Olga had an exciting walk yesterday morning. We rounded a corner on the housing estate and saw this cat sitting atop a wall. It was giving off some serious Clint Eastwood "Make My Day" vibes, and Olga tried her best to intimidate it into moving, but it just sat atop that wall and glared.
Even after I dragged Olga past it, she couldn't quite give up. See the cat, peering out from behind that brick wall on the left, still taunting us?
And then we saw another cat, running across the asphalt path and leaping into a garden. It's a sign of Olga's age that she's peering through the fence and, little does she know, the cat is right above her, in the shadows.
Remember my recently rescued slides? Well, my mission to make those old images public has sort of paid off. I got a message from a guy on Flickr who wanted to buy the slides of Torquay. Apparently he runs a local history forum online and wanted to post them there. I told him I want to keep the actual slides -- because they're part of a larger group from the same family -- but I sent him the images for free so he could put them on the forum.
That's exactly why I try to salvage images like that and put them online -- so they become a sort of community historical resource.
I've been griping about the Russians and their endless hammering and sawing, but they're going to get a taste of their own medicine. Our bathroom and kitchen renovations are about to begin. The contractor called me yesterday and said they're going to come today to install an extractor fan in the bathroom, which should help with dehumidifying after we take showers -- and next week they're going to begin the major work. That means replacing the bathtub and the flooring and repairing the walls in the hallway where they've been damaged by that slow leak from the shower pipes.
Our shower is going to be out of commission for five days (which probably means ten days). Fortunately we can shower at work -- there are staff facilities -- but I'll still be glad when this ordeal is over.
Here's a bonus cat, sighted on my walk home yesterday evening:
ten days, no shower at home. Living on the edge!! So glad that you thought to rescue the old slides. Not many would do that. You are a rescuer at heart. Good thing, too!
ReplyDeleteBonus cat saying And what are you looking at?
ReplyDeleteGlad you are getting your renovations... extractor fans in kitchen and bathroom are standard, if not regulation items now.
Great news about the slides. Any leads as to where the German one with the bus is?
These cat shots are great, especially the one with Olga peering through the fence. I'm waiting for someone to recognize one of the subjects in your old slides. Wonderful that you can shower at work. That will make things so much easier. I hope the contractors make a lot of noise that travels upstairs.
ReplyDeleteAt last the Americans are about to retaliate! Too long have they tolerated the transgressions of the Russians with their network of robotic feline agents. It's time to Make America Great Again!
ReplyDeleteThat last cat picture looks suspiciously like the first - are you sure you're not being stalked as some larger cat plot?
ReplyDeleteI love Olga turning back to see the cat on the wall still staring.
ReplyDeleteBut I really love Olga looking through the fence not knowing the cat is up top!
I wonder how the Russians will react to your reno; luckily, for them, you're downstairs.
I live in a house with three bathrooms and four women. Sometimes I am still waiting to use one of them.
ReplyDeleteThose cats are cracking me up. Poor Olga, her kind and trusting soul is no match for the wily nature of cats. The other night Jack was lying right beside my laptop looking at me for all the world as if he was contemplating shanking me in my sleep. It did concern me a bit.
ReplyDeleteIt's so cool that your slide restorations are being shared and appreciated.
I thought the 1st cat and last cat were the same but I compared the two pusses and the last one has a black spot on it's nose ... cat #1 does not!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your renovations and, hopefully, the Russians will be kind!
Well, geez ... Cat #1 has the black spot on it's nose, not the last cat!! Sheesh!
ReplyDeleteAll those cats doing what cats do best, watching, watching, watching.
ReplyDeleteI bet you will be happy to get that bathroom job done.
Cats are such quiet little stealthy creatures. You just never know where they are lurking.
ReplyDeleteThat's a long time to not have a shower at home. I am surprised that you have a shower at work.
Those cats all got the memo: troll Olga today! I hope the reno goes smoothly, as these things go. You'll be at work for a lot of it, I expect, though. Pictures please!
ReplyDeleteI love how you are trying to create much drama around the cat sightings! But Olga does not look too fierce and she is just cautiously watching them. Sweet! :)
ReplyDeleteI dislike the disruption of renovations. I hope it goes well.
