Jacquetta

Homeless Australian cat lady. Spoonie. User of fruity language.

https://livingthezeitgeist.wordpress.com/

Back up account. Main account: [@Jacquetta](https://social.chinwag.org/@Jacquetta )

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Last Notes

2025-12-31 19:09:48 GMT

Happy New Year 🎉
I missed it (like I always do) but I had a lovely evening with a dear friend, a bottle of wine, and an indecent amount of gelato.
But last year I started a new tradition. I have friends who are Spanish and we all got together over Signal and watched the Spanish broadcast and did the Twelve Grapes. They were in Spain. I was not!
There is something utterly civilised about celebrating New Year mid-morning with grapes. Highly recommend.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Grapes

2025-12-26 20:21:07 GMT

Morning all ☕
I'm still going through photographs and videos :blobcat_reachsobrev:
Anyhoo, once that's done I'm going to add resume blogging on my to-do list (Living the Zeitgeist). I've got a bazillion posts to write.
I'm also going to start posting here under a new hashtag for travel recommendations as they don't really suit the blog. These won't self-destruct.
#JacquettasTravelTips
https://o.mastodon.au/media_attachments/files/115/787/710/260/376/664/original/9297fb6e2b6766f2.jpg

2025-12-25 22:08:05 GMT

Morning all ☕
I hope everybody had the day they wanted to yesterday.
I, for a variety of reasons, don't celebrate Christmas but I did enjoy your posts.
I spent yesterday dealing with my bazillion pics. I've been putting it off as it's hard looking at images of Miss Black, but it can't be put off any longer as I really want to free up some storage space and upload them to my drive.
Here's one of my favourites. Remember the Great Lettuce Shortage of 2022? I vaguely remember KFC either threatening or actually putting cabbage in their burgers to much effrontery (I did not partake).
I had moved into *that place* and my first pot of what would be a massive vegetable garden was lettuce. It was not thriving. I had no idea why until ...
https://o.mastodon.au/media_attachments/files/115/782/461/922/131/509/original/6cdd0d28c5d6ef07.jpeg

2025-12-21 22:22:39 GMT

Morning 🚗
I'm sitting on a very busy main street in an otherwise quiet country town (no highway bypass) while my car is being repaired.
⛺ remains AWOL. I've contacted the freight company and told them I'll collect it from the depot :blobcat_angery:
Lovely friend has gone to the big smoke for Christmas and Miss Tabby and I are having a lovely time. Friend was a little concerned by my Home Alone status. I'm not!
If you're homeless* the BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER is peace and quiet, plumbing, and FTTP.
*not everyone's preference, obviously

2025-12-17 06:08:55 GMT

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Aged care should not be privatised. End of.

2025-12-17 05:53:08 GMT

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It's unbelievable

2025-12-17 00:39:52 GMT

FUCK ME
It seems that all you need to do to secure a home for your homeless thesis is to advise an academic that somebody else desperately wanted it...
:blobcatgiggle:
MY THESIS HAS A HOME AND HELLOOOOO HONOURS!
🎉

2025-12-17 00:00:38 GMT

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Pfffft! George is a lightweight.
One of my enduring memories of my darling Miss Black is when we were travelling down the New England Highway and she sat on my lap.
She was a very well-behaved traveller and never did this. Ever.
A nanosecond later her bowels erupt. Like Krakatoa on steroids. On. My. Lap.
I'm able to pull over within a minute at a rest stop. I gingerly swivel out of my seat with my legs clenched to contain my lap's contents.
I then gave two lanes of traffic a floorshow while I frantically stripped off with chunks of 💩 flying everywhere.

2025-12-16 23:32:11 GMT

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST.
I was completely unaware of the destruction of the home care package system for aged care. Ageing in place is critical. Only a tiny percentage of older people are in residential care.
We're all ageing and we all need to read this.
"The new Support at Home program is transforming community aged care into a for-profit market that favours large and for-profit providers and that is funded through a massive increase in consumer fees."
"The second change to community aged care is the PROPOSED DESTRUCTION of CHSP ... It is largely delivered by not-for-profit community aged care providers such as Meals on Wheels, community transport, and state and local government services such as neighbourhood centres and community nursing. It is the only part of the aged care system which has consistently performed well over the last four decades."
https://johnmenadue.com/post/2025/12/a-beginners-guide-to-australian-aged-care-policy-in-2025/

2025-12-12 07:25:52 GMT

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Monty Python has been part of my life for so long I cannot remember how it happened. Since childhood. Can't remember the first time I saw Life of Brian. I do remember being shocked by the full frontal nudity :blobcatgiggle:

2025-12-12 02:32:44 GMT

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I was a bit of BlackWolf fangirl (because tent manufacturing here is a shitshow) but I'd never buy another one.
Trying an OzTrail. I've set the bar pretty low. Hoping it doesn't leak.

