Snuggles on Sunday

 

Tama-Chan: It's Sunday and it's been absolutely freezing here this past week. We were promised snow, which we did not get, but it's been really cold and the countryside is covered in hoar frost. Here is a photo #1 to before we get to the snuggles.

I'll start with a photo we forgot to post last week, of Ollie and Mr. G:

Next, we have Benny and Momo snuggling:

And Benny and Ollie:

Me giving #1 a kiss:

Momo snuggled up next to #1 in bed:

Ryū-Chan snuggled up to #1 as she tries to work!

#1 even managed to snag a nice selfie with Violette!

Sadly, the one with Heloise didn't turn out as well. #1 apologises for her silly face!

And The Big V sent one in of him and his pal, Caruso (who is French heavy horse TREC driving champion!):

We wish you a warm and snuggly Sunday. We would also like to invite you to join us tomorrow when Ollie will be celebrating his fifth Gotcha Day. It was actually on Saturday but we couldn't do it then.

Sei-Chan's Souvenir Saturday

 

Rainbow Sei: Hello, Dear Friends! It has been a while and it is lovely to be back with another post covering those of us who are now at the Bridge. We have a nice line-up of photos for you today, so without further ado, here they are!

First off is a nice pic of Ikkyu, taken in 2003:

Next is beautiful Hôtesse in 2005. She was only 10 years old then!

Here is Sen-Chan, the original "Poupounet", in 2008:

Yuu-Chan and Da Beebs were both "undercover cats" and here they are snuggled up under #1's duvet:

Those two hung out a lot together whilst Yuu-Chan was still well enough to enjoy his baby brother's company:

Here is Beebs wearing his uniquely Beebsy expression:

Our handsome Blue Boy, Genji:

Tommy - so loved by all of us:

Trav:

And last but not least, little me with my beautiful red furs and globats!

So, that's all of us. We know that #1 will never forget us and we enjoy sneaking into the blog on a regular basis still!

Feline Friday with Ryū

 

Ryū-Chan: Dragon Breaths, Everyone! The other day, I was having fun on the big bed upstairs and #1 took a video. So, what's so funny about me chasing my tail, I ask you?

She has also been calling me an AcroCat and says this is the kind of shenanigans that Abyssinians specialise in, and it made her think of someone she calls Da Beebs.

I am not an AcroCat. I am an EXPLORER!!!

Throwback Thursday

 

Ollie: We were wondering what to do for today's post and #1 thought it might be nice for us to do a Throwback Thursday with some baby pics of us. We know that baby pics are always popular!

So, let us start with our Queen Tama when she was about six weeks old, in 2008:

Next we have me, Ollie on the day in 2019 I arrived at Poupounette Central. I was pretty quick in figuring out who my person was!

Benny was the next one to land. He was in pretty rough shape when he arrived. Here he is in March 2021:

One year later came Fluff Puff Momo. Here he is in June 2022:

The most recent arrival, Ryū-Chan, is still something of a baby at only nine months old, but he has grown quite a bit since he first arrived in July 2023!

And since today is also Thankful Thursday, we would all like to say that we are thankful for our home and family!

Wednesday Whinnies - Farewell to a Friend

 

#1 here. Today, we would like to bid a fond farewell to our Violette's aunt, Orina du Bourguerin, who galloped off to the Bridge in her sleep the night before last. Here is her story. Orina was born in the Perche, one year after Violette's sire, Navarro du Bourguerin, who was her full brother (same sire and same dam). She produced eight foals during her breeding career in France. One day in 2019, good friends of mine from Scotland came over to France, looking to buy a filly. They saw one at a show and we then went to see her at the farm. They noticed an older mare in the field with her, and the breeder mentioned to me that he had had all the foals he needed out of her and she would soon be "reformed" which, in their parlance, means sent off on the meat truck😢. On hearing this, my friend said "Oh no. That's not happening. She's coming to Scotland instead". So, at the age of 17, Orina and her young relative, Fuschia, crossed the channel and went to Scotland.

Everyone loved Orina and she loved to be loved. You may know that there is no such thing as menopause in horses and they can continue to reproduce all their lives. In the event, Orina became a mum two more times. In 2022, she produced a lovely pure-bred Percheron filly called Clayfaulds Margaret. Then in 2023, she produced another lovely filly, part-bred Clayfaulds Nancy. Orina was a wonderful mum who took great care of her babies. Nancy became very sick just a few days after she was born and her life was in danger for a while, but she watched her over, and "Lucky Nancy" turned the corner and thrived. Sadly, Orina had the same problem that eventually took our beloved Hotesse, worsening arthritis. Her owners who cared for her deeply, watched her closely and knew they would have to make a hard decision soon. In the event, Orina galloped off unaided in her sleep, with her daughter by her side, a dignified lady to the end. 

We are sad that this beautiful girl is gone but so thankful that she was treasured these past few years and able to mother two more babies, as that is what she loved to do most.

Beautiful Orina:

With her filly, Clayfaulds Margaret:

Margaret is now two and belongs to a very nice lady who calls her Freya and sent me this lovely photo of her:

Here is Orina watching over her very poorly Nancy:

Feeling better!

And back outside!

There were no signs of the impending end that evening. Orina got her carrots and her good night cuddles, and in the morning, she had flown away. Run free among the stars, beautiful girl.

Orina du Bourguerin (By Jovial, out of Derina)

21-04-2002 - 15-01-2024

Tama-Chan Tuesday

 

Tama-Chan: Hello Dear Friends, and welcome to the best day of the week! It's still cold and we may be getting more snow this week, but we're staying warm, although the boys like to go out to the cat run during the day.

Mr. G took this really nice pic of me:

I seem to be hanging out with little Ryū-Chan quite a bit. The first pic was taken by Mr. G and it looks like he was sitting on my head!

He spends most of his time running around like a creature possessed, (you should hear him scream and hiss when Benny The Thug gets too rough with him!) but he does occasionally nap:

I shall leave you with an ultra-cute pose I struck for #1:

I may be a Queen in her golden years but I've still got it!

Manly Monday

 

Ollie: We hope that our North American friends who are in the big snow/ultra-low temp zones are keeping safe and warm! We may be getting more snow here later this week, and it's still quite cold. But we are nice and cozy indoors and #1 said I looked super relaxed here.

Benny: Mr. G took this photo in which you can clearly see my great new bow tie collar (the band bit is red). It was a gift from our friends in Singapore and #1 had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to use it. I think it suits me well. Do you agree?

Momo: I have realised that, this time of year, the cushion on the radiator in the kitchen is extra warm!

Ryū-Chan: Mr. G caught me in mid-air as I was preparing to launch an attack on my bro, Momo!

And he then caught me as I was investigating Ms. N's bag!

We wish you all a good week!