Alison: New Year's resolutions, crafting and my cats

Having read all about my colleagues' New Year's Resolutions, it's made me feel somewhat ashamed into admitting I haven't come up with anything very original!
If I'm to believe all that I've read in their blogs, I'm up against some mighty competition to attain maximum fitness, stop eating chocolate, drink more water, improve my tennis skills and to try not to let the ironing pile reach the ceiling..! I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Last week I had some truly enjoyable hours in the company of Leonie Pujol for our Craft Outlet hours. I'm still in awe of her incredible skills and although she very modestly says she's been doing it for years to be able to transform a plain piece of paper into a work of art is amazing. With Dawn Bibby as her mentor though, anything is possible I know. Of course I also realise so many of you are also experts - the beautiful cards you sent to me at Christmas are a testament to that.

Many of the decoupage sets we sold featured cats and dogs and I did promise that I would include photographs of my cats Willows and Dodge. Willows the tortoiseshell is named after one of the main characters in the TV series CSI, and Dodge is named after the Dodge Charger, one of my son's favourite cars! Both cats came from a cat rescue centre in Bedfordshire and have become much loved members of the family.

Here they are doing what they do best - very little! What do your pets like to do best? I'd love to hear from you.

Enjoy your week and keep in touch,

Ali xx

Comments

[Sandra Skinner]

Nice to see that you love cats too. I have a Sealpoint Birman called Saphi (short for Sapphire which is the colour of her eyes!) she is the same breed as Rosemary Merry's but hers is a Bluepoint I think) and is a proper madam but also nicknamed "Atomic" because she sometimes runs around the house like something possessed.

Before we had Saphi I had a black and white fluffy cat from the cats home, called Whiskey, and she had just one tabby and white kitten that we kept and called Solo, and he was lovely but developed diabetes when he was about 7. We kept him going for two years with injections every day, which I never thought I could do, but needs must!! and were heartbroken when he did die. We said no more after Whiskey because we were so upset but lasted about 3 months before we found Saphi - a house is not a home to me without a cat!

If you are snowed in stay warm and "cwtch" (Welsh expression) the cat!

Sandra in "not quite as snowy" Pembrokeshire

[Terri]

Hi Alison

A very Happy New Year, just wished to say enjoy watching you all on QVC. Find most of my shopping there far easier than the shops and your presentations are so informitive which helps so much.

I wondered if you could help? I love the Centigrade line and wish to purchase a shearling coat, I remember seeing you model one that you had purchased and I really liked it problem being cannot remember which one, would you be so kind as to advise as I really liked colour and style.
Love
Terri

[Chris Lewis]

Hi Alison,

I have one cat at the moment, called Mickey Mouse (his has very big ears and this makes him look like his namesake). He is 17 years old, and does not go out at all, this means that he also sleeps most of the time, only waking to eat and drink. I had a tortoiseshell called Smudge (she was a smudge of brown hear, a smudge of orange there and another smudge of black elsewhere). We really miss her. I enjoy watching the jewellery and nail care shows on QVC. I only wish I could get my nails into some sort of order, but they seem to be very ridged at the present and nothing seems to help.

Well best sign off now, as it is nearly 10 in the evening.

Lots of love,

Chris

[Pauline Goulding]

Hi Alison.
I Love your cats, they are just like mine, lazy but so lovable. I have a Jack Russell her name is Mia. I hate going out and leaving her, so I am not gone for long. Mia is very cunning, she comes and stands in front of my husband, or I wags her tail as if she wants something, when we say "show me what you want" she just moves a little way away, then jumps in our chair when we get up. I would not be without any of them. I also have a Parrot I call Chuckie. He never stops talking. He still talks even when I am on the phone it's a good job he does'nt swear. I wish you you and your felines a happy New Year.
Regards. Pauline Goulding.

[lubna]

Hello Alison,

Chuffed to see your two felines! just love the expressions on their faces! Willows sits like a porcelain china doll cat!

I have two 'boys' of my own, PuffingBilly is a British Blue and thinks no end of himself, he's also very good with the old computer! I let him watch and hear cats on You Tube which he loves, also loves Lion Man and other animal programmes on TV!
Braveheart is a mackeral domestic chap! very pretty, he has been called Braveheart as he looks like Mel Gibson in Braveheart (all those stripes). He is my rescue kitten and has a wonderful story (he was rescued from a horrible woman who charged me the earth for him, as I had then lost my previous cat called Sir Mokey) she really saw me coming! Braveheart is really a rags to riches story! as he is now the owner of my retirement home in Bulgaria! mind you the house is so run down and hovelish! but we do have the largest garden possible! One day the 3 of us hope to move to BG when Braveheart's house is ready! you see he is the company and actual buyer of the house! I just forked out the money!

My boys, do everthing they want to do, they have the run of a most beautiful communal garden in SW London, Billy has the run of 2 other communal gardens nearby! Yet to my horror, despite his size and strength, I found him on his back with the local 3 legged ginger cat sitting on top of him!near the gardener's shed! But I think Billy has made up for loss of face, by giving 3 legged Ginger a what for the next time around!

When I can I would love to download a picture or two of these two critters! They love prawns but not the little ones but Honduran prawns! we have fish which is known as 'fish' but prawns are 'fish prawns' - whenever the children in the garden want to play with the cats, all they have to say is 'fish prawns'!

Lots of love

Lubna