2025-12-12 02:07:30 GMT

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Yep. I pitched it for a bit up north as a second gear tent and then packed it up.
I've only been using it for the last few weeks 'full time'. No heavy weather.
Pole snapped on a calm day.
But I did notice that the quality had taken a nosedive from the last one. I've got another one in storage (I bought the last two in stock when the model was discontinued). So, given how shit this one was, I decided instead to try a different tent and leave that one in storage.

2025-12-07 09:26:47 GMT

Fuck.
It's dusk so no alt text.
https://o.mastodon.au/media_attachments/files/115/677/566/632/514/635/original/4a2ef3ebfbecbc1b.jpg

2025-12-07 07:17:07 GMT

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Thanks Jude.
I've just had a lovely long chat with the chap you looked out for us up there (and who I did some absolutely bonkers 4WDing with) who always lifts my spirits and he's going up to take down the flyer if it's still there.

2025-12-07 05:11:23 GMT

There are some unbelievably sick and cruel people out there.
I've just received a phonecall from a private number and I quote:
"Is this the number for the missing cat?"
To which I reply, "yes"
"It's dead". Hung up.
No Shit Sherlock.
Obviously an arsehole cat hater who's got nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon.
I've got a couple of flyers around town (still) so I think it's time to get in touch with a few people to pull them down.

2025-12-06 22:31:44 GMT

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I watched him paint the second Lameroo silo one hot morning.
He literally uses a sprayer and spends hours waving his arm up and down on a cherry picker.
Un freaking believable

2025-12-06 22:27:28 GMT

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https://streeticons.art/icon/smug-one/

2025-12-06 22:00:41 GMT

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🤞
My life is now ruled by the emergency services/BOM apps but we should be able to squeeze in a few.
I'm a huge fan of Sam Bates aka Smug.

2025-12-06 19:45:45 GMT

Morning all ☕
We had a very relaxed day yesterday. I was utterly exhausted!
I think I've finally turned a proper corner with Miss Tabby and last night she actually purred. A lot. She hasn't had a good purr in months.
She's doing well in her new harness and walks are becoming quite the adventure. I do struggle to take her out for her evening walk (at the moment 9pm) but it makes a huge difference to her and she's much more settled.
PSA to anyone trying to harness train a cat: for the love of all things Holy, bin the static lead that comes with them. Just No. Get a 5m retractable lead but never allow them to extend beyond, say, 1.5m and always have your thumb covering the button that stops it extending. It makes life so much easier when your cat is going in every available direction and it allows them to have a short climb in the bottom of a tree without it all going tits up.
Unfortunately, no pics as we're always out in the dark. Even then, something spooked her this morning and she bolted back to the tent. That was a fun few seconds...
Anyhoo, it's another day here doing some prep work for an interview I'm conducting tomorrow and then, conditions permitting, we're heading towards a few silos I'm keen on seeing. If we make it there I'll post pics.
Here's a link to her new harness. I highly recommend.
https://catharnessaustralia.com.au/

2025-12-05 22:09:59 GMT

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I was actually stopped on the street by someone interested in the backpack for their bird. Would Pete shred the mesh?
It's expensive but absolutely worth it. Backpack mode to transport in/out of car and cafes etc, expanded mode for car and anywhere roomy enough.
I've even removed washing from a top loader in a laundrette with it on :blobcatgiggle:
https://pidan.com.au/product/pidan-expandable-mesh-pet-backpack-carrier/

