White Christmas

This "Pug in a Parka" really enjoyed a bit of Christmas cheer...

Wot??!!

Maddy & Brutus

I'll Be Back

We're now back from an excellent holiday in sunny Devonshire coastline, hence the lack of recent posts. This month is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a devotion we are especially attached to. I hope to write more about this soon, especially since this time last year a Protestant pastor challenged me about what reparation to the sacred heart means. I was too preoccupied to answer this, and a little tired of Protestant rhetoric, so avoided it. But I must do so now in charity.

The title of this post fits in with the release of the fourth terminator movie, set in 2018. I love these movies, despite it all making more sense leaving the first film on its own! Anyway, it was incredibly enjoyable. There is even a computer generated mayor of California making an appearance (which was just as believable as the one in the flesh). The picture on the right is of T-X from the third(-rate) film, which I took at the Star Wars celebration in July 2007.

Brutus the Pug

We are in the process of booking a dog-friendly hotel in London for the LMS AGM and High Mass! The big question: is Westminster Cathedral Pug-friendly??



-- Posted From Wend's iPod Touch WiFi (4.5Mb/s)
Virgin Media Broadband

Round Robin

Post exam bliss! For the past few weeks I have been thinking of things I've wanted to be doing, and said "after the exams I'm going to do that..." so it comes as a strange shock to wake up and think twice about doing revision!!

For this update we thought of doing a 'Round Robin' (since that's what married couples seem to enjoy doing a lot). This will give a brief view of events from the perspective of all members of the family.

Maddy is smiling lots and enjoying life a great deal. She joins in with chatting and singing with great vigour, especially enjoying our rendition of Salve Regina! As you can see in this photo, she has inherited lots of stuffed animals from her mum. Although I'm not sure whether she will ever enjoy our 'toy room' as much as young Joee Blogs did on his visit!!

Maddy also really loves sitting out in the garden (which has just had the lawn mown by yours truly) and going for walks in the fresh air of Birmingham. Believe it or not, we have lots of nice green routes and parks nearby.

Bartholemew (Bertie) has been as aggressive and disruptive as ever. He refuses to socialise and insists on messing up his house and saw-dust environment. Unlike his predecessor Jeffrey (who liked things 'just so'), Bertie uses his toilet to store his food, and sleeps in his exercise wheel. I am often quite scared to feed him having been on the receiving end of his vicious teeth several times in the past.

Saying that, I did manage to take a few photos recently of him: he can be rather placcid when taken out of his home and closely supervised walking around on the bed. Bertie refused to comment, but we are still hoping that sometime soon he will make a positive contribution to the household.

Now we come to the king of the castle: Master Luke. Brother of a murdered sister, son of a murdered mother (due to road traffic accidents). He had been very productive on the blogging circuit, and in response to Jackie Parkes' recent musings about Mantillas, Luke has assured us from this photo, they are both elegant, fashionable, noble, and reverent. Don't tell him they're not very masculine, though.

Wendy is really enjoying being a mummy and housekeeper. She has been taking Maddy to lots of fun mothering and breastfeeding groups. She is currently reading "Two Lives" by Evelyn Waugh (courtesy of Mrs Parkes Book Club, which Wendy suspects will soon evolve into Mrs Parkes' Blog Club!), and is intrigued by the life of St. Edmund Campion. More on his views to come.

So now we are busy "chilling out" with my mum and brother who are staying for the bank holiday weekend, with us all enjoying the great weather.

Brother Luke

"Hello again Humans. I have noticed, amongst my fan-mail, several requests for more input to this blog from my expertise and wisdom. Well, you must understand, that as an incredibly cultured and learned cat, I have a very busy schedule. I have to fit in, several times each day, meals; snacks; washes; grooms; walks in the garden; naps; play-time; security patrols; rolling in dust; litter-tray time; claw-sharpening (preferably on expensive furniture); time with my brother Bertie; sniffing Maddy... the list goes on. So how to fit in such a mundane chore as blogging is quite beyond me.

"Anyway, in the interest of world domination, I thought it better that I keep up the popular profile. Since I last wrote there were a lot of visitors to inspect the new rugrat (otherwise known as Madeleine). I have now realised that this is not, in fact, a rare breed of hamster. How have I come to this conclusion? Simple - She does not run about in a ball, eat hamster food, or sleep in the Rotastak castle.

