Catkins and kittens
It’s Friday again! The days are just whizzing past, aren’t they? I was told this happened when you got older but I never believed it – and now I know it’s true! 🙂
How has your week been? A good one, I hope, despite the continuing world turmoil. It’s such a worrying time in so many ways but I’m trying to avoid the news reports of military action and instead focus on the good that is happening – not quite behind the scenes but alongside everything else: convoys of essential supplies and clothes; people queuing up to offer accommodation as refugees arrive; prams left at railway stations for families with small children who arrive with nothing; people buying digital knitting and crochet patterns from Ukrainian sellers; people making Air BnB bookings in Ukraine that they will never stay in … the list goes on and on and I find this collective outpouring of love and goodwill makes the rest of the news slightly more bearable. Of course, it would all be so much better if it wasn’t needed at all, but this is where we are.
Anyway, I expect you are here to get away from the news so I will distract you for a few minutes with photos of dog walks and kittens and a half-knitted sock. You might want to get a brew if you haven’t got one already, because there’s a fair bit of kitten spam coming your way! 🙂
Shall we start with the half-knitted sock?
There you go! Progress on my Emergency Sock which came in from the car so that I could knit the heel flap without worrying about losing my needles in the car. I’m onto the gusset now which always feels like the home straight (even though there’s just as far to go once the gusset is finished) and the Winter Icicle colours are just as lovely to knit as I remembered them from when the yarn was first launched. It’s a real privilege to be able to knit with your own yarn colourway and I never take it for granted. There’s also happy dancing going on here whenever I see or hear about someone else knitting with it too – it’s no wonder I’ve got socks that need darning! 🤣
I haven’t made a start on my Sheepers slippers yet that I showed you last week as I was thinking that I should wait until I had the 2-3 hours that the instructions said I would need, but I think I might take a look and see if it’s easy enough to do in short bursts here and there instead. If I ever have a spare 2-3 hours, there’s a loooooong list of things that clamour to take up the time (not least the garden which is definitely in full Spring mode now) and I don’t want the slippers to get forgotten. I’m hoping I’ll have something to show you next week!
I’ve also not started the socks that I’m intending to make with the new West Yorkshire Spinners Elements yarn that I showed you last week either. There have been certain little furries who live with us now who are making knitting a little bit more difficult – and not at all because they’re chasing the yarn! (Unfortunately, the needle cables are far more attractive …)
Which little furries would they be? Surely not this pair, snuggled up together so calmly in their bed? They’re not causing chaos are they?!
I think you’ve only got to look at Hattie on the left with her paws around Astrid’s neck to know that they are indeed Trouble with a capital T. They’ve been (hopefully temporarily) re-named Basher and Smasher, or Smasher and Trasher, or Trasher and Trouble or the Teeny Terrors (all of these names have been used over the last week) because they have been causing riot and I have the photographic evidence to prove it!
First though, let me show you cats of a different kind … catkins!
These are the male catkins of the goat willow tree (Salix caprea) and I have always known them as pussy willow, although I think the tree is also known as a pussy willow tree (I had never heard of goat willow before I went to look for a link!).
I thought I had missed them this year as I hadn’t seen any around but I was obviously just looking in the wrong place! These trees were in the Sankey Valley by the canal that the dog and I walk by – I know exactly how I’ve missed them as the last time we were here, the dog decided to swim across the brook to the other side and disappear into the woods, leaving me in a panic on the other bank. Luckily, he came back after several hours a short while (but it felt like several hours), just at the point when I was thinking I would never see him again and wondering whether I should try to get over to the other bank to look for him (I was going to have to run all the way back to the bridge, I wasn’t about to swim!) and we haven’t been back since.
This week, dog firmly on his lead until we were past the brook, the trees were full of the catkins but mostly just turning into the yellow flowers …
I prefer the silky grey cats paw catkins (just like silky kitten paws but without the claws …) so I was really glad to see them before they’re gone for another year.
A swan glided past us on the canal. The swans on this canal are mute swans; you’ll probably have seen them in lots of other places around the country too – these are the ones that lift their wings into arch as they swim elegantly past. This swan had its wings up too and you can sort of see that, but it was going pretty fast and my camera was finding it hard to focus. Look at those reflections though!
A second swan approached us and I thought I’d try a close up to see if I could get a better picture. I’ve discovered that close up photos with my phone can be a bit hit and miss sometimes and the swan itself is not too clear … but the reflections are even better! They look like some kind of strange abstract painting!
We turned off the canal towpath onto another footpath that takes us past some horses’ fields. They are all so muddy, I think the horses should be wearing wellies!
We stopped for a minute to chat to this pony …
It looks like it’s teetering on the only dry bit of the field, doesn’t it?! You could also be forgiven for thinking that no one looks after it but I know that won’t be the case. A friend of mine who owns a horse says that two minutes after she’s brushed hers, he’s back rolling in the mud again and I expect this pony is no different!
