100th Post! A tale and a tail.

Baxterknits suggested that it would be a good idea to celebrate my 100th post with a Magnus retrospective. How could I refuse?! While looking through the old pictures of the Mog, I came across a file labelled 'Magnus Identification' which reminded me that I had not told the story of Magnus' catnapping. Now seems like the ideal time........

A year or two ago, Magnus disappeared. After two nights without sight of him we began to get worried. After all, this is a beast who never misses a mealtime. Days passed, then weeks and I began to fear the worst. Archie checked the main road for a familiar body and we walked throught the village calling his name. I used to stand at the foot of Magnus' favourite tree, by the circle where he had trampled the long grass into a nest. Tears were shed and the Mog seemed to have gone forever.

Then one Friday morning I was reading the local paper and there amongst the public notices for Jumble Sales and Evenings of Clairvoyance was a thank you from a Cattery about ten miles away. A lost cat had been returned to them at about the same time Magnus went missing and it had been found in our village in a street near to our house. I called the Cattery who were sympathetic but no, it couldn't be Magnus as the cat in question was female. Anyhow, the owners had collected their cat and were overjoyed to have her back. Something didn't feel quite right and I visited the people who found the lost cat ( it's a small village and people are easy to find. ) When they saw pictures of Magnus they agreed that it could have been the same fellow. The Cattery were having none of it though and they wouldn't let us contact the owners of the cat who had stayed with them. The people had also moved house and were living in the next county.

Time to bring on the big guns. Constable Steve, the village policeman took up the case and the Cattery owner cracked. We got the phone number and called the lost cat's owners. A visit was arranged but I didn't get my hopes up, after all, as far as everyone was concerned the lost cat had been a lady, not a big bruiser like Magnus. That weekend Archie and I drove to the next county and there, in a complete stranger's house, lying on a beautiful pastel sofa, was Our Boy. Magnus was so overwhelmed by our efforts to find him that he ignored us completely and the man we were visiting was convinced that the Mog was actually his female. In fact he went as far as to say: "That cat has a vagina." Yikes! However, we had done some forward planning and brought a selection of photographs with us, the resemblance was unmistakeable. The man began to waver and we agreed that the Mog could stay with him till his partner returned from a business trip and then they could both decide what to do. As we left, he joked that we would get Magnus back sooner if he misbehaved.

Two days later the phone rang - it was the man from the next county. "I'm bringing your cat back." he said. " It's just attacked one of my dogs."

******

And that is the tale of the disappearing Magnus. His own tail has had a reprieve - the vet is holding off from amputating as it looks a good bit better and there is a chance that it will be alright unmolested. It will never be as good as new but good enough will do us.

A competition to celebrate the 100th Post. The prizes are slowly being gathered and so far I've got a lovely tea towel with roses on the front, some of the most unlikely vintage knitting patterns and a hank of handspun. All you have to do is answer this question:

We got Magnus from the Cats' Protection League in Dundee. Which British footballer was he originally named after?

Hint - he has a famous wife and American connections. If no right answers, or all right answers appear, I'll pull a winner out of the hat. If anyone has been reading the Mogblog without commenting, now is a great time to come out and say Hello.

Whisky Galore

We were toasting my mum's health this week as we sat in a lovely Speyside garden overlooking the Balvenie Distillery. Yet again she had managed to win us a fantastic prize - three nights in a lovely house filled with food and whisky and a tour of the distillery. Good company too as there was enough room for friends Sylvia and Rangercraig to come along as well as lovely Molly dog.

The Distillery tour was truly educational - not only the chance to see traditional crafts at work rather than in a museum , but also the whisky tasting that followed. I found out that I have expensive tastes after a sample of a 30 year old Single Malt ( only about £300 a bottle. ) If you think that whisky is all rough texture, peat and seaweed, have a go at the Speyside Malts. The Balvenie whiskies taste of vanilla and fruit with a little touch of coconut smelling gorse.

To top it all, there had been a slight change in our accomodation and by way of apology the distillery gave Archie a bottle of a limited edition Balvenie Rose. It is gorgeous, as long as you don't mix it with milk as Archie did having mistaken the milk jug for the water jug. Mind you that was after many hours of whisky tasting......

I've just realised that this is my 99th post. Any suggestions for a 100th post competition?

Knitting Bee Bounty.

Knitting Bee this month was at Marianne's house. Another chum, brought a bag of unwanted yarn with her in an attempt to increase her cupboard space. I managed to resist most of it except for some 4ply pure wool yarn in a colour I can only describe as Gentleman's Sock Grey. Enough however for many socks for me and a chance to practise my dyeing skills.

Here is the result, it was probably a mistake asking Magnus to model it for me. I'm beginning to understand how the pigeon felt. The nice thing is, I showed the yarn to Anne, the previous owner and she thought it was some exotic silky expensive stuff.

On the continuing saga of the tail, I'm afraid the vet has decreed that it has to come off - not the whole thing but definately the bit that doesn't work any more, ( see first picture for details. ) Archie is already sharpening the axe!

Finished fellows and a tale of dislocation.

Finished objects for April include these folk - a couple more Long Term Log cabin squares and my first ever socks whose toes have been so badly Kitchenered that I will only allow them to be photographed if they are wearing shoes. No matter, it's my first go and I like them very much. The hat is made from some handspun from Jaqui and it has already been coveted by many. I was hoping to show my little jumper for Knitta's Botswana project but it is still in the making along with a jumper for Archie and the next LTLC square.

Lovely spring weather in the village this week, everything is turning a beautiful shade of green, except for the fields of oil seed rape ( Canola ) which are already a billious custardy yellow. The swallows have come back and the skylarks are hovering overhead. Magnus should be having the time of his life but instead he is sulking in Knitting HQ nursing a dislocated tail. The vet confirmed this yesterday after X-Rays of the boy were taken under sedation. Magnus must have been really knocked out as he spent the rest of the night staring into an empty food bowl in a manner so stoned it would have put Dennis Hopper to shame. The tail now looks a bit like a flag at half mast. Chances are he has caught it in a door or a cat flap but you never can tell. I haven't ruled out pigeons.....