Mid cockadoodledoo
I happen to know this is the doodle portion of a cockadoodledoo. Uncle B got the whole crow in three shots. The third shot, Sam’s neck is outstretched, clearly marking it as the doo portion. The first one is therefore the cocka and this is the doodle.
Though it actually sounds more like rucka-rucka-roo, that’s a little Scooby Doo for me.
August 30, 2023 — 7:14 pm
Comments: 7
I snorted a spider today, so there’s that
It was a very little one.
I was biking across a bridge and felt a strand of web across my face and next thing I know I’ve snorked up something little and insect-y. Worst part, I was at a dangerous section of my ride where the sidewalks are too narrow and I didn’t dare stop. I had to huff until I came to a wider spot.
And that’s the most exciting thing that happened to me today. It’s the Friday before a long weekend. Rejoice!
August 25, 2023 — 7:34 pm
Comments: 17
Let’s end the week on *the cat*
A beast so talented he can roll over and lick his paw at the same time.
This angle doesn’t quite show how fat this boy is. We told the vet it’s not our fault. He doesn’t eat people food. He doesn’t eat treats (can you imagine a cat that spurns Dreamies?). He only gets Iam’s dry kibble and he isn’t hugely fond of that.
It’s bunnies. A pendulous belly composed entirely of adorable baby bunnies he catches himself.
Sometimes we hear the screams. Sometimes we only find disgusting lumps of flesh and fur. And sometimes, surely, they vanish completely without us knowing a thing about it.
The vet didn’t seem worried. I suppose it’s a self-limiting problem. If he gets fat enough, he won’t be able to catch them.
Have a good weekend!
August 18, 2023 — 7:17 pm
Comments: 4
Lookit the purdy weasel
Such poise! Such grace! Such weasel crotch!
I always make a bee-line for the ferret tent. This one had open sides, so the pong wasn’t so cruel.
This girl wasn’t much bigger than a stoat and, in white, looked very erminey. I assumed it was a baby, but he said jills are just that small. I don’t remember them being that teeny compared to the males, but I guess the man should know his stuff.
I still want one, but I always remember the ferret owner I met who also kept chickens, but on opposite sides of the house. One day, a chicken came around the house at the wrong time and the pet ferret bit the man’s thumb to the bone to get at it.
Chickens and mustelids don’t mix.
August 15, 2023 — 6:42 pm
Comments: 3
Google Photos is weird
I have no idea how Google Photos chooses which photo to highlight when you open it, but this one is January 25, 2005 and my sweet old cat Charlotte in snowy Rhode Island.
It’s usually a dead pet. Thanks for the gut punch, Google.
Zo! I’m sitting here with a well-deserved G&T in front of me. With one or two little tweaks, I think I’m ready for printing and proofing tomorrow. Last minute fixes early Friday and done.
This is me, skittering around the corner on two wheels.
August 9, 2023 — 7:41 pm
Comments: 3
Happy Flying Ant Day!
Flying Ant Day is a term used to refer to the short period of time when ants emerge from their nests and search for mates, usually in July or August when the weather is hot and humid.The number of ants flying on certain days can be large enough to be detected by weather service radar systems, resembling rain showers. While there is no precise date for Flying Ant Day 2023, it usually falls in July or August on a hot, humid day, often after heavy rain fall. The number of ants flying on certain days can be large enough to be detected by weather service radar systems, resembling rain showers. Female winged ants can live up to 15 years, but males usually die just days after mating – the sole reason they are bred.
I can’t link a source for that. The Brave browser’s search function has gone AI and that paragraph is frankensteined together from several sources. They do tell you what bits go with what sources, but I’m far too lazy for that.
By common belief, Flying Ant Day varies from year to year but is the same day all over Britain, which would be weirdly cool. Sadly, it ain’t so. There are localized swarms in similar weather.
Still, it’s a giant formicalur Sadie Hawkins Day.
We were sitting in the garden with our next along neighbor, and suddenly the air was full of ants. The low brick wall around the patio was covered in hundreds of them. I ran inside to get my phone and by the time I came out again, there were only a few. It’s that quick.
That’s probably why I’ve only posted about it once before, in 2011.
p.s. one of the bastards flew into my right eye. I still feel like there are bits in there. Sorry to have screwed up your one and only sex, little dude.
August 3, 2023 — 7:52 pm
Comments: 6
Oooooh
I have so many questions about chicken orb.
Like, how do you get a chicken into one? Could my little bantams make one go, or would they become static lawn ornaments?
If I put one of my belligerent cockerels in a chicken orb, could he rejoin the flock, or would the two boys peck each other to death through the Holes? (Why did I capitalize Holes?)
If I put both my belligerent cockerels in chicken orbs, would they roll around the garden smacking into each other like billiard balls?
Would that be cruel or awesome?
At £37 a pop, the world will never know.
July 19, 2023 — 6:29 pm
Comments: 8
I used to get spam about these
We went to a cat rescue open day over the weekend, where I met this fellow. Very long haired ginger. They had to shave him when he arrived he was so matted.
He felt it keenly. I tried to pet him and he hissed and swiped at me. He’s going to be a gorgeous boy when it grows back out, but he won’t get brushed with that attitude.
They had their highest turnout ever and a distinct lack of cats, so there were like five people surrounding every cat. And boy were the cats crabby about it. Lots of hissing and swiping and hiding ’round the back.
Behind one shed was a roped off area with a big row of litter boxes and a dozen of them were hanging out back there, like High Schoolers sneaking a smoke in the bathroom.
Nobody seemed to mind. Cat people be like, “aw, isn’t that cute?” as they struggle to stanch an arterial bleed. And they made lots of money for the cats, which is the important thing.
July 18, 2023 — 6:55 pm
Comments: 7
Naughty girl
I thought I’d lost my last hen today. She vanished for hours. Then we heard a soft clucking behind the sofa…
I’m sure she laid an egg back there, but it’s one of those hidden places that has become a maze of unnavigable junk. We’ll find it when it gets smashed some day, I suppose.
Have you spotted what is interesting about this photo? I caught her nictitating membrane halfway across her eye.
It’s easy to see in chickens. They do a sort of double-blink, where their inner eyelid comes across right before their outer eyelids close.
That’s a drowsy chicken. Alert chickens don’t blink.
June 28, 2023 — 7:02 pm
Comments: 4
Ohmygosh, I haven’t posted, have I?
We went to a party tonight. We had a very nice time on a very nice Summer’s night, but I meant to post before we left.
Oh, well. Have a look at this kitty. This is not my kitty, but it looks so much like my kitty that I stopped and did a double take when spotted it just outside my office door this afternoon.
All black and whites kind of look alike, but you know your own when you see it. Especially as mine is super fat. This is as close as it would let me come.
Have a good weekend!
June 23, 2023 — 8:09 pm
Comments: 11