This pony is in a field full of muddy ponies, and there are huge piles of hay dotted around for them to eat as the ground is so muddy underfoot. If you look behind the pony in the first photo, you can see that the next field is green and grassy and I expect that the next time the dog and I walk that way, the ponies will have moved into that field so that this one can recover. It just goes to show how wet it has been over the last few weeks as pretty much every horses’ field that I’ve walked or driven past lately has looked the same. Roll on drier weather!
This little chap watched us as we walked along. I always chat to robins as they make me think of my Dad, and I like the way they look as if they’re really listening!
The dog and I squelched back to the car – it’s all very well walking through woods and on farm tracks but they are very squelchy at this time of year! – and went home for a brew.
The Teeny Terrors were waiting for us.
We’ve been letting them and the dog spend some time together every day under close supervision so that they can get used to all being in the shared space. The dog is very keen for the kittens to run when he gets a bit close as I think he has every intention of chasing them, but thankfully they are not doing that but are standing their ground with them. There haven’t been any claw incidents yet but there’s been a bit of spitting and lots of bottlebrush-tail-ing and the dog seems to be getting the message. In fact, this felt like huge progress the other day …
I’d forgotten quite what it’s like to have kittens in the house. They are into everything!
(The red heart in the chimney is attached to our Chimney Sheep draught excluder in case you wondered what it was 🙂 )
These kittens have soooo much energy, they’re like little fleas pinging about the room from one place to another – you think you know where they are but, oh no, they’re somewhere completely different! They are also very fond of climbing. They climb onto the chairs (that’s fine), they climb onto the table (not so fine but we clean it before dinner), onto the windowsill (uh oh, a bit higher) and in a new favourite game, up the curtains (oh no!).
and then they wrestle on the curtain pole until one of them decides to abseil down the curtains again, leaving the other at the top … and then the game starts all over again.
It’s a fuzzy photo because they don’t stop in the middle of a game. Not even for blog post photos.
Look at those wild and staring eyes! They do get themselves into a giddy state!
This was taken earlier today. They were watching the dog from the stairs (yes, they have pulled the carpet off ) and I think he was probably right to go and get into his bed out of the way!
And then, all of a sudden, they run out of steam and you forgive them all of the chasing and the fighting and the rioting that takes up all the time you would otherwise spend knitting as you are having to hoick them off the curtain poles or catch them if you think they’re going to fall through the stairs.
I wouldn’t swap any of it.
And there we are for another week! I’m hoping to get out in the garden this weekend and definitely to get a bit more knitting done – I hope you have a lovely weekend whatever you are doing, and I’ll catch up with you again soon! xx
Thank you for this lovely interval in these troubled times. Robins remind me of my mum and dad, they watched him garden and she had them feeding on dried mealworms in her hand. The kittens are gorgeous but must be a shock to you all after your elderly cats, two are company for each other but very competitive for attention and the highest location
Thanks so much for the happy diversion. I needed that today. I’ve recently made a big move and my morning was filled with tiresome paperwork and searching boxes.
Oh that will have been a stressful event so I hope everything went well! xx
I have seen people feed robins from their hands and I think that must be an amazing feeling to do that! I like that Robins bring back memories of people for everyone 🙂 xx
What a beautiful pair of kittens! I well remember our last one, he was the most accident-prone creature ever, I swear he was dropped on his head as a kitten because had no common sense or many brain cells!
He was so loveable and my lurcher used to carry him around in her mouth, he never minded and would sleep on top of her.
Now our rescue puppy is bemused by our neighbours’ cats, and definitely worries if they sit and stare at her!
I am not sure that I would be very happy if our dog started carrying the kittens round in his mouth – I’m not sure they would be too happy either! It’s a lovely memory for you, though! 🙂 xx
Lovely (as always) post.
I have 3 new kittens and am absolutely there with you in the time wasting(?) these tiny furry terrorists cause. The heart in my mouth times as they scale new heights. Then the joy of hearing a first purr and 3 warm, fluffy exhausted bodies curled up sleeping on me as I finally get to crochet or type in peace until they wake and we start a replay 🙂
Time you enjoyed wasting is never wasted time 🙂 And how can watching these little furries who absolutely live in the moment be anything but joyful … until they walk all over your keyboard and send an email full of nonsense to somebody! 🙂 xx
I was exhausted just reading what those 2 kitties had been up to! 😂😂😂 They are adorable. Hugs,
They ARE exhausting – but it won’t last for long so I’m trying to appreciate every moment! 🙂 xx
Lovely post! Your kittens’ adventures have made me laugh, so adorable.
We are laughing a lot, they really are very funny! 🙂 xx
What an hilarious post! I loved looking at the antics of the two terrors. It reminded me why we decided not to get another kitten or two after our beloved moggy left us a couple of years ago. My daughter and her family also have a young kitten who is climbing the curtains and generally getting into everything. So so funny to view from afar😂 a very cheering post Christine, thank you, just what we needed.
