#that’s her registered name on CFA

[productsreviewings]

Calico coat patterns are intriguing and exquisite. The calico sample in cats is outlined as a tri-color coat that’s often white with patches of black and orange, however there may also be dilute calico and tabby variations. Calico is discovered within the sweet-faced Scottish Fold, making this already cute cat much more enchanting. Learn on to find what makes the calico Scottish Fold particular and the place this distinctive coat coloring comes from. The Earliest Data of Calico Scottish Folds in Historical past The calico coat coloring is older than the Scottish Fold cat breed and is discovered in lots of cat breeds. First, we’ll take a look at the coat coloring itself, then delve into the Scottish Fold’s fascinating historical past and the way the 2 merged: Picture Credit score: Artaporn Puthikampol, Shutterstock The Calico Coloring Calico was doubtlessly first seen in cats in Egypt, as a historian wrote that he adopted traces and descriptions of calico cats from the port. These instances had been traced because of the mutant orange gene that impacts calicos, that means that they might not have all the time regarded just like the calicos we all know and love in the present day. These had been then discovered alongside the Mediterranean, maybe because the distinctive look of those fairly cats turned extra identified. The Scottish Fold Scottish Fold cats had been all bred from a single litter in Perthshire, Scotland. The unique Scottish Fold Suzie (somewhat white cat with an uncommon fold in her ear) produced a litter with two cats with folded ears. One among these was given to an area farmer who registered the Scottish Fold breed in 1966 with the GCCF (the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy) and, with the assistance of a geneticist, started the breeding program. How the Calico Scottish Fold Gained Recognition The Scottish Fold can are available in a number of coat colours and patterns, together with calico. Calico Scottish Folds gained recognition partially as a result of their movie star standing, with well-known house owners of Scottish Folds, together with Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, and Kristen Dunst, proudly exhibiting their Scottish Folds off on social media. Calico Scottish Folds have gained better of breed in cat fancying competitions. In 2020, the CFA (Cat Fancy Affiliation) topped a feminine longhaired calico Scottish Fold as their better of breed. Picture Credit score: Witsawat.S, Shutterstock Formal Recognition of the Calico Scottish Fold Scottish Folds had been first acknowledged by the CFA in 1978, swiftly adopted by TICA (The Worldwide Cat Affiliation) in 1979. From there, extra cat-fancying teams accepted the Scottish Fold as a acknowledged breed. However within the early Seventies, the GCCF eliminated the Scottish Fold from its acknowledged breed checklist, citing its critical well being issues (osteochondrodysplasia) as the explanation. High 5 Distinctive Information Concerning the Calico Scottish Fold 1. Each Calico Scottish Fold Cat Is Nearly Definitely Feminine. That is due to the genes that trigger the distinctive calico coloring and the way they're expressed in each feminine and male cats. Feminine cats have two X-chromosomes (xx), whereas male cats have just one (xy). The attractive calico coloring comes from an irregular expression of one of many X chromosomes, named “X-inactivation.” Which means that one of many X chromosomes shuts off, inflicting the calico colour and sample. As a result of males solely have one X chromosome, it’s a lot rarer for this to happen, and if it does, it'll additionally trigger different genetic abnormalities. Sadly, this additionally implies that all male calico cats are infertile. 2. Not All Calico Scottish Fold Cats Will Have Folded Ears! Every kitten is born with straight ears. Over their first few weeks of life, round 50% of the litter will develop folds of their ears. That is because of the manner the mutation expresses in every kitten. 3. There Can Be Extra Than One Fold in a Calico Scottish Fold’s Ears.

Some calico Scottish Folds have only one small fold. Others have extra tightly folded ears, giving them the most typical Scottish Fold look. Some can have very tightly folded ears which are flat in opposition to the top, giving them a cap-like look. 4. Calico Scottish Folds Can Be Quick or Longhaired. Each varieties are accepted in cat fancying organizations as a part of the breed customary. Lengthy-haired calico Scottish Folds are uncommon and exquisite however will take somewhat extra grooming than their densely furred, short-haired siblings. 5. Calico Scottish Folds Can Be “Classically” Coloured, Dilute, or Even Tabby. The most typical calico colours are white, black, ginger, or orange. However these colours might be muted and are available out as stunning shades of cream, blue, and gold. Often known as “dilute,” this lighter coloring is attributable to a mutation that causes much less of the colour to specific. The tabby portion of calico coloring might be discovered within the ginger or the black spots, with black usually being extra brown and black striped. Picture Credit score: Witsawat.S, Shutterstock Does a Calico Scottish Fold Make a Good Pet? Scottish Folds have calm temperaments and make good household pets as a result of their easygoing nature and love of enjoying. They're energetic and might be good firm for different pets, together with canines. They're good with youngsters if the kid can respect them and their want for house. As a result of all calico Scottish Fold cats undergo from various levels of joint illness, vets’ payments might be way more costly than different cat breeds. Contemplate this earlier than adopting a calico Scottish Fold, as lifelong drugs and coverings could also be obligatory if their joint illness worsens. Conclusion The calico Scottish Fold is a fascinating cat that’s each fairly and uncommon. They're pleasant pets that preserve their kittenish seems to be into maturity. Nonetheless, regardless of their fantastic personalities and angelic seems to be, calico Scottish Fold cats might be very unhealthy and undergo from ache as a result of a joint illness known as osteochondrodysplasia. This is similar illness that provides them their distinctive ear folds. In case your calico Scottish Fold cat is male, it'll doubtless have extra well being points and be sterile. We hope this calico Scottish Fold profile has helped you perceive these fairly cats and the way particular they're. Featured Picture Credit score: Witsawat.S, Shutterstock !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments);if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n; n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window, document,'script',' #Calico #Scottish #Fold #Information #Origin #Historical past #Footage #Merchandise Reviewings

[animala2z]

Exotic Shorthair: Know Size, Personality Food Full Info

The Exotic Shorthair is a breed of cat that was developed as a short-haired version of the Persian. The Exotic is similar to the Persian in many ways, including temperament and appearance, with the exception of a flat nose and a short, dense coat.

In the late 1950s, the Persian was used as an outcross by some American shorthair breeders. This was done secretly to improve their body type, and crosses were also made with Russian Blue and Burmese. The crossbreed look gained recognition in the show ring, but unhappy American Shorthair breeders successfully created a new breed standard that would disqualify American Shorthairs showing signs of crossbreeding.

An American Shorthair breeder who saw the potential of a Persian/American Shorthair cross proposed and eventually Cat Fanciers Association judge and American Shorthair breeder Jane Martinck recognized them as a new breed in 1966 under the name Exotic Shorthair. In 1987, the Cat Fanciers’ Association discontinued exotic to shorthair outcrosses, leaving the Persian as the only recognized outcross breed.

Due to the regular use of Persians as outcrosses, some exotics may carry a copy of the recessive longhair gene. When two such cats mate, each offspring has a 1 in 4 chance of having long hair.

Longhaired exotics are not considered Persians by the Cat Fanciers Association, although the International Cat Association accepts them as Persians. Organizations such as the American Cat Fanciers Association register them as a separate exotic longhair breed.

ORIGIN: United States

HEIGHT: 10–12 inches

Weight: 3 – 6kg

Lifespan: 8 – 15 years

Association: American Cat Fanciers Association.

Breed Characteristics

The Exotic Shorthair cat is easy to love in both looks and personality. Her features include:

A quiet or soft voice Lively, friendly personality Good with children and other pets A loyal and loving companion She will have some needs that you should know about:

People-oriented and should not be alone for long periods of time The coat requires regular brushing and grooming Suffering from a number of health problems Separation anxiety is likely You’ll love sharing your home with your exotic shorthair. Playful, affectionate, and social, it makes an excellent family companion.

Desiring to create a shorthair type of Persian, breeders crossed Persians with British Shorthairs and other shorthair breeds to create exotic shorthairs. First recognized as its own breed in 1967, the Exotic retains the lovable, easy-going attitude of the Persian and the easy-maintenance coat and high energy levels of its short-haired cousins.

History

In the late 1950s American Shorthair fanciers, spurred by the popularity of the Persian, began secretly mixing Persians into their American Shorthair bloodlines to improve body type and introduce the beautiful and beloved silver Persian color to the American. (At that time and until 1965 the American Shorthair was known as the Domestic Shorthair.)

Because of this hybridization, the American’s boning became heavier, the head rounded and the nose shorter, and the coat denser and longer. Other American Shorthair breeders, fearful of changes in the breed, became determined to reject any Americans showing signs of hybridization. The exotic shorthair would have faded into the history of the cat fancy if not for the efforts of CFA judge Jane Martin, and the exotic shorthair was first accepted for championship status by the CFA in 1967.

CFA breeders were then allowed to transfer their American Shorthairs. / Persian hybrid in the newly formed Exotic Shorthair classification. Initially, foreign breeders used Burmese and Russian Blues in addition to the American Shorthair to introduce the shorthair gene.

As the breed began to grow in popularity and the gene pool grew larger, the CFA began to limit outcrosses. In 1987 the CFA discontinued exotic to shorthair outcrosses altogether, leaving the Persian as the CFA’s only recognized outcross. In 1971, the first Exotic Shorthair achieved Grand Champion status. Today, the Exotic is the most popular purebred shorthair.

[itsbeenclaireified]

I’ll be more interesting when March ends. There’s just a lot of work stuff so it’s been a pain. So here’s some pictures of Trixie to get us all thru.

#Beatrix Raven Potter #that’s her registered name on CFA #because I guess I’m fancy with my registered cat hahaha #other dumb thoughts #my engine emission light came on and like I know my car is probably running on oil sludge but it scared me #so I have an appointment for Monday and that will have to do #I also just went and got a salvia Covid test because 5 days ago I was in the kitchen with someone’s husband for probably less than 15 min #but he had apparently just been exposed so idk #better safe than sorry #my friend is also coming over to sit socially distanced in my yard #and she apparently has something emotional she wants to talk about #and so my brain is running the gambit of engaged to broke up with her long term boyfriend #to I don’t know what else #I’m so ready for this weekend #it’s the first one I haven’t had skiing or any other plans so I could MAYBE get all my to do’s done #so that’s exciting #and it might be 60 all weekend! #sun! moderate temps! #so hopefully my car doesn’t explode if I need to go anywhere over the weekend #I started it and then as I was about to back out like it started restarting itself and I was like fuckkkk what’s happening #and these are the reasons I put off getting my oil changed #because something else is usually wrong and it’s expensive soooo boo #but I get a discount with my Costco membership so hopefully I remember that and it will be cheaper #tgif #claireified

[spine-buster]

Alone, Together | Chapter 34 | Morgan Rielly

A/N:  Some might consider this a little bit of a filler chapter, but I actually think it’s a really important piece in establishing Bee as a person.  Anywho...hope you guys enjoy!  The next two chapters they are back in the West Coast, so you know what that means..........😇

It was going to take a while for Bee to comes to terms with the fact that two of her best friends were leaving Toronto.  In the past ten days, she had tried to feel less selfish about the situation – how it affected her and how her life would change, how sad she was about it and how she was going to cope with it – and instead focus on the positives – how Tyler being in Ottawa would be a good leadership opportunity for him on a young team, and how Naz being traded to Colorado meant he would still be on a Cup-contending team.  She tried to think about the positives for Ashley, too – how Denver was a beautiful city to raise a family in.  How the media would still be loud but much quieter than the media in Toronto.  How she’d probably be able to check her Instagram and not have DMs flood her inbox or have bunny blogs gossip about her shopping habits at Holt Renfrew based on information they heard from their sister’s friend’s brother’s girlfriend’s hairstylist’s dog walker’s niece who saw her buy her second Yves Saint Laurent bag of the month.  

It would be okay.

