Cat watching cat.

Bijou in USA watching Elmo's technique on tree climbing in Wales.

a short and raw film of an evening walk

21st Century Tiger Auction no 2.

The auction of Her work has gone live on eBay. The painting is of big ginger cats, tigers and all the money raised from the sale will go to 21st Century Tiger, so we ask, please blog, tweet, facebook about the auction. We want as many people as possible to join the 21st Century Tiger Facebook Page, to follow heir work, donate money if possible. 

The reserve price is £500, and the painting is the original from Lord of the Forest, written by Caroline Pitcher and illustrated by me, published by Frances Lincoln. The page that reads:

"Tiger played and fought with his brothers. He swam in the cool water.

He told his mother, "I can hear the creep of crabs in the pool and the flip of the fish as they leap  in the cool, the croak and the splash of jumping frogs and the slither of watersnake down from the logs."

His mother said, " When you don't hear them, when silence burns and time stands still, then, my son, be ready. The Lord of the Forest is here!"

Cat Power

She has signed and wrapped a hardback first edition of Lord of the Forest to go with the painting auction at 21st Century Tiger, so please sign up to the Facebook page to keep an eye on the work of the organisation, the tigers and the auction. Cat power!

Meanwhile She and I have been testing the youtube channel!

What She is doing, by Her.

 Last year I went to London Zoo and fed tigers. To be in the presence of tigers is to be granted an incredible gift. I have  a friend who travels a great deal, Wendy Cooling. I still remember listening to her as she spoke of a safari into the forests in India on elephant back. She was lucky enough to have been given the gift of watching a tiger in the wild. She told me that she cried, the creature was so beautiful. So very very beautiful. Even as she was telling me her eyes filled.

I wanted to do something for these animals that have walked through my dreams and when I was at the zoo I was told about 21st Century Tiger. All I could do was to give them a painting which they could use as they wished, to raise money and to raise awareness for their work. Below is the press release. The auction goes live next week.

Sign up to their facebook page to keep an eye on the auction and please spread the word. The painting comes with a hardback copy of the book signed by Caroline Pitcher and myself. This is a first edition hardback, rare in itself as the book is only in print in paperback now.
I think the reserve price is £500, and given that many of my illustrations are now £4000 this could be a chance to pick up a bargain.

Famous watercolour auctioned for tiger conservation

Acclaimed artist Jackie Morris is donating a watercolour to be auctioned on eBay in aid of 21^st Century Tiger.

The original watercolour from the book Lord of the Forest written by Caroline Pitcher will be auctioned on eBay from 21 March 2011.

One hundred years ago there were 100,000 wild tigers.  Now there are less than 3200 tigers left in the wild.

In the last century Asia’s wild tiger range has shrunk to a mere 7 per cent of its original habitat, shockingly 40 per cent of that decline has happened in the past ten years.

Jackie Morris “Even though in my lifetime I may never ever see a tiger in the wild my world is a richer place for knowing that these wonderful creatures are there. 21^st Century Tiger is a rare organisation working to protect the habitat of the tigers in harmony with the people who live alongside them, and also rare in that 100% of all money given to them goes towards their projects rather than being eaten up by admin costs. It is my hope that when I have grandchildren tigers will still walk through their dreams and through the forests of the world as living creatures and not something from history, creatures of myth”.

21^st Century Tiger is a unique fundraising partnership between the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Global Tiger Patrol that gives 100 per cent of all they raise to carefully chosen conservation projects throughout Asia.

21^st Century Tiger currently funds the work of both international and local conservation organisations with a range of projects from education in China, ranger training in Thailand and anti-poaching, to monitoring of the tiger populations in Sumatra and Russia.

These important projects address the pressures the tiger faces in today’s world of trade, exploding human popu­lation and vanishing forests.

The auction will be held on eBay over ten days, ending on 30^th March 2011. More information can be found at www.21stCenturyTiger.org.

 

ps. thanks cats, for letting me post this. How I love my small tigers.

Films and bags and libraries

Max has decided that he needs to lend his support to the campaign to save libraries, because the bags are very comfortable to sleep in.

Meanwhile, She keeps distracting Herself from getting on with I am Cat. Now She has a Youtube channel. But She does promise some time to put on films of us cats, sleeping, walking, sleeping, thinking, sleeping.........

Walking down memory lane, Maurice and Elmo

It's A Book - By Lane Smith

A short but growing list.

Things Maurice taught us.

The elegance of the feline creature.
That it is possible to love unconditionally.