ReplyDeleteOlga is gorgeous and cats can be such jerks! That's one of their better qualities.
ReplyDeleteI am happy to learn you will be disrupting the Russian's lives with the sound of saws and drills and hammers.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice that you have shower facilities at work. Five days without (maybe ten) and things could get ripe! 😉
ReplyDeleteFun sharing some cat excitement with Olga!
Poor Olga, I feel like her sometimes, my eyes and hearing aren't what they used to be:)
ReplyDeleteI'll be impressed if the bathroom is done in ten days. My guess is 2 weeks. Should we start a pool?
That cat is hysterical, I love it when they stand their ground. Re: the remodel, karma. Betting you & Dave are going to enjoy making some construction noise for the neighbors.
ReplyDeleteConstruction people are the worst at estimating how long something will take. We generally doubled whatever they told us. I got very tired of showering at work. Good luck to you on this.
ReplyDeleteare you sure that's not the same cat as the one on the ledge?
ReplyDeletepeople who have had renovations done tell me to triple whatever time amount the contractor gives you.
Cats do enjoy taunting--other cats, dogs and people. They have the personalities of teenagers. Hope the fix up goes smoothly and FAST.
ReplyDeletePoor Olga, held back by that leash. But if he'd been loose he might have gotten a severely scratched nose from that rasty cat.
ReplyDeleteOh I do hope the workmen make as much noise as possible.
ReplyDeleteI am sucker for black and white cats. I would put my money on a cat any day (unless cornered).
THat photo of Olga peering through the fence is hilarious. Good luck for your renovations. 5 days? I will be quite curious to see how long this goes on.
ReplyDeleteLinda Sue: You are a rescuer too! You and I share this impulse.
ReplyDeleteGZ: No idea on that German slide. Still a mystery!
Mitchell: I think those odds are pretty slim, when you consider the age of the pictures and the chance that any one person on the globe would recognize another person on the globe. But unlikely doesn't mean impossible!
YP: Perhaps the first time I've agreed with the use of that [phrase! LOL
Marty: Well, you never know what those cats are up to!
Bob: Yeah, I have a feeling they're not going to suffer nearly as much as we do.
Ed: Ha! There's a lot of waiting here too, believe me.
Ms Moon: There is definitely an evil cat conspiracy!
Marcia: Those cats ARE remarkably similar now that I look more closely at the pictures. Maybe they're related?!
Sharon: I was surprised the first cat made no attempt to run. I guess it's savvy enough to know that a dog on a leash isn't dangerous no matter how close it gets.
Robin: We have a fitness room at work with workout equipment, so the shower is attached to that.
Boud: Aside from the shower (and possibly dust) I don't think it will be much trouble for us. Olga, on the other hand, may suffer!
Ellen D: Oh, don't be fooled. If Olga were off her lead and could catch them, there would be blood. (Possibly hers!)
Red: I will keep you all posted every step of the way, whether you like it or not!
Deedles: Cats are sort of inherently jerks, aren't they? And I say that as a cat lover and former cat owner!
Colette: Yeah, but it will all be below them and I'm sure they won't hear nearly as much as we do!
Kelly: Well, I would never go ten days with NO washing. But I could take sponge baths. I used to do that routinely in Morocco where I didn't have a shower.
Pixie: Ugh, hopefully it won't take THAT long. But you could be right!
Jim: At the risk of sounding mean and petty -- yes.
Allison: Yeah, we automatically doubled the estimate and as Pixie said, it's likely to be even longer.
Ellen: If it is that would FREAK me out!
Margaret: They are so sure of themselves and their place in the world. No insecurities!
Catalyst: Olga has been nailed in the nose by a cat claw in the past! Under a door, no less!
Caro: Yeah, a cat is a fierce fighter. A bit like with the fox -- I think Olga would ultimately win (certainly in her youth) but she wouldn't emerge unscathed!
Debby: That's what we said! Yeah, I love the pic of Olga looking through the fence and the cat peering down at her from above.
Loving the cats. Lizzie hits under the bed when granddog Charlie visits. These seems braver than my girl -- at least the one does.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear the Russians will be getting some of their own soon!