Week 16, Day 3 (Spotty Horror Picture Show)

I tend to give animals nicknames. You might have noticed.

Cats seem to be especially greedy about collecting names (blame T.S.Eliot), so the kittens I raised into indolent adulthood are known by many different monikers. Mako, for example, is most often called 'The Spotty Horror' because he is 1. a teenage boy, and 2. his coat pattern is predominantly spots rather than stripes. He is also known as Legless Lounge Lizard, and (most telling of all) Dribblespot.

Our cats are uniquely talented - they are ambidriblous (they can simultaneously dribble out of both sides of their mouths). Now don't go looking for that word in the dictionary because you won't find it. It's in my genes that if the perfect word does not exist, then it stands to reason it should be created. My parents both shared that gene - Dad was the original coiner of the phrase 'howsyourfather' when he couldn't remember a particular name for an object or person, and so many others did my parents coin that I can't remember them all. You'll spot them though, because they are ingrained in my speech patterns and pop out from time to time.

Anyway, getting back to Dribblespot. He's such a CHILD! Instant seat-stealer, believes that everything is rightfully his and only on loan to humans, and pays his dues in slobber. Add in the detail that he's at that stage where he's trying to take on the Boss Cat (Greebo) when he can rouse the energy, and you'd think this would add up to a thoroughly disagreeable cat.

But you'd be wrong. Everyone who meets Makokitten falls in love. It must be that hypnotic, slightly out of focus stare and absolute cuddle-ability.

Right now he's stretched out in front of the fireplace (stormy outside), making it hard for the humans to navigate around him while doing the housework. Will he move? Like hell ;-) Too much energy.

So while my aching back and I take a break from the house cleaning, I'm grabbing a chance to update my blog and wait to see if I get some emails back about some items I was lucky enough to secure on Trade Me yesterday. I got a bonzer portable changing table for $21, and some items of baby clothes from another very reasonably priced auction.

It must be the weekend for it. Yesterday I went to a 2nd-hand baby market (no, no babies on sale before some wit asks). I spent $80 all up, and came away with possibly enough clothes to outfit Tadpole for the first nine months of her life. No doubt I'll find some gaps in the wardrobe, and I will definitely need more than 1 1/2 dozen nappies, but considering that until yesterday the only items I had for Taddy were five darling stretch-n-grows that Mum brought back from Aussie, this is definitely many steps in the right direction. Bargain of the day would have to be the baby cradle (floor style you operate with your foot and totally portable) for $5, in perfect condition.

I remember many years ago trying to get a fractious teething baby off to sleep, and an identical contraption saved both my hearing and my sanity. You can safely rock & cradle the baby while keeping a safe distance from your eardrums, and the kids seem to love the action. Win/win for everyone. I **just** missed out on a superb changing table (not portable so not a double-up on the one I won today) by looking in the wrong direction at the wrong time, but them's the breaks. Another amazing score was a big box of linen, nappies, fluffies etc for $20, and everything looks either new or nearly new.

So Tads, at least you'll have something to wear when you arrive and won't have to go nekkid.

Learnt a lesson yesterday - don't take two iron tablets to boost your failing energy levels unless you want to get a killer repeat of the morning sickness. So much to learn, so little time!