Welcome to the weekend! This Caturday we have two big fluffy fellows spotted by reader N. Fritz:
While visiting the States this summer, I met Grande (the big orange boi) and Jefe — sibling Norwegian Forest cats adopted by a family friend. They are large and in charge!
The fluff! The belleh parting! The motion-blurred grooming blep! I desperately want to leap through the screen and have a good snorgle…
Here in England we’re having a spell of overcast and occasionally damp weather, although York has been spared the flash flooding that has afflicted Birmingham and other cities. A few days ago I had to use the tumble dryer for the first time in months and could barely remember how it worked!
Last Sunday I took advantage of the glorious weather to visit the market town of Pateley Bridge. I had a wander round the graveyard of St Cuthbert’s Church and within minutes discovered the grave of my great-great-great-great grandparents James Parkinson (1774-1836) and Elizabeth Wood Parkinson (1773-1853). It’s a surprisingly expensive-looking tabletop tomb with a well-preserved inscription, but as is often the case with such monuments one of the longer sides has collapsed and the remains must have long since been removed. A few feet away was the more modest grave of my great-great-great grandparents, their son Thomas Parkinson (1800-1868) and his wife Mary Richmond Parkinson (1804-1853). Oddly enough, when my uncle moved to Pateley Bridge in the 1970s to teach at the local school our family’s link with the place had been completely forgotten. Some of you may be familiar with the town through it’s appearance in the TV series “All Creatures Great and Small”.
Apparently I meant “chest tomb”, not “tabletop tomb”. The latter consists of a slab standing on four pillars or legs.
That’s a fascinating bit of family history.
Since you’re family, doesn’t that mean that you’re responsible for the grave upkeep and monument, though?
I have no idea how grave inheritance works in the UK, but I would imagine that nobody can do anything to it, like remove the remains without the family/owner’s permission. It’s a sacrilege, in my opinion, to go around removing remains for no good reason and without permission.
I think the only way you’d be responsible for the upkeep of a grave is if it’s part of a family plot and the original owner’s descendants can be traced. I couldn’t find any family members buried there since 1868. Some old graveyards have an ossuary or parch of land reserved for human remains exposed by newer burials or the decay of old monuments. I’m assuming that the coffins inside chest tombs weren’t originally buried – are there any burial customs experts out there?!
It may sound creepy but I love old cemeteries I visited a few when we were in the U.K. and in France I think it’s the history and the peaceful atmosphere.
Amazing! Your trip sounds lovely. I don’t know much even about my grandparents, either biological or adoptive, so I’d never be able to trace the line back so far.
My 4xgreat-grandparents were actually from Bewerley, a village within easy walking distance of Pateley Bridge with quite a few historic buildings. The next time I’m in the area I’ll have a look round.
Happy Caturday. That’s a lotta floof.
Have to work tomorrow but I had the last couple days off. Went back to Lenscrafters yesterday (was going to do it Thursday but it was very stormy in the afternoon; it cleared up more or less by the time I had to go to an appointment but by the time that was done the eye doctor would have been gone for the day) to get my new glasses checked because I feel like I have a lot of eyestrain and it’s been three weeks so I don’t think it’s an adjusting-to-new-prescription issue at this point (and they don’t seem out of focus so the prescription seems okay). Also my sunglasses just weren’t fitting right; he adjusted them and they seemed better but by the time I got to my car I could tell they just aren’t going to work. They reordered the progressive lenses so when I go back for those I’m going to look for different frames (assuming they come in before the 5th because I have 30 days from when I picked them up, which he said was August 6; otherwise I’ll go earlier). Frustrating. I did keep the new glasses since he said they can just switch the lenses, so I’ll have to suffer for a few more days (he said a week but hopefully it’s quicker than that; the first ones didn’t take quite that long). If I switch back to the old ones I’ll have the same problem because the prescription is old (and it was becoming obviousl; the eye doctor double-checked the prescription and he said my last one was four years ago), so I may as well wear the new ones.
While at the mall I decided to take a walk; Lenscrafters is at one end so I walked to the other end, went up the escalator, and walked back to the other end and through the giant Dick’s House of Sport…where I saw a little doggie with a very waggy tail (his owner was holding him while looking at fishing lures). Some kind of mini-poodle mix, I’m guessing. I also learned that you can have your birthday party there (for ages 6+, apparently; there are some activities you can do and a space to gather; I saw a group having pizza). Then I went down the stairs inside Dick’s, walked back to the other end of the mall, back up the escalator, and back a little bit to the entrance where my car was parked. Put the sunglasses on before I went outside and by the time I got to my car (about halfway down the row) I had pushed them up twice and they were halfway back down my nose).
The dogs were good again…though I’m not convinced Tink isn’t a short, furry snake in the grass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEcPtzp6Ewo
I love Smokey trying to stay awake in the back of the car after his camping trip.
