Gustav

I’m still here

skäcklingevägen

Winterskies Photo: ©nini.tjader.2020

In case you wondered… I’m still here.

I’ve been busy with all kinds of things so this blog had to have some rest.

Wallpainting

wallpainting

Walls being painted. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

There was no enjoying autumn really as the outside of the walls of the house were being painted and got in the way of being outside.

Winter?

Garden in November. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

Winter comes and goes. No snow except for a few days here and there. Exceptionally warm outdoors.

Garden in December, 2019. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019
In the livingroom. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

Thermostats on the radiators

Then my housing-coop changed thermostats on all the radiators in the entire housing-coop. I have five (5) radiators including the one in the bathroom.

That meant a lot of visits by the guys who did the job coming back several time. Every time we had to move all the furniture and plants in front of the radiators so there would be at least one meter of space in front and around them. They still have to come back for one of my radiators in the kitchen which was broken when they were here but fixed now.

Waterleak

Waterleak. The damage of the floor. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

Mid-November I had a waterleak from one of my radiators in the kitchen. A severe one with lots of water coming out from it. It destroyed my floor. Have had visit from the firm that measures how wet it is and decides which measures have to be taken to repair it and the next step is that it will get broken open, dried and then rebuilt.

My floor after the waterleak. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

The week befor Xmas the firm that will remove the floor called and wanted to do that the next day… Who wants their kitchen-floor removed one week before Xmas? Not me. So I said, call back about it after the holidays. Managed to get hold of them today and we booked Tuesday the coming week for the removal of the floor and installation of the fan that will dry it.

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Gustav. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

Gustav visits regularly.

Knitting

Socks from left-over yarns. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2020

And I keep on knitting. Sweaters and mittens and socks. All of them can be seen in my Swedish blog.

Projects

Also dug into my project-basket with things I need sewing. Sewing means I need my kitchen-table. And I won’t have a kitchen-table during the time when the kitchen-floor is drying. Finished a couple of things in that project-basket. Only remains a few pillow-cases in that basket now, but they will have to wait until I have a kitchen-table again.

Apron. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2020

Sew an apron from an oil-cloth cloth.

Oven-gloves. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2020

Sew a new pair of oven-gloves from old jeans and an old kitchen-towel.

Night-gown. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2020

Sew a night-gown of the cloth I bought for it two years ago… Just hadn’t got around to making it until now.

Bedspread in the making. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2020

Finished the machine-seams of the bed-spread I started working on a couple of years ago. Now only remains to make the hand-sewn seems for decoration on it. It is made of two old velvet curtains and the backside is a regular white sheet.

This weekend I will empty the kitchen. That is the table, the chairs, the pallets, a bookcase and some plants. And I will also have to move my work-space from just outside the kitchen into the livingroom as I know I will not be able to sit here when the fan is doing its job in the kitchen. It will be too noisy.

So I’ve been busy with other things than writing in this blog. It is not dead yet though…

Posted by nini in floorrenovation, Gustav, kitchen, projects, Various, 0 comments

Happy Birthday Gustav 14!

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Gustav 2019-03-15. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

Happy Birthday to Gustav, 14 years old today. May he get many more years and continue to be as healthy as can be at his age. A bit more tired, but still alert enough to catch both rats, mice and birds… And begs for smoked ham as a treat. Still as talkative, still a lapcat. Gustav visits me regularly, sometimes almost every day and sleeps in his favourite places in my flat for a couple of hours. Then he goes out and home again.

Here are som recent pictures of Gustav.

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The ugly season and pelargonias

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The garden, 2019-02-16. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

It is now officially the ugly season. The period between winter and spring. And the time for the pelargonias to wake up.
Snow is gone  –  hopefully we will not see any more snow this season.
Greenery hasn’t woke up yet. But it will the next couple of days as warmer weather has been promised.
It is still cold outdoors. One day it rains. The next it snows. The next it rains.

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Icy 2019-02-09. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

Or sudden frost and really cold nights that makes it next to impossible to walk outdoors on sidewalks and walkways. The green grass is about to wake up, but not really yet…

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Gustav wounded. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

Gustav, the neighbour cat, got wounded catching a fat rat. Gustav is fine now and healing fast. He caught the rat that for some time was stealing bird-food and even climbed the metalrod to get to the feeder. I’ve removed msot fo the bird-food since I saw him/her the first time. Bird with a tail in the feeder? No thanks.

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Dead rat, 2019-02-19. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

The rat is dead and went in to the common bin. Good riddance… Gustav killed it and brought into his mom and left it on her office floor… I am grateful that he doesn’t consider me being his mom so he has to bring me such gifts…

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Mårbacka pelargonia. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

With the increasing daylight, the few pelargonias that have survived the winter and the dark are waking up. Above is a cutting that came from the large Mårbacka pelargonia as it broke off from it when I moved it indoors in the autumn.

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The mother plant of the Mårbacka pelargonia. Photo ©nini.tjader.2019

The motherplant has woken too. I need to cut it down soon and make more cuttings from it. It is growing high. Presently it is 65 cm high from earth up.

