Feral freeding fenzy

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No reader, the title of this post does not refer to the conduct often witnessed during sale time at Dimmy's and Forges in Footscray, but rather to the host of animals that come and eat the cat food left out each night for my favourite Ferals, and a couple of gourmet cat chow loving Wilds.

Robert Mugabe was the first on the scene. Once the word got out, Dame Judi Dench the Racoon and Barry the Opossum started showing up for little Bobby Mugabe's left overs.

Robert Mugabe hiding from the Papparazzi.

The kitty brood has grown. Danny Quinn soon started showing up. The ginger cat was named after the character on BBC's 'Primeval' played by Jason Flemying. Both are gingers, a bit 'rough' looking, (that's the lite way to say a bit ugly), and both are very plucky characters indeed.
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Jason Flemyng/Danny Quinn.

Image from http://www.contactmusic.com/photos.nsf/main/jason_flemyng_5091750

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There's a plucky chap!

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The feral Danny Quinn, looking directly into the camera, he's got pluck!

Recently it was thought Mugabe had done himself a mischief as a black cat was out the front, with a missing ear. The name change from Mugabe to Chopper was considered. It turns about little Bobby is running around with both ears intact and the unfortunate earless feline is a new addition to the fold.

The new cat is camera shy, but we are calling him Gorgeous George, from the character in 'Snatch' of that name. Both are a bit mashed up and would appear to be fighters!

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Gorgeous George, too ashamed of his looks to show his face for the camera.

All things bright and beautiful all creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful the Lord He made them all.

Cane toads however, will be chased off with a broom and beaten mercilessly when caught.

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Aussie Invasion!

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Look out Florida, more expats are flooding in, Lil' Lynnie has landed in Orlando and has started working at Disney.

Lynnie outside her apartment complex.

Many years ago, The Countess taught an intelligent, and ever so funny, (with a dark humour that is such a favourite with me) pupil called Lynda, 11th grade English. The class drove me to insanity, but I met Lynnie then. She and I stayed friends after she finished school and over the years, she has grown into more and more of a wonderful human being. While I have morphed into a sorry old bag. Sad, but true.

I went to Orlando yesterday and picked Lynnie up from the Disney complex where she now lives. What a fantastic place, so lovely and clean, so Disney. Young people from around the world all milling about, waiting for the free Disney bus to wherever they need to go. Such an amazing adventure to be on. How I would love to have done the same thing at her age, only I would have been kicked out on some technicality. It seems people can be terminated for breaking a plethora of rules. Adhd girl here has a bit of trouble following rules sometimes. Oh well!

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We went to The Cheesecake factory at Millenia Mall. The Mall was so beautiful and posh, put Highpoint to shame it did. The Cheesecake Factory is a favourite haunt of ours.

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OOH la la

My fish and chips, (they were really fries) left me feeling a bit off though, hope they didn't drop them on the floor then scoop them up and stick them on my plate or something like that. One hears such horror stories all the time.

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Hey love, watch out for sunburn!

When Lynnie visited the US last year she stayed with the Colonel and I in Tampa and we had such a fun time. Going about and pointing out the fashion faux pas of others. It is always so uplifting to be able to laugh at oneself, but at others, even more so. :)

Millenia Mall

We then went to the shopping treasure trove that is the Premium Outlet Mall in Orlando, plenty of bargains are to be had. Dior, Marni, all the super sleek labels have outlets. There was a Tod's patent leather bag for around $300.00, retail price on it was over $1,000. It was bright orange leather though, so even had I been able to afford it, no thanks. A Tod's G-bag is the object of my lust at the moment. Sadly, no heavily discounted one's were available, not even for me to paw over and dream about owning.

Tod's G-Bag

For some reason, they build sprawling outdoor Malls here in hot and humid Florida. The weather yesterday was in the 30's, but when the humidity is included the 'feels like' index goes over 40 degrees Celcious. Not sure why but more than 5 minutes walking around in that and the Countess feels the overwhelming impulse to throw up. How unladylike, not to mention it's a serious curtailing of one's shopping trip.


So glad Lynnie is in the USA, hope to spend more time with her before leaving Florida for good at the end of the year.

Carol Brodies hit or miss

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The Carol Brodie Drusy ring was so highly anticipated by many Brodie fans. Unfortunately, some were very disappointed with the rings received, myself included sadly. That is the way things go when something is organic and rough. Some pieces will be stunning, other's lacklustre.
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Having seen some of the nicer, darker pieces shown during the presentation on Hsn.com, my insipid light ones were less than scintillating and such a let down.

From the reviews on Hsn for the ring, it seems many other's felt the same.

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Extremely Poor Quality / Gracie, FL 8/1/2009 The amethyst stones were not only color enhanced but the color was actually coming off when I touched it. It is such a shame because the agate part of the ring is beautiful, if I keep this ring at all it will be for beautiful color and striations on the agate portion because the amethyst top part of the ring is horrible.
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My own review,

Dull / Christina, FL 7/29/2009 I went up a size thanks to the advice offered by the Presenter and I am very glad for that. The ring is disappointing. I ordered two and had hoped that at least one of them would be a nice dark purple colour. Both are a really washed out, insipid light hue and to me just lack something. One ring has dark bits on it that just look like I have dirt on my ring. It was just luck of the draw as to which individual piece one received, I was unlucky, twice.
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While others were fortunate enough to receive some of the nicer offerings available.
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AMAZING / Michelle, CA 7/31/2009 I LOVE IT!!! This ring is so worth the price and when I received it and opened the box, I literally said "oooooohhhhh" out loud. It is even more gorgeous when you get it home. The price is unbelievable! I have seen rings like this in Southern California boutiques and they cost triple the price. Buy it, you won''t regret it!
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Thanks for rubbing it in lady.

