[plumseverywhere]

Thanks Goosepimple - we sell patchouli baaa or a mans' soap with patchouli and sandalwood and poppy seeds. so patchouli well heard of here! lol. hopefully a few weeks time I'll feel 100% again, today feel like I've been kicked with brick wellies.
Hi little blue. we did have a campaign. it was the week after snowball's kitten 'woody' was hit and a car was written off outside our house. only a few days later another of snowball's kittens 'bobby' was killed too    we live on a country lane, 40mph *unfortunately* but prison and local food grower companies staff seem to see fit to drive at nearer 80mph. the campaign came to nothing and even just yesterday i was talking to local police saying i had registration plates of dangerous drivers but they can do nothing...tonight i had to tell 3 little girls that their pet cat was dead. their 4 year old sister was with me when I found out. horrible. 

[little blue]

and if those cats had been people that had been hit ....

[plumseverywhere]

Exactly!! and that's not to mention that my neighbour has had 4 hit (3 died) and  now we've had 2 killed and 2 more have been killed in last couple of months. Now my children are unable to walk to school and I cannot walk scarlett to nursery along our narrow lane because the huge lorries literally drag them into the road! its mad.
am really fed up today    this last cat was an old boy, he'd lived a wonderful life - how dare some speeding person take that?! the children have been ok about it - how sad is that? its almost like they are so used to cats being taken on this road that we expect it. hubby very upset though and he's not  a at person. who will keep my lap warm while I wrap my soaps up now?! don't say the lambs   

[little blue]

my uncle's cat was killed on the road at an old age - probably couldnt hear the cars or move away quick enough.
  rest in peace Toby

x

[jaykay]

One of the reasons my current kittens are house cats is because I became homicidally angry about the speeds people do past our house. I was planning stingers, air rifles to tyres, all sorts   I lost three young cats and four pullets in two years  

I put big notices up to that effect - made not a blind bit of difference. There's an 8 year old girl next door who runs across the road to look at the lambs in the field opposite. When does it stop  

Now we park the pickup by the side of the road, outside the two houses. Apparently some folk complain like mad - but it has slowed them down  

PS it has to be said there is enough extraneous livestock in the house to keep the cats busy 

[plumseverywhere]

Jaykay I feel the same. some days I feel like shooting the tyres out with an air rifle or throwing eggs at them! even though I wouldn't the thought still helps!
 we live about 5 miles from long lartin prison and 2 miles from a salad grower who employs dozens of uninsured, polish workers. both of these set of workers drive very fast, very early. I see the prison staff, still in uniform, driving like jenson button with mobiles pressed to their ears and navigating tight bends here 
tomorrow, my girls are writing letters to the bosses of both  places to beg the employees to slow down. we will enclose pictures of my 4 yr old huggin 'her' cat Toby. fingers crossed someone has a heart and conciense I suppose.   

[Sandy]

You need one of those mobile speed cameras!!!!

[SallyintNorth]

You need one of those mobile speed cameras!!!!

Doesn't even need a speed camera, just an ordinary camera will do it - it is illegal to use a mobile phone (not on hands free) while driving.  Snap!  Gotcha.

I see the prison staff, still in uniform, driving like jenson button with mobiles pressed to their ears and navigating tight bends here 

[Hilarysmum]

Hi P.E. sorry for coming into this so late on, I would say that the ladies who have to concern themselves with the mud on your wellies or the size of your behind are sad people with sad and empty lives who can only justify their own miserable existences by trying to drag a well balanced, caring and busy person with a full and happy life down to their own miserable level.

Bullies sadly are normally people who have no self confidence and who bully to make themselves feel better/superior.  Its rotten for the bullied.

