Jingle Doll.

We were pretty lucky last year to have a ready-made Christmas card thanks to the snow the previous year. The tradition of sending cards, even if we're not quite at the stage where we're getting lots in return is something that I still pride myself in, and I was really proud of last year's cards and the 'milestone' they represented.

This year required a little more thinking but resulted in quite a few gratuitous Dolly photographs, always a good thing, naturally.




Dolly's real 'baffled by life' face. ♥


Every Christmas it seems bokeh 'tips' pop up all over the place and making one of those cut-out shapes has been on my list for a while but I reckon doing with just the macro effect has worked out pretty swell. I had thought about heading down to Hobbycraft and picking glitter and pipecleaners, but Photography is kind of my thing so I guess that might have to wait another year.

As we're kind of on the subject of Doll, or at least looking at her, I'm a bit sad that I had to throw her snazzy sparkley red collar away in favour of a proper prescription flea collar. The fleas just weren't going with the Frontline spot-on treatment and she was so fidgety and unhappy - so a trip the vet was in order and that was the end of that.

PRO-CAT-OWNER TIP: Flea collars you get in any shop without a prescription from your vet don't work, which is why they only cost between £2-5 and this one cost me £40 (IKR, what?!). Apparently the flea poison used on them is also poisonous to cats, which means they use the most minimum amount, making for a pretty collar but an ineffective flea treatment. With the last one I had I even found a family of dancing fleas underneath it when checking her so it clearly did nothing.
It's unlikely that the flat will be completely flea-free for around 3 months but as the collar lasts 8 months PLUS the spot-on treatment of Advocat I got from the vet, Dolly should be well covered and be the flea-killing machine she should have been right from the start in October.

Dolly @ 3.

If my calculations are correct, Dolly turns 3 this month. It's a bit lame that I can only guess her birthday rather than know it but I figured she deserved another update all the same.

At 3, Dolly now enjoys making herself less white and sleeping on the sofa. She still loves playing with paper bags and string, trying to steal donuts and following me into the bathroom every morning.

She's now really affectionate and as needy as she can be for her, especially if you're first home from work - not something that's going to happen for a little while. Our biggest milestone in our relationship is that she now purrs and comes when she's called (sometimes). She's still breaking Moon's heart by ignoring him when I'm around but I'm now so much more tuned in to her selective hearing.

I wouldn't be without her and it's great to see that she's still maturing and what she's like as a grown up.

My Furry Friend Tag :: Reintroducing Dolly

There's not nearly enough Doll-talk on here recently and although her face crops up occasionally, I wouldn't blame you if you didn't know I even had a cat.

When I first got Dolly, I feel like I talked about her constantly but as time has gone on and she's become more free to roam outside and I've become more busy, I guess we just spend less time together than we did. That isn't to say we don't spend quite a bit of time together, I'm just not unemployed any more. Coming home have her nuzzle me for a good 15 minutes before she realises she's supposed to be indifferent to me is pretty nice and most weekends when we're at home, she's usually hovering somewhere so we're definitely still buds.

I just think she needs her presence brought back here a little more, she's a big part of my life, right? So when I saw Jen from Bows, Bangles and Bakes had done something called a My Furry Friend Tag, I thought it was perfect. Naturally, it fell by the wayside as it was a few months ago now but it's stuck with me and as I'm trying to make a bit more of an effort to be more varied recently, now seems like as good a time as any.

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What is your pet’s name?
Dolly

What kind of pet are they and what breed?
She's a cat and there might be some kind of Turkish Van in her but the vet is pretty sure she's just a moggie.

How long have you had your pet?
2 Years 7 Months.

How did you get your pet?
My mum called me up and said the chefs for her restaurant had had a little cat come into their house and it was scraggly and gross but if I met it and wanted it I could have it - otherwise it would be going to the RSPCA. When I got to their house, it was love at first sight, she even came up to shake my hand, something she still does occasionally with new visitors.


How old are they?
We think Doll was around 4 months when we found her so she's probably 3 years old in September. I usually celebrate her 'Gotcha Day' as I actually know when that is.

