FastFreddy2

My cat ate some of my orange tonight, much to my surprise. Before reading your comment, I might add. Did a check, and it would seem everything is bad for cats, except "meat". An interesting statement, since they are not big enough to fell cows, sheep, pig, or deer. That pretty much leaves rodents and small birds? Mindful the bacteria in and on these would likely make a human sick, I'd expect a cats gut to be quite strong? The anomaly aside, I have been getting told off by Mrs Freddy for feeding the cat anything. Sweet stuff is going to rot his teeth (good call). Dairy is going to make him fat, as is corn chips (Doritos). Having checked the cat 'danger' list, chocolate if now off the menu. Oranges/Mandarin does seem to be that much of a problem (nothing specific) other than it isn't meat. The cat gets about a quarter to a half a teaspoon once every 2-3 weeks. Nothing adverse to date, not even in the toilet department where a problem was expected. Conversely, it appears he took a fall of 21 feet last week, with no identified problem than a grazed face. (Thankfully.) We'd had the windows open because it's finally warmed up here. Neither of us let the cat into the garden, and wouldn't after dark anyway. I went to the back door around 10pm, and found kitty outside. THE ONLY way he could be outside, would be to take a 21 foot slip/jump/fall out of a window. I felt guilty as hell, as it was likely me who closed the window behind him, if he hadn't already fallen off the thin ledge outside. For some reason he's no "meow", so couldn't make a distress call even if he was still out there. It being dark, I wouldn't have seen him if he was there either. The window blind was closed, and as I didn't expect him out there, I wouldn't have even thought to look. Him being young and nimble as a squirrel, must have helped. Seems cats can survive quite high falls, not least because height gives them a better chance to land well, though it's not something we want him to repeat! He's more closely monitored now, and we keep THAT window closed when he's not directly supervised. Your 15 year old might have a few years left yet! My mother-in-laws cat is over 20. Though you are right, it'll be very tough when he passes. It's strange (to me at least) how we get so close to our 'pets'. That said, they provide great affection that doesn't wane over time. Don't shout or get into moods ..... Quite keen to play, any time of the day ..... In fact, who would want human company with a pet around?

Replica's in monotone plastic? I suppose you could paint them the right colour ..... But wear them? Not without some (stuck on) rubber soles surely? Though it does make me wonder ........

Thinking about it ...... I have some video of the newly arrived kitten, trying to play with a bit of fluff in a bowl of water. It hadn't occurred to me to try a p/p ball in a dish with water. Cat has a thing for water too? Loves a running tap (sits by the sink waiting for someone to pick him up so he can watch). Also likes to listen to the toilet cistern to fill up, and now he's big enough to jump on top of the closed seat, he tries to touch the running water. I have a picture of him sitting on my painting stool, watching me bathe in what is now our old bath. He's deffo not quite the full ticket.

The previous foster cat had the 'fetch' game worked out on day 3. He would have had me playing it for hours if I let him. The newer arrival will chase, but then try to kill. Not so good at returning anything... The second toy we bought him was a red ping-pong ball. He really liked it too, as it rolls easily. Not seen it for about 2 weeks now. He used to get it locked into corners, and has obviously found a corner we haven't yet discovered. We've been to a couple of P-a-H stores, a couple of others. The ping-pong ball is the only thing he's played with for more than 2 days without getting a bit fed up with it. LOVES screwed up paper balls, which I suppose doubles up for a p/p ball. He has some odd eating habits too. Never known a cat to eat mandarin orange, but this one will. Also likes Nature Valley cereal bars, and will tear your arm off to get at rice pudding. Quite partial to Doritos too.

Good find. I thought they were still much more expensive, circa £7,000 or so. The shoes are an interesting exercise in 3D printing, but not a style for me.

I have two solutions so far, if I want to continue to use stiletto's in London's West End. Obviously I mean "Heel Protectors". One style I quite liked to start with was a product called Plastic Fantastic right up until I realised it was nothing more than electrical 'heatshrink' insulation. Not seen any in clear at Maplins or RS, though I haven't looked very hard. Be nice to find some in 'shiny'. This is the short term solution, as it's cheap. (And what have I got to lose? ) The nicer, more industrial grade solution comes from Idealheel, and seems to tick every box. BUT!!! Like the Steve Madden shoes, US sales easy, European purchase a bit more difficult. Heatshrink it is then.

