Cat hiding, but not very well. His eyes give him away. Golden and gleaming. He’s getting well fed and sleeps in the shed. I’m trying to get our own cats inoculated so they can go out in the garden and meet him. I hope they will all get on. Then he will have to go to the vets and be inoculated too. The plan is by winter this abandoned cat will be part of the family. We can’t get anyone else to take him in and he deserves a home. In the meantime he’s having a good life.


Three years ago


The kittens were starting to grow, getting ready to pack their bags and move in with their new parents.

I came across this photo today. They were so mischevious. The one with the black mask is still called Bandit, the new owners changed the other ones name.

I sometimes see photos of the two girl kittens, but I’ve lost track of how the boys are doing. Their mum and uncle are still here safe with us.


He’s still here..


The abandoned cat that we have been looking after is still here. There was a couple who almost took him, but decided we were too attached to him for them to take him. He still lives in the shed because we have two indoor cats who won’t get in their cat basket to be inoculated! Hence cats staring at each other through the cat flap. The outdoor cat has a box surrounded by straw to help keep him snug. But we decided to put a small electric oil heater in the shed to help keep him warm on very cold nights. He can get in and out, and because there is nothing of value in the shed we are happy to leave the door slightly ajar. Hopefully by later this year he will be rehomed x

Indoor and outdoor cats


Seamus (top) on the bookcase at the top of the stairs keeping cool.

Gracie (middle) on the bed, in the shade

And welcoming Woody (bottom). He’s a cat that keeps coming in our garden, he’s not ours but does get fed, however he’s twice as big as our indoor cars, and well fed so I think he’s one of those cats that make a living visiting people and as he’s very friendly we let him. There are other cats that come in the garden but they don’t get fed.

I make sure to wash my hands if I stroke the outdoor cat incase he has any illnesses.

Why Woody? He likes sitting in the garden and it’s full of trees.


Cats keeping cool


The cats are inhabiting the bathroom while the weather is hot. I’ve got a board to sit on because I struggle to get into the bath. Although I’ve started to do yoga to try and build up my core strength. It’s easy to leave the board there and put a cat mat on it. My boy cat likes to lie there at night as there is less insulation in our extension so it cools down quicker (not so good in the winter). The other smaller cat likes it too but she gets pushed off by the bigger cat so she ends up on the corner of the bath.

Yesterday was really hot and they slept on the floor on the cool tiles for some of the time. Today it’s cooler though still hot and they have resumed their places. Not for long though. I want a nice cool shower.

Mad half hour


Where do cats get there energy? Running, jumping, chasing, getting his claws stuck in the throw over the settee.

Pouncing on his toys, chasing his sister. Being chased by her. Upstairs and downstairs. Into the bathroom and kitchen. Jumping up on windowsills and the cat tree…

Then a wash…. Back, sides, face. Suddenly  calm.

And, relax! _20190528_122339

Keeping warm


My cats on their cat tree. Keeping warm. The weather is a lot colder now than it was last week. I gave up and put the central heating on. We were out in the rain earlier and I got soaked. We are having hefty April showers. The sky turns dark grey and then hail and rain pour down. The temperature is about 10 centigrade lower than it was a week ago… Typical British weather.





There is a particular filter on Instagram that I sometimes use when I want to convert colour photos to black and white. There are a few options you can use including one called willow I think, but I  prefer inkwell. I generally adjust the colour balance first and then go to the filters and choose inkwell. The blacks are rich and deep and the light and white colours are not overexposed. The grey tones are warm and the overall picture remains as it was when I took the original photos.  I generally don’t do any more editing than that.

One thing that can be confusing is when it snows, the image of the wire and gemstone ygdrasil tree hanging in our window , with snowy roofs behind is a case in point, I chose it from a tiny thumbnail, and now looking at it the sky seems a bit pink? Actually when you look closely you can see the brass ring on the window hanging is coloured. The world can be black and white without filters!

Black and White cats


Two tiers of cats, one tries to get higher than the other. Both sleep, then a tail flickers or a whisker twitches, and they wake, wash, then chase each other round the room, upstairs, into the front bedroom, thundering paws shaking the floorboards.

Hot cats sleep more in this weather, try to find cool places. The newly refurbished kitchen is ideal at night. Apparently there is a lack of insulation in the roof so it gets cooler in the evening. I walk in there and one cat is curled up in the fruit bowl and the other is lying on top of the cooker cover.

One morning this week the male cat was asleep in a box. Why would an animal covered in thick fur decide to take a nap in something that would make it warmer?

Black and White photos of black and white cats appeal to me. You can see more of the patterns on their coats. The background colours are not there to distract your vision and the gradation of greys makes for a more interesting picture.

Sometimes one cat is easier to take a picture of than the other. Our female cat is very friendly when she wants a fuss but more often than not she will find somewhere quiet under a cupboard to sleep. She also runs off when I try and photograph her.

They are a brother and sister…..but the male is twice as large as the female. I like it when they move in synchronisation or lie down in mirror image positions.

I love my cats, and I think they love me back.