2025-12-05 20:00:19 GMT

Morning all ☕
Yay for the weather change.
I deliberately drove for as long as I was safe to do so to get somewhere I knew would be cool for the weekend. Low 20s with a bit of rain. Perfect for hanging out in the tent chillaxing and sorting out some stuff.
I don't usually stay in showgrounds as they can be quite challenging with a stroppy cat/s but now it's just Miss Tabby and I it's a lot more manageable. And, I didn't want to free camp over the weekend in a tourist region as you never know what you're going to get...
I deliberately chose a little town just off the beaten track and it's perfect. It's a large space and with not too many people so we don't have someone parked up on top of us. We're in a quiet corner with massive pines on grass. Miss Tabby started humbugging to go out at 4am so, after a quick trip to the loo, it was on with the harness and off we went.
Half an hour later I was tossing her back in the tent!
She absolutely loved it but, thinking she wouldn't go far, I didn't grab my boots and headtorch. There was just enough light to see and I was padding about in my crocs hoping not to go tits up (or tread in anything I shouldn't).
She's very happy in her new harness and has quickly cottoned on to harness means adventures. I'll take pics when I can but we're usually in the dark.
Anyhoo, quiet day online today for me. I've got a little administrative stuff to deal with thanks to the unbelievable clusterfuck that is the Adelaide/UniSA merger (the numbnuts who thought that was a good idea should be forced to deal with the fallout) and the even bigger clusterfuck of appointing the avoiders of all work and lovers of AI generated nonsense, DeToilet, to oversee the steaming turd...

2025-11-24 21:36:56 GMT

My darling Girl disappeared three months ago today.
I think about her every day and have a little cry.
She was a born hobo, playful, and protective, and she gave the best cuddles.
Here's the last photograph I have of her taken on 2 August. Utterly typical.
Hold your pets close and never take them for granted.
https://o.mastodon.au/media_attachments/files/115/606/639/154/742/059/original/a3435b47ec2f0e90.jpg

2025-11-24 06:58:47 GMT

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The Yanks love their ridiculous car chases, don't they? 😂

2025-11-24 06:28:36 GMT

I'm too knackered to read, so I'm doing Netflix and chill.
I'm just catching up with the Bourne trilogy, and while predictable but entertaining nonsense, I have David Stratton's voice in my head saying, "queasy cam, Margaret, two stars".

2025-11-23 23:17:34 GMT

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It's a challenge, but somebody has to do it 😂

2025-11-23 19:56:41 GMT

Good morning from Ngarrindjeri country ☕️
We left our campsite at midday yesterday, thanks to our delightful neighbours who made me not one, but two, cups of coffee with an artisan blend from Margaret River. The conversation was equally excellent. They're trialling their new setup, and I wished them happy travels for when they start their adventures.
I checked the forecast and... 😱*
Cue emergency text to check if there was room at the Inn and there was, so here we are in our little magical bolthole with an amazing view over what was once Moopthalwangk. Imagine a lush wetland full of abundance.
Naturally, colonisation turned it into a salty shit show.
Anyhoo, I have to pop into Aussie Post this morning to collect Miss Tabby's new harness, and I plan on spending the day reading my library books and stuffing ice cream. Cos freezer!
I've never bothered with a library card up until now, but I discovered recently that I can return books to any library in the state, and now I'm having at it! These books will be returned down south before I cross the border.
This is my view.
I've already seen lots of birds, a couple of bunnies, and a big roo bounding down the road.
Miss Tabby prefers tents and electrical storms but gets to suck it up.
*it's going to be 38 degrees today, and I'm on strike!
https://o.mastodon.au/media_attachments/files/115/600/760/749/478/845/original/4c6d7e32cc9a76a8.jpg

2025-11-22 10:13:18 GMT

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Yes, love catching up with my mates and it's nice to get up into the Tablelands and out of the real heat for a bit

2025-11-22 10:11:52 GMT

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💯
Yep, do it every year. Will be a lot shorter this year, all going well.

2025-11-22 10:07:18 GMT

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Yup, catching up with mates. Will be catching up with mate #1, depositing Miss Tabby, and heading up (totally the wrong time of year) to BrisVegas to see mate #2

2025-11-22 10:03:05 GMT

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The Land of the Rootbeeter 😂

2025-11-22 09:58:28 GMT

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I'm trying to dodge the heat. I've got an interview to do hopefully this week, and I want to go to Raukkan, but otherwise, as long as I get up to Barnacle-Country before Christmas, the route is wide open.

2025-11-22 09:54:10 GMT

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It's all very fluid and weather dependent.

2025-11-22 09:50:58 GMT

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Well, southeast from here, and then north east.

2025-11-22 09:43:44 GMT

Miss Tabby coping brilliantly with an electrical storm and cabin fever (she's been in the tent a couple of days by choice: refused dawn walkies).
Just chilling out on my legs after lots of brushing...
We're off tomorrow. Undercover car park and shopping and printing. Prepping for the start of the adventure east.

2025-11-22 02:14:27 GMT

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OMG check out those scones!
Sounds like a lovely day of remembrance :blobcat_hug:

2025-11-21 19:51:44 GMT

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I haven't been through there in years. I'm thinking they had some severe water shortages during the drought, or have I got my towns mixed up?
Have a lovely picnic!

