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One of my favourite things about being a writer, is getting to hang out with these little weirdos.
Esa
Esa is a black and white moggy with a white stripe on his nose and little fleck of white above his top lip. Son of Artemis, he's the cat detective star of my cats and knitting cozy mystery series 'Knit One, Purrl Two' which is set on a fictional tweed-making island in the Scottish Hebrides. He likes to stay out all night and sleeps most of the day. Ozzy is his favourite 'person' in the whole world, and he has followed Ozzy everywhere right from the moment he was born. You can watch him being born here. He has one sister and one brother who live with their forever families. I nicknamed him 'mischief' as soon as he was born and he remains true to that name even today. His brother 'midnight' was first born, right on midnight and is all black and large like Ozzy. Third born kitten 'mystery' snuck in after I'd gone to bed so it was a surprise to find a third kitten the next morning. She's black and white and much more like Artemis.
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Mr 'Ozzy' Oswald
I'll never forget the day that I first met Ozzy and Artemis at the rescue centre near Oxenholme in the Lake District. I wanted one kitten and I took Isla the dog alone, in the hopes that the kitten would self-select and be curious about meeting a dog for the first time. Isla had lived with foster cats and dogs before and she was missing my old cat (Uisce) who had sadly died after twenty years. Ozzy and Artemis were the only kittens interested in her, and at that point I realised I would be taking two kittens home. They were supposedly both female, and Ozzy's name given to him by the staff was 'Tiger Lily'. He's now the size of a puma, the biggest softie and most cowardly cat you will ever meet, but he loves Esa to bits and taught him everything from using the litter tray to hunting. Ozzy is my gentle, box-obsessed, giant and lazy bear.
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Artemis (Dastardly Dan)
Even though she did all the normal kitten things and was cuddly. It took me a long time to bond with Artemis, with Ozzy it was super easy because he was so affectionate. It was like she was on the autistic spectrum, but I put this down to me being a bit reluctant to bond with her after losing my first cat Uisce. What I didn't know was that she was also pregnant and it was only when she went into labour that she made it clear that I was to stay by her side and ever since then she has become a very loving cat (to me at least- she keeps the boys on their toes), but she's actually really quirky in her character. She was very close to my dog Isla who passed away in Feb 2020 and ever since then she has followed me around constantly. I can't pee in peace and she likes to sleep on top of me or on my pillow. Where the boys prefer to be out and about, Artemis likes to be wherever I am, though she's an ace tree climber. I think once we move back to the Lake District and out of the urban environment she'll be back to her old mouse catching ways, especially in summer.
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Isla Britannica
I got Isla as a puppy when I was living on the Caribbean island of Grenada. Islands were a big theme in our time together before she passed away from cancer at the age of fifteen back in Feb 2020. We spent a lot of time exploring and playing on beaches. Our first night together was spent in Puerto Rico after our flight from Atlanta, Georgia (where Isla was born) to Miami got cancelled and we were put up in a luxury hotel for the night without our luggage! We lived in Latvia on the Baltic Sea coast, in the country of Georgia, and visited Paris, Istanbul, Tbilisi, and loads of other places. I named my publishing company 'Isla Britannica Books' after her and hope to get one of her descendants as my new puppy once I'm back in the Lake District. Isla was a show pup, therapy dog in hospitals, came to school with me when I worked for the government in Georgia, and was in a few films with me. She definitely led a full and varied life!
Isla features in book 3 of my Cozy Collie series and Beau the sheepdog was inspired by some of Isla's sheepdog friends. |
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My Fish Tank Desk Setup
I recently upgraded my fish tank to a Biorb Halo (white), 30 Litre tropical tank. It looks great on my desk, and the sound of the air bubbles in the water is very energising. I got it in the sale for my birthday from Pets at Home, but it's also available from Amazon. I bought a Biorb tropical heater pack, bubble tube guard, airstone, service kit, net, siphon, cleaning tool, and pink ocean decoration set.
Once I get my forever home, my dream is to get a jellyfish tank and some bioluminescent algae to remind me of all my amazing scuba dives in the Caribbean and elsewhere.
Once I get my forever home, my dream is to get a jellyfish tank and some bioluminescent algae to remind me of all my amazing scuba dives in the Caribbean and elsewhere.
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Can I Send Treats and Toys for the Fur Babies?
Absolutely! They love getting parcels and boxes. They are on diets, but they enjoy treats from time to time and love new toys. I also like to support an animal shelter that I used to foster and volunteer with in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia, so anything I can't use, I will be able to send on to them to help with the work that they do with street dogs. You can check them out on Facebook and Instagram. They are always on the look out for forever homes for the dogs and flight buddies and can fund and arrange for dogs to fly from Georgia to most of Europe and the US, so if you do see a dog you would like to know more about, then please do drop them a line. To send parcels to Ozzy, Artemis, Esa, and my future puppy here are the contact details. Check out Ozzy, Artemis, and Esa's wishlist here.
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Esa 'Knitting Because Murder is Wrong'.
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Ozzy, Artemis, and Esa Together
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Artemis Reading a Book
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