Helping my colleagues in Nepal

An earthquake in Nepal, where some of my colleagues (who are professional mountain cats) live, has caused serious devastation.

You can help via https://www.punainenristi.fi/lahjoita/nepalin-maanjaristys.

Weekend noon nap secured

The crew has some new toys to play on snow. In this post there are pics from the very first trial of OAC KAR147 (see http://skinbased.com/7/) by the first mate. It seems to me that the trial was successful and this guarantees me quiet quality time during my preferred nap time on weekend days at the cabin.

The neighboring hill is suitable for the test drive. Sun greets on the top.

In the distance the next ridges can be seen.

The new equipment, the KARs and EA binding. Comfortable winter shoes work well.
(The pants would benefit from replacement...)

From the home hill you can see Iso-Syöte and the enchanted ridge. Pikku-Syöte  to the right.

Down she goes...

The free heel of the bindings require telemark style of turns. This is new to the first mate and she
is very proud of the slight curves in her track resulting from basic telemark practices.

The star boy's cape

I will need to add explanation * to other than people in Oulu ;-)

*) The traditional Xmas choir Star boys popular in Oulu, more info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_boys'_singing_procession. 

Mountain or Fjeld cat - A poll

Now that I have started to function in my new role I am wondering if I should call myself a mountain cat or a fjeld cat? These are "my" fjelds in the pics, Iso-Syöte and Pikku-Syöte. And there is also this "magical" ridge onto which the crew seems to extend their newspaper fetching runs.

The thing is that the mountain cat sounds more international but now these my arctic hills are not technically mountains!?! Please help me by participating the poll on the right hand sidebar.

Iso-Syöte, the bigger fjeld.

Pikku-Syöte, the smaller fjeld.

Pytkynharju, the local ridge bathing in the midday Xmas sun.

My tree

-30 C

I wanted to start my Xmas eve by a nice brisk visit outside but it was so cold I very quickly decided to return to the cabin, find a nice location close to fireplace and relax... I hope the temperature is tempered soon as I enjoy my outings much.

My winter job location

More pics on my winter work place, as seen from the lake and the river.

New job

I want to reveal something about my new seasonal job, being a mountain cat. This is a view to the domain I need to manage. My duty occurs typically during weekends and vacations and I use the same crew as at sea.

Retreating to the Mountains

Last weekend I took the crew with me and withdrew to the local mountain. First days it was  about -30 C which I shortly got introduced and decided that it is better to stay inside the cabin. Only the last day at -10 C was suitable for outing and I took many sessions before we had to leave and return to our lair on land in the city. In the pictures I demonstrate how nice the log cabins can be, so functional ;-)

Forest cat in forest

Mountain training

One more post from my mountain weekend. In the pictures I demonstrate how to select terrain for training the crew's agility. 

In my next production I will move to another subject: I will start a series about the cities Exter visited last summer. Remember, keeping the crew happy is simple: a) take the vessel to interesting destinations b) feed the crew well. So I present some nice places to visit and give tips on where to feed the crew. 

Chief

Le chat a la Chalet

Oh la la, ski cottages have so many options to have fun!

My 2nd Anniversary

Congratulations to my crew! You have passed the second year in my service!

PS I had exceptional mountain weekend. I will report more. 

Benefits of being a Mountain Cat

I have considered our ski trip and found following points that support becoming a mountain cat, a seasonal one, in between the sailing seasons. A mountain cat lives in a ski cabin of which benefits for a cat are the following:

- a ski cabin potentially has excellent views of nature with birds and ... the squirrels...
- a ski cabin typically has a fireplace. It is enjoyable to relax in the warmth of a fireplace.
- a ski cabin has a sauna. The warmed floor combined with the water heater under the sauna benches are a winning combo for a day time napping hideaway and provide excellent vantage point for monitoring crew activity.
- a ski cabins usually have large porches or patios. They give great coverage for observing outdoors and breathing fresh air.

To conclude, it would be of course demanding to handle all three roles, the duties of a seacat, a citycat and a mountaincat, but hey we seacats are always up to a challenge!

Case Squirrel

There are certain ways the crew tries to entertain themselves between the seasons. Skiing weekends are one of those. This was very first one for me. I agree, a weekend in a ski cottage makes the trick. I will report in few upcoming posts about this new experience.

I start with the lovely morning moment I had. The sun rose from behind the mountain. I was enjoying the calm moment, all the snow, all the lovely views. A sea / city cat does not get to see this kind of views often. Suddenly someone was running on the patio and continuing on the roof. I could not do anything but run inside the cottage and try to follow the noise as well as I could. The object returned to the patio and I could do anything but watch that he stayed put. The squirrel. Oh, the amount of frustration... 

After this experience I was very tired, finished my morning duty and retrieved to sauna (yes, to the sauna, I explain this to you in a later post) and had a very good sleep. The crew went of skiing for few hours, I enjoyed the quietness and relaxed...

Personal data

Today I want to tell you more about myself.

My formal name is Tuiskutassun Huru-ukko, Tuiskutassun being my home cattery. I am now 13 months old meaning that I am an adult male, not a kitten anymore. I am pleased that my crew has started calling me Chief, or Päällikkö in Finnish, it is more appropriate than Kitte.

Here is a link to my family tree. I was born in Oulu like my parents, but the forefathers are from several countries: Poland, Russia, Sweden... To me this is natural but the first mate fusses about my international relatives. And, I am SIB n 22, my coloring being brown classic tabby.