Bee had to believe it would be okay.  Because if any doubt arose in her about the situation, she’d have another crying episode like she did that night of July 1st, where Morgan had to hold her all night, assuring her that everything would be okay, giving her the only answers he could.  She kept trying to think of the positives.  She didn’t do things to distract herself from the situation – she genuinely internalized the reality of the situation and tried to see the positives as much as possible.  It would make her feel better, she thought, about everything.  And Morgan – bless him – was helping as much as he could.  He knew better than anybody that it wouldn’t be easy for her, and so he took it upon himself to ease the pain.  No small feat.  But he did, because he loved her, because he wanted to see genuine smiles and laughs from her instead of forced happiness.  He started a countdown to their vacation to Vancouver.  He told her about how nice Tyson Barrie and Alexander Kerfoot (Kerfy, apparently) were, and how she’d like them.  How Kerfy was already a good friend because they had grown up together and played together in Vancouver.  He bought her bigger bouquets of flowers.  They got ice cream more often.  He let her cuddle into him however and whenever she wanted, and let her fall asleep on his chest with their limbs entwined and he’d carry her to bed, holding her in his arms the entire time.

Despite the emotional minefield that was July 1st, in the following days, she managed to register herself to write the first exam for her CFA certification in December, and she passed her driving test.  She was officially a G2 class driver.  Life had to move on.  It always did.  The only thing constant is change.  

So when Morgan told her to get in the car, because he was going to take her somewhere, that it was a surprise, she was excited to.  The last time he did so they ended up in Muskoka making love for an entire weekend.  She even offered to drive there, but he said that wouldn’t be necessary, because it would spoil the surprise.  So she hopped in the passenger’s seat.  They got on the highway.  And they travelled north.  Like, really north.  North of the city, to the suburb of Vaughan, where Bee noticed Morgan turn into the driveway of Pfaff Auto, where he had gotten his Porsche, a small smile on his face as they parked the car near the front.  

“What are we doing here?” she asked as he turned off the ignition.  

“What do you think?” he asked rhetorically.  

Before she could answer, Bee noticed a man in a suit outside Morgan’s window, and she nodded her head towards it so it could grab Morgan’s attention.  The man waved enthusiastically and Morgan opened the door.  “Santi!  Hey!”

“Morgan!  Nice to see you bud!” he said as Morgan opened the door.  “This must be Bee!” Santi waved at her.  “How are you Bee?”

“I’m…good,” she said awkwardly as she saw Morgan start to get out of the car.  She followed suit and walked around to where the men were standing.  

“Morgan mentioned how you had passed your driving test.  Congratulations!” Santi said.  “We thought it would be a great idea to bring you in and welcome you into the Pfaff Family!”

“Oh?” Bee looked between Santi and Morgan.  She stood stiff in between the two men.  “Am I…you…you didn’t bring me here to pick out a car, did you?” she asked Morgan, who only smiled.  “Morgan.”

“Don’t Morgan me,” he said, his response every single time she said his name in that tone of voice.  “Let’s go inside and see our options, hmm?”

Bee didn’t really have a choice.  They were already there, Santi was already smiling and waving and ready to show her cars, and when they walked inside, other employees waved and shook hands and it was all very nice, but Bee didn’t know what to do.  She wondered if anybody could see how out of her element she was.  She felt like a visiting Princess Kate being given a tour of something she had no clue about, smiling and nodding along and asking basic questions about things to make it seem like she understood what they were talking about and comfortable with what was going on around her.  But she wasn’t.  For a person who had never owned a car before, and who had only been in the very basic cars of her friends, she really didn’t have a clue.  She knew the names, obviously, but everything else was extra.  Everything else was so…extravagant.  

Santi was nice.  Warm.  Accommodating.  To his credit, he was an excellent salesman and knowledgeable of every little detail about every car or SUV they saw or sat in.  He would usher her into the driver’s seat, he’d get into the passenger’s seat, and Morgan would slip in the backseat, and he’d go on and on about all the features.  The leather seats.  The luxury interior.  The beeping sensors for when you were reversing.  GPS Navigation.  The backup cameras.  The sunroofs.  The option for add-on DVD players for the backseat.  Luxury add-ons here.  Luxury add-ons there.

Bee had to write down all the names of the cars so she could remember them all.  The Porsche Cayenne Sport, the Mercedes Benz GLS 450, the BMW X7 xDrive 50i, the Porsche Macan Sport, the BMW Alpina B7 xDrive, the Audi A8 L 55, the BMW M5 Competition, the Mercedes Benz S-Class.  It was all so overwhelming.  There were so many things to remember.  Santi didn’t even mention gas mileage.  He didn’t mention how much it cost to fill up a tank of gas, how expensive it was to insure these cars, how expensive they were even just to maintain.  She got more and more nervous the more she thought about it.  It filled her with anxiety, being in something that was so expensive.  

These cars weren’t for her.

“What’s the price point you’re looking for?” Santi asked as they sat together in the BMW X7.  It was a beautiful crossover, no doubt, and Bee liked it, as objectively as she could like a car this expensive.  

“We’re not thinking about that today,” Morgan butt in from the backseat.  Santi gave him a smile.  She looked at him through the rear-view mirror.  

“What a guy, eh?” Santi joked, nodding his head towards Morgan.  “We’ll take care of you guys, anyway.  When Chris comes in he’ll arrange all that.  He’ll be so happy to see you.”

“Who’s Chris?” Bee finally piped up.

“Chris Pfaff, the president and CEO,” Santi said.  “After Morgan and I chose the Porsche last year Chris made sure Morgan was taken care of.  And with Morgan referring some of the other Leafs to us, there’s no way we’re not going to take care of you again.”

Bee wondered what Santi meant when he said ‘take care’, but she knew if she asked she’d seem like an idiot.  Maybe it just meant they got a good deal on the car or something.  A discount.  An add-on for only half the price.  $100 in gas gift cards, like she always saw advertised on TV.  

After what seemed like sitting in the millionth car, Santi was called away briefly, leaving Morgan and Bee alone for the first time since they parked.  They stood beside an immaculate Range Rover.  Bee looked over at Morgan, who was already looking at her.  “What do you think?” he asked her.

“I don’t want to make a decision today,” she said, knowing he wouldn’t know why.  He seemed to be having the time of his life being in all the cars.  She never understood boys’ fascination with them.

“What?”

“I don’t want to make a decision today.  I don’t…” she shook her head slightly, biting on her nail.  “I want to think about it.”

“But they--”

“I want to do my own research,” she interrupted him, not wanting to get into it now.  “I just want to go home with all the information he gave me and I want to do my own research and make my own decision.”

Morgan looked at her for a moment.  He studied her.  He saw the biting of the nail and saw her furrowed eyebrows and he nodded his head.  “Okay.  Okay.  We’ll let Santi know.”

Santi gave Bee his card and told her to call him when she made her decision.  She thanked him endlessly for all his help and information, and she and Morgan left Pfaff, beginning the long trek back downtown to their place.  Bee sat looking out the window, not saying a word, mulling over everything going on inside her head.  Morgan would take occasional glances at her, allowing them to sit in silence until they pulled into the parking garage and into their designated spot.  He knew something was going on and he wanted to know.  

“What’s wrong?”

Bee felt ashamed.  She couldn’t even look at him even though she knew he was looking directly at her.  “I don’t want any of those cars,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“What?”

“I don’t want any of those cars,” she said a bit louder so he could hear.  “I don’t…I don’t need any of those cars.”

“What do you mean you don’t need any of those cars?”

She sighed.  “I only need a car that can get me from A to B.  I’m not even going to drive it to work.  The most I’ll be driving it is up to Rocco and Clarette’s house or to go grocery shopping.  Maybe to go visit Aryne and John.  I don’t think I need a ninety thousand dollar SUV to do that.”

Morgan shifted in his seat.  “Okay…I get that,” he admitted.  “But…I mean, they can help us, you know?  The guys at Pfaff can take care of us.”

“Why do you guys keep saying that?  What does that even mean?” she asked, her voice more assertive now.  

“They can gift it to us, Briony.  Like the Porsche.”

Bee whipped her head towards Morgan.  “Gift it to us?  Like the Porsche?”

“Yeah.”

“You…” she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.  “You’re telling me this Porsche is a gift.”

“Yeah.”

“You don’t pay a lease payment on this thing?”

“No.”

“A financing payment?”

“No.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” she exclaimed.  “This entire fucking time we’ve been driving this car you haven’t had to pay a cent on it except for gas and insurance?” she asked.  Morgan nodded his head.  “What the fuck, Morgan?!”

“Why are you so angry?” he asked, remaining the calm one in the conversation.

“We don’t need a free car!” she yelled, unable to hold her emotions back any longer.  “We have the money to pay for a car!  We have the money to pay for any car we fucking want to and you’re telling me you’re paying nothing?!  We should be paying for a car!”

“What’s the big deal?” Morgan questioned.  

“It’s the principle!” she began.  “This is exactly what’s wrong with this entire fucking system.  I grew up with literally nothing by no fault of my own and I was still expected to pay my whole way through whatever came up in my life.  You – and I don’t mean you specifically Morgan, but people like you, other hockey players and those stupid Instagram influencer girls from here just dying to hang out with you guys for status and clout – you guys have all this money and yet you get everything for free so long as you put it on your Instagram.  It’s not fair.  It’s not fair when so many fucking people in this city are struggling to get by and working their asses off at minimum wage jobs just to afford rent and the Toronto Maple Leafs are getting free luxury cars.”

Morgan stayed quiet.  He knew she was right, like with most things, and he had never considered her perspective before.  He had failed to consider the entire situation from her perspective.  It was hard for him.  He just thought it would be a nice day out.  Go to a dealership, pick out a car.  He’d take care of it for her, like he promised her he would with everything on that dock in Muskoka.  And although she had accepted that, this wasn’t the way she wanted him to go about “taking care” of things.  She obviously wanted to do everything fairly.  “Briony…”

“I can’t believe you never told me this car was a gift,” she said, her voice much calmer now.  “Look, I’m sorry I raised my voice.  But we’re not poor.  We can afford the financing or lease payments on any car I choose to get.  And that’s the way it’s gonna be.”

“Okay,” Morgan nodded his head, his voice soft.  “Okay.  We can do that.”

“I can do that,” she corrected.  “I want to pay for my own car.  This entire time I’ve been saving my money and I can afford it.  I’ve budgeted it out.”

“But Briony--”

“Morgan--”

“I told you in Muskoka that I wanted to give you the things you want and need in life without you being uncomfortable about it.  That I didn’t want you to worry about anything ever again.”

“I know, Morgan, but please, please, you have to let me do this for myself.  Please,” she was practically begging.  “I know you want to do that for me.  I know.  That’s why you brought me to Pfaff today.  And I love you and I appreciate it and you know I do but I’m doing this for me.  You…you have no idea what it means to be to be able to buy my own car with my own money.”

Morgan could hear by the tone in her voice how much this meant for her.  He couldn’t deny that he wanted to do this for her – to get her whatever car she wanted, luxury or not – but he also couldn’t deny her the opportunity of being able to get a car herself.  For her, it was independence.  It was investing in something she never had the opportunity to before.  It meant having something of her own, when her whole life, she didn’t have anything to her name.  Who was he to deny her that?

“Okay,” he nodded his head again.  “Alright, okay.  I’m sorry Briony.”

“There is no need for you to apologize,” she said, reaching over the console to grab his hand.  “I should be the one who is sorry for raising my voice.  I just…I felt overwhelmed in there.  It was fun but overwhelming.  You’re the best boyfriend in the world for doing something like that for me.  You probably think I’m insane.”

“Why would I think that?”

Bee gave him a look.  “A girl rejecting a luxury car so she could get a cheaper one?  Who does that?”

Morgan smiled slightly, shaking his head.  He leaned over the console to give her a kiss.  “Briony McTavish does that,” he whispered once he pulled away.  “And that’s why I love her.”

“Oh yeah?” Bee smiled slightly.  

“Mhm,” Morgan kissed her again.  “You’re something else, Briony.  I’d do anything for you.  And this means so much to you.  You’ve put your mind to it.  You’ve budgeted it out and you know you’re going to be okay and that you won’t have to worry.  I would never take that away from you.”

Before their conversation could advance any further, Morgan’s phone started to ring through the Bluetooth system in the car.  On the screen on the dash, Nazem’s name flashed.  “We’ll continue this later,” he said before answering the call.  “Naz!  What’s up?  You’re on speaker with me and Bee.”

“Hey guys,” he said into the phone.  “You uh…you guys might want to make your way to Toronto General.”

“Why?” Morgan asked.  

