Some sad news...

It's taken me a week to find the brain-power to write tonight's blog post.  Or to write anything really.  However I know I need to write this before I can move on to more light-hearted Fangirl-Stitchy-ness.

A week ago I had to say goodbye to my fur-baby Skimbles.

I understand if you stop reading at that point.  I probably would.

Skimbles didn't come home last Thursday night (Thursday week I mean).  After two days of waiting, looking, and thinking he was gone for good, Skimbles appeared on the front porch Sunday morning.  I was ecstatic, very happy, and very thankful.  He looked a bit stiff and slow, but I figured that was due to being outside for two days and three nights, and that once he got inside and warmed up a bit and had something to eat, he'd be fine.

My helper cat - he helped with quilting, cross stitching,
blog-writing and playing Ticket To Ride

As the day wore on, he began to move a bit better, but still didn't look like himself.  He was hiding under the bed (well, he's probably a bit scared I thought), he was still sort of limping/dragging himself a bit (maybe he's pulled something) and he wasn't eating or using the kitty litter (well, he hasn't eaten so he doesn't need to 'go').  I'll take him to the vet in the morning, just to get him checked out I thought.  I moved the mattress off the spare bed onto the floor that night so that he could sleep next to me like he normally did - he wasn't up to climbing on the bed, and I'd missed my night-time cuddles.  I was very happy to wake up in the middle of the night to find him curdled up next to him.

Happier times...

Monday morning I rang the vet (after finding a vet - we'd only moved into the area about 6 weeks ago so I didn't have a local vet yet!) and booked an appointment.  I told the girls at work I was just taking him to get checked out, maybe get some antibiotics, I was sure he was going to be fine.

He wasn't.  

It turns out he had a tail-pull injury.  Apparently it's a relatively common injury in cats - it happens when their tail gets caught or pulled hard as they are moving in the opposite direction - for example they run out in front of a car and the car catches their tail.  Sometimes it just dislocates the tail, and sometimes it tears the nerves at the base of the tail.  These are the nerves that control the tail, the bladder and the bowel.  The reason Skimbles wasn't eating was he had a full bladder/bowel, and the reason he wasn't using the kitty litter was because he didn't have any control/function in that area.  You also can't repair the injury.

Just hanging out

And so, I had to say goodbye to my little boy.  I held him tight, told him I loved him, and stayed with him while he drifted off to sleep.  It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make.  And at the same time it was one of the easiest because I didn't want him to be in pain.  

I'm very glad that he came home Sunday morning, that we got to spend that last Sunday together, and that I moved the mattress onto the floor that night.

Hanging out with Eevee

Eevee and I are slowly adjusting.  She's been a lot more clinging and cuddly this week than she ever was before.  I still jump every time I hear a cat bell - the cat across the road has one on its collar that sounds like Skimbles' bell.  One day I'm going to frame his collar and photo, but not at the moment.

Skimbles' last photo

It's been a long week.

So it's been awhile...

It's been awhile.

8 months to be exact.

A combination of burn-out and life just getting really really really busy.

So much has happened that I haven't told you about.  So much has happened I can't remember (ordinary day-to-day stuff).  But the highlights:

- I had a stall at Oz Comic Con in Brisbane.  It was awesome!  I met so many fellow crafters and fellow geeks, gave away a lot of business cards and sold a lot of patterns. I had a fantastic weekend and am planning on doing it again this year.

My stall at Oz Comic Con, and the Ravenclaw costumes my brother and I wore

- On that note, I met Evana Lynch!  Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter.  Very cool.

Yes, she's holding my stitched Luna

- My friend and I went to the UK and Ireland for 5 weeks over Christmas.  We hit England, Ireland (North and South), Scotland and Wales.  We drove more kilometres than I can count and had an awesome time.  We visited the Harry Potter studio, made tin soldiers, and learnt about tasting whiskey.  So much fun.

Inside a snow globe, and having fun at the Lepricorn Museum in Dublin

- I've released a heap of new patterns, and spent a lot of time stitching up a storm.  I've kept Instagram and Facebook pretty up-to-date with that side of things.  If you haven't visited Fangirl Stitches on Etsy for awhile, it's probably worth a look - lots of new movie and TV show tie-ins ;)

- I also applied for (and received) a transfer.  I found out 7 days before school finished for the year, and 9 days before I flew out of the country for 5 weeks.  I got back from the UK 2 days before I started at my new school - it's an interesting experience trying to settle into a new job while you're still experiencing severe jet-lag!

