Ming the Merciless

I've no idea what all the fuss is about - with respect to the road that is. Isn't every islands' main road as good as ours?


Ming

Well, it's been a marathon, 10 months with no phone line - bliss? sometimes. The phone got connected this afternoon so I've rushed onto the computer to catch up with all the gossip.
Leaving the noise, bustle and anarchy of Arinagour was wonderful - peace at last up here in the hills. So much has happened it's hard to know where to start so I shall wait until a day when I'm less excited - and CatCam is back in action after a free repair by Canon.
However, my humans need the phone in order to order broadband, so I have to rush. Plenty of time during the nights (when they slumber) to write cat-cak to the world !
Bye for now, yours

Ming

Sad news, I'm afraid, CatCam has broken and gone for repair. Hence there are no cat-snaps on this my last blog for a bit (I am been moved this weekend to a pad in the country, away from the madding city life of Arinagour... and about time. It has no electricity, phone and it's no-where near one of those scarey windfarms).
CatCam is only a year old and odd that a digital SLR, of good make, should be so cat-litter-ish. Before, as you can see in one of my first bloggs, I used a clockwork camera that worked even without a battery. So is all this litter we are being sold - and buying - any better? I'm not so sure. I'm going to use my Arca Swiss again this spring, a windup shutter and black cloth camera big enough for me to get into and use as a bird hide. Which reminds me, I'm getting peckish so it's time to find my bowl that's somewhere in amongst the boxes. Then I'll play the in-out game to stress even futher my stressed out humans.
Anyhow, no CatCam means I can't show you the summer flowers that have sprung up all of a sudden, the cuckoo's that have arrived, the last of the redwings that are flying north or myself doing absolutely nothing. It's a cat's life. Ming

We cats don't do chocolates, nasty poisons to us furry ones.. and the thought of commercialisations such as Easter eggs - ugh...
Yet, in the spirit of things human I have below tried (and probably failed) to join that fast guy in Carnan Road and be different.
Last night on patrol was magnificent. The long twilights have arrived again and the smells and sounds of summer are here.
If only the beeb would allow the upload of flash movies (or sound files) cos last night the snipe we a drumming and I would love to have been able to share their magnificence.

Anyhow, my winnings, please forward them to Carnan Road Express as I'm sure they will be more appreciated there.
Love Ming

I don't like village life. It's just too busy. But something's afoot, our human's are packing again. Looks like we may be on the move. It's complete kitty-litter breaking up one's home, I just hope it's to somewhere quiet. Didn't come to Coll to live in a noisy village anyway, if that was my fetish I could have gone to Blaenau Ffestiniog!
Which reminds me, it's nearly Dydd Dewi Sant and we have daffs out in our garden. Do I feel home sick.. good grief no. Nah, Coll is my home now and I don't want to leave just cos we are soon to be homeless.

Since I can't venture into the wilderness from here I though I'd take cat-cam around our beautiful (even if only loaned) garden.
And here's one of those white/purple things. My great uncle Rhodrei reckons they are better than cat-nip ! But then something probably got lost in translation.

And there are still a few snowdrops around, although most have gone over by now

All in all I'm just enjoying the sun and annoying my humans with the "I wana go out - I wana come in - I wana go out..." game.

Thank you ‘Mike from Glasgow’ for asking about my state of scaredness (see comments my last blog). I don’t quite know where this land of Glasgow is Mike and whether or not you get things like big, mammal eating flying machines there but when my matie collbirdyman told me of a snowy owl on the prowl I went straight under the bed.

There are things in life one just does not tackle, especially as my tackle has been removed and the urge to fight diminished.

These evil things fly quite silently and have a wingspan of up to 5 feet. I just don’t do ‘being eaten’ thank you even though my human’s tell me lemmings are their staple diet. With there been a shortage of lemmings on Coll, I’ll stay under the bed.

But the human’s got all excited and collbirdyman has some pics of the actual Coll snowy owl. Hopefully he will post them on the blog site soon as there are a necessary record for all blog reading cats to heed.

Fortunately, the underbed area is very comfortable as one of my human’s has snapped snowy owls before in the far north, places that are forbidden to mention in the bar as every one instantly falls to sleep. When he heard a snowy owl on Coll he too went into overdrive.. I just rolled my eyes and went to sleep too.

So, whilst he and several others ventured out to try and see another (and failed measurably) I dragged his photo out of the archive and below is what all cats of the Hebrides should be looking out for. Do not approach as they can be very dangerous. Just photograph and send to the blog hotline.



Ming from under the bed

Having no streetlights on Coll, it was somewhat more difficult to assess the damage during the gale. Being only a little cat, one easily blown away, I stayed in. From my penthouse view of the village I found it hard to believe some humans ventured out during the very height of the storm to the hotel - on foot! and just to get a pint. Now if it were real ale I might understand but.... don't human's do the craziest of things.
Tues evening Innes's boat was bobbing around like a whirling dervish and just before the light finally faded I took this cat-snap

It was still there next morning, a relief for many.
Down at the pier the foreshore had parked itself in the carpark. Rocks the size of my biggest of cousins, the fabulous Siberian tiger, had been thrown about like marbles and there was a manhole cover, complete with it's concrete surroud 20m inland. Luckily the damage was minimal although the car park will need some attention as it now overhangs the sea and will soon be part of it if repairs aren't done quick.

But those wonderful CalMac employees had it all sorted quicker than one can say "Is there a ferry today, and if so one or two calls?" and it is now, boringly, back to normal.
And below is yesterday just to prove it, Feall beach at it's winter best again.


Your (slower than Pondhead) roving reporting moggie, Ming

Happy Christmas to everyone

Some fireworks that went off over the Coll hotel this evening. It woke me from my slumbers (helped by a few scraps of duck). I expect Tutti and Fruti had something to do with it, or Sara at least.



All the best for the new year

Ming

The humans went to Oban last week and we had to fend for ourselves. They also took my cat-cam and here are a some shots I discovered in the camera when they returned. I believe the sun was setting as the ferry approached Oban.







Otherwise there is little going on. The big ginger tom still terrorises the village and I have discovered Tutti and Frutti get beaten up by him as well. So much for Sara’s theory that these bundles of blubber rule Arinagour!

Ming

Many thanks for all the comments – over many blogs.
To witchinthewoods, your suggestion for caught mice and voles is excellent but why not just use the power yourself - or are you suggesting another Dervaig bribe scenario? And the whole of Mull? How big is it anyway? I can sometimes see some land out east that I believe to be Mull but more often than not the pizzle is to dense - which will be all well and good if those darn windmills go up.
And how are your four felines? Get them to blog and post some pics – and more to the point, are any of them female and want a holiday?

To Rob the entomologist from Yorkshire – we have a burger van here now, as you probably know. I hope you are the right Rob, the one that only eats burgers (if not, many apologies). Anyhow, looking forward to your visit next year, or even this year. And yes, it’s true, I only do sunrise shots this time of year. In summer there are too many crakes to stalk and grasshopper warbler chicks to catch. See you soon.

To Merlin the Magnificent Magicat from Santa Barbara, California, USA
Oh My God - you’re an indoor cat! Sounds terrible but then I have no concept of the dangers you mention. I know of a cat living in the top of Norway with 50 odd sledding dogs. He never phones as he’s completely spitless and hoarse but he has internet connection. He doesn’t stay in though. Perhaps your just a pussy?
We don’t have a Santa Barbara here, ours in male and called Santa Claus, on which note, I’ll wish you seasons greetings.

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