I have written about our cat with two names many times. His Sunday best name is George but the children called him Dave, they think it is a cool name for a cat, he is named after Grandad because neither has any teeth but both cope admirably without them! I love that cat, so on Christmas morning I decided to cook the giblets from the turkey for him. At one point my son wandered into the kitchen and asked what was in the saucepan. I was busy and I replied absent mindedly "it's the bits from the turkey". Sam then lifted the lid of the pan and slammed it down again horrified, he had mistaken the neck for a completely different part! Sam must imagine that there are turkeys running around endowed with 'bits' that a horse would be proud of!!
Showing posts with label names. Show all posts
Showing posts with label names. Show all posts
Tuesday, 28 December 2010
A Turkey of Giant Proportions
I have written about our cat with two names many times. His Sunday best name is George but the children called him Dave, they think it is a cool name for a cat, he is named after Grandad because neither has any teeth but both cope admirably without them! I love that cat, so on Christmas morning I decided to cook the giblets from the turkey for him. At one point my son wandered into the kitchen and asked what was in the saucepan. I was busy and I replied absent mindedly "it's the bits from the turkey". Sam then lifted the lid of the pan and slammed it down again horrified, he had mistaken the neck for a completely different part! Sam must imagine that there are turkeys running around endowed with 'bits' that a horse would be proud of!!
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
Full Marks For Effort
Robbie is still unable to to explain who Brenda is, but I have to admire him for trying (he was calling out Brenda in his sleep at the weekend). First he told me that the only Brenda he knew was an elderly lady, the daughter of his late grandmother's best friend. Next he suggested that he must have been watching Dinner Ladies - I doubt it! By then Alice had also cropped up in the conversation, I am sure I just misheard and he didn't say Alice at all, but he did grudgingly admit that Alice was Brenda's mother! His latest suggestion is that they were both characters from Thomas the Tank Engine, as far as I know there isn't an engine or a carriage called Brenda, but I had great fun trying to imagine what sort of engine would be called Brenda. I decided it would be a Class 33, but I will not dwell on that in case I offend anyone unfortunate enough to be 'blessed' with that name. Anyway you have to admire Robbie for trying, if he ever gives up the railways I am sure he would have a very bright future as a fiction writer!
Wednesday, 12 March 2008
Dave's Day 01.12.07
Dave the cat (aka George) had one of those days yesterday. He is obviously feeling stronger and more confident because I spent most of the day following him around and putting right things he had done wrong. I was a bit concerned about him during the morning because his poor ulcerated paw was swollen and bleeding, he doesn't like having it bathed, but he grooms himself and licks his paws now. I knew he was due at the vet on today otherwise I would have asked to see the vet yesterday. Dave kept licking his foot and every time he walked around he left blood stained footprints - thank goodness for laminate floors and leather furniture!
His appetite was undiminished and he ate a hearty breakfast, first licked his own bowl clean, then licked Oreo and Meg's bowls until they shone (it makes the washing up much easier!). Just for good measure he then checked around Meg's mouth for any debris - it didn't take him long to work out that she is a messy eater. The others wandered off to have a rest, but after only a few minutes I found Dave on the kitchen work top looking for food, he was disappointed and after a stern telling of he plodded away looking very hard done by. When I had finished cleaning the worktop I went upstairs to get on with some work, but when I came down again I found Dave in the kitchen bin rooting around, I don't know how he took the lid off but as they say 'where there's a will there's a way'. I had a meaningful chat with Dave and then set about clearing up.
Oreo was in a mischievous mood after his ordeal at the vet and he decided to torment Dave at every opportunity. Dave may lack teeth but he doesn't lack authority, at first he just swore menacingly but Oreo is a slow learner and he had several spats with Dave before he got the message and left him in peace. By this time Dave was feeling rather cross with the world in general so he went into the kitchen and stole a sausage; once he was certain he had killed it, he hid in the corner and savaged it with his gums until he had eaten every bit. He decided to quit while he was winning and he made himself scarce while I cleaned up. Unfortunately that wasn't the end of his misdemeanours, I found him in the evening asleep on our bed! I pointed him in the direction of his own bed, stripped our bed and carried the washing down to the washing machine. A little later Robbie headed up to make the bed, he didn't come back and eventually I went to look for him. I found him in a heap on the bed snoring steadily with the clean sheets, still in a neat pile at the side of him!
