Monday May 21 - Friday May 25 (Ayden and Sylvan Heights)

Monday

So what did we do this morning? After breakfast, Terri and I went to the neighbours to see if the kittens would eat some food!

The tuxedo ate the best part of a jar of Chicken Baby Food, lol, and one of the white ones ate a good part of the kibble which had been mixed with water. The other white one was too shy to come out and eat!

 

I managed to catch up on my washing today!

A few cats had their claws cut today and later Steve held Autumn so she could get hers cut, boy she really sulked afterwards and would not come out of the bathroom lol. it usually takes about three days for her to get over her bad mood, lol!

Jazzy loves to get up on the couch to sleep and Bell is more tolerant of my presence now, lol!

After tea we went over to feed the kittens again and they all came out at various times.

Tuesday

Today we went to Yoder’s Dutch pantry for breakfast, it is a relatively short drive away. It is on the middle of a small Mennonite settlement and is run by Mennonites. It has a lovely, old fashioned feel! 


There is also a hardware/livestock store and gift shop attached. In the store there is a parrot called Cocky, I went over to see him and he turned his head against the bars of the cage. I was not sure if he would bite so I just left him and boy did he have a lot to say, and loudly, lol! After breakfast, I returned to scratch his head and he loved it!

Terri and I both had the Yoder's French Bread with bacon, I added Blueberries and they came "planted in the toast". They serve warmed butter syrup with the toast and it was scrumptious, huge meal as the bread was thick cut. 

I also had hot English Breakfast or black tea with my meal! Their prices are extremely reasonable, I am not sure how they do it! The bakery sells their famous cinnamon buns amongst other items!! 


We arrived home and went straight out to feed the kittens, all kittens came out to feed.

Later went out to the local Strawberry Farm for some more strawberries and tomatoes, they are definitely getting to the end of the season. 

Back home and I de-husked them then removed the worst soft flesh and cut them up into the two containers. I had some for tea with cinnamon bun, the rest is for tomorrow. Terri had to move ODI off her dining room chair before she could eat and he threw a real tantrum!


Later, the person who grew up in the house called in to have a look around then we went over to feed the kittens, mother cat came back to barn and eventually came out to have a good feed but no kittens.

I saw how Jazzy gets onto and off the couch tonight, as he wanted some cuddles with Terri. He hauls himself up on the blankets that cover the couch but getting down is an art form, lol. He grips the edge with his front feet and lowers his rear end down first, very cool! 

Wednesday

Terri fed the kittens early and they all ate well.

The morning was cloudy but humid while the sun came out in the afternoon before an early evening storm that passed over fairly quickly. There was quite a bit of thunder that set Abby off barking as she is scared by it.

We went to Winterville to collect the trap Terri had used to try and trap Bear so it would be ready for the kittens and their mum. We did a bit of shopping and I grabbed my usual coffee on the way home.

Terri cooked ribs and home made baked beans with Garlic Bread, what a yummy tea!

The kittens under the barn (Barnies) are being fed morning and evening a mix of kitten kibble softened with hot water. They seem to like it, lol. 

Mum kitty also loves it and is not going over the road as often. Tonight, as I walked up with the food the little Tuxedo was out before I had put the food on the plates, lol! 

He had his head down and I managed to very gently stroke his back. He finally realised, looked up at me and slowly backed under the barn. As soon as I moved away he was back out, lol. His white buddy came out soon after and quite a bit later the shy white one and the mother.

We watched them play for quite a while and they seem more comfortable with us being around. 

We fed them after a storm passed over and there was lightening on three sides of us but we were in the clear! There was a very angry looking sky around us!

Abby, the foster terrier spent time on the chair with me today, while I was able to stroke shy Bell

Thursday

Today I went to Ayden Elementary School to talk to Slater's class about New Zealand. I had to water it down a wee bit but the teacher was a great help there. In retrospect, it would have been useful to visit the clss for a few minutes erlier in the week! The children were well behaved and attentive, a credit to Miss Bell, their teacher.

We then collected the trap from where it had been placed and took the garbage to the landfill. Finally, we picked up a few items from the Food Lion as I was going to cook my open omelet for tea with some hash browns.

Then it was time to feed the kittens, the white one was out first followed by the tuxedo, the shy white one popped its head out and then disappeared under tthe barn while we did not see the mother at all. She might have been between places, lol! 

The tuxedo and the white one played up a storm at the back of the barn, it is a gret playground. They even ran up the tree and were "rescued" which led to them beiing held, the white one screamed like a banshee, lol!! However, all three need to be captured at the same time so they were "released". 

There was a lovely sunset behind us to cap the end of another great day.

Friday

What an interesting day it was today!! 

We had a planned trip to Sylvan Heights Bird Park which is only about an hour and a quarter away from here. 

It was a very warm day with little cloud around. Terri fed the barn kitties before we left, they are doing very well.

We found our destination easily and once we cleared Greenville we passed through lots of farmland and, closer to our goal, there were many fields of lavender. 

The road was lined with lime green garbage bins, some with orange lids others with black lids, obviously two different types of rubbish, lol!

We saw a variety of birds from different continents, including many different types of ducks and other water fowl. it is very well set up and was worth the visit.

We had to return all the way to Greenville to find somewhere for a snack and we ended up at Panera Bread! We then went to a Walmarts Neighberhood Market to do some needed shopping.

On the way home, Terri received a call to see if she would take the mother cat and three kittens from Steve's sisters place down the road. 

His brother-in-law passed away on Wednesday after a long illness and the kitties had been living on the porch. With all the visitors the kittens were in danger of being stepped on.

As Terri was going to keep them inside in a large crate and separate from the house cats and dogs, they needed to be washed with Dawn to get rid of the fleas. 

We washed the mother first and it took a while,she was really good and then she panicked and manged to bite both of us until Terri could grab another towel and put it over her. 

She then settled down again, poor girl! Terri has taught me her home remedy for bites, hot water to open the wound and wash thoroughly with Dawn!

The kittens were very good although they had plenty of fleas one of them was worse than the others. Finally, after using towels and the blow dryer they were dry enough and the kittens were quick to nurse on their mother.

Then we went over to feed the Barnies, two of them ate while the shy white one only poked its head out briefly. The mother cat did not come out but was hanging out underneath the barn.

As it was 8 pm, it was time to go home and have some tea, phew! Terri and Steve's Cat Rescue is doing a great job, all donations welcomed, lol!!