Always always always be sick in the cat basket on the way to the vet. If you can poo as well, all the better.
Between the eyes and a book is the best place to get attention.
Training humans to catch mice usually results in great excitement and shouting.
How to look upon furless humans with utter disdain.
Always make sure they know you are there before you jump into their arms.
Never eat the green wobbly bit.
Nothing on earth is as beautiful as a cat.
That the kitchen table is not the best place to do a wee.

From 'I am Cat': Pixie sleeping, dreaming cat dreams.

Understanding words, understanding cats, understanding hearts.

Maurice was bright flame cat, wicked eyed cat, warm cat, intimate cat, companion.
His face asked questions, always.
He walked, watching, ears alert, guardian cat, wild on the hills.
Fire cat, he was beautiful, in golden grass, in heather, honeysuckle, bluebells, clover, on clifftops, hilltops, meadows, hedge and wall.
He was hunter, brother, beloved.
Most of all beloved.

Maurice

Outside the sun is shining. The snowdrops are fading and primroses hold a promise of summer sun in their pale yellow flowers. The days get longer. The birdsong is louder and all around the rooks and the jackdaws begin to gather sticks and moss to make unruly nests.

There are lambs in the field by the house, bright and full of their own springs and playful running.

But my heart is raw and open for today the best of all cats had died. Words fail me. 

Yesterday he jumped up into my arms where I held him warm and close.

Today I have buried him in the soft, dark earth.

There was something so very special about Maurice and only those who have had the great privilege to be so close with an animal will know that. Never broken, beyond the frail thing called love, perhaps just a mutual respect.

His death leaves me breathless.

New Toy, Black Cat

 Well, off She went to a land far away and left us all here, alone with only the dogs to look after and a couple of house elves. Then home She comes all smiles, with Her new toy and it seems that She has been talking with English cats. 
Daisy works at a bookshop in Norfolk and had invited Her to come and visit the north Norfolk Children's Book Group. And while She was there She also went to Attleborough to play and draw and while a dragon watched through the library window, to hear children talk about all the books they had chosen for the Norfolk Children's Book Award. 
All dragons were delighted to discover that from the 6000 children who had taken part in the award this year they had chosen Tell Me a Dragon as their favorite.

There are more photos of the dragon wagon on Her blog.

Beautiful things

Looking exceptionaly beautiful today Maurice is modelling a blanket from Melin Tregwynt in Wales. It goes so very beautifully with his eyes.

 

Today is a day for sleeping and dreaming.

And Pixie is learning from Max, how to be an egg.

Dragon hunting on a blue sky day.

As Pixie snuffles and Maurice struggles to breath I have to walk alone. But still there are three. And as I walk there are three. Me, my shadow and the puddle cat. So, over the hill and far away for She is hunting dragons again.

 

On the high hill top we stop, we rest and She takes out Her small black book. Scratch scratch and the paper and a cold wind blows so I sneak inside her fur for warmth.

 

Back home, Max was disguised as an egg. Lazy cat.

 

A cat may look at a queen.

Pussycat, pussycat, where have you been?

I've been up to London to visit the queen.

Pussycat, pussycat, what did you there?

I frightened a little mouse under her chair! 

Hey Diddle Diddle The Cat and The Fiddle

We three cats have been quiet cats for a long time now. She has been busy and we have been curled and hushed. Pixie is not well, with a green sticky sneezing. Maurice struggles to take a breath. So now only I walk. But mostly I sit and guard the house for Mr Griffiths. He is away in a warmer place but news is that he will soon be home. And Nadolig has made himself very comfortable by the fire at the neighbour's house.

As for Max, he has been strutting and posing and sleeping and helping. And I, well, I have been sitting in the bird tree among the bird feeders, waiting. Because I am Elmo and I am bad.

Squash and squeeze

For some reason the two legs played  strange games of squash and squeeze yesterday.First they played "How many birds can Daf fit into a goose?" The answer? A snipe, a woodcock ( She was a bit upset by that until She ate a bit!) a teal, a partiridge and a pheasant.
Next they played "How many dogs can ypou fit into a small cottage and the answer to that was six.

Daf had a long conversation with Max about catching birds and stuffing them into things while Cadog ( the new puppy) cuddled on his lap.

Later we found peace and quiet on the kitchen table, just me and Elmo and Maurice.

 

Then She went off to sleep in Her studio, dreams guarded by not one but two Bagpusses, like sphinxes, either side of the pillows.

 

The Little Dog Laughed to See Such Fun