Playful cats & An evening stroll

Sunset in Somerset

At the end of a lovely sunny day, we all spent some time outside. We watched Larry and the farm cat play together

Farm cat (Left) and Larry (right)




Larry feeling brave...

My 2 cats gets on quite well with the farm cat and it's fun to watch them interacting. The farm cat has found a way of letting himself in to our house to get food... He headbutts the cat flap and manages to force it open even when it's locked! Strong cat...
My two cats are OK with him being in their garden but look rather put out when he finds his way in to our house and eats their food!

After the two cats got bored of playing together, Miss P suggested that we go off for a walk.


Scooter ride in Miss P's case. Alan and I took our cameras with us, we rarely go out without them..


We headed towards the woods










Daffodils that Miss P picked for me on the way.








The sun setting over the fields and village in the distance.

I really like the photos below which Alan took of the Somerset sky.
The floral photos were taken by him too.






It was the perfect end to a lovely day.

I wish you all a lovely weekend!

A bientôt!

Isabelle X

Juicy Apples

Blue sky at last! Today I took the opportunity of picking some apples from our garden. Something I love doing on a day like today. We've had grey skies and drizzle over the past week and it's not quite as much fun picking fruit in those conditions.


This apple tree is in our back garden. They are cooking apples.


This field is to the left of the apple tree. I sometimes like to pause for a while and look out in to the distance. You can sometimes see deer and foxes crossing the field. At other times you hear the distant sound of church bells on a Sunday morning or some evenings in the week when they have bell ringing practice. I never take all this for granted, I still appreciate it all.


Larry having his idea of fun with Lilly. Lilly is a lot more gentile and her brother can be a bit too boisterous for her sometimes. They do get on nevertheless!


This apple tree is in our front garden, these apples are the ones which I picked today as I wanted to make some apple juice.


Off I went with my basket. That should be enough for 2 or 3 days worth.


In they go, chopped up in to the cold press juicer. This is the best juicer I've ever had. So easy to use and hardly any mess. It also produces more juice and more goodness. Not cheap though.. I believe it is a lot cheaper in USA. It is particularly good if you drink green juices or are on a raw food diet. You can also make ice creams, pasta and other things with it too.


Et voila, freshly pressed apple juice. Delicious!


A bientôt!

Isabelle x

5 THINGS THAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT ME

1) My favourite sports: Shooting (target, NOT animals!) and fencing. I have enjoyed both hugely but fencing is probably my favourite.



2) When I was 11 years old, a French TV programme called 30 millions d'amis did a feature on me. It was about me horse riding since I was 4 years old & my love for cats. At the time, I was feeding stray cats & kittens. I ended up attracting and caring for over 20 stray and feral cats.

3) I am very interested in maritime archeology, shipwrecks & lost treasures, being my main interests.













4) I don't like soaps. I am not referring to scented soaps. I am talking about TV programmes such as Eastenders, Coronation Street, Home & Away etc..etc.... They always seem to be filled with a lot of mishaps and unhappiness for the characters. So many other things to do or watch instead!
This was a pleasant surprise for Alan when I met him. A woman who does not like soaps!

5) I am fascinated by the 17Th & 18Th century and love books and films set in those times (especially action/adventure, smuggling, pirates, swashbuckling, drama, romance & true events). Here are some of them..













Well, now you know a little bit more about me. I had better get on with some more work in the lounge. A third coat of paint is about to applied to the floorboards. I am pleased with it so far, the room already feels bigger and brighter.

We will be watching some of the Belgian Grand Prix at the same time as working. I always watch the Monaco Grand Prix and the Belgian Grand Prix.

Have a great weekend!

A bientôt!

Isabelle x

Candy stripes and Worried about Larry...

Hello everyone,

Thank you for all the lovely comments that you left on my previous post. I am sorry that I have not responded to some of you yet. There is a lot going on at the moment and I will eventually catch up with blogs and emails.

My parents left today after having visited for a couple of weeks. It was lovely seeing them again and to spend some time together as we only see each other 3 or 4 times a year. They brought over some fantastic vintage things. It didn't stop there, whilst browsing at a boot fair on Sunday, they found some other lovely things that they knew I would like such as vintage unused candy striped sheets & pillowcases. They are getting harder to find but I always look out for those.

Old price label is on the sheets! 17 Shillings and 11d (For overseas visitors, this is in old money)

They are so crisp and clean! The colours are so pretty.

Last week Larry started walking in a strange way, his back legs were weak. I took him to the vet the next day, they weren't sure what was wrong as he didn't want to walk around to demonstrate his walk. I had to film him at home and return with the film footage. Unfortunately due to an emergency operation at the vet, no one could see the film footage that afternoon (Friday). On Saturday his front legs appeared to be affected too.

Today I took Larry to the vet again. The vet looked at the film footage. They carried out full blood count & urine tests. The blood test came up clear but white blood cells showed up in the urine sample. I have been advised that Larry ought to have a MRI scan as there could be a problem with his brain or spine. He is such a lovely cat. I can't believe he is having problems at such a young age.

In July 2008 our 15 year old ginger cat called Pixie had to be put to sleep. He became ill and his condition deteriorated rapidly. We were all so very sad. Alan & I were not in a hurry to get another cat as we were still missing him but Phoebe was missing the company. In January this year we decided to adopt 2 kittens knowing how much pleasure Phoebe would get from them and to help her move on from Pixie's death. Pixie is still greatly missed.

Pixie

Lilly and Larry have brought us a lot of pleasure since January, they are so affectionate and giving.

I have to admit that I dread the results of the MRI scan...as the vet implied that it's not usually good when it is brain or spine related. I am a positive person but I can't help but worry about what the outcome will be especially as Phoebe loves him to bits, so do Alan & I.

Although I do pray every day, I have been praying a lot more in these past few days. If you have a spare minute, could you include Larry in your prayers please? I know that there are so many other important things to pray for in the world but it helps knowing that others are thinking of him. Thank you.

On a lighter note, Phoebe was a little ray of sunshine tonight. I went outside to call her back in for bedtime and to take a photo of the sunset. I found her picking flowers. She stood up gave me the flowers and said "Mummy I love you, I picked these for you". It was just what I needed today after a day of worrying about Larry.

The pretty posy of flowers is by my bedside now.

I am doing a little survey in right hand column on painting furniture. Feel free to tick what applies to you! Thank you.

I love this light at the end of the day. Picture taken tonight from our front garden.

A bientôt!

Isabelle x