2025-11-21 04:42:41 GMT

And in a complete 180, a couple drive in with an ENORMOUS van and are perplexed about where to camp.
I go out and offer to move my car so they can scootch in next to me (their campsite, not mine, but tricky to reverse into).
Absolutely lovely. Road testing their new kit and have invited me for morning coffee.
They have an espresso machine...
:blobcat_giggle:

2025-11-21 03:56:18 GMT

Soooo... I needed to pitch the tent so I could use my laptop and the only place possible was a cheap spot in the southern wine region. It gets notoriously busy and I didn't want to, but needs must.
And, yep, it took less than 24 hours for some entitled twat with a van to pull into my campsite for, I shit you not, lunch. No apologies. And pissed off with me for being pissed off with them.
I'm very tempted to go and sit myself down next to them...

2025-11-20 07:53:19 GMT

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Sounds bloody lovely. I'd hoover that up.
I've just had a couple of local eggs (sold at the campsite) on a roll. My CBF dinner!

2025-11-19 22:34:41 GMT

Morning all ☕️
I'm sitting in THE BEST EVER country bakery chain for breakfast and no pics for you because it was shovelled in my gob faster than a sprint to an outback dunny.
Anyhoo, I feel fabulous. Hard to believe after a night squished in the car :blobcat_giggle:
I accidentally and not by design found a safe and quiet small carpark with a 24-hour toilet (rare these days) and OMFG PRAISE BE next to a swimming complex.
This morning, the lovely chap gave me change and the recommendation for the best shower, and I had a four minute torrent of hot water. Divine.
Miss Tabby had an accidental short free range stroll around a bit of the carpark at dawn (pretty unavoidable when you've got to open a car door and HRH is an expert at squishing under the seat where I can't get to her) but swiftly came back. I left her snoozing.
On the way to the bakery I threw a few things in a machine at the 24 hour laundrette and, once that's done, I'm off to photocopy a few things at the library before a visit to a nursing home.
I'm hoping the carpark is quiet at the cemetery nearby, so Miss Tabby can have a good stretch when we're done.

2025-11-19 21:42:50 GMT

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That's a plus one from me.
Even if you get a "LOLZ it sucks to be you"* from your housing provider, you may be adding to the pile of complaints. Important when the shit hits the fan.
My experience with Housing SA a nightmare (I strongly recommend no single woman accepts public housing in SA) and I was treated like I was the problem, but I still think it's important that actions have consequences and noone should get a blank cheque.
The overwhelming majority of people with "mental health issues" don't assault someone. It shits me that it's shrugged off.
*I had a Housing SA social worker LAUGH at one of my complaints

2025-11-19 08:50:17 GMT

Say good evening to Harry.
Harry has decided he* wants snuggles.
Harry has flatly refused to vacate his residence despite my best efforts.
Harry refuses to be discreet despite my asking rather politely if he could bugger off back to his hidey hole. Nope, he's having way too much fun crawling all over the dashboard.
It looks like I'm going to have to really scootch up on the backseat with a cat and a huntsman...
*I have zero idea how to sex a spider.
https://o.mastodon.au/media_attachments/files/115/575/486/213/206/545/original/3bde8ccd53722e19.jpg

2025-11-18 21:05:38 GMT

Rightio, still trying to haul my ass out of bed. I've been awake since 3am, it's a little moist, a bit chill, we're in no rush, and I've learned to wait until Miss Tabby is comatose before packing up camp.
And, unlike most travelling days, I might just make a decent meal here before we leave.
During my absence I swapped my solar panel (tri fold) for a blanket which is a fraction of the size and weight. Brilliant. It does have some serious limitations though and I wouldn't recommend one unless you had a DC/DC hook up to the car as a primary charge source.
Anyhoo, I rarely get the Esbit out these days and do just about all my cooking in the 12v Rice Cooker. Best bit of kit I've ever bought. When things settle down I'll start blogging again with recipes etc.

2025-11-18 20:34:07 GMT

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Yep. We may have *coughs* slept in one last year in a particularly tough area to camp.
Fabulous night's sleep :blobcatgiggle:

2025-11-18 20:22:00 GMT

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It'll be Miss Tabby's first stealth park without her sister.
Pro tip: the best place to exercise homeless pets in peace if they're skittish is the carpark of a country cemetery.
Just don't be a dick and allow your pets to roam all over the actual cemetery and on people's graves. And behave with a modicum of decorum. It's nice to wander through a cemetery paying your respects.

