Happy 2016, Everyone! And may it be a good year.

Whilst I am writing this, I am watching the BBC News from the corner of my eye, and my heart goes out to all of you in the flooded areas. As a Dutch Wetlander I can relate, believe me (have a look at that photo below).

In the meantime I gather those of you in the South and Midwest of the States are having a rough time of it with tornadoes as well... So my heart goes out to you too.
No idea if there are natural disasters at this time in Russia, we get no news like that, but...
My heart goes out to all of you. Where-ever in the world you are. Period.

The thing about natural disasters is that there is absolutely no-one to blame (most of the time) - I mean, an avalanche coming down a mountainside may be due to some idiot having made a wrong environmental decision at some point in history, but right at the moment the avalanche strikes, there's usually not one particular person to point the finger to. 
The same goes for the flooding in the UK. Yes, decades of bad water management may be at the heart of all those communities now having to deal with polluted river water sloshing through their houses, but who can you blame, name and all? Nobody.
So it makes it easier to pull together and help each other out. No-one to blame, just people suffering and needing help.

Could that concept be at the heart of the reluctance many of us feel at helping out all those thousands of refugees hoping to find shelter in our safe (though perhaps twister and flood-prone) countries? For there is definitely someone to blame and name there. And thus it's easy for us to say okay, that guy or that group of guys (they are always guys) are the guilty one(s), he has driven his own people out of their own country, so let him solve his own problems.

Contrary to the 500.000 refugees our Mr Wilders had predicted would overrun our tiny country in 2015, we have come to meet 45.000. That's 45.000 souls, as far as I'm concerned.
Perhaps we will need some flooding of our own, and then the refugees helping out filling the sandbags, to change our minds about them?

I wish you all a wonderful 2016. May it be a peaceful, happy, prosperous year for you.

Viggo's Blog: Free At Last!

Hello fans, Viggo here.

See that?!

I'm OUT!

Hence the frightfully bad shaky photo. I ran towards the camera, you see, just because I could.

There, that's better! That is me, sitting on the windowsill - on the outside, mind you!

My woman had thoughtfully provided my new birds with some bread crusts, and I was waiting for them to find a flypath to the table.

So far they haven't appeared, although I have seen them when I am on the inside of that window...silly feathered nitwits.

Thought I'd bring you up to date on our situation here.

My woman has turned into frenzied screwing machine. Ahem. That sounds awful, doesn't it? I mean: she has become very handy with a screwdriver. Shall I give you a list of what furniture she has screwed over the last couple of days? Ahem. That sounds just as bad.

Oh bollocks, I will not. One picture tells a thousand words, right?

See (that gorgeous cat on) that lovely gleaming TV cabinet? She made that. Amongst many other things.

So, things are definitely looking up! I have refound my freedom, and I have explored the rooftops of all those sheds around here, and have met my new neighbour to the left, who shooed me (I said: don't you shoo me, strange woman, but she refused to listen). To the right of us are two fearsome dogs, so I have only reconnoitered from the top of their shed.

And the neighbourhood is fine, I must say, much less fireworks then in the old one. That resembled a war zone from Dec 30th onwards. Here you have the occasional mild 'bang', but I don't mind that. Gina does, she's such a wuss, do you know she takes special little pink pills for anxiety? My woman hides them inside bratwurst, honestly, Gina is such a baby. And I don't get any!

Okay, time to say cheerio then.

Hope you all will have a lovely New Year's Eve!

Speak to you soon, XXX

Viggo.

Viggo's Blog: Ho-Ho-Ho!!!

Good morning to you, from both Viggo and Song :-)

Hello fans, Viggo here.

My woman has asked me to say a few words, as it is fitting to mark this occasion, namely our first Christmas in my new home.

The thing is, she has taken a new photo of me on our new table, but has mislaid the cable yet again... So you will have to make do with an oldie but very goodie of me. I'm sure you won't mind! I am good-looking, am I not?

Don't mind Viggo, he is a bit full of himself as usual...

Do you have to say things like that? If you keep saying things like that I'm not certain I want to continue this joint venture!

Sorry...

Yes, right, where was I?

Oh...a few words. Harrum!

Dear fans. Thinking back on the last annus horribilis, (Would you believe auto-correct changed this to hornbills? Stupid computer) I would like to stress that we are fine! My woman can be a bit sentimental and emotional, but there's nothing to worry about. She still feeds me (and smelly Gina) and keeps her fridge well-stocked. She also still showers. So, no worries.

How can I look forward to a new, better year? I have decided to ponder about joining Twitter. What do you say?

Gosh Viggo, do you really think people are waiting for you to start sending them tweets?

If you keep interrupting me you might as well give this speech yourself, woman!

Yes, I really do think there will be interest in my tweets! After all, the internet is the best medium for cats these days. I took heart from the Belgian people tweeting cat photos by the thousands last month as a reaction to their army briefly invading Bruxelles. Besides, I have to keep myself busy during my incarceration.

Viggo explored his new garden yesterday, folks.

Whoah! She let me out for exactly 5 minutes and rushed to get me behind bars as soon as I tried to escape.

He immediately left the back garden and ran into the alley, so I simply had to get him back, as he knows nothing around here and there's a road...

Let's not go into that!