From beside him, Bee’s jaw dropped.  “Ohmygod Naz, did Ashley have the baby?”

“Come quick.  Come meet her,” he said, a slight giggle in his voice.  

“Her?!” Bee screamed.  “Her?!  Ohmygod we’re on our way right now.”

***

“Here she is.  Baby Naylah,” Naz was smiling from ear to ear as he led Morgan and Bee through the doorway to Ashley’s room.  John and Aryne were already there, Aryne sitting in a chair and John leaning against the windowsill as Ashley cradled the tiny baby in her arms.

“Heeeyyyy,” Ashley said gently, a beaming smile on her face.  “She’s here.  She’s finally here.”

“Oh, Ashley…” Bee cooed, catching a glimpse of the little girl’s face tucked between the swaddling blanket and little hat on her head.  “Ashley, she’s absolutely beautiful.”

“How you feeling, momma?” Morgan smiled.  

“Labour was about eight hours, but everything was fine,” Ashley said.  “We came in yesterday around this time.  We’ve just been in our own little world with her until now.”

Morgan smiled and looked at Naz.  “Nazem Kadri, father,” he shook his head.  “Lord help us all.”

“That’s what I said,” John said as everybody laughed.  “Father to a girl, nonetheless.  She’s gonna make you the biggest sap in the universe.”

“She’s already got me wrapped around her little finger,” Naz shrugged his shoulders, admitting defeat.  He was still beaming, still on a high from welcoming his daughter into the world.  “I’ll admit it.  She’s gonna get whatever she wants.”

“You wanna hold her, Aunt Bee?” Ashley offered.  

Bee’s jaw dropped again.  “Oh my God.  Oh my God.  Can I?”

“She’s very calm.  She just woke up and might need a feeding soon so it’s your only chance,” Ashley smiled.  Bee moved closer towards her as Ashley placed Naylah delicately in her arms.  “Make sure you support her head.  She’s swaddled so she should be fine.”

Bee held Naylah close to her chest, rocking her back and forth.  She heard Naylah make little noises and watched as Naylah’s eyes looked up at her, studying her closely.  She knew this random, strange lady was definitely not her mom.  “Hi Naylah,” Bee cooed.  “I’m your Aunt Bee.  I’m so glad you’re finally here.”  She continued to look down at the tiny baby in her arms, marvelling at her little expressions and tiny features.  She couldn’t believe she was finally holding her.

Bee looked up briefly to see everybody smiling at her.  “Looks like you’re still the baby whisperer, Bee,” Aryne giggled, resting her hand on her bump.  “You’re gonna be back here in two months doing this all over again.”

“Bring it on,” she said, continuing to rock Naylah back and forth and cradling her small head in her hand.  “Give me all the babies and the babysitting duties and I’ll be one happy camper.”

As if on cue, Naylah began fussing a little bit, her eyes closing and lips pursing.  “Uh oh.  Spoke too soon,” Bee said.  She tried to calm her down but the attempt was futile.  Naylah continued to purse her lips until she let out a small cry.  “Looks like someone is hungry again.”

“That’s our cue,” Aryne said, standing up from her seat.  “We’ll wait outside until she’s done, maybe go grab some coffee.”

“I’ll let you guys know,” Naz said as they all began to exit.  “My sisters are coming back soon, too.  You might see them.”

John and Morgan decided to hang out in the waiting room while Aryne and Bee decided to go for a coffee run to the Starbucks.  As they were waiting for everybody’s drinks, Bee told Aryne what she and Morgan had been up to that day at Pfaff and the discussion they’d had in the car.  Bee explained her reasoning.  Morgan’s reaction.  Her insistence on getting the car on her own.  

Aryne sipped on her own coffee as she listened to Bee.  “You’ve always been really principled,” she said.  “You don’t need to apologize for anything.  I get where you’re coming from.  But I also understand where Morgan was coming from.  Especially after what you told me he said in Muskoka.  Like, I get him wanting to do that for you.”

“Me too,” Bee said.  “And I promised him I’d try to stop feeling uncomfortable about it.  And I have – I mean, the trip back to Vancouver and this bracelet are perfect examples of that,” she said, flashing the Cartier love bracelet that was still on her wrist.  “But I…a car is different.  I never thought I’d have a car.  Now I have an opportunity to get one.  I want to get one that’s economical.  I don’t want to get a BMW or Mercedes just because I can – well, just because Morgan can.  I can’t afford one of those cars on my own.  Morgan’s wanted me to save my money all this time anyway.  It’s only logical I use it to make the biggest purchase of my life thus far, right?”

“You don’t need to defend yourself, Bee, especially if it’s your own money,” Aryne said.  “Especially if it’s your own money.  Whatever you buy with what you’ve earned yourself is a big fuck you to everyone.  Car, designer bag, shoes, a book – whatever.  Fuck anybody who criticizes you.”

Bee was so thankful for Aryne.  Whenever she needed a voice of reason, someone to guide her through this crazy life and help her make decisions, she knew Aryne would always be there for her.  “You’re the best, you know that?” Bee smiled.

“You’ve told me that once or twice,” Aryne winked.  “Listen…on a similar vein of fuck-you purchases and people criticizing you, I need to ask you a question and I need you to be one hundred percent honest with me.”

Bee noticed her sudden shift in tone.  “Okay…”

“What did Sydney say to you?”

Bee was speechless.  “Wha…” she stuttered out.  “What do you mean?”

“I saw her comment on Morgan’s post for your graduation, and I saw what Morgan responded,” she explained.  “She had to have said something.  So what was it and when did she say it?”

Bee took a deep breath.  She wondered if she should just run out of the hospital to avoid this conversation.  “Aryne…she’s your friend.  I don’t feel comf--”

“What did she say, Bee?”

Bee gulped.  “Um, so it was the day of your baby shower,” Bee began.  “Ashley picked us up and we were driving through Moss Park to get on the DVP and she called it the ghetto.  When we came up on a red light I pointed out a building where I used to live and I told her how I grew up there and she was like ‘Well, thank God you got out’.”

“So that’s why Morgan made the ghetto comment,” Aryne connected the two together.  Bee nodded her head.  “How did Morgan find out?”

“Zach told him, sort of accidentally.  Because Alannah was there too and she was really upset about everything that happened and --”

“What else happened?” Aryne interjected.  Bee felt like crawling into a hole and dying.  “What do you mean ‘everything that happened’?  What else was there?”

“Um…I…” Bee tried to look for an escape.  “Listen.  Um, Morgan doesn’t know this part.  He only knows about the ghetto comment.  But Sydney…she, uh…she kind of kept making these comments…”

“About what?”

“About me.”

Aryne’s eyes darkened.  “What did she say.”

“It’s really not--”

“Briony,” Aryne’s voice was firm.  “What did she say.”

“It wasn’t a big deal, Aryne.  I dealt with it.  She uh, she sort of kept making, um, comments about my body.  Saying it was good that I chose that dress I wore with vertical stripes because they were slimming and that’s why it looked good.  And then Alannah asked about a deal on yoga pants I got and Sydney piped in and said she could recommend a personal trainer for me and that they’d ‘definitely help me with everything I need done’,” Bee used air quotes because she remembered the words said to her so vividly.  

“She said what?” Aryne seethed.  “Are you kidding me?”

“Aryne, it wasn’t a big deal.  I confronted her about it in the bathroom afterwards.  It was dealt with.”

“This happened during my baby shower?” she asked, her face utterly disgusted at what had transpired.  “What the hell is wrong with her?”

“Listen, I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt.  She was stressed about the wedding and--”

“Don’t give her the benefit of the doubt.  God, Bee, do not give her the benefit of the doubt.  You’re being too nice.  She was my friend in Long Island and I’m absolutely horrified she’d say something like that to you.”

“It’s not…” Bee began, shaking her head.  “My mom used to say stuff like that all the time.  She used to tell me I’d end up alone because nobody likes smart chubby girls.  It’s okay.  And it’s not like I haven’t heard it before in DMs.  You know what they look like.”

Aryne gave her a look – one mixed with the anger she was feeling but also with sadness at what Bee was revealing.  Aryne couldn’t imagine a mother saying something like that to a daughter.  “Bee, just because your mom used to say that sort of stuff to you, it doesn’t make it okay,” she stressed, reaching out to hold her hand.  “Nobody deserves comments like that being said about them.”

“I know.  But when that sort of stuff is said to me, people who mean nothing to me always say it.  My mom.  Fangirls.  Sydney,” Bee said.  “I told her that.  I told her she meant nothing to me and that even if she didn’t like me she needed to respect me--”

“Good.”

“—and I told her not to take me for a fucking idiot,” Bee couldn’t help but smile.  She was still sort of proud of herself for pulling out that line in the washroom.  “I think Sydney thinks she needs to put on a mix of this ‘I don’t give a fuck’ and ‘I’m the Queen B cool girl’ persona because that’s the image she’s built for herself and she lets it get to her head.  The fact that she grew up with a lot of privilege hasn’t helped that.  But I dealt with it.  She got married and had a beautiful wedding.  I’m still chubby.  It’s done.”

“Okay, but wait…” Aryne furrowed her brows.  “Morgan only knows about the ghetto comment?  Why?”

“That’s all Zach told him.”

“And you didn’t tell Morgan what you just told me?” Aryne asked.  Bee shook her head.  “Why not?”

It was Bee’s turn to give Aryne a look.  “I’m sorry, have you met my boyfriend, Morgan Frederick Rielly?” she asked, causing Aryne to giggle.  “God knows what he’d say to Syd – or Matt – if he found out.  He’d drop a nuke on Long Island if he could.”

“He is really protective of you out in the public sphere,” Aryne digressed.

“Exactly.  He had to make a phone call to Steve Keogh on Canada Day to try and solve my incessant DM issue,” Bee informed Aryne, who already knew all about the DMs sent on Canada Day.  “Despite Morgan’s best efforts he couldn’t get Steve to fly back from Europe, where he’s on vacation with his family, to handle the situation immediately.”

Aryne snorted.  “What a guy.”

“You’re telling me.”

“So then what’s the next step?” Aryne asked, fixating all the drinks into the Styrofoam holder the barista provided.

“With what?” Bee asked.

“Everything.”

Bee shrugged her shoulders.  “Just live my life.”

***

@brionymctavish: my first car!

@angiefavs: WE MATCH!!!!!

@morganrielly: lookin cute

@alynntavares: LOVE IT BEE!  I know how much this means to you!

@enzosauce: can you drive it out to Edmonton for a visit?

@stephlanchancee: um is that a Honda Civic?

                       @brionymctavish: Yup!  First one ever!

@lucygardiner_: congrats Bee!  Can’t wait to zip around town with you!

@frederikandersen31: I hope I fit in there

                       @brionymctavish: I’ll stuff you into the trunk if need be

#morgan rielly #morgan rielly imagine #morgan rielly imagines #morgan rielly fic #morgan rielly fan fic #toronto maple leafs #toronto maple leafs imagine #toronto maple leafs imagines #toronto maple leafs fic #toronto maple leafs fan fic #nhl #nhl imagine #nhl imagines #nhl fic #nhl fan fic #hockey #hockey imagine #hockey imagines #hockey fic #hockey fan fic #alone together series

[gumnut-logic]

Bo

This is a repost, a fic of mine you might have seen before, but I think it bears revisiting as I am rather fond of it. A friend of mine has thrown a prompt in and chosen Bo as the character to write about. So I think this is a good a time as any to share this again.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

-o-o-o-

Title: Bo

A TAG Secret Santa fic

Author: Gumnut

15 – 18 Dec 2018

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: Virgil meets a new friend, and, damnit, Scott was going to kill him.

Word count: 6184

Spoilers & warnings: Possible bushfire/wildfire triggers in the first part. For the rest none, except for vague nudity and fluff. Christmas fic. Gen.

Timeline: Origin story

Author’s note: Okay, so this is the first time I’ve ever participated in one of these so I’m new to this.

My prompts were

1.         Virgil covered in tinsel

2.         Tracy family Christmas

3.         Christmas Rescue Miracle (with Virg please)

The first one prompted all sorts of images not suitable for a PG audience. Hubby also suggested I blow up a tinsel factory. Overall, I did attempt to include all three prompts in the one fic. I hope I have succeeded in providing some enjoyment at least.

