The cat's meow

moving

I've decided that at least for the time being, i've had it with typepad. It loses my posts, and always seems to be down when i want to post. Not to mention, that i am trying to save money! So i'm moving to blogspot...please bookmark my new site. I agonised over this decision. I love the fact that i can track stats etc with typepad...but is that worth $8.95 per month - i'm not sure it is. I just hate change basically! But a lot of the blogs i read are blogspot, and they seem perfectly ok. If i don't get on with it, i might well move back...but for the time being my blog is moving house!

Please also bear with me...i'm still trying to figure out how to use the other service and am playing around with the format etc!

http://thecatsmeoww.blogspot.com/

3 carrots for dinner...

Yep. Thats what i've had for dinner so far. Why you may ask did i have 3 carrots for dinner. Well, my impatience got the better of me and i wanted to pluck some of my home grown carrots out of the ground because they looked like they might be ready. Well, they were - though one of them was a little smaller than i thought. The only problem is that i am not particularly hungry for a big dinner that these carrots would go with, so i decided just to cook the carrots and eat them by themselves! Its the first time i've ever had homegrown carrots, and i can only describe the taste as not being like carrots i am used to. Its like trying a new vegetable for the first time! It makes me realise how old the carrots we are sold probably are!!

The other day i had my first courgette from my very successful but experimental courgette plant that my mum got me. I wasn't sure what to do with one lone courgette (sorry my American friends-not sure what you call them in your 'language' :) ) Well, i soon figured out a great plan that involved home grown garlic (also experimental - but it worked!)!

I made a little foil bag, put some oilve oil, cloves of fresh garlic, and splash more olive oil, sealed it and wrapped again just in case it broke and tossed it on the bbq. I can definitley reccomend this way of cooking it! I'm still waiting for my aubergine (eggplant) to get bigger to see if that has been a success! My tomatoes are still a little slow getting started, but there are some good size ones that look like they will be edible quite soon.

A night at the proms...

This past Saturday i went to 'Last night at the Proms' at a place called Stanstead House. Its an annual ritual actually! Its a classical music concert, with a full orchestra and usually they have performers - as in opera singers.

This is the beautiful Stanstead House, set in acres and acres of woodland and fields! Certainly the front 'lawn' is able to host a lawn concert with full orchestra and hundreds of people in the audience (though probably more like thousands!). I've never actually been inside the house yet..keep meaning to. Next house i buy will definitley be like this one :) i wish!!

The orchestra, conductor and this year instead of having the usual tenor and soprano they had a group called 'G4'. Ordinarily i would have been ok with this. G4 are classically trained singers, who do opera, and opera with a modern twist, or modern songs with an operatic twist. They were the losers on pop idol, or one of those type of programmes..you know..the ones where the winners disappear altogether and the 'losers' end up doing really well! G4 come into the latter category! They are actually very good...BUT there wa one massive downside...the groupies. The idea of this concert is that you bring along a picnic and have a relaxing evening listening to music. What actually happened is several hundred people came from the back, and stood directly infront of those of us who had been there since 4.30pm to get a good spot, and so we couldn't see a thing. We all thought we had these people beat, because in the interval we all moved up to such an extent that we were all very cosy with the people around us (usually there is a spacious gap in between everyone. But no matter how many times we moved, they seemed to find a gap to stand in. It was really frustrating, and for me really spoiled the concert.

There is lots of flag waving, and the 'real' last night of the proms takes place in the Albert Hall in London in about September time i think. The proms is a series of classical music concert held in the Albert Hall, and the last one is always very celebrated, with very patriotic music such as 'Rule Britania' and 'Land of Hope and glory'. I'll probably never get to go to the real thing, because its almost impossible to get a ticket.

By night....

Pilates queen

So as i said recently...i get talked into stuff. My latest exploit was Pilates. My friend had a couple of free passes to her very nice, but very expensive gym. I have to say...it is NICE...but i just don't think i could part with the money each month (if i had it that is!!).

Actually, its harsh to say i was talked into it really. I was a willing volunteer actually. I've quite fancied having a go at yoga too. Pilates was quite tough actually, quite relaxing, but i think that yoga is probably better for relaxation. With Pilates, you realise all the muscles you have, and how to control them. Its quite hard to do when you are not used to it. As it happens i was was quite good at it, and my friend remarked how flexible i was..surprising considering i've never done anything like this. But, i've always been quite flexible for some reason..so i was obviously made for this kind of excercise..shame i couldn't be good at something a little more intensive calorie burning!!

