Jacky And Daisy

[MaNaAk]

Dear Natrah - Zola and I have had a fairly quiet day today - we sat in the car while his dad did lots of bits of shopping - including getting some watercress, which Zola likes, and then in the afternoon, he played with my feet for a long time in his conservatory - then he sat on my lap while we watched tv. We thought of you a lot, and hope you are feeling a bit better altogether.
Love and best wishes from Zola and me
Angie xxx

Thankyou Zola and Angie,

The mornings are the worst but the pupils take my mind off things and a lot of them have colds. Funny thing is one of this afternoon's pupils wanted to play some music that she is playing with her school orchestra and it turned out to be Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture which I played in our last concert! Of course I first hand experience of playing this as it is one of the first pieces that I have ever played with an orchestra and Jacky and Daisy have heard it many times.


I have a vision of two in the conservatory!

Natrah and the Sleeping Beauty

PS: If the greenhouse door was left open Jacky or Daisy would try and get in there!

 

[Cathie G]

Thankyou you two. Ernie how are feeling today? I hope you're a lot better. Zola and Sapphire we've had a wonderful sunset here. The last orchestra rehearsal went well and I am meeting two orchestral friends for coffee before Xmas. We will be meeting at my friend Jenny's house and her cakes are delicious. Daisy was never invited in for cakes when she turned up in the neighbours garden! The neighbour was more concerned about her plants and yet when the rabbits turned up she seemed to be quite pleased.

Natrah and Sleeping Beauty

Hahaha

If Daisy came visiting me you'd only get her back if you could prove it. and poor little bunnys stuck in the cold and what have you in that dumb neighbors yard. this morning instead of a tortoise nightmare I had a bunny one of course. I dreamed I couldn't find Razberri and had left her out to play too long with other animals. It woke me up but of course she was laying beside my bed or close in the same room as me as usual. so I went back to sleep after checking on Sapphire

Cathie

 

[MaNaAk]

Zola! Jonathan's on TV!!!!!!

Natrah and Jacky

BBC1 Breakfast

 

[zolasmum]

Zola! Jonathan's on TV!!!!!!

Natrah and Jacky

BBC1 Breakfast

Thank you Natrah - I've missed Jonathan appearing on Breakfast,but I've looked up on google, and there are quite a few things about him - it's his 190th birthday. I wish I had seen him on TV, though!

 

[MaNaAk]

Thank you Natrah - I've missed Jonathan appearing on Breakfast,but I've looked up on google, and there are quite a few things about him - it's his 190th birthday. I wish I had seen him on TV, though!

He could be on the lunchtime news.

Natrah

 

[zolasmum]

He could be on the lunchtime news.

Natrah

Sorry, we were out then, so I couldn't check, however I did find a whole lot of interesting things about him on Google, and will study them all when I get a chance. I did see a little video of him getting a wash - his keeper obviously really loves him.
Angie xxx
From Zola -Dear Natrah -when I was looking at the sea yesterday with my dad, we met an old lady, who was very excited to see me - she said she writes to her grandchildren every week, and tells them something about what she has been doing - she said that meeting me is the very best thing that has happened to her for a long time, and she is looking forward to telling them all about me !! Isn't that nice ?
I hope you are feeling a bit better now - it is lovely that you will be seeing your friends soon -especially if you will have some delicious cake.
Love to you and the Sleeping Beauty
from Zola xxx

 

[Cathie G]

It's funny and precious but Jonathan was on my mind so strong this morning. I'm also a fan. I started wondering, because of his age, and we've been talking about him, if he ever went wondering or out of his yard like most of them manage to do. By hook or by crook. I had no clue it's his birthday Jonathan! wow

Cathie

 

[MaNaAk]

Dear Angie and Zola,

He wasn't on the lunchtime news but he may be in the newspaper. It was lovely to see him feeding his keeper was feeding him by hand like I do with Jacky and Daisy. I've checked on Jacky and she looks okay and very peaceful. My cold is getting better and I hope that Angie is okay.

That lady must have been so pleased to see you Zola and I can imagine what she's telling her grandchildren. Did the three of you go out today? The weather was okay in the morning and then it was downhill from 3.00 pm onwards.

I just want to tell you about something that just before the photo of Jacky and Daisy facing each other was taken. You will notice that Daisy has a mark on her shell. This is what happened one day:

Mum "I can't find Daisy".

Me "I'll have a look for her".

