Farewell To Stromness
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- Syttene Mai at Sunnyside
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- Spotty Frog
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- Anorak Towers
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- Kate's Kitty
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- granpa's fishes
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- A poem a day keeps the doc away
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- Trudi's Waterfront
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- hare today...
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- piggy feels a right...
Thank goodness myself and My Marmalade Chum are safely ensconced in Big Cage. The goings-on of recent times were purroving a bit discomnogurating to my plump friend, and it was time to accompany him Out Of Harm’s Way. He was taking on the look of a haunted cratur, all bug-eyed and twitchy!
Obviously I have only gone along to hold his paw and soothe his fevered broo. I am not bovvered.
There is an unconscionable amount of cleaning to do in Anorak Towers - a backward sort of place if you ask me - 
and a friend is coming along on Sunday to add some elbow grease to the enfeebled efforts of a rapidly-aging female parental unit. In return, as many sticklebricks and pollywoggles as possible will be donated to said friend’s pond in Evie. This is not an act of astounding generosity but a desperate rescue attempt, as it is almost certain the ponds of Rolling Acres will be infilled and the fornicating froggies made homeless 
. I offered to pop out and tell them not to pack their suitcases next Spring, but there was no encouragement from bipeds.
While me’n'Marmers loll in a liff of luxurious hedonism with Auntie Janice, beads, nay rivulets of sweat will be oozing from fpu’s every pore and whisker.
We’ve put together a wee slideshow for your delectation. A memento mori of Liff As We Ken It. Mpu went up with nice Robert Foden in the FC Cessna to get some arial shots of Stromness and suchlike. Excuse the blurriness, but the window was not openable. If I’d been there, mpu would’ve been put out onto the wing, but cats were not invited. Tcha! As AnnieB would say.
Some time later…
You have to laff. The sticklebricks are not that easy to catch. Their trouble is, they don’t know what’s Good For Them. If they had any precognition, the silly buggers would have been fighting to get into the net instead of hiding in the watery jungle…
Toodle-pip.
35 Comments
FC - it is just as well you are a sanguine puss because moving house is horrible. I beg you to be very kind to the intellectually-challenged Marmers, as he will be very confused. You should also be tolerant of irrational behaviour on the part of the PUs as they, having the usual human contradictory natures, will be feeling excited and distraught and hysterical and teary all at the same time.
I imagine that the voles of Stromness will be throwing a party the day you leave. The rodentia of The Kingdom will not know what has hit them.
You will be greatly missed FC, in glorious person and in IB cyberspace. I will always remember our afternoon together of cuddles and scones. Get a blog of your own set up ASAP. In the meantime you are very welcome to hijack my blog for any postings and photos you wish to display.
BTW, I am meeting up with FX and Marion on Thursday. Might your FPU be free for a coffee in Julia’s?
are they really going to fill in the pond of possibilities …? That’s a real shame … I used to fish for sticklebricks in the Grimsby serpentine when I was a little girl - fascinating creatures, as I remember them …
Funnily enough, I find myself struggling to remember what happened to those prize jamjars when I got home … we didn’t have a pond you see …
I’ll have to ask me fath when I speak to him next … :- )
I smile SD, because your move was from rent to Very Own Lair Excitingly (what a feeble way to squeeze out an acronym!) while here we are moving from VOLE to…rental. Temporary while we search for the purrfect VOLE. Sadly, this really is the end my friend and we won’t be in Stromness to meet Mister Fourex and TSM in Julia’s. But a full report is reqd. The lowdown. The gen. (No not the Jen Yr Maj) Purrlease give Monsieur Reynard et Madame Doigt Vert our best.
We’re off on the midnight boat on Monday.
The best outcome would surely be that the sticklebricks were fed to the nearest feline, Soaplady
FC the pics were fantastic, I’ve saved them I think, I’ll check later.
Your place looked great and I hope the pond stays as is. I have not known you long but I enjoyed and hope to still enjoy your company in some way.
I wish you and your human family nothing but happiness. Your pictures
along with other blogs have let me know the beauty of a place I knew
nothing about and still know little but I know it is a place that seems to get inside people who go there to live. Again all the best and I hope you enjoy your new adventure.