This does not belong to either Sotto Voce or Warm Rain and is pretty canon compliant. It is currently standalone. Consider it a possible origin story, there may be more, if I can think up some new plot lines. If you have any ideas, please let me know.

Many thanks to @tagsecretsanta for all her wonderful work putting the gift exchange together, and thanks to @photowizard17 for the inspiring prompts, @i-am-chidorixblossom for cheering me on when I couldn’t post daily and obsessively like I usually do, and to @the-lady-razorsharp for giving it an American beta so I don’t trip over being Australian (though the summer Christmas certainly helped :D).

Disclaimer: Mine? You’ve got to be kidding. Money? Don’t have any, don’t bother.

-o-o-o-

“It’s the last house at the end of the street, Virgil.”

“FAB, Thunderbird Five.” It was said without the usual spark. The grey of the destroyed landscape sucked everything from everything. A pall of smoke and haze, black remnants of lives, homes and the tragedy of the night before.

International Rescue had been called to a massive bushfire in the Yarra Ranges in Victoria, Australia. The CFA had had it under control the previous day, John keeping an eye on it anyway, but an unexpected change in wind direction in the evening had it jumping firebreaks and tearing through an unprotected valley and directly through a township.

With the vast tall forests of mountain ash, eucalypts full of volatile oil just waiting to burst into flame, combined with the hot and blustery northerly, not even IR could stop the firestorm from taking lives and property.

Thunderbird Two had her fire suppression equipment, but the massive plane was a speck against the wall of flame.

There were forces of nature that just couldn’t be stopped.

The Tracys dodged and nabbed trapped people. Thunderbird Two deployed a huge water cannon, sourcing water from the local reservoir, as the CFA water bombed around them, desperate to protect what lives they could. But nothing was stopping the fire.

It tore through the town leaving agony in its wake.

Dawn was grey and dismal, but it brought rain. The sky rumbled, threatening to spark more fires in the ranges, but the deluge came and dampened the remaining flame enough to once again get the front under control.

But it was too late for the town.

It was gone.

Virgil walked the length of the street, his exo-suit rubbing on aching shoulders. Burnt out cars and collapsed homes lined the road from one end to the other. The skeletons of black trees marched off into the distance behind it all.

Haze hovered above ash-clogged puddles in the pavement.

It wasn’t what Christmas morning was supposed to be.

The last house at the end of the street had fully collapsed in on itself. A burnt-out car sat in the driveway, its trunk lid and one of its doors open.

Virgil closed his eyes for a moment, knowing what that likely meant.

He steeled himself and walked past the remains he knew he was going to find in the car.

Nothing could be done.

Nothing.

He focussed on the whine of his suit as his boots stepped in wet ash and strode across the front yard to the remains of the house. He had to clear his throat to speak to John. “Tell me where, Thunderbird Five.”

“Possibly in the basement? The lifesign is below ground level.”

The house had been old, the wooden floorboards disintegrating in the heat. Virgil leapt through the remains of a wall, landing on rubble in what had likely been a wine cellar. The heat had been so intense, that glass bottles had become slag.

Glass crunched under his boots. “Right or left?”

“Eastern side, southern corner.”

There was a mass of rubble collapsed against the only standing wall of the building.

“This is International Rescue. Can anyone hear me?”

He turned up the pickups on his exterior mikes.

Nothing. It was probably a blip. How the hell could anything survive this holocaust?

His shoulders dropped.

But then...something? A whimper?

Maybe?

Virgil began digging.

It took him a good fifteen minutes of solid work to move enough burnt masonry to reach a hole in the wall at the very base of the structure. And in what appeared to be the bottom of a dumb waiter he found the lifesign.

The little puppy whimpered at him, trembling with fear.

Aw, hell.

“John, lifesign is a dog.”

“One moment, Thunderbird Two.” The puppy stared, the green, yellow and blue of Virgil’s suit reflected in its brown eyes. “There is no dog registered at that address. Deliver to the local authorities. You are needed to airlift some survivors to Melbourne. Report to Scott on the other side of town.”

“FAB, Thunderbird Five.”

Virgil slid his arms out from the suit and bent aching knees. “Hey, little one, do you want to come with me?”

The puppy shivered and looked him up and down, hesitating.

“I’m with International Rescue, we’re here to help.” He took a step closer. “It’s okay, I promise.”

Maybe it was something in his voice, his stance, or simply because the puppy had no choice, but as Virgil reached into the box it was sitting in, the puppy made no protest as he picked it up.

A quick examination for injury revealed her to be a girl. She shuddered up against Virgil’s chest. “Don’t worry, it’s all over, you’re safe.”

Sliding one arm back into his suit, he started making his way out of the ruined building, turning his back on the tiny hole that had somehow saved the little dog’s life.

-o-o-o-

Perhaps it was because she sat so quietly with him. Perhaps because it was Christmas Day. Most likely it was because Virgil had reached his limit of pain.

When he found the RSPCA tent, specially set up for lost pets, he gently handed over the little puppy. She let out a whimper and began crying.

No barking, just this godawful crying that tore at his heart.

“You will be fine here, little one.” The attendant was one of those kindly older ladies and she hugged the gangly bundle of fluff to her chest as Virgil turned to leave, Scott in his ear.

But the puppy let out such a scream of anguish, Virgil turned around without thinking. She was struggling in the volunteer’s arms and before either of them could react, she managed to wriggle free and dash over to him, her little body trembling on his left boot.

He reached down and gathered her into his arms. “You can’t come with me. I can’t-“ But she was rubbing her head up under his chin, little sounds in her throat.

And he couldn’t.

Just couldn’t.

His eyes met the eyes of the lady volunteer and she smiled. “We will keep her details if you would like to take her with you. If anyone contacts us, we can let you know.” And the volunteer was just as hopeful as the puppy in his arms. After all, there was no life at the RSPCA unless a home was found.

He looked down at her little brown eyes again.

No, he couldn’t.

Damnit, Scott was going to kill him.

Maybe for just a few days?

The excuse provided a simple solution, so he took it.

Without a word, he handed his IR contact details to the volunteer, and, puppy in hand, turned his back to the tent and strode towards the big green hulk parked in the distant haze.

“Well, little one, you have definitely made an interesting choice. Let me introduce you to my big green partner.”

-o-o-o-

It was well past Christmas lunch, or rather the lack of it, before IR was given the all clear to return to base. During the entire time, the little puppy sat beside Virgil’s pilot chair, apparently unfazed by the deep bass rumble of Thunderbird Two.

When he picked up both Gordon and Alan the dynamic changed just a little.

Gordon dragged himself onto the flight deck first, a groan in every step. “Christmas just gets more exciting every year.” It was true. Nine out of ten Christmas Days were side-swiped by a disaster, to the point that the Tracy Christmas tradition was a modular and movable celebration nowadays. No guarantees and no defined day. It happened around December twenty-fifth, there about, when they could, between call outs.

Suddenly the little puppy was in his lap.

“What is that?”

Virgil looked up. His brother was covered in soot and looked as tired as Virgil felt. “This is Bo.” And he had no idea where the name came from, it just seemed right and the moment clicked.

“Bo?”

“Yeah.” Newly christened Bo peered up at Gordon around Virgil’s arm. “She survived the fire.” A swallow. “Her family didn’t.”

“Oh.”

Alan, as always, had more energy than any of them, and showed it as he waltzed into the cabin. “So why aren’t we moving?”

Bo let off a sharp bark.

Everyone jumped.

“What the hell, Virgil?”

Bo was literally glaring at Alan.

“Hey, Bo, calm down, that’s just Alan. He’s annoying, but tolerable.” The little puppy looked up at him, her gorgeous brown eyes just melting him inside. He was so gone.

“Hey!” That from Alan.

“Scott’s going to kill you.” That from Gordon, who was approaching slowly.

“Yeah, I know.” It was a sigh.

Gordon crouched down beside Virgil’s chair. “Hey, little one, what gave you the idea to attach yourself to this big oaf?” Pulling off one of his gloves, the aquanaut reached out and offered the puppy his hand. She eyed him warily before tentatively sniffing at his fingers.

She sneezed.

Alan snorted.

Bo blinked and stared at Gordon for a moment. The aquanaut kept still and eventually she sniffed at him again, before nuzzling at his hand. He blatantly took that as permission and gently rubbed behind her ear. “You are a cute little thing, aren’t you.”

She licked his wrist.

“Oh, I can see why our heavy lifter fell for you. You’ve got it all in those brown eyes of yours, haven’t you.” Gordon shrugged. “Though I will admit they are the best colour for manipulation.”

“And he speaks from experience.” To Virgil’s surprise, Gordon actually jumped. “Did you forget I was here? Not absorbed by those brown eyes are we?” He couldn’t help but smile at his brother. At least one was as besotted as he had to admit he was.

Yes, Scott was definitely going to kill him.

“Shut up, Virgil.”

Bo backed off, once again hiding behind Virgil’s baldric.

“Hey, Gordon, watch the tone.”

“Sorry, Bo.”

“Are we actually going home at some point? I have a date with my bed.”

Gordon stood up, pulling out the co-pilot’s seat. “No rush, Allie, she’ll wait for you.”

“Augh.”

“Sit down, Alan, I’m just finishing pre-flight.” Tired and cranky could easily become nasty if not attended to.

Bo curled up, nestled against his harness, as Alan grumpily pulled out his seat.

“Virgil, where the hell are you?”

Speaking of tired and cranky... “Launching now, Thunderbird One.” As if prompted, he received clearance from Australian Air Control.

TB2 rumbled beneath as he activated VTOL, ash and dust swirling up around them. As soon as he had enough height, he engaged her rear thrusters and tore off over the Alps, across the coast and out into the Tasman.

“ETA fifteen minutes.” At least they weren’t too far from home.

Bo fell asleep in his lap.

-o-o-o-

Virgil was on the verge of joining Bo in slumber as Thunderbird Two spun slowly in her hanger, eventually coming to a final stop.

So tired.

Beside him, Alan poked Gordon awake. “Ugh, what? Oh.” You could almost hear his brain booting.

Virgil worked around Bo as he did his post-flight checks, his brothers, well, mostly Gordon, groaning as they got to their feet and waddled towards the hatch. “C’mon, Virg, Alan’s pining for his bed.”

“You two go ahead. I just need to finish post-flight.” He didn’t turn around, but he could feel Gordon’s eyes on him.

“Sure, whatever.” And he heard the hatch lower to the hangar floor.

His brothers gone, Virgil let himself relax back against his chair, his shoulders sagging. He let out a long breath. “So, Bo, how are we going to do this?”

The puppy woke as if on command and turned to stare up at him. Gently her tail began to wag.

Virgil let a tired smile cross his face.

Encouraged, Bo jumped up and put her two front paws on his chest, reaching up, trying to lick his face despite not quite being tall enough.

The smile became a grin.

“Okay, okay.” He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up as he pushed his seat backwards and stood. Immediately he was bathed in puppy drool. He couldn’t help but laugh. He surfaced above her licking and cradled her in his arms. “We need to get you some food.” His stomach rumbled ominously. “We need to get me some food.”

And a shower. A shower definitely wouldn’t hurt.

If he could hold off the sleep.

If he didn’t call it a stagger, it wasn’t a stagger, but he had obviously been sitting in his seat for far too long ferrying all those survivors to Melbourne on repeated trips. It was his turn to groan as both his back and legs complained loudly at the sudden demands for movement.

Bo started chewing on his glove.

Somehow he made it back to his rooms without encountering anyone. Shutting the door, he let Bo loose on the floor and began stripping off his uniform, hitting the buttons on his preprogrammed shower cubicle. Moments later he walked under the spray and let it wash the day from his skin.

God, that felt good.

As his muscles relaxed under the heat, sleep became more and more attractive, and by the time he stumbled out of the water, all thoughts of food had vanished.

He took the three steps across his room from the ensuite and threw himself facedown on the bed, still partly wet, still naked.

He was asleep within moments.

-o-o-o-

He was being kissed.

Her lips were warm, her tongue wet, her whiskers soft against his stubble...

Uh?

She licked his eye.

Wha-?