Some people ordered several rings, just to pick out the one they wanted. It seems so wrong, kind of greedy and selfish, but only if I had done the same, perhaps my time would be spent writing glowing reviews rather than bitter complaining!

Ordered 4, Kept 2 and the 2 are Out of this World / Carmela 8/4/2009 I bought 4 b/c of the product. Each are different, and some are tighter on than others. If I got just the 2 I am returning, I would have been disappointed. But the 2 I am keeping are beautiful and a bargain. One is deep purple and more round, the other light purple, more sparkly and retangular. The coolness of the agate bands feels so nice, esp on a warm summer day. Better feel than my metal bands. I would recommend that buyers ask customer service to exchange for free and try again. Love!!

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Yes I get it, that it's an individual piece, no two are alike and despite some people who are happy with their rings patronisingly pointing this out, it does not mean that one cannot wish to have received at least one Drusy delight that was good enough to rave about.
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Better luck next time. At least my Capri rings from Brodie are spectacular.

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All reviews pilfered from Hsn.com

“I never drink anything stronger than gin before breakfast.”

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Yesterday I trotted off to the Westin Hotel here in Tampa to have breakfast with friends, Gaby and her lovely daughter Brenda. Gaby is from Mexico but lives here in Tampa, while Brenda is visiting from Martinique. She heads back to Paris where she normally resides next year. How very exotic. Just being around someone who lives in Paris brings back all the happy memories of being there.

The View

Brenda, Matthias, Gaby

Brenda's son was with us, what a cutie he is. All the ladies were swooning over him. Just wait until he grows up and speaks with a French accent!

Brekky, average for what it cost

The Westin was such a let down. Last time we went to the Marriot on Harbour Island and it was magnificent. This hotel was more than a tad...blah. No buffet even. The outrage.

While on the subject of food, which my blog seems to gravitate towards an awful lot, A British food store was visited today. They had lots of goodies, even Vegemite. I'm still hankering for an Aussie style sausage which cannot be found over here. Some pasties were bought at exhorbitant cost and a Shepherd's pie.

Pasties

If only there were Fergusson Plarre stores in Tampa. How happy a Boston bun would make me right now.
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Title quote, W.C Fields

The Cane Toad invasion grows in strengh, they are going to take over Tampa!

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High Drama here in Tampa. The cane toads have discovered the food I put out for the feral cats and are eating it all. Not only are my precious feral kitties being robbed of their dinner, the hideous toads are growing fatter and bigger from their stolen fare.

I don't mind the Opossums having some, am quite happy when Dame Judi Dench the racoon pops over for a spot of tucker on the front porch. They are all God's creatures, great and small as James Herriot would say. One must make clear though, that the hand of friendship does not extend to the evil cane toad

.My evening was spent out the front chasing the bigger one and three smaller ones away from the kitty food with a broom, looking like a lunatic. I wacked one pretty hard, managed to squish another. It's a really awful business, but I simply will not allow them to make Robert Mugabe go hungry, or his urchin mate, Danny Quinn.

Die Cane Toads, DIE!
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Let them eat cake.

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Ms Antoinette was really onto something, if only those filthy peasants had heeded the message instead of lopping off her pretty head!

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I wish this was a picture of my bedroom.

While writing to a friend about The Jewish community in St.Kilda today, my mind flew to Acland Street. What a place!

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While the Jewish businesses have moved out towards Caulfield, they have left a lasting legacy. A street lined with stores that have impressive window displays. Vast walls of glass behind which sit row upon row of brightly hued, delectable cakes. It looks like jeweled sea of dainty sugary enchantments.

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A walk down that street is a picturesque one indeed.

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So many happy memories of travelling to Acland Street for coffee and cake, then coming home on the tram carrying a distinctive white bag filled with sapid delights, waiting to be eaten later.

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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frog_cake

I love those frog cakes. Ohm nom nom nom nom!

Look away MeMe Roth, look away!

flickr.com/photos/ianlloyd/55130578/

Some dream of streets paved with gold, others streets paved with European cakes, or streets with both. Well not really, I think that is just me.

flickr.com/photos/ilamya/2330343489/

I just gained a pound looking at this picture.

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I love Melbourne! I love St.Kilda....For the CAKE SHOPS, not anything else less savoury the place might be famous for, that's a whole other blog entry ;).

Sadly, I did not have the foresight to visit Acland street and take some lovely pictures before I left, (my pre-blog mania era), so I have had to pimp the photos from the net. Have attributed them where I could find the source, but if anyone would like pictures removed will do so without hesitation.

Waterworld

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We had heavy rains all day in Tampa today, causing the street in front of my house to flood.

The ditch next the house was overflowing. In Florida that can mean aligators, hope none show up and eat my cats, but some of those bothersome neighbourhood kids won't be missed. By me at least.

Ditch next to my house.

Crazy ADD boy from up the street was frolicking in the dirty water despite being yelled at and called home. No one came out to get him though, amazing. He was running around unfettered in the street diving into the water on the road and in the ditch, what a filthy little urchin. Some kids just need to be medicated!

My neighbour and his kids on the ATV, they can't be seen behind the wall of water. That's ADD boy in front.


The house can now go on the market as waterfront property, literally. The neighbours were carousing up and down the street on their ATV, what a lot of fun, I need to get one of those.

The Colonel making a splash!