What are some quirky things about your pet’s personality?
She's aloof and needy all at the same time. She wants to be near you but just out of arm's reach - so you know, like how most people think cats are really. She can be sweet though and she is pretty simple I guess, she has also never ever scratched me or anyone she's met.


What does your relationship with your pet mean to you?
There's no doubt about it that she knows I'm the one who takes care of her and I'm a pretty darn good cat mum if I do say so myself. Obviously she means a lot, I like being her favourite human in the house and even if she's recently discovered another way to show her affection is to bring us mice and baby birds, it's just nice to have her around.

What are some of your favourite past times with your pet?
We play chase quite a bit, and she loves this laser pointer we got her. A bit of string will easily amuse our Doll, but having her there when I wake up on one of those rare occasions I've sneaked an afternoon nap and find her napping with me is the sweetest.


What are nicknames that you call your pet?
Doll, Little Doll, Little Cat, Little Owl, Goose, Gross Girl.

Favourite toy?
It changes all the time, as most things do with cats. She has an old troll doll that she likes to throw around, and one of Moon's softballs. Like I said, she loves string. What usually happens is she'll play with something for ages and then hide it somewhere so we can't play with it with her, then she finds it again and repeats. Life as a cat is simple and good.

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If you're interested in seeing a bit more of Doll's little owl face, she definitely features a lot more over on my Instagram (@intoruth), usually in great sleeping positions. ♥

Two Years with Little Doll.

Happy 2nd Gotaversary, Dolly!

I can't believe that two years have gone by so quickly. It feels like Dolly came into my life at a really important, exciting time and she's made certain things feel easier.

We've moved together, we sleep together and we talk to other - mainly about how hungry she says she is.

She still has a naughty kitten face, still eats all around her, still occassionally tears up all the toilet paper and still only likes to be stroked on her terms. Perhaps that last one is just cats but coming from having a family cat who can't get enough of anyone who'll pay her the slightest bit of affection, it's still a bit strange for me.



I can't believe how much she's actually grown and I haven't even noticed, I'm hoping this is the year she actually likes me a bit more. I guess she's a lot more vocal than she was and she does get crazy-purry-affectionate when I get home from work for all of 5 minutes. She likes to sleep a bit more than she did, especially on our bed and although she comes to kneed us as soon as the sun comes up she's really never anything but sweet.



I do feel a little hesitant of her adventures further afield than our garden but I guess it can't be helped. I'm so happy she's here and is a source of almost constant entertainment, so happy second year to my favourite little Doll - I can't wait to see the small changes in you.

365 before 25 – One.

To come to terms with the fact I'll be hitting a whole quarter of a century next year, I thought I'd make a special effort to document it - I guess even more than usual along with everything else. I did almost manage to do one once before but didn't quite make it, I think sharing it on a monthly basis will allow me to keep up with it a little better.

I feel with practice it can only help to improve my photography further and really like photo challenges, whether it's my Photo An Hours or The FMS Photo A Day, I like the idea of having set parameters and guidance sometimes and even though there's not particular theme with this Project 365, I'm looking forward to carrying on with it as I have been.

Good Cat Parenting and Other Things.

Who would have thought that it's only September, I had to have the light on when baking at 4:30 in the afternoon yesterday, and we've had the heating on. We're definitely ready for a bit of hibernation, as demonstrated by our 11:30am wake-ups on Saturday and Sunday. I feel a little guilty I suppose, but boy oh boy was it good to relax(!)

I'm so glad we decided not to do anything over the weekend, not just because we're saving money and we kind of needed it after packing the last two weekends with returning from a holiday, a family party and a trip up to London, but also because I've felt like a pretty negligent cat-mum.

The cat litter doesn't live there, I was too excited to play with Doll and hadn't put it away yet...

I think I've been forgiven slightly now and I've really seen a change in my sweet Doll in the last few days. I guess that because I see her as independent and she can be a little aloof, it's made me feel like she doesn't care that much, but her sitting with us during the day and curling up with us at night tell a different story. After a couple of treats and some fancier than usual cat food, I feel a little better about leaving her and as she'll have me again next weekend, I'm sure she'll be sick of my over-affection by then and be glad I'm not always up in her face.