Virgil, always slow to respond upon waking, opened said eye only to get an eyeful of slobber. A soft paw thwapped him on the cheek. Huh? he blinked attempting to clear his eyesight, a hand coming up to defend himself.

Fortunately, his brain came online and memory kicked in. “B-Bo?”

A tongue wrapped around his nose and left it wet.

Ugh.

He wiped his face with his hand, stretching backwards on his pillow, desperate to get out of reach.

The puppy landed on his chest, her paws kneading his chest hair, her little claws completing his wake-up process rather abruptly.

Oh god.

“Bo, down, honey, down.”

He was completely ignored.

Sitting up, he attempted to grab her in his arms, but missed. The little puppy landed on things that puppies had no right to land on. Or stomp on for that matter.

He winced.

“Ooh, okay, come here.” He lifted her off his lap, holding her close, her tail pummelling his belly. “I’m awake, okay.” Again he found himself pinned by her brown eyes. “Aww, c’mon with the cute, Bo, you’re going to melt my brain.”

“Assuming you have a brain to melt.” And Scott was standing in his doorway.

Virgil glared up at him. “Don’t you knock?”

“I did. Grandma sent me to tell you that Christmas dinner is ready.”

Virgil frowned at his brother over the top of Bo’s ears, ignoring the glare the blue eyes were directing at the puppy in his arms. “I thought we’d do Christmas tomorrow.”

“We don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow. Grandma thought it would be best to sneak it in tonight, since it is Christmas Day, after all.” Scott’s lips thinned. “Where did you get that from?”

“She’s a rescue.”

“Usually we leave our rescues on the continent we find them.”

“She had no one.”

“Unfortunately, that is nothing new.” And one of his hands had moved to his hip.

Virgil sighed. “Scott, it’s fine, it’s only for a few days.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

Virgil held back his retort. He knew to pick his fights and now was not the time. “Her name is Bo.”

Scott looked at him and then at Bo. “Hurry up, your dinner is getting cold.” The ghost of a smirk. “And don’t forget to wear clothes.”

“Funny, funny, ha, ha.” But his brother had left.

Virgil let his shoulders drop. “Sorry, Bo, I think you’ve got your work cut out for you.”

Bo just licked him some more.

It wasn’t until he went looking for his boots that he discovered the wonderful deposits Bo had left for him on the floor.

Ugh.

And apparently one of his favourite boots had served as a meal also.

He closed his eyes and sighed again.

Half dressed, he cleaned up the mess, and five minutes later he waltzed downstairs, Bo in his arms and barefoot. Time to face the inevitable music.

-o-o-o-

A Tracy Christmas used to be snow, roast turkey, stockings by the fire, the occasional Christmas carol and family.

Since starting International Rescue it had changed.

Firstly, they were in the tropics. The only fires available in those temperatures were ones that required firefighting equipment. Having grown up with snow, it was still extremely weird. But it had its advantages. For one you could go outside in the minimum of clothing, something Gordon took advantage of every day of the year. There were no snowball fights, but these were fast replaced with water fights. There was no ice skating, but there was water skiing if anyone could get up the energy to get the boat out. And surfing, let’s not forget Scott’s attempts at that. Virgil would admit that he didn’t mind a little surfboard action himself. He wouldn’t say he was very good at it, but at least Gordon had never had to save him like he had Scott.

There were still Christmas trees and tinsel and stockings that no-one ever considered wearing hung from the nearest mantelpiece-looking piece of furniture.

There was still turkey and roast potatoes and all the yummy food crucial for a good Christmas meal, but it was often cooked outside in barbecue ovens and seafood and cold food had been added to the menu. In fact, the traditional dinner had become more of a banquet by the pool.

As Virgil walked out onto the patio, he couldn’t help but smile at the Christmas tree that had obviously been hurriedly moved out here from the comms room. It sat a little lopsided and the star on top was having a few issues with gravity. That was new, as was the liberal tinsel and Christmas lights strung from palm tree to palm tree, across the pool and back several times.

“Fifty bucks says Gordon tries to water volleyball the tinsel at least once.”

Virgil smirked as he stepped up beside his next youngest brother. “Not touching that one. I value my money.”

John was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt and had a beer in his hand. Bo was immediately interested in this new person. She strained towards John, her nose literally twitching towards the hand holding the beer.

His brother must have caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and instinctively took a step away.

“Oh, sorry, John, this is Bo.” Bo was climbing over his arm, desperate to get closer to the astronaut. Virgil held her tight, worried she would fall.

“Uh, hello.” John turned towards them, frowning. “Since when do you own a dog?”

“Since this morning.”

“Does Scott know?” They both instinctively looked over at their eldest brother who was hovering over one of the barbecues energetically discussing something with Grandma - probably how not to burn the food.

“He does.”

“And you still have it?”

“Her.”

“Her.”

“Yes.”

“Good luck with that one.” John drank his beer.

“She had no one else.”

John arched an eyebrow at him and then frowned. “Oh, Virgil.” His shoulders slumped.

“I am an adult now, John. It won’t be like last time.”

“God, I hope not.”

Virgil stared at his brother, only to see the genuine concern in his green eyes. A sigh. “It won’t happen again.”

John reached out and gently touched his shoulder. “No, it won’t, because you will remember that you have four brothers who are all here for you, won’t you.” God, that green gaze was penetrating.

“It will be fine.”

Bo yipped at John, her tail beating Virgil’s chest.

The astronaut smiled and offered the little dog his hand. She sniffed and licked him almost immediately.

“I think you have been approved.”

John smiled and Virgil couldn’t help but do the same.

“Virgil!” And Grandma was arrowing in on his position.

“Incoming.” John was smirking.

“Hey, Grandma.”

But his grandmother only had eyes for Bo. “Who is this?”

Virgil smiled again. “This is Bo. Bo, this is Grandma.”

Bo whacked him with her tail and literally leapt from his arms into his grandmother’s.

“Woah.” Suddenly with arms full of wriggling puppy enthusiastically licking her face, his grandmother was laughing. “Oh dear, you are a cutie. Let me have a look at you.” And she held Bo out at arms length, her eyes critical. “A little hard to tell at her age, but my bet says she’s of boxer stock, around three months old. Such a beautiful brindle and that face.” Virgil couldn’t help but agree. Bo looked like she had dipped her face in a pot of ink, her brown eyes surrounded by gorgeous black coat that quickly bled to brindle down her back with a spot of white on her front. “Where did you find her?”

Virgil looked at his feet, remembered why they were bare, and looked back up at his grandmother. “This morning’s rescue. She lost everything.”

Grandma turned her attention back to Bo. “Oh, honey. You survived the fire?” Bo licked her nose. “Well, you are safe here.” Grandma curled her arms around the puppy and scratched her ears. “Has Virgil fed you anything yet?” She glanced at him and he shrugged. He got frowned at for his trouble. Grandma turned away, walking towards the barbecues with Bo in her arms. “Let’s get you something to eat.”

Virgil rolled his eyes.

“Well, that didn’t take long, did it?” John was still smirking at him.

A series of barks and a yelp from Grandma, and suddenly Bo was dashing amongst legs in his direction. “Woah.” He crouched down and caught her as she leapt for him. She wriggled and licked, her little body trembling under his hands. “Hey, hey, honey, it’s okay, you’re safe.” She snuggled up under his chin. He couldn’t help but return the hug.

Grandma approached, worry on her face. “I’m sorry, Virgil, I didn’t realise.”

“It’s okay.” He reached an arm around his grandmother, bringing her into the hug. “She’s just had a scary day.” He pulled both of them close.

Scott was glaring at him from a distance.

John smiled at them and drank his beer.

Bo started chewing on his collar.

-o-o-o-

As the evening progressed, Bo slowly let herself part from Virgil as each of the members of his family, bar Alan and Scott, came to say hello or fed her from the table. There was one interesting moment when the little puppy encountered Sherbert for the first time.

Bo yipped.

Sherbert yapped.

And as the entire party fell silent, the two dogs stared each other down.

Virgil was poised for a rescue and Penelope was not far behind him, but a moment later Bo licked Sherbert across the nose, Sherbert gently butted the little puppy with his head, and from that point onwards they were best of friends, Sherbert quite proudly showing his new friend around.

But never out of sight of Virgil.

Bo and Parker had a staring moment not long after, but Sherbert barrelled on in and head butted the driver, snapping him out of it. It wasn’t long before the little puppy had him rubbing her ears as well.

Kayo stood her distance, assessing Bo as much as the puppy was assessing her. A calm arched eyebrow slowly rose as Bo tilted her head up at the security specialist. She pressed her lips together and faced Virgil. “There will be training.”

Virgil blinked and his sister turned and stalked off. Bo eyed her the entire time, only finally distracted by a yelp from Alan as Gordon threw him in the pool.

The engineer was left wondering if he should be worried or not.

The meal was delicious, of course. Scott had managed to keep Grandma away from the barbecues and MAX had been on task for a good part of the day. There was the mandatory turkey, and this year a couple of large snapper had been baked to perfection, along with some crayfish, oysters, salads and roast vegetables. This was followed by pie, oh, so much pie, Christmas cookies, and Christmas pudding with custard and the option of ice cream.

Virgil, as usual, made sure he took advantage of all the options. Consequently, post-banquet found him sprawled on a pool lounger staring up at the stars amongst the tinsel overhead. Bo, who had also eaten probably more than she should have, was curled up between his feet.

The soft sounds of quiet carols and muted conversation wafting across the water lulled him gently to sleep.

-o-o-o-

Scott felt like Scrooge. He was tired, worried and even a little angry. He was not enjoying himself, no matter how hard he tried. Grandma had cornered him at least twice, her hand on his shoulder trying to soothe his ire.

The annoying thing was that he wasn’t even sure what he was angry about. The rescue hadn’t been the best, but they had done what they could and some lives had been saved that otherwise wouldn’t have. The team had performed well, no one had been injured, they were all back home safe and sound.

And there was food, family and Christmas. There wasn’t really much more he could ask for.

His eyes settled on Virgil, asleep on one of the loungers, oblivious to the tinsel being draped across his hair by Gordon behind him.

Scott sighed.

But then a little head bobbed up between his brother’s bare feet and Bo barked at Gordon quite firmly.

Virgil was obviously far too out of it to wake, but Gordon looked appropriately abashed at the challenge.

Scott found himself smiling.

Realised he was smiling, dumped the smile and frowned.

Gordon scampered off leaving a sleeping Virgil in a crown of silver tinsel.

The little dog leapt off the lounger and chased after the aquanaut.

Okay, he had to admit the dog was adorable. He could see what had captured his brother’s eye, and Scott certainly had no objection to adding to their family.

But Virgil...when Virgil loved, he loved with his whole heart, and last time he had lost a pet, it had been bad, so bad.

They had lost so much in their lives already, why volunteer to lose more?

He sighed. It was stupid to think that way, but part of him could remember that devastated teenager, the depression and the mess that followed. Virgil had been as broken as the rest of them when their mother died, but when his dog died two years later, his reaction had been so self-destructive he had needed counselling and a therapist. Scott didn’t know if the two incidents were related or if it was how his brother connected to pets, or whatever. He only knew he never wanted to see his brother go through that again.

Their father was missing, and here was Virgil with a pet once again.

Sure, he was an adult now, and had tackled so much loss since, but...

Another sigh.

A yip and he looked down to see said dog staring up at him with a mouth full of tinsel, tail wagging.

“Gordon!”

“Yesssss, masster?” His brother sidled up with a bow.

Scott rolled his eyes. “Did you want to face your brother having to tell him that his new puppy died choking on tinsel?”

“Oh, shit.”

“Exactly.”

The aquanaut scooped up the little dog and with gentle words extricated the tinsel from her mouth.

A moment later Gordon held her up to his cheek and Scott had the experience of two sets of brown eyes staring at him adoration.

“Oh, for the love of-“

“A puppy?” Gordon grinned at him. “She is a rather cute, isn’t she?”

“Leave it, Gordon.”

His brother frowned. “What’s chewing on your underwear?”

“Gordon-“

“Hey, it was a legit question, bro. You’re a grumpy ass on Christmas Day. Where’s the merry? We have food and there will be presents. And there is a puppy. You couldn’t ask for more cuteness.” Gordon held up Bo who attempted to lick Scott’s nose.

