Fred: How It Began

 

Posted on 16th November, 2015

Holly is not a happy cat...   but Bonnie is pleased with her new kitten.

Sharing the scoff

On Friday I was walking on the Ballymena-Doagh road when I heard a tinkling and a squeaking. I looked around and there was a little ginger kitten following me. The tinkling was coming from a bell on its collar. There were no houses nearby and I could not understand why such a young cat was out on the road. There had been a woman driver behaving oddly about five minutes before I encountered the kitten. She had went to pull in, spotted me and drove on. I looked behind me and she'd pulled to the side again. I thought she might have noticed a flat tire and wondered if I should offer to help but she drove off again. Did she dump that kitten? I think she did. I couldn't leave it - the road was far too busy and dangerous. Maybe it was someone's lost pet but little cats do not tend to stray far from home and this one was at least a quarter of a mile from the nearest house. Nevermind. He lives here now and Holly de Cat is not best pleased. But Bonnie is delighted with her new kitten.

Resting up a spell

How Fred Came To Live With Us....14 years ago

  

Holly Is Not A Happy Cat...

...but Bonnie is pleased with her new kitten.

Sharing the scoff

On Friday I was walking on the Ballymena-Doagh road when I heard a tinkling and a squeaking. I looked around and there was a little ginger kitten following me. The tinkling was coming from a little bell on its collar. There were no houses nearby, and I could not understand why such a young cat was out on the road. There had been a woman driver behaving oddly about five minutes before I encountered the kitten. She had gone to pull in, spotted me and drove on. I looked behind me and she'd pulled to the side again. I thought she might have noticed a flat tyre and wondered if I should offer to help but she drove off again. Did she dump that kitten? I think she did. I couldn't leave it - the road was far too busy and dangerous. Maybe it was someone's lost pet but little cats do not tend to stray far from home and this one was at least a quarter of a mile from the nearest house. Nevermind. He lives here now and Holly de Cat is not best pleased. But Bonnie is delighted with her new kitten.

Resting up a spell

Dog Years

Ten years ago Miss Martha and Miss Gracie attended Bark In The Park in the Ecos Centre. Here they are discussing Bonnie's chances of winning Best Rescue Dog. Bonnie's there in the background with Ben Reed

Ten years isn't that long a time for a human bean. Miss Martha is looking at her last year in primary school. Ben Reed is learning to drive. Bonnie is long gone and Miss Gracie will be leaving us soon. Dog years just don't last long enough.

Thanks For All The Eels

One useful thing about being a long-term blogger and user of social media is that there is a record of all the important life events. Like, just how long is it since we've had eels for dinner? Well, Bonnie was alive then and she's been gone for ages. How long?  June, 2013. More than five years now. But how long since she stole the eels? November, 2007. Nearly eleven years ago. That's the last time eels were served in this house. Until tonight.

Richard and I hatched the plot. Bert had been watching a show about Lough Neagh and remembered how much he loved eels. But where to get them? We live a short distance from the biggest freshwater lake in the British Isles and it's full of eels, a delicacy exported worldwide.  Who sells them? Back in the day this one and that one could get them for you, even further back in the day, my parents got them from Uncle Paddy who lived on the shores of Lough Neagh and fished eels and pollan for a living. Nowadays, as Richard found out, they're sold directly from the Lough Neagh Fisherman's Co-operative Society.

It was to be a surprise and surprised Bert was when Richard presented him with two packs of the finest Lough Neagh Eels. His squeals of delight could be heard in the village. He cooked them just like Matty did, coated in seasoned flour, slowly in a heavy bottomed frying pan for an hour and more. Delicious, served with RJ Kerr's finest and freshest soda bread,

As I said to Richard on Facebook,

....thanks for all the eels.

Did we sing The Eely Song?

Of course we did.

Bonnie's Stuff

Bonnie, March 2009

Bonnie came to us as a neglected and unloved dog who had lived her life on the end of a chain. Her collar, a stiff, cracked old thing, had chafed all the fur from underneath her chin. She was matted and smelly and very timid. The first thing we did when we knew we would be keeping her was to give her a bath. Afterwards, I wrapped her in old towels and covered her with a woolen blanket. She seemed baffled by the attention but not unhappy. As soon as I could I bought her a new collar, soft leather, and bright red. She seemed pleased with it and wore it the entire time she was with us. I kept it for a long time after she died but eventually disposed of it.

