Bring a brush

OK so I tried pigeon spikes – you thought I was kidding didn’t you – and we had success for about three hours.

Then Sissi worked  out that – using movements perfected by Blondin – that she could delicately mince around the pigeon spikes and jump down from the gate onto the steps.

Monika noted this carefully and followed suit.

Monika surprised us all later in the evening when she spotted a neighborhood cat in our yard. She hurdled the fence and gave chase – this is Monika who would be terrified by a white mouse – and pursued it almost to the street.

So today I installed another row of pigeon spikes. There are now two parallel rows – leaving no room for mincing cats.

I am sure this will get the job done. But I am still thinking of other things just in case.

Garden lady is planting the last of our new trees today. Our garden will the be as good as it gets until we have another burst of activity next year.

The new deck is busy drying and is almost ready for painting. If anyone would like to visit in the next few weeks you will be most welcome. Bring a brush.

We feel like old timers

Adirondack chairs

My son Lenny and his wife Carmenchita have produced a son and heir – Yossarian – who weighed 3.1 kilos and was 55 centimeters long. 

He is my fourth grandchild and the only one my surname – so a lot is riding on him if the line is to survive.

Our roots do after all go back to England in the 16^th century and it would a shame for a family which produced outstanding miners, barbers and tram drivers to disappear.

We had a particularly gruesome trip to Albany - even by American standards -  but recovered after an infusion of New Zealand sauvignon blanc.

For some reason on the trip to Albany I was tagged as ‘TSA pre’ which means that I went through a special security lane and did not have to take off my shoes and belt – and could leave my computer in my bag.

Cate did not receive this special designation and was not happy.

We quite liked New York state – and Lake Placid in particular. Lake Placid does not contain a giant crocodile – that was just a story. 

But it does have lots of very large homes – which are called camps - on the lake. We took a boat tour and saw some of these.

 

Cate bought a ‘go away’ bear for reasons I have yet to fathom. It looks nothing like the bear in the photo. 

On 4 July we went to Plattsburg and watched fireworks. This is our second 4 July – we feel like old timers.

We stayed in Albany on our last night and the hotel was stuffed to the gunwales with Paul McCartney fans who were going to his concert. 

I really think it’s time he retired – after all I bought my first Beatles album in 1963. The fans in the hotel had walking sticks and Zimmer frames. 

I have some ideas

Swedish cow

Tomorrow we are going to Lake Placid for a brief sojourn with Cate’s brother and his wife. We will be there for 4 July so will miss the knees up in the apartments next door. Last year this went to 4:00 AM.

We did not get out of bed to look but it sounded like they finished the night by throwing each other through the front windows of the apartment block.

I am sure they will have fireworks and patriotic songs at Lake Placid so we will be able to enter into the spirit of things.

The back deck has been finished. We had hoped that we had made it cat proof but – and it took her some time – Monika has found that she can jump down from the gate onto the steps – and then into the garden.

We cannot sit out there and relax if we constantly have to watch the cats. Further thought is required as to how I can make escape impossible. I have a number of ideas including pigeon spikes and an electric fence.