Oliver Postgate 1925-2008

The man who, with Peter Firmin, created Bagpuss, Noggin the Nog, Pogles Wood, Pingwings and the Clangers



and made so many children happy, especially one little girl with chicken pox in 1959.

Hiraeth - a problem of Here and There

So we've been There two weekends in a row mainly sorting out the Peeing and Washing [with Peeing] Rooms. Cold, bright, crisp weather and when we haven't been decorating, we've been out walking looking at Views. It's the Views that make her sad when we have leave There.



I don't mind going back from There to Here but I know she really wants to be There all the time, especially now we're getting ready for a Woo Hoo Christmas.

Craft Market on Saturday. She can't resist it - comes back with bits of recycled glass and all sorts. Eddie Stickmaker was there with his Litter and his Woman. She stayed chatting for ages and I could see that she was tempted by the sticks.

Now we have a tree in the house covered in lights and baubles. Although it is clearly quite mad, I know what to expect now.



All ready to Woo Hoo.

But when we got back the Little One had come back from the Fens and we had cheese in the Jam Room and I did some hugging.

"Night night Mossie, night night Humbug, night night, Little One."

Don't apologise. Don't explain

So once she stopped wearing those nasty leg-wrappers, she started painting. The Jam Room (even though it's mainly glass), The Peeing Room and the Washing [with Peeing] Room.

Every weekend, even when we're Here or There. Painting. Our only respite has been for walks and one evening out. When she comes home from work, if she's going out she normally goes and has one of those all-over-like-it's-pissing-on-you washes and then gets into going-out clothes. Normally when that happens, I go to the kitchen and put on a grumpy look. So, this is what I expected. Down the stairs she comes all tarted up. Right. Humph. I'll go and humph in my bed. But none of that. Out we went to the house where one of the Men-of-Sweyn's-Eye lives with his Woman. And when we got there the other Man-of-Sweyn's-Eye and his Woman were there too. Then the bitches went out leaving us boys there for the evening.



When they came back we were all asleep, a few beers having been taken.

The bitches all sat around on the floor and made a fuss of me. Grand. And then I realised that they had been drinking too. When I thought it was time to go home, we went upstairs and stayed the night in one of their Litter's rooms and didn't go home till breakfast time. Shocking.

Since it's been just about a year since I came to live with my MBNAD woman, we had to go back to the Vet place for my annual check. Got on the scales and found that my winter coat is keeping me warm but not too heavy. Then a Sharp Prick. Yes, I thought that the Vet was one. Then my teeth, ears, heart and gonads. Do they really have to do that? Sniffing my bum would be quite an acceptable way of being sociable but I draw the line at being groped.


The Vet also gazed deeply into my eyes. Didn't much fancy him, after what he just did at the other end. They have a little chat about my tendency to walk into things. Especially when the light isn't so good. Seems to me that posts just get in the way. My MBNAD woman don't see too good either. Sometimes she wears eye glasses but other times she don't seem to need them. She goes into one of the Washing Rooms and gets a little pot which she digs around in. Then she pokes at her eyes, blinks and then she don't need the eye glasses. Don't much fancy that, either.

They said I've got waterfalls in my eyes? That can't be right.

Gunpowder, treason and plot

So there was a great deal of fuss and bother and making of beds and cooking. I know the signs now. Visitors. But visitors don't usually stay Here. Unless it's the Litter. Yes, yes. It's the Tall One. Oh Glory.

It's so wonderful that he came to stay that the whole of the night sky was lit up. Grand.



"Night, night, Mossie"

Yes, well I should have known there was an agenda. The morning after the Tall One arrived, she didn't go off to work, which I thought was a bit suspicious. Daft tart. Legs. She went and did it again. All bandaged up. Both legs this time. Not together, you understand. Separately, so at least she can do that funny stumpy legged walk. But all she can do now is lie down and moan. Serves her right. She said she wouldn't do it again. But apparently the Venous Vet said it had to be done because it wasn't finished. Curse of the Mummy.

Mind, it's nice having the Tall One here. Walks and ball throwing. Grand. And we met my DB with lots of my mates from dog walking. Darcy, the blonde [Blonde]retriever, Whisper, the merle wobble, Jess, the loopy black girl and the Poodlies. The Tall One does lots of helping too.

And then we made cakes. The MBNAD woman likes cooking but she don't usually do it on an industrial scale. But all yesterday, she kept doing little things in the kitchen and then going back to lie down again. When we got back in from our last thing at night walk, the house smelt all warm and spicy. I remembered this from last year. I know what they were about.



They're Woo Hoo Christmas Cakes.

