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It's the weekend again and we're really, really REALLY loving our house. It gets fabulous light in the day (especially upstairs) and our yard is growing in nicely. I know I keep saying this but I can't WAIT for summer. Even Tama is excited and was racing around the yard and rolling around on the patio.

For no apparent reason, we both fell into uber-traditional male/female roles today: Iain mowed the lawn, pruned some trees, and took the car in for inspection. I did laundry, cleaned (sorta), and made lunch. Iain relaxed in the afternoon with a rugby game while I got a manicure.

Perhaps this evening I'll catch up on my needlepoint while Iain dives into some gin.

Iain got a teensy bit too aggressive with the pruning of the plum tree so we now have to hold it up with an old chair. In his defense, we didn't realize that the tree's center of gravity was so lopsided. We're hoping it doesn't die. He also got rid of all of the vines and weeds choking our palm tree - it looks loads better now!

Rainbow Bridge

We got Blue's ashes back from the vet. The certificate had the most saccharine poem on the back titled "Rainbow Bridge". Written by an 8 year old, or a barely literate crazy cat lady, it's all about meeting your long lost pets in heaven. I mean really and truly - we're talking Hallmark card quality crap. I burst right into tears after reading it. Oy vey.

We might have to hold off on finding a new sibling for Tama. The SPCA has no kittens because it isn't "the season". I wasn't aware there was a season for kittens, but it looks like we'll have to wait a few weeks or a month. I'm not as worried about Tama as I was even a day or two ago - he wouldn't leave our sides for the last few days but today he seemed much more normal.

Blue

We had to say goodbye to our beautiful boy yesterday. The vet said his breathing trouble was a sign of the end, and we didn't want it to get any worse. We are so thankful that we were given almost four more months after his horrible seizure in June, and relieved that he did not suffer.

Blue was found by my sister over 4th of July weekend 1997 in the engine of a car in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. He came with me back to Buffalo, then on to Philadelphia and eventually to New Zealand. He's been with me through 10 apartments and houses, 3 cities, 2 countries, 4 cats, and 7 jobs. In NZ he was finally allowed to be an outside cat and spent his last last three years chasing other cats, climbing trees, and lying in the sun. He had a pretty adventurous life for a kitty.

Tama really misses his big brother, and hasn't left us alone. Last night, we toasted Blue with a bottle of champagne and both had a little cry (ok, I had a big cry). Next weekend I think we'll make a visit to the SPCA to see if we can't find a new sibling for Tama, but we'll miss our "engine kitty".

Saturday

New Zealand was supposed to have been hit with a storm "the size of Australia" yesterday. Apart from some really crazy rain and a bit of wind, everything in Auckland is status quo this morning. I was on the bus home last night when the torrential downpour and wind began. I stepped off the bus with my soon-to -be-turned-inside-out umbrella and braced myself for the walk home, when I spotted Iain waiting for me in our car! We drove home to a delish meal of spaghetti carbonara.

Today we're taking Blue to the vets -- his breathing has gotten labored with even the mildest exertion. He's also losing weight quickly and we think he doesn't have long to go. I am still so thankful that we got these four months with him. We'll just have to see what the vets says. He still seems really happy, though, and even chased a kitty who wandered into our yard.

After we return from the vets it's off to Hallertau with new parents Sarah and Sean.

Mississippi Baby Squirrel Adopted By Mother Cat Learns How to Purr

This is from Alex Arnold's Facebook page and is the ridiculously cutest thing I've EVER seen.

Spring!!!!

September 1 marked the start of spring here in New Zealand. It was pretty awesome coming back from my trip to the USA and enjoying lighter mornings, less rain, and longer days. And I was only gone for 2 weeks! Daylight savings is approaching and I can't wait. In another month or two this beach will be stunning.

I loved our house this winter - central heating, insulation, and all the normal modern amenities Kiwis still don't have in most homes - but I cannot WAIT for summer. Our backyard and our pergola scream for a Saturday afternoon BBQ with the cats.

Family Dinner

We had fish last week and the cats were extremely jealous.

Winter Weekends

I think I've said this before but we've had an absolutely stunning winter. With the exception of a few freezing (not literally) days, it's been sunny and mild. And thanks to my massive down coat, I've been able to sit outside and enjoy the sun!

Tama doesn't like the cold, however, and prefers quick outside trips followed by long bouts of lounging in the sun. He's definitely not a winter kitty and would much rather have us all in the house together. Conversely, Blue is like a polar bear.

I've also sort of kind of maybe possibly started to watch rugby, or at least tolerate it. It's entertaining, to say the least. I never got to this point with American football (and never will) and still can't fathom cricket.


This morning, after I finish rewatching the hilarious Old Spice guy spots, we're heading out for a clifftop walk in Mairangi Bay. We'll make the walk to Browns Bay, have brunch, then walk back. It helps justify the hollandaise!

Kitten Cafés

Ok, so apparently in Japan you can go to a Kitten Café -- this sounds like the absolute BEST job EVER.

