Women & Cats Will Do As They Please



What do you mean it's naughty to sleep on the clean washing?
 

The ship with our new stock on board has docked in Brisbane!  Hurrah!  So the ship didn’t sink or get hijacked by pirates en route, which is always a good start.  Now comes the hardest bit – getting Customs and Quarantine to not only clear our shipment, but to do so promptly.  Good luck with that, I hear you cry, and on the basis of past experience you are entirely correct.  But a girl can dream.  So Unpack Day for our new stock edges ever closer but so does Christmas, and we’ll see which gets here first.

 

You are mistaken, how could you even suggest I would do such a thing?

Meanwhile, I am still putting new things on the website, this week jewellery, pictures, some Roman antiquities and big knives.  Someone came into the shop this week to look at our knives and said her husband didn’t want a carving knife, but more something he could stab someone with.  Has this man never seen Psycho?  Carving knives can serve a multitude of purposes.  But anyway, I decided that maybe it was best not to put ideas in his already deranged head.



Anyway, whatever, I'm going back to sleep.

Caleb had his first close encounter with a dog this week, with a little black poodle called Polly, who comes in to the shop with her owner from time to time.  Polly and Klaatu have long since established a cordial relationship, with a bit of nose touching before Klaatu dismisses her as not worth staying awake for. 



But Calypso said it was okay to snooze here.

But this was the first close encounter with a dog for Caleb.  He has seen off dogs who dared enter the shop before, but that was simply done from a distance with a bit of fluffing up and some cool snarling.  It has the desired effect on both the mutts and their owners, and sends them packing quick smart.



And now I can't leave until I've had a quick wash.  More to the left, Artemis!

But poor Polly was carried right up to the desk, so a close encounter was inevitable.  Caleb jumped down to meet her, even though I suggested that he stay where he was, but he was determined to do as he wished on this matter.  He’s a stubborn little tyke, and quite strong when he really drags on his leash.  So he marched right up to Polly, with me and Polly’s owner hovering closely because no-one wanted Shredded Polly all over the shop.

 

Klaatu is cordial but always issues to ultimate insult to Polly the Poodle -
he turns his back on her and goes to sleep.

But it was a lovely meeting, with Caleb head butting Polly and Polly washing his ears, after which they played peek-a-boo chasey around Polly’s owner’s legs, with Caleb as the chaser, naturally.  Eventually Polly got spooked by being chased about by a cat – and I must say Caleb can put on a serious burst of speed if he really wants to catch you – and she started shaking and needed to be picked up and comforted.  It was nice until Polly got scared, and seeing how Caleb didn’t fluff up or snarl and kept his claws to himself he’ll now be allowed to play with other dogs that come into the shop.  I know he can’t always be trusted to play nice, but we’ll see how it goes.

 

new on the website

French Images

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It’s been an interesting sales week, with an awful lot of jewellery moving, yet more pictures and some glass.  The number of Christmas sales is growing, but it's been an amazing number of birthday gifts purchased this week. Last year the serious Christmas shopping didn’t start until around a week to go, when when we were hammered, and it looks like the same might happen this year. 

 

American Monet Enamel Lizard Brooch, new on the website

The Eumundi Night Markets start tonight, so we’re reopening at 5pm for an hour or so to see how it goes.  It has to go really well, though, or I shall shut and sod off home because it’s my shop and I can do as I wish.  I have a life outside the shop and no intention of being here for hours on a Friday night just for someone’s browsing pleasure – they can browse through my windows.  I will only stay open if sales are happening, people.  Just saying.



Roman Swallow Tail Arrow Head, c300AD, excavated in The Balkans, new on the website



For everyone who realised that my Blog title this week is a pinch from Robert Heinlein, kudos to you.  He is an author I really should read more of, but so far I’ve only read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, which wasn’t what I was expecting and I really enjoyed it.  His full quote is: Women and cats will do as they please – and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.  What can you say - when something’s true it’s true.

 

English Carving Knife with Cream Bakelite Handle, c1930, new on the website.
To be used only for good, rather than Psycho reinactments.