2025-11-18 20:17:47 GMT

Morning all ☕
We're on the move today. Our time is up here and, while it would be lovely to stay on for a couple more days (a Council worker I had a yarn with yesterday suggested nobody would mind), I adore this place and don't want to risk it. They have a seven-day rule which I respect. I give them a decent donation and toodle off.
No idea what we're going to do tonight as camping around Adelaide is extremely difficult. We can't leave just yet as I have a few things still to do so we might just find ourselves in the car tonight for a bit of stealth parking.

2025-11-18 05:36:20 GMT

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Apologies if you know all of this.
Are you on a generic police number, or is it possible to call the police station closest to you?
I don't know how it works over there, but here I got excellent service from my local nick (one mention of where I lived and they were all over it).
Submit your police report number to the mob in charge of your public housing.
Good luck, and I'm glad you're okay (ish) 🤗

2025-11-17 23:21:32 GMT

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Ooo! Enjoy!

2025-11-17 22:18:05 GMT

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Too right!
I've been caring for her more out of obligation as she's been bloody hard work and no joy, but we're finally getting there.

2025-11-17 21:13:12 GMT

Morning all ☕️
I had an absolute shocker of a night, which was expected. Being on a bed the width of a yoga mat encased in a sleeping bag makes tossing and turning an Olympic sport.
Anyhoo, I've really got to finish a project I started for someone a month ago as it will start to warm up here, and I'll need to leg it.
Miss Tabby was delightful yesterday. It was the first time I've left her in the tent for a lengthy period and it didn't bother her at all. She was ever so sweet last night so I think we may have turned a corner. Relief!
I'm still nutting out what to do for the first few weeks of uni if I'm accepted. It may well have to be a cattery until I'm settled in 😬

2025-11-17 07:30:43 GMT

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You need a gopher to get around 😬

2025-11-17 06:32:56 GMT

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She was sooooo nice and didn't bat an eyelid. I'm guessing it's a thing.

2025-11-17 06:21:55 GMT

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I'm sensing I'm not the first woman to come in asking about showering 😬

2025-11-17 06:18:45 GMT

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Yep, t'was a bit much, but I discovered this morning that the aquatic centre near my storage unit has fabulously hot showers for only $2.50 with wonderful staff who told me which was the nicest one :blobcat_inlove:
So, on the bright side, I was squeaky clean for the meeting :blobcat_giggle:

2025-11-17 06:07:49 GMT

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l was thinking of you today!
No cards were available in the machine at the interchange, so I had to do a lap of TTP until I found the RAA. No map/information at the interchange entry, and by the time I got back to the bus stop I was limping.
I was so engrossed in everyone's shenanigans here on the way back in the bus that, as impossible as it sounds, I missed the interchange and had to limp to the car park from the next stop 🤦‍♀️
As I was driving out, the supermarket where I recharged the other Metrocard found it so it was back in the opposite direction and another hour tacked on to my home journey.
😬😭
Anyhoo, TTP sucks balls.

2025-11-17 02:56:13 GMT

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And anyone tailgating in the Adelaide Hills needs to be fired into the sun...

2025-11-17 02:51:56 GMT

It's been... quite the day.
Big drive into the big smoke at stupid o'clock, one incident of road rage, topped up my Metrocard only to discover I'd lost it on arrival at the Tea Tree Plaza interchange and then had to endure the absolute epitome of Gruen trying to get a new one.
On the bus back to the car now and will have an hour's drive back to camp.
Buggered.
Academic I went to visit lovely. Came clean about my circumstances and hope I haven't blown it 🤞

2025-11-15 02:51:24 GMT

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Bureau of what? A fancy writing desk? Would you like some stinky cheese and a baguette with that?

2025-10-23 21:18:17 GMT

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Slowly getting there with a few hiccups along the way. Very, very, very tired and spoonless but will be back 'soon'.
Thanks for checking in :blobcat_inlove:

2025-09-28 07:05:44 GMT

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👋
I've been lurking keeping an eye on your adventures. I see you're opting to leave kitteh at home these days!
Everyone has been lovely but, cripes, I'm worn out and getting snippy with it. I'm going to have to find a bolt hole after I've sorted out Stef and Rob at the B&B. Preferably without internet access and with some form of water.