I am sure that you will find a safe wee place whilst unpacking happens FC!
Lovely piccies, many of which I have something similar in my scrapbook
All the best down south … you must surely miss what you behind, but I guess life is a moving forward experience. Mmmm fornicating froggies? I think we have the same in the distance as each evening I hear them screaming their love cries into the night
I have enjoyed your blogs, and I too hope you find the time to start afresh elsewhere, leaving a link here
What more can I say? Great piccies too. You will be very sadly missed on IB, and I do hope you’ll be able to set up a not-too-challenging link to your new blog. Uncle Les, please help a poor homeless kitty by giving him a good spot on your site. 
All the best to you and yours, FC. I have so enjoyed your sense of fun - you have a very healthy outlook on life! This year is the first I have not visited Stromness for five years - missed you; rats, or should I say voles! Please keep blogging. Jo
Safe journeying. Purrs and furry hugs.
Oh Fc, I fear it will be a terrible wrench to leave such a beautiful place. hopefully upper (or lower) Lager will be just as lovely, and you will soon find a nice new gaff.
had fpu on phone thurs night:am just abck from toulouse so will watch the photos in the morning but am feeling very,very,very,sad IB has lost its best blogger:shame
just saw the photies,but i saw them on thursday on flickr-they are fantastic. hope you have a sfe journey south and will catch up later.xx
FC - Mr Dragon and I could not allow you all to leave the island without some token of affection, so we popped up to Anorak towers with a teensy-weensy a giftette for the PUs and a little something for you and Marmers. There being no-one at home we left it on the doorstep, so I fully expect it has been eaten by starlings.
Have a safe journey my lovely pussies, and keep in touch. xxxxx
Goodbye, FC! Have a safe, lovely trip. We hope you enjoy your new not-VOLE and that you find your very own VOLE without much delay. Any chance you’ve been given a pass to keep Island Blogging? One can hope… 
Keep us updated! You can always email me and I’ll stick your post on my blog. Cheerio!!
Hope the journeys all go to plan. xx
oh fc will miss your blogs have read them for about four years hope all goes well with the move and you settle in well without too much upset from the local moggies
Belated but powerful voice from the Sea wishing the intrepid family of bi- and quadrupeds Bon Voyage as they sling their worldly goods in their spotty hankerchiefs, knot them on convenient sticks that will double as cudgels should the need arise and troop in single column down to the tiny barkey that will “carry the Lad that is born to be King” over the sea to Largo, Lower. A truely heart-rendering scene - not a dry eye in the communitty. But cheer up, my little puss-in-bootskins - only 3 more days to Midsummer’s Eve and 63 until the Mad Captain darkens the doorstep of The Crusoe Inn. We shall see what suprises may be in his pockets - old dog-food (not food for old dogs, Marmers), the odd shark’s fin, a rubber rather worse for wear (in case Les Girls show up) and some worthless Swedish yellow-metal coins, no doubt. Till then, Farewell, Farewell, Farewell!
A five-day interweb blackout nearly drove me insane, but I’m purrfectly fine now thank you.
Me’n'Marmers spent four days with Auntie Janice (who should have received a bucket o’ floo’ers from Florabunda yesterday) and then had a hellish trip on a boat where we were incatcerated in a cage right next door to DUGS!!! Two mad-eyed collies. *Meeeeps* (Fpu interjection - it was a millpond you daft kitty and the d.o.g.s were as quiet as mice) Then we were driven down from Aberdeen to Lower Largo and incatcerated again in a palatial Big Cage penthouse, the likes of which we had never experienced. Two nights later and here we are in New Hoose. Birdfeeders up, garden dug and purrlanted, boxes mostly out of sight, kitchen in operation.
But the best bit is, we had a very special furrst meal in Numero Vingt, thanks to our very kind draconian friends. Me’n'Marmers have never had such high-class food ever ever before (and purrobably never will again). We felt like a pair of queens… (The Dragon Jam is also very fine )
Sorry this is such a long comment, but I’d also like to thank everyone for their kind wishes, purrticularly Jo and Jude who have never commented before.
With the help of Uncle Les’s Help and pussibly BB1, I hope some day in the not-too-distant-future to have a Blog of My Own.
