Pets do you own them or do they own you ?

Pets do you own them or do they own you , that's always been the question. Pets undoubtedly distress you when the other day I had a some what torrid day that was nothing better that seeking the affection and solace of my cat. Admittedly Rollie the prissy, stuck up, aloof Silver Tabby has other ideas half the time. He had been sulking in the garden  for 2 days after I dangled his fur,I removed enough car fur to stuff a mattress.

I've had cats since I was 12 I've never fancied owning a dog despite requests from my husband and son looking at breeds that would fit through the cat flap. I've had muderous hamsters and once look after my Sister in Law's rabbit who was very much Jack Nickcolson in 'The Shining' and you aren't far wrong.


I thought about a rabbit once but shook this idea off after that "Rabbit " incident I was looking after my Sister in Laws (as she was on holiday) rabbit it looked sweet, had floppy ears and nibbled happily on a carrot. Whilst topping up its water and food I noticed it giving me a look , a look of love , a look that whispered pick me up and cuddle me. So I picked up the rabbit which was the size of a Shetland pony and gave it a cuddle " awwwh" it gazed into my eyes longingly it seemed to want to go for a little hope around.


So I took it into the house and let it have a little hop around ... it was like a scene from Snow white except it didn't help with the housework. Then I thought I best get the rabbit back into its hutch before my then boyfriend ( now husband ) came home. I thought it would be as easy as it was before and I would just scope the rabbit up in my arms and happily deposit it back it in its hutch.


I approached the bunny with open arms , it stopped looked and I swear it snarled .. brushing this notion off . I Went to pick it up it stopped again.. snarled and hopped for it little life.  I couldn't catch it .. even with the help of Elmer Fudd,  so in the end I found a laundry basket and step a trap for it. All this was done of course without hurting the rabbit... So now I had a laundry basket that was merrily moving round the living room in a quite eerie fashion.

SO I had to place the call to the boyfriend at work " Can you come home now the rabbit is going wild "

So he came home and did the caveman bit and put the rabbit back in the hutch! he wasn't best pleased. Needless to say when we did we get married we didn't get rabbits ... we had cats instead !

And my Sister in Law is just getting a new puppy so is busy sorting out all  his particulars such as pet insurance, vets etc and I don't think I will be dog sitting do you ! Some more inlays have Guinea pigs and they are name Ronald and Harry alas they are not wizards but are muggle pets.

This is Binky and Bugsy and they are the Guinea pigs of Food blogger Food Quine.

And yes I've owned fish as well they mildly psychotic as well, i don't think they were taking on traits on the owner now.

I know a dog will show you loyalty but so can cats so that's what we are sticking to  ........

Seaworld Orlando Florida Review

A holiday is a holiday, a break from the norm, to do as you don't normally do , a trip to an attraction doesn't have to be a one time affair it can be repeated. A repeat trip evokes , an evoke cation for the want of a better word. It's been 4 years since as a family we were in the USA last and 5 years since we were last in Orlando.

Last time as a family of 3 we came to Seaworld with an energetic 8 year this time we came with a teen with the expectation of thrill seeking and adrenalin overloading, a tall order to fulfil in this social media , whizzing and twirling modern age. Each age of a child brings it own reward , and this time it was patience and increased wonderment.

Going to Seaworld encourages everyone to be an everyday hero which when you go in turtle trek you will understand! After seeing turtles you are immersed into a 3D cinematic experience in a 360 degree cinema and it's very exciting and intense.

Apart from the obvious sea creatures that are at Seaworld it is also a theme park though less intense than the others and the queues are very much shorter. As a family I don't think we spent more than 10 minutes queuing for any of the rides.

The high octane ride Manta is a sure fire G Force trip for all those that go on the ride , and despite there being lockers where you can put your lose items. People still insist on carrying their beloved designer sunglasses etc onto the ride. So much so that Seaworld have put up strategically placed nets to catch any stray objects so innocent visitors don't get hit.

Journey to Atlantis was essential for my husband and son as the temperatures were hitting a sweltering 95 F , why wasn't I on the ride .. well someone had to take the action picture didnt they now ?!.