Metamorphosis

A Here weekend and we have to tidy up the garden. When the men came to build the Jam Room, they made a bit of a Mess in the garden as well as the house. Apparently, they were called the Taliban. So she worked really hard and I supervised.

When the rain started, I thought that we could sit by the fire and get comfortable. But, no. Can't resist it can she? More darned junk. She brings in this old table that looks like it would make good firewood and parks it in the Jam Room. Then she spent hours rubbing it to get rid of the top of the wood. That's right, she scraped the top of the wood off till there were no more marks and dents. When she did the legs, she found some little Princess teethmarks. She sat on the floor and had wet nose and eyes for a bit and I hugged her. Never thought that chewing furniture would have that effect but like I said from the outset: Mad

After she'd scraped it clean she got a pot of something strong smelling and rubbed it all over the junk table. Then she did it again and again. Wouldn't let me go in the Jam Room while she was doing it. As if.

Anyway by the time I was allowed in the Jam Room, the junk table had been magicked into a proper table. Supernatural, My Witch

Paper

A whole year. Me and her. My MBNAD woman has been mine for a whole year. I know she misses the Princess still and sometimes it makes her have the wet nose and eyes problem. She tells me that she wouldn't swap me for the world. I used to worry that she'd swap me for the Princess but I know now that she wouldn't; she'd love us both.

So for Our Anniversary, we're There for the weekend. Grand. A year back I didn't know anything about Here and There, or the Throw-Money-at-it-Bridge or Wales-Powys-Home. I used to be scared of the dogs in the farm up the hill and I didn't like to go through gates just in case I was going to be shut in. It's so nice being with her and nothing scares me if I'm with her.

So when she came back from whatever it is that she does that she calls work, I knew straight away that we were off There since the Red-Going-There bag came down stairs and we were off.

"Wales, Powys, Mossie. Home"

We arrived at bedtime but first we always go for a walk around the There Village. We stood on the hill and watched the stars for a bit. Then bed. I even have a bed all of my own Here and There. I never even had a bed anywhere before.



So waking up this morning was lovely. Next to the radiator and being smiled at by my MBNAD woman. An early morning walk and breakfast. What more could a Wobble want?

Well, for a start no more building work. What I hadn't realised last night was that there was building work There as well as Here. For Dog's sake, WHY? It's the Washing Room. Now it's been turned into a Washing Room (with Peeing) and a separate Peeing Room. Completely bonkers. Seems to me that she does far too much of that washing thing and as far peeing, what's wrong with a tree? Alright, so she's a Bitch ( my Bitch), so maybe trees aren't quite right but why not just a quick squat-and-puddle? Then we wouldn't have to have builders for Jam Rooms, Washing Rooms and Peeing Rooms. And no more Mess. But I spose that I forgive her.


Love, all alike, no season knows, nor clime,
Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time.

Infidelity

When things began to get really bad with the Jam Room, my DB took me out with her all day. That was really grand since I get to sit in her van which smells nice and dog. She thinks that I'm too old too get into the back of the van. Heh heh . But every afternoon, I went back so that I was home by the time that my MBNAD woman got back. So I guessed she didn't know that I was, ahem, enjoying someone else's company. Then one day I just didn't go back. Not quite sure how it happened but I just went home with my DB. Took my bed and everything. She's got a nice silver grey cat who speaks reasonably politely (for a cat). And chickens. And a horse. And piggy gins. And a Man. And a Litter. Well, I felt I could fit in just right. Found a nice cosy spot in the Eating Room. Grand.

Well, of course, I did think about my MBNAD woman quite a bit and, I confess I did miss her. I wondered if she might show up and take me back. Praps shout a bit at the DB for stealing me away. Praps shout at me for being stolen. But the days went by and she didn't show up at all. Then I began to wonder if she didn't know where I was or, even worse, wasn't missing me at all.




Then one evening, after I'd eaten my supper and settled down for a post-prandial snooze, she suddenly appeared. Oh, Dog. I thought we were in for trouble. I expected to get dragged out by my collar. I remember the Princess telling me that my MBNAD woman always said that even if she might be poor she wasn't common. But to be honest, I expected some common words at the very least.

Not a bit of it. There they were, chatting away happily. "Yes, of course, he's been a good boy. Did you have a nice time?". Big hugs from my MBNAD woman. She smelt funny too, warm and spice scented.

Then it dawned on me. I wasn't the one who'd been unfaithful it was HER! Bitch!



So we went home and she sat on the floor and hugged me for ages. Till I forgave her. Well, I'd forgiven her as soon as I realised she was back. But I let her hug me for a good long time.

And the men with the Mess have finished making the Jam Room.


All's well that ends well