Animal Welfare Bill

An old copy of The Times (January 30th) has just been doing the rounds. Well, Herbert had put it down on the floor to protect her woodshavings while she polished her shoes. It caused a lot of consternation and dismay, starting off with the suggestion that there would be 'pet police'.

Herbert, as the largest of the domestic animals, was adamant. 'But they don't make good pets!' she pointed out. 'They wouldn't be very pleased when I chew the buttons off their uniforms, pouch them and put them in my nest. And I don't think they'd be very nice to Mervyn.'

Mervyn was having a good look at the two copies of the paper as they floated past. 'Diet?' he queried. 'Does thish mean they'll want me to put tonic in my gin? Filthy, filthy shtuff. And whosh thish? Protection from pain? But I couldn't be happy without my hangoversh! They're my beshtesh matesh you know ...'

Puflet was really worried. 'But I moved out of that hole in a cliff side yonks ago! I don't want some bureaucrat moving me back in there again! Especially not after they've completely messed up my pension arrangements!' he muttered a bit. 'Living conditions - pah!'

The 29,000 floating ducks carried on floating. After all, they didn't have to worry about companionship. 'Wait for us!' squawked Puflet. 'We're all coming with you ...!'

Illustration Friday - Tea

This is Herbert, who is looking very hard for her tea. Being a hamster, and not one of the brightest stars in the firmament, she doesn't realise that it's all run out of the holes in this cutlery drainer. Doesn't stop her looking, though:

Now you've already met Filkins, who is a winter white (and grey in colour). You will have noticed that Herbert is white, but I would like to reassure readers that this is not because she is trying to camouflage herself against any snow in her cage. There IS no snow in her cage ... even though there's plenty on the ground outside.

Have a nice weekend!

CAS

Here's a bit of the other painting!

It's all been horrendously busy here recently, with a University assignment to do, while my computer was getting into a worse state than I was. I've got a bit of a breathing space now, so here's are some bits of the other painting that went into the RI:















In fact the most time-consuming part of this painting was the tail of the peacock, but when I scanned the whole painting the file size was so gi-normous that it would have taken half an hour to upload. Never mind. At least it means that there's something previously unseen in the exhibition!

And I've been so busy recently that I haven't even been able to contribute anything to Illustration Friday - bit late now, but I'll see what I can do tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who left messages for this hermit!

Cathy

Breaking News! Paintings from the Palace Collection to be exhibited in the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours Annual Show!

Anyway, these are the paintings they selected. The exhibition is on from 15th March - 9th April, and if you're in the London area I really recommend it. It's got a very wide range of styles, from really stunning traditional work to modern stuff that wouldn't be out of place in the AOI.

And I think there's something rather nice about pigs featuring in an exhibition in a posh gallery.

I hoped to put both the paintings in this post, but the layout won't really work, so I'll put up the other one some time in the next few days.


Have a nice weekend everyone!

Illustration Friday - 'Chair'

We've all heard of bird tables, but Puflet, as chief gardener, has been the first to install a bird chair. What a magnificent piece of furniture! (You may need to click on the image if you are having difficulty reading the designer's notes).

Another high profile art theft!

Maybe this is what's happened in the galleries I mentioned below!

CAS

We followed the cable to its source ...

As you can see, it was a grubby looking cable. It had obviously been there for a while.

Gingerly, we turned over the rock ...


... and found it wasn't a cable at all, but Mervyn's tail!




(Yes, it was still rather grubby, and had obviously been there for a while.)

'What-ho, Puffersh!' he warbled. 'Time to get up already? Y'know, I've been finding reshently that it'sh shtill really really dark whenever I open an eye. Sho what'sh a chap to do? Jusht keep going back to shleep.'

Mervyn tried to focus, without success.

Then he broke into song, of a sort. 'Forty daysh an' forty nightsh ... tempted but shtill undefiled ... prowling beashts about the way ... shtones my pillow, earth my bed ...'

And then - guess what? He went back to sleep.