From Wales to Turin - This cat is heading home!

After a full two months of unemployed bliss in Wales, Heather and I are finally returning to the north-Italian city of Turin, where we work full-time. (Heather is employed at a nursery school teaching English, and I do the house cleaning. That basically includes keeping the mice, ants and spiders out of the house, licking plates clean, and hiding under the couch when the hoover comes out!)

It's a hard knock life, but somebody's gotta do it!

One thing I am happy about is that I'll be returning to all of my amazing flatmates! There are the teenagers Taddeo and Ginger next door, Charlotte the long-haired beauty queen below, the shy Pennie two doors down, and the elusive and rather reclusive Spanish signore above! What can I say - we're an apartment full of fabulous felines! I'll introduce you to them all when the time is right.

Wales, you've been good to us, but as the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end.

Wales, the definition of natural beauty

Sunset over the Gran Madre in Turin, Italy

See you all in a couple of days, my furriends!

The Dovey Inn Cat

The Dovey Inn is the principle pub in the picturesque port town of Aberdyfi. Aberdyfi itself is probably one of the most well-known seaside resorts in the UK, so it is no wonder that English holiday makers flock to The Dovey Inn as cats would to catnip. 

The Dovey Inn

In addition to being a highly frequented drinking hole, it is a restaurant, a hotel, the perfect vantage point for views over the estuary, and also home to... 

... a very old, fat and rather weatherworn cat. 

No one really knows when the cat came to live at the Dovey Inn, but he has been there for years, making his presence known by habitually dozing smack dab in the middle of the small intersection behind the inn, one of the only routes in Aberdyfi that people can use to drive up to their hillside bungalows. 

I ownz this interaction, people!

He pays no heed to cars, however, so more often than not, people have to carefully drive around him, or find another way of reaching their destination. 

As Sarah Thompson rightly said, "A cat sees no good reason why it should obey another animal, even if it does stand on two legs." Or on four wheels, in this case. 

The Dovey Cat meets Heather the Cat Lady

If you ever visit Aberdyfi, do try and spot this legendary local feline. He is the epitome of the unmoving obstinacy of which we cats are downright proud! 

Side note: The Dovey Inn is where Heather's parents met for the first time! The legend goes that it was love at first sight. =^..^=

Moseying Around Machynlleth

Machynlleth - try saying that ten times fast! Though trying to say the name may cause unwanted furballs, the town, located in the north of Wales, is actually quite charming!

"Mach", as it is colloquially called, is well known for it's Wednesday Market which has been held every week for - get this - the past 700 years! It's other claim to fame is the Royal House, the oldest standing structure from the middle ages in the town. It was used as both a prison for Dafydd Gam, who attempted to assassin the famous Welsh ruler Owain Glyndwr, as well as a hotel for Charles the first. Today, it is the home to one of the best tearooms in the county.

The Royal House - Photo courtesy of www.findsomewhere.co.uk

Our day started with a visit to this lovely tearoom. This hungry cat ordered a gourmet platter of Welsh ham, while the humans fell victim to melted cheese on homemade toast. (The term "grilled cheese" just doesn't do justice to the Royal house recipe!)

We were all amused to see that, on the wall, someone from the Middle Ages had etched a picture of a lion onto the original wooden wall. Nothing beats graffiti from the 1300's, my furriends, especially that which features a cat!

To walk off our food, we then took a trot along one of the town's side streets. It was there that I was confronted with a vision of beauty - a long-haired, brown and auburn puss with a doll-like face and gentle manner. 

Mew? Can we be friends?

Mmm head rubs! Jealous, Fluffy?

Muuu Fluffy, I got the head rubs and you didn't!

Do you like my funny faces?

Alright, enough funny. I can be serious.

I can smell... Royal House cheese on toast!!

Alas... it was not to be. She apparently already has a long-term boyfurriend in Dolgellau (another mouthful!). Will this cat ever have any luck in the love department?? 

Happy World Cat Day!

A very Happy World Cat Day to all my readers, both biped and furry! If you are participating in World Cat Day and have a cat-themed blog, have a look at the following instructions provided by Cat Blogosphere and join in on the fun!

WHEN: Monday, August 8, 2011

WHY: To Celebrate ~ Honor ~ Remember our CAT(S)

HOW: On Monday, August 8 ~ simply publish and post to your own blog any or all of the following:

• A special photo of your cat(s), your favorite photo(s) ~ old or new
• A favorite poem about cat(s) ~ written by you, or authored by others
• A post ~ a new one, or an old one ~ a favorite one purrhaps
• A cat story ~ telling why you LOVE your CAT(S)
• Artwork, cartoons, music ~ whatever your IMAGINATION and yourHEART can create that celebrates, honors and remembers why we all LOVE our Cat(s)

WHERE: And please be sure to add your blog link to The Cat Blogosphere on 8/8/11 so all can visit you on World Cat Day

LINK IS: http://www.blog.catblogosphere.com

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As our contribution, Heather and I have decided to post a few classic photos of my dear sisters, Tchai and Bee Gee, who passed away just a few years ago. We miss them both and cherish their memory in our hearts. 

Bee Gee after being woken from a dozy sleep

Tchai resting on her favourite couch

Bee Gee enjoying her first taste of freedom after travelling from Canada to Wales

Tchai taking in the sea air

"So this is where mummy went every summer for the last ten years!"

"I'm free and flubby!"