Tardy Saturday

We have finally whipped Äiti into shape, and here is our post. Following the last post, she dug out a lovely picture of Stran and Aila - our Queen and the God Emperor. GOne but never, ever forgotten.

For a slightly artified jigsaw, clickety click!
 

Saturday Stuff

 We thank you for the most supportive comments about the blog. We are all working at keeping Äiti in line so she will publish at least twice a week. I have the most onerous duties - she sleeps in my Suite at night and I need to provide the snuggles for her. Here We are both lying on a heaty pad on the pillow. 

The orange bead on her neck chain is the memorial glass bead containing some of King P's ashes. Soon another bead will be added to the collection when Aila returns.

We said there would be arty stuff, and indeed there is. We decided Kitten Aila and God Emperor Stran would be most fitting for today's offering. 

And click on THIS LINK for the jigsaw. Have a good weekend everyone.

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.

A Special Saturday

Ten years ago today, Äiti got on a plane and moved to Finland(N). She left the west of England where she had lived for most of her life. Here is a photo of one of her favourite views there; on the hill there's a ridge of trees which can be seen from many areas of the city, and she does miss that view. And the hills, and the variety of trees. And her friends there. But she doesn't miss much else. So she is really happy and grateful to be here.

Now of course she didn't just get on a plane after waking up feeling she wanted a bit of an adventure - no it all took careful planning. Äiti is NOT a risk taker and had been in her small flat for 13 years, so it was all a bit of a shock. She decluttered and packed and after a while the felines realised something was going on. There were LOTS of boxes, and some bog Boxes of Doom.

Finally they realised they should be very ENglish and form an orderly queue for their own 'check in' Stran was first - he was the leader and many of you Loyal Readers will remember our God Emperor. Then you will recognise Lewis, our senior kitty, and finally his brother Harris who left us too young. And they are on a carpet. Äiti does not miss carpets - she had a tabby/orange/tuxie one in her flat. 

Aila jumped the queue and tarted away. She was Islay at the time - same pronunciation but a better spelling for her Finnish kittizenship.

And then there was Monty. He was a very special senior kitty with kidney failure, no thyroid glands(both had been removed) and a deformed ribcage - probably after an accident as a kitten. He was a street cat but utterly loyal to Äiti. Their vet said he was fine to travel and he came along of course too. He had a lovely 4 months in Finland before leaving us.

The Five Brave Travellers joined Äiti a week later once she had her apartment sorted a bit, and Tessie came later having spent summer with a friend in Bristol.

So it was the start of a huge adventure for the felines, and the start of Äiti's new life. Many people ask her why she moved and she really has no clear answer - it was just something she had to do. Fate. She visited Finland in November  2005 on a school trip and within a few hours the Finns she was with joked she would move here. When she stepped off the plane she felt 'at home'. She loved the peace. She loved the nature. She visited a couple of times and then knew what she had to do - to move here. Once she realised that pets could get passports, that was it - she began packing. 

And we Felocrats are very glad she did. 

Belated Birthday Post

Seven years and a day ago, a beautiful mother cat called Martta  from the Kissmollin cattery gave birth to five healthy kittens including Jaava and Jura who are somewhere in this gang at the milkbar.

Äiti was smitten. Jaava and Jura, sister and brother, were all set to join the gang. They enetered like a tornado.

 

Stran was so happy to have kittens to play with, and the 'burmese ninja butterballs' soon settled.

They may be older but they still tear around like hurricanes, and snuggle like they were still in their birthing nest. 

Where on earth have those seven years gone ? Happy birthday to you Jaava and Jura, and to Nomi, Annabella and Isabelle - now officially 'senior kitties'. 

Friday Special

And finally in our raid of the Archives, we have Aila, prviously called Islay (But it's pronounced the same).  She was in the Moggery in Bristol and Äiti met her when she was maybe 4 weeks old.

She was just six weeks old when she came to live with Äiti.

See that expression ? It hasn't changed!

Stran was her daddy cat and looked after her perfectly; she ws in a small bedroom for a short time, getting used to the place. That lasted maybe a day!

Islay was born to a young mother cat who didn't know what to do as one kitten from the litter was born dead, and she ignored the other three. They were luckily rushed to the vet, who saved the lives of Aila and her two sisters. However they developed very slowly and apparently needed indoor homes* as they were 'brain damaged'.  Now that was clearly just a ploy to get Äiti to adopt her, as there's been no sign of any problems like that with Aila.   In fact, she's pretty clever.

*Most cats in Britain have outside access. Äiti had no garden so all the Britcats were indoor kitties. Also, kittens are often rehomed at 8 weeks; Aila was unusual but her mother was not getting on well with her litter at the rescue centre so she came home early - Äiti knew Stran would takeover.