Pain got me up shortly before 5 this morning. So I thought I would improve the shining hour and go for a swim. I bundled up my swim gear and headed out about 6.30, leaving the smaller portion fast asleep and the cats inside. The rotten beasts let him sleep, until he woke of his own accord around 9.30. I wish they would let me sleep like that.
I managed 1.25 kilometres this morning, which I am pleased about. However DJan mentioned that she had been to a swim class recently which had identified her stopping kicking while breathing as a problem. Drat her, this is something I do too, and I spent this morning's swim trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to change it. A work in progress.
I finished my swim in as much pain as when I started which is irritating. And now the horror story begins. I went in, had my shower, towelled my hair dry and while dying my face was assaulted with attar of cat piss. Oh thank you Jazz. I had brought the towel in nearly dry and hung it over the back of a chair where he had been unable to resist spraying. Urk. Hot water. Disinfectant. And worse, I was meeting a friend immediately after my swim so headed off convinced that I reeked of both chlorine and cat pee. Oh joy, oh bliss.
And to add insult to injury said friend took one look at me and told me I looked like shit. Why thank you. Just what I wanted to hear.
Home again to a cat pee removing shower. And yes, I resisted the temptation to kick the little so and so. Despite him greeting me with ecstatic purrs while gnawing on my hand and arm. On the consolation side, more things come out in the garden each time I turn around.
The crab apple is glorious every year. The neighbour across the road from us (now deceased) apparently used to have morning tea parties so he and his friends could enjoy it. His daughter told me that, and I wish I had known while he was still alive.
More garden joys include:
And there is much more to come. The blood, sweat and tears which went into the planting are almost forgotten as I enjoy things in bloom.
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| Butter wouldn't melt in their mouths. |
I finished my swim in as much pain as when I started which is irritating. And now the horror story begins. I went in, had my shower, towelled my hair dry and while dying my face was assaulted with attar of cat piss. Oh thank you Jazz. I had brought the towel in nearly dry and hung it over the back of a chair where he had been unable to resist spraying. Urk. Hot water. Disinfectant. And worse, I was meeting a friend immediately after my swim so headed off convinced that I reeked of both chlorine and cat pee. Oh joy, oh bliss.
And to add insult to injury said friend took one look at me and told me I looked like shit. Why thank you. Just what I wanted to hear.
Home again to a cat pee removing shower. And yes, I resisted the temptation to kick the little so and so. Despite him greeting me with ecstatic purrs while gnawing on my hand and arm. On the consolation side, more things come out in the garden each time I turn around.
The crab apple is glorious every year. The neighbour across the road from us (now deceased) apparently used to have morning tea parties so he and his friends could enjoy it. His daughter told me that, and I wish I had known while he was still alive.
More garden joys include:
And there is much more to come. The blood, sweat and tears which went into the planting are almost forgotten as I enjoy things in bloom.
Spraying cat? Is he not neutered?
ReplyDeleteOur ratbags are spayed, but my god! don't black cats shed a lot of fur? Perhaps the lesson is not to have white bed linen?
...goes off to look in yellow pages for Army Surplus
dinahmow: Yes he has been spayed, but still likes to back up to things and claim them as his own from time to time. My things always. And yes, they moult heaps. If only I could knit, I could easily knit another cat each change of season.
ReplyDeleteEC, so sorry to hear about your continued pain. If it's any consolation, your sense of humor and generosity in sharing the wonderful photos of your garden and tales of your demon kitties also seems undiminished! I hope by the time you read this things are a bit better.
ReplyDeleteThese felines! I was up before 5am this morning too - awakened by the unmistakable and unavoidable sound of cat retching. My poor girl has been suffering with skin allergies all summer, is therefore overgrooming and is therefore always making herself sick, with her preferred time somewhere between 3 and 5. Somehow MY smaller portion can sleep through it all!
I had a boy cat once as well - and in spite of being neutered he too made the conscious decision to commit all sorts of manly behaviors in defiance of his surgery!
All the best to you. And a good sleep.
Goodness, you poor thing. Good on you for getting up so early and going for a swim though!
