My brother gave us a lift to the island this year. As usual, Caliban
complained all thew way, while Miranda curled up in her carrier and just
gave me resigned looks every time I peeped into her carrier. Though
Caliban obviously hated being in the car, he also became very protective
of it. He even hissed at my brother every time he had to get out and
then got back into the car. It didn't help though I kept telling Caliban
that it was my brother's car.

When we finally reached the island and I let the cats out of their
carriers, they were so excited. Miranda immediately dashed outside, but
Caliban was confused for a moment, running around my shack and meowing,
then he, too went outside. He was so excited, he was vibrating all over.


http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/Summer%2007/?action=view&c
urrent=IMG_0258.jpg

I only got one fairly god shot of the swallows:

http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/Summer%2007/?action=view&c
urrent=IMG_0268.jpg

My uncle has a d-thing, a mutt with a Russian name that I don't know how
to write (the Cyrillic letters), but it sounds like Cucoosh and it means
coconut. He has two cats, too, whom the d*g respects and loves, so he
wouldn't hurt a cat, but the other cats on the island don't know this,
and they're afraid of Cucoosh. One time, the d*g chased Emil up a tree:

http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/Summer%2007/?action=view&c
urrent=IMG_0280.jpg

It took some coaxing, but in the end, he came down under his own steam.

Caliban is a window cat. This picture also shows how he likes to dangle
his front paws, which was one reason he fell into the sea later:

http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/Summer%2007/?action=view&c
urrent=IMG_0286.jpg

Both cats loved to lounge in this patch of grass and flowers, and also
chase grasshoppers:

http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/Summer%2007/?action=view&c
urrent=IMG_0287.jpg

Miranda spent ages sniffing this clump of dried seaweed (bladder wrack)
that had been thrown up on the cliff. It must have smelt nice and fishy:

http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/Summer%2007/?action=view&c
urrent=IMG_0298.jpg

Then she went on to stare down into the water, and I was afraid she was
going to jump, but she didn't (not as stupid as Caliban, obviously ;):

http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/Summer%2007/?action=view&c
urrent=IMG_0303.jpg

Both cats love to roll around on the warm cliffs. Actually, *all* the
cats who have ever visited the island have enjoyed this, I think.

http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/Summer%2007/?action=view&c
urrent=IMG_0323.jpg

There were several swans staying near the island, but this is my only,
crappy swan picture that I managed to get:

http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/Summer%2007/?action=view&c
urrent=IMG_0326.jpg

Swans have become very common in the Finnish archipelago in the past
15-20 years. If you want to see some very much better pictures of the
swans by our island, please take a look at my niece's pictures. She got
some lovely shots of a family of swans - mum, dad and one baby.

A poor-quality picture because I didn't want to use the flash, but had
to get a shot of Miranda looking uncommonly silly, doing upside-downy
head with her tongue out.

http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/Summer%2007/?action=view&c
urrent=IMG_0327.jpg

As I've mentioned, both Emil and Caliban are too easy-going for either
one to initiate play properly. They would sniff each other and then
mostly ignore each other.

http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/Summer%2007/?action=view&c
urrent=IMG_0335.jpg

Except, of course, when Emil showed Caliban where the swallows' nest
was, with disastrous consequences. :P

Before my sister brought her cats, Linus and Ronja, to the island, both
mine would hang out at mum's cottage. When my sister's cats arrived, Mir
and Cali didn't dare to come too close any more. But until then they
would follow me there every time I went.

http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/Summer%2007/?action=view&c
urrent=IMG_0338.jpg

I went to visit the rosebush where I scattered Frank's and Nikki's
ashes, and found that part of it had died. :(

http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/Summer%2007/?action=view&c
urrent=IMG_0350.jpg

In spite of having big bowls of fresh drinking water at home, all the
cats like to drink 'wild water' when they can find it. Here Emil is
drinking sea water that has seeped into a hollow between some rocks:

http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/Summer%2007/?action=view&c
urrent=IMG_0346.jpg

The sea water in the Baltic sea is not very salty, so it's not as
dangerous as you might think.

Interrupted while washing a paw:

http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/Summer%2007/?action=view&c
urrent=IMG_0365.jpg

This picture just makes me laugh. Miranda makes a perfect rock:

http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/Summer%2007/?action=view&c
urrent=IMG_0376.jpg

Caliban spotting one of the grey cats. He was a bit confused, because
one of them (Emil) was friendly enough, but the other (Kasper) considers
it his island and all other cats are interlopers.

http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/Summer%2007/?action=view&c
urrent=IMG_0381.jpg

I thought Miranda looked particularly lovely here:

http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/Summer%2007/?action=view&c
urrent=IMG_0402.jpg

Wild little Ronja:

http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/Summer%2007/?action=view&c
urrent=IMG_0408.jpg

She has one of the prettiest faces I've ever seen on a cat:

http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/Summer%2007/?action=view&c
urrent=IMG_0409.jpg

Her BIG brother Linus (actually, her half brother):

http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/Summer%2007/?action=view&c
urrent=IMG_0410.jpg

It was a wet summer, so I bought a pair of boots. Miranda adopted the
box they came in:

http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/Summer%2007/?action=view&c
urrent=IMG_0416.jpg

And then there are sundry photos of the often tortuous plant life of the
island, where the conditions are often rough.