Until May

There will be no blogs posted until May. Animals, health and home have to be sorted out and then back to slog the blog in the, hopefully, merrier month of May.
On May Morning
by John Milton
Now the bright morning Star, Day's harbinger,
Comes dancing from the East, and leads with her
The Flowery May, who from her green lap throws
The yellow Cowslip, and the pale Primrose.
Hail bounteous May that dost inspire
Mirth and youth, and warm desire,
Woods and Groves, are of thy dressing,
Hill and Dale, doth boast thy blessing.
Thus we salute thee with our early Song,
And welcome thee, and wish thee long.

In loving memory of Peter McLean who died recently after a long illness.

Karen: J'attends la prochaine Trabant pas une Aston Martin. Sagesse.

Lovingkindness

Thailand is one of the most devoutly Buddhist countries in the world.
Their national religion is Theravada Buddhism which is practised by more than 95% of all Thais.
Theravada means literally ‘the Teaching of the Elders’ or ‘the Ancient Teaching’ and is the oldest surviving Buddhist school.
Today Theravada Buddhists number over 100 million worldwide. Buddhism does not accept animals were created by someone for humans; if we animals were created for humans then it could follow that humans were also created for animals since there are some animals which eat human flesh.
Buddhists are encouraged to love all living beings and not to restrict their love only to human beings. They aim to practice loving kindness towards every living being. The Buddha's advice is that is not right for us to take away the life of any living being since every living being has a right to exist.
Us animals also experience fear and pain. It is wrong to take away our lives. You should not misuse your intelligence and strength to destroy animals even though we may sometimes be a nuisanc. Animals need your compassion and understanding. Every living being is contributing something to maintain this world. It is unfair for you to deprive them of their living rights.
TaTa used to have a Birman cat called Crumble. A long time ago high in the mountains in one temple there lived Buddhist monks who worshipped Tsun-Kuankse a goddess with sapphire-coloured eyes.
They believed souls settled in other essences and then were sent back to the temple in the form of a white cat with golden eyes. Monks looked after them with tenderness, esteemed and protected them. In a temple there was a gold statue of the goddess to which monks worshipped.
Once the temple was attacked by robbers who wanted to steal a statue of the goddess. The shock caused the oldest monk to die. Suddenly Moon’s favourite cat jumped onto Moon’s chest and the cat’s fur began to change colour and his eyes turn blue.
His paws remained snow-white as a token of cleanliness, sanctity and innocence of soul of the monk. After seven days and lamenting the death of Moon, Sihn the cat died and took the soul of Moon to paradise.
From that time if the cat in monastery Lao-Tsun dies, it means that the soul of the monk released forever and has found the place in heaven. But if anyone kills such a cat or is cruel to it they will never be released into paradise.

Inspiraton, perspiration, desperation

What do you think Colin the Carrot?
I can't do this writing thing - I am a dog.
One thing I have to do is to say thank you to the lovely Karen in France. TaTa was very happy when she read your e-mail because you asked no questions and just offered hope and compassion.
I must say it is too quiet and lonely here without Tizit around - no-one to tell us the time, where to go, what to do and how to do it.
Tell me a joke Colin, I feel so miserable - please cheer me up.

How do you know carrots are good for your eyes? Have you ever seen a rabbit wearing glasses?

New beginnings

Tizit didn't think it fair that she should be the only one to slog on the blog so she has handed over responsibility to all The Furry Beasties who resided with her.
So you will be getting blogged upon by Treacle, Muddle, Cumfy, Mumfy and The Fish (yes we know fish aren't furry but who want's a blog called the scaly beasties).
There may also be the occasional comment from various other beasties who drop into the garden or house from time to time.
As you can see Treacle is well up for the job.
He thinks he is too old and would rather spend his time lounging on the sofa or leaping into ponds and the sea than doing anything literary.
He says: 'I am a typical Field-Bred Springer Spaniel - friendly, eager to please, quick to learn (and quick to forget unless bribed with a pheasant or three). I am affectionate and easy-going and am alert and attentive make me the ideal hunting companion (which is what I used to be before I became domestoscated).

I have exceptional stamina and need moderate amounts of activity, to focus my mind and to provide exercise - what I focus on the most is runing around in every-increasing circles through brambles, water and crashing into the occasional tree. I really like cats and ferrets. But don't bring a pheasant or wood pigeon into the garden because I will eat it but I am scared of sparrowhawks and the like. I am energetic, cheerful, happy and playful with a great sense of humour (I am beginning to sound like one of those Looking for Love ads). I love living with TaTa and KeKe because something interesting is always happening and I go to places like Northbumbleland where there are huge hills for me to climb. I also stay with Jim the Fisherman and sometimes with Ellen in the woods. I have a passport and will be going to The Neverlands with TaTa in October.

