Natural laws, meets and Marmite

[Doblo7]

Staying with friends recently in a very large house, the only pot of Marmite available was minute. We live in a small house, and have a large pot of Marmite. So to follow this natural law must we take a catering pack of the stuff with us in the campervan? Then with French loaves on the roof rack and a bit of cheese in the cooler, we will be self contained*.

I have noticed that following the same law, dogs taken for "runs" in cars (people don't walk dogs any more) are inversely proportional to the size of the vehicle. On this basis large motorhome owners (I refer to the motorhomes, not their owners) ought to convey Chihuahuas, and campervans: Great Danes.

I've suggested elsewhere that attendees at campervan meets may park in a corral - perhaps two corrals, singles and doubles, one inside the other. Then will their large dogs assemble in the middle, and howl to the moon?

Can we bring our cat?**

Paul***

* But Fiat won't let us fit a roof rack.
** Actually we don't have a cat.
*** You may notice that with Graham's help I've been born again under a new monica****.
**** We didn't find out about the next meet soon enough to book in, but in any case our plans are too uncertain for us to commit.

[Ian.C.S]

its not too late to book for the spring meet at Banbury,I have often wondered if we shouldnt park in circles,it would keep the cowboys away

[Doblo7]

Correction

I hope I've logged back in quickly enough to correct my Freudian slip. Monica is a lady up the road, I have just seen her, and she has NOT been born again. I meant "moniker".
Paul.

[Doblo7]

Further to last

I'm delighted that Ian suggests that a corral will keep the cowboys out. Ian is obviously made of better stuff than the majority in this country who identify with the Cowboys, and see the baddies as the Indians.

What arrogance! The "cowboys" (think "lousy workmen") stole the Indians' land and then claim merit for fighting them off. I think we are going to enjoy meeting Forum members next April: they are obviously more thoughtful than the average.

Paul.

[Doblo7]

Truth is stranger than fiction - and cats

I hope I'm not "hogging" this thread (Ian Stockley's avatar refers) but if I'm going to mention a further matter, I need to do it now.

My flippant reference to cats was prompted by a vision of our next meet, set up as a double corral, with many dogs (all large, according to my Natural Law) in the middle all singing to the moon and conducted by Skipper.

Skipper navigated our narrow boat. This wasn't difficult, as with narrow boats there are only two ways to go - not to be confused with container ships off the coast of New Zealand for instance.

In the evening when we hammered in the mooring pins, Skipper would leap ashore, clear up the local mice, come "home" for his tea and then sleep until the next evening - so actually the First Mate had to do the navigating. This wasn't difficult, as said. Perhaps that happened off New Zealand, too, unless, in that case, it was the stowaway in the chart room.

Skipper travelled with us everywhere. He was born on a narrow boat, and we trained him to walk to a lead when necessary which he hated, but we got around by boat and car, plus cat. In a new house, Skipper would always go straight to the fridge.

Looking at the list of attendees for our next meet (which we have now signed on for, by the way) I see TWO cats. Will they both conduct choirs of dogs? Next April we will be intrigued to discover how campervanners accommodate cats, and whether they let them out. We let ours out as said - but a narrow boat is a large "home" to remember, and return to, and we always moored in remote places. Our two cats have been in one case half, and in the other a quarter Siamese, which I think makes a lot of difference.

We have no cat now, because I couldn't find a half-Siamese kitten. In any case we couldn't accommodate a cat in our Doblo now. Sad.

Paul.

[Sidick]

Hi Paul
Our two cats go everywhere with us. We are off on a narrowboat tomorrow.
Eddie spends all day and evening outside on the boat, watching every leaf and duck pass by. Sits on the bow all evening and has to be inticed in at bed time. Gracie is just the opposite, she will go outside to inspect things, then curl up on her blanket on the bed for the rest of the day.
They both walk well on harness and leads. (We started doing this at 6 weeks of age)
I've never seen a cat jump so high in the air from a sleeping position as when on the bow of friends narrowboat, when the bow thruster was used !!!
They have been on the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway and the Settle to Carlisle Railway.
If they did not come with us, we would not go away as much as we like to.

Pendle also takes their cat 'Barney' away with them.

[Graham]

We once had a kitten which we took camping and woke up in the night to find it walking all over our faces.

[Sidick]

We once had a kitten which we took camping and woke up in the night to find it walking all over our faces.

Can you imagine Eddie walking over our faces. OUCH !!

[Ian.C.S]

I'm delighted that Ian suggests that a corral will keep the cowboys out. Ian is obviously made of better stuff than the majority in this country who identify with the Cowboys, and see the baddies as the Indians.

What arrogance! The "cowboys" (think "lousy workmen") stole the Indians' land and then claim merit for fighting them off. I think we are going to enjoy meeting Forum members next April: they are obviously more thoughtful than the average.

Paul.

The folk at our meets are very thoughtful,you will often see themlying around eyes closed,deep in thought
if you havent got a cat,KarenW could fix you up with a house/boat/camper bunny,they need carrots and cuddles.

[Doblo7]

Perhaps that's how campervanners cope with such narrow beds!

I'm delighted by Sidick's story: we thought that walking to a lead (albeit reluctantly) was a trait peculiar to to Siamese cats and their derivatives.

Do Karen W's motorhome-friendly bunnies walk to heel also?

One difficulty we would have feeding bunnies is that their wild brethren tend to eat our carrots at the allotment before we can harvest them. Keeping bunnies out is a never-ending battle, and we and other allotmenteers find that they jump ever higher, and that through a small gap between steel railings. What is bunny language for b****r?

Paul.

[Ian.C.S]

Perhaps that's how campervanners cope with such narrow beds!

I'm delighted by Sidick's story: we thought that walking to a lead (albeit reluctantly) was a trait peculiar to to Siamese cats and their derivatives.

Do Karen W's motorhome-friendly bunnies walk to heel also?

One difficulty we would have feeding bunnies is that their wild brethren tend to eat our carrots at the allotment before we can harvest them. Keeping bunnies out is a never-ending battle, and we and other allotmenteers find that they jump ever higher, and that through a small gap between steel railings. What is bunny language for b****r?

Paul.

They are fully trained house bunnies.

Take a look - http://www.rossrabbits.co.uk/

They go where you go.

[NomadSue]

I think all these 'wild animals' should be trained to walk inside big wheels, generating electricity for our EHU. Or aren't they as clever as the hamsters we used to have?

[Flo]

just be thankful that we no longer have our snakes.

[Graham]

just be thankful that we no longer have our snakes.

I've now got this picture of you and T walking round the campsite with snakes on leads.

[pendel]

A giant hampster wheel would be great for our fat pudding cat "Barney" He walks on a lead at home in the garden but not while we are away , he's frightened of every leaf that falls. I think we would spend more time up a tree than actually walking if we tried it. Sidick,s two are amazing and nothing seems to scare them.