That was her first possession. She never 'got' balls. Her thing was squeaky toys. She loved them even after she had carefully detached squeaker and eyes. I kept her stuff in a straw basket and every night she'd take them all out item by item. And the first thing out of the basket was always the plastic Santa Claus. Bonnie really did like her stuff.

Bonnie, in January 2012. 

Every Picture: Cats and Dogs

Muff and Danny

If cats are introduced to dogs as kittens the cat will adapt well to their canine companion. As kittens, they will treat the dog as a surrogate mother (no matter the dog's gender) and as adult cats,  they consider the dog a contemptible creature only fit for using and teasing. Remember the adage, dogs have owners, cats have staff.

Judy and Fred

Fred is an Alpha Cat, Judy an Alpha Bitch. Fred always wins as Judy cannot climb trees.

Fred and Bonnie

When Fred was a kitten he was happy to permit Bonnie to share his food. No matter that the food was actually Bonnie's to start with. Fred was generous.

Bonnie and Holly

Bonnie's first kitten was Holly. She was very tolerant and put up with the little cat's relentless bullying.

Paddy, Rosie and Harry

Cats love to lie on people's beds. So do dogs. Paddy is resigned to Harry's presence. Rosie is thoughtful. Perhaps she should bite Harry? Harry is resolute. He's not going anywhere.

Holly and Jess

There are very few photographs of Jess in a cat's company. She's never known a kitten and the adult cats she shares her home with are not to her liking. Holly is hard to see in this picture as she has been treed. Jess needs to get herself a kitten.

Remembering Muff, Danny, Bonnie, Paddy, Rosie and Harry.

Saying Goodbye

There was a 28th most viewed photograph on Flickr yesterday but I didn't share it. It was taken ten years ago when I was far less thoughtful about what I chose to share. It was only a picture taken at a party of a middle-aged man with his shirt off and sitting beside a young woman in her early twenties who was looking at him bemusedly. He was smoking a cigarette. Deletion was the only option.

Now this photograph, the 29th most interesting today, shows an intensely emotional moment in our lives. Bonnie was seriously ill and we were waiting for the vet. A decision had been made.

Bert had already prepared her grave. That took twenty minutes. The rest of the time we sat with her, soothing her.

I used natural light from the window and Bert was quite unaware of the shot being taken.

249 views, taken June 2013

An hour and a half later she was placed in her grave at the top of the garden.

About twelve hours later I wrote this post.

Frost And Critters

Taken in 2007, Bonnie and Fred, 727 views, 27th most viewed on Flickr today

Last night brought a very sharp late Spring frost and a thick layer of ice on the hens' water bowl. The pieris, which looked so gorgeous yesterday, are devastated now. My paeony is looking very wilty. In the polytunnel my cucumber and courgette seedlings are mush and Zoe has lost a lot of young tomato plants. The severe cold coming after a very warm week was hard on those tender plants. Mother Nature can be cruel.

Good news is that Dave says my crumble is the best he's ever tasted. I hadn't made it for a while as Miss Martha said she didn't like it. Today's was made with white currants, red currants and raspberries. All from last summer thanks to the freezer. Freezing temperatures aren't always a bad thing.

Dogs And Dunminning

Dunminning Cottage, 22nd most viewed. 785 views

This picture was taken ten years ago. The cottage has been re-thatched since then and, according to the internet, it has been up for sale. Whether or not it sold I do not know but the asking price was around 60 thousand. Which seems reasonable except that it is very tiny and needs a good deal of work. It dates from around the 1830s and was originally inhabited by the toll keeper of Dunminning Bridge. Cousin Margaret says she went to school near there and she remembers it having a shop where she bought her sweets. Back in the 1950s and 60s people would have a little shop in their house selling sweets and a small selection of groceries. Agnes Hughes ran one from her house at the top of our road. I'd go there sometimes instead of our Granny's petrol station because Agnes did not moan at us the way Granny did. She did give us 20 questions as to what the neighbours were up to. I tried very hard to keep my guard up but it was difficult not to let things slip.

22nd most interesting on Flickr, 179 views

This picture was taken in November 2012. My lovely Bonnie died the following June. She was slowing down by then but still enjoying her life.

The light was beautiful and the dogs blended with the Autumn foliage. And Bonnie was having a really good day.

Another picture of those two, taken by Hannah, whose animal photography is excellent.

Flickr Day 10

1,037 views

 The 10th most viewed picture on Flickr, it was taken in 2010. I called it Farmgirl. Martha was just starting to hang out here and she was very keen on getting outside. This is one of my favourite pictures even though Martha's face cannot be seen. She was fascinated by the chickens and watching Judy herd them. Bonnie was always ath her heels. There are so many pictures of Martha and Bonnie. One of my cousins once said,

I can't believe that wee girl is so at ease with that big dog.