ReplyDeleteSheesh! How could he? I didn't know that male cats continued to spray even after neutering. Most of my kitties have been female. So sorry to hear of your continued pain. Usually swimming helps my lower back, but not always. Hugs to you and hoping you're feeling better soon. At least it made for a funny post! :-)
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures within the post! Excellent to look at! Keep up the great work because you're excellent at it!
ReplyDeleteTwo Tigers: Thanks. You are so right about that unmistakeable sound. Better to wake up for it though - it is an early warning system. A day that starts with stepping in cat puke does not start well. And the smaller portion ALWAYS sleeps through that as well.
ReplyDeleteA Keeper: Welcome and thanks. Mostly the swim helps.
DJan: It isn't all male cats who can continue that trick - just the special ones. It was truly vile.
Jason: Welcome. Glad you liked it.
Bonza photos i especially like the 2nd last one because their seems to be a tiny person standing in the middle of the flower :-).
ReplyDeleteWindsmoke: It does look a little like that. Thanks for pointing it out.
ReplyDeleteWell, I hope those beautiful flowers do indeed take your mind of that iffy start to your morning, and I am so sorry for the pain that you were in.
ReplyDeleteKitties, swimming and flowers; beautiful life and post!
ReplyDeleteWarm Aloha from Waikiki;
Comfort Spiral
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Denise: Thankyou. And yes, wandering round in the garden is very healing. Hopefully the new (and very expensive) medication will start to make a difference soon.
ReplyDeleteCloudia: Thanks for reminding me of how much I have in my life that is good.
Eeuww! I would have had to get straight back into the shower!
ReplyDeleteI've given up swimming altogether. There's nowhere close by to start with and my shoulder doesn't rotate properly anymore either. I never really learned how to kick properly either, so I'm awkward in the water. Congratulations on the 1.5km though.
River: If I had another towel to dry myself with at the pool I would have jumped straight back in. I had to content myself with splashing water on my face and arms and not drying them. I then had about a kilometre to walk so I probably smelt of sweat and chlorine and pee. Urk.
ReplyDeleteWretched beast. I can't help it, but I keep having this sick parody of a cologne commercial playing in my head... the new fragrance Jazz. . . featuring lots of pictures of a prancing panther? The little @#$%! We used to have a psychotic Siamese, female and fixed, who sprayed. The whole house reeked of cat piss when she was alive. No fun at all! Dominic has a thing for laundry. He once peed on all of my socks. But at least I figured it out before putting one on! Yuck! Poor you! That scene you described would've put me in a very, very bad mood.
ReplyDeleteAnd sorry about the pain, alas. Lack of sleep and stress-producing cats don't help, no doubt. Sigh.
Paper Chipmunk: Oh yes, scummy little beast that he is. He is also quite cute, but he needs to be. We have also had a cat with a penchant for the laundry basket. When she was a kitten without a name she crapped on my clean washing (twice) and her name was Mud. My mood as I went to meet my friend was not sunshine and light. Sigh. I love the parody of the cologne commercial though.
ReplyDeletehahahahahahahahaha - that's classic!
ReplyDeleteI came in after a hard days work to collapse on my sofa only to find that one of my cats had pee'd on it. It was sooo discombobulating.
what does one do after one has dryed oneself with cat pee or sat in it? I felt like I should soak in some kind of disinfectant or something after.
Mad Cat Lady: Yup. Hot water, disinfectant was the cry. And cat pee, particularly male cat pee is so very pungent.
ReplyDeleteits like there is some kind of special oil in it. Probably if we could isolate it we could make a fortune in the perfume industry. Perfume that can last decades - lol
ReplyDeleteEC, I had to laugh..... not about your pain and NOT about swimming 1.25km (cos that's just brilliant) but the cat pee. Cheeky little bugger!
ReplyDeleteI would have wanted to rub your 'friend's' face in the pee towel though for saying that you looked like shit - friends are supposed to tell you how lovely you look!
That's a long way to swim, good on you. I have a chlorine problem, makes me break out. For some reason, cats react to chlorine, even roll in it, at least so I've heard.