"On the subject of hamsters, Bertie and I have been getting on fine (despite what everyone else, including said hamster, will tell you). I eagerly anticipate my visiting rights to soon be unrestricted in this regard. Oh, yes - the other day the humans/slaves moved his Rotastak castle to a different location (the spare room). Something to do with a leaking toilet (nothing to do with me). I was panic-stricken searching all over the house; who was going to help him with his rage problem now? I have made a lot of ground getting him to 'open up' and 'express his anger' which has seemed to work a treat. Perhaps the next stage of his rehabilitation will be to air his views on this domain.

"I have to go now - its fish on a Friday and I have to check out the situation in the kitchen (Granny has even brought some prawns around today. For me, of course). This last picture is of myself before Madeleine was baptised. I have no need for such sacraments, being perfect myself. I am partial to drinking from the holy water stoop, though.

"Anyway, this is all very nice. But at what point did you forget I'M TRYING TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!!"

Cat's Comeback

"Yes. It's me. Obviously I only check back here if there's something important. Well, a lot has happened since I last updated you: the rodent has died; a hamster with ADHD has moved in; and a most peculiar little thing has taken up residence as well. I noticed something was up when the feeders (or parents/slaves, call them what you will) were out of the house for about a 3-day stretch. Of course, one of them returned to feed me during the night - but I am used to a feed-on-demand system. So I was a little unsettled.

"Next thing, they are both home carrying a little bundle which I had to stay away from. When I finally got a look at it, I can only describe it, from my humble experience, as half-human half-hamster. It was slightly smaller, if not rounder than myself. It doesn't know how to meeow and manipulate others, in order to get food, and instead just yells. Which I find very unsettling.

"The worst thing is the way my slaves/parents/feeders seem besotted by this little 'lump of love'. I feel distinctly neglected. Trying to play with it didn't seem to help my cause, and I just got shouted at. Also there are several little beds scattered around the house; a moses basket, a bouncer, a cot - but none of these am I allowed to sleep in. Talk about favouritism. I have to put up with my cat-bed on the landing by day, and I'm shut up in the study by night. What has a cat gotta do?

"I am biding my time. I'm sure they will get bored of this lump, wherever it came from, eventually: and affirm me as king of the house, to be waited on hand and foot for the rest of my life. Who knows, perhaps this lump is another 'slave in training': for when my parents go senile (which doesn't look far off), to continue the cat-caring duties. But don't worry about me, viewers, when I'm not strutting, eating, sleeping, washing or reading Lacrimarum Valle: I'm playing KittenWar! A cat is never bored: Only preoccupied with rest and relaxation."

Jeffrey's Rant

"Frankly I'm furious. You young wipper-snappers don't know how to show your elders some respect. This includes that rascal of a cat who has posted here previously, under the title "It's a Cat's Life". Now I'm not one to get involved in technological clap-trap like this here blog, but one has to defend his dignity! Speaking of which, I am partial to a proper bath once in a while, unlike cats who seem to make do with covering themselves in their own saliva. Still think they're civilised?

"I've been around for a hell of a long time, don't you know! Why, in Hamster terms I've outlived the most distinguished of Syrian desert rats. There has not been a grey whisker on my head without toil and hard graft. Yet that devilish creature, known as Luke might I add, thinks he can waltz on here and attract a loyal following of supporters to his cause. Well, perhaps I will elaborate on what his cause is, eh?

"Ever since my house opened its doors on the feline species, I have been fighting for my life. Merely to survive, eh? Is it too much to ask, but a little peace in one's own home? An Englishman's home is his castle, they say - well since day one I have had to defend mine by whichever means possible. Sawdust barricades, nut catapults, you name it. Those cats are constantly preoccupied with trying to eat me! Can you believe it! I have been living with humans before they were even a twinkle in their mother's eye!! The picture on the right shows proof. During the day, I like to stay in my cabin and have a bit of shut-eye. So those savage beasts would spent the whole time lying in wait till I emerged, even if it was to spend a penny. Then there would be relentless attacks: pounce, barrage, deafening me and not good for my asthma let me tell you. Well, ultimately I was moved into seclusion in the bathroom, where the door is always shut.

"Have you ever heard a hamster's battle cry? Of course not, you probably weren't even aware we were vocal creatures. I like to think we're peaceful until provoked. Or woken up. Well, Rotastak clearly state their hamster homes are NOT cat-proof. As far as I was concerned one morning, my tubing was simply accidentally detached, usually leading into my lavatory (yes, Hamsters use them too, you know). I popped out to investigate, only to be pounced on by that black and white ball of fur! All I could do was resort to primeval instincts, rise up on my hind legs and SQUEEL like a cornered boar! That taught him a lesson. But it doesn't stop him from trying.

