An Ulterior Motive

All my cat yoga and athletic training is really paying off. I've just managed to climb all the way up on top of the dragon bird bath.

It was a stretch and at one point I really didn't think I was going to make it, no matter how much encouragement River was giving me.

Of course she had an ulterior motive, she wanted a lift up as well.

Sorry I may be a lot stronger than I was just a month ago but there's no way I'll be able to heave up your weight all on my own. I wonder if I could teach her to climb?

Cats and Dogs - Another Side

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Om

Om.

Om.

Om.

Nothing like bit of cat yoga.

Ommmmmmm!

She Obviously Had Another Plan!

Hey River, fancy a little evening chat?

She obviously had another plan!

Cats and Dogs - Another Side

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Not That Way

No, not that way. That's not the way out the front. Well it is the most direct route but I don't think I'm adept yet at climbing such a fragile structure.

Now if somehow I can just double my highest jump to date I can make it clean over.

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Or Something Will Be Going On In The Land Of Birds!

I swear that fly is in cohorts with the birds around here. If it's not one of them trying to wind me up then it's another. 

I can hear their little laughs, ringing softly in my ear, itching it!

Watch it little birdie or something will be going on in the Land of Birds! 

Best Foot Forward

Hey River, you coming to watch me?

Best foot forward!

Urgh. *Stretch and pull*

Well that was harder than it looked!

I'm Off Adventuring!

That's it, I've this garden totally memorised, now I'm off adventuring!

Through the fence, past the blackberries. It's fabulous over there, I'm going exploring.

Oh! Didn't think that plan through properly. How on earth am I going to make it back through?

More To It Than It At First Seemed!

This rock up here at the back of the garden by the tree is the perfect spot to sit and blend into the background. It's give you chance to watch the worm, after all the gold stuff happening in the garden yesterday I've been on high alert, watching seeing if anything else changes.

Nothing so far, I even went right up to the worm to see if he moved but he didn't. 

Still I'm going to be keeping my eyes peeled this afternoon, this gardens got more to it than it at first seemed!

Then Something Quite Unusual Happened!

Noise and consternation, I had to escape into the garden, Daddy's got his box of tools out, I've learnt to keep out the way.

River was supervising Daddy pottering in the garden and I asked her if she fancied stretching her legs. Apparently sitting on your bum is quiet an exhausting activity and she decide to stay where she was, so off exploring I went.

I'm getting quiet good at this garden lark, I've investigated most of it now and know the layout almost by heart.

Then something quite unusual happened!

I was up in the Peace Garden, I thought I'd ask The Wiseman some advice on solving this riddle posed to me by Greego, when I could have sworn I heard some sort of a strange cry coming from the top of the water bath at the same time the sun burst through the clouds and bleached my sight for a moment.

I got closer to the water bath, was something moving on it, for a second I could have sworn one of the dragons blinked, but that can't be, the whole thing is made of concrete, no my eyes were definitely playing me up, that sun light burst.

I turned to go that when I noticed, something has changed the time machine, it's top now sparked gold.

I went to move closer to get a better look but to my left, there coming out of the ground, the worm was also now gold all over.

I didn't know what was happening and got very scared and ran as fast as I could indoors, as I ran another flash of gold glinted in the left eye, I didn't stop to look.

After I was safely inside and my courage found my heart again I steeped back out to see what it was that I'd just run by and there in the ground was some strange markings.

I don't know what they mean but they must be linked to the gold time machine and the now gold worm. Mystery after mystery around here these days. 

Cats and Dogs - Another Side

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Secrets & Riddles

"I'll make a trade with you Greego." Greego looked at me and smiled, he was sitting on the table near the back door, the place with the best view over all the garden.

"A trade?" This time his face could be read so easily, a star sparkled in his eye, it was working I'd got his attention.

"Yes that's right, a trade." I sat and licked my paw, I didn't want to rush I wanted to build up a sense of anticipation.

"You tell me what you mean when you said earlier gotcha and I'll tell you a secret."

His mind was working overtime, weighing up the pros and cons or entering into such a deal. I knew Pixie's couldn't lie so I knew if he just accepted the trade I'd get my honest answer. To win with Greego I was learning you just had to tempt him and what's more tempting than the promise of a secret being revealed.