ReplyDeleteI've had a spate of pee marking going on here. Sometimes it's hairball related. Sure is annoying and disgusting and so I am eyeballing scat mats online.
Your photos are gorgeous.
Wow you went for a swim early! I wish the pain would have went away....I am jealous of your beautiful blooms!
ReplyDeleteoh no, they can be quite annoying at times, cats (and dogs, well any living being...), i have lots of stories about that, for another time...:) your garden is gorgeous and that tree... sublime! to have tea parties in the morning there sounds like such a fantastic idea, your ex-neighbour sounds like a special and fine man!
ReplyDeleteKath: What a brilliant idea. Why didn't I think of that?
ReplyDeleteStrayer: Thanks, and you are so right about the annoying and disgusting bit.
Kim @ Stuff: Lovely aren't they? Thanks.
Pia: It is just as well Jazz can be super cute. And yes, I liked that neighbour. A lot. His daughter lives there now and she is special too.
Kitty loves you so much he marks you as his own. Isn't that sweet?
ReplyDeleteThe little bugger.
And enjoying Kath's idea re: the towel and your friend! :-)
Pearl
Pearl: Yes, ever so sweet. Kath's comment was spot on. It is like the replies you always think of toooo late. I am so sorry I didn't think of it then. Makes me smile now though.
ReplyDeleteOh my - what a cat! I'm concentrating instead on those lovely flowers of yours.
ReplyDeleteladyfi: Thanks - that is basically what I do as well when Jazz (or Jewel) are on the vile trail.
ReplyDeleteHello it's Oliver here! I have new-ters and Scott says I have never sprayed at all so perhaps it's just Jazz's way of saying he loves yoo (or he owns yoo...).
ReplyDeleteWe love yoor garden and hope yoo feel better soon!
Oliver, Ruby and Rose
I hope your blunt 'friend' paid for the coffee.
ReplyDeleteThe aroma of chlorine and catspray is unimaginable - much sympathy, although i have been downwind of a wild billygoat and thats a great pong too.
The tulips are magnificent - they like the Canberra cold (and Ballarats too). x x
Oliver, Ruby and Rose: Thank you for visiting. It is probably Jazz's way of saying he owns me - but there are better ways.
ReplyDeleteAnn O'Dyne: Thank you. The garden and the birds in it are never ending joy. I paid for the coffee. And yes, I too have smelt wild goat. Very special.
Thanks for the beautiful picutes. Just what I needed as summer said good bye
ReplyDeleteBarb: Welcome and thanks. Spring is fine, but I can't say I am looking forward to summer.
ReplyDeleteAmazing!!! I can't believe anyone else is up at this time of morning. I always feel I have the world to myself. It's good to have another blog traveler this late at night.
ReplyDeleteBarb: It is around 7.30pm here in my bit of Oz, so I can't claim any credit for being up. A bit of a shame that - I like to take any credit that comes my way. Though I am an early riser. At least in part thanks to the machinations of Jazz.
ReplyDeleteOMG, I'm sorry but I had to have a little giggle at Jazz's little surprise for you, what a naughty little boy he is. Thankfully neither of my boys spray. I am sorry though that you were hurting as much when you finished as when you started your swim. xxx
ReplyDeleteKakka: With the benefit of hindsight I can see the funny side to Jazz's misdemeanour. and he isn't the naughtiest cat we have shared our lives with - not by a long shot. And yes, I was peeved to be still hurting at the end of a longish swim.
ReplyDeleteI am HUGELY impressed by the swimming. I can't swim, in as much as I have never learnt how to, I haven't the capability and I'm told even if I had it's the wrong kind of exercise for Fibromyalgia.
ReplyDeleteWell done to you!
All Consuming: Thank you. I suspect it looks like the great white whale, but I can't see it and it often helps with the pain. Not always, dammit, but it is worth a try.
ReplyDeletethat is one true (and truly vile) cat. marvellous story that will last you years. but the photos, EC, so many and so glorious.... flowers and birds - love all your photos, including cats, of course. keep swimming. deeply admirable!
ReplyDeleteNicoS
NicoS: Vile as only black cats can be....
ReplyDelete