Twinky

Oh Geisha ... London. Glad it's there, traps the tourists. Saves the rest of the country, the best bits, for the locals (LOL). Not a place I'd like to live. Nice to visit, nice to get away from. The BM is a great place and you could spend a week there and still not see it all. There is a lot of regional variety in Brit food, although there is also standard fare you can get everywhere, especially if you eat at "chains" of restaurants or pubs. And of course most "foreign" foods are also available, Indian/Pakistani, Thai, Chinese (several varieties), Japanese, Mediterranean. In larger cities you may find African or (say) gumbo or other types. Curry is said to be the most popular food in the UK. But you can't beat my roast lamb, roast potatoes, and fresh seasonal veges. Maybe followed by home-made apple crumble. Mouthwatering. And I only have pasta tonight. :(

Okay, so Tuxy...is in disgrace. Bad cat. Saturday I was out all day, came in, cats hungry but food still in their bowl, both quite fussy and friendly and affectionate, rubbing around me; managed to pick Tuxy up and she settled on my lap. Took her to my door and collected and read my mail. Made a short phone call. Friend arrived. Cat escaped. Food still in bowl. Friend sat on couch, I went near couch to where wine glasses are stored. Surprised Tuxy at side of armchair sitting unusually...peeing. I mopped it up and scrubbed the carpet with bio washing stuff. And then I gave them some fresh catbix AND PUT THE BOWL RIGHT OVER THE WET SPOT. Crypto didn't have any difficulty in helping herself and ate normally. But every bit of Tuxy's body language was that she hated to be doing this. She was disgusted. She couldn't stand it. She cringed away from it. But the food bowl is staying there - well until she pees elsewhere and it has to go in that location. Now she does not like me, will not let me touch her, will eat from my fingers if it's tasty enough but otherwise ignores me, won't play or will only play after much provocation... Still follows me about and whines with that piercing whine... Maybe I was at fault, should have fondled them a little (if they'd let me touch them) or played with them a little, and perhaps given them some fresh food as soon as I came in. But it is still not "normal" for Tuxy, to pee because she thinks she is ignored or fondled (not ignored enough!). She definitely knows better and it was sheer naughtiness, as far as I can tell. Treat the place like a toilet - she can jolly well eat in the toilet. If she doesn't like it, she can go to the Cats' Home and live there.

Mark, that comment deserves to be in Groaners!

Hey, Brit food can be very good. Bonfire Night: is what ist's usually known as. Guy Fawkes Night doesn't really cut it. People build bonfires and put effigies on the top (symbolising the burning at the stake of GF and his comrades in an unsuccessful deadly Catholic plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament). So bonfires are lit and fireworks (symbolising the gunpowder that was to blow up the Houses of Parliament) are let off. But probably for many, they don't recognise the symbolism. In more recent years, bonfires have become unfashionable, and public fireworks displays are more common. HP sauce: good stuff. Even nicer is Beetop but that is rare even in the UK. The tuna baked spud sounds horrible. Not sure I would feed it to my cats. Not sure what Americans would call treacle. It's a cane sugar derivative. Maybe molasses. We also have syrup, which is a golden variety, less thick, still sticky. You could use that instead. Or any other kind of treacly-syrupy thing - would be a waste for maple syrup though. Now if you are visiting the UK and want a reasonably priced meal: try the British pub. There is so much competition nowadays for money and zero tolerance of drink-driving, so pubs, especially country pubs, have diversified and often offer extremely good value wholesome fare at reasonable prices. Cheaper than more trad restraurants, but not such luxurious surroundings. My "local" is a country pub about a mile away. It makes a nice stroll of an evening, through fields or country lanes. Nice views on the way. Pub has a garden which is very pleasant in the summer. In the autumn and winter, beverages cn be enjoyed in the bar or lounge of this tiny 16th century pub, snuggled up to the huge inglenook fires. Duck your head under the massive oak beams, and you'll be all right. Has the usual range of normal beers and also serves (this being "the West Country") ciders. Usually a guest beer and a guest cider. The great thing about this pub is that it has a great chef. The menu is quite small and changed every month. Ingredients are all fresh, and sourced locally - the menu tells you where the veges are from, and who supplies the meat or poultry (if not shot in the nearby fields - pheasant, say, and rabbit). Everything I've had there has been delicious and beautifully presented. Afterwards you could play pub games (dominoes, card games, darts). And the mile walk home is just enough to let the drinks go through so that you can enjoy an undisturbed night's sleep. Oh, I meant to say - feel free to keep the marmite sandwiches. It's something you either love or hate. And I don't love it... I grew up in the town where it derives from (it's a by-product of the brewing industry). After I'd left home, on the train back I always knew when it was time to start gathering my things. When I could smell the town... but no more. Pretty much all gone now.