I have mentioned THE Giuseppe Zanotti metal style heel elsewhere. As a reminder of the shoe/heel ..... A tad rich for me, given I already have a handful of court shoes I don't wear. However, no point in being a collector, if you don't collect? So imagine my (pleasant) surprise, when I find Steve Madden makes a style that's been referred to as something a little too close to the original. [aka copy.] What do you think? And the price!! At the time of finding, they were available in my size too. BUT!!! Mr Madden doesn't ship abroad, and no other retailer carries the style. "Gutted".

I haven't spent much time writing here recently, nor have I been out much. Poor management of my time and energy (by me of course) largely responsible for both. Last Friday, 5th July, had me in London's West End. I wanted to go to two shops, as both were open very late. House of Fraser until 10pm, Selfridges until 11pm. Maybe to catch the Wimbledon visitors from abroad? I tried on a couple of pairs of Steve Madden in HoF. Decided their US9.5 (UK7) fit better than US10/UK8, if I ever plan to wear one of their court shoes. [Refer my next post.] In Selfridges, I tried on the most expensive shoes I've ever had on my feet. Two styles from Saint Laurent. Both ankle boots. One pair reduced to £389, another pair reduced to £430 something. Got some possibly unwanted attention from a member of staff, though she might have been waiting for me to ask for the other shoe of the two styles I tried. At those prices, an unlikely request..... I can't find an image of the £430+ pair (similar/same heel, with gusset/zipper free suede upper that went above the ankle), but here is a picture of the less expensive pair: Pretty typical of my taste I know. The EU41 fitted rather well, and not too hard to walk in either. In fact, when I put my walking shoe back on (with 4¼" heel) I nearly slipped because the heel didn't touch the floor when I expected it to? Thankfully I didn't have my credit card with me. Not that I could imagine keeping them of course, but ....... Really felt nice on and walking in. Just had a tiny little triangle of pointed toe sticking out the front of my black jeans. (Both style of boot.) I went away wondering ... dreaming ..... Reality hit hard about 40 minutes later though. Having done the window shopping, the warm night seduced me me into changing my footwear and walking around in some really nice stiletto heeled ankle boots. More of a challenge from the extra height on the heel, and a nicer feel to the slightly more 'girlie' style. Right up until one of my heels went into a crack in the pavement! Although I'd marked a heel on this pair before (same geographical area, same cause), I wasn't prepared for the complete removal of heel covering the other shoe got. "Will I never learn"? Ran through my mind. I was only about 100 yards from where I completely lost my first set of stiletto boots with the same problem, and only about 800 yards from where I had previously graunched the pair I was wearing that night. This was only the second (or third) time of wearing them out too! It (literally) took the shine off what had been a great evening until that moment. The experience certainly burst my Saint Laurent bubble. To wear a £600 shoe, I would first have to find a £600 venue for them. The pavements of Oxford Street, could never qualify. ......

Well, 5 times in all the other seller used my ad and subsequently had 3 of them cut by The Management. Think someone may have got the message (finally) as the listings for that particular product from them have stopped altogether. Not sure there's any point, but put up a couple of things for sale this weekend. One of which is shoe related. If it goes, I'll be happy. If not, I have an escape route anyway. I haven't bought any shoes myself -expecting to keep them- for some time. Sorta getting withdrawal symptoms.

Well, as reported elsewhere, getting a new kitten has me even slower at completing the refurb. It's like having a child around, and just like a child, I'm not happy to lock it in a room away from anything I might be doing. During the past month I've gained some experience of using plasterboard, and managed to complete some 'dry-lining' as some will know it as. I've a long way to go before I use any board larger than 70cm x 170cm, though I will have to sooner rather than later. So far, I've used adhesive, and on the larger board, some mechanical fixings too. All seems solid, and no plastering skill required. I'm getting 'a thing' for drills too. I reported about Makita SDS Plus rotary drill. I'm now the owner of 2 AEG compact drill/drivers, and 2 AEG combi hammer drills. Why? I get proper fed up with changing bits every 5 minutes. For example: Last week I did a private CCTV install at a commercial premises. Took the one hammer drill. Piloting, prior to drilling off full size had me changing bits like a mad thing. So much easier with 2 drills. And a third with a screw-driver bit in it! Today I bought a 9" grinder, with some stone cutting blades. I have some masonry to cut, and some concrete to modify. Hammer drill, even rotary (SDS Plus) are useful, but a 9" grinder make for much neater removal. Had my eye on a 5kg 'breaker', but not sure if I should invest. Catch me at the right moment though ......