2025-09-26 10:08:24 GMT

I've just got off the phone with Stef, and we're heading straight to the B&B from here where we'll be spending a few nights roadtesting the new Camper's Room.
It's amazing (she's sent me pics). Um, Stef can't wait to see Miss Tabby up in the rafters :blobcat_yikes:
We'll then shift over to the Workshop so I can complete the growing to-do list. Stef and I kept thinking of things the longer we chatted :blobcat_giggle:

2025-09-25 04:48:14 GMT

Open day at SAGHS (free entry) for anyone in South Australia interested in family history
Sunday 12th October 2025
10am to 3pm
Genealogy SA Library Open Day
https://www.genealogysa.org.au/whats-on/events-calendar/open-day-2025
#FamilyHistory
#Genealogy

2025-09-24 22:57:15 GMT

In other news, my Kula Cloth arrived yesterday.
I've been eye-balling these for a while but with 'things' completely forgot about it.
When I was housed, I made my own pee cloths. In the Great Loo Roll Crisis of 2020 I was absolutely fine as a single loo roll used to last me around a month.
Anyhoo, I went with an independent stockist and I got two cloths, a matching pocket, and a bidet attachment. I'm using a cloth each day (you hang them out between uses) with the washed one (using Wilderness Wash) drying out.
Loving them. I'll eventually make a proper blog post about them when I'm in the right head space.
Oh, and I got fabulous service and they arrived really quickly so I would definitely recommend purchasing through here. Larger chains stock a few products but I was able to get everything I needed (yes, plus postage) and, because this is super-important!, I could buy the kit and cloths in the matching design :blobcatgiggle:
https://flowforesttherapy.com/kula-cloth-australia

2025-09-24 22:25:11 GMT

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I'm always jealous when I see a church conversion.
They can be a biatch to do, though. I knew someone years ago who bought a church in South Wales and it was a moneypit.
You need some serious $$ to make them habitable but, yeah, lotto win and that's us sorted.

2025-09-24 22:13:26 GMT

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WOW and HELL YEAH!

2025-09-23 23:54:29 GMT

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:blobcat_hug:

2025-09-23 00:13:14 GMT

Cat sitters/cattery recommendations please
We need help.
Miss Tabby is a fearful rescue cat who has just lost her litter mate of over nine years and has been left very traumatised. I'm hoping her behaviour will stabilise in the next month or two but she'll still be very fearful (she always has been) and she does get a little whiney.
I'm after recommendations of good catteries/cat sitters in South Australia/Victoria/New South Wales/Queensland who can cope with Miss Tabby to give me some respite so I can do human things.
I'm also interested in connecting with compassionate organisations committed to helping homeless people keep their animals.
I want to keep her but it's hard. Really hard. After almost two years on the road in a tent with two cats, losing my therapy cat in the worst possible way, and being left with a deeply traumatised cat that hates travelling, I need a village.
Many thanks and all suggestions welcome. I'd also be grateful for boosting.
https://o.mastodon.au/media_attachments/files/115/250/677/147/661/275/original/9246ebd3f1dae3da.jpg

2025-08-30 23:54:36 GMT

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I'm doing a Gina Chick, but I still think campfires are an unnecessary PITA!

2025-08-30 23:40:49 GMT

#SilentSunday
https://o.mastodon.au/media_attachments/files/115/120/350/684/405/016/original/442c7e168043aa6d.jpg

2025-08-29 23:39:23 GMT

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Enjoy.
I've decided this morning to go to my happy place and I'm looking at all the Somerset parishes. As you do.

2025-08-29 22:30:21 GMT

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My close circle of friends (who have known her since a kitten) and I were always of the opinion that, if her sister was to die, I should get her euthanised. She does not travel, gets car sick, wilfully roams, and is a very detached cat. Her sister morphed into my therapy animal.
I do love her, but I also need to think about what's best for her (and also for me, as managing her could prove to be impossible). However, there are things afoot which will delay that decision for hopefully quite some time. I am not going to do anything I can't reverse for some time yet.

2025-08-29 22:21:51 GMT

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Thank you. She's being very trying but I'm being ultra forgiving. We're staying in the old tent (even though I've got a new head height tent with a wide stretcher bed still in their boxes) as she's shredding this one.

