Settling In

Well, hasn’t time flown? We’ve been busy for most of this year preparing to move from Devon to Bristol. Of course, Spock was oblivious to this transfer.

He sauntered and galloped around his patch every day until mid-August seeking and hunting and staying out late as per usual. He had a few stays in the kit-kattery while we visited Scotland to prepare our house for sale and later to sign the papers. There was even a trip to deliver our second car for our nieces to use while getting used to driving.

Still he didn’t suspect anything. He continued his interest in taking Bond-cat poses, especially when held by Mr Madlamb and running across the shed roof. See https://madlambblog.wordpress.com/2012/01/23/we-were-expecting-you/ and https://madlambblog.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/cat-on-a-hot-tin-roof/

He might have suspected it when the house started to fill with boxes

Still printing

Bubble wrap everywhere

However he only had a hint when he was in the kit-cattery for three weeks rather than his previous maximum of two weeks. We thought it would be fairer for him not to have to cope with removal men and furniture coming and going.

When our car broke down three days after moving we decided to hire a car to collect him rather than inflict a longer stay. Saying that, he did enjoy his stays. He always seems relaxed and at ease on arrival and on collecting.

As this would be a longer drive home, we reinstated the large cage. We transported MC to Scotland in this and Spock used it when he was recovering from his accident when he had a pin put in his hip.

Spot the Spock

Are we there yet?

On arrival he was welcomed by local resident…

Are you staying?

We decided to keep him in for two weeks while he got used to the new house and all the different spaces. However, he then decided to hide under the bed for most of the time. When he came out more often we thought it was time to  install a flip-flappery…

What, for me?

He had a look around but there wasn’t as much greenery as he was used to in the Devon suburbia

Is there a way out?

We made a hole in the fence to help with access…

A cat-sized hole

… which gets used regularly..

Here we go

… and even got to grips with running the roof tops as before

All I survey

Since the move in September he has made his comments on some of the internal decoration

making his mark

Thankfully he has settled well.

Mmm a familiar knee

Hopefully more stories in 2013.

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Long Weekend Part 2

Apologies for the abrupt end to the last post but it was just getting to that stage in the evening when eyes were closing and an early start was looming.

Flip-flap training will resume in the morning but the boys have really developed since returning from the kit-kattery. Spock has decided to get vocal. Nothing major but giving a quick peep when he comes in and at other times when we’re not watching. I’m sure he finds it hilarious as we look at each other to see if we both heard it and was it *really* Spock.

Boris, is also giving his vocal chords a stretch. It still all sounds quite pathetic but we are both developing an ear for his squeak.

Now that they have independent access, we don’t often see them together to the point that I’m sure that they think their real names are Spock-where’s-Boris and Boris-where’s-Spock as we greet them around the house.

Still they do occasionally appear together, so here’s a couple of pics to prove that point.

Sitting Sweetly

Feeding – Boris on left, Spock on Right

One night Boris approached Spock on the chair and Spock started to clean him – in fact, I’m not sure either of us have seen Boris clean himself, though he’s always immaculate. Suspicions are rising. However, after the clean they started to fight to the extent we had to break them up. It was border-line play/real fighting as there are chair-wars going on, we think. Then Boris decided he’d come and sit between us instead – It was like having a couple of children.

However as the likelihood of us having real children has floated off in the sunset, we both decided to look into our family histories to leave for our siblings and their offspring. It’s been very interesting and I’ll fill in some of the findings in the next day or so. I may even add a special page for it – if I can work out my posts from my pages.

Has anyone found anything interesting in their family pasts?

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Long weekend part 1

It’s been a Bank Holiday here and the University I work for insists we take an extra closure day on the Tuesday, so it makes it a very long weekend.

It started well with the flip-flap being installed. I started training straight away. The window and door access was withdrawn and the flap in full flip for the day. Next came half-flap then only partial flappery. However, the boys have been reluctant to progress to full-flow flap access despite a few pushes in the right direction. However, they sit and watch while I push the door, hoping they will catch on. They do – they just wait until I’ve pushed the door open then go through the open flap. Now I’m back at work and a stay-over tomorrow, so training will resume at the weekend.

Pre Flip Flap Door

Half Flap ready for action

More when I get back from Bristol… it’s a 5am start again, this time it’s getting dark.

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