Ring Out, Wild Bells! As 2025 approaches, the Excellent Cats raise their game with a discussion on Tennyson's poetry

[TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne]

And while the cats are thus engaged, their human slaves are still finishing the turkey and Christmas pud, and idly placing bets on whether or not Kitty will use her new cat tree.

As a middle-aged empress herself, Kitty agrees. Which is why this hen party is going to involve good food, pampering, relaxation and sightseeing (from the tops of high trees, whose bark is also excellent for manicures).

Trees? Who needs trees when you have a 5 foot scratching indoor tree with cozy padded platforms & sisal wrapped posts, with a great view out over the valley. Plus a large shrub just the other end of the window outside where loads of birds gather. And positioned by the radiator so the heat rises up the tree, and there's a choice of 2 radiator hammocks for a nice comfy snooze.

She did her first year as a feral having to be the carer for her ND brother with LD, she's had QUITE enough of the great outdoors for one lifetime thasnk you very much.

(To be brutally honest I think she's got to the "pipe and slippers" phase of her life quite early, and is quite change-averse.)

I daresay Basil has unfinished business with Gizmo himself.

It Lenny I'd be worried about - he'd pick a fight with himself in an empty room.

Sounds like she’s more than earned her luxury. Kitty says they’ll send her a postcard.

Kettle's not sure he can get the time off work and anyway can't get a direct flight.

Kettle seems far too civilised a cat to want to go on the stag do!

Kettle takes his responsibilities as cuddler & security guard too seriously to go on holiday!

What if the boys bump into a bunch of Slovenian cats who want to defend their territory?

Vixen wants to go on the stag night to keep the boys out of trouble and cause it sounds more fun. She says despite her dopey look, she can be very vicious so would be able to keep Gizmo in line and also fight off any Slovenian threats.

Finally managed to get a response about the stag party from Tobias, after him being evasive all day. The moment I suggested it would mean leaving the house he would shudder and run away every time up to just now.

He said that's a cruel, hard world out there and he never wants to leave safety as long as he lives. He also can't cope around other male cats (his "fringed" ears may be an indicator as to why!). He has a medical condition that means he can't go out. Outdoors is scary and has other male cats. It's all too scary, and there are so many other male cats. He's got a medical condition. He went on in this vein for ages - I think we've got the message!

Well quite! Gizmo and Lenny may think they're super hard, but I think we all know what will happen when they come up against the rufty tufty street cats of Ljiubljiana...

We've had a power cut since this morning. For some reason, my phone has sprung back into action.

We have no electricity. No modem.

Pa Broon set up a clever arrangement in the kitchen, with little tealights under a cake cooling rack, so we could boil water and make tea.

We even boiled tatties to go with our dinner (spam salad).

Ha! The power has just come back on.
Eight hours without it.

We had several tealights along the mantlepiece. Nosiness got the better of Linney, and he jumped up to investigate. Big mistake. There was a yowl, he jumped down hurriedly, and the smell of singed fur permeated the atmosphere.

Spam salad 😄

I don't remember that option from the Monty Python café sketch.

Dare you to post a 'is my massive salad healthy' thread on AIBU and let the orthorexics have conniptions.

Are you dissing Lenny 😲

@TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne Pa Broon sounds a lot more useful than me in a power cut. I just sulked and kept thinking of all the things I wanted to be able to do.

How the heck did you manage to boil water just with tea lights though!

Was Pa Broon in the Scouts? That’s the kind of thing my dad would come up with.

Poor Linney! Hope he's not too singed. My old cat Gabby jumped up near a tealight once and the smell of singed fur was awful.
We didn't have much of a storm in southwest. Just a bit blustery overnight and into the morning.

He was "born at the side of the road" into a Scottish travelling family.

He really is the most practical, inventive person I know. When he brought me the first mug of tea after the power failed, I was so happy.

The thought of hours or days without tea was really, really bothering me.

His dad was capable of putting up the tent that all nine of them lived and slept in, in atrocious weather.

His mum produced hot meals daily without running water or electricity.

I guess the ability to construct a makeshift "kettle" out of tealights, a wire cooling rack and a clean metal food container was something I should have expected.

The taties were boiled in a pan on the same contraption.

It took a long time but we started by putting the spuds in a pan of boiled water, and placing it on the "hob".

Here are two pictures. One in the dark, and one taken after the power was restored.

And keeping the metal container covered was essential.

Then Pa Broon decanted the boiling water into flasks. Or made tea for us.

I was reading The Trial of Buck Ruxton by torchlight. And occasionally removing poos from the litter tray.

🤣

I think that's a jolly good idea, Rum.

It always takes a strong woman to keep a bunch of male reprobates in order, in my experience.
🤣

I do like this thread so much.

Kitty pictures, links to awesome things to buy (like heated blankets) and now we have appropriate and easily replicated McGyver inventions, with more kitty pictures on top.

I think I need to buy a new metal container though, all my roasting tins have seen better days. And probably a power bank.

And Gizmo!

He's well 'ard.

Is that dairy, Broon? If so, you ARE living dangerously!