At SeaWorld Orlando’s new Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin, families are transported into an icy world like they’ve never seen before where they can explore the majestic grandeur of the South Pole and see it through the penguins’ eyes on a first-of-its-kind family ride. You have the option of choosing either a mild ride or a more thrilling seeking option on this ride. Don't worry though the thrill seeking option only spins and waddles like a penguin. Then, guests step off and explore a massive penguin colony of nearly 250 feathered friends – gentoo, rockhopper, Adélie and king penguins — in an expanse that envelops them in cool extremes, both above and below the penguins’ icy world. It’s a must-see, one-of-a-kind experience only at SeaWorld Orlando.

Seaworld is also known for its spectacular shows in our time we have seen them all 'Blue Horizons' is out of this world, the original Shamu has long gone replaced by a fleet of killer whales. The show is still called ' Shamu' we were all entralled from start to finish, there's is always a call to honour the service personal of the world they are told to stand up and identify themselves to which they receive rumptious applause.

Walking a dog say no one bats an eye lid but when is a whole host of flamingoes been taken for a walk  by their keepers with a Touchan keeping an eye then an ordinary walk becomes extraordinary!.

 There are opportunities to feed both Dolphins and rays something which both adults and children enjoy , I was a little wary of the ray food I do have to say.

Tops tips for visiting Seaworld :

If you are going for one day plan what you see , you can do it all in a day but it's quite exhausting if you don't duck and dive out the heat.

Take refillable water bottles.

Wear a hat.

Take a stroller or hire one if you have very young children.

If you want soft drinks you can buy a refillable cup for $8.99 and there after refills are $1.6 prices are always subject to change.

Disclosure I was given family tickets to Seaworld all thoughts words and opinion are my own.

#easyteam Peach Ploughman's Salad

Ice burg lettuce can be transformed from being a 'Water Mitty' (ie weak) of ingredients, you can transform this sometimes sodden member of the salad family into an exciting and salivating dish. It doesn't require any cooking its a cold dish , I have seen lettuce cooked but I'm not sure if that works ?

Having been in the good ole USA for the past two weeks I have had countless dining experiences, I have more steaks and seafood than you can shake a Cinnamon stick at. Its exciting and invigorating at first but then the American portions gets to you and the insistence that you have a dessert after each meal can leave you hankering for the simple life.

When I ordered a Chicken pesto salad in Florida I was expecting exactly than but alas no , it was a gorgeous pesto chicken but I think the salad was being held captive in the chefs kitchen.

So when I got back to the UK I was on a mission to get back to controlled eating but I wished to extend my taste buds.

So I bought some peaches peeled a peach.. or is it skinned. any way I took the flesh of the thing and then preceded to use a potato peeler to create strips of peach into a dish. I then sprinkled a small amount of Himalayan pink salt on the peach strips, I used two peaches for this.

I left the salted peaches in the fridge for around an hour or so . I shredded the lettuce, and then added the salted peach to it and lightly tossed it. I then added other sale items such as cucumber, snacking tomatoes and cheese, chicken ham and leek pie, and the obligatory dollop of pickle turning the salad into a Ploughman's lunch of sorts.

I am one of three lucky people to be selected as a brand amassador for Zanussi #Easyteam. I am looking forward to the opportunities it will bring and the experiences that I will learn.

I am on a constant drive to improve my cooking and trying new recipes. Cooking doesn't have to be a fearful experience.

Sheep Cat

Dear Rollie cat,

I don't remember owning a sheep, hours of solid grooming and I have enough fur to weave a jumper. And yes I've looked on Amazon and there's a book on weaving with cat fur. I won't be buying it despite there be a credit crunch about !

There's something wrong in life if I spend £20 on cat hair products... Never did I think I would spent more on your hair/fur than mine!

I am sorry I didn't buy the Paul Mitchell branded detangling spray. But I'm sure you'll be tickerty boo with the pretty kitty de tangling spray instead.

Yours lovingly 

Your owner 

PS The cuts have stop bleeding now.

PPS Are cats meant to bark ?

Silent Sunday 8