Having a rest

After all that scrumming we are both a bit exhausted - we have decided to start a Rugbee team which will include Tizit as the Loosehead Prop, Woo-Bee as Openside Flanker, Boris as Scrumhalf, Harry as Fly Half, Blossom as Inside Centre, and Poppy as Fullback.
Of course we need some more players as there should be 15 but us Siamese could outrun and outscratch any rugbee player even that Frenchmen called The Horse.
Whilst we are in training Treacle is taking over as editor of my blog for a while.
As you can see from the photos he is not too happy about it.
He is definitely not getting my editor-in chief chair.
His first assignment was The Barton House Railway which re-creates a traditional railway atmosphere where you can enjoy the nostalgia of the golden age of steam with two ride-on railways, a fully working signalling system and authentic tickets.
During your visit you can also explore their museum of railway artefacts with a Midland & Great Northern theme, enjoy delicious home-made cakes (Treacle’s favourite part of the day) and light refreshments by the river.
For some reason Treacle was not allowed on any of the trains.

The offside rule

Now listen very very carefully Woo-Bee because I will explain this only once: ‘It is not an offence in itself to be in an offside position.
A player is in an offside position if nearer to his opponent's goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent.
A player is not in an offside position if in his own half of the field of play’. “Tizit”
“Don’t interrupt, this is very very important.... if level with the second last opponent, if level with the last two opponents’.
“Tizit, you’ve become very English”. “What do you mean”.
“Well, all this football rubbish—have you forgotten about our national Walesland sport—rugbee”.
“Rugbee, so you want rugbee do you, well then let’s have a scrum”.

I am exhausted!

Tizit! darling, Barb says go and catch some great big mice for TaTa for Easter she will love u forever, or even a mole or 2, that will be even better!
Thank you for your suggestion Barb but us Siamese like to keep our paws clean and if we want anything caught we hire someone else to do it such as Muddle.
Well my new sister arrived and I thought at first 'did I look like that once?'.
It took a day of training and she has settled down quite nicely.
She is quite difficult to find as you can see from these photos but once found we have lots of fun.
The first day I amused myself by sneaking up on her and biting her on the bum and then thwacking her on the head but this got really boring.
It ended up being so much nicer curled up in bed together and washing each other.
I have named her Woo-Bee and I think she is fab.
She's a bit clumsy yet - still has to learn Siamese manners and has managed to break a few things in the house - yes of course it was her - what do you mean.
The last photo shows TaTa's friend Ellen with her daughter Elizabeth.
Ellen had won first prize for her photograph of a rose and should be
very proud.
TaTa and Ellen are going to drink champers out of the cup to celebrate.
Ellen is training to run in the Race for Life and she does lots of interesting things and has two cats called Minger and Clarence and is going to get a dog. TaTa is going with her to make sure she doesn't come back with the wrong sort as Ellen is easily distracted by good looking dogs - what - oh not dogs - good looking men.
Well as either of those do not appeal to me I shall remain neutral.
Am now off to tease - no I mean play with Woo-Bee.
TaTa is going to have an echocardigan on Thursday and then go to aquarobots. She is missing Dutchland and wants to go back soon but then I miss her.
TaTa is going out into the garden to catch some sunshine.
Me I am going to snuggle under the down duvet with Woo-Bee and dream of Siamese things which you humans would never understand as your brains are so limited.

Today's the day!

My sister arrives today and to distract me TaTa has given me a rather strange toy to play with.
Let's have a look inside - maybe my new sister is in there.
Nope.
Treacle what is this thing?
Don't know why I bother to ask him he's only a dog.
What time is it?
I am so excited I could ... no wait. Us Siamese are much more disciplined.
I shall lounge on the bed until she arrives, give her a good sniff and a wallop just so she knows who is boss, then I shall ignore her and everyone else for three days.

Spring is in the air

Here is a beautifully designed building in Alphen aan den Rijn. It is called Castellum because of the Roman origins of the town.
As all you classically educated readers will know a castellum is a small Roman detached fort or fortlet used as a watch tower or signal station.
As this building houses movie theatres and the such like then I suppose it is still a watch tower.
Again TaTa likes taking photos of the sky because the blue matches my eyes and also because she loved lounging about in Gert's garden.
The next house is where one of TaTa's friends live - how about that for a view.
The house is almost surrounded by water except for a small footpath to reach it.
And then there is the secret house - all will be revealed one day soon.
And lastly my gorgous Treacle.
He is the most fabulous dog in the world because he adores me.
Treacle used to be a gun dog but one day he wouldn't give the pheasants back so he was retired.
He then spent his life going from rescue centres to various homes. When we first got him he was twice the size he is now as he was rarely walked by his original owners and just used to lounge in the conservatory - that soon changed!
There's nothing Treacle loves better than running through brambles,
mud and leaping into the ponds or the
sea.
But he's getting old now and gets a bit puffed out.
TaTa says he may only have a couple more years to live before he goes to Animal Heaven.
I don't want to think about it.
I am also very upset because the foxes came to visit last night and ate all the guiness pigs.
TaTa says she doesn't want anymore guiness pigs because every time one of her animals dies a piece of her heart dies too.

