The First Day of Spring

I suppose I should feel full of energy and being glad that the Winter has now "almost" disappeared, although not quite. The photo is the first daffodil to flower in the garden but to coin a good old "cockney" expression it is still bloody cold here. The sun is shining, but that does not mean that we are walking around in short sleeves and leaving the winter coats at home. Temperatures have been around 5-6°C which would be ok if it was not for the cold wind blowing.

Yesterday morning at about 9 o'clock we had snow. Large flakes were falling and I envisaged everything becoming white again. Five minutes later the snow was gone and the sun was shining. My cats were not very happy. They were outside in the garden and came rushing in and full speed. the next snow fall is predicted for Tuesday evening. I had to go to the doctors in town yesterday to pick up some tablets and decided to walk both ways, generally 30 minutes each way. Going was ok as I had the wind in my back, but coming back I had to fight against the cold and was glad to get home.

This week we had the annual general meeting of the first aid group where I am treasurer. We had a good meal, drinks and enjoyed ourselves. It is for me the time when I can breathe out, relax and know everything is ok for a year. I was thinking about giving it up, but there is no-one who can take over at the moment, they are all so gifted in nursing and I seem to be the only one working with excel and computers. I am just pleased that the accounts are in order.

I noticed on the political level in Switzerland our government is not very happy with the German government at the moment, basically the German finance minister. He has made a few (more than a few) negative comments about the Swiss government - I got this bit from the Swiss Info on Internet

"The statement could serve to counter doubts raised by German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück in recent weeks about whether the Swiss will follow through on promises to facilitate the exchange of banking information.

Merz (the current Swiss president and finance minister) insisted on Thursday that banking secrecy would remain intact for Swiss nationals.

But he tried to strike a more conciliatory tone after Swiss parliamentarians on Wednesday lashed Steinbrück for likening Switzerland to scared Native Americans living under the threat of a powerful cavalry attack."

Basically the politicians are behaving like spoilt children. We have many German nationals that work in Switzerland for Swiss companies, but live in Germany - so called border travellers. They are not very happy at the moment as they are not very popular amongst the Swiss due to the remarks made by the German minister. It is all politics - Germany are getting ready for their elections so everyone is trying to outdo the others.
Otherwise things are fairly quiet at the moment, or were. My big fat black cat just fell from the top of the cupboard (almost two meters) with a thump on the floor. That does not often happen, but she seems to be ok and is now sitting in the sun outside relaxing.

MULTIPLY Rita's "Riting" Challenge: The Motel

Did you see it, went so quickly
The sign was clear to all
But rusty and so very old
The writings on the wall
Memories of Noman Bates
come flooding back once more
could this be the one where he once lived
His name is on the door
I don’t think so, although can be
who knows where Hitchcock stayed
He might have dreamt the whole thing up
although the idea paid
So Norman Bates killed many girls
although it was his mother
His mother was already dead
and Norman had no brother
The poor man was so very confused
but the sheets were always clean
although he had not many guests
He was not known as mean
Luckily there was a lake near bye
There were no clues to tell
He pushed the cars and bodies in
He did it very well
There was of course the famous scene
When a victim took a shower
She was killed by lurking Norman Bates
Who afterwards retired to his tower
This state of affairs is made abrupt
By the visit from a man
He was sent to find out where the lady was
But was pushed down the stairs, what a plan
This state of affairs soon came to an end
Norman’s mother had been long years gone
but Norman was still talking to his mother
The police decided there was something wrong
Eventually Norman was caught,
He was mad and started moaning
but on dark nights, when the roads are empty
You can still hear the motel ghosts groaning

The New Cat Flap

"No Nera, definitely not, it does not come into the question."
"But Mrs. Human us cats need a change now and again, and this would be ideal."
"Yes Mrs. Human" chimed in Nera's sister Tabby "this is the answer to all our feline dreams. You can imagine how Roschti and Bobinette would be jealous when they see it."
Somehow I was losing my temper with my two cats, but then Fluffy turned up, the smallest and youngest of the colony at my place.
"Mrs. Human I just have to agree with Tabby and Nera, it is ideal. Plenty of room and think of the wonderful photos you could take of us as we leave our home."
Perhaps you are wondering what all this is about. Nera was at my computer again, surfing around and put the word "cat" into Google. A lot of different word groups appeared, but then she saw the word "cat flap". Now I know I have been talking about getting something new as Fluffy is always playing around with the flap and since Roschti, the ginger cat over the way, tries to break in our place, the flap is no longer as strong as it should be. It was then that Nera found this, the newest development in cat flaps.