Skimbles and Eevee "helping" me pack

So at the moment I'm house-hunting and sleeping in the spare-room in my Brisbane-based brothers' unit.  I'm commuting 45 minutes each way which is a shock to the system when you're used to a 2 minute trip!  But I'm enjoying the new challenges of a new job.  And hopefully soon I will have a more permanent place to live and can bring my fur-babies down to live with me (as soon as I can find somewhere pet-friendly that is - not an easy task in Brisbane, it turns out).

Because we always need more photos of my babies

Which will mean more time for stitching and blogging - stay tuned!

WIP Update

It makes quite a change to be stitching a pattern I didn't design- first non-Fangirl-Stitches piece I've worked on since January I think! I'm loving this piece- there's lots of block colours so it's quick to stitch, but still enough shading to keep it interesting. Hopefully I'll finish it next week so OzzyPip (Mum) can get started on piecing together the wall hanging.

The piece is called Advance Australia and comes from the Cross Stitch and Bead Weaving magazine.

I'm not sure if Skimbles was engrossed in my stitching and wanted to help, or if he was jealous of it and wanted the attention. Either way, he claimed my stitching arm and it took quite a bit of effort to reposition him. 

I'm off to Mackay tomorrow (4 hour drive). Unfortunately I'm travelling alone which means 8 hours of quality stitching time will be wasted. Oh well, at least I'll get to go to Spotlight and pick up some much needed supplies. 

Happy Stitching!

Wibbley Wobbley Timey Wimey Cats

This blog has taken me an age to post.  I initally wrote it just after I bought my house but before I adopted Eevee (about October 2014).  I updated it after I adopted her (early Nov 2014), then I updated it (again) after I'd adopted Skimbles (Dec 2014).  It's now March 2015 and it's still not posted.  Originally the delay was because I was trying to upload the photos.  Then the delay was because I wanted to find the links to where the pics came frome to give proper acknowledgement of ownership.  Then I had a number of other posts I wanted to upload more......... At any rate, this post is finally getting its 15 minutes of fame (once I update the introduction.... again!).






I've already mentioned here that I now own two cats: Eevee and Skimbles.  That was once of the best things about getting my own place - finally being able to have a pet for the first time since I moved out of home (2003).  I contemplated adopting a dog to try and motivate me to get fit, but I didn't think it would be very fair on the animal given the small backyard.  I know: lots of people have dogs in tiny appartments but I'm used to dogs being outside animals and I think having a predominately inside dog would rock my sensibilities.  So instead I adopted a cat or two and started the journey of becoming a mad cat lady.  

Okay.  I'll admit it.  The main reason I wanted a cat over a dog was because I got to check out all the awesome geeky cat furniture out there.  In particular the T.A.R.D.I.S. Cat Houses.

I have fallen in love with this cat climbing frame, created by astromark and found on TARDIS Builders.  It was created at a 1/2 scale size and looks amazing. I particularly love the cat bed, the inside tunnel, and the cat's name inscribed on the door lock.

Picture from TARDIS Builders

Then there is this one.  I believe it originally came from cattardis.jadbean.com but the link is no longer available.  The image comes from pinterest.  This one gives greater access for the cats, without losing the overall T.A.R.D.I.S. style.

Picture from pinterest.com

Similar to this, is this cat house created by the author of I also live on a farm:

Picture from ialsoliveonafarm

This one created by The Experimental Crafter's husband:

Picture from The Experimental Crafter

If a T.A.R.D.I.S cat house isn't your style, there are some other awesome geeky cat furniture ideas around, such as the miniature cat bedroom:

Picture from pinterest.com

Or the Middle Earth litter tray and scratching post created by Super-Fan Builds:

Picture from thinkgeek.com 

Then there are the cat-climbing bookcases:

So cute!