"But you readers probably find all this very funny. You may say 'ah, its all nature'. But actually lets have a look at what you have said, shall we? That the barbaric cat is 'a true Catholic' just because he falls asleep next to a breviary. Or that 'cat lovers go to heaven' rather than the reality of being led astray into submission to an Egyptian demi-god. You want devotion? Well, take a look at the picture on the right (I'm humble, and didn't know it was being taken). I'll leave you with this thought: You may think you're holy because you're big enough to go to church and receive the sacraments. But I haven't even got an eternal soul - yet you won't catch me slacking on my prayers. You have the hope of heaven, I'm caught with the prospect of rotting into nothing yet still thank God for my store of monkey nuts. Which reminds me - I'm off for a nibble. Young wipper-snappers."

It's a Cat's Life!

"Hello. My Dad (Matt) gave me permission to write on his esteemed blog. Well, I actually agreed to do this to add some style to a pretty drab blog. I don't know much about blogs, but there is only one item of food/play on this thing (Jeffrey the Hamster) so its dull to me.

"I'm a year and a half old, which is pretty much a teenager in cat terms. Also, I'm a house cat. This is okay with me, since I get daily cat treats and a perpetual supply of cat crunchies... yumm... and all the Whiskers 'Oh so meaty/fishy' I could ever want. On occasion, my parents try to fob me off with cheap tinned cat food - but I'm not stupid, or desperate. I'm a prime specimen.

"Now a particularly sensitive issue with me is my sister, Leia, who I spent the first year of my life with. We were allowed outside whenever we wanted, although my parents insisted on getting rid of my manhood first. Oh well, it was worth it to hang around with the local alley cats. But one Sunday morning she was skuttling across the road after me, and wasn't quick enough. A big moving metal thing hit her. Silly girl. I was pretty upset, and spent a whole day growling and not eating; thinking that this might persuade my parents to bring her back to life, but they didn't seem to be able to oblige.
"I'm still good friends with 'The Don' who runs this neighbourhood, but only see him when my parents take me out on the lead. Still, I get free run on the washing line, and I'd like to emphasise that I LEAD THEM and not the other way around.

"During my short but interesting life, I have visited Stourport where my Mum's parents live. However, some other cats live there, and run the house, so I had to resign myself to second fiddle. Which is not my style. I'm much more comfortable in Nottingham, where my Dad is from. There, at his Mum's house, I'm in charge, and get to sleep on whichever bed I like. I have also been to Scotland which was wonderful. I got the full attention of 4 adults, although most of my time was spent supervising them in the garden and making sure they tickled my belly on a regular basis to demonstrate their submission to me. I even got to go on the beach, but there wasn't much to eat there except crabs. I prefer gormet shrimps.
"Well, I better leave it there. Here are some pictures of me from today. I gave my parents a surprise when they came downstairs this morning to see what I'd done to the light in my study. I was using it for a trapeze but it wasn't strong enough. Dad has put a new one up now so hopefully that'll be more suitable. I'm very proud, as you can see from the picture, of my handiwork. In fact, I think it is a work of art. My parents would have punished me for being so naughty, but they were too busy laughing at what I'd done to be angry! Humans are strange. But I'm not complaining, because their presence means I don't have to work for my next meal. Except that pesky Jeffrey the Hamster... one day... Oh well, all my best wishes to you all, and I would appreciate any cat nip you have spare. Au Revoir!"

Adopt a Pet!

Thank you, Brother Lawrence, for referring me to a friend's site, Antonio's World, which is now on my blogroll. I was really excited to find on said site, a cute little feature to adopt a website pet. You will now find my pet, Jeffrey the hamster, on my sidebar. However, it isn't as simple as an electronic friend; Jeffrey is a real pet of ours. He is well over 2 years old, and somewhat past his prime. Here is a picture of the little chap when we first got him:

He is a really great chap, very friendly (although he's a bit grumpy in his old age) and he has only escaped from his cage a couple of times. Once our cat tried to attack him, but Jeffrey (cute little chap he is) let out his war-cry (yes they do have one) and our cat backed off pronto, looking very sheepish.

Here is Jeffrey today:

Please visit him on the sidebar, take him for a run, feed the little one (strawberries provided), and keep him strong. He's an old boy, and needs his exercise.