Hope this week will be a million times better.  HM

[Skirza]

When my kids were small we were still farming on the family farm in a very 'posh' area of West Sussex (thatched cottages inhabited by wealthy families with 2.2 children and a labrador). Now our farm was around 1800 acres and surrounded the village and on paper we were worth a little bit, if you see what I mean. In reality we drove rusty vans, my kids wore hand me downs and I permenantly had poo on my wellies, trousers and under my finger nails. The 'posh' mummies just didn't know what to make of me...we were the biggest land owners around but I didn't fit into their little world...I didn't give a flying fart (am I allowed to say that?). They lived in a plastic world of facials and hair do's and had a cleaner do the dirty work for them (I usually had half the farm yard on my floor).

My advice....be PROUD of your rust and poo...it means you're a real person...go get 'em girl 

[plumseverywhere]

Thanks everyone - your messages have really cheered me up 

There are a few plastic mummies at our school (the last one was worse - nearly everyone drove a posh, brand new 4X4 which had never gone off road    )
I think like you say, Skirza, the mums here don't know quite what to make of us either. we bought the house that everyone now comes to us and says "oh I dreamed of living there, if only we could have afforded it.." yet there I am rust, poo, mud and all LOL.  My children play with anyone and everyone so long as each individual child is what they consider a friend. The posh mums tell their kids to avoid the travellers and the people that live in the small council estate for no good reason other than they are snobs.  I tell MY girls that those children and parents actually don't know what they are missing out on. having a diverse group of lovely and genuine friends is far more important than a clique of competitive snobs that are not comfortable in their own skin really!

Goat still with us. Still poorly but showing positive signs (I think and hope).  opened the bedroom curtains dreading to see a 3rd run over cat but thankfully this morning both cats came home for breakfast. Toby will have a lovely flower covered grave once the girls have seen to it 

Thanks again - I know i've never met anyone of you in person but you've all been lovely while I was at rock bottom. thank goodness for the internet!!
Lisa x 

[doganjo]

My Candy went out one day and didn't come in that night - never saw her again.  Even Network Rail sent a team out to check the line next to my garden, and found nothing.  her brother, Rio, walks the line every day - on the rails so he doesn't have to walk on the gravel ballast.  I just have to hope he'll feel the reverberations of a train coming and get off in time.  Cats are free spirits, you can't do anything but love them and let them go their own way.  Hopefully the two you still have will know the dangers of the road now.

If I ever feel depressed this forum always cheers me up!

[plumseverywhere]

That is sad Annie    its the not knowing isn't it? you spend ages wondering if they are hurt somewhere or have been killed. Snowball goes missing for days at a time - it was her kitten bobby that we lost last year a week after his brother woody was killed - everytime she goes (and lives with the mad cat lady) I'm checking kerbs. horrible.

[SallyintNorth]

It's anguish when they're out and you don't know where and if they're safe.  I have several times been very moved by the kindness of neighbours and strangers in responding to my leaflets about a missing cat - often with just messages of support and hoping I find him and sometimes with sightings or other information which of course is tremendously helpful. 

I always put a reflective collar on them and a dog tag with address and phone number and so far have not had a one where I never did find out what happened.  (Although I did have to search for literally hours every day for a week before I found my beautiful Brendon shot dead and left in a wood.  The b@$t@^&s had taken off his collar, so clearly had known they'd shot him and hadn't the decency to let me know or return his body.)  It has amazed me how many times a cat has been found alive, often unharmed, through a network of cat lovers and neighbourly people.

I may start a thread in Cats...

May all our cats (although I now have none and no more intended  ) stay safe and happy and well.

And may this next week be a much better one for you, Lisa!

[Sandy]

I had 2 kittens and one was killed by a Foster child the other remained with me until it was 8 and was always off crossing a busy main road and looking around the local train station but he managed to die of natural causes, then another 3 cats, 2 disapeared and one killed again by a Foster Child, the same child also kicked the neighbours elderly cat in the ribs so needed a lot of vet treatment....I found out most of the reasons for the cats dissapearences ages later and the same child was seen being cruel to some ones dog but the RSPCA did not come out to chat to them!!!! I was so sad that they met such a horrid end and refective on how that childs past made her so cruel as thats what she grew up with.
I would love a cat now but dare not 1 due to the road and 2 due to having a B&B, the cat would end up on peoples beds!!!!!!