SPIDERS!!!

[kerrensimmonds]

One in her bra was bad enough. EEuurrgghh.. How many is 'them'? And why is the husband still with her?
Referring to earlier postings on this thread, I cannot help but think that Phil and Angela would make a marvellous writing partnership.....

[Jo]

Well, owing to the boys and girls getting mixed up accidentally, "them" is 32 at the moment, I believe

Technically the husband is not the husband but partner. Actually they still have separate houses but he spends most of his time at her place. They have a bust up every now and then but always seem to get back together. She gets away with all of this by declaring that she's bipolar and doesn't understand social norms - though she is medicated and her bipolarism is under control. I think she understands more than she lets on . She's as mad as a hatter but very good natured so, to my surprise, I've grown quite fond of the pair of them (her and partner, not her and rat ).

[icomefromalanddownunder]

Blimey, Jo, I thought some of my friends were a bit potty...

How did she know it wasn't well? (Rhetorical question, of course!)

It was never the same after her husband stepped on it in the night. She has them running free in her bedroom

Jo! I'm impressed! You have loonier friends than I

My friend Carolyn and her long suffering partner (who also happens to be her first cousin, so they made a decision not to have children) gave over one bedroom of their house to their pet rats. The rats were mostly rescued from the lab that we worked in, and I have travelled home on a bus with Carolyn and another of our rescues in an esky (insulated food box) on her lap.
One year she bought in cup cakes to celebrate the footie grand final. The cakes were RED and BLUE and YELLOW (Adelaide Crow colours) with contrasting RED, BLUE or YELLOW writing. Most of us were already laughing heartily at the cry of 'Don't let Spen (an extremely lazy colleague who was waiting out the days until his retirement) have any red ones. He might be stimulated into doing some work', when someone asked what the indentations in the edge of the icing on the cake he was eating might be.

Paw marks of course

xx

[Jo]

I'd love to have seen their faces!

Footnote: I'm so used to email, ebay, etc that I wondered why a food box would be called an e-sky??? Then the penny dropped....duh!!

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

Duh-- and again Duh !
I still don't get the Esky or E Sky or whatever ----

I do like this Thread -- on reading back, it seems that Lonelymom and myself have been constant contributors from opposite corners of the Ring ----

If we ever meet, she will probably cross herself and rush the Children indoors !!

[jhopgood]

You are so lucky, JR. I'd love to do things like that, what a wonderful experience!

You haven't lived until you've been close enough to a tiger relaxing on a raised platform after breakfast to be able to actually smell his breath as he trys to catch your scent !

Nor until you have scratched the top of the head of a fully grown male lion. I have a photo of my 10 year old son standing next to the lion.
It was in Guatemala and this couple had been to Africa and brought back a lion cub, which then grew. Although it came into the house and lounged on its sofa, when visitors were around, they kept it chained up outside, next to a tree half way up the hill. It used to roam around the farm, but neighbours started to complain about their half eaten cows.
We were taken to see said lion, and I was encouraged to scratch its head, which I did. When I started scratching, it was sitting down, but then stood up, meaning my hand was almost at the level of my face. I backed of pretty fast, as even with the owner around and it being on a chain, it was still pretty scary.
They had a children's party there once, and one girl fell over as they were playing near the lion. She fell close to the lion, and when she tried to get up, he just put his paw on her back and kept her down. After much shrieking, the owner came up the hill and grabbed the lion by the mane and hauled him off, as though he were a giant dog.
We didn't go back there very often.

[lonelymom]

I do like this Thread -- on reading back, it seems that Lonelymom and myself have been constant contributors from opposite corners of the Ring ----

If we ever meet, she will probably cross herself and rush the Children indoors !!

I would do no such thing, Neill! I would forgive you for having a strange affection for all things creepy-crawly, and I would shake your hand/give you hug! Then I'd probably talk your ear off - I've never met an Old Blue!

[Jo]

Duh-- and again Duh !
I still don't get the Esky or E Sky or whatever ----

Well, I can't be sure, but I assumed that as it's an insulated food box, it may be short for "Eskimo". I'm guessing that's a brand name that has become generic, as with hoover.

<pause for quick google>

Ooh yes, I'm right: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esky

[Jo]

You are so lucky, JR. I'd love to do things like that, what a wonderful experience!

You haven't lived until you've been close enough to a tiger relaxing on a raised platform after breakfast to be able to actually smell his breath as he trys to catch your scent !