I find and I say to mum "She's wedged herself under the fence halfway between us and the neighbours". I then say to nana: "nana you've known Daisy so can you try and communicate with and tell her that she should not be trying to go next door".

I then go back into the garden and I try to pull her out but she is fighting against me and I can't get her out without her permission so I have to make a few more attempts and eventually we have success. Madam ends up with a mark on her shell because of her activities!

Goodnight everyone

Natrah and the Sleeping Beauty

 

[zolasmum]

It's funny and precious but Jonathan was on my mind so strong this morning. I'm also a fan. I started wondering, because of his age, and we've been talking about him, if he ever went wondering or out of his yard like most of them manage to do. By hook or by crook. I had no clue it's his birthday Jonathan! wow

Cathie

Did you see the thread `I made some months ago about Jonathan? Our friend David, who has met him, many years ago, gave us a photo given him by a lady who met him in 1948 - I explain a bit about him then.I don't think he has ever needed to wander, as he has huge lawns to walk on. The thread was called "A photo of Jonathan " and It was last December that I wrote it, I think.
Angie

 

[LeoTheWaywardTortoise]

any nightmares I have now are about losing Sapphire or his shell falls apart, and I've only had him for 15 years.

I have only had Leo since late October, 2021, but I have had nightmares about dropping him down a flight of stairs (we have no stairs) and, more recently, of his shell coming completely off. I don’t wake up in tears, but they always jerk me out of my sleep in a panic. I‘m kind of glad to know I’m not alone in these kinds of scary dreams, LOL.

 

[zolasmum]

I have only had Leo since late October, 2021, but I have had nightmares about dropping him down a flight of stairs (we have no stairs) and, more recently, of his shell coming completely off. I don’t wake up in tears, but they always jerk me out of my sleep in a panic. I‘m kind of glad to know I’m not alone in these kinds of scary dreams, LOL.

I think the nightmares are a sign of how much we love these little creatures, how precious they are, and how helpless, in a way. The room where Zola has his sleeping box is next to my bedroom, partly because I can check he is safe always, and partly because if there were an emergency, like a fire, I could get to him in no time to rescue him.
Angie.

 

[Cathie G]

Did you see the thread `I made some months ago about Jonathan? Our friend David, who has met him, many years ago, gave us a photo given him by a lady who met him in 1948 - I explain a bit about him then.I don't think he has ever needed to wander, as he has huge lawns to walk on. The thread was called "A photo of Jonathan " and It was last December that I wrote it, I think.
Angie

I just got to see that thread again but I had forgotten about it. I know because I had responded to it as a friend of mine was talking about Jonathan and sent me a link.(which I printed). So I made sure I got notified when there was activity on the thread. Our threads never die and sometimes it seems like tortoises don't either. There was a response today

Cathie

 

[MaNaAk]

I think the nightmares are a sign of how much we love these little creatures, how precious they are, and how helpless, in a way. The room where Zola has his sleeping box is next to my bedroom, partly because I can check he is safe always, and partly because if there were an emergency, like a fire, I could get to him in no time to rescue him.
Angie.

Good evening everyone,

Jacky's room is next to my bedroom. I just want to remind you all about the following and I can only say that I wish I had filmed it:

Before cooking dinner one night I checked to make sure that I knew where Jacky and Daisy. Jacky was near the tortoise house and Daisy was on the patios to the right of the back door. Satisfied that they were okay I started to cook dinner and about twenty minutes later I noticed the pink sack with the papers and plastics moving about by itself so I opened the back door, lifted the sack up and found Daisy underneath it! I thought it was in Daisy's way so I moved the sack to the left of the back door and went back to see you dinner. After dinner I went to put Jacky and Daisy to bed and found Jacky already there but no sign of Daisy. As usual I looked everywhere for her and I thought about the last time I saw her. I looked at the pink sack and found a massive hole with a tortoise inside so I had moved the sack and she waited for me to go back into the so that she could continue what she was doing!

I should have made a video of the sack moving by itself!

Natrah

 

[Cathie G]

I have only had Leo since late October, 2021, but I have had nightmares about dropping him down a flight of stairs (we have no stairs) and, more recently, of his shell coming completely off. I don’t wake up in tears, but they always jerk me out of my sleep in a panic. I‘m kind of glad to know I’m not alone in these kinds of scary dreams, LOL.

