering glass memorial beads, in which some furs and ashes have been trapped as the beads were coloured and formed. The first was orange, for Punapippuri. When Lewis left us, she decided that God Emperor Stran needed a bead which is a purplish-white and orderd one along with Lewis' bead which is blue. And now, sadly, another has been added - Mirsku's green. She wears this all the time around her neck. The rainbow, inevitably, will grow. But not for a long time, we hope.

Sunday Synapse Refresh

For Loyal Readers who  asked about our monument, the Rock of Norway is a fixture on the Catio, and is indeed from Norway. You can see it to the right of the scratching pole which Jaava is modelling.

It was bought back when Äiti and her bestest Britpal Carolynand her partner were ona road trip. In the middle of a very empty Lappish landscape there was a quarry with lots of amazing (in Äiti's nerdy opinion) green marble-type rocks.

No one was around, so the quarry was plundered and the Rock of Norway was bought to the Catio. In fact there was no Catio at the time - it was 2009 and all kitties who were outdoors had to have leashes.  This did mean they could venture beyond into the garden, but we do prefer our freedom now as we do not need leashes. King Punapippuri here is just a youngster, less than a year old.  He was verypleased with his little piece of Norway in his kingdom, and showed it frequent appreciative peemails.

One year anniversary

Äiti here. It's a year since we lost Punapippuri. It's been a hard year and he is missed in so many ways. I was wondering what to write for this blog post and - as always when I face a loss- this poem by Louis MacNeice came to mind. I read it before I had known loss, when I was at school, and it has comforted me ever since. It sums up how I feel - grateful for having had him in my life.


Sunlight on the Garden

The sunlight on the garden
Hardens and grows cold,
We cannot cage the minute
Within its nets of gold,
When all is told
We cannot beg for pardon.

Our freedom as free lances
Advances towards it end;
The earth compels upon it
Sonnets and birds descend;
And soon, my friend,
We shall have no time for dances.

The sky was good for flying
Defying the church bells
And every evil iron
Siren and what it tells:
The earth compels,
We are dying, Egypt, dying

And not expecting pardon,
Hardened in heart anew,
But glad to have sat under
Thunder and rain with you,
And grateful too
For sunlight on the garden,

Louis MacNeice, 1936

P-day

Äiti here: September 10th was the day I had decided was Punapippuri's 'birthday'. He was about 5 weeks old when he came to my life, and I counted back and liked the symmetry of the date: 10-09-08 (European system!).  

So today I wanted to post something. I cannot bear the fact we have had wild northern lights hidden behind the clouds over the last few days: I guess I am just not ready to see those tailios dancing yet. But I am feeling very comforted by knowing something that was my wonderful orange Pisspot is now close to my heart - this bead.

Each year I teach my students about ashes becoming diamonds, and how there is nothing that is the essence of a person in a diamond made from their organic material. Okay, this is not a diamond and I would not spend thousands on what I have regarded as a materialistic manipulation of the carbon cycle, but in this beautiful glass bead are indeed some of the cremains of King P. The wonderful woman who made the bead said she would happily incorporate some fur too (the fur all vaporises, but that doesn't matter to me).  And from all the emails I had with the designer and creator of the bead, Gail from Etsy's 'Pain in the Glass' (what a brilliant name!), I know it was made with love and care.

As an unashamed nerd, I do take comfort knowing there are a few of the atoms that were in Punapippuri now permanently around my neck. In addition to the billions he sprayed all over the house........