"What's this secret about?" His neck stretched like Nadia's moving his face a centimetre nearer to mind.

"Now that's a secret." I teased, I was having fun with this and could see he was trying to trick me into revealing before he made the agreement and was bound in to tell the truth.

"How will I know if it's worth such a trade?" He was really trying , OK this was turning out like a game of chess.

I looked his straight in the eye with the most serious face I could muster.

"You don't!"

Sometimes less is more as Daddy says.

Greego thought for a couple of moments, whatever he meant by gotcha he didn't want to reveal readily. I could sense tension in the air, a ticking mind clock but would be gamble.

Greego then turned to me and smiled.

"I have a counter offer for you." Ok this really was turning into a game of chess.

"If you can solve a riddle I put to you then I will accept your offer and hear your secret and tell you what I mean, if however you get the answer wrong, then I'll just hear your secret and keep mine to myself. If you don't want to accept that's fine then we'll leave it for today and both enjoy the weekend. The choice is yours." Greego smiled and rubbed his hand across his chin.

Damn he'd turned the table and put the ball back in my court, now it was my turn to make a decision. How much did I want to know what he meant? Obviously a lot or I wouldn't have been spending all this time trying to outwit him when he'd managed to do it to me quiet easily. I had a lot to learn when it came to dealing with Pixie's.

I guess I had nothing to lose, I'd managed to solve his riddles before, the odds were stacked in my favour if we went by the past.

"Is there a time limit? I mean can I go away and think about it for a while?"

"Oh yes, take all the time you want, I'm in no hurry."

Great just the answer I was hoping for, if I was going to take him up on his challenge I didn't want to rush an answer I really wanted to make sure I had a good one. I turned to Greego and nodded.

"OK then, I accept."

Greego sat back and giggled.

"What's comes and goes and goes and comes and yet has not a clue,
Something that comes and yet had gone another clue for you?"

WHAT! Oh my head.

Paranoid

"What do you mean Gotcha?" I had finally caught up with Greego, sitting on a rock amongst the flowers in the Peace Garden. It had taken me hours to locate him. He certainly knew how to make himself blend into the background.

He looked at me and smiled, that smile that never betrayed his real emotions.

"Nothing little cat, I think you are being a tad paranoid!" He moved in and sniffed a red flower.

"I don't think I am." He was playing games me with I could tell, us cats are clever creatures.

"That's the trouble with paranoia. It makes you paranoid." Greego laughed and hopped back on his magic carpet.

"Come on little cat. Catch me if you can!"

He'd thrown down the gauntlet, a challenge, a silly mistake to make with a cat. We never back down from a challenge.

Up in the air the magic carpet went and off towards the roses bushes it flew.

I could have chased after it but that wouldn't have really solved what I needed to do. Oh no I needed to play Greego at his own game, get inside his mind, trick him back. Now this could be fun, I just needed a way to entice him. I know I'll retire to a nice shady spot and have a think, no need to hurry this, nah if I was to play Greego at his own game I knew I'd need to outsmart him and I had the inklings of a cunning plan brewing in my mind, it just needed honing before I put it into operation.

Gotcha!

"Greego? Greego?" I called out, "Greego, where are you?"

I'd been up into the secret room to see him but he wasn't there, I was guessing with his magic carpet he was off somewhere in the house exploring but I just couldn't find him.

"Greego?"

A whoosh of wind and Greego riding high on his magic carpet flew in through the open back door and crash landed on the chair next to me.

"Yip?" He smiled, bowed and spun around in a circle once on his big toe.

"Greego."

"Oh please stop calling my name I'm here, what is it you want, I was busy in the garden?"

"I was just wondering what you were up to I've not seen you for ages?"

Greego looked at me, raised his eye and smiled.

"You love me, you love me." He danced around, hopping from one foot to the other.

He stared at me straight in my eye, a very intense and serious look;

"Gotcha!" His carpet lifted up horizontally about a foot and flew straight back out the back door.

What on earth did he mean gotcha? I got up and followed to see if I could get an answer form him but he was gone, disappeared somewhere outside. I only wanted to chat, everyone was in bed and I was feeling a bit lonely but now he'd got me thinking, could I really trust anything this Pixie said or did?

Rummaging In The Dirt

Hey hang on a minute...

...what's River up to rummaging in the dirt?