"Nera it is just too expensive and I am sure that you do not need an original Swarovski lined cat flap. After all you only use it as a door.+
"But Mrs. Human, think of the status we would have around here and how people would admire you for fitting a cat flap like that. We would be famous."
"No, Nera we would not be famous, but people would ask whether Mrs. Human is going slowly round the bend. Once and for all I am not going to pay two thousand Swiss Francs for a cat flap."
"But it is an original Swarovski" said Tabby.
"Since when do you cats know what an original Swarovski means. The next thing will be a diamond studded collar."
"That's a good idea Mrs. Human, it would suit so well my wonderful long silky black fur. With sparkling diamonds I would be the most beautiful cat here" said Nera.
"But Mrs. Human" said Fluffy "I don't want any diamonds."
"Thank goodness for that Fluffy" I said.
"I would prefer rubies, they would match my white fluffy fur much better. Diamonds would not be such a good colour contrast."
"Do you have a wish?" I asked Tabby.
"Well when we are talking about it Mrs. Human, I was thinking about having a piercing done. It is quite fashionable at the moment and a gold ring in my ear would look quite good. That would give Roschti something to think about."
"Tabby you can be glad when I don't have a ring put through your nose and attach a lead to it." I said.
So now was the time to be firm with my felines.
"Listen cats, you all like your weekly ration of tuna don't you?"
"Oh yes Mrs. Human" they all answered in unison.
"Do you realise it would cost ten years supply of tuna fish at least to buy a Swarovski cat flap, not to mention the diamond studied collars. Now would you be glad to go without tuna fish for so long."
The cats put their heads together and were discussing. Nera spoke up.
"We have decided, Mrs. Human, that we will sacrifice the need for a new cat flap and collars and stay with the weekly ration of tuna. But you must admit the Swarovski cat flap is really something completely different."

Accidents just happen sometimes

There are people that are just accident prone. For no reason whatsoever things happen that should not happen. This is slowly becoming the story of my life. Looking back, I remember the memorable occasion when I was visiting my dad about eight years ago, I think. I was out for an evening walk with a friend of mine when I tripped. Well, I did not just trip, but I fell down and saved my face by automatically putting my arm on the ground first of all. This was luck in bad luck as I broke my arm. At least it all happened on Tower Bridge, which made the occasion something not to be forgotten. We then had a journey to the east of London, Romford to be exact. My father lived in that area and the hospital would be near. Must have been a premonition as the hospital operated the next day to mend my arm. A day later I was back home with my dad, and a day later on a plane back to Switzerland. The steel was removed from my arm two years ago in Switzerland as it was playing up a bit.

Then there was the time when I fell out of the bath. Something not to be forgotten, especially when you land flat on your back. Don't ask how it happened, I don't know today. I managed to pick myself up, although the process was slow. Eventually I was standing and walking, so I thought no problem. Three days later I was having problems lifting my leg. I went to the doctor, who sent me to the hospital. They diagnosed that I had knocked a piece of bone off one of the vertebrae in my back. I asked if it meant an operation, but the doc reckoned it wouldn't be worth it and things would get back to normal eventually. Since this day, about four years ago, I am walking around with a piece of bone somewhere hanging around in my back.

Of course I just don't mention the various times when I have fallen down on the floor at home. This would be not so bad, but we have stone tiles in most places, otherwise wood. We do have a few carpets, but you never seem to land on the carpet. Needless to say I do have various lumps and bumps on my legs and knees, but at my age who cares.

What prompted me to write this is at the moment I am nursing a very wounded knee. But back to the beginning. At the week-end for some unknown reason I somehow tripped in the kitchen. My first thought please not the stone floor, but I was lucky. Somehow I did not just trip but went sailing. My fall led me out of the kitchen into the living room where there is a desk with my husband's computer. How and where it all happened I don't know, but my final position was sitting on the floor with my back leaning on the desk. I now feel some pain where my right leg meets the pelvic girdle, but mainly when I sit down or stand up. Having digested this problem, and my husband wondering how I have survived over the years today was even better.

We went shopping in our local supermarket. The local supermarket is being renovated at the moment and the entrance has been made very nicely. On the floor they have two large carpets when people enter to ensure that the floors do not get muddy or dirty if the weather is bad. Don't ask me how or why, it is still a mystery. My husband was pushing the trolley and I was walking next to him. My foot caught in one of the carpets and I probably looked like a nun giving up her vowels as I was laying on the floor. It was nice that it happened in a public place, there was such a wonderful audience, all asking how I felt. One of the assistants arrived from the shop asking if I needed first aid help. By then I was sitting and wondering what I had injured. Eventually I did managed to stand up and we walked on further, my husband looking quite worried. I did not want to say too much about the pain I had on my left knee or that walking was not so comfortable. I did notice that it was a good thing to keep moving otherwise my knee may have got fixed.

When I got home I examined my injuries and found that some of the top part of the skin was missing from my left knee, but not so bad. This afternoon I worked in the garden for two hours and afterwards cleaned the shower and everything seemed to be working.

