Artist's model, fiddle player.

Max has been in many books, We Are All Born Free, How the Whale Became, Little One We Knew You'd Come and most especially Singing to the Sun, but he does not often feature on the blog for the house of gingers. He does little but pose for paintings and curl in cupboards dreaming. So he was very pleased when asked to help the publisher for Singing to the Sun to road test, or as we say, claw test, a new feature on their website. As a result Max now has his own blog.
As bloggers of experience we find the layout a bit strange, but are helping Max, and would welcome feedback, so if you have time go along for a look. To read some of the posts including the biog where She goes on a bit about herself you have to click on the bits that say "read more".
And meanwhile here is a picture of Max doing what he likes best, playing lullabies to mice, from Can You See a Little Bear.

Cat flu and sunshine and a military band

Max has cat flu. He was sneezing and hadn't eaten for a couple of days, staying cwtched away in a cupboard. A visit to the vet confirmed suspicion. He had a temperature of 103.
"It's not the killer it used to be'" said the vet, trying to be reassuring, "but it spreads like wildfire".
As we walked out of the vets the streets were lined with soldiers in uniform and a military band was passing by. Now, we know that Max is famous because of all his appearances in children's books, but this was a bit over the top. And then we heard it was to welcome home the local regiment from a tour of duty overseas. So young they all are. So young.
Now Max is sitting in the garden in the sunshine. It is warm. We have our whiskers crossed that he will be ok. And Maurice is sitting in the sunshine too, by the rose bushes, and sneezing.

Work, work , work

She has asked me to say that She has a new book out this week. It is our book that we did together and I am the star of every page! Singing to the Sun by Vivian French was reviewed as the Sunday Times Children's book of the week by Nicollete Jones who said,

"Jackie Morris’s watercolours on cream paper show the influence of Italian Renaissance landscapes and medieval illumination. The faces are pale, haunting and sombre, the pictures have a unique and fantastical quality and her great strength is the well-observed depiction of animals — cats, dogs, donkeys and birds."

Glad we got a mention there.
She also asked me to mention that She has an exhibition in St Davids in The Pebbles Yard Gallery, upstairs in the cafe and you can see pictures of it here.
Does She think I have nothing better to do with my time? Does She not know that all night long I have been out in the garden watching the stars turn in a wheel of light across the night sky? Does She not realise that what I need now is sleep!

Enough ginger

This coat, with its fur and stripes and spots, is the perfect compliment for my rich, dark tabby fur.