2025-08-29 21:51:31 GMT

Morning ☕
More deep breaths.
We are slowly adjusting to our new normal. I actually made myself a coffee this morning at the usual time and, after putting on her harness (with in situ tracker), Miss Tabby and I went outside just after dawn. It was very chilly and I trusted Miss Tabby to be off lead. She didn't take off and went within the campsite bounds calling for her sister. That was hard.
We're also adjusting to meal times. Feeding time was always a melee of keeping them apart and ensuring Miss Tabby got enough to eat (she eats to live, whereas her sister lived to eat, like me). I'm now figuring out how much to feed her and she now gets a bento on a Daiso camping plate. I'm also now up to my armpits in cat food as I'd stocked up for our time here.
I'm not sure what we're up to today. I might go into town to catch up with a volunteer if they're around (they weren't there yesterday because of the wild weather). We'll see.
It's #Caturday today so here's a pic of the Girls three days after I rescued them. They're ten weeks old. #MissBlack was the runt of the litter and very scared. Miss Tabby was more outgoing but still a little reticent.
https://o.mastodon.au/media_attachments/files/115/114/226/258/545/024/original/cac3eb83ddafda82.jpeg

2025-08-29 01:06:35 GMT

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💯
The Australian sov cit movement is next-level batshit crazy.
We have universal health care, affordable prescriptions, and a (needs improvement but) ridiculously better welfare safety net. Our children can go to school without the fear of being shot.
Being sucked into American conspiracy theories is just absurd.
I empathise with the horror show of what is happening in the States right now, but the only thing we countries have in common is a similar language.

2025-08-29 00:48:15 GMT

We're holed up in the tent, so I've been catching up with things (and Miss Tabby making anything other than phone use impossible).
This nonsense of rural Australian inequality breeding sov cits is ridiculous. I've lived recently in urban and rural environments, and I've also lived remotely, and here's what I know to be true.
Rural and remote places attract some deeply unpleasant people who can not function in urban environments. They choose these places to hide.
There was a saying that remote workers were either mercenaries, missionaries, or misfits, and my own experience extended that to include megalomaniacs.
Rural Australia is lovely, but the warts of Australian society are easily seen. You can avert your gaze in a densely populated urban environment and cosset yourself in your own bubbles.
Yes, life is hard. Yes, government agencies and politicians screw people over and make people's lives a misery. Yes, life is uncertain and cruel, and we don't deserve it.
But, despite having my life destroyed by politicians and government agencies and having been marginalised, othered, gaslighted, and scapegoated for over a decade, I am not a sov cit. Nor have I any desire to be.
Community is everything.
Instead of importing some shit stain's wankery from the US, the so called sov cit cookers should expend their energy on lifting up their communities instead of engaging in lunatic cos play.
I am tired of US hegemony and the cult of individualism and, quite frankly, I would deeply appreciate it if they could all go fuck themselves.

2025-08-28 23:22:29 GMT

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Thank you.
They've all been so extraordinary. I made the effort to contact the President on Tuesday (after sobbing down the main street with the flyers), and we spent a few hours having coffee. The joy of a tiny town is that I ordered and paid for our coffees before her arrival and the lovely barista knew what she would like and knew not to make it in advance as she knew President would be stopped on the street for a chat. She was, barista started making it when she walked through the door, and we all had a laugh. Me too.
Lovely President informed me I'm now part of the community and that the town has my back.
Extraordinary.

2025-08-28 22:44:55 GMT

Morning everyone ☕️
Deep breath.
Miss Tabby and I are slowly adjusting to our new life. She's still very skittish and clingy and spends only a minute or two outside (and constantly seeks me out). She's coping with the harness, which has a pocket for her tracker, but I'll research a more sleek and comfortable one. I removed their harnesses and trackers years ago after they lost both of them on fences, and one took three days to find. But with one cat, I can easily walk her and keep an eye on her.
She spends every available minute on my chest or in my arms, so I'm not getting much done. It's volunteering day today, and if the tents are holding up okay with the wind, I'll take Miss Tabby, and she can snooze in the car. I'm determined to drag myself in as everyone has been so lovely, and I want to reciprocate with continuing my projects.
It's been very blustery here, but everything is holding, and I'm in scrub with smaller trees. I did move the car to a cleared area opposite our tents on the other side of the access road as the tents are in the only clear space.
I'd like to thank all of my amazing pocket friends for being, well, amazing. I'm very chaotic and intermittent here, and to have such an outpouring of support has been wonderful.
I didn't see this coming, and I wasn't mentally prepared. I did, however, tell #MissBlack every day how much she was loved and how grateful I was she was my therapy cat. So, give your pets a hug and a scritch from me.
https://o.mastodon.au/media_attachments/files/115/108/808/205/095/669/original/d3231b74666b65be.jpg

2025-08-28 21:24:02 GMT

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I was awake a lot overnight but drinks means pees and the wind chill has welded shut my urethra 😬

2025-08-28 09:16:11 GMT

I've just turned off BOM notifications. Bless them, I don't need to be woken overnight to be told what I already know 💨

2025-08-27 22:47:41 GMT

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Hi Caity, it's lovely to see you. I don't know if you can cope with this but we now have a shared bond and I know exactly how you feel. Please don't worry about me as you have your own grief.
Grief is the price of love.