Ah, we decided that our home missed having cats and we decided that kittens were the best option with the dog, plus not so small daughter has never lived with kittens and it’s certainly an experience! I’m glad you’re enjoying the view! 🙂 xx
I enjoyed your story,happy knitting,I’ve thought about trying it again,we too have 2 kittens as well and a 16yr old 1,plus a dog,they get along with the dog and cat’s unsure,they are terrors at times,but good company for each other,I wouldn’t change a thing,I made a fine decision!!God Bless&have a terrific week(year),ps.they’re cuties.🐯😊
Yes, I think they all work it out between themselves, don’t they? 🙂 xx
Well done on getting your new furry friends, I can imagine the fun they are giving you. Just what’s needed at the moment. A lovely post 🙂 B x
Yes, they’re definitely what we needed! 🙂 xx
Thanks Christine for your post and the update – is has happened to me several times – I thought it was me!!! – I went back to the previous post and went forward to next post and got it that way!! – don’t worry you do very well with modern technology!! and I appreciate your posts – love the news and country side photos as well as sock knitting news of course – have a lovely weekend and thanks again- grateful for what we have and so sorry for others who are suffering
Love Ruth x
No, if the link in the email doesn’t work it’s usually down to me but you can click any link in the email to get to the blog and find posts from there 🙂 xx
I love reading your blogs and always enjoy your photos. We are expecting a snow event today. OMG the kittens are adorable and are definitely trouble with a capital T❤!
Snow! I think we are past that point now – it almost feels too late in March! xx
Lovely photos of the kittens. Your writing style reminds me of Nigel Slater style , very relaxing and calming .
That is a lovely compliment, thank you! 🙂 xx
That was certainly a fat Robin but he seemed to enjoy posing for your camera. Chimney Sheep, I like that! 😀
I know, I think the name of the draught excluder caught my eye in the first place! 🙂 xx
🤣🤣I thought it was something I’d done when I couldn’t open anything .
Kittens are gorgeous, well all animals are , but they sure are full of mischief x
No, it’s usually my fault as I’ve forgotten to add the link in the email – don’t worry, you can usually get at the post through the photo or the link and there are other links to the blog too! 🙂 xx
Kittens are so funny aren’t they? What great light relief they provide, even if you do think they are about to plummet from great heights .
You are right about the positive thoughts, and action.
This post was lovely, thank you Christine, and best wishes to you x
Thank you! Yes, the kittens are keeping us well amused and if nothing else, they’re keeping us on our toes too! 🙂 xx
Thank you for the post .I thought I had problems with my lovely kindle .Love your kitten pics .they can be tinkers .Robins are beautiful birds .one of my favourites .It’s nice to see the flowers and Swans .takes away all of the nasty things that’s happening at the moment .Love your socks .
The kittens are keeping us very busy, I’m glad you liked the photos! 🙂 xx
Thank you for such a heartwarming and uplifting blog in these difficult times. Your kittens are adorable and full of mischief as is to be expected! I have three adults who still think they’re kittens at times, especially Joseph, who’s 13. I caught him watching ‘Peaky Blinders’ and knew it was a bad idea as the very next day, he decided to inflict a little of the Shelbyesque violence on William aged 6. Luckily no damage (apart from a bruised ego) was done. Looking forward to more kitten mayhem xx
Oh that’s very funny. Our tiddlers haven’t taken to watching TV yet although they do like walking in front of it when we’re trying to watch it! 🙂 xx
How fabulous nature and knitting and kittens.oh my!How you are spoiling us this week Christine to take our minds off the hellish daily news.I’m sure the TTS will keep us amused from here on in -fiona x
Now there’s a mantra to chant … love it! 🙂 xx
I do really love cats and kittens, and my husband does too. But I am very allergic and so we can’t have them. Such a shame, they bring such joy and comfort.
Oh that’s such a shame! It always feels so unfair when an allergy stops you from having pets live with you xx
Very restful blog. I had a visitor in my front room on Wednesday when all the windows and doors were open – a robin. He was very surprised to find me knitting in the corner and I spent 10 minutes trying to persuade him out the window. Keep up the good work.
That’s very funny – I wonder what the robin was expecting when he flew in? I’m glad you managed to get him out! 🙂 xx
This is such a great story today. I’m sitting here laughing at those adorable little kittens. So sweet that they’re becoming friends with the very much larger dog. Thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures…I love pussywillows so much and haven’t had them growing locally for a while.
Pussy willow trees used to seem to be everywhere, didn’t they? There’s only one particular walk that I see them on now and I’m glad I didn’t miss them xx
Haha! Little pickles! One of my 11 year old cats thinks he is a kitten occasionally. He shins up the curtains and on the third time of pulling the rail down, I had to get a friend to fix a new sturdier rail.
It is lovely to be able to get into the garden and start the spring tidy up.
Thank you so much for your stories 😊
I’m hoping we don’t have any curtain pole down incidents! I am keeping my fingers crossed that as they get bigger, the novelty of all that will wear off … although you’re not filling me with hope! 🙂 xx
Hi there
Is there a pattern for the emergency socks please?
Kind regards
Linda
There is! It’s the Basic 4ply Socks pattern which you will find here 🙂