“Gordon-‘

“Nope, so not going down with you, bro. We’ve earned some happy. We’re all here, in one piece, it’s lovely weather. Cheer up, for goodness sake.” Despite himself, Gordon frowned. “Here have some puppy love.” And suddenly Scott found himself with his arms full of wriggling Bo. Gordon turned and walked off, eventually calling out to Alan, no doubt looking for mischief.

Bo tilted her head to one side and stared up at him.

Aw, hell, weaponised cuteness.

She jumped up and licked his nose.

Scott sighed.

Voice low. “You know, you better look after my brother. He’s a good man and he does a lot of good things.” A swallow. “He’s a little prone to heroics. Perhaps we can team up in that department and help keep his butt alive.”

Her tongue lolled out one side of her mouth and she grinned.

“Maybe try that on the Hood and solve all our problems.”

He gave in and drew her close to his chest, rubbing under her chin.

“I really hope we don’t regret this.”

-o-o-o-

“PRESENTS!”

Alan’s voice cut through his slumber and shook him awake. Wha-?

“Time to wake up, sleepy head.” Scott’s voice.

A sharp little bark.

Bo.

He flung his eyes open, and immediately squinted at the fairy lights floating in the light breeze far above. A blink and to his left a shadow formed into his eldest brother. His blue eyes were smiling as he sat on the next lounge over, holding Bo, scratching her gently. She was obviously enjoying it.

Virgil frowned. “I thought you were pissed at me.”

“I was.” His brother shrugged. “I got over it.” Bo was licking Scott’s fingers.

Wow, the ability to tame the savage big brother. The little girl must be heaven-sent.

There was a whir of wheels and MAX tore out onto the patio decked out in tinsel and lugging brightly coloured presents. MiniMAX darted in behind him carrying a smaller present which was deposited carefully on the table before he disappeared inside only to return with another.

“You okay?”

“Huh?” Virgil peered up at his brother before stretching the length of the lounger. Several joints cracked and the ache across his shoulders from the morning vaguely made its presence known. A yawn. “I’m fine. Just tired. This morning sucked.”

Tinsel slid down his face. He sighed and threw it off. Gordon was getting repetitive.

Scott dipped his head, attempting to hide a smile, and looked down at Bo. “True.” He scratched her under her chin one more time before offering her to him. “Here.”

Bo didn’t bother to wait for him to sit up, she bounded out of Scott’s arms and onto Virgil’s belly. “Oof.” She then danced up and down on it.

Scott grinned at him. “She’s not going to be little when she grows up.”

“Augh, she’s not little now.” He managed to capture her enough so he could sit up, but she struggled free excitedly and dashed from his arms, jumping on the lounger, just as MiniMAX buzzed over with a small present.

Bo barked at him and MiniMAX dodged to deposit the present in Virgil’s lap. He caught it, but with his hands now occupied, he wasn’t fast enough to grab Bo before she let off another bark, jumped excitedly and latched her teeth onto the little robot.

The result was immediate.

MiniMAX shrieked, several of his legs caught in the puppy’s mouth, and with a whir of rotor blades, took off madly across the patio.

With Bo hanging on.

“Bo!” Virgil dropped the present and made a grab for the pair, but missed.

Every eye turned to see what the commotion was about. Virgil stumbled over the lounger and kicked it out of the way. He was vaguely aware of Scott doing something similar. “Brains!”

MiniMAX was obviously panicking. The little robot darted about trying to shake off his assailant. Bo was whining in her throat.

Virgil dashed after them.

Despite the puppy’s weight, MiniMAX still managed a great deal of height, Brains’ ‘build ‘em tough’ policy obviously carrying through to his robots. Despite having the strength to carry the puppy, the off-balance mass hampered MiniMAX’s navigation and they were wobbling all over the place.

All Virgil could see was a tragedy in the making. The pool, the concrete, anything horribly solid. He ran beneath them, desperately attempting to reach the now whining puppy. Family members and furniture were dodged and shoved out of the way as he clambered after them.

A chair ended up in the pool. Gordon squawked and almost joined it. Virgil leapt off an empty lounge, made a grab for them, missed and ended up in the Christmas tree.

Fake pine needles jabbed him in the face as he went down in a pile of tinsel and Christmas baubles. He swore, his clothing caught, his hair caught, and his everything tangled in tinsel, but he made it to his feet just in time to see Bo let go.

“No!”

Oblivious to everything other than the puppy falling, Virgil finally got traction under his bare feet, took a running leap and grabbed Bo from the air. He instinctively wrapped himself around her, rolling in midair, tinsel and baubles flung in all directions.

As he plummeted into the pool.

The splash took his senses, muffling exclamations, and repeated shouts of his name. There was dark blue, and wet, and, for a moment, blessed silence.

Then logic reasserted itself and he kicked for the surface.

Sound, light and cool air on his skin. He blinked water out of his eyes as he lifted Bo up so she could breathe, his legs kicking to keep them afloat.

She whined at him as if to tell him off, sneezed, and began enthusiastically licking the saltwater off his face.

He couldn’t help but grin, and he knew he wasn’t the only one as laughter drifted across the water.

“You trashed the tree, Virg.”

“I don’t think he cares, Gordon.” He looked up to see Grandma smiling at him.

And no, he didn’t. As Scott poked him with a pole to help drag him to the edge and Bo decided his ear might do for her next meal, he suddenly felt joy. It could simply have been relief, but he was going to tack it up as Christmas joy and enjoy it while he could.

-o-o-o-

“Only you, Virgil.”

“It wasn’t intentional.”

“I have no doubt of that, it never is.”

“Aw, c’mon, Scott.”

“If it was intentional then I would have to accuse you of doing it deliberately just to get out of helping with the Christmas dishes.”

“We have a dishwasher.” Bo let off a bark as MiniMAX flew past dragging a bag full of recyclable cups, plates and cutlery, giving Virgil and his dog an extremely wide berth. “And there are hardly any dishes.”

“You are still getting out of clean up.”

“C’mon, Scott, you know me better than that. Ow!”

“Sit still. I’ve almost got all of it.”

Virgil leant back against the lounge, Bo curled up in his lap. “I’m not particularly happy about this either you know.”

“You’ll be fine.”

“I know that, Ow!”

“Well, if you would watch where you were going, you wouldn’t have collided with the Christmas tree. And what’s with the bare feet anyway?”

“Bo ate one of my boots.”

Scott snorted and pulled out yet another tiny piece of glass Christmas bauble from the bottom of Virgil’s left foot. “She hasn’t been here twenty-four hours yet and she has already caused havoc.”

“She’s a puppy.”

“I noticed.” Scott sighed, peering through his magnifying visor at his brother’s foot. “I think that’s all of it. Please don’t do that again. You’ll be limping for a week.”

“I’m not planning on it.”

As Scott wrapped his foot in gauze, he eyed the puppy on Virgil’s lap. “And you, young lady, I thought we had a deal.”

To Virgil’s surprise, Bo’s head bobbed up and she looked distinctly guilty.

Scott arched an eyebrow. “Hmm, don’t let it happen again.”

Bo yapped at him.

Virgil stared at both of them. “What?”

“None of your business, you just lay back and look after yourself.” And Scott was smirking.

Ooookaay.

He relaxed back against the lounge and stared up at the fairy lights above.

Bo stomped up the length of him and licked his eyeball.

He coughed up a laugh and grabbed an armful of wriggly puppy.

“I think that was a Merry Christmas, Virg.” Scott held his injured foot and grinned. “Merry Christmas.”

-o-o-o-

FIN.

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #Virgil Tracy #Scott Tracy #Gordon Tracy #alan tracy #John Tracy

[tagsecretsanta]

From Gumnut-logic

to @photowizard17

Secret Santa does not own any of the following work, full credit goes to the creator described above!

Author’s note: Okay, so this is the first time I’ve ever participated in one of these so I’m new to this.

My prompts were

1. Virgil covered in tinsel

2. Tracy family Christmas

3. Christmas Rescue Miracle (with Virg please)

The first one prompted all sorts of images not suitable for a PG audience, so you never know what might happen between now and Christmas :D Hubby also suggested I blow up a tinsel factory, so that is always a possibility too :D Overall, I did attempt to include all three prompts in the one fic. I hope I have succeeded in providing some enjoyment at least. Many thanks to @i-am-chidorixblossom for cheering me on when I couldn’t post daily and obsessively like I usually do, and to @the-lady-razorsharp for giving it an American beta so I don’t trip over being Australian (though the summer Christmas certainly helped :D).

Disclaimer: Mine? You’ve got to be kidding. Money? Don’t have any, don’t bother.

-o-o-o-

“It’s the last house at the end of the street, Virgil.”

“FAB, Thunderbird Five.” It was said without the usual spark. The grey of the destroyed landscape sucked everything from everything. A pall of smoke and haze, black remnants of lives, homes and the tragedy of the night before.

International Rescue had been called to a massive bushfire in the Yarra Ranges in Victoria, Australia. The CFA had had it under control the previous day, John keeping an eye on it anyway, but an unexpected change in wind direction in the evening had it jumping firebreaks and tearing through an unprotected valley and directly through a township.

With the vast tall forests of mountain ash, eucalypts full of volatile oil just waiting to burst into flame, combined with the hot and blustery northerly, not even IR could stop the firestorm from taking lives and property.

Thunderbird Two had her fire suppression equipment, but the massive plane was a speck against the wall of flame.

There were forces of nature that just couldn’t be stopped.

The Tracys dodged and nabbed trapped people. Thunderbird Two deployed a huge water cannon, sourcing water from the local reservoir, as the CFA water bombed around them, desperate to protect what lives they could. But nothing was stopping the fire.

It tore through the town leaving agony in its wake.

Dawn was grey and dismal, but it brought rain. The sky rumbled, threatening to spark more fires in the ranges, but the deluge came and dampened the remaining flame enough to once again get the front under control.

But it was too late for the town.

It was gone.

Virgil walked the length of the street, his exo-suit rubbing on aching shoulders. Burnt out cars and collapsed homes lined the road from one end to the other. The skeletons of black trees marched off into the distance behind it all.

Haze hovered above ash-clogged puddles in the pavement.

It wasn’t what Christmas morning was supposed to be.

The last house at the end of the street had fully collapsed in on itself. A burnt-out car sat in the driveway, its trunk lid and one of its doors open.

Virgil closed his eyes for a moment, knowing what that likely meant.

He steeled himself and walked past the remains he knew he was going to find in the car.

Nothing could be done.

Nothing.

He focussed on the whine of his suit as his boots stepped in wet ash and strode across the front yard to the remains of the house. He had to clear his throat to speak to John. “Tell me where, Thunderbird Five.”

“Possibly in the basement? The lifesign is below ground level.”

The house had been old, the wooden floorboards disintegrating in the heat. Virgil leapt through the remains of a wall, landing on rubble in what had likely been a wine cellar. The heat had been so intense, that glass bottles had become slag.

Glass crunched under his boots. “Right or left?”

“Eastern side, southern corner.”

There was a mass of rubble collapsed against the only standing wall of the building.

“This is International Rescue. Can anyone hear me?”

He turned up the pickups on his exterior mikes.

Nothing. It was probably a blip. How the hell could anything survive this holocaust?

His shoulders dropped.

But then...something? A whimper?

Maybe?

Virgil began digging.

It took him a good fifteen minutes of solid work to move enough burnt masonry to reach a hole in the wall at the very base of the structure. And in what appeared to be the bottom of a dumb waiter he found the lifesign.

The little puppy whimpered at him, trembling with fear.

Aw, hell.

“John, lifesign is a dog.”

“One moment, Thunderbird Two.” The puppy stared, the green, yellow and blue of Virgil’s suit reflected in its brown eyes. “There is no dog registered at that address. Deliver to the local authorities. You are needed to airlift some survivors to Melbourne. Report to Scott on the other side of town.”

“FAB, Thunderbird Five.”

Virgil slid his arms out from the suit and bent aching knees. “Hey, little one, do you want to come with me?”

The puppy shivered and looked him up and down, hesitating.

“I’m with International Rescue, we’re here to help.” He took a step closer. “It’s okay, I promise.”