This morning Dave went to see the vet, who agreed that one of his feet wasn't looking too good. He bathed both back feet and pulled all the crusty matter of them. Dave swore profoundly and attempted to bite me, but the vet got the necessary work done without too much trouble. He has put Dave on a higher dose of tablets to give his feet a better chance to recover. Dave doesn't mind because he takes his tablets with a couple of spoonfuls of tuna - he adores tuna.
So now the answer to the question that everyone keeps asking, why is the cat called Dave? The children named him after my stepdad David who is a very special and much loved grandad - and just like the cat he lacks teeth! David was in the marines and the special boat service years ago, and even at 78 with two artificial hips he is very brave and determined. The children have always loved to hear about some of the scrapes he was involved in. Dave the cat looks as if he has been involved in a few scrapes of his own and despite his sore feet he is still fiercely determined. I am not sure what Grandad thinks about having a cat named after him, but the children think of it as a good strong name.
His appetite was undiminished and he ate a hearty breakfast, first licked his own bowl clean, then licked Oreo and Meg's bowls until they shone (it makes the washing up much easier!). Just for good measure he then checked around Meg's mouth for any debris - it didn't take him long to work out that she is a messy eater. The others wandered off to have a rest, but after only a few minutes I found Dave on the kitchen work top looking for food, he was disappointed and after a stern telling of he plodded away looking very hard done by. When I had finished cleaning the worktop I went upstairs to get on with some work, but when I came down again I found Dave in the kitchen bin rooting around, I don't know how he took the lid off but as they say 'where there's a will there's a way'. I had a meaningful chat with Dave and then set about clearing up.
Oreo was in a mischievous mood after his ordeal at the vet and he decided to torment Dave at every opportunity. Dave may lack teeth but he doesn't lack authority, at first he just swore menacingly but Oreo is a slow learner and he had several spats with Dave before he got the message and left him in peace. By this time Dave was feeling rather cross with the world in general so he went into the kitchen and stole a sausage; once he was certain he had killed it, he hid in the corner and savaged it with his gums until he had eaten every bit. He decided to quit while he was winning and he made himself scarce while I cleaned up. Unfortunately that wasn't the end of his misdemeanours, I found him in the evening asleep on our bed! I pointed him in the direction of his own bed, stripped our bed and carried the washing down to the washing machine. A little later Robbie headed up to make the bed, he didn't come back and eventually I went to look for him. I found him in a heap on the bed snoring steadily with the clean sheets, still in a neat pile at the side of him!
This morning Dave went to see the vet, who agreed that one of his feet wasn't looking too good. He bathed both back feet and pulled all the crusty matter of them. Dave swore profoundly and attempted to bite me, but the vet got the necessary work done without too much trouble. He has put Dave on a higher dose of tablets to give his feet a better chance to recover. Dave doesn't mind because he takes his tablets with a couple of spoonfuls of tuna - he adores tuna.
So now the answer to the question that everyone keeps asking, why is the cat called Dave? The children named him after my stepdad David who is a very special and much loved grandad - and just like the cat he lacks teeth! David was in the marines and the special boat service years ago, and even at 78 with two artificial hips he is very brave and determined. The children have always loved to hear about some of the scrapes he was involved in. Dave the cat looks as if he has been involved in a few scrapes of his own and despite his sore feet he is still fiercely determined. I am not sure what Grandad thinks about having a cat named after him, but the children think of it as a good strong name.