So. Keep your eyes peeled. Twitter!

Oh...yes, and ho-ho-ho to you!!!

Viggo's Blog: Help! I Am Being Held Against My Wishes!

Hi fans, Viggo here.

Call the Cat Rescue Services! I have been unceremoniously dumped in another house! I am stuck here!
My woman says I should not be such a pussy, and that it is only for a fortnight at most, but I cannot get out!
Every time she takes that old smelly Gina for a walk I try to sneak in between the dog's legs, but the woman keeps me back every time. She has even stuck her wellington in my face!
She has put a litter tray in a room upstairs, the shame! I have to bury my stuff by digging it in. Never mind that she says she has bought the most expensive Canadian litter tray stuff and that she might as well have put in nuggets of gold instead...It is undignified!

And do you know what is bugging me as well? I can see all kind of cats walking past my jail window. There's a red&white one which looks interesting, young and feisty. And an old black&white one who looks over the hill and boring. And a sexy white one I wouldn't mind getting to know a lot better. And a grey one who looks as though she gets kicked around a lot. And they all stare in at me. How utterly humiliating. 

Obviously I make my demands known. At night I howl a bit, and jump onto my woman's face a couple of times, and pull her hair, and scratch the doors. But she pretends she can't hear or feel me. 
There's a garden at the back of this house, but it might as well be on the moon.
I miss my fish!

They've Got Geese Here Too!

Hi there, nice to see you again!
My last post was about moving house, and I told you that one of the things I was going to miss tremendously would be the geese gaggling their way across the sky over my old house every morning and evening.
Well, have I got news for you!
I have greeted the geese over my new home already!

It's debatable if these are geese, they could be swans, but I like the picture, so.
But, anyway, they've got geese here too, and their sound brought tears to my (otherwise contented) eyes.

The move went smoothly. Three days was all it took. Right now I'm waiting for the electricity provider to get back to me, 'cause I don't want to be disconnected over the holidays now do I? That would be rather sloppy.

Viggo wants you all to know that he is pretty upset (the understatement of 2015) with his woman. He is in detention for at least two weeks, and does his utmost to escape.
I'll upload a photo of his face a.s.a.p., I just need to find my cable...
I need to find a lot of things. Not in the least some peace.
Working whilst moving, or moving whilst working AND having to grade papers is NOT good for a person, I tell you! 

But alright, I mustn't complain, everything has gone well so far.
Talk to you soon!

Finally! Moving House - Happiness is not the destination - it's the way.

Good evening, my friends.
This will be the last post written from my old house. From tomorrow onwards, Viggo the Macho, my offspring and I will be living in another house right at the other side of the same town in The Wetlands.
So it is with great anticipation, and huge tiredness (after all, work at school simply must go on) that I will be packing the last couple of boxes.

Viggo is not that concerned; he loves boxes and has sniffed, bit and scratched almost every single one by now. He spends his nights on top of the box which appeals to him most at that moment, so all of them now have a Viggo-shaped indentation. 

We will be painting and moving in first, and will keep moving Viggo between houses for last... Him jumping out of the van and disappearing is a recurring nightmare... Him going walkabout and trying to find his way back to his old home is another... I lost a cat that way once, who tried to walk back, had to cross a motorway and was killed.

But, let's look on the bright side, right?

This post is to tide you over; I don't know how soon my new internet account will be up and working. The ads say "immediately", but I am wise to the world of providers by now. Let's hope soon.

Isn't it weird to be doing everything for the last time since 23 years? 

(Viggo shouts I shouldn't keep asking rhetorical questions)

Yes, it is weird! Some things I will miss (the geese honking their way across the sky every morning and evening), some I will not (the neighbors' parties).

So, wish us luck?

(Oh, shut up, Viggo!)

Hi fans, Viggo here!

Damn, I now understand all these comfy boxes are to be moved! I loved it in my house these last couple of weeks, all kinds of hideaway places and boxes and a lot less hoovering than usual. Me, having to "be moved" ? Not on your life! I am not, stress NOT, getting into that van. I refuse! She can promise me kilos of crunchy nibbles, I don't care.

The last word has not been said on this subject!

Viggo's Blog - Let It Snow!!

Hi fans, Viggo here.

My woman tells me that there's a huge climate conference in Paris, France at the moment. She says it is to do with my weather.
Yes, sure, it is your weather too, but basically it is more my weather, 'cause I'm out in it for most of my days and nights, and I bet you're not!

Don't know about your experiences, but over here in The Wetlands it has been raining for weeks now. The water in the rivers and other waterways is extremely high, in fact it is only just in the waterways (as opposed to the waterways becoming simply 'ways' - meaning they are flooding the surroundings).
Now, I don't swim much, but I'm wet all the same all the effing time! It takes me ages to groom, and my woman bans me from her bed.

Let it snow, I say!!

Snow is fun. Yes, it is cold at first, but it smells lovely and clean, and it makes a delightful sound when you jump a mouse in snow. And I adore watching it fall from the sky.

I have told you this before, but in case you suffer from early onset dementia I'll tell you again: I am convinced Kate Bush is half cat. And she has recorded a wonderful song about snow, which says it all.

Nice friendly cat that I am, I have provided you with a link. Enjoy!Snowflake

Until next time, Tar rah!