I mentioned some time ago, we fostered a kitten, that didn't go very well. While the intention was never (fully expected) to be we kept it, we all expected it to be here for longer than the 7 or 8 days we had it here. Upshot of the experience .... Mrs Freddy decided she had lost her desire to own one, and even owning one temporarily. So, how surprised were we, when we agreed to take on another, that looked to come with cat flu'? Apparently, cats with this illness respond to treatment quite often, but have to be kept away from other cats as they remain infectious even during treatment. Our initial offer was for 2 weeks of care. As soon as I saw the animal, I knew it was going to be difficult to let it go. Initially thought to be a girl cat, it turns out to be a fella. Just as well a mistake was made, as the two drunks offering two cats to the vets (at a price) didn't want to keep any girl cats. They took away the other boy cat, and I can be fairly confident it's life was short, or uncomfortable, or both. The cat we took on was scared of everything when it arrived, eluding to an unhappy life so far. It took the better part of a week to stop it running away to hide everytime someone walked up or down the stairs. Even now, some 6 or so weeks later, it will still check anyone walking into the room. So, the cat stayed then. A bit of a fluff ball at first, so cute it could have made the cover of a birthday or anniversary card, it still seems a pretty cat to us. Worse for me, it treats me like its mother, and seldom leaves my side. If I pick up a paintbrush, the cat HAS to watch the proceedings. If I mix up some filler, the cat has to taste it, the first chance it gets. I've had to stop it licking the stuff I've just put on the wall, more than once. I have no end of (poor quality phone) pictures, with him sat on my bended knees, watching me paint or render. He likes walking into floor voids between joists. He's no fear of the dark, or dark places, as long as they're quiet. His favourite places to sleep are (i) my lap (ii) top of a temporary fabric wardrobe (that he wall walks to get up on) and (iii) my head. One of his favourite toys, is a large bright yellow tennis ball, which is larger than his entire head. Doesn't stop him picking it up with his teeth, and carrying it from room to room. He's yet to realise he's 'punching above his weight'. We think he's a little confused, and may think he's a squirrel. I've twice seen him try to climb brick walls. He jumps further than he should be able, and is daft enough to try jumps beyond his ability (at the moment). Once he learned he had to jump on-top of smooth surfaces (as they couldn't be used for grip by his claws) he learned to cleanly jump on top of low surfaces, like the stool I stand on when working high in rooms. I have to be careful where I stand now, as there's usually two of us on the stool. When the toilets get flushed, he's usually on top the closed lid. He has an unnatural fascination (given he's a cat) with running water. Turn on the kitchen tap, the cat will stand at your feet, waiting to be shown the sink filling with water? There is a hole in our garden patio for a clothes dryer. It almost always has water in it. The cat can't stop himself putting both front paws in the water EVERY time it goes into the garden. Sometimes twice in one visit outside? I daren't leave any water intended for mixing filler or cement anywhere he can get at it, because he will want to taste it. If I wash my tools in a large bucket after I've used them, the cat has to watch. I'm not big on pets, having had my heart broken when I've lost 'friends'. First time was as a 15 year old, losing our dog we'd had since I was about 3. No-one warned me, it just didn't come home from the vets. When I got home from school I asked after our pet, only to be told the awful truth. I cried for hours. The next time was not so long ago. Maybe 5 or 6 years. A cat I'd sort of adopted in the new house I moved into. I spent a lot of time being nice to him, and he in turn spent a lot of time being nice to me. When it became obvious he was ill, I did what I could to keep him alive, eventually hand feeding him the best (cat) food money could buy. When we decided he was too ill to continue, I had the vet visit, rather than stress him out during his last minutes alive. He passed in my arms, and even now the memory brings me to tears. That cat (despite what some will tell you about cats) loved me as much as any human has, and I suppose I loved him too. So, I wan't going to put myself through that again. We've got this one because Mrs Freddy wanted something (someone) to 'coo' over. Age is against us for a child, and the grandson is waaaay too young. So the kitten was something (someone) for her to fuss over. Unfortunately for me, he looks just like the cat I lost, and I've even called him by the same name once or twice. And like my previous cat-friend, the only time this cat isn't next to my side while I'm at home, is when he's having his regular afternoon sleep on top of the temporary wardrobe. Worse still, we've both been feeling a tad guilty at leaving him alone. [Yes, I know it's a cat!] So there's been talk about a second kitten..... No wonder I don't get things done ......

If they had been made of chocolate, I'd have eaten the lot!

And the seller has done it again! Just how hard is it to put your own 20 word advert together?

