Pleased....

It no doubt has occured to you that I am a great procrastinator. My sister used to have a motto "Never put off until tomorrow what you can put off until the day after" and alas, I seem to have taken it to heart. Lol. Furthermore, having depression has only made that problem worse. It has always been very difficult for me to complete things that I start. I have a mountain of UFO's of all sorts of things, including tidying some things.

However, contrary to my usual habits of not finishing things off, I have actually done something I am pretty pleased with. I went into a swap for some handmade cards. I only had to make 4 of them and they were quite a bit of work to do. But over about a week I have not only started this project, but also finished it. Everything is all packed up, ready to post. I am surprised with my diligence in this effort and very pleased. I will be posting photos of this effort on my other blog once the swap is done. I will put up a link on here when that happens.

In many ways I am feeling much better, but in others not so good. I find in some respects I have too long to wait, and my nerves tell me it is never long enough. I'll get there.

Magpies...

If you look at this link to see some very naughty magpies....

Just a quick note....

...I have my dates for the operations, one in early July and the other in early August. It's about seven weeks today. I am still a little nervous but I am starting to think in terms of after the operations which I think is good. Previously, I had decided I was going to die - don't ask my why, probably the imbalances in my brain. Anyhow, so I am good now. Just a case of waiting. Have to go for the info session on the 24th June.

Poor kitten....

Starbug - AKA Kitten

(only because she is so much younger than the other cats here.)

Well it has been a time of adventures for us here at Unicorn farm. Kitten has developed a dermatitis condition - either an allergy to fleas, food or both. We decided we had better take her to the vet and get her check out properly as the iodine lotion we were using was not helping.

We booked an appointment and arranged for the Old Person to pick us up to take us to the vet - we have been seeing him since 1999 and there is no point in changing. Old Person turns up, drives GS2 to school and comes back. We have to go as the car is stalling and not starting. He is leaving it running. Grab kitty. So packed in her cat carrier we put her in the back seat with the Daughter.

Almost to the vets and at an intersection, the car stalls and this time it will not start. The Old Person demands the daughter gets out an pushes the car across the intersection to where he can roll it to a stop. This is in peak hour traffic, mind you. I am really worried about some of the idiots on the road not looking out for the Daughter. Luckily she was okay and got a good break to run from the middle of the road to the pavement.

The Old Person lifts the bonnet, as though he knows anything about engines at all, and a buddy of his comes up and starts discussing the whole thing with him. The daughter and I grab the cat carrier and begin a hike to the Vet's. Luckily we had plenty of time and there are plenty of back ways through the streets to get there.

However, since I have been using a walking stick for a while now, it isn't the easiest thing to walk for over a kilometre to get there. But surprisingly enough we did it in 20 minutes and had a little time to recover before going into see the vet. Kitty was so not impressed at being in a cat carrier, being walked for a long distance (to her) in a strange place. Then indignity of all having to see the vet. The first thing a vet does is put a thermometer in her butt. "I'll get you for this".

Vet cleans her up, and gives her some lotions and pills. Watches her for a while. She is more animated than usual at the vet's, jumping onto benches and at one stage hiding under my chair. But the pronunciation was a bit concerning, as the dermatitis has to clear up.

We have to put the cream onto her twice every day and she has to have only kangaroo meat as she may be allergic to normal cat food. She had to have strong de-flea drops put onto her scruff. We mix her pills in with her meat of a night.

Getting home from the vet was as much an adventure in itself. We walked toward the CBD of Campbelltown, with Kitty in her carrier. At least one and a half kilometres. Then decided we would be better getting a taxi home. Very nice taxi driver, and he asked concerned questions about the kitten as well.

So far, it hasn't reduced her quality of life at all. It is just she really dislikes having the cream put on her face.

Game Over, Dude...

I am glad Osama bin Laden is dead. I don't rejoice in the taking of life, but I think that this was one person who really needed to be killed to give justice to the other people who died because of him. Both the "good" and the "bad" have had big losses because of this man. Strapping bombs to a 12 year old child is just the worst of it.

I do not think it will make much difference to Al Qaida or anyone else intent on killing and other acts of terrorism, but as the figurehead, having him gone is going to slow things down eventually.

What we must address, after the "retaliatory" efforts to "avenge" his death is to re examine what we are doing in the countries that we have entered to fight these battles. Tribalism is a very, very old lifestyle and until we of the Western countries try to understand it more and work with it, rather than against it, wars in those regions of the world where it still is prevalent are going to continue more or less forever.

Tribalism, unless worked with and to some extent changed, will keep these countries from ever being really safe, fairly primative with a few "rulers" of really rich people. Thinking that the present uprisings in Libya, Egypt or Tunisia is going to bring democracy is a farce. All it will do is introduce more radical Islamists to the fore, crush any dissent, particularly religious dissent and make the region even worse than it is now. The UN will have little or no say in keeping order. What is bad now will only become worse. Tribalism is just as much alive in those countries as any other place. Egypt did have some liberalism under Mubarak, but I believe that these will be quashed with the new leaders. The new leaders will be under the "watchful eye" of the Muslim Brotherhood. May as well say just another version of the Taliban. Anyone who thinks differently, particularly those of us of the West, are just deluding ourselves.

Islam is much like Communism in that if it cannot convert openly it will go covertly - although in the case of Islam, probably more violently. Peace, as Mao Tse Dong is attributed to saying, comes through the muzzle of a gun. The West is not yet won.