My litle garden - I wonder I wonder

Ah you are kind to feed the stray in the cold weather , is it a cat ? not being able to see it's head I'm not sure ,it could be a sheep !! what fantastic views you have Terry :o)

Thanks Amy. He's a very old and scrawny cat - he wheezes, coughs and splutters but is like a creaking gate and God bless his little cotton paws seems to go on and on through the seasons ... I'll have to remember to take a photo of him and Stella over the weekend for you to see

Aw poor old thing ,I wonder it survives at all in those conditions , do they really have an Igloo to live in ? I shall be looking out for the photo's ........

Yes they do Amy - we got him one but you can't see it as and it's just round that corner - we put a cushion in it for them to sleep on and covered it with a waterproof oilskin to act as a kind of protecteive tent - I tried to lure them into the house to sleep but they would just scuttle off as soon as they'd had their food and water ... Stella is becoming a teeny bit more confident ....

Aw you are kind ! do you think they were left behind by previous owners or have you always lived there ? it's good that they have each other to snuggle up to for company and warmth ........

They are several strays in the streets that have either been abandoned by people who dump them in the carpark in the summer or are offspring of strays whom we haven't got round to neutering.

It make me reel with anger - it may all sound like compliment-fishing but it's an old story that repeats itself every year and I could throttle these cruel b....s

God bless Simba and Stella and all the other strays ...

My feelings exactly Terry , more and more animals are being dumped here because so many people are becoming unemployed so can't afford the food and horrendous vets bills :o(

None of the sheep on the Romney Marsh have tails like that, Amy :)

So glad that Simba and Stella have you as a guardian angel, Terry. As Amy said it is becoming an increasing problem over here too. Can't believe the weather you're having!

LOL I'm surprised at that Gee I really thought they all had long tails like that in the marshes to swat the midges away ... :o)) seriously have you seen how the sheep are aborting lambs or they are being born deformed caused by being bitten by Midges the disease has now covered several counties and is a serious problem also it is in the Netherlands ,Belgium ,Germany, France ........... no mention of Italy Terry .......

Amy, when we first moved down this way nearly 40 years ago, I remember walking through fields and finding lamb's tails that had dropped off (they put a ring round near the top) - so definitely no tail swishing for them!

I also remember sitting in the vets and listening to a couple of sheep farmers talking about a problem with sheep aborting. When I heard the recent news I wondered if it was the same thing now as then. Very worrying for those concerned.

Oh how terrible - why would anyone want a lamb's tail to drop off? What would be the point of such cruelty? The sheep aborting their little deformed ones reminds me of that film Erin Bro-something or other (Julia Roberts)- could it vaguely be due to "pollution"?

I'm bit worried folks as Simba didn't come for his tea last night and he wasn't there this morning along with the others for breakfast- not in his igloo either - please cross your fingers ...

Fingers crossed for Simba xx

Thanks TT. It's a tad too soon after what happened with June and I don't think I could face knowing that Simba has chosen his moment - XX

I hope he turns up Terry that is worrying please let us know !
Gee I was only joking about the long tails :o) I believe the reason they docked the lambs tails was because they get so dirty under there that it causes them to have worms and other nasty things in there intestines I will check that with my OH when he comes home , the disease is caused by midges something called Blue tongue , it could well be the same thing that you remember Gee these things come and go , apparently the midge bite doesn't infect humans ,we would be in trouble if it did !

I think it's a common practise, Terry, and is done to prevent fly strike which can prove fatal.

Fingers crossed that Simba is OK.

We seem to have been typing at the same time, Amy :)
I did realise you were joking but it just triggered the memory of seeing the tails in the fields, it seemed so strange as we came from just outside London!

Thanks to both of you :o)

It's good news week girls - Simba was at my front door this morning at 5.30 am and VERY VERY hungry he was too! I'm so relieved:o). I've no idea where he's been but the good thing is that he's OK and safely back in his igloo xxxx

Hurrah! So pleased he has turned up safely. It's nice to start the day with good news :)

Well done Simba :o) xxx

I'm very pleased to hear it Terry ,he might be a stray but he considers you to be his home :o)

Thanks to you all for helping when perhaps I overreacted at his absence.

Ah what a lovely thing to say Amy xx

We have a disease here in NA imported from Africa, I think..because it`s called West Nile Virus and it is spread by the Anophiles mosquito...it`s effects are felt on the human and avain species... We were asked to keep track of any birds we may have found in our gardens which had seemingly succumbed without any outward appearances of misadventure. It took it`s toll..as the small bird population has dropped in recent years.
We now have a new member of our family, T60....his name is Rufus.

Farmers used to just cut off lambs' tails (ouch!) with shears to prevent Bot Flies laying their eggs on the manky bits, and the maggots burrowing into the sheep's skin, then they discovered that putting a tight elastic band round the tail cut off the circulation, and eventually the tail dropped off with very little discomfort to the poor things.
This virus (definitely not pollution, Terry, like Erin Brokovitch) is very, very worrying. I think there's been no mention of it in Italy yet, because sheep aren't nearly as common here as in the rest of Europe. (I think there maybe one or two up mountains in Sardinia and Sicily)
I'm busy cleaning up the house after having all the cats (nervous "outdoor" cats and all) in here during the truly awful weather. Even the cellars were too cold for them. The water we put out for them in there each day was frozen solid within an hour. They must have been really desperate to even come past the front doorstep. I'm looking forward to warmer weather and the emergence of our hedgehogs. If they've survived, that is.

Goodness Gat , poor you, wrap up and keep as warm as you can , roll on the spring and warm weather ........

It's been snowing all day here, Amy, but the temperature is surprisingly mild and not a lot of it has settled. The week ahead (apart from some wet snow on Thursday when I have to drive to the airport) is looking much more positive, but no nice warm sunshine just yet.
How's the weather doing down in Rome now, Terry?
I used to get terribly worried about our feral cats, especially given that we live in an area of roaming dogs, foxes, and (if you believe the neighbours and newspapers) wolves. But they do go "walkabout" quite a lot - especially the males. We "lost" one for about 9 months, and he turned up one day as if nothing had ever happened, and then a few weeks ago a pretty female that we've never managed to capture to take and have sterilised, Mrs Saggy-tummy, was spotted sitting on the chicken-house roof in the sunshine, washing her paws, after we had assumed she had died, not having seen her in over a year. Others haven't been so lucky, though.

Hello Everyone, this is just to let you that Simba has gone to the sunny garden in the skies. I found him under that Judas tree at the end of our road (that I've posted several photos of), when I got back from work yesterday and have buried him under an olive tree where I hope he's happy. I shall miss him. xx

God Bless little Simba.
RIP XXX

Oh, Terry, I am sorry, Isn't it difficult losing them? Even the poor little bedraggled strays who have such a hard time. You did your best for him, I know.

So sorry to hear about Simba, Terry, but glad you found him and were able to do that final act of kindness for him. Bless you for that.

Thanks girls - it's still hard to walk past and see the igloo is empty and that no other stray has yet taken up residence in it ...

i really like the terracotta plant pot arrangement...hoping to echo that idea in my garden...