Wednesday Whinnies

Violette: I told #1 that I should host this post because I was the star last Saturday. The Big V was just playing a supporting role... You see, I got to take #1 out for a ride!!! Due to a number of reasons, #1 had not actually gotten on a horse in over three years, and Ms. C told her it was high time she did. And last Saturday was the day! Ms. C came with us and rode the Big V. It was also an opportunity to try out the new (to us) bridle and saddle she had bought from a friend.

Isn't the new bridle spiffy?

 

#1 said she had forgotten how far down the ground was...  For those of you who are familiar with horses, I am 17 hands and The Big V is 17.2 hands.

And off we went. It was shortly after this that the Big V decided that a puddle of water was a bottomless hole and refused to go through it. In the end, clever Ms. C  made him first go through it backward. What an idiot!

 

I of course went through it without a problem.

It was a cloudy day and not very warm, but it was so nice to be out together!

Does #1 look happy?!

That's my new saddle by the way.

The Big V kept telling me to hurry up. That boy has ants in his pants!

The last bit was through open country :

And we got this hilarious photo of the Big V being ridden by the headless horsewoman! Neeeeeiiiiigh!

Of course, after we got back, we both got fabulous treat buckets!

I hope we go out for another ride very soon!

Tama-Chan Tuesday

Tama-Chan: #1 got back a week ago from Bordeaux, and even though she is going away again next week, we are enjoying having her here to the full! The weather has improved a bit and it is warmer so the window in the kitchen is open again.

 

I also thought I would try out that zebra fashion:

 

I am still enjoying time on the living room sofa, though:

 

#1 took this portrait of me as I sat on her one evening:

 

 She says that, with the new camera, she can take nice photos when there isn't much light without using a flash:

Now if you will excuse me, I need to go and snuggle with #1.

Manly Monday

Ollie: Woofs! Ollie here. We have been settling into the routine of having #1 back with us and now she tells us that she is going away again next week. That is just not fair! Still, we are enjoying every minute with her, and she has promised me a great adventure whilst she is away!

 

Genji: #1 took this nice shot of me in the cat run.

 

Vidock: I have some new photos that I shall share with you on Wednesday, so here, in the meantime, is a slightly older but very manly one of me at work. 

Wishing you all a great week!

Snuggles on Sunday

Tama-Chan: So, here we are, back to our Snuggle on Sunday posts, and there is something I have to tell you. Even though I have long hosted this post, you may remember that snuggling never was my forte, especially when compared to the two boys, but all this has now changed! As soon as my Beebs got his wings and I saw how desperately sad #1 was, I revved up the purr engine and have been snuggling with her endlessly! She is a bit thrilled!

 

 

Genji of course continues to do his bit:

 

A for Ollie, well what can I say?

 

When #1 was away in Bordeaux, we did quite a bit of snuggling with Mr. G:

 

 

 

And #1 even managed to get snuggle pics with the Vs!

 

Don't forget to snuggle with the ones you love, Friends. You never know when they may no longer be there...

Sei-Chan's Souvenir Saturday

Rainbow Sei: Well, in the end, he just wouldn't listen to us, would he? That Beebs managed to get himself over here. Actually, I think he is missing #1 a bunch. Thank goodness Tommy is here to help look after him, and Yuu-Chan. You know, coming here is like a kind of rebirth for all of us, a time when we are young and strong again. So, to commemorate Beebs' arrival among us, I thought we would do a post with baby pics.

I will kick off with Beebs. This pic was taken when he was just over 3 weeks old:

Here is one of me, That foot belongs to my Mama Viña, in case you were wondering!

Here is Sen-Chan on the day #1 first saw him, at his breeder's:

And Yuu-Chan. He was at Poupounette Central, but he wasn't "official" yet:

And here is Tommy on the day that #1 first met him. He was two months old. He came to live at Poupounette Central a month later:

And we will close today's post with Ikkyu and a shot of him taken shortly after he came to live with #1 in Tokyo, in 1992:

 

Wishing you a good SEIturday.

Family Friday

Genji: We are still feeling so sad at losing our Beebs, but we have been rallying around #1. We also think we are very lucky because, when #1 goes away, as she did last week, and as she will do again at the end of the month, we have am extended family in Mr. G and his parents.

Here is Ms. N doing double duty with me and Tama:

Ollie got to go to a concert in the church of the village where Mr. G and family live, and he got to meet the musicians (Mr' G's dad makes and restores harpsichords!).

 

He also got to meet the two labs that Mr. G looks after daily:

 

Now that there are just three of us at Poupounette Central with #1, it is important that we are a real family and get on well, so we have been working on that:

And we are happy that a friend whom we hadn't sen much recently is back at our feeder!

Tama-Chan's Thoughtful Thursday

Tama-Chan: My name is Tama and I am the Keeper of Memories. When #1 came back on Tuesday evening from her trip to Bordeaux, we were so pleased to see her! We love Mr. G but #1 is different. She is our #1. So, yesterday, #1and I sat together. We were so happy to be together again. She petted me and I purred. We are still under the shock of losing our Beebs. As we were reminiscing, she looked at me and she said" My Tama, you are the Keeper of Memories. You are the only one to have known all the ones we have lost. Sen-Chan loved you when you were a tiny kitten. In turn, you loved Sei-Chan, and then Yuu-Chan. And you had your fabulous kittens and Beebs stayed with us. And through all that, there was Tommy. You and I are the only ones left who knew and loved each and every one of them." And thus she named me Keeper of Memories.

 

We have been blogging for almost 11 years. In fact, the blog started a few months before I was born. Over the years, we have made so many friends all over the world. Not many friends from way back then are still blogging, but we manage to keep in touch with some of them via Facebook instead. How many of you remember an Australian blog called Forever Foster? There were three resident cats, Fui, Suey and Lishy, plus fosters who came and went. They stopped blogging almost six years ago. Today, we found out that Suey went to the Rainbow Bridge a few days ago. Suey was a Tortie with a Tortie personality. The last blog post she was in is here.

Run free, beautiful Suey. I shall keep your memory:

 

And we have one more farewell today. Not long after we started to blog, we discovered an amazing Irish blog about a dog called Clive and a cat called Tinkerbell. The blog, which no longer exists, was called Assistance Dog For Autism. You see, Clive's young master, Murray (known in the early days as "The Little Man"), is autistic and the arrival of Clive totally changed his life. For many years, Clive was Murray's faithful companion, making it possible for him to experience so many things he would not have been able to otherwise. Tinkerbell also did her part, and she went to the Bridge some years ago. Clive retired from being an official assistance dog several years ago and stayed with the family as a pet, and we learned yesterday that he too has just gone to the Bridge at the age of 14. Our deepest condolences to the family, most especially to Murray who is now a fine young man. This photo was taken last year, at Clive's 13th birthday:

And so we make and keep memories. We will remember...