Pee Ess. My dear Cap’n P, you’re not supposed to re-use ‘em you know Harm could come to a growing lad…
Dear Plaid, fpu has just had a Eureka moment. Pobbledonks! Heard in a native garden in Victoria which was purrobably frazzled on Black Saturday…freshly barbied froggies…mmmmmmm 
Yay FC! The felines have landed and we are delighted you have survived. Glad also that you and Marmers enjoyed your treat - should ease the transition somewhat. Give regards to PUs - sorry they missed x333xxx and co on their Orkney visit. Tell them to get a pond dug double quick so you can get to work on those Fife froggies!
Welcome sooth cattoes and pu’s. Many’s the backward look to be had, but the sun also rises as they say. Onward and upward, and the jewels of the Kingdom await…
XXXX
The felines have landed! Brilliant stuff, and so glad you’ve already found a suitable hotel for those emergency moments. You’ll need to train the staff to your own high standards
Good to hear you made it without too much trouble, just think about Mpu’s back after all that digging, an extra Tlc would not go out of place. And thinking back the males of IB have had to do it realy hard.
glad to hear eveything is going to plan
It will take a puss a while to get used to new accents and for the local felines not to make fun of yours. Hope your territory is not already ‘claimed’ by a local hoodlam.
Take care xx
FC - when you’re more settled, I’ve now set up a independant WP blog. (you can follow it via my comment link - so Les said )
It’s not as diffucult as I thought it would be. Mia even found me today.
So glad you are ensconced in your semi permanent dwellings, and enjoying lovely little morsels of yummy things courtesy of the Dragons. tell the PU’s that in my experience, it’s entirely OK to drink A LOT of alcohol in the coming days to get you through the kerfuffle of the move. Hell, I drink A LOT of alcohol and I’ve no’ even flitted!!!!
Oops, I read this Post, but somehow my comments have appeared on another post. EffCee still making my virtual life treacherous, right to the very end. 
I like your blog madlamb. Very nice indeed. There is an old duffed-up looking cat across the road called Angus who I have clocked out of the window, but, can you believe it, me’n'Marmers are not going to get our freedom-to-roam until next week 
Something to do with going into Penthouse suite again because the pu’s are unavoidably going to a wedding do. Whatever that is.
That’s right Tws, blame me why don’t you!
May I just say we are pure chuffed to receive your brilliant piece of poesy on my aptly-named ¡CHAOS! post…aptly in relation to a certain blogger that is…
how is marmers copin 
Not getting oot - that’s a tragedy me ol’ pusskins. I hope you’re both receiving vast quantities of compensatory tuna or ham or whatever your favourite delicacy is. Such degradation demands tonnes of treats and extra loving. xx
Well…what a red-hot red letter day this has been. Me’n'Marmers were Allowed Out. Into the sunny bosky surrounds of Number 20, where many little tweeters flit and twitter! Oh joy! And we have both had a bit of a wee stooshie with Angus, where tails were fluffed, yowls exchanged and honour was satisfied.
The first time we were set free Marmers made a break for it down the steps towards the Keil Burn, but he was grabbed and brought back squirming and squeakling with indignation.
Purrsonally I think he was all for heading for ‘home’ without having the slightest idea where Orkney actually is. Silly bugger…
Hmmm…no compensatory anything that I can spot madlamb
is marmers really, really ,such a coward like marmeduke 
we other pussies are not so scared(old dear say’s we are)
so now I know why I got the Email that you had left IB I had been imagining flying fur, cat scratching fights with tws, glad it isn’t but you have shattered my dream that when I finally do my trip to Iceland via the islands I would meet you and your fpu and perhaps have seen rolling acers…….boohoo sob sob
must visit kingdom cat (why the change of name?) to see how you are all setterling in, Frances
Frances how nice to see you! I haven’t been here since we left and it looks a bit different in Archives. All these strange grey cardboard cutouts instead of avatars. Brrrrrrrrrrr its cold in here. Marmers and I would be purrleased to see you in our virtual Kingdom (in the Kingdom of Fife, hence the name) or our actual one should you ever be passing, FC/KC&Marmers x
Farewell T Stromness was the music I walked down the ailse to and I don’t mean in Tesco’s.
Good luck in Upper Lager