The #1 dog also now has a place in my heart. Fabulous, as always. And our lab friends with the stick showed up, of course!
About your problem glasses, consider going to another place to get the glasses made by Lenscrafters checked. Personally, I’ve had bad experiences with Lenscrafters, as neither their sales staff or opticians seemed very competent or knowledgeable, in my opinion.
Besides this, I find them to be outrageously overpriced for the mediocre quality they offer. Doesn’t even matter if insurance covers it; they’re way overpriced.
Consider getting your prescription separately from your optometrist and order your glasses elsewhere. Zenni in the US takes insurance and does good work for a fraction of the price, in my experience. For the same amount of insurance coverage, you can get many more pairs of glasses.
There are other places besides Zenni, like GlassesUSA, but I can only vouch for Zenni as I have purchased from them.
Besides your prescription and pupillary distance measured by your optometrist, you need the frame measurements of one pair of glasses you currently own, and whose fit you like. The frame sizing consist of 3 numbers, and they’re usually inscribed in the arm of the glasses, on the plastic bit that falls behind your ear.
If you suspect your prescription may be off, try another optometrist for a second opinion.
Good morning.
It rained last night. Was not allowed to enjoy it, because the empty lot next door was being used by a filming crew for a take down scene in a movie, and it took FOUR HOURS to get it right! It was after 2am before they shut down, and then construction started at seven. The neighbours were all informed this was going to happen, but still…
I would dearly love to curl up in all that belly floof and start practicing hibernation.
Have a restful weekend, everyone.
Happy Caturday everyone! I’ve been off this week, and the coolest thing happened with Julius. We originally got him from a friend who lives a couple miles from us. He hasn’t seen her since then, but she came to our house this week, and he was out on the patio so I brought her out to see him. I’ve always felt like he might have been happier if he’d stayed at her place- she has other kitties (although she says they sometimes bullied Julius), and he was able to roam around a lot more than I let him. So I’ve been worried that if he saw her again he might want to go home with her, or be sad when he couldn’t.
He kinda seemed to remember her when she went out on the patio (he was tilting his head like a dog, waiting for the brain cell to connect, I assume). He started to walk towards her, but when she talked to him and slowly put her hand down for him to sniff, he turned around, ran back to me, and sat down next to and slightly behind my leg. Like he was choosing me, or like he knew I would protect him. And my friend wasn’t upset that he wouldn’t come to her- she’s happy that he’s wary of “strangers.”
Hope everyone has a good weekend!
Of course Julius loves you best!
Julius knew the he belonged with you.
Weegies are just fabulous, and these two are particularly wonderful. N Fritz really captured their personalities with these photos.
I’m taking a little break from chores to enjoy some kitties, conversation, and WRD. George lost .2 pounds this week, though he’s eating as much as ever–I’m trying not to spiral into despair. Once the unpleasant chores are done, I can finish warping my loom and sorting my studio. Am I the only person who lets, say, skeins of yarn pile up on the counter, waiting to be photographed and added to Ravelry? Or lets them pile up in the studio, waiting to be stored in their appointed color bins? Then I have to dig through lots of stuff to find what I need–grrr.
Hugs to you all, especially if you had an interrupted night!
Deb, I sometimes have a similar problem with fabric. I’ll go in for a sale, and then let the stuff sit around in gorgeous piles for weeks before I even rinse it. This coming week will be fall fabric, which will result in a riot of colour until I get around to making.
BTW, the movie 9 to 5 is on Sunday night at 7:30pm (eastern) on ABC.
Watched it last night on Amazon (sorry). Waayyyyy ahead of its time.
As if the loss of Dolly Parton wasn’t bad enough, the unique Tim Curry died on the same day. 😥
Yeah, it was a sad week. At least the Bosnian Butcher has also departed for warmer climes (one hopes).
Late to the party today. Such gorgeous kitties, loving all the floof.
Just feeling so not motivated to do much. Day whatever of our heat wave, I think its been 7 days of 90+ heat here in SoCal, and even though I knew it was coming (having had a cool early summer), I am so done with this. I hate being cooped up in the house and not being able to go for a walk or to the museums. Only saving grace is having a pool, I’m out there early in the am or around 6 pm for laps and aerobics then I just float around for a while. So refreshing, makes me not want to get out. If I get the energy, I’ll make a small tray of granola and a coffee cake, using the toaster oven so I don’t heat up the kitchen. Maybe I’ll prep some painting canvases. Other than that I’m hibernating until sunset. Stay cool and have a good weekend all.
God makes Orange Tabbies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQASUV_X0eY
I just submitted this to Mike a few weeks ago. Or thought I did. Still love it.
So late to the party. Pretty bad few weeks work wise. Don’t want to discuss. Just want to say thank goodness for the cute. These two beauties included.
Sorry about the bad week. Hope Swee’ Pea and Butch are keeping you sane.