Let me have a look little one.

Oh it's only Nadia, thought it was some buried treasures or something she'd found!

Let's see if I can get in there with her, it would make a great garden hiding place.

Ouch, thorny!

You're welcome to it all by yourself Nadia, not a pleasant experience at all!

Cats and Dogs - Another Side

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A Lovely Fellow

I don't know what's wrong with the cats around here, they are so confusing in their behaviour.

George has always made me feel very welcome and is proving to be a very good friend, although I've not seen him for a few days.

Mogsie was a little cautious, I think, of me to begin with but I've been assured he's a lovely fellow and he's started to come closer to me recently, but now I've just seen that other cat Chameleon crossing Tiny's pathway and as soon as he saw me he stopped still, frozen in his tracks, stared at me for a minute not even blinking before changing direction and going in completely the opposite way.

I only want to make friends!

An Extra Spring In My Step

Let me make this nice and clear for everyone to understand. I HATE the box.  I hate everything about it, and today Daddy puts me back in it again.

I had to go and see the Doctor to see how I'm doing after my operation last week. I could have told them if only they'd asked that everything was hunky dory but oh no they decide they need an experts opinion, which only served to back up everything I knew, everything was healing lovely.

Do they not see, I've got an extra spring in my step?

Still I over heard I've not got to go back again, I swear I'm going to find a way to destroy that thing!

A Breakthrough?

Mosie has just come over the road and sat on the rockery giving the occasional look my way. He only stayed a minute or so but it's the first time that I can remember him being this close to the house since I moved in. Could this be a breakthrough? I certainly hope so.

Something I've Never Done Before

I'm so proud of myself, today I've done something I've never done before. 

It all started when my Daddies staring doing things in the garden again, they've been very busy this weekend. The door was open, the sun was shining and I was feeling adventurous. I had a little peak in the garage, my favourite place outside, it's great to tease River as I can get in their and she can't, then I had a sniff around the rose bushes before spotting my best friend sitting by the back door.

I felt a little sorry for her, she looked so lost. Even though I was in investigation mode I asked her if she would like to join me exploring. Of course she jumped at the chance and off we both ventured towards the Peace Garden, see if we could find any buried treasures after all the digging my Daddies have been doing. 

Bless River and all that but she gets so easily distracted and after waiting around for ages I decided I'd had enough and went off exploring on my own. That's when something suddenly overcame me and I decided I was going to see if I could climb the wall at the back of the garden.

It was a lot easier that I thought it would be and in seconds I was up by The Swinging Heart of Love. Wow it was nowhere near as scary as I thought it would be up there. 

I could hear my Daddies talking and saying that I was doing very well, that spurred me on, I like it when I get compliments from them, which to be fair I do get every day.

There words spurred me on and off across the back wall I trotted, us cats have excellent balance you know, it's all in the tail.

As the end of the wall I had four options as I saw it. Jump straight down right onto the hard bark my Daddies had just laid, turn around and go back the way I came, but that would seem a little too model for me, turn right and go up the side of the garden on the fence, I wasn't ready for that feat yet or turn right and go explore the sunshine shed and see what was over the other gardens.

And that is exactly what I did. It's amazing, a whole new world over the wall, flowers and tree's and things and I'm sure I saw another cat looking at me but I thought I'd done enough today so I wouldn't go any further but turn back and see if River was finished with what it was that she'd got all intrigued with.

Tomorrow maybe I'll go over the wall and make friends with that other cat, who knows?

Cats and Dogs - Another Side

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Kiss Chase

Making Me Blush

I've been having a very lazy day today, I've been so tired, it must be the after effects on my operation yesterday. Daddy says he's very proud of me for being such a brave cat, I wanted to say stop it you're making me blush but I know he won't get what I men.

I fell asleep and everyone was around me, I woke up and not a soul did I see but I could hear some noise in the back garden so I ventured out to see what everyone was upto, there was a lot of grunting and puffing from my Daddies, they were doing a lot of digging and things, in this heat!

Unlike River I wasn't feeling up to helping them but I must admit it felt nice to be outside and enjoying myself with everyone else. Of course as soon as I ventured out River ran over to see how I was and if I fancied a game.

I did, but told her I had something I needed to do first. Catch that flipping fly that was back buzzing around me head, taunting me!

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