A Good Two Weeks

It's winter here which means a few things:

1. Clothes take like 4 days to dry unless you have a dryer (we don't).

2. Because NZ has this ridiculous idea that it doesn't get cold, 90% of restaurants have little or no heat. Certainly none of them have central heating. We went out to eat last week and you can see me pictured, right next to a fire with about 3 layers on. The food here was really crap, too. You know how places in really incredible locations (right on the beach, anywhere in Niagara Falls, etc.) often have really bad food? This is one of those places.


3. Blue is doing really well -- getting lots of love and attention!

4. But the winters in Auckland aren't horribly cold, really, so you do get some lovely days where you can sit outside. We had friends over for brunch and enjoyed an hour of warm sun before it got chilly again. Thank god we have central heating!


If you're wondering what that red liquid is in our friend Catherine's champagne glass, it's evil sparkling shiraz. It combines the fun of champagne with the hangover of red wine. It's delicious, but you can only have 2 glasses or you'll hate yourself the next day. Last year they had a party with a bunch of this stuff and we're still talking about it.....

Catherine and her husband Steve just returned from a 10 week honeymoon around the world. Incredible!

Wild Jungle Cats!

Blue discovered tree climbing in the new backyard!

Tama on Twitter!

Well this RULES!

mashable.com/cats-tweet

We're Back!

Okay, after a few month's hiatus I've decided to start up again. This is mainly due to the (sad?) fact that I really missed blogging, and while Facebook is great, I don't always want to post everything on it.

I promise not to keep rattling on about the bloody house - we're in it, it's great. I'll post some pictures.

Here's a quick run-down of what we've been up since I last posted:

1. I had minor foot surgery. This thrilling undertaking was 500x better than the same surgery I had on my other foot back in 2003. Incredible -- either they've made huge medical breakthroughs in bunion surgery (doubtful) or the first guy I had in Philly was crap (likely). I got to work from home for a week which was great!



2. Iain got promoted! (I can't remember if that was mentioned before). I'm still working for the same folks and am enjoying it a hell of lot more than I used to. Karma can be a good thing.

3. Iain's parents visited for 9 days in May. They were our first official houseguests! We spent the week eating way too much. It was a really good time and (hopefully) nice and relaxing for them. I think Blue had the best deal: he received twice the number of belly rubs and pats. Tama was still skittish but not totally freaking out, so that's progress.







More posts to come!

Packing!

Packing has begun. The cats know something's up. Blue refuses to give up his favorite spots, but they can definitely tell we're moving. Again!

BBQ at Sunnyhaven Ave

We had a BBQ on Sunday and nature did NOT cooperate. First, it started pouring approximately 5 minutes after I'd texted back a skeptical guest,"Rain? Nope -- it's fine here!"

We bought a big plastic gazebo and it saved the day! The BBQ took a cue from 1964 and the guys hung outside by the barbecue discussing sports I guess. The ladies all remained inside and talked about guys, pregnancy, families, make-up, and wine -- I'm not joking. Everything was fine until we saw a roach crawling across the coffee table towards the Kiwi dip -- in keeping with the times, I yelled for Iain who had to come in and dispose of it. Iain swears it was a beetle but there are 5 women who disagree.

Despite the uninvited visitor, I think everyone had a good time. Lots of steak, chicken, vegie burgers and pasta salad was had. We also had a surprise dessert courtesy of our friend Kevin's mom who shipped him the ingredients for s'mores all the way from Buffalo! Diet? BLOWN! It was awesome.

It felt good to entertain again (a perfect excuse to clean!) and we can't wait to do it in the new house.

Blue stayed under the bed most of the night but Tama ventured out once or twice to check out the guests.





As the day wore on, some guests left while others braved the increasingly scary-looking weather (see the sky behind Steve) and colder temps until around 11pm.

Drag Me to Hell

It has always been a goal of mine to get Iain to watch horror movies with me. We're starting small, with a not-scary-at-all film. What we both found fascinating was our cats' reactions to the movie. We couldn't believe it.

Here is Tama, who is technically Iain's kitty. Blue is mine.

Scavenger kitties!

Aerial shot, dinner
Tuesday night 7.45pm

Cat's Cat

Here is a picture of our friend Cat's sleeping kitty. She said she found him like this and initially thought he was dead. A few hours later, the scenario repeated itself when he took same position on her bed.

New Year's Day!

Yesterday was gorgeous outside, so after a morning of catching up on emails, Facebook, and bills we headed into the city to meet our friend Toni for brunch at Northern Steamship. There, we enjoyed fries, mussels, and wings and exchanged work horror stories. There's something both depressing yet comforting knowing that everyone suffers the same irritations in their job, regardless of company or title.

After that we headed back to Toni and Max's for further wine and conversation. Iain regaled us with a half hour lecture on why he hates ad agencies while I oggled their gorgeous vegetable garden, full of Swiss chard, basil, arugula, tomatoes, and parsley. Throughout the garden are dozens of little wooden spikes to prevent Stella and Stanley from using it as their litterbox.

We ended the day with a delish ham and mac + cheese dinner while watching episodes of Glee. Actually, the mac was a little dull -- Iain is worried he's losing his touch. I may have to take over cooking duties! If so, it's pasta every night!

Today we're back on house duty and it's off to the stores for tile and carpet shopping.