The seller also apologised to me for the breach, claiming innocence. Then went on to ask for permission to use my text for his subsequent listing, which I refused to give since I wanted to re-run my whole advert..... The seller went on to re-use it anyway? I had to report them again, and another two listings were removed, though this time it took a couple of days. I suppose most folk wouldn't bother. But they seem too lazy to put 20 words into an advert, and I did spend some time putting my 30 words together, so why 'donate them' to what is obviously a commercial business? With the frustration of my advert being repeatedly hijacked, and the lack of bidders on other listings, I didn't try to move anything on this weekend gone. Mrs Freddy, who works in the back room of one of the larger store groups, has reported the start of their summer sale (mentioned previously) has not had its usual impact on sales takings. A slight increase in store and on-line, but not the jaw-dropping escalation seen in previous sales. Sounds like UK PLC is digging in.....

Having been 'caught' by someone using my images once, the next one I spent any time working on a photo I used on a listing, I actually put a © symbol across the matrix of images. Not only that, I identified myself as the copyright owner. Thought no more about it, since you'd have to be a bit of an idiot to re-use (for commercial gain) a copyrighted image. It's pretty much why I usually include the original source when showing a photo I didn't take when I post it here. [Original source of publication.] The images I include here, fall outside the copyright infringement problem (AFAIK) as they are posted for artistic review and consideration. I NEVER claim ownership and usually do what I can to make sure the owner is recognised. I've even moved the owners name to one side of the picture and edited in the missing detail, where a shoe was originally hidden by the photographers name. So imagine my shock (annoyance) when I find someone has not only used my image without my consent, they copied my WHOLE listing!! Twice. They managed to sell one item, but the other listing was still live when I found it. Even worse, although not a registered business seller, the volume of kit they are selling suggests they are. This breaks the auction site Policy, in a number of places. They don't like theft of intellectual property, nor do they allow listings to be copied without the original authors consent. Although I had asked the member to remove the photo's, (which didn't happen quickly), I also reported the infringement, expecting not much to happen for a couple of days ...... 2 hours later, both the errant listings have been 'pulled' and any bids on the outstanding listing have been removed. I also got a polite message from the auction site management telling me they take this sort of infringement very seriously. I'm surprised and happy about that. I put a lot of work into my photo's and listings. And I've already quite likely lost a sale due to someone stealing my pictures.....

As it turns out, he did me a favour, as I got more money for it in the end. But I've not sold anything else ..... Probably I'm not selling the right items, though I would have thought jeans sell all year around. Pricing couldn't be any keener, I'm almost at Charity Shop (Thrift Shop?) pricing levels. Couple of days ago I saw some Readers Comments about an on-line newspaper report. The report itself was on the impending/starting Summer Sale, where here in the UK, all the slow selling spring/summer clothing get moved out a little quicker by discounting in a "mid-season" sale. Apparently, an annual event, that many shoppers expect to arrive about now. One of the better known, better liked (amongst middle class shoppers) is the Selfridges sale. It's a store I like, but seldom - if ever - can afford to shop there. I've possibly tried on shoes with a view to buy later (in sale) but been thwarted by low stock levels. Mrs Freddy has bought some bits from the store, but again these would have been sale items. The bulk of the Summer Sale stores are going to be the usual High Street stores that I mention from time to time; Debenhams, House of Fraser, John Lewis. The more popular girls clothing stores would include New Look, River Island, TopShop and Dorothy Perkins. All of these stores will be places us 'men in heels' will frequent to buy ourselves shoes. Some, if not all. Thing is, and the point of the Readers comments, will we be offered goods we want to buy? One rather caustic remark I remember, mentioned they would not be buying no matter how much the price was reduced. Typically summer clothing going on sale, with this the 3rd year running we haven't seen one. The comment closing on; "why am I going to buy clothes I can't wear?" In a similar vein, another said they had tried to buy a light-weight (occasional) raincoat, with no luck at all. The prospective buyer wasn't looking for a sale bargain, they were looking for a product. There was also a suggestion the prices might have been artificially hiked up to start with, and the sale price is actually the price the retailer was expecting to sell at when they bought their stock. Bit cynical? Maybe, but I've got a lot of time for that notion. With most shoes being made in China now, and available to just about everyone for £25/£30 retail, some brands are getting pretty greedy selling Chinese made shoes for over £200! This situation doesn't help buyers, buy-with-confidence, when offered a discounted bargain. In that respect, when is a bargain, "a bargain"? In fact now, it's gotten to the stage now, where the Freddies don't buy unless it's at a sale price. Sometimes we might lose out, but that's nearly always with shoes for me, and I really don't need any more! Anyone else got any experience or thoughts about this?

Great disguise. Still, takes a steady nerve to wear heels to work.

One of my fav places to buy, though most styles haven't had much of a heel since Christmas. (That I've noticed.) I'm overdue a visit though.