Bontrosai, pelargonia

Bontrosai pelargonia. Photo: ©ninitjader.2019

The Bontrosai pelargonia – which originally, a year ago, was the top of Ulla’s Bontrosai  –  is ridiculously high, 75 cm from earth up. It too needs to be cut down, get a new pot, and get siblings. Any day now. I have waited for the daylight to increase.

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Snowdrop, 2019-02-17. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

The first springflower, a snowdrop appeared a week ago. I have seen the leafs of the crocus coming too, but so far no flowers. But soon.

I long for the real spring, warmth, more light, no frost…

At the gym. 2019-02-04.

Meanwhile when waiting for warmer weather I go 3 times a week to the gym. Above my gym group on February 4th 2019. Till in the middle with Anette our trainer had birthday that day.

Present knitting, a greenish cardigan. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

And I knit (will return to more about that another day). Presently a multi-coloured cardigan from top to bottom. First sleeve almost don, second to follow.

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Bought on fair. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

I also visited the Sy- & Hantverksmässan, also called Syfestivalen, on Februari 15th with friend Ulla. I visit this fair whenever it occurs, which is twice a year. The above is what I got this time. The five balls of Opal yarn I won at a contest on the homepage of the fair. The six red skeins will become a simpla sweater when I am done with the cardigan above. This time from a Norwegian pattern that I bought on Ravelry. Looking forward to start it… I try not to knit more than one thing at the time and never start the next project until the one I am working on is done.

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Yarn and pattern. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019

And meanwhile the jungle in the kitchenwindows is still there.

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In the kitchen, 2019-01-27. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2019
Posted by nini in cats, Garden, Garden and Nature, Gustav, House plants, indoor plants, kitchen, knitting, pelargonias, spring, Thoughts, 0 comments

Gustav was in a fight

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Gustav 2017-04-22 Photo: ©nini.tjader.2017

Friday April 21st 2017 in the morning, Gustav, my neighbours male cat, that visits me almost daily, was in a fight.

Gustav was seriously hurt and got bitten over the forehead by “something” with a big mouth. According to the veterinary whatever bit him was probably a fox or a dog, rather than a cat. Or maybe a large cat with a big mouth…  The bite was deep into his scull and nearly touched the scull-bone. Fortunately nothing happened to his eyes.

My neighbour brought him into the animal hospital on Friday to get it throughly checked out. After a wait of about 4 or 5 hours he got checked and it was decided to operate on him on Friday night and keep him over night at the animal hospital. His wounds were sewn and a drainage pipe of some sort was placed through his forehead to make it possible to remove whatever puss that might otherwise collect there. It has to be cleaned 3 times a day. It looks like he has got horns… The drainage pipe will be removed on Wednesday. The stitches on May 2nd.

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Gustav 2017-04-22 Photo: ©nini.tjader.2017

When Gustav got home again he was both hungry and thirsty after not having eaten or drunk for 24 hours. He was really hungry and ate with good appetite even though he had some difficulties with the thing around his head that was in the way. Drinking was even more difficult, but got solved by changing to a larger bowl with water all the way up to the edge of it. Gustav didn’t want to go on the litter-box though until late in the evening as he is not used to using the litter-box. He prefers outside, in nature.

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Gustav 2017-04-22. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2017

Gustav is also grounded and not allowed to go out by himself until drainage and stitches are gone. The cat-flap is locked. He just sat there longing to go outside. But no. My neighbour, his owner, will get a leash to take him outside under surveillance.

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Alice 2017-04-22. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2017

His friend Alice, which lives together with him at my neighbour, was puzzled first by his absence, then by how he was when he came home. At first she kept her distance and just looked at him.

I heard that medication of Gustav went well and he even liked the medicine he got, as well as the cleaning of the drainage tube. Apart from his wounds, he seems alert and just his usual self. Even though he gets irritated by that thing around his head, which he also sleeps with. He looks a bit funny walking with it and gets a bit wobbly by it. Not to mention all the corners he gets stuck at because of it. He is forbidden to jump… but how do you stop a cat form jumping when there is nothing wrong with his body?

Hopefully all goes well and he will be his old self again soon. Here are some more pictures of him. Reload page to get pictures sorted differently. Click on a picture to see larger version.

Posted by nini in cats, Gustav, 0 comments

Neighbouring cats (and dogs)

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Gustav and the neighbours female cat. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2017

Where I live I am surrounded by cats. There are four of them just in my building, all four on the ground floor. There is one dog in the building too, upstairs, Jerry a Jack Russell. We are three flats on the ground floor and three upstairs. I love cats and they normally love me too. So I don’t mind.

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The female cat of my neighbour across the hall. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2017

The neighbour across the hall has two striped cats. One female and one male. They are siblings, brother and sister. They are both extremely friendly and like being stroked and keep on befriending ones legs of you pat them.

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The male cat of one of the neighbours just outside my outside place. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

If you have the door open to the outside place, you have to watch up as both these cats really want to come in and are very curious and friendly. I don’t let them come into my flat. My flat is primarily Gustavs territory.