But it never entered Martha's head to be afraid of Bonnie. She was the most gentle of dogs. 

Another things I like about this picture is the roughness of it. The leaves, the rocks and the make shift tin shelter. And in the middle of it the delicate child with the intricate hand-knitted helmet.

305 views

The 10th most interesting photograph today. This picture of Pearlie and Lizzie is for friends & family only. It was taken around ten years ago when we were renovating this house. The reason I have taken it out of the public domain in Flickr is that it attracted a particular kind of person, a person who preferred an older woman. I got tired of blocking them so changed the privacy settings.  When I uploaded it I saw a photograph of two sweet old ladies with haloes of fluffy white hair. It never occurred to me that others might interpret Pearlie's frank gaze at the photographer (me) as a come hither look.  As a friend once remarked,

There are boys for anything!

In Praise of Bonnie and Ben

Our godson has been staying with us this past few days and, as always, he is a pleasure to be around. I'm noticing some changes in him. All good. His confidence is increasing. He goes to the shop with me wearing grubby sweats and Hunter wellies. Two years ago he would have been worried that someone who knows him might see him and judge him. Now he doesn't care. I like that attitude.

It was great to have him here yesterday when we were so tired after the supper party shenanigans. He entertained the Misses Martha and Evie for most of the day. They discovered they did not need to keep their shoes on as Ben would carry them wherever they wanted to go. I have told him to knock that one on the head as they are taking advantage of his good nature as well as his strong arms.

He goes home tomorrow. Apparently his mother can be relied upon to make an amazing Easter Sunday dinner. He certainly wouldn't get that here. Not with me in my state of health. Bert says another clean shirt will do me.

Another clean shirt will do him - expression implying that the subject is close to death. Often used in exaggeration, e.g. if the subject has a heavy cold!

Old Ulster-Scots expression

So, back to Flickr. Have to say all the top-rated pictures tend to be rather saccharine although I do like this one, the third most interesting on Good Friday, the 3rd of April.

It's the late, much missed Bonnie, one of the gentlest dogs we've ever had, and Fred, when he was a little kitten. This one has been viewed 720 times. That cushion cover was chewed to pieces by Jess and the sofa has been relegated to the poly tunnel. Things change.

That Was The Year That Was

Judy, Bonnie & Jess. Picture taken only weeks before Bonnie was put to sleep.

 I have been reviewing my year and at first ponder it seems as if it has been rather uneventful. For instance, the most interesting thing that happened last January was Martha and Evie building their first snowman and me taking a short movie of Evie stamping in a puddle. February wasn't much better as the highlight of the month was Jess' first trip to the beach.

In March I went to Fanad with the girls and their parents and although it was an enjoyable trip it was very cold. Roll on summer! And what a good summer it was.

Les erected a tiny little poly tunnel beside our big one and crammed it full of peppers, tomatoes and squash. Bonnie took her very last holiday to Fanad and, poor lamb, did not have the strength to make it to the beach. A month later she died.

In May Rusty knocked me down again and I spent weeks limping on a twisted knee. The treehouse project began.

July brought Leitrim Sister's amazing birthday celebration and a great family get together in that rushy county. Back home we had the drama of the sudden branch drop just beside the tree house and swing and moments after children had been playing there. Needless to say, the huge branch has been converted to logs long ago.

End of July and early August brought my trip to Vancouver to meet up with the BC branch of the family. A great time was had by me.

In September I celebrated my 60^th birthday with another family get together and a super night's craic in the BT club.

Also in September, everyone was saddened by the death of local poet and Nobel Laureate, Seamus Heaney. A great man, gone too soon.

October. Nothing happened and if it did I seem not to have recorded it.

In November I finally got around to getting my SmartPass (free bus and rail pass) and started getting out a bit more.

Then Christmas came. In December I blogged every day apart from yesterday. We had visitors who stayed until after midnight and I was too tired and didn't want to cheat by changing the date on a stop gap post. So. Today is New Year's Eve and a few folk are coming over tonight and I hope it will be a fairly quiet night. I might take a day or two off blogging to rest my muse.

Throughout the year I made a lot of wine. 25 gallons to be exact.

A very happy New Year to all that come here. See you in 2014!