We had lunch at The Taco Shop on Saturday. By far the best burrito I've ever had and look at the size of Moon's chicken taco. So tasty and such a great atmosphere for such a reasonable price, it's firmly made itself one of my favourite places to eat in Newbury.


Doll killed her old scratching post months ago, so we treated her to a brand new one. We were almost worried she'd be more interested in the box but she got to using it straight away.



Cute mini-gourds and pumpkin display at Saddleback Farm Shop, a new find from yesterday, it turned out to be the place with the corn maze that Moon had been bugging me about all summer(!)





I gave Rosie from Cider With Rosie's banana cake recipe a go, because drizzly weather is perfect for making something to go with a cup of tea - you should definitely try it, best banana cake I've ever made!



Although it would have been nice to take advantage of the extra time a weekend provides and do a slow-cooked roast, this pizza had been in my mind's eye for days. I do a pretty mean homemade pizza, all following a recipe I found on good ol' Pinterest, amazing what you can do with a little flour, yeast and warm water...
This weekend was about sleeping in, napping anyway, shopping at the market, picking out nice gifts for friends, driving in the rain, new recipes, catching up on TV shows and lighting my candles for the first time in weeks.

Seems to be a pattern with me, I'm either doing to much and forget to slow down or I slow down too much and am mega-lazy - I did get all my chores done though, so I'm totally ready take this week on with both hands, bring it(!)

Me, Myself and the cat.

It is pretty great to do things at your own pace sometimes without having to think about anyone else, yeah, I'm one for being a little selfish every now and then now. Here are some pictures from the weekend:


Such a dork, and always so helpful. Thanks for helping put the guest bed sheets away, Doll.


A little bit in love with the Flaming Katie our friends Tom and Matt bought us when they came to visit looks like it's really grown since we got it too, so exciting!


Feels like we're actually successfully growing flowers in the garden now, we have two of these badboys now. All we need to do next is sort out all the weeds and the garden will be just right.



Eating dinner at 9pm because I feel like it.



I picked up a couple of new plants for the house and potted them in new pots. I will definitely have to pop back to Wilko for some more, they'll be great for seeing that my money plants continue to grow.


Using spices in my spice rack that I've never used or thought about using before.


Home-made mango salsa (the colours!) ♥


For Moon's home-coming I made salmon tacos adapted from Design Love Fest's recipe, and boy were they a hit. I can't believe how well they worked and it's something I'd actually really like to share with our friends and family - a pretty big deal for seeing as I don't really like cooking for anyone other than Moon and I.


My beloved S3 has been sent to temporary Phones4U heaven for a little while, fingers crossed it will home safe in a couple of weeks. In the mean time I have nothing to 'instasnap' on, so I've gone back to just my camera, which I actually like a whole lot more because under it all and my instaddiction, I hate that most people's cameras are their phones now - the smallest of pet peeves but it still niggles at me occasionally, like that dumb advert where that girl is just strolling about with her 'digital scrapbook', get a real camera, you dick.

I guess only good can come from not constantly scrolling through social networks on the go, but then there's still my tablet and my laptop. Telephone call-wise though, it's back to the dark ages of the landline, call me?

Cat Bothering.

*Insert gratuitous speil about cute cat here*I don't think I'm ever going to get bored of my little lady, she's truly got her own personality, I just hope she's accommodating to her cat-sitters (my Gran & sister) while we're away. Her insistance on waking us up really early just for a cuddle and being super-excited that we're home from work but not really being bothered with us any other time apart from when we need chasing or to feed her, she's still far from boring.



I don't really understand people who are cat or dog 'people', I think because generally I'm an 'animal person', but I know somewhere (even if it is deep down) she feels something for us.

I know he wouldn't admit it, but there are times Moon feels as smitten with her as I am. Now she's completely calmed down and we're used to her quirks, he loves nothing more than a play fight with her and she's usually more than happy to play along.


♥