2025-08-18 23:28:15 GMT

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Friend tested negative for days until she wasn't. Hope you're okay and himself is better asap.

2025-08-18 08:10:01 GMT

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Male privilege 🤷‍♀️

2025-08-18 02:01:10 GMT

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:blobcat_hug: :blobcat_hug:
I'd like men to stop staring at me. Gives me the irrits.

2025-08-18 00:28:23 GMT

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They'd be bereft without YouTube 😭

2025-08-17 23:29:46 GMT

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WTAF?
Covers at Kmart are peanuts.

2025-08-17 21:32:56 GMT

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Twats like that should start paying Yank prices for medication and healthcare.

2025-08-17 21:28:41 GMT

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Imported Yank bullshit 🤮

2025-08-16 06:13:32 GMT

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I dunno, always nice to pack your own three ply quilted for a trip to an establishment's bog.

2025-08-15 23:12:24 GMT

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Ah, yes, there's nothing quite like pissed off Grandma!

2025-08-15 23:11:04 GMT

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Do you need gauntlets and a trebuchet? #GrandmaWars
:blobcatgiggle:

2025-08-15 23:08:59 GMT

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Enjoy and good luck!!

2025-08-15 23:03:58 GMT

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Yes, I have every intention of getting off my arse and adding all of my experiments to the blog. I'll be making all kinds of categories and adding those to the sidebar so that people can click on things like no fridge, 12v, pantry, low prep, etc etc.

2025-08-15 22:58:55 GMT

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Since buying my 12v mini rice cooker I've become lazy. I have zero interest in lighting a fire or even my Esbit if I don't have to and especially in winter when I can cook on 12v in the tent.
I'm pretty chill about eating any menu disasters so I've attempted all kinds of weird stuff. The only abject failure was an attempt to cook pancakes in it (don't!) :blobcatgiggle:

2025-08-15 22:46:26 GMT

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In the 12v mini rice cooker. Highly recommend.

2025-08-15 22:44:31 GMT

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I actually extracted the meat from one to make a meaty lentil and veg one pot thing the other day. So good!

2025-08-15 22:43:51 GMT

Rightio, thanks to @npub1emv…wnhu, I'm going to try to remember to hashtag carnivorous posts (#meat) so that, if you don't want to see meaty meals, you can filter it out.
I rarely cook meat or have meaty meals, but the butcher up here is the nicest man alive, has amazing meat, and I'm rather passionate about supporting rural small business owners. To regularly buy his meat is a no-brainer and especially now that I have my fridge on.
I'm also a fan of eating locally wherever possible and it's sheep country up here. I know my farmer butchers his own and nothing beats a free range, happy, and doesn't leave the farm, lamb chop.

2025-08-15 22:13:08 GMT

Morning ☕
T'is a bit chilly and wet here this morning so I've had my usual cuppa in bed and am contemplating what to do today.
I ought to get to work on my blog but I do find, with this battered brain of mine, that I have to grab moments when writing comes naturally, rather than force the issue.
Anyhoo, I would like to cook up some sausages I bought from the local butcher this week on the UCO but that's weather-dependent. I only occasionally eat meat (it's a logistical nightmare) and when I do, I'm pretty fussy. It's an event. I'm not eating a sawdust filled monstrosity. The local butcher's sausages are divine.
Here's a pic I took back in June when lovely butcher vacuum packed three separate meals and froze them for me with a freezer block (when I didn't have my fridge with me). It'll give you an idea how tiny my UCO is and, yes, I ate all four of them and OMG they were good (I have thick ones this time and they are even better).
If someone can tell me how to mark the pic as sensitive (for the herbivores amongst us) that would be great. I was going to opt to obscure the pic rather than add a content warning but I've got no idea how to do it (I'm on desktop at the moment). Cheers!
#Food
#Meat
https://o.mastodon.au/media_attachments/files/115/035/062/307/617/437/original/d1c19d92e18952e1.jpg

2025-08-15 08:01:28 GMT

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Oh lordy.

2025-08-14 23:58:43 GMT

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Brilliant!
Thought that was an actual person until I zoomed in

2025-08-14 07:44:57 GMT

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Nothing like those batshit crazy kitkat flavours 😂