Chompy Dog Is No Good, Chop Her Up For Firewood

It has been a funny old week. It was six days ago that we realised that Bonnie was going to die. There has been a lot to get used to. Her favourite hobby was barking and I don't know if I miss that. It is strange her not being there in the morning but rather a relief not to have to watch her struggle out of comfortable sleep to go stiffly out to the yard for pees and poos. She never went far, no doubt the result of spending her early years chained. There was a lot of poop picking. I won't miss that.

The pup has taken up barking in Bonnie's stead. We have a shooting range close by and Jess does not like that. I'd rather listen to gun fire than the pup's shrill barking. Perhaps she will get used to it. I do hope she doesn't take against the sound of Lambeg drums for marching season is upon us. I had to get used to that too.

I was thinking today about how expensive she is. We were out on a run to a local dog shelter donating Bonnie's left over medication. Bert had re-upped just a few days before she died and it would have been wrong to waste it. I left Judy and Jess in the van for ten minutes and when I returned Judy was sitting there like a perfect brown angel while the pup lay on the floor on the driver's side chewing the floor to pieces.

So - a list. Since we have had Jess she has eaten,

Two leather sofas
Half a dozen cushions
Several electrical leads
A mobile phone
Miss Evie's new shoes
Bert's spectacles
My spare spectacles
Miss Martha's uncooked scones
Several pairs of wellington boots
Many soft toys
Miss Evie's favourite Eric Carle books
A Be Good Tanyas CD
A Peugeot van

And that is only what I can remember!

Bonzerooni Poopy Poo Poo, Friend of Heart.

Bonnie lived with us  for six years and eight months. I picked her up straying on the Dreen Road and she ended up staying with us. I contacted the local dog warden but no one was looking for a German Shepherd dog. I never did find out who her original keepers were despite putting posters all over the village. This man telephoned, said he preferred to remain anonymous. He said he knew where the dog had been living, said her owner was seriously ill in hospital and unlikely to recover. He said that this man had two dogs, a collie and the German Shepherd, that they were neglected and chained up all the time. He said that the German shepherd had escaped because she was starving and that he had fed her but she had got away from him. He asked me to try and get the dog a good home because she had a gentle, sweet nature. Then a woman called to the house. She knew something too. She pointed out how underweight Bonnie was and noticed that there was no hair under the chin from where her collar had chafed and rubbed her. She told me that she had a friend who worked as a postman, he knew the house where the dogs were kept and how he would have loved to rescue both of them.

So it was down to us. A week after I reported finding her I bought a dog licence for £10 and under the laws of this country she became my dog. We called her Bonnie. By this time we had bathed her for she had come to us reeking and matted with filth. She found that strange. What puzzled her more was being carefully dried and wrapped in a blanket and placed at the foot of my bed. She looked at me as if she could hardly believe it. Funny though, how quickly she got used to it.

She slept at the foot of my bed until about six months ago when she stopped being able to get down the stairs in the morning. A few times she had slipped and fallen the last few steps and it frightened her. She seemed happy enough to sleep on a sofa as long as she got her night time dog biscuit. On Sunday last as I prepared to go to bed she followed me. She was determined to go upstairs and climbed the steps, slowly, stiffly and went straight to my room. I lifted her on to the bed, gave her a bedtime treat, scratched her ears and cuddled her and we both fell happily to sleep. The next morning I helped her off the bed and she lost her footing. She managed to steady herself and I walked backwards in front of her as she descended the stairs.  I helped her down the last few steps and she didn't fall. We had the usual Monday. Zoe and family came to work in their vegetable garden and Bonnie followed us around. Later  that evening Rod and Tracey came by. Rod was bearing dog treats as always and Bonnie was well to the front of the queue for her share. That night she was happy to sleep downstairs.

The next morning I left the house early as I had planned to take Miss Evie to the seaside. I left Bonnie on the sofa with the door to the outside open so she could go to the toilet when it suited her. Something happened to her between Monday night and Tuesday evening. At supper time she couldn't stand and her breathing was laboured. She didn't want to eat. Throughout the night she became weaker and her breathing was getting more difficult. We called our vet first thing this morning and requested a home visit. We knew we were having her put to sleep. The vet came at half eleven and Bonnie was placed to rest in the garden just before midday.

My big fear for Bonnie was that her hindquarters would give up while she still had some zest for life. That didn't happen. We were blessed that her final illness was swift and that her suffering was short. Going to miss her. Bonzerooni. My pet.

And that crazy title? That was my pet name for her. I know it's completely loony but if you are like me, a fool for dogs, you'll forgive me.


And I still wonder what became of the collie from all those years ago.

Bonnie Takes Her Last Holiday. Again.

Bert and I have just come back from a short break in Donegal. We weren't on our own. We had four dogs, the Banjos and Swisser as well. Swisser got a new nickname – Professor Pants. She was waxing superior over dinner, told Jazzer and I that we had given over the control of our lives to our husbands because we are currently not working. I was having none of that. Just because someone is Professor Pants does not give them the right to judge how others organise their lives. Anyways Swisser was just pissed off that her youngest dog didn't get to come but we had to put a lid on it somewhere. Our caravan, we get to take all three of our dogs if we choose. We made a concession for the Banjo's youngest dog who is our youngest dog's litter mate. They are wild together. And as Swisser's youngest dog is also their litter mate the canine craziness would have been unbearable. He'll get to come the next time.

Once again it was Bonnie's last holiday. She is so old and done now that we have to lift her in and our of the van and she needs help getting up stairs and on to sofas. She was not able to get to Ballyhiernan beach because it meant climbing some pretty steep sand dunes so, just before we left, we took her to another beach that was easier for her to get to. Just seeing her there, plodding along, trying to keep up with the younger dogs was nearly tragic. Her back legs are getting weaker and it is much more noticeable when she is in unfamiliar surroundings. I wonder how much longer she can continue. But she had her little break, she was with people and dogs that she knows love her and I think she enjoyed it.

I wonder if she will be able to squeeze in just one more 'last' holiday?

By the way Swisser really is a professor now and about time too! I think adding Pants to her title will help her to keep everything in proportion.

Bonnie & Fred

Bonnie & Fred, originally uploaded by NellyMoser.

I wonder if it is time to get Bonnie a new kitten?

First November

At last! A proper Autumn day - dry, crisp, mellow. I picked a pound of Autumn raspberries today - straight into the freezer with them. I must learn to make Pavlova. Cousin Margaret is an expert - I shall insist she gives me a tutorial.

It's been an anxious day waiting for Zoe to have the baby. Today was her due date but, so far, no action. Also anxious because Bonnie has started limping badly. Off to the vet with her this evening where we saw the same vet we saw last time we were there which was a mere month ago. Or maybe it was her identical twin sister. Last time sore on foreleg probably cancer, here's some ointment, she's too old to operate on. This time same sore on foreleg, giving her a lot of gyp, she's a fresh looking old girl, we'll operate. Tomorrow. I wonder if I'm doing the right thing?

I considered taking her to my cousin the vet but I expect he'd operate anyway. Hope I'm doing the right thing.

Young Dog, Old Dog

wait for me!, originally uploaded by NellyMoser.

I actually don't know how old Bonnie is. She did come to us as a stray. But I'd say she's getting on. She is not as able as she was a few years ago and like many GSDs she seems to have hip problems.

The hip issues won't have been helped by her start in life. God only knows how long she spent tied in that shed with no exercise and inadequate food.

Still - she's happy now even if only a few hours on the beach chasing after that pup leaves her completely tired out the next day.

The Dog Whisperer

Curtis again - telling Bonnie secrets.

Work & Stuff

Bonnie wishes it was five o'clock. Friday was a whole week in dog years

Last Friday I took Bonnie to work with me. I knew it was going to be a quiet day and I fancied having some company. She did enjoy the lunchtime walk in Tardree Forest but I’m afraid the other part of the day was not a success. She has decided that the office environment is not the place for her. It is much too boring. From this Monday onwards she will be resuming her usual occupation - Polytunnel Security and General Cat-Bothering.

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Before coming to us Bonnie had spent most of her life chained up. She did not know how to play and did not understand the concept of playthings. All she had to call her own then was a battered and cracked leather collar. Eventually I got round to replacing this rough collar with another one in soft red leather. Maybe I only fancied it, but I'm sure she was pleased to get rid of that stiff old leather collar that had, over time, rubbed off all the hair under her chin.

For a long time her new collar was her only possession. She wasn't interested in balls or toys. It took her nearly a year before she properly learned how to have fun.

Then, while clearing out Pearlie's stuff, we came across The Squeaky Cracker and Bonnie took possession of it. No other dog dared look at it. That was the beginning of Bonnie having ‘stuff’. She’s got a pile of stuff now. Squeaky toys are her special favourites. Her soft toys must not have hard plastic noses or eyes. These will be carefully gnawed off. The Squeaky Cracker is still the number one toy and it is kept on my bed. If she can’t find it she frets. Sometimes I think she was actually more carefree when she didn’t have all this ‘stuff’ to worry about.