Bikes

Dutchland is the tops when it comes to being the most cycle-friendly country. They are used to commute, to do the shopping, for sport or just for pure recreation. Nearly every road has a cycle path called a fietspad which links most villages and towns. Dutchlands is a great place to cycle because of its (mostly) flat terrain and a proliferation of cycle paths.
Dutchlanders are so geared up for cycle travel that at traffic lights the cyclists have their own set of lights and in some places the cycle routes have their own roundabouts. TaTa says there is a tunnel under the Maas river which has separate cycle tunnels complete with elevators to get the bikes down to the tunnel level.
Generally on minor roads the cycle paths have priority and these are marked with give way triangles on the road surface. On major roads the priority is for the vehicle traffic and you will need to give way at the triangles marked on the cycle path surface.
Things to watch out for:
Always always always always padlock your bicycle when you leave it as for some reason Dutchland has the highest rate of bicycle thefts in the world. Put a lock on both the front and back wheels as you may come back to a bicycle without a front wheel! Never leave anything valuable in your panniers. You can get a reference number from the police so you can claim on your insurance but don’t expect any sympathy.
On certain cycle paths mopeds are permitted, watch out for these as they can give you a bit of a fright as they pass you at speed!
Cycle helmets are not compulsory in Dutchland. TaTa did notice that some racing cyclists weaer helmets. She said the Dutch government want to make helmets compulsory and she says 'good luck Dutch government because the Dutch people do not like being told what to do!’
If you are feeling hungry after a good cycle TaTa recommends you have an uitsmijter (pronounced out smyter) - usually grilled ham or cheese on bread with eggs on top, delicious!
The ANWB (Dutch Automobile Association) place emergency kits at many restaurants, cafes, campsites and bicycle shops around the county. These are yellow boxes that contain puncture repair kits, a small first aid kit and tools to do small repairs to you bike. The key for these boxes are obtainable from the manger. There is no charge for their use.
Don’t assume that everyone in The Netherlands speaks another language. If you are in the Randstad area (The Hague, Rotterdam, Amsterdam) you are safe to presume this. However if you are out in small villages or rural areas you may not be so lucky. Also don’t speak German to Dutch people—they don’t like it—also don’t tell them their language is similar to German—they don’t like that either.
In this photo you can see a lovely print outside and you may think how strange - does it never rain in The Netherlands? Again the Dutch are very clever and for a few euros you can have your favourite photo make into a plastic photo for outside use.
The group of people are a family in Warmond. They live next to a house which has a big big secret which only TaTa and KeKe know. The man keeps rabbits to eat - so he is my special Dutchlander friend.
Then there is a Dutchlander butcher van who has a sense of humour and has made a pun.
The photo of the bridge is taken in Rotterdam just to show that it does rain occasionally in Dutchland.
Now I have to get off this blog as I am expecting a visitor and KeKe has come home with a strange machine which I have to investigate.

Babs, Treacle & Me

Here is Treacle with his new friend Elizabeth. Treacle is going for a fur cut today. A few facts about Treacle. Treacle is what is known as Old Stock Springer Spaniel. There are field spaniels and bench spaniels (bench spaniels are the cute ones who don't work and lounge about on sofas all day). Field spaniels are the workers and Treacle is one of the original breed before fields were crossed with benches to give them a more 'aesthetic' look. You humans love messing around with things you shouldn't meddle. Treacle is the perfect shape and size for his breed. Big chested and powerful forequarters give him stamina - all the power is from the front. They have the largest
heart of any dog breed. They are fearless of water, they can endure more pain than other dogs - therefore will charge through brambles and thick undergrowth to get pheasants and rabbits. Treacle is trained to gun and is now retired.
Next is me of course. I am sitting patiently waiting for my new sister to arrive on Monday.
Then there is a photo of a man who I have never met who is married to Babs with the blond hair and the then her daughter and grand-daughter. They are in Tenner-Reef where it appears the sun shines quite a lot. Babs works very hard looking after
people. I don't know if she is owned by any animals yet. Do you Babs????

