Life with cats, and other things…
1734/5th May 2026 The subject of greeting cards brought me to address books. How many does one get through over a lifetime? Perhaps they too are fading into the past as more and more information is stored on computers. Thanks to the invention of Tipp-ex or Wite-Out, I have managed to hold on to my … Continue reading Things you hold onto
0717/8th May 2026 Father's Day this year is 21st June in the UK and USA. Mother's Day in the UK was March 15th. In the USA May 10th. Why is that? I can think of no good reason why they should be different. When my mum went back to England that difference was something else … Continue reading Assume?
Couvent Des Oiseaux, Notre Dame du Langbian, Dalat, Vietnam. Some old photographs found their way to my inbox.... On 23rd December, 1959 my mother brought me to this building, the Couvent Des Oiseaux, where she turned me over to the group of French nuns who ran it. My father's 18-month contract with UNESCO in Saigon … Continue reading Schools
0602/8th May 2026 Failing to check for wildlife, I went charging out to get the above photograph and scared off a fox that was tucking into the peanuts I'd put out earlier. So, when Grant went out I made him take a special offering to be delivered by the old wall where we believe their … Continue reading Happy Friday
Checking back, it appears I've often mentioned dandelions. I had been thinking that this year's crop was particularly impressive, but in retrospect perhaps it is only average. Maybe it is only that I notice their jolly faces more these days. . There is beauty to be found wherever you look in Nature, in one form … Continue reading Noticing
View Preview↗ 4th May 2026 In search of new territory, we've lately been looking South, as we did on Monday. Because many of the sites we would like to visit are inside national parks that are not yet open, it has mostly been a matter of checking the lay of the land. There was an … Continue reading No sense
1835/30th April 2026 Like "love", I think the word "hate" is used far too freely. I may sometimes describe something or someone as hateful, but I avoid saying that I hate. It was never possible for me to hate even people who caused me pain, because hatred is something that gets inside you and eats … Continue reading Patches of blue
Cambridge, NY. 2nd May 2026 In the village this morning, two women exchanged moans: "I am so over this weather!" "I can't believe I'm still using a heater at night!" Which shows how different we can be, because I enjoyed a private chuckle thinking that despite gloomy predictions, I have been quite pleased with Spring … Continue reading Traveller
Battenkill River, Greenwich 2nd May 2026 Leaving me to sort out my variety of problems on Friday, Grant went off to lunch in Schuylerville with our neighbour. Inevitably, they had to pass through Greenwich and on the way home, stopped to see what what happening on the Battenkill. . The man returned with the exciting … Continue reading Which is which?
1853/28th April 2026 There is no cure for osteoporosis. Treatment is a matter of reducing your chances of injury. If my first experience is anything to go by, this amounts to making you feel so rotten, you take to your bed where it is assumed you can come to no harm. A slight exaggeration but … Continue reading Entertainment