Between the raindrops

On Friday I took my friend to Port Lympne. The weather was supposed to be changeable, and on the way down we were rained on plentifully by a cruel nature. But our time there was mercifully dry.

It used to be called a wild animal park, but now they are calling it a "reserve". Many of the animals are running free in extensive acres of grounds, and you have to take a safari bus to see them.

But some creatures are still in enclosures. There is the Scottish wild cat:

There's the Bengal tiger trying in vain to hook through the wire a piece of leg left over from a feed:

Then there's the fossa. His missus was missing - there were 6 cameras on the inside enclosure where she has 4 cubs, but not a whisker visible in any of them!

Purgatory

Heart-breaking episode. Such great acting.

Goodbye and Hello

My car is 10 years old, and I've had it for 9 of those years.

Toyota was in the local shopping centre a couple of weeks ago plugging their new car, and I gave them my details, which they haven't bothered to use. So I went to a few dealerships.

As I have a Nissan, I went to them first, and a salesman promised to hunt around for what I wanted and call me. Then I tried a Citroen dealer, and the young man was charming. He made a similar promise.

Finally I went to a VW dealership, where they found what I wanted just 3 weeks from delivery (though it's the wrong colour, that would have taken 10-14 weeks).

So here's what I'm waiting for:

It's a Volkswagen Up (strange name for a car, tempting to say, "Up yours") but it's got great write-ups and the road tax is just £20 a year instead of £175 because of its fuel efficiency.

The deal is, after 3 years, when the guarantee runs out, I will still owe some money on it. I can then do one of three things:

1. I can surrender it and walk away;
2. I can pay the amount I still owe and keep it or
3. I can trade it in for another new one on the same basis.

This keeps my monthly payments nice and low, and enables me to own a high quality, reliable car of a make I always wanted.

And not just because it has the same initials as me!

Proud Flesh

I find this a very unpleasant episode, credit I suppose to Malcolm McDowell.

So Long Mr Handsome Furry Purrer

My darling Dandy fought off multiple illnesses over the last couple of months, including cancer in his toes. After his amputation operation, it didn't stay in remission, and he had been slowly fading away.

I didn't know what to do. I was due for my latest boob surgery on Wednesday. I didn't want to take his life away earlier than necessary just because I was going into hospital. I didn't want him to suffer longer than necessary just to assuage my guilt.

On Thursday he had hardly eaten for more than a day, and I decided to take him along to the vet's for his last goodbye.

Some of you will remember his loud purr, which kept me company for 18 years.

He was also very talkative.

 

 

I will love him forever.

 

Privilege

Bobby at his most gorgeous. And a week late for some reason known only to Blogger.

Probability

Lots of handsome hand poses in this one.

It pays to listen

Next week I'm supposed to have surgery to fix up my reduced but scarred boobs.

The procedure involves surgeons from two different hospitals. They decided to operate at one because it already had a piece of equipment they needed. The letter I received was for the other.

If I hadn't paid attention at the consult, I might have turned up at the wrong place at the wrong time, because I'm the only person who noticed the mistake.

So glad I'm attentive.

World War III Anyone?

Wherever it starts, seems to me that WWIII is edging away from the impossible or the unlikely towards the probable.

Putin is acting like a new Hitler. If he continues to posture like he is, the West will have no option to do one of two things.

They could act weak and let him and his followers get away, not just with downing an airliner then obstructing the investigation and the retrieval of the dead, but with occupying all of Ukraine. Then when Putin realises he can get with anything, he will escalate and BOOM! World War III.

Or they can act strong and challenge him, eventually militarily, and BOOM! World war III.

That's if the situation in Gaza doesn't lead to someone nuking Israel first.

Happy days,.

Prisoner

Ah, the dear little dance of postman Bobby.

Litter and Wildlife

Looks like this didn't post last week.

Sadly, the fox cub hasn't been seen since last Sunday, and despite having a cage trap in my garden for days, I have to assume I won't be rescuing him. He must have died.

Anyway, below is the story you would have read a week ago, when I still hoped for a positive outcome:

People are so unthinking when they drop litter. Anyone with half a brain knows that, apart from looking terrible, it harms the environment and can endanger wildlife.

Last night I had a very sad experience of this. There was a fox cub in my garden with its head wedged in a plastic container. I couldn't get near.

I called the Fox Project and someone was with me in about 45 minutes. But even he couldn't get close enough to catch the little critter. The plastic wasn't completely opaque, and at least the cub can breathe. what it can't do is eat or feed, so unless it manages to dislodge the impediment, or someone manages to get close enough to help it, the little life will be lost in appalling circumstances.

I've leafleted the immediate area and hope others' eyes may be enough to get help to our precious charge.

Pravda

Not a favourite episode. Bishop was her usual unexciting self. Everybody needed a good slap.

Animal News

After being poorly for some time with an infection that caused terrible loss of appetite to his elderly frame, my poor gorgeous Dandy made a short recovery before developing what appeared to be a toe infection. It didn't get better, so on Monday, the poor little boy had to have two toes amputated. Mr Spock, eat your heart out.



He's doing better than expected. Once the fur grows back on to his beautiful, mutilated paw, we might not even notice the deformity :(

Meanwhile, try on a tamandua (or tree anteater) for size.



Or would you prefer a new baby white-naped mangabey?

The Posthumous Collection

There's the gorgeous face:



And the loooong body:

Happy Birthday Vincent D'Onofrio

Happy birthday to Vincent, 55 today.

Here's to the next 55...

Poison

Nasty narcissistic woman. I wanted to slap her.

Please Note

Seems to me the problems with private schools are at least as bad in the US as they are in the UK. Except we don't have the lovely Det. Goren to come and fix them.

Playing Dead

I really disliked the slimey perp and the stupid mother in this one. And Bobby's hair looks like it's been gnawed into shape by rats.

Good, Bad and Disgraceful

I have some very mixed feelings about what has been going on at London Zoo over the past few weeks. Let's start with something amusing. There is a new female tamandua (tree anteater), but the old girl, Tammy, is still taking her walk around the dark end of the indoor rainforest where she once found some insects and thinks she will get lucky again. Who knows what she thinks she would do with a piranha. (Yes, she has climbed up on to a handrail to take a closer look.)



There are a couple of cheetahs in temporary residence in the old tiger enclosure. It is in the old tiger enclosure, which will soon become part of the new, enlarged lion terrace. It is too small for cheetahs to be in long term.





The sloth recently had a baby. This is the first time I've been able to get a picture of it.






Sadly, however, the higher ups at the zoo have taken charge of tiger mum Melati's movements by locking her outside with her cubs. This is for the convenience of visitors. Not something a conservation organisation should be considering. One of those upset with their conduct was a woman visiting from Perth who has known Melati since her birth, and brought ZSL some photographs of the little lady in her younger days. I am martialling my strength for another attack. The keepers are not happy with wha they have been ordered to do, so the only problem with be with people like the wondrous (according to him) David Field whom I took to task over earlier tragedies he has presided over.



Melati is getting her own back, however, by taking the cubs to the most inaccessible part of her enclosure, where the existence of mesh interferes with anyone's attempts to get decent pictures. Go girl!

The Pilgrim

I know we all love this one. Bobby in army fatigues. Bobby in shirtsleeves taking off his tie...