Marie's Web Log

In response to Kenda's comment, I would like to clarify something about the photo in the previous post. In order to get Leo close to the web cam, I had to dangle a toy behind it - that's why he has his claws out. He is in fact one of the most docile, friendly cats I've come across. (Unless it's feeding time, but that's another story.) He even likes to be picked up and cuddled, which is very un-catlike.

Here's another, more neutral, photo:

He and Jamu are getting along a bit better now. Ian had to take him to the vet's to be checked last week, though, as he was panting, which is not a normal thing for cats to do. I was worried he might have heart problems. The vet says he's OK, but I think we should keep an eye on him.

Ian has been to the allotment a few times recently, and says things are starting to come up. I haven't had the chance to go over, so no more photos, I'm afraid.

Can't think of anything else I wanted to say. Amelia is getting a cold again. I think she has one more often than not. I went back to the doctor and he confirmed that I had pulled a muscle through coughing so violently. Apparently it can take muscles in the rib cage area between four and six weeks to heal. I went back to the gym yesterday for the first time in about six weeks, and it feels OK today, so I hope it's better.

All for now.

Posted by marie at 08:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Here's a quick action web cam shot of our new cat, Leo. I think his full name should be something like Horatio Leopold the Third, though Ian thinks he should be called Leonardo diCattio. Hee hee. Jamu is still not used to him. She went into a neighbour's house tonight, which is very unlike her. Whenever she sees him she hisses and runs away, so she spends most of the day outside.

Posted by marie at 08:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Jamu is not impressed. We went to pick up Swingit today. He has settled in fine, but Jamu is hating it. She hissed and spit at him, and spent all afternoon hiding outside. We will probably rename Swingit to Leo, as he seems quite leonine - there is something of the big cat about him. Full of energy too - I'd forgotten what it's like to have a very young cat. Not that Jamu isn't young - she's only 5 - but this one just barrels about the place, chasing very toy in sight. Not the brightest spark on the block, I fear. He does look rather like Maxie, which is a bit confusing for Amelia, as she kept calling him Max at first. Then I corrected her, and now she calls him Ma... The New Cat.

Finally finished with the cough, but sore ribs haven't gone away. In fact, I rather stupidly decided to vaccum the house last Friday and on Saturday had quite bad muscle spasms - that's what it felt like anyway. What am I, 90? Always going on about my health issues. I'm going back to the doctor next week (sigh) for the fourth time in about a month.

Had a quiet Easter - Amelia hunted for a few chocolate eggs and I made a rather nice non-low-fat chocolate cake. We went up to see Ian's parents for a few days afterward.

Last week I received an e-mail from a regular reader of my blog. Nothing too unusual about that, happens quite often with friends and family. But this was someone I didn't know who had come across the blog by accident while searching for photos of Exeter in the snow. She sent me a very nice message with the aim of cheering me up a little. I have to say I was a bit taken aback - of course, I know that anyone can read the blog on the internet, but it didn't occur to me that someone actually would.

I got my tax form the other day here in the UK. You only have to fill out a return if you're self-employed or have investment income. I wondered why they sent it so late, until I saw the deadlines for sending it back - Sept. if you want them to do the calculations for you (!) and January (that's next January) if you do them yourself (!!) Strange country. I owe them, so I'm in no hurry.

Here's a snap of Amelia at Easter:

And one of my niece, Keira. Nice dress! Sorry Suzie, but in this shot she really reminds me of photos of me as a baby. Not that I ever wore a bonnet. Did I?

Posted by marie at 10:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Haven't been having a very good time lately. Just finished my third course of antibiotics in six weeks - probably more antibiotics than I've had in the previous six years! The hacking cough just wouldn't go away, and my sides got so sore that every time I coughed (or sneezed or laughed or bent the wrong way) it felt like someone had kicked me in the ribs. The cough has finally gone, though the soreness is still there. I've had to stay away from the gym, because every time I decided I was well enough to go back, I'd get sick again after. Not exercising makes me very cranky.

Ian is finally feeling better too, and Amelia's nose has stopped running, though she is still teething - is she the only three-and-a-half-year-old in the world who doesn't have her two year molars yet? This wakes her up at night - I don't think she's slept through all week, and she's very cranky and whiny during the days as well.

Not much planned for Easter. I bought Amelia a chocolate bunny, and plan to colour a few eggs. Can you still buy white hen's eggs in Canada? Over here they are all brown, apparently because "that's what the consumer wants." People seem to thing that eggs with brown shells are better for you, which is just silly. Maybe that's why you can't buy white vinegar over here. White = bad.

We've now had our "home study" done to adopt a cat from the Cats Protection people. They just wanted to look at our garden, and that we weren't too close to a main road. They looked at our lease to make sure it said we could have pets, but now they're threatening to call our landlord as well. Jeez! Anyone would think they didn't want to give the cats away.

We went back to see the cats and have seen one we might get (if they let us!) after Easter. (We are going up to Ian's parents for a few days and don't want to do it before then.) Here's a link to their web site. Click on "Adopt a Cat" and he's right at the top: Swingit. I think we'd change his name. Yes, I know he looks a bit like Max. He's also much more handsome in real life.

Oh yes, I did get a little bit of work, referred from my friend Linden. (Thanks Linden!) It's copyediting an autobiography written by a woman who lives in London. She hasn't signed the contract yet, but she's pretty definite about it. Looks interesting too.

Posted by marie at 04:20 PM | Permalink

No idea really. Ian is ill now too, and Amelia again. My cough still hasn't gone. Being cooped up with a sick child and an even sicker husband is no fun at all. The wind outside is still cold. Waiting, waiting. Ian has an interview at Plymouth on Friday to possibly get funding to do a PhD in sustainable rural development in their Geography department. Exeter University have already told him they can't give him funding, though they have offered him a place if he pays his own way (!). He's pinning all his hopes on doing a PhD, as he doesn't want to go back to the work he was doing before. Who knows if he will get a job after.

Read in the paper the other day that a normal price for a small terraced house in south London is over 400,000 pounds, the equivalent of almost one million Canadian dollars. Yet salaries are no higher than they are in Toronto, sometimes less. I certainly can't earn as much here doing editing, even if I could get any work. It's utterly insane, and very, very depressing. Many house prices have doubled in the last five or six years. Let this be a warning to you, those who may have wild fantasies of returning to live in England (or perhaps coming here for the first time) - you'll need to find a job paying in pounds what you earn now in dollars, in order to have the same sort of lifestyle. And there aren't many of those around. Stay where you are.

Posted by marie at 08:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)