Back and forth

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ADA
AND WIM!

This is TaTa and KeKe just before they left Oegstgeest. They had to drive through Dutchland, then Belgiumland, then a little bit into Frenchland and then row their boat to Dover.
The next photo is KeKe and Tim (who is the son of Gert) in Gert's kitchen. Tim has just qualified to be a nurse and is specialising in lungs and the respiratory system. He is also a master of Kuntao. Kuntao involves an introduction to the serious study in defence of one's physical, mental and spiritual existence; one must not consider this a sport in any way until one has considered this is not a sport.

Physically, its movements are composed of jumping and swinging shoulders with the body's joints and muscles locked in to form one unit. The Kuntaoist's hands are known as 'fire hands' because of the searing strikes executed. It is very fierce and meant to deal with the most severe attacks. The physical component of Kuntao is both very powerful and fast. The exponent of Kuntao trains the left side of the body for speed and the right side for power. Inner mental visualisation along with touch sensitivity sessions adds cognition to your automatic reflexes. The secret of being an expert in Kuntao lies in the spiritual training. As with the physical and mental aspects, there is a spiritual training system for the Kuntaoist to follow throughout the day.

Us Siamese are masters in all martial arts - after all us animals teach you the art of movement, posture and ways of being. However we prefer not to use our skills because if we did there would be no humans left - we observe your cruelty to those without a voice and eventually you will answer to The Great Cat in The Sky.
So watch out - mess with me and I will call on Tim.
Next is a photo of the beautiful town of Alphen aan den Rijn (means on the Rhine).

Alphen has a population of around 70,000 and is in the western part of The Netherlands in the province of South Holland. The town is situated on the banks of the river Oude Rijn where the river Gouwe branches off. The town is located in the Green Heart of The Netherlands. The name Alphen is believed to be derived from the name of the Roman castellum Albanianae, meaning 'settlement at the white water'.

Then I couldn't resist another photo of the gorgeous Baby Mila with KeKe and TaTa and lastly here are TaTa and KeKe sleeping on the boat - they should have been rowing but TaTa said she had just had her nails done.

Sun, sleep & Scheveningen

Here is TaTa with Shamir. Shamir is a clothes designer. They are in a cafe in Scheveningen on a beautiful sunny day. Shamir is very beautiful and she has loads of brothers and sisters - Monia, Amel, Mouez, Sadradine and Nedra. Mouez is getting married in July to Hennanen and the marriage will last three days and takes place in Tunisia. Monia has two children - one called Kharadine and the other I cannot remember and Amel has three children called Donnia and I don't know. A bit to complicated for us Siamese cats. The cafe is owned by a friend of Mohammed (the father of all these children) so everything was free - typical Tunisian hospitality.
This is RudeBoy sleeping - he is either sleeping or running around climbing mountains. He has three daughters - Sandra, Ellen and Marije and Marije has a son called Finn. This photo is taken in the house of Gert who was on vacation in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. In 1939 the country changed its name from Siam to Thailand. In 1945 the country changed its name from Thailand back to Siam. In 1949 the country changed its name again from Siam to Thailand. It is the only country in the world to change its name three times in ten years. So as you can guess this is my country of origin.
Here are TaTa and KeKe with the beautiful Mila.
She slept for almost half-an-hour on KeKe's tummy because it is like a warm pillow and then she played with TaTa.
Carmen, her mama was sleeping as she has just come back from vacation and vacations always make you tired and grumpy - just like TaTa when she came back from Dutchland.
Carmen is married to Gerrie who works with EASA (the European equivalent of NASA).
Gert and Carla are the parents of Carmen.
Can you believe that the next photo is in Dutchland. Well it is.
The photo was taken in Scheveningen and it is now very in to have beach bars with sofas, pillows, gas fires and groovy music. When you walk further down the promenade you come to the surfers beach - wind-surfing, surf-boarding, kite-surfing. Lots of gorgeous dudes and dudettes. The beach goes on for miles.

Scheveningen is one of the eight districts of The Hague as well as well as one of its subdistricts. It is a modern seaside resorrt with a long sandy beach, an esplanade, a pier (where you can bungy jump) , and a lighthouse. A nudist beach is 1 mile to the north. The harbour is used both for fishing and tourism.

Then we have a very ominous sky as TaTa and KeKe crossed the border from Dutchland to Belgiumland and it started to rain and then became very windy. The Belgiumers like to drive in a very strange way - they don't keep to lanes they like to drive with the white line between their wheels and also overtake on the wrong sides and never indicate. They make the best beer in the world! For such a small country they brew over 400 beers and each beer has its own special glass. TaTa says Dutchland beer tastes like gnat's pee.