Maybe it was something in his voice, his stance, or simply because the puppy had no choice, but as Virgil reached into the box it was sitting in, the puppy made no protest as he picked it up.

A quick examination for injury revealed her to be a girl. She shuddered up against Virgil’s chest. “Don’t worry, it’s all over, you’re safe.”

Sliding one arm back into his suit, he started making his way out of the ruined building, turning his back on the tiny hole that had somehow saved the little dog’s life.

-o-o-o-

Perhaps it was because she sat so quietly with him. Perhaps because it was Christmas Day. Most likely it was because Virgil had reached his limit of pain.

When he found the RSPCA tent, specially set up for lost pets, he gently handed over the little puppy. She let out a whimper and began crying.

No barking, just this godawful crying that tore at his heart.

“You will be fine here, little one.” The attendant was one of those kindly older ladies and she hugged the gangly bundle of fluff to her chest as Virgil turned to leave, Scott in his ear.

But the puppy let out such a scream of anguish, Virgil turned around without thinking. She was struggling in the volunteer’s arms and before either of them could react, she managed to wriggle free and dash over to him, her little body trembling on his left boot.

He reached down and gathered her into his arms. “You can’t come with me. I can’t-“ But she was rubbing her head up under his chin, little sounds in her throat.

And he couldn’t.

Just couldn’t.

His eyes met the eyes of the lady volunteer and she smiled. “We will keep her details if you would like to take her with you. If anyone contacts us, we can let you know.” And the volunteer was just as hopeful as the puppy in his arms. After all, there was no life at the RSPCA unless a home was found.

He looked down at her little brown eyes again.

No, he couldn’t.

Damnit, Scott was going to kill him.

Maybe for just a few days?

The excuse provided a simple solution, so he took it.

Without a word, he handed his IR contact details to the volunteer, and, puppy in hand, turned his back to the tent and strode towards the big green hulk parked in the distant haze.

“Well, little one, you have definitely made an interesting choice. Let me introduce you to my big green partner.”

-o-o-o-

It was well past Christmas lunch, or rather the lack of it, before IR was given the all clear to return to base. During the entire time, the little puppy sat beside Virgil’s pilot chair, apparently unfazed by the deep bass rumble of Thunderbird Two.

When he picked up both Gordon and Alan the dynamic changed just a little.

Gordon dragged himself onto the flight deck first, a groan in every step. “Christmas just gets more exciting every year.” It was true. Nine out of ten Christmas Days were side-swiped by a disaster, to the point that the Tracy Christmas tradition was a modular and movable celebration nowadays. No guarantees and no defined day. It happened around December twenty-fifth, there about, when they could, between call outs.

Suddenly the little puppy was in his lap.

“What is that?”

Virgil looked up. His brother was covered in soot and looked as tired as Virgil felt. “This is Bo.” And he had no idea where the name came from, it just seemed right and the moment clicked.

“Bo?”

“Yeah.” Newly christened Bo peered up at Gordon around Virgil’s arm. “She survived the fire.” A swallow. “Her family didn’t.”

“Oh.”

Alan, as always, had more energy than any of them, and showed it as he waltzed into the cabin. “So why aren’t we moving?”

Bo let off a sharp bark.

Everyone jumped.

“What the hell, Virgil?”

Bo was literally glaring at Alan.

“Hey, Bo, calm down, that’s just Alan. He’s annoying, but tolerable.” The little puppy looked up at him, her gorgeous brown eyes just melting him inside. He was so gone.

“Hey!” That from Alan.

“Scott’s going to kill you.” That from Gordon, who was approaching slowly.

“Yeah, I know.” It was a sigh.

Gordon crouched down beside Virgil’s chair. “Hey, little one, what gave you the idea to attach yourself to this big oaf?” Pulling off one of his gloves, the aquanaut reached out and offered the puppy his hand. She eyed him warily before tentatively sniffing at his fingers.

She sneezed.

Alan snorted.

Bo blinked and stared at Gordon for a moment. The aquanaut kept still and eventually she sniffed at him again, before nuzzling at his hand. He blatantly took that as permission and gently rubbed behind her ear. “You are a cute little thing, aren’t you.”

She licked his wrist.

“Oh, I can see why our heavy lifter fell for you. You’ve got it all in those brown eyes of yours, haven’t you.” Gordon shrugged. “Though I will admit they are the best colour for manipulation.”

“And he speaks from experience.” To Virgil’s surprise, Gordon actually jumped. “Did you forget I was here? Not absorbed by those brown eyes are we?” He couldn’t help but smile at his brother. At least one was as besotted as he had to admit he was.

Yes, Scott was definitely going to kill him.

“Shut up, Virgil.”

Bo backed off, once again hiding behind Virgil’s baldric.

“Hey, Gordon, watch the tone.”

“Sorry, Bo.”

“Are we actually going home at some point? I have a date with my bed.”

Gordon stood up, pulling out the co-pilot’s seat. “No rush, Allie, she’ll wait for you.”

“Augh.”

“Sit down, Alan, I’m just finishing pre-flight.” Tired and cranky could easily become nasty if not attended to.

Bo curled up, nestled against his harness, as Alan grumpily pulled out his seat.

“Virgil, where the hell are you?”

Speaking of tired and cranky... “Launching now, Thunderbird One.” As if prompted, he received clearance from Australian Air Control.

TB2 rumbled beneath as he activated VTOL, ash and dust swirling up around them. As soon as he had enough height, he engaged her rear thrusters and tore off over the Alps, across the coast and out into the Tasman.

“ETA fifteen minutes.” At least they weren’t too far from home.

Bo fell asleep in his lap.

-o-o-o-

Virgil was on the verge of joining Bo in slumber as Thunderbird Two spun slowly in her hanger, eventually coming to a final stop.

So tired.

Beside him, Alan poked Gordon awake. “Ugh, what? Oh.” You could almost hear his brain booting.

Virgil worked around Bo as he did his post-flight checks, his brothers, well, mostly Gordon, groaning as they got to their feet and waddled towards the hatch. “C’mon, Virg, Alan’s pining for his bed.”

“You two go ahead. I just need to finish post-flight.” He didn’t turn around, but he could feel Gordon’s eyes on him.

“Sure, whatever.” And he heard the hatch lower to the hangar floor.

His brothers gone, Virgil let himself relax back against his chair, his shoulders sagging. He let out a long breath. “So, Bo, how are we going to do this?”

The puppy woke as if on command and turned to stare up at him. Gently her tail began to wag.

Virgil let a tired smile cross his face.

Encouraged, Bo jumped up and put her two front paws on his chest, reaching up, trying to lick his face despite not quite being tall enough.

The smile became a grin.

“Okay, okay.” He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up as he pushed his seat backwards and stood. Immediately he was bathed in puppy drool. He couldn’t help but laugh. He surfaced above her licking and cradled her in his arms. “We need to get you some food.” His stomach rumbled ominously. “We need to get me some food.”

And a shower. A shower definitely wouldn’t hurt.

If he could hold off the sleep.

If he didn’t call it a stagger, it wasn’t a stagger, but he had obviously been sitting in his seat for far too long ferrying all those survivors to Melbourne on repeated trips. It was his turn to groan as both his back and legs complained loudly at the sudden demands for movement.

Bo started chewing on his glove.

Somehow he made it back to his rooms without encountering anyone. Shutting the door, he let Bo loose on the floor and began stripping off his uniform, hitting the buttons on his preprogrammed shower cubicle. Moments later he walked under the spray and let it wash the day from his skin.

God, that felt good.

As his muscles relaxed under the heat, sleep became more and more attractive, and by the time he stumbled out of the water, all thoughts of food had vanished.

He took the three steps across his room from the ensuite and threw himself facedown on the bed, still partly wet, still naked.

He was asleep within moments.

-o-o-o-

He was being kissed.

Her lips were warm, her tongue wet, her whiskers soft against his stubble...

Uh?

She licked his eye.

Wha-?

Virgil, always slow to respond upon waking, opened said eye only to get an eyeful of slobber. A soft paw thwapped him on the cheek. Huh? he blinked attempting to clear his eyesight, a hand coming up to defend himself.

Fortunately, his brain came online and memory kicked in. “B-Bo?”

A tongue wrapped around his nose and left it wet.

Ugh.

He wiped his face with his hand, stretching backwards on his pillow, desperate to get out of reach.

The puppy landed on his chest, her paws kneading his chest hair, her little claws completing his wake-up process rather abruptly.

Oh god.

“Bo, down, honey, down.”

He was completely ignored.

Sitting up, he attempted to grab her in his arms, but missed. The little puppy landed on things that puppies had no right to land on. Or stomp on for that matter.

He winced.

“Ooh, okay, come here.” He lifted her off his lap, holding her close, her tail pummelling his belly. “I’m awake, okay.” Again he found himself pinned by her brown eyes. “Aww, c’mon with the cute, Bo, you’re going to melt my brain.”

“Assuming you have a brain to melt.” And Scott was standing in his doorway.

Virgil glared up at him. “Don’t you knock?”

“I did. Grandma sent me to tell you that Christmas dinner is ready.”

Virgil frowned at his brother over the top of Bo’s ears, ignoring the glare the blue eyes were directing at the puppy in his arms. “I thought we’d do Christmas tomorrow.”

“We don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow. Grandma thought it would be best to sneak it in tonight, since it is Christmas Day, after all.” Scott’s lips thinned. “Where did you get that from?”

“She’s a rescue.”

“Usually we leave our rescues on the continent we find them.”

“She had no one.”

“Unfortunately, that is nothing new.” And one of his hands had moved to his hip.

Virgil sighed. “Scott, it’s fine, it’s only for a few days.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

Virgil held back his retort. He knew to pick his fights and now was not the time. “Her name is Bo.”

Scott looked at him and then at Bo. “Hurry up, your dinner is getting cold.” The ghost of a smirk. “And don’t forget to wear clothes.”

“Funny, funny, ha, ha.” But his brother had left.

Virgil let his shoulders drop. “Sorry, Bo, I think you’ve got your work cut out for you.”

Bo just licked him some more.

It wasn’t until he went looking for his boots that he discovered the wonderful deposits Bo had left for him on the floor.

Ugh.

And apparently one of his favourite boots had served as a meal also.

He closed his eyes and sighed again.

Half dressed, he cleaned up the mess, and five minutes later he waltzed downstairs, Bo in his arms and barefoot. Time to face the inevitable music.

-o-o-o-

A Tracy Christmas used to be snow, roast turkey, stockings by the fire, the occasional Christmas carol and family.

Since starting International Rescue it had changed.

Firstly, they were in the tropics. The only fires available in those temperatures were ones that required firefighting equipment. Having grown up with snow, it was still extremely weird. But it had its advantages. For one you could go outside in the minimum of clothing, something Gordon took advantage of every day of the year. There were no snowball fights, but these were fast replaced with water fights. There was no ice skating, but there was water skiing if anyone could get up the energy to get the boat out. And surfing, let’s not forget Scott’s attempts at that. Virgil would admit that he didn’t mind a little surfboard action himself. He wouldn’t say he was very good at it, but at least Gordon had never had to save him like he had Scott.

There were still Christmas trees and tinsel and stockings that no-one ever considered wearing hung from the nearest mantelpiece-looking piece of furniture.

There was still turkey and roast potatoes and all the yummy food crucial for a good Christmas meal, but it was often cooked outside in barbecue ovens and seafood and cold food had been added to the menu. In fact, the traditional dinner had become more of a banquet by the pool.

As Virgil walked out onto the patio, he couldn’t help but smile at the Christmas tree that had obviously been hurriedly moved out here from the comms room. It sat a little lopsided and the star on top was having a few issues with gravity. That was new, as was the liberal tinsel and Christmas lights strung from palm tree to palm tree, across the pool and back several times.

“Fifty bucks says Gordon tries to water volleyball the tinsel at least once.”

Virgil smirked as he stepped up beside his next youngest brother. “Not touching that one. I value my money.”

John was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt and had a beer in his hand. Bo was immediately interested in this new person. She strained towards John, her nose literally twitching towards the hand holding the beer.

His brother must have caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and instinctively took a step away.

“Oh, sorry, John, this is Bo.” Bo was climbing over his arm, desperate to get closer to the astronaut. Virgil held her tight, worried she would fall.