Decisions 17.11.07
It seems that the size of our family is to increase. Just over a week ago we became aware that a cat had moved into our paper recycling box which is kept outside at the front of our house. At first we only saw the cat from a distance because it hid under the micra when we were close by. Gradually he let me get closer to him and I realised that he was in a very sorry state and he appeared to be injured. He didn't belong to anyone nearby and I thought the very least I could do was to feed him. On Thursday I was able to catch him, he stank of infection and he was so dirty that it was impossible to see the extent of his injuries. I was either brave or stupid, but I gave him a bath in warm salt water and I managed to clean off the worst of the dirt. His back paws were horribly swollen and bleeding, there had been some sort of injury to his face and his fur was matted in places. Despite all this he had a lovely nature and he was obviously house trained, I doubted that he had much chance of survival, but I had to do what I could. I rang the RSPCA and they arranged to fund his initial veterinary care, so on Friday lunchtime the cat and I headed off to see what the vet had to say. He has a condition called pododermatitis, this had led to ulcerated back paws that are badly infected, in addition he had an ingrowing claw, an old injury to his face, he was malnourished and he had fleas. The vet said that he was fairly old and he only had four teeth, but at least everything internally seemed to be in working order. The RSPCA agreed to fund treatment to his feet and he stayed at the vets to be sedated and to have his feet sorted out. I collected him later (minus the fleas!) and he seemed to have tolerated the experience quite well, he has to go back on Tuesday to be checked, but until then I have the challenge of giving tablets to a toothless cat twice a day. He is not chipped and we have done everything possible to find his owners, but it is looking increasingly unlikely.
If the cat is going to stay it needs a name and it has provoked considerable debate with the children. Sam chose the name Richard but I thought he should have a good strong name like George. Laura favoured the names Pedro or Dave (imagine explaining that to the vet!) and Emily mentioned the name Otis, I quite liked that but nobody else did. Robbie had some surprisingly wise thoughts to contribute to the debate, he said we should try not to give the cat a complex about his name because he has already had quite enough to put up with in his life. I think we will just have to wait and see what suits him best.
Mistaken Identity 09.11.07
As I have mentioned before Robbie is known by several different versions of his name, but today he was most put out to find that his name had been completely changed. Virgin Cross Country will cease to exist at 2am on Sunday morning and Arriva will take over the franchise. This has necessitated all sorts of changes including new email addresses and have all the IT migrated to a new server. So this morning he and his colleagues switched on their pc's to find they were about as reliable as the present government - all noise and no substance. It took most of the day to achieve something approaching normality. Anyway, to cut out along story short when Robbie finally got internet access he found that they had made a mistake with his new email address and apparently his name was now Richard! This caused considerable amusement in the office and the inevitable jokes about his new name. Robbie struggled to see the funny side of being lumbered with an old man's name.
Tuesday, 4 March 2008
What's in a Name?
I have a few days off work to spend with the children and as the weather was bad again today we decided to spoil ourselves and go out for lunch. At a table close to us were two mums, one had a baby boy and a little girl who looked about two, the other mum had a boy aged about two and a half. At first as I glanced across at the little girl it reminded me of when Emily and Laura were little and all the paraphernalia we had to drag around even on a simple shopping trip. I loved it when the children were small, but I wouldn't have the stamina to do it all over again.
The little girl looked cute but I soon realised that looks can be deceptive, she behaved very badly and I marvelled at her lung capacity and the piercing quality of her voice. It is incredible that such a little person could be responsible for so much noise. When the mum spoke to the little girl I realised that she had tempted fate and was now reaping the rewards - the child was called Angel! This seems to be quite a popular name these days, I have come across 3 girls called Angel and all three were tiny terrors, more suited to horns and a tail than wings.