However, since my Dad made me a TARDIS shoe cupboard for Christmas, I think my chances of getting a TARDIS cat house are buckleys and none.  *sigh*  Except that my TARDIS shoe cupboard is the coolest thing I have ever seen.  I'll tell you all about it another time.

Happy Stitching!

New Stitching Companions

My life has change a bit over the last few months.  In October I bought a house.  The first time living in my own place, which meant that for the first time since I was a child I was able to get a pet bigger than a goldfish.  So, in November I adopted a cat.

Eevee

This is Eevee. I'm not entirely sure of her background as I adopted her through our local Pet Rescue.  They take pets from the pound, foster them, and try to find new homes for them.  Eevee was 9 months old when I adopted her and was originally called Evie.  I couldn't handle that (too boring) so changed the spelling.  Eevee is one of my favourite Pokemon so it worked out well.

Some of Eevee's favourite pastimes 

She's a bit shy with new people and doesn't really like being picked up but is very chatty, loves a scratch behind her ears and her favourite toy is a long yellow ribbon that came off a Christmas present.

However... I was worried she was lonely.  I work full time, and can be pretty busy on the weekends (or just wanting to sit and sew) so thought Eevee needed some company.

Enter Skimbles. Short for Skimbleshanks.  As in the railway cat in "Cats". (T.S. Elliott/Andrew Lloyd Webber).

Skimbles

A cat belonging to friends of mine had a litter of kittens which they were trying to adopt out.  I ummed and ahhed about it for a week or two before saying I would take one of them.  He was so cute I couldn't resist and so mid December 7-week-old Skimbles joined the family.

Skimbles in action

There's been some debate about Skimbles' sex.  My friends told me the cat was a he, I took it to the vet for his first lot of vaccinations and the vet said it was a she.  Then I wasn't so sure as it seemed the cat was developing some genitalia.  At his second round of vaccinations earlier this week the vet confirmed it - Skimbles is male. Good thing the name is pretty unisex.  I wasn't fazed either way - my only thought when I was told Skimbles was a girl was "darn, she'll be more expensive to desex" and when we went back to male was "oh good, that will save me a bit of money."

In my experience cats are notoriously hard to sex.  When I was 13 I got a little black female kitten called Zanzibar and my younger brother got a tabby male kitten called Tiger.  Only it turned out Zanzibar was a boy and Tiger was a girl.  Again, good thing the names were unisex and that we weren't too worried about the sex.

My fur babies

Back to my fur babies.  I was a little concerned when I got Skimbles that Eevee wouldn't accept him.  Eevee spent the first couple of days hissing at Skimbles and swiping at him, and I had to feed them in separate rooms because they wouldn't eat if the other was around.  However after a few days I spied Eevee licking Skimbles and I knew it would all sort out.  Within a week their food bowls were next to each other and they would occasionally curl up on the couch together.  Now they are fine, except when Skimbles wants to play and Eevee doesn't but that's younger brothers for you!

Eevee guarding us from Sadie the robo cleaner

 Eevee likes being high - I found her on the shower screen one morning! She likes sleeping in the sink, and sitting on any windowsill.  She has a particular mew that means "I've found my ribbon and want to play" and will take off around the house at a moments notice to find it.  Her other favourite toy is the squeegee I clean the shower screen with although she's never managed to catch it.  Eevee is much more affectionate since Skimbles arrived and will willingly talk to visitors, particularly if they are giving Skimbles attention.

Skimbles is a kitten so wants to play.  He likes to sit wherever Eevee is, his favourite toy is whatever Eevee is playing with, his second favourite toy is Eevee's tail, and his favourite game is 'chase Eevee around the house' (typical younger brother). He has a funny chirpy mew that doesn't sound like a mew.  Skimbles has recently developed a habit of sleeping on top of me or right next to my head and will bat my eye/ear/nose if he thinks I need to be awake.

They both have to be in whatever room I am in, including the bathroom, and will sit by the shower wondering why on earth I enjoy the water.  When they're on my bed they have to sleep touching me and get distressed if I move.  Thankfully they also both love their scratching posts, although they also like my furniture.  We're getting there.

Helping me stitch

And I love them.  Even if they make a mess, knock things off benches, and have put holes in my new furniture.

Do you have a stitching companion or two?  I'd love to hear about them.

Happy Stitching!