My 'PUSSY GALORE' Drop-In Centre is being gatecrashed!

No, not by Tortie here, but by a totally different being (see below).
Tortie is just one of a quartet of well-established guest visitors who take full advantage of my open-door policy (actually, open-window), coming in for the food on offer; as though I don't have enough to do caring for my own 'resident' Dynamic Duo (more pics at bottom of blog). Tortie even occasionally comes in for a nap, freely using any of my rooms, much to the unexpressed but clear displeasure of my real 'children', Blackso and Noodles.

But as well as all these whiskery ones, I'm now also being visited by, of all things - a SEAGULL! - it may actually be more than one of them. I can't tell them all apart easily. This bird, assuming it is just the one, is actually bigger than my own two cats and when, some weeks ago I found it sitting on the window sill, I reduced the window gap just in case it was tempted to make an entry. The window is left open day and night so the pussies can come and go as and when they wish.
Then some days ago there was the sound of some sort of skirmish in the kitchen. The bird had come right inside and was trying to get out again by flying up and charging against the window. Managed to let the panicky thing out, while dodging its large (relatively) wing-span. I then reduced the opening still further. But then just a couple of days later, it was in again. Let it out once more and attempted to reduce the gap even more by blocking part of it with a couple of large dry cat-food cartons. The cats have to really squeeze to get through now. Yet now only this morning I heard a persistent 'tuk-tuk' sound, with my own Noodles looking wide-eyed down the hall in the direction of the kitchen. Went to investigate and - would you credit it? - the pesky thing was in yet again, helping itself to the left-out cat food. Before I could open the window wide to coax or force it out once more, it actually pulled its body into a smaller size, squeezed out of the little gap itself and flew off. What a nerve!
    I already spend more on cat food for my own two, plus the four approved 'guests', than I spend on food for myself. If I'm to add to my visitors a non-feline and unwelcome intruder that would be just the limit! No, I'll just have to put my foot down. But how on earth to keep the cheeky feathered thing out while giving the true pussies free rein to come and go as they please? In a fight between the gull and one of 'my' cats I don't think I'd bet on the cat coming out the better one. What happens if it gets in while I'm out? Oh dear.  Problems, problems!

June 21st - Poignant double-anniversary day

Today is six years since my mother's funeral - she had died 10 days prior, aged 89.
It's also exactly 32 years since the day my father died, at 69 years.

I loved them both dearly, but must confess that it was only in their respective latter years that I really appreciated them. Although it's natural to have some regrets about things unsaid or undone I'm grateful that in my case there aren't any really major regrets in that respect. Also grateful that there were no great hostilities between them and other members of my large-ish family, which is indeed something to be thankful for, especially when I read the family circumstances of some other bloggers.

Always loving you, Mum & Dad.

My Social Life - All 100% of it on blogs.

Blog-reading is making an ever-increasing demand on my day. I'm not complaining - well, maybe I am, really. I find other people's blogs so fascinating and interesting. They all live in a totally different world from mine. Though I don't add a comment on every one of them every day, of course (who does?), I often wish there was the time to do more. And that's only with the score or so bloggers whom I follow. Those bloggers who follow several times more than the number that I do cannot possibly read all of them. It's just beyond human capability.
  Feel rather guilty that there are a number of fellow-bloggers who follow me but whom I haven't yet put on my own blog-roll. Really intend to go through them before too long though I know it will only increase the already significant amount of time spent reading here. But it should also be enriching.

Although keen to avidly follow the exploits of my blogger-pals I think they are all, without exception, gay. Not that there's anything 'wrong' with that, but it would be nice to have the occasional hetero pal. But how does one go about 'acquiring' one?

  My entire life of 'socialising' is conducted through blogs. I've said before that I have no friends 'in person', a friend whom I could easily visit - a situation I've been in for years, yet which I know is within my power to get out of, but.......
   Think I suffer from a condition only identified fairly recently - a fear of social interaction, which would explain why I've never had a true 'relationship' and even when I have had friends in the past, was never comfortable about them getting too close to me, both literally physically, as well as knowing too much about me. In fact all the most memorable physical 'experiences' of my life have been fleeting ones with strangers - casual encounters in public 'places', dark rooms, saunas, one-night stands in hotels etc. Sad in a way, but nevertheless true. How I've never caught anything serious, or even fatal, during all those wild years (now largely over) would be considered a miracle if I believed in such things.

    On blogs one can be as frank as one likes, with the added positive feature (for me) that distance makes personal tactile contact impossible. One can also make one out to be a nicer person than one actually is, which is very useful indeed.

  So, when I win our National Lottery and start my round of personal visits worldwide to those bloggers whom I especially value, I give notice that I'd prefer not to stay at anyone's house or apartment, but will be asking for recommendations of a hotel in the vicinity so that I can stay there and see you now and again, but retire back to seclusion before any mutual irritations start to surface. - and btw, don't forget that I'm veggie.

(Part of) my failed first attempt at '5 on the 5th'.

These are three of the five pics I had ready to post on Stephen's (State of the Nation') 5/5th feature but couldn't work out how to get there. Even posting them as a normal blog is so laborious and I've got to do it in reverse order of its appearance. As for linking this with Stephen's site, I don't know how. Cubby of 'Patently Queer' suggests that the 'Blogger' software is not up to the task, at least not with ease. So for the moment I'll put the intention of joining this 'family' on the back burner. Anyway, here they are.



Above: My NEW shirt from 'Next' - a snip at £15!




Above: 'Waterless Garden' (i.e. 'Rainfall-only) on Worthing sea-front.





Above: My technicolour meal. Mushroom omelette ('mush-let') using 3 eggs, + pots (boiled), cauli, beans, toms. Mmmmmm mmmmmm!


Well, after that time-costly effort I'll ruminate on how I can progress on this matter. Meanwhile let's see what others are offering this month.