It Ain't Easy

"The truth is so precious that it must be hidden. "(Churchill) Tunisia can be proud of her citizens. They value morale, freedom of speech, human rights higher than money. Being poor doesn't  mean they are prepared to sell their souls. Governments (e.g. in USA) should more often listen to the people...  A lesson the Saudis and hopefully in particular MBS (Saudi crown prince) learn, is that money isn't everything and decent guys don't want you to get away with murder. I remember a Spanish judge issuing an international arrest warrant for Pinochet and when he came to visit Great Britain he did actually get arrested. Thank heaven for civilisation, international laws and folks (no matter whether Muslims, Christians or Jews) who are not prepared to look the other way! The people in Argentina, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Turkey and other countries share this believe. Hopefully the demonstrations will remain peaceful. - Inflation is high, 15% are unemployed. Prices have risen 2 or 3 times this year, bred remains cheap, so everybody should at least be able to buy bred. Not surprising imports have become especially expensive, some products are no longer on the market, but with a bit of luck local alternative products are available. Imported dry food for cats, a 20kg sack from the vet, used to cost 238 Dinar meanwhile I have to pay 260 (this may seem a luxury, but if you love cats.... (are perhaps willing to live modestly) and it contains Taurine, cats need this for their health). The so-called salami (600 g turkey meat mainly) used to be 2 Dinar, now the price is 2,600 Dinar, all prices quoted are of this year. Milk and butter stock remain limited. Customers are requested not to buy more than 2 l of milk per day.  It ain't easy, in particular when more or less all prices appear to be going up. Chapeau for citizens who say the Saudi crown Prince isn't welcome here!

Postscript Cats know my Name

Cat education isn't difficult, after a few days they've already taught us what is most important. Life without money is possible, providing you manage to convince folks it's worth their while to support you. If your manners are good and you are charming, you can even have servants (dogs have a master and/or a mistress, cats have servants). When the cat is away, the servants are mourning. It is an advantage to be beautiful, but it is not necessary, intelligence is more important, it offers you many opportunities. Cats are very loyal, you can't buy their love, they are not corrupt, not vindictive, but they know jealousy. Some are happy in a community, others prefer to be "the only child". Amira, our first Tunisian cat, still lives with us together with her 4 now adult children, Tiger, Soleigh, Sandy, Bijoux and our other fur angels. Sandy doesn't like when I am surrounded by other cats. She is really only happy sitting next to me and me stroking her golden fur. Her reaction to Jolino is special, she obviously doesn't like him,  makes a lot of fuzz, as if he threatens her, while he only sits in front of her, saying and doing nothing. I think he enjoys her strong reaction. He is my biggest cat, approx. 6 kg, mainly white fur with golden patches. The other cats feel comfortable in his company. Sometimes Sandy, Tiger and lately also Diana and Alien copying the others, chase Myriam, who likes to sleep in the wooden house that a local carpenter created for us. I don't know why he made it look classic German style. Sometimes Felicitas, Lilly or Eileen join Myriam in her wooden house, they get on well with each other. Unfortunately the cats here tend to have a lot of teeth problems, due to adherence. Poor Bijoux had an appointment with the dentist vet 3 times this year, she is 5 1/2 years old. Nature's protection device for sick cats, hide when you are weak and maybe easy prey, is not very helpful when you want to take her/him to the vet's (apart from the possible fight as the cat doesn't want to enter the transport box). But anyhow, when your cat's behaviour changes, in particular when hiding, she or he is likely to be sick. Screaming while eating makes it pretty obvious what's wrong. Unlike us the cat needs anaesthesia, but then again we wouldn't attempt to bite the dentist. Though there are times when one may feel like doing likewise.

Cats know my Name

And my address I may add. There are days when my cats don't feel like eating much, strange,  those indoors and those outdoors, my usual guests. Whenever I have surplus food I take it to a place where poor little fur darlings look for food among the garbage. Some real beauties among them,  and looking so neat (exception when sick), in Europe they would be expensive. Lately two or three of these come to my house looking for me when they are hungry. I may add my now regular outdoor guests once upon a time also discovered my address, now they try to prevent too many additional newcomers. The two cat mummies, Esperanza and Alice, (both are left with just one baby still alive, I let them temporarily sleep in my small corridors) like to chase away in particular young new cats. As a result of this I always take special care not to let them out until my other guests have finished their breakfast. Esperanza and Alice appear to enjoy each others company, sometimes they play "husband and wife".  When I call them:  " Come your baby is missing you", they usually arrive, occasionally out of nowhere. When the baby calls her mother and she replies, this interchange is so sweet. Esperanza watches me carefully whenever I touch her baby, once or twice she even slightly slapped me as the service was not exactly to her liking. Nice to know she doesn't consider me too old to learn. By the way, Esperanza recovered well following her operation of her broken jaw (car accident). At the time her vet advised us that since she's young her chances are good. One day her 4 weeks old baby walked out. I couldn't find her anywhere, nor did I see her mother, therefore I hoped that they were together, possibly in an unoccupied house ruin nearby. Next morning I was disappointed neither to see Esperanza nor her little one. A couple of hours later first the mother arrived and after several minutes the little darling also speaking her mind, at least it sounded as if she had a lot to say. I guess she missed her warm soft bed last night  but anyhow I was happy to see she's doing fine. Following their breakfast the two decided to have a rest, a lovely picture lying side by side, mummy with a leg around her baby. They looked so peaceful. I am always worried when cats are outside, the traffic and those disturbed kids/young men. One 5 or 6 year old I repeatedly caught abusing cats and hitting a little girl, "just for fun". It makes me feel so helpless. I don't believe in looking the other way. This stupid boy pulled our very special Bella's tail and hurled her around. Viewing this I wished for a moment that the cats wouldn't be so gentle but scratch him so hard he wouldn't dare touching them again. In the past I saw him throwing stones at cats and the other day attempting to kick one. Hopefully speaking to his parents and explaining to them that their son is  on a bad route, will help? Bella and Honey call us when they see us, even from quite a distance and Bella lately started to accompany my husband also, when shopping, like a dog might do, only she without a leach of course. Knocking at the sitting room door (hitting the key attachment against the door) was first Felicita's idea, copied by Lilly, meanwhile Amelie, Suzy, Sandy and Alien do the same. Learning by watching, not bad my little treasures! Eileen prefers to "knock" at the window with her little paws. When Tiger sees I am getting ready for bed, he calls and follows me. My late Filou used to climb down his tree and join me. Cats and dogs are great to have as friends and can have as a family member a positive effect on kids' development. Kids learn by watching. Teach them to see and appreciate the beauty of nature and animals. An older grey cat, Grace, used to spend most of the day lying in front of my entrance day. She loved Croquettes which I buy from the vet's. About 3 weeks ago I heard a shuffle, cats' and dogs' voices, by the time I arrived at the door I only managed to see 2 dogs disappear with a dark coloured cat in their mouth. Ever since neither I nor my neighbour saw Grace again, the victim must have been this little darling. Yesterday Esperanza went for  an evening walk and didn't return. I tried in vain to find her and got quite worried. She wouldn't sleep outside, stay without her baby, not by choice. Breakfast time, most of my fur treasures are there (apart from the usual long-sleeping suspects), but where is my lovely Esperanza? Lunch time, still no sight of her. I hear a cat calling, but where is she? From the roof of my house I discover much higher on another roof the sweat little cat face that I know so well, Esperanza. I feel so happy she's alive, I just must work out from which roof can I fetch her down and unite her again with her baby. The neighbour is not at home but luckily returns not long later. All is well, Esperanza is thirsty.