The Sahara comes to town

Sahara dust - that's the new phrase for this week that the weatherman has taught us. Apparently the wind and the atmosphere have combined to bring a large portion of the desert to the UK. What it means for us is a very dirty car, which as you can imagine did not please my car mad husband.

Dirty car

Today was a nice day off so I went for a walk with my beloved and I also got to meet a lovely kitty cat called Sasha - such a sweetheart who licks and chews your fingers as you're patting her, and also likes to lick and chew my hair. She's a tabby with a ginger tip to her tail - so cute.

Glad to see that our cats aren't the only ones that drink from the tap

During our walk we came across some Alms Houses in Rickmansworth - they date from the 1800's. Alms houses date from the 10th century (or that's the earliest record of one) and were for people in need - they were looked after by the monasteries. Today they are often for the elderly but still are for people in need and there is a national association of alms houses. The majority are laid out the same, a horseshoe shape around a garden so that the inhabitants don't feel isolated.

As always I had to stop for a latte along with a scrummy Portuguese tart - Harris and Hoole which we love.

When we got home Ken introduced me to the new love of his life - yes, it's a car.

It's a Triumph Herald born in 1967, so it's even older than me. Needless to say it needs a little bit of work done so is going to keep him busy for a few years. I'm guessing that the next year may feature a few visits to auto jumbles in an attempt to find car parts.

It's been a lovely day as any day spent with my gorgeous husband is. Until next time, be good, stay safe, and look after each other.

Pamela and Ken
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P.S: Final picture is of our lounge room during earth hour - candles and a camp lantern.

In Praise of Black Cats

Did you know that black or black and white cats are the most difficult to rehome at places like the RSPCA? As the human slave to a beautiful black cat I find this statistic really odd so thought I would dedicate this post to the dark felines amongst us.

Our black cat's name is Muffin, or to give her her full title, Muffin Monster. Her and her sister Cookie are 10 years old and are both such individual personalities. We got them when they were 8 weeks old and right from the start Muffin didn't really like being held - she likes to give love on her own terms - when she does give love you feel very honoured. She will come and pad on me, and if I'm really lucky will get kisses on the chin.

Here's the link to a site that talks about the possible reasons why people might not want to adopt a black cat - Black Cat Adoption

We wouldn't swap Muffin for any other cat as she's such an important part of our furbie family. She's a little bit curvaceous (or to be less polite, chunky) and can be very chatty, especially if she hasn't eaten for 10 minutes - you could say the monster has a bottomless pit where there should be a stomach.

This is the face she pulls when demanding more food

In our road there is a lovely black and white cat that is very friendly - I don't know her name so we just call her neighbourhood cat - if she sees you she runs towards you chattering all the way.

Muffin loves watching wildlife shows on tv, especially if there are birds on. One of her favourite shows is Springwatch - the picture below is when she thought she might be able to catch a pigeon on the screen.

If you're thinking of adopting a cat then please consider a beautiful black cat - as with any domesticated animal you have to earn their trust and love, but if you do, it's well worth it. There's nothing nicer than coming home to a little black face peering through the door and calling to you.

Helping to put the Christmas decorations away

Black cats are not a bad omen, they're not bad luck, but they are a joy to have as part of the family.

Until next time, be good, stay safe, and consider adding a black cat to your family.

Pamela and Ken
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P.S: Final two shots of Muffin with her sister, Cookie, and her brother Bertie Boo.

The BFG in Great Missenden

Hooray, the sun is back!! Everything seems better when the sun is smiling and gives us the chance to go out exploring.

We started today at Rickmansworth Aquadrome, having brunch and going for a wander. I'm having a meat free week so enjoyed a lovely vegetarian fry up whilst my beloved ate a sausage sandwich - he had been doing the meat free thing with me but gave in last night when we went out for a curry and I suspect it's downhill from now.

The area around the Aquadrome is great for walking and there were lots of dogs around - the cutey below was being so good and we could see why his 4 brothers were attached to his lead.

Here's a few shots from our walk, including Ken going off road.

After this we went to Great Missenden which is a really pretty village where Roald Dahl lived. We went to the museum which celebrates his writing - as you can probably guess we were a little out of place as it was overrun by kidlets.

I'm the same height as Mrs Twit (please excuse my hair as it's a bit wild)

It's a really interesting place to visit and after the museum we walked up to the church to visit Roald's grave. The BFG (Big Friendly Giant for those of you who aren't familiar with Roald Dahl characters) has even walked past the grave and left his footprints.

Here's a few shots from inside the church and a picture of Roald's stepdaughter's grave which has a monkey on it.

As I mentioned the village is very cute with lovely old buildings - lots of good doors, I could have taken photos of all of them. Here's just a selection.

Now I'm sure anyone who has read our blog will be thinking we've gone an awfully long time without cake, and yes we were going into withdrawals. We went back to the museum to the cafe twit and had very scrumdillyicious cake.

It was a fantastic day of fun out in the sun and hoping for many more now that the sun has got her hat on.

Until next time be good, stay safe, and do something nice for the planet.

Pamela and Ken
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P.S: Final picture which my family and friends will understand the significance of.