No you are not alone. I think it probably happens with all of us. That's one of the reasons this website is so important. It's a support for us as much as for tortoise care. I've tried to figure out why tortoises become such a part of us. Maybe it's because they crawl like a baby. And we have the instinct to care for helpless crawling babies at all cost.

Cathie

 

[LeoTheWaywardTortoise]

I think the nightmares are a sign of how much we love these little creatures, how precious they are, and how helpless, in a way. The room where Zola has his sleeping box is next to my bedroom, partly because I can check he is safe always, and partly because if there were an emergency, like a fire, I could get to him in no time to rescue him.
Angie.

Agree, but I adore my cats, too, yet they don’t inspire the same nightmares. I‘d chalked it up to the newness of being a tortoise guardian and my fear that I’ll do something wrong in caring for him.

No you are not alone. I think it probably happens with all of us. That's one of the reasons this website is so important. It's a support for us as much as for tortoise care. I've tried to figure out why tortoises become such a part of us. Maybe it's because they crawl like a baby. And we have the instinct to care for helpless crawling babies at all cost.

Cathie

I am beyond grateful for this forum. I’m not sure if it’s because they crawl, specifically, but the care they require definitely has something to do with it. My husband has yet to even pick Leo up - he’s a little afraid of hurting him - but I think all the work involved in keeping him safe, happy, healthy, and hydrated has given me a bond with Leo.

 

[zolasmum]

Agree, but I adore my cats, too, yet they don’t inspire the same nightmares. I‘d chalked it up to the newness of being a tortoise guardian and my fear that I’ll do something wrong in caring for him.

I am beyond grateful for this forum. I’m not sure if it’s because they crawl, specifically, but the care they require definitely has something to do with it. My husband has yet to even pick Leo up - he’s a little afraid of hurting him - but I think all the work involved in keeping him safe, happy, healthy, and hydrated has given me a bond with Leo.

I think it might be partly because they are such alien little creatures - rather like ET - and so the bond between them and us is a bit different from that between a human and a dog, for example.
Angie

 

[Cathie G]

I think it might be partly because they are such alien little creatures - rather like ET - and so the bond between them and us is a bit different from that between a human and a dog, for example.
Angie

Yes the bond is so different. I have a house rabbit, Joe's cat, and one last little Zebra Finch. I love them to pieces but Sapphire is a pet that's so very constant. It's amazing to me when he shows me that he knows and depends on me. Or greets me when I go in his room like he's been expecting me to be on time as usual.
Cathie

 

[zolasmum]

Yes the bond is so different. I have a house rabbit, Joe's cat, and one last little Zebra Finch. I love them to pieces but Sapphire is a pet that's so very constant. It's amazing to me when he shows me that he knows and depends on me. Or greets me when I go in his room like he's been expecting me to be on time as usual.
Cathie

Zola gets used to new regular things happening very quickly - I have recently been sitting by the fire with him on my chest ,and the main light off, for half an hour or more every evening, stroking him, and now when we go in there and I switch the light off, he calms down totally at once,whatever sort of mood he was in before then. I think he is showing me he enjoys it - and of course, I enjoy it too. But if something in his routine happens at the wrong time, he can get very indignant ! Funny little things, aren't they !
Angie x

 

[MaNaAk]

Zola gets used to new regular things happening very quickly - I have recently been sitting by the fire with him on my chest ,and the main light off, for half an hour or more every evening, stroking him, and now when we go in there and I switch the light off, he calms down totally at once,whatever sort of mood he was in before then. I think he is showing me he enjoys it - and of course, I enjoy it too. But if something in his routine happens at the wrong time, he can get very indignant ! Funny little things, aren't they !
Angie x

If we were having tea in the garden Jacky and Daisy would be sociable. Crawling under the garden the furniture, pushing against your feet and towards the cups, plates and tray if they were on the ground. We would have to act quite quickly as they are not slow. Also Leo, how did you get your name! Should I tell Jacky that there is another tortoise as wayward as she is?

Natrah and Jacky

 

[MaNaAk]

If we were having tea in the garden Jacky and Daisy would be sociable. Crawling under the garden the furniture, pushing against your feet and towards the cups, plates and tray if they were on the ground. We would have to act quite quickly as they are not slow. Also Leo, how did you get your name! Should I tell Jacky that there is another tortoise as wayward as she is?

Natrah and Jacky

Also they loved it if you put a mat on the grass and if you mowed the lawn. I also noticed that when I finished mowing the lawn there would be tortoises and birds coming after the cut grass.

MaNaAk