Okay, folks, it was my comment "landslide" that got this started as a "political" row, though others picked up on it and made it so. All I meant was, that this new Prez has a significant mandate. None of the recounting of previous elections. He is clearly the "winner" no matter how the votes are counted. I didn't mean it to be argumentative or political, it's just pleasing to see that he has a clear majority. If you would like to replace "landslide victory" with "clear majority" - okay, let's just let bickering over words drop away, leave WD alone, and get on with comment or congratulations.

Hey you guys, it was good to talk to you by phone, wish I could have been at the BBQ with you. Had ma own big steak and a bottle of red wine... hence not ringing you back later (well, there is a big time difference!). And I promise you I was wearing my Cafe T-shirt, just to show solidarity!

Jeff, I think you're doing about as well as can be expected. Matrimonial separations are difficult at the best of times, and often get treated as "possessions" to be handled in some arbitrary manner. With the added complication of cult-abuse as well, it is horrendous. Your son will see the difference between you and the people his mum hangs out with. Always encourage him to speak to you openly and never disparage what he says. You can let him know (as you do) that you disagree with others' behavior - even his, if necessary - but without making it nasty. It's really your opportunity to show "no condemnation" to him. Be ready to take immediate action if you think he is being abused - physically, sexually. Let him know this, without of course encouraging him to make things up. How old is the lad?

And actually, why shouldn't he? Sometimes an opinion from a different POV is what's needed. And just because a person has a different politican POV doesn't mean that he/she isn't patriotic, a good worker, and cannot think. (A bit like Waybrain only seeing what it wants to see, really, when there are really committed Christians of other backgrounds out there doing the Lord's work.) It has been said that politicians of any party have more in common with each other than with the people they are supposed to represent.

I put a note in the topic in Open, the topic started by Brushie. It's just gone Bonfire Night (5 November) and no doubt people will be having bonfire parties over the weekend. Tis the traditional time for baked potatoes (done in the oven, but very traditionally done by wrapping up and placing in the bonfire embers) and bonfire toffee, thick, sticky and tough on the teeth. A good evening out: poking at the bonfire, letting off a few fireworks, then inside for hot drinks, soup, crusty bread and the baked potatoes. Then the next day kids go out and collect the rocket sticks, remains of bangers and other fireworks, and keep this smelly collection in their bedrooms till their mums have had enough and throw it in the rubbish. (This part does not have any traditional food accompaniments.)

The election result has been really well received in the UK. Black communities here have especially enjoyed it, and there is nothing like the polarisation of black/white here, compared to in the USA. One headline reads: "He's black, from a single parent, so what excuse is there now?" pulled from a longer quote reading: "He's a black man, from a single parent background, so what excuse do these kids [drug dealers whose excuse is that they are from single-parent black families] have now? Obama know what it feels like for people to say, 'You're no good' and to prove them wrong." It's not just the black community in the UK which is delighted with this result, lots of whites and Asians are, too. This man has so very much to deal with in the months and years ahead. Eight years of greed to sort out. War. Financial complications. International expectations. I do hope that the excitement at his election does not quickly turn to anger as he attempts to tackle the huge problems in front of him, to which there are no quick, let alone instant, answers. He and his prospective administration tem certainly need those prayers that Mark mentions.

Sorry, WG, my post earlier was a bit misleading. I know you didn't say those words, you were quoting from the book/book review and you were not advocating this wicked behavior. (Problem with words but no gestures...) Guess I should have said, "He WHAT????!!!!! to a child?????" (not "you what") Still though. No, I haven't heard of this particular abuser.

