Nature's Beauty

I feel so sad for my friend Helena today over at Creating A Likeness (http://sketchandcolour.blogspot.com/) She has just lost her dear feline friend of many years, Fluffy. Heart hugs to you and Fluffy, Helena.

I have never had a lot of pets - I had a couple of fish and birds when I was growing up - but I love animals, especially cats. There is a cat who lives next door to us here, I've mentioned him before. He has been wandering through our garden regularly for some months but he has been very reticent about being touched in any way. In fact he would dart away if you approached him.

I have been leaving little treats out for him - some cat food, some kibble, fresh water, milk - and slowly he has begun to trust us. The last couple of days he has allowed me to pet him and scratch him between his ears and it has just been lovely to be permitted to do that. For him to essentially say 'Ok, I trust you to come into my personal space'. Now he will present himself for a tummy scratch without even the promise of food!

I am worried about him, though. He is thin and he has fleas but no flea collar. Do you know of any way I could surreptitiously treat him for fleas - which are obviously causing him distress - without his owners taking umbrage?

The cat is Nature's beauty -

French proverb.

Little bit of crafting

I have been much inspired of late by a wonderful blog from New Zealand, Tiny Happy
(http://tinyhappy.typepad.com/tiny_happy/) So much so that I have returned to trying my hand at a bit of crafting. I've made a couple of felt brooches (love felt) and some little notebooks I am calling 'memory books' - just to stick in little bits and pieces like photos, ticket stubs, pressed flowers and so on. It's been fun - I haven't done anything like this for awhile. If you're interested, I will also be posting these bits and pieces in my Etsy shop -

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Indarkwoods?ga_search_query=Indarkwoods&ga_search_type=seller_usernames

Alone again, naturally

As I've got older I've realised increasingly how much I need alone time. It's not that I don't like people or that I don't ever need company but I need - really need - to have some time each day to myself. To be alone with my thoughts or even to just be alone, not thinking.

I have always been an extremely shy person - although I am getting better with that - so I think some of my need for aloneness stems from that. Added to the shyness, I am an only child so my earliest memories are of making my own fun rather than relying on the input of others. Whatever the cause may be, now I find that even an hour or two of quiet solitude is just the ticket for calming any feelings of anxiety or angst I might be experiencing or for just getting myself back into my own rhythm, rather than jogging haphazardly along to the rhythm of others.

Apparently one can be diagnosed now as a 'highly sensitive person' and I think I am perhaps leaning in that direction - dislike of crowds, aversion to loud noises and bright lights, need for peace and solitude. I also know it's important though to balance that need with regular interaction with the rest of the world lest one goes a little hermity and weird. I do think it's good to be able to recognise and respond to one's feelings, though.

Are you a 'loner' like me or do you love to be surrounded by people 24/7?

Giving

I have what could best be described as an ambivalent relationship with Christmas for various reasons. What I am thinking might give it a bit more enjoyment this year is to think of some really great presents for people. The last couple of years I have really fallen back on the book/CD/DVD option and I want to do something a bit more this year. This doesn't mean spending a lot of money necessarily but just putting a bit of meaning into proceedings. Any suggestions? What are you giving for Christmas?

PS Sorry to make you think of Christmas in November :)

Crying over you

I like to have a good cry. Don't misunderstand me - I don't like to be unhappy - but I like a good cry when it's not for real - that is, when I'm crying over a sad movie. Why? I'm not sure. It's an opportunity to release emotion, I guess, which sometimes I have a tendency to repress. My mother tells me that even when I was a baby, hearing another baby cry would set me off. So maybe I'm a sympathy crier? But why am I telling you all this? Because today I've picked out three truly blubber-worthy clips - first, The Bridges of Madison County, second Brief Encounter and third, An Affair to Remember. Oh my. Especially Bridges. My DH is embarrassed to watch that one with me. Do you love a good cinema sniffle?

Cyberworld

This is a beautiful depiction of the craziness that is social networking. I say this having lately started to get very into Facebook. I won't be tweeting, though. 'I just had breakfast'. 'I am watching telly'. Who cares??? Is anyone else on Facebook or Twitter? What do you think of it? Seriously, I do find FB rather fun - so long as it is kept within certain boundaries. I can see how it invites all sorts of pitfalls for young people though, with cyberbullying and so on, as we were discussing a few weeks ago.

PS Please take a moment to pat Kumiho, my virtual pet. He won't bite!

PPS If you are at all interested in all things vampiric, I have started a new blog at http://zeronikolaivampire.blogspot.com/ Would love to know what you think :)

Keeps Spiders in her Pocket

A little touch of nostalgia...I had forgotten how much I love this song!