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Wednesday 5 November 2008

The Vet, Politics and my Garden

Well I suppose the title tells all so let's start with the vet, although not so exciting.


Fluffy at the vets

"You can talk Mrs. Human, how would you feel if you was having a midday sleep and someone wakes you out of your tuna fish dreams and puts you in a cage" and Fluffy gave me an "if cats could kill" look.
"Fluffy I told you we had to go and see uncle doctor. It's all for the benefit of your good health. You know now and again you had some digestive problems and now he wants to check that everything is ok", although Fluffy was still glaring at me.
"That's not the point Mrs. Human, going to the vets is not in my calendar. I have my own routine and travelling in a lift down to the garage is not one of the appointments I had for today."
"But Fluffy, you seemed to be quite happy in the car and didn't make one disapproving miaow all the time. I was quite proud of you."
"I must admit a car ride is not so bad, but afterwards waiting in that vet's surgery until it was my turn was a bit degrading. There are all sorts of animals there, and they don't smell so nice either. I was glad to get into the vet's room for some peace and quiet. Although that was definitely not peaceful. First of all it stuck a needle in my back and ignored the fact that I had to jump when he did it. As if that was not enough he stuck another needle in me muttering something about more resistance and vitamins. Stupid doctor, a tin of tuna would have done the job just as well. As if not enough with degradations, he gave me an infusion and that is really not my sort of thing."
"But it is all for your own good, Fluffy" I told him.
"If you think having an infusion is fun, then I can tell you it isn't. It was only because of that infusion that I made the newspaper wet in my cage on the way home. And while we are talking, I do not like newspaper in the cage. It is so common. I prefer the cat litter, it is so much more discreet. In England you don't even wrap fish and chips up in newspaper anymore."
"OK, sorry Fluffy the next time I will put cat litter in your carry box ."
"Mrs. Human I saw you were taking some photos of the vet's parrot as well, so you should put that here just to show everyone what a nice parrot it is."
"OK, Fluffy, will do, but promise you will go to sleep afterwards."
"Am already nearly in Nirvana Mrs. Human."
And with that Fluffy made a circle, put his head down and slept. If only we humans could sleep as well as a cat.


Blue fronted Amazon parrot at the vets

Did I say something about politics. Well basically I try to avoid the subject of foreign politics. I like to go on about Swiss politics sometimes, but then I have to live with them and our politicians are not better than the others, although they seem to be fairly resistant. We have seven ministers, each with his own department and spread amongst the main political parties. One of them had a heart attack about a month ago, the finance minister. He had an operation for a bypass and other things and now a month later he is back at work. During his absence one of the other ministers looked after his department. We don't have a socialist, conservative, democrat or republican government, it is all mixed up. Of course what goes on in the houses of parliament is spread according to who got the most votes as in other countries (Kantonsrat). We even have a house of lords/senate or whatever you like to call it (Standerat here) and we do have a Federal system based on the American one. Anyhow America decided to go voting yesterday. Not wanting to get mixed up in who was the best and who won, let's just say they now have a president which can probably write his own speeches, which I don't think they had over the last few years, although John McCain was also probably capable of writing what he wanted to say. I decided to let America get on with it, after all it is not my government and they have to put up with it (but I am not unhappy).

And now to the garden. Yes, I have back ache, my shoulder was hurting yesterday and I felt very tired. I have just two small gardens, one at the front of the house and one at the back but they have to be put into hibernation for Winter. As we live in a rather cold climate in Winter, you can't just leave plants to get on with survival through the cold Winter months. They have to be covered up and wrapped in special warm insulating material. The Spring bulbs (daffodils and crocus this year) have to be planted and Mrs. Swiss has just taken a weeks holiday to get it all done. I am now almost finished with all, just have to get some fir tree branches tomorrow at the supermarket to cover up the remaining rose bush. I did buy some today, but they have already been used up on the two rose bushes in the front garden. I now have to protect the one in the back garden.

Mr. Swiss has made himself scarce during the garden work, although he was busy looking after the rooms indoors. Yesterday evening he was out for a rehearsal with one of his jazz groups and this evening again with another group. Yesterday I was left with a football match to watch on the television which I quite enjoyed, but this evening looks like a book evening. I am fighting my way through a book called "The Foucault Pendulum" by Umberto Eco. I don't like giving up on a book, but this one is really a bit on the difficult side (perhaps I should have bought the English version instead of the German one, but I don't think it would have made a lot of difference. Umberto Eco is a complicated author as I found in "The Name of the Rose" which I also read in German).

So that was a typical Mrs. Swiss holiday day and now I wish all my colleagues in England a happy 5th November with lots of Fireworks and bonfires and make sure you keep the cats indoors.
"Yes Mrs. Human tell the people that we cats do not like fireworks. We are frightened of the noise they make."
That was a little plea from all of my three cats.


Nera & Tabby on top of the cupboard having a sleep

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