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Gustav in one of his favourite chairs in my flat. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2017

One of the neighbouring cats is Gustav, 12, who comes to visit me almost every day. He has his favourite places to sleep in in my place. Two chairs and the sofa. Gustav gets along fairly well with both the striped cats, which are much younger than him. Both like to follow along after Gustav when they are outside.

alice, cat

Alice and Gustav, spring 2016. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

And there is Alice, my neighbours female cat that lives with Gustav. She is very shy. Took me a couple of years to become friends with her. Now she is fine with me and doesn’t run away when she sees me and she even come into my flat sometimes, if my neighbour goes to visit me, or if there is somebody in her home that she doesn’t like. She then sometime borrows one of the chairs where Gustav use to sleep.

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Alice in Gustavs chair in my flat. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

But beware of Alice if you are any of the other neighbouring cats… She doesn’t like competition and viciously chases other cats away. Particularly female cats. And she is no lapcat, like Gustav, and it is impossible to lift her up.

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Alice at the gate to her outside place. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2017

Alice and Gustav are normally friends and even sleep side by side. But sometimes they chase each other around the garden (or indoors in their own home) and run like crazy (like cats do sometimes). They are both skilled bird- & mouse-killers. That’s nature though. They do not give me gifts of dead mice and birds. They give them to their owner, my neighbour. Grateful for that…

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Gustav and Alice in 2013 in a sunchair at their own outside place. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2013

Cats are fun and lovely to have around. Except for the four cats in my building, there are several others in the neighbourhood.

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Neighbours male cat watching over the neighbourhood. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

PS. I forgot the 2 small dogs that live in the ground-floor flat with own access from outside. They are small and cute and they watch you through their window beside their door when they are home alone and waiting for their owners. They are smaller than the cats in the house…

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Neighbours doggies. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

Posted by nini in cats, Gustav, Thoughts, 0 comments

Gustav on the sunbed

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Gustav on the sunbed. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

The other day Gustav found the pillow on my sunbed to be the very best place to rest.

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Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

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Gustav on the sunbed. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

It was the last of the sun for the day and we were preparing to go inside. But Gustav stayed there.

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Gustav on the sunbed. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

He really enjoyed resting there. Having the entrance to the area and the parking lot controlled and over-looked probably made him feel safe.

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Gustav on the sunbed. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

On top of the pillow apparently was a comfortable place to sleep.

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Gustav on the sunbed. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

He didn’t want to leave. So we left him there. Fore a short while Alice, his female companion, accompanied him on the sunbed, but she didn’t stay long.

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Gustav on the sunbed. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

In the end he stayed there until around 22:00 hrs in the evening when I at last could bring in the pillow and the mattress from the sunbed. Cannot leave those out, they get wet from the morning-dew.

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Gustav on the sunbed. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

All photos with iPhone 5S.

Posted by nini in Gustav, 0 comments

Approved by Gustav

bedroom. pillows

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2014

Made a small change in the bedroom. Dug out an old bedspread and changed the size of it to suit the bed. Also made a new pillow-case of the cloth that was left after sewing the door-curtain some time ago and changed the covers of the other pillows.

bedroom, pillow-cases

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2014

Still need to fix the walls (paint them and remove the decoration behind the bedframe). As I’ve said so many times, I really don’t like that green color.

But Gustav approved of the new-old bedspread and pillows.

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Photo: ©nini.tjader.2014

Posted by nini in Furniture and Decoration, Gustav, Interior Design, 0 comments

That kind of day

sofalife

It has been that kind of day. Grey. Wet. Dark.
Didn’t want to go out. Was still cold from yesterday which was the same kind of weather.
Uninspiring.
Better to stay inside and light some candles.

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Baked some bread. Then spent a couple of hours testing various things in Adobe Illustrator. Then the sofa in front of the TV.
That kind of weather that makes Gustav the cat feel like this.

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©nini.tjader.2014

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Posted by nini in Furniture and Decoration, Gustav, Interior Design, 0 comments

Most relaxing…

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Photo:©nini.tjader.2014

The most relaxing there is must be watching a sleeping cat… in this case my friend Gustav who belongs to my neighbor. He comes and goes. Lately he has been visiting almost every day. He likes to sleep at my place. My neighbor says that he gets disappointed if my door is closed so he must go home again.

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SOOO sleepy. Photo:©nini.tjader.2014

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Posted by nini in Gustav, 0 comments

TBT My friend Gustav

TBT (Throw Back Thursday). My friend Gustav, my neighbors cat, in April over the last few years. He is now 9 years old and the most friendly cat I know. He likes to come to visit me even though he never gets either food or drink from me. He just likes being here and take a nap now and then.

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Gustav 2011-04-13 Photo: ©nini.tjader

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Gustav in the sock drawer, 20120414 Photo:©nini.tjader

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Gustav 20130409 Photo: ©nini.tjader

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Gustav 20140402 Photo: @nini.tjader

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Gustav 2014-04-10 Photo: ©nini.tjader

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Posted by nini in Gustav, TBT, 0 comments