“Uh, hello.” John turned towards them, frowning. “Since when do you own a dog?”

“Since this morning.”

“Does Scott know?” They both instinctively looked over at their eldest brother who was hovering over one of the barbecues energetically discussing something with Grandma - probably how not to burn the food.

“He does.”

“And you still have it?”

“Her.”

“Her.”

“Yes.”

“Good luck with that one.” John drank his beer.

“She had no one else.”

John arched an eyebrow at him and then frowned. “Oh, Virgil.” His shoulders slumped.

“I am an adult now, John. It won’t be like last time.”

“God, I hope not.”

Virgil stared at his brother, only to see the genuine concern in his green eyes. A sigh. “It won’t happen again.”

John reached out and gently touched his shoulder. “No, it won’t, because you will remember that you have four brothers who are all here for you, won’t you.” God, that green gaze was penetrating.

“It will be fine.”

Bo yipped at John, her tail beating Virgil’s chest.

The astronaut smiled and offered the little dog his hand. She sniffed and licked him almost immediately.

“I think you have been approved.”

John smiled and Virgil couldn’t help but do the same.

“Virgil!” And Grandma was arrowing in on his position.

“Incoming.” John was smirking.

“Hey, Grandma.”

But his grandmother only had eyes for Bo. “Who is this?”

Virgil smiled again. “This is Bo. Bo, this is Grandma.”

Bo whacked him with her tail and literally leapt from his arms into his grandmother’s.

“Woah.” Suddenly with arms full of wriggling puppy enthusiastically licking her face, his grandmother was laughing. “Oh dear, you are a cutie. Let me have a look at you.” And she held Bo out at arms length, her eyes critical. “A little hard to tell at her age, but my bet says she’s of boxer stock, around three months old. Such a beautiful brindle and that face.” Virgil couldn’t help but agree. Bo looked like she had dipped her face in a pot of ink, her brown eyes surrounded by gorgeous black coat that quickly bled to brindle down her back with a spot of white on her front. “Where did you find her?”

Virgil looked at his feet, remembered why they were bare, and looked back up at his grandmother. “This morning’s rescue. She lost everything.”

Grandma turned her attention back to Bo. “Oh, honey. You survived the fire?” Bo licked her nose. “Well, you are safe here.” Grandma curled her arms around the puppy and scratched her ears. “Has Virgil fed you anything yet?” She glanced at him and he shrugged. He got frowned at for his trouble. Grandma turned away, walking towards the barbecues with Bo in her arms. “Let’s get you something to eat.”

Virgil rolled his eyes.

“Well, that didn’t take long, did it?” John was still smirking at him.

A series of barks and a yelp from Grandma, and suddenly Bo was dashing amongst legs in his direction. “Woah.” He crouched down and caught her as she leapt for him. She wriggled and licked, her little body trembling under his hands. “Hey, hey, honey, it’s okay, you’re safe.” She snuggled up under his chin. He couldn’t help but return the hug.

Grandma approached, worry on her face. “I’m sorry, Virgil, I didn’t realise.”

“It’s okay.” He reached an arm around his grandmother, bringing her into the hug. “She’s just had a scary day.” He pulled both of them close.

Scott was glaring at him from a distance.

John smiled at them and drank his beer.

Bo started chewing on his collar.

-o-o-o-

As the evening progressed, Bo slowly let herself part from Virgil as each of the members of his family, bar Alan and Scott, came to say hello or fed her from the table. There was one interesting moment when the little puppy encountered Sherbert for the first time.

Bo yipped.

Sherbert yapped.

And as the entire party fell silent, the two dogs stared each other down.

Virgil was poised for a rescue and Penelope was not far behind him, but a moment later Bo licked Sherbert across the nose, Sherbert gently butted the little puppy with his head, and from that point onwards they were best of friends, Sherbert quite proudly showing his new friend around.

But never out of sight of Virgil.

Bo and Parker had a staring moment not long after, but Sherbert barrelled on in and head butted the driver, snapping him out of it. It wasn’t long before the little puppy had him rubbing her ears as well.

Kayo stood her distance, assessing Bo as much as the puppy was assessing her. A calm arched eyebrow slowly rose as Bo tilted her head up at the security specialist. She pressed her lips together and faced Virgil. “There will be training.”

Virgil blinked and his sister turned and stalked off. Bo eyed her the entire time, only finally distracted by a yelp from Alan as Gordon threw him in the pool.

The engineer was left wondering if he should be worried or not.

The meal was delicious, of course. Scott had managed to keep Grandma away from the barbecues and MAX had been on task for a good part of the day. There was the mandatory turkey, and this year a couple of large snapper had been baked to perfection, along with some crayfish, oysters, salads and roast vegetables. This was followed by pie, oh, so much pie, Christmas cookies, and Christmas pudding with custard and the option of ice cream.

Virgil, as usual, made sure he took advantage of all the options. Consequently, post-banquet found him sprawled on a pool lounger staring up at the stars amongst the tinsel overhead. Bo, who had also eaten probably more than she should have, was curled up between his feet.

The soft sounds of quiet carols and muted conversation wafting across the water lulled him gently to sleep.

-o-o-o-

Scott felt like Scrooge. He was tired, worried and even a little angry. He was not enjoying himself, no matter how hard he tried. Grandma had cornered him at least twice, her hand on his shoulder trying to soothe his ire.

The annoying thing was that he wasn’t even sure what he was angry about. The rescue hadn’t been the best, but they had done what they could and some lives had been saved that otherwise wouldn’t have. The team had performed well, no one had been injured, they were all back home safe and sound.

And there was food, family and Christmas. There wasn’t really much more he could ask for.

His eyes settled on Virgil, asleep on one of the loungers, oblivious to the tinsel being draped across his hair by Gordon behind him.

Scott sighed.

But then a little head bobbed up between his brother’s bare feet and Bo barked at Gordon quite firmly.

Virgil was obviously far too out of it to wake, but Gordon looked appropriately abashed at the challenge.

Scott found himself smiling.

Realised he was smiling, dumped the smile and frowned.

Gordon scampered off leaving a sleeping Virgil in a crown of silver tinsel.

The little dog leapt off the lounger and chased after the aquanaut.

Okay, he had to admit the dog was adorable. He could see what had captured his brother’s eye, and Scott certainly had no objection to adding to their family.

But Virgil...when Virgil loved, he loved with his whole heart, and last time he had lost a pet, it had been bad, so bad.

They had lost so much in their lives already, why volunteer to lose more?

He sighed. It was stupid to think that way, but part of him could remember that devastated teenager, the depression and the mess that followed. Virgil had been as broken as the rest of them when their mother died, but when his dog died two years later, his reaction had been so self-destructive he had needed counselling and a therapist. Scott didn’t know if the two incidents were related or if it was how his brother connected to pets, or whatever. He only knew he never wanted to see his brother go through that again.

Their father was missing, and here was Virgil with a pet once again.

Sure, he was an adult now, and had tackled so much loss since, but...

Another sigh.

A yip and he looked down to see said dog staring up at him with a mouth full of tinsel, tail wagging.

“Gordon!”

“Yesssss, masster?” His brother sidled up with a bow.

Scott rolled his eyes. “Did you want to face your brother having to tell him that his new puppy died choking on tinsel?”

“Oh, shit.”

“Exactly.”

The aquanaut scooped up the little dog and with gentle words extricated the tinsel from her mouth.

A moment later Gordon held her up to his cheek and Scott had the experience of two sets of brown eyes staring at him adoration.

“Oh, for the love of-“

“A puppy?” Gordon grinned at him. “She is a rather cute, isn’t she?”

“Leave it, Gordon.”

His brother frowned. “What’s chewing on your underwear?”

“Gordon-“

“Hey, it was a legit question, bro. You’re a grumpy ass on Christmas Day. Where’s the merry? We have food and there will be presents. And there is a puppy. You couldn’t ask for more cuteness.” Gordon held up Bo who attempted to lick Scott’s nose.

“Gordon-‘

“Nope, so not going down with you, bro. We’ve earned some happy. We’re all here, in one piece, it’s lovely weather. Cheer up, for goodness sake.” Despite himself, Gordon frowned. “Here have some puppy love.” And suddenly Scott found himself with his arms full of wriggling Bo. Gordon turned and walked off, eventually calling out to Alan, no doubt looking for mischief.

Bo tilted her head to one side and stared up at him.

Aw, hell, weaponised cuteness.

She jumped up and licked his nose.

Scott sighed.

Voice low. “You know, you better look after my brother. He’s a good man and he does a lot of good things.” A swallow. “He’s a little prone to heroics. Perhaps we can team up in that department and help keep his butt alive.”

Her tongue lolled out one side of her mouth and she grinned.

“Maybe try that on the Hood and solve all our problems.”

He gave in and drew her close to his chest, rubbing under her chin.

“I really hope we don’t regret this.”

-o-o-o-

“PRESENTS!”

Alan’s voice cut through his slumber and shook him awake. Wha-?

“Time to wake up, sleepy head.” Scott’s voice.

A sharp little bark.

Bo.

He flung his eyes open, and immediately squinted at the fairy lights floating in the light breeze far above. A blink and to his left a shadow formed into his eldest brother. His blue eyes were smiling as he sat on the next lounge over, holding Bo, scratching her gently. She was obviously enjoying it.

Virgil frowned. “I thought you were pissed at me.”

“I was.” His brother shrugged. “I got over it.” Bo was licking Scott’s fingers.

Wow, the ability to tame the savage big brother. The little girl must be heaven-sent.

There was a whir of wheels and MAX tore out onto the patio decked out in tinsel and lugging brightly coloured presents. MiniMAX darted in behind him carrying a smaller present which was deposited carefully on the table before he disappeared inside only to return with another.

“You okay?”

“Huh?” Virgil peered up at his brother before stretching the length of the lounger. Several joints cracked and the ache across his shoulders from the morning vaguely made its presence known. A yawn. “I’m fine. Just tired. This morning sucked.”

Tinsel slid down his face. He sighed and threw it off. Gordon was getting repetitive.

Scott dipped his head, attempting to hide a smile, and looked down at Bo. “True.” He scratched her under her chin one more time before offering her to him. “Here.”

Bo didn’t bother to wait for him to sit up, she bounded out of Scott’s arms and onto Virgil’s belly. “Oof.” She then danced up and down on it.

Scott grinned at him. “She’s not going to be little when she grows up.”

“Augh, she’s not little now.” He managed to capture her enough so he could sit up, but she struggled free excitedly and dashed from his arms, jumping on the lounger, just as MiniMAX buzzed over with a small present.

Bo barked at him and MiniMAX dodged to deposit the present in Virgil’s lap. He caught it, but with his hands now occupied, he wasn’t fast enough to grab Bo before she let off another bark, jumped excitedly and latched her teeth onto the little robot.

The result was immediate.

MiniMAX shrieked, several of his legs caught in the puppy’s mouth, and with a whir of rotor blades, took off madly across the patio.

With Bo hanging on.

“Bo!” Virgil dropped the present and made a grab for the pair, but missed.

Every eye turned to see what the commotion was about. Virgil stumbled over the lounger and kicked it out of the way. He was vaguely aware of Scott doing something similar. “Brains!”

MiniMAX was obviously panicking. The little robot darted about trying to shake off his assailant. Bo was whining in her throat.

Virgil dashed after them.

Despite the puppy’s weight, MiniMAX still managed a great deal of height, Brains’ ‘build ‘em tough’ policy obviously carrying through to his robots. Despite having the strength to carry the puppy, the off-balance mass hampered MiniMAX’s navigation and they were wobbling all over the place.

All Virgil could see was a tragedy in the making. The pool, the concrete, anything horribly solid. He ran beneath them, desperately attempting to reach the now whining puppy. Family members and furniture were dodged and shoved out of the way as he clambered after them.

A chair ended up in the pool. Gordon squawked and almost joined it. Virgil leapt off an empty lounge, made a grab for them, missed and ended up in the Christmas tree.

Fake pine needles jabbed him in the face as he went down in a pile of tinsel and Christmas baubles. He swore, his clothing caught, his hair caught, and his everything tangled in tinsel, but he made it to his feet just