Masks and music

Well, this blog writing lark is harder than it looks - so I have been spending time honing my word skills with a few crosswords:

Huge thanks to Barbara who regularly tops up the supply!

All the children joined in for another craft workshop - masks were very popular this time and some of the cat ones reminded me of my relatives in the wild - Auntie Pearl always did overdo it a bit with the eyeliner:

Meanwhile, back in the UK at the Green Man festival, Louis was also busy running some toy hacking sessions (must run in the family!) You can see some of the creations here - http://exploring-senses.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/green-man-festival-day-1.html 

The humans have been very busy with all the work to keep the site running smoothly, but they have also found time for some "extra-curricular" activity. Marc's band - The Boogie Brothers - have done a few gigs now and have 2 more lined up next week. Friday night was Le Boulve where a fine time was had by all and everyone was up and dancing well into the night:

Look what's been happening!

Well they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are just some of the things that we have been up to over the summer..............

The art workshop was very popular and all the children contributed to the final piece which now has pride of place in the outdoor eating area.

 We have had several BBQs which usually ended up with a sing-song (gotta love those iPad apps!) and also a musical evening which was very enjoyable:

 With temperatures pushing 40 degrees for several days, the pool has been very popular - even at night!

Larry gets the sack

Hello - my name is Ozzy and some of you may have seen photos of me playing with my friends the lizards, voles and frogs. After I get bored playing with them I usually kill them, but that's another story.  

I am a cat and I'm named after the singer Ozzy Osbourne, from the pioneering and massively influential metal band Black Sabbath. I was named Ozzy because when I first arrived at Marc and Anne's (I hesitate to call them Mum and Dad, as that would be a bit weird wouldn't it?), my coordination was a bit wonky and I kept banging my head into the furniture (headbanger, geddit?). I do like Ozzy and I hope that, like him,  I can one day bite the head off a bat. There are a few around here, so who knows? Paws crossed.

So why am I writing the blog now and not Larry, I hear you ask. Well one answer would be that he is a small metal sculpture and they can't write blogs - but then I am a cat, so that logic doesn't really work. No, the real reason is that Larry has been sulking for the last few weeks. He feels ignored and undervalued since the influx of holiday guests has taken Marc and Anne's attention away from him. I have told him he just needs to deal with this. Once the season is over, he will receive a bit more attention. But it's no use, he just stares into space, his expression unchanging. Well let him sulk - some of us have got better things to do.

It has been a very busy and exciting time throughout July and August. We have had some lovely guests and we've enjoyed nice barbecues, children's art workshops and, best of all, some fun musical evenings. One of our guests was an excellent Belgian singer and songwriter. I'm sure he would be embarrassed if I told you his name, so I will: it is Pieter Cooreman. He and Marc had a couple of evenings when they entertained everyone with a selection of classic songs (and some slightly weird Dutch ones). Everyone sang along, following the lyrics on their iPads and it was a lovely atmosphere. They thought I wasn't around, but I was hiding in a tree listening and purring (I particularly liked that Cat Stevens song). 

Marc goes to get bread every morning at the local village, but not until he has fed me - I mean, one has to get one's priorities right doesn't one? After breakfast I'll usually sleep for three or four hours and then it will be time for lunch. After lunch I'll usually sleep for four to five hours and then it will be time for dinner. After dinner, I might have a wander around and look for some children to frighten, or I might play with some of my small animal or bird friends before killing them. Then it will be time to go out night-clubbing with my mates down the road. It really is quite a pleasant life. 

Well, that's all for now. It's another lovely sunny day and I'm off to find an unusual place to sleep. 

Catch you later! (as the cat said to the mouse)...
Ozzy