My mum once advised me that names should be chosen to last and before lumbering a child with a name you should think how it sounds with the prefix aunt or uncle. Wise advice, unfortunately I forgot to apply it when choosing Samuel's name, he is not impressed by the prospect of becoming 'Uncle Sam' one day! I think some parents are unwise in the names they choose for their children and a few are downright cruel. There was a boy at Emily's school called Aladdin, poor kid, it was no surprise that he had problems. I met someone a few years younger than me (I was born in 1960's) called Godfrey, his childhood must have been a real struggle with an old man's name, he seemed to have survived by being eccentric. I think the worse name I have come across belonged to a chap born in the 1970's who was called Heathcliffe. He was a bit of a rough diamond and I often wondered how he acquired his unusual name as I couldn't imagine that his mum was an Emily Bronte fan. Eventually I was able to ask him about it, he had been the youngest in a huge family and his mum had run out of boy's names, so she chose the name of a character in a film that she had watched shortly before giving birth.
Some names are cute for a baby or toddler but are less suitable when possessed by a grown man in his early thirties. I knew the young man in question only as Chris, but when I had to assist him with some form filling the awful truth was revealed. The poor chap had been saddled with the name Christopher Robin!
The choice of names rarely meets with the wholehearted approval of the recipient. My own children claim to be mentally scarred by the names they were given. Emily quite likes hers, but her friends at primary school teased her about her middle name Frances, they would point to a spot in the distance and say 'Emily, France is that way' it really annoyed her. Laura claimed that I had failed her by not calling her Mawgan, and Sam changed his name to Flash when he was about 8, his teacher was not amused!
One last word on the subject of names, be careful what your children call their pets. At our vets they call you in to the surgery using the name of the pet and your surname. It was bad enough when the vet called out 'Wonder Woman' and I had to stand up and walk across the waiting room carrying a hamster, but the worse moment was when I took my friend's dog to the vet, foolishly she had booked him in using his real name so a very red faced me had to stand up when the vet called out Spliff!!
The little girl looked cute but I soon realised that looks can be deceptive, she behaved very badly and I marvelled at her lung capacity and the piercing quality of her voice. It is incredible that such a little person could be responsible for so much noise. When the mum spoke to the little girl I realised that she had tempted fate and was now reaping the rewards - the child was called Angel! This seems to be quite a popular name these days, I have come across 3 girls called Angel and all three were tiny terrors, more suited to horns and a tail than wings.
My mum once advised me that names should be chosen to last and before lumbering a child with a name you should think how it sounds with the prefix aunt or uncle. Wise advice, unfortunately I forgot to apply it when choosing Samuel's name, he is not impressed by the prospect of becoming 'Uncle Sam' one day! I think some parents are unwise in the names they choose for their children and a few are downright cruel. There was a boy at Emily's school called Aladdin, poor kid, it was no surprise that he had problems. I met someone a few years younger than me (I was born in 1960's) called Godfrey, his childhood must have been a real struggle with an old man's name, he seemed to have survived by being eccentric. I think the worse name I have come across belonged to a chap born in the 1970's who was called Heathcliffe. He was a bit of a rough diamond and I often wondered how he acquired his unusual name as I couldn't imagine that his mum was an Emily Bronte fan. Eventually I was able to ask him about it, he had been the youngest in a huge family and his mum had run out of boy's names, so she chose the name of a character in a film that she had watched shortly before giving birth.
Some names are cute for a baby or toddler but are less suitable when possessed by a grown man in his early thirties. I knew the young man in question only as Chris, but when I had to assist him with some form filling the awful truth was revealed. The poor chap had been saddled with the name Christopher Robin!
The choice of names rarely meets with the wholehearted approval of the recipient. My own children claim to be mentally scarred by the names they were given. Emily quite likes hers, but her friends at primary school teased her about her middle name Frances, they would point to a spot in the distance and say 'Emily, France is that way' it really annoyed her. Laura claimed that I had failed her by not calling her Mawgan, and Sam changed his name to Flash when he was about 8, his teacher was not amused!
One last word on the subject of names, be careful what your children call their pets. At our vets they call you in to the surgery using the name of the pet and your surname. It was bad enough when the vet called out 'Wonder Woman' and I had to stand up and walk across the waiting room carrying a hamster, but the worse moment was when I took my friend's dog to the vet, foolishly she had booked him in using his real name so a very red faced me had to stand up when the vet called out Spliff!!
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