Hi NowISee. Yes, I've thought about a kitty aviary sort of thing. A sort of generously sized rabbit run might do it. Longterm goal is for them to be outdoor cats but they are so very nervous that if something scared them I am not entirely sure they wouldn't run off and not return. They cannot be caught except with great difficulty, and that's in any room in my house - never mind outside. Remember these cats are so scared that it was three months before I even saw one of them; life behind the fridge was The Best for her. Other spent three weeks behind the cabinet housing radio and other stuff before I caught a glimpse of her. Plan is to familiarise them with the outside of the house (smells, etc) for a while before I let them out. I will ultimately cut a cat door in the door so that they can get in and out at will. Holes in wall inappropriate, walls are 18 inches thick of solid stone. Hole in window inappropriate as double glazed, sealed units. I've used a water pistol with another cat when it misbehaved, like attacking furniture. However the "punishment" has to be meted out at the time of offence otherwise not associated, and I've only caught Tuxy physically in the act once. A success story with Crypto. Yesterday I thought I heard a miaow from her. Today I got a miaow at midday (demanding food) and another early evening (likewise). I responded immediately so as to encourage her. Then this evening I came in and they were milling around. I opened a sachet of cat food and they were both there, and many distinct miaows from Crypto. It seems so strange and slightly shocking, seeing this bright pink mouth opening and shutting in her densely black face. But definite noises, not her chirruping sounds.

You WHAT????!!!!! to a child?????

Am pleased about that. Landslide victory too. None of this recounting business. Here's wishing him well.

Somehow it's never occurred to me to put "love" and Chris Geer in the same thought. Huh, what a bizarre idea.

For goodness sake get rid of Bush wannabes.

Biological washing powder or liquid has enzymes in it that are supposed to break down organic material, specifically, body stuff like sweat, urine, excrement (kids or incontinence, anyone?) and will also remove everyday stains, fat and dirt more easily from the laundry. So perfect for dealing with kids and cats, as it should break down the urine and completely remove the smell and remove the temptation to do it again in the same area. They don't have any difficulty in using the litter tray. They do drink a lot so use the tray a lot and if it is not up to their standards, they will either wee directly in the bath (the tray is by their choice in the bath) or Tuxy will come and yell her head off at me until I work out what she wants and deal with it. As it's a white carpet I keep a square of some other carpeting on it just where a foot often goes to get elsewhere. One day I was in my kitchen and moved towards the sitting area and Tuxy moved away very smartly. I looked down and there was fresh wet on the little carpet square, which I found strange as I didn't recall spilling anything. It was only when I went to mop it up that I realised she had done it right there and then, practically under my nose. And then jumped away, looking all innocent. Grr!!!!! Any other suggestions, anyone?

Well you could always add some birthday greetings on the thread in Open.

Now I see, I put my recipe on your thread on In the Kitchen, too. It's dead easy.

GC, two interesting recipes. Both make the sauce separately. The recipe I posted includes it as part of the whole process so the pudding is deliciously sticky (as demonstrated at last year's Texas BBQ). Video Jug is pretty cool for recipes. They are usually simple and it's nice that they show you all the weapons you'll need to make the recipe. Sometimes they go into overkill and it's always worth a look at the comments underneath the recipe to see what others have thought if they have tried this particular method.

Sticky Toffee Pudding (This is a totally weird looking recipe, especially the bit about making the sauce. But "stick" with it!) The recipe is pretty good natured and flexible in the amounts. For Americans, please note 1 oz is about 25g and 500ml is about 22 oz liquid, rather more than a US pint. For the sponge: 100g dark muscovado sugar 175g Self Raising flour 125ml full fat milk 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla extract (I never bother) 50g unsalted butter For the sauce: 200g dark muscavado sugar 25g unsalted butter in blobs 500ml boiling water Preheat oven to Gas Mark 5/190deg C and butter a 1 1/2 litre (3 pint?) capacity pudding dish. Combine 100g sugar with flour in large bowl. Pour the milk into a measuring jug, beat in the egg, vanilla and melted butter and then pour over sugar and flour, stirring with a wooden spoon to combine. Put into dish. Sprinkle over the 200g sugar and dot with butter. Pour over the boiling water and transfer carefully to the oven. Set timer for 45 minutes, though pudding may need 5 or 10 minutes more. Top of pudding should be springy and spongy when it's cooked, underneath is a rich sticky sauce. ================================================ Comment: You will need a fairly large dish as the water on top stands proud before it's cooked; and the mixture rises quite a lot after cooking. We made this with chopped up dates mixed into the sponge mixture, which added a really delicious flavour. No doubt other fruits (sultanas?) or perhaps nuts could be added to give extra interest to the flavour. The vanilla essence could be substituted for coffee or other essence to complement other fruits and the taste of the sticky toffee sauce.

