Mjoll, our 'baby', is looking all grown up lately and she is growing her first proper winter coat :)

Good news and bad

I've put off writing for a long time, because of feeling so sad.  We lost Butz just three weeks before his thirteenth birthday.   Although he had been on heart pills for while, they were working so well and he was so lively and full of fun that we were lured into thinking we had him for a few years yet :(  He went as he had lived, gentle and courageous.  And we will never forget him.  We shouldn't complain as the average lifespan of an Airdale is 11.5 years.  But we do complain!  We wanted to share our life with him for ever!!

Here are the first and last photos we have of our Butz.

On a happier note, we received the photo below from France this week from our friends Linda and Pete - Thugga's character can be deduced from his nickname!  But he is very much loved, and in fact shares life with two wonderful Airedale terriers.  

Vieuxtemps Frankie profitent du soleil...

Vieuxtemps Velcro is going to join Thugga in his lovely life in the French countryside in a few months' time.  She will be pleased to meet more Airedales - she too misses Butz dreadfully.

Now we are three...

When we were very young

Gabriel and Indiana were two beautiful kittens who left home it seems like yesterday.. but really it was three years ago.  How time flies, and how lovely they have grown up under the care of their human slave Lynn Roberts, who took the photos below this winter.

Gabriel, brown tabby and white male

Indiana, tortie tabby and white female

Happy Birthday, Chopin!

Yesterday was the composer Chopin's 203rd birthday.  He has aged well, his enthralling piano music sounding as fresh as ever.  Happy birthday Chopin!  Here are some of your favourite flowers, modest yet wonderfully perfumed violets.

This reminds me of my 'piano litter' - a bunch of gorgeous black and white Norwegian Forest kittens born eighteen years ago.  My dear Impromptu was one of these, and sadly he left us recently.  After a long and healthy life he simply died in his sleep.  We miss him terribly; a gentleman to the end, he never caused any trouble and was the reason this blog is called 'extraloudpurrs'.  His purrs were the loudest ever.

Rest in peace, Impromptu.  And live on forever in our hearts, dear Chopin.

Premier Vieuxtemps Impromptu in old age

How time flies...

The kittens are three months old already.  They will be staying with us for a few more weeks until they are microchipped and neutered.

Today, Neil from White Squirrel Photography took some super photos even though the kittens, being kittens, refused to pose for more than half a second as they just wanted to play!

Mjoll Snow Shod, tortie and white

Ulfric Stormcloak, blue and white

Alduin, blue tabby and white

All grown up

This is Tildy, who left home a small naughty kitten and has become a beautiful sweet adult.  Her owner kindly sent us this picture, saying ' I have been unable to get a good side on shot to show her magnificent coat and tail'.  Thank you, Pam!

Kittens at last!

Life has been rather too busy to have kittens until now, but in mid August we did have a lovely litter arrive from Valentine and Velcro.  This was Velcro's first litter of course.  When we put her with Valentine she promptly tried to suckle him (and being the good-natured chap he was, he allowed this with a look of bemusement).  But not getting any milk, she decided to grow up after all, and eventually produced a really cute litter.

We have:

Aeela, an adorable tortie and white girl.  She has a big red patch that you can't see in this picture.

Alduin, a blue tabby and white boy who is a bit of a mountaineer

Ulfric Stormcloak, a blue and white boy with a white tail-tip and a laid-back purrsonality

So, I will try to be good and keep this page updated more regularly from now on :)