Nor until you have scratched the top of the head of a fully grown male lion. I have a photo of my 10 year old son standing next to the lion.
It was in Guatemala and this couple had been to Africa and brought back a lion cub, which then grew. Although it came into the house and lounged on its sofa, when visitors were around, they kept it chained up outside, next to a tree half way up the hill. It used to roam around the farm, but neighbours started to complain about their half eaten cows.
We were taken to see said lion, and I was encouraged to scratch its head, which I did. When I started scratching, it was sitting down, but then stood up, meaning my hand was almost at the level of my face. I backed of pretty fast, as even with the owner around and it being on a chain, it was still pretty scary.
They had a children's party there once, and one girl fell over as they were playing near the lion. She fell close to the lion, and when she tried to get up, he just put his paw on her back and kept her down. After much shrieking, the owner came up the hill and grabbed the lion by the mane and hauled him off, as though he were a giant dog.
We didn't go back there very often.

Poor, poor lion. They aren't meant to be house pets.

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

Jo -- You are SO right about unsuitable House Pets !

Apart from Dogs and Cats (UGH !) I don't suppose there are any animals or reptiles, which are suitable as pets.
Dogs and Cats (UGH !) have become so domesticated that many of them (Not all) would find it difficult to survive in the "Wild" without their supply of "Caesar" or "Kitikat" or "IAMS" ! Have you noticed how many of the dog foods contain vegetables, such as Peas, Beans, etc. ------- for a Carnivore ? (But they do fill up the quantity !!!)
Elderly people --- other than myself -- sometimes need a Pet, as a companion, fine, but not a Tortoise, Guano Lizard, Chinchilla, Boa Constrictor, Etc.Etc.
I know I shall probably be attacked by those who disagree with me, but I point out that apart from my Pond Fish and TBA's Tropicals (Guilty !) we have no pets. ---- hence-- a trip away for a few days, or weeks, presents no problems, other than watering the Greenhouse Grapes, Tomatos, Peppers, Chilis Etc.--- and it is amazing how a Neighbour can be bribed with a good Burgundy !!

I can sit with a cat on my lap, tickle it's ears, and stroke it ----- in other people's houses, but NOT in my Garden !!!

[J.R.]

Jo -- You are SO right about unsuitable House Pets !

Apart from Dogs and Cats (UGH !) I don't suppose there are any animals or reptiles, which are suitable as pets.
Dogs and Cats (UGH !) have become so domesticated that many of them (Not all) would find it difficult to survive in the "Wild" without their supply of "Caesar" or "Kitikat" or "IAMS" ! Have you noticed how many of the dog foods contain vegetables, such as Peas, Beans, etc. ------- for a Carnivore ? (But they do fill up the quantity !!!)
Elderly people --- other than myself -- sometimes need a Pet, as a companion, fine, but not a Tortoise, Guano Lizard, Chinchilla, Boa Constrictor, Etc.Etc.
I know I shall probably be attacked by those who disagree with me, but I point out that apart from my Pond Fish and TBA's Tropicals (Guilty !) we have no pets. ---- hence-- a trip away for a few days, or weeks, presents no problems, other than watering the Greenhouse Grapes, Tomatos, Peppers, Chilis Etc.--- and it is amazing how a Neighbour can be bribed with a good Burgundy !!

I can sit with a cat on my lap, tickle it's ears, and stroke it ----- in other people's houses, but NOT in my Garden !!!

Each to their own, Neill.

One of our two beloved cats, Tobias, adores carrots and sweet-corn, though we don't let him on our bed at night after such a feast.

Foxes are classed as carnivores yet will happily eat berries and fruit !

[englishangel]

Dogs are able to be totally vegetarian, (like humans), but cats are unable to make all the amino acids they require from a vegetarian diet and therefore need some meat.

[lonelymom]

All of my cats have strange eating habits, and eat biscuits, crisps, cake, baked beans, vegetables and other strange things, but the youngest of the cats, Breeze, eats frozen (still frozen, not defrosted) brussel sprouts!

[Angela Woodford]

I love cat chat!

We should reopen the thread "We have adopted" commenced by JR when he acquired the really tiny kitten Riagan!

[midget]

A favourite snack for our little cat was a nice big daddy-longlegs, she was also partial to roast chestnuts, in fact she would fight you for them! On one occasion, the two cats devoured a (sample) packet of curried peanuts, deemed inedible by the humans. Towards the end of his life, big cat Frankie loved to lick fingers dipped in anything alcoholic except gin.