I put a recipe for Sticky Toffee Pudding on this forum about a year ago. I will see if I can post a link. That's when I find the recipe.

Okay, here is my problem. Tuxedo likes to wee on the carpet. I had a nice red carpet that someone gave me, in the same area. I think that may have been urinated on by a previous animal. Anyway Tuxy started to creep behind the armchair and wee on it. I would clean it up as soon as I realised but she obviously did it a lot more than I'd noticed and eventually I had to throw the carpet away. I cleaned the area very thoroughly - surface is those plastic/laminate fake wood floorboards. I washed with floor cleaner, scrubbed and left to soak in biological wash powder, rinsed off and sprayed with bleach, rinsed off and sprayed with vinegar (to kill the smell of the bleach). So there shouldn't have been any residual smell. I now have a nice white carpet, very good quality, nice and thick. And she sneaks off and does a little watering of that from time to time. This carpet, though smaller, is heavy and would be difficult to wash. I could leave it to soak in the bath for a while but there are obvious difficulties in drying it. I don't think it is wool, but it probably has a proportion of wool in it. The slight smell of cat wee isn't inviting or pleasant on opening the door into the house. This has got to be a bit of a habit; it is not because she doesn't know where the litter tray is. She does, and uses it properly. This is either "marking" as the dominant cat, or stress (separation? boredom? fear?). If either of them is stressed, it ought to be Crypto, as Tuxy attacks and chases her for no reason other than playfulness (probably not perceived as such by Crypto!) but Crypto is not the culprit. No reason to suppose there are any health issues. Websites suggest putting a litter tray in the area but I don't want to do that because it is in the "sitting" area of my room and I don't want to encourage either of them to use it for a regular toilet. I put a strong smelling product supposed to deter cats down in the area and she just did it on top of the smelly stuff. I understand it might be a stress-related thing but she will sneak off and do it while I am there, not just when I am away for a few hours. Does anyone have any suggestions, before Tuxy (at least) gets turned into a pair of winter mittens?

Suggest you wash it well before using...the oregano, that is.

My cats are now two years old. My Halloween cats... that's when they were born. Crypto is still unhandled. Well, unless you count the one occasion when I picked her up and she was soooo scared and tore me up in her desire to get away. Yet she enjoys a neck scratch/fondle and loves to be near me. Tuxy can occasionally be grabbed and made to settle on my lap. She loves her neck being scratched and blisses out once she has relaxed. Once captured, she will eventually settle (ten minutes?) on my lap and then she will start "needling" my arm and purring. And then suddenly she realises she is enjoying it and leaps up to get away. Tuxy has the most persistent high-pitched mew when she wants something. This is accompanied by her peering intently into my face. Then it is a guess as to what she wants. Usually food, water, or to have the litter tray cleaned. Today, however, it was because she wanted to play. Crypto makes happy chirruping sounds which may or may not relate to what she is amusing herself with. But for the first time yesterday she gave a tiny mew when I was about to eat my evening meal. And tonight I heard a tiny shy mewing sound but it wasn't Tuxy's persistent whine, but rather deeper, so perhaps Crypto is finding a voice at last. I have had the harness on Tuxy one more time and left it on her for a while. I have not been tried to take her outside, perhaps that was too many new experiences all at once. She is not keen at all on the harness. She must be giving off bad "fear smells" - something I don't pick up on - but when she is nervous or frightened, she may remain still but Crypto will set herself off hissing and arching her back at me. Very odd. They have refused the food they usually eat (supermarket generic kibble) but devoured a free sample of the most expensive Purina One. So now they are on Go-Cat which they think is lovely. They eat three times as much of this as their other kibble. Guess I musta been starving them. Or maybe they have the confidence to be picky. What was nice recently was that a friend who I don't see often came round to visit, and both cats showed themselves readily and sniffed at his clothing and shoes. They wandered around with tails happily erect and not hiding at all. It doesn't seem much, but that's the yardstick that I have to measure by. My friend was amazed and said it was the first time he had really seen them; they have usually been rushing to the nearest hiding place. I have a problem with them which I will post separately.