Fantastic Felines, Carnivorous Canines.

Last week I made the trip from the tiger territory to the land of the lions. There were some very relaxed females toasting on their hot rocks.







The male, Bhanu, was looking more relaxed.





Until he saw one of his favourite keepers and thought there might be some food coming.



As usual the tiger cubs did not disappoint.



They're nearly six months old and are looking so grown up.







Like the male lion, dad is on the prowl for any chance of an extra feed.



Finally the cubs decided to relax on their own warm rocks.



Now, it's obvious that I'm a cat lover, but my first animal love when I was 5 was a dog. Sadly, my affection for canines was severely tested the other day when I went to slip a note through a neighbour's door and her dog grabbed my fingers. Several pints of blood later the mortified neighbour had cleansed and strapped my war wounds. Now she wants her dog to aologise...

The Narrows

I need to watch this again, i don't remember much about it. I'm pretty sue VIncent's character saves his son from the Mob.

Fucked by a Cunt

Our National Health Service is being wrecked by the current government so they can bring in their rich friends to offer services privately. At the same time they are taking away funds that should be used to support the elderly so that they do can be safely released from hospital. It's called bed-blocking. Amazingly the hospital knew on Tuesday that they were going to have an emergency on Friday, so cancelled my operation. After much pushing from me it's been rescheduled for January 6th, which doesn't change the fact that my friend travelled all the way from Wales late at night for no reason.

For those who never heard it, I'd like to show you what an eminent UK broadcaster accidentally made of the Health Secretary when he was still Culture Secretary. It was very prescient.



Meanwhile, given a few extra days to my week, I went to see my baby cubs, who are now five months old. It wasn't a good day for photos as they mostly fought one another in the bushes, but I did my best.

Eventually Melati came out to see what her cubs were up to, ie. no good.





They are getting so big, pacing around like proper tigers.

The Irishman

I appear not to have a folder of photos of The Irishman, just a few production stills, so here's one of those.

One-Armed Bandit

I doubt I'll post next week, and there are unlikely to be any zoo visits for a week or two unless a hunk of time miraculously opens up by a move to a 36-hour-day.

On Friday I'm due to have a right shoulder replacement operation, so my right arm will be out of commission for weeks - no driving for 8 weeks. Help!

If there is muscle damage to the shoulder, such as the rotator cuff tear I had repaired a couple of years ago, it can aggravate or even cause arthritis, but a like-for-like shoulder replacement is not suitable. Instead they perform a reverse replacement to relieve pressure on the muscles that are used in moving the arm. Sadly the range of movement may continue to be limited. (At present I cannot raise either arm behind my back, so the left shoulder will probably be on the list soon. Good thing I had my boobs reduced, as I cannot reach behind to fasten a bra! But their prior weight did the shoulders no good at all.)

So what is a reverse shoulder replacement?

Hang on to your breakfast.

They swap the position of the ball and socket. Here's a little picture to illustrate before and after.

The surgeons are also keeping open the possibility of resurfacing the joint, but that won't improve the recovery period or constraints on movement.

After surgery I believe they will pretty much tether my arm across my chest. I have a horrible feeling I will be unable to reach behind me to undo it when necessary because of the poorly left shoulder. So the first thing I am likely to do when I get home is either cut it off (one-handed of course) or get the friend who's coming to look after the cats to remove it for me.

All this trouble for an operation that might not even make the pain go away or the movement improve. I'm so happy.

The Investigator

Such a sweet, near incomprehensible version of an O Henry story.

Winnie and Tigger

It's 90 years since the publication of the first Winnie The Pooh story, and it seems someone somewhere is planning a TV programme about it sometime between Christmas and New Year. My source? A sound man at the zoo.

First hint was a well known presenter outside the tiger enclosure being filmed with real life tiggers.

Alan Titchmarsh peparing for his entrance via the camel enclosure.


Titchmarsh started his TV life as a garden makeover presenter. He moved to garden quiz show presenter, then novelist and chat show host. Not one of my favourites.

 When I first arrived mum and the cubs were ensconced in the shrubbery. But dad was as close to the visitors as he could be. It was as if he was posing for people's photographs.



For a while the babies came out to torment dad. One zombie chomped on a leg while the other ate some brain. Dad looks like he's yelling for help!



To oblige the TV crew, Melati's favourite keeper Kate threw in some treats so that mum and babies came out to chase their snacks.







Meanwhile baby gorilla Alika is currently her mother Mjukuu's sole concern.



Gernot is back with his mother Effie, though trying to escape to be with his half sister.



Success!

The Cell

Super-creepy film, first time I was ever sympathetic towards a serial killer.

Family Time

Mum tries to excape for some "me" time.



Ha! Cubs are too big to stay on the ground now!






Getting down is not so easy though.



Then dad goes to his shelter for some rest so everyone else decides to join him for a drink and a play with an old sack.

 NO rest for the wicked!

The Break Up

Vincent's characteristics were, I suspect, very much invented by the man himself. Rubbish film as a vehicle for the untalented Ms Aniston, methinks.

Fight!

I am a sweet little vicious girl cub. First I fights wiv da big rope ball.





Look at dem claws!

Den I fights wiv my bruvver.



Finally we bofe fights wiv our dad.



An he submits!



My brave bruvver does a victry lap right past the MILLIONZ of hoomans watchin. RAAAAR!

That Championship Season

In which we are expected to believe that that midget Gary Sinise was ever a high school basketball player.

And in which he also played opposite the future ex-husband of Kathryn Erbe.

A Wedding

A few weeks ago I went to a country house hotel for a family wedding. The venue was Eastwell Manor.

It looks like a Jacobean manor house (ie. from the time of James I in the early 17th century) but in fact it is a fake from 1926. You'd think, under those circumstances, there's be no excuse for such poor disabled access, but you'd be wrong. Their lift has been out of order for over a year. They say they can't replace it because of conservation restrictions. One of my cousins is very dodgy on her pins, but had to negotiate a long staircase to use the toilet. But it was great to catch up with cousins:












Including the bride's mother:



As well as the bride's brother and his partner (now his fiancee!)



And the beautiful bride and her groom:



And an amazing dress:



Not forgetting the cake:



The bride's father was my cousin, but did not live to see his daughter marry. He died  seven years ago of asbestos-related lung cancer.

He would have been so proud.