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 !

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.