We followed the Pilates with a go in the jacuzi, followed by a bit in the steam room, then another go in the jacuzi, followed by a lay on the sun loungers around the outside pool in the (surprising) heat and sun.

Yes, its a lovely gym...but i think i will have to stick to the city run gym/leisure centre where the sauna/steam rooms and pool are 3 miles apart...and where there is no jacuzi and you have to share the pool with 50 kids in the swimming club...but i'm not bitter...honest...

The great escape

Today was 'V' day for my cat Monty. The 'V' is you know who....the Vet. Nothing serious, just his annual injections. Monty is a free spirit and doesn't much like being caged. I opened all the windows down on my car so he wouldn't get to warm, and for some fresh air. I turned out of my road though whilst hastily trying to work the window controls as Monty was letting out the most ear deafening shrieking meows you ever heard out of such a tiny cat. It was just plain embarrassing!

So we arrive at the vet, and sits demurely in his cage, with the occassional whimpering meow. A puppy came in and momentarily distracted him. The puppy got all excited at seeing Monty, and its owner told him not to scare the poor cat. I smiled, and neglected to mention that if i let Monty out of his cage her dog would almost certainly come of worst (Monty's hobby is tormenting and goading the neighbourhood dogs).

So we eventually get in to see the vet. I'm not sure why, but which ever vet i get in this particular surgery, they are almost always New Zealanders...its weird! So anyway, i let Monty out of his cage, already having warned the vet and the nurse that he likes to run around. I let him out he stands on the table for a few seconds, just long enough for the nurse to think she has a tight grip on him and makes his dash for freedom. The nurse runs after him, catches him and he squirms free (he is really good at that trick!), carries on running around the room until the vet eventually catches hold of him. I could have assisted, but it was far too funny! I did mange a "i told you so" though! The vet gave him his injection, then a worming tablet, which caught Monty by surprise..when i worm Monty i usually end up with bleeding wounds! There is obviously an art to it!

Anyway, Monty is now back home, and seems to have forgotten his ordeal. I'm not yet sure whether he has forgiven me. I just know that around about dinner time he will be my best friend again!

no broken bones.....

I'm easily led...so when a friend of mine suggested we go ice skating my response was...um...yeah, ok, sounds like a good idea... in fact, its probably been about 13 years since i last attempted something like this. But these days, i'm looking for anything active that will burn off a few calories!

So last night, we went ice skating..i put on the skates, wishing i'd worn 3 pairs of socks to pad them out a bit, and suddenly had a feeling of dread deep in my stomach. The fact is, when you are 13 you have no fear..but having seen my dad suffer a broken leg last year, and the months and months he was in a cast, i'm now obviously a little more scared about breaking bones and the effect this would have on my life!!

Of course what i didnt know was that it was also an ice skating disco!! Coloured flashing lights,  dj and all the cool kids..yeah, kids...we were definitley the oldest ones there for a while. I have to say though. What really didn't help was the fact that the music was not only terrible for the most part, but remixed versions of stuff we would have been ice skating to when we were 13...does anyone remember 'Whoomp there it is' by Tag Team (i think), or 'right beside you' by Sophie B Hawkins (again i am relying on memory here)...samples of what we were listening too...bizarre.

Anyway, i was SO not the coolest person there...i'm trying to hold myself upright, whilst clinging on for dear life to the walls, or my arms flailing all over the place trying to get my balance. When i managed to skate i had an overriding fear of falling face first into the ice which sent me straight back to the sides, except those pesky kids hanging around meant i had to skate around them (and this meant no wall to cling on to). After half time, and a large cup of diet coke (this skating malarky is hard work!) it finally fell into place and i was quite merrilly skating along without use of the walls...and stops every 2 minutes.....and then it was time to go home...! But, i am happy to say, that i didn't fall over once and i haven't any broken bones!

July...and soon i can start eating my garden!

I am aware that lately my blog has heavily leaned towards my garden, but that is just because now we are coming into the peak summer months, my garden is at its most productive months -  Particularly the food i'm growing. A wander around my garden today proved this. I never fail to be impressed at the ability to grow fresh fruit and veg, i know exactly how it has been grown, its not been chemically sprayed, waxed, interefered with in any way, not to mention stored for months (i mean i can't get fresher than picked from my own garden!), and possibly the fact that i am just cheap. Why pay a fortune to supermarkets when i can grow it myself? The only downside is that my veggie growing ambitions are far in excess of the space i actually have!!

For example....

My very first raspberry ripened today. My raspberry cane is growing out of control, but my love of raspberries (and soft fruit generally) prevents me from cutting it back. This is an autumn variety too..so it shouldn't even be fruiting yet! But i am not going to complain!!

My Mange Tout are now perfect for picking. Not sure what these are called elsewhere...i think it might have been something like snow peas or something. I remember when my American/Austrian friend heard me call them 'Mange Tout' (French for 'eat all') their reply was "whhhhaaaat?!!

Anyway, this is my first crop, so i haven't tasted them yet...i'll let you know!!

And lettuce...no longer do i have lettuce sitting in my fridge going brown. Nope, i have some dwarf varieties growing in my back door...salad with my dinner? No problem...i just go and pick it as i need it! My first reaction to the taste was that it tasted like grass...actually, it doesn't really..but i now realise that the taste was in fact what real, fresh lettuce should tast ike!!

Ok, so this is not food, but the sweet peas i have growing up my back wall are really starting to look pretty now. Their scent is out of this world, and i just can't get near to them without having another 'sniff'! I had forgotten just how wonderful they smell!!

Monty's friend part 2

I got a knock on the door yesterday from the owner of Monty's friend. It turns out that his kitty friend lives 4 doors down from me, which i didn't know. This guy knew my cats name was Monty (which immediatley worried me because it occurred to me that the only reason he would know that was if Monty had been up to his usual trick of wandering into peoples houses). Anyway, so the guy also knew that his cat had my cat as a play mate. Anyway, so i said, yes, Monty is my cat, i don't know where he is though..."oh, he is in my gaden" the guy said...here it comes i thought, expecting the next line to be "do you think you could come and remove your cat from my sink/cooker/bedroom...etc. But no..it was worse than that. Apparantly Monty's friend has gone missing. I'm quite sad about that actually. I came home today to find a note, obviously one that has been distributed to the neighbourhood asking to check sheds etc in case he is in there. Monty doesn't look slightly bothered, but he is a cat, what can you expect! I hope Monty's friend is ok and he comes home soon, because as it stands, it looks like i was one of the last people to see him - and no, i am not a prime suspect!!

monty's friend

It appears my cat Monty has found a friend. Where Monty is, his friend is always nearby. Having said that, i think that possibly his friend is a bad influence on him, because i have caught Monty climbing roofs of houses which is about 25 - 30ft off the ground, and makes me nervous  to watch!! I have seen his friend do it too...so now i now where he got that trick from. I've even seen this cat with his arm around Monty when they were both sitting on the wall of the garden a couple of doors down. Now that was very bizarre, and one of those moments you just wish you had a camera!!

In any case, I've warned Monty not to hang around with trouble makers...but you know how it is, cats just won't listen to their mothers...they think they know best....

The picture is of Monty's friend. Not quite established whether its a girl or a boy yet.

kicking the food addiction.

I didn't announce the fact that i am trying to lose weight properly on my weblog yet. For a good reason..i usually say this stuff, swear i will do it because now i told everyone, and then fail miserably. I was doing the cambridge diet not so long ago, which was basically an abstinance diet of nothing except milkshakes. Well, it was a good kick start, but i lasted precisely two weeks. It was working, it really was, but i like actuallu chewable food too much, so it was not the answer. Plus, i am not absolutley convinced yet that it is a long term solution.

So anyway, i am back to my trusty weight watchers. I refuse to go to the actual meetings because i personally think that the cost is far in excess of the support i actually got out of it. But i have infact discovered will power. I guess the 'nothing but milkshake diet' worked in that respect because now, anything is better than that.

Anyway, the reason i am telling you all this, is that i have stuck to this and have now lost 19 and a half pounds. So basically, by telling you all this, i am not making a half hearted attempt at trying to diet, i actually have, and still am!

Personally, i can't see where the 19 lbs have gone. I notice it slightly in my clothes, but not vast amounts, and i don't even feel close to having throw everything out because its too big (which i will consider a milestone!). But, i have hardly had time to go back swimming this past month or two, so its a miracle really!! Imagine what i might have achieved if i had actually excercised too!!

Having said that i can't see it, i met someone i know in a professional capacity today - whom i haven't seen in a few months. After spending the best part of an hour with her, and just as she was leaving, she said to me "have you lost weight?!". The words every dieter wants to hear, and especially me since i didn't actually lose any weight last week! "Why, yes i have" i replied shocked that anyone had noticed, but really wishing i hadn't just eaten two jaffa cakes i found stashed away in my colleagues office. Ok, so they are low-ish in fat, but it was a moment of weakness i had given in to.

Anyway, i am back swimming tomorrow, and will be going at least 3 times a week again, which in itself is will power after a long day at work!