This evening I am on my own, my other half has to attend a meeting. I am sitting here at the computer with a painful knee, feeling a bruised part of my sitting apparatus (from the week-end) so thought if I wrote it all down I might feel better. I don't really feel better, but it is nice to know that a few million people might feel sorry for me. I was going to leave you with a photo of my wounded knee but thought that some might be squeamish so here is the link for those that it might interest.

My injured knee

And for those that would like to see a photo, here is a bee I found on my crocus in the garden this afternoon.

If I was not retired and was at work today, I was wondering if this would have happened. I don't really believe in anything, but sometimes there may be something called fate hanging around that is just waiting for someone like me.

MULTIPLY United Friends Challenge #127: The Cat and the Leprechaun

Dio and Flagon's Challenge

There was a tap at the door. Flagon, in one of her better moods, answered it. She looked around and didn’t see anything, until a small *hurrumph* made her look down at the floor. There stood a little man, dressed entirely in green, with a shamrock in his hat.

“Beggin’ your pardon ma’am, but we wee people have noticed a paucity of Leprechaun stories as of late.”

“I seem to remember something about a fence...,” Flagon recalled.

“Well, yes, but that was only one wee story. The dwarves have gotten several in the same period,” the little man protested.

Flagon shrugged. “Well I suppose I can help out, especially this time of year. Let’s see if anybody has a leprechaun story to tell for St. Patrick’s day. Any form will do, prose or poem, as long as it is about leprechauns”

“And no dwarves!” said the little man.

“What, you don’t want to share top billing?”

“OK, so you can include dwarves if you like.”

“Deal,” said Flagon.

-------------

Write a story or poem with leprechauns as the main characters. You may include any number of types of other characters as you wish.

„Put me down“
„Ow, what was that“
“I hit you with me shillelagh.”
and Tabby the cat dropped the object she had picked up in her mouth from behind a stone and was busy wiping her nose, still wincing with pain from the shillelagh attack.
“Who are you, I thought you was a green mouse”
“Well, now I have been called a few things, but do I look like a mouse? I am Noel O’Murphy, chief of the garden leprechauns. Our parade will be coming through here and I was just checking the route. You will have to disappear. Can’t have a cat hanging around, now can we.”
“But this is my territory and I have no intention of disappearing. What do leprechauns do?”
“Don’t ask silly questions cat, I could just as well ask what do cats do?”
“Well that’s easy. We catch mice and eat them. We sleep and like to chase things in the garden that keep moving. That’s why I caught you.”
“Well we leprechauns organise things and of course we look after the money.”
“I thought the gnomes did that.”
“Well they havn’t done a good job of it up to now, we keep our money safe from the humans because that’s where the trouble starts.”
“Cats don’t have money so that’s no problem. Do you do anything else?”
“We make shoes – interested?”
“Leprechaun have you ever seen a cat wearing shoes?”
“Well there was one in London many years ago, he became prime minister.”
“That’s an old fairy tale, and it is not true.”
“Of course it’s true, the leprechauns made the boots.”
“Well I have never seen a cat wearing boots.”
“Well cat, just look at your feet now”
There was a flash and Tabby looked down.
“Where did they come from – I have shoes the same as yours on my back paws.”
“Do you believe me now cat.”
“Ok, ok, but I can’t walk round in those shoes.”
“Well just stand up on your back legs, like this”
and there was another flash and Tabby was standing.
“Hey leprechaun, Noel O’Murphy, or whatever, cats do not stand up on their back legs and walk around.”
“Well you are now, and I like what I see. My grandfather Paddy O’Wellington would be proud of me and now for the final touch.”
Before Tabby could say “The top of the morning to you” she was dressed in green short trousers, a green jacket tied with a black belt and had a very high hat perched between her ears.
“Something is missing Tabby” said the leprechaun “I know” and Tabby’s fur turned red.
“Oh no, now I look like the cat next door. I hate ginger cats.”
“Don’t worry Tabby, the cat next door cannot see you. As a matter of fact you are the only cat here that can see us, even the humans don’t see us. Tabby you caught me and that is why you know where we are. The magic only lasts as long as we have our parade, so now come with me.”
Now if the humans and the cats had believed in leprechauns on that 17 March they might have seen something quite amazing marching through the gardens of that tiny village somewhere in Ireland.
The procession was lead by a leprechaun who seemed to be the chief and he was followed by a red tabby cat walking upright dressed in green and black with his buckled shoes and belt and high hat between his ears.

“Tabby, Tabby time for your favourite: tuna fish.”
“Did I hear tuna fish” thought Tabby, and she awoke from her sleep and rushed into the kitchen where her human had put out the food. On the way she glanced at the reflection in the window, but was relieved to see that she was her normal colour. “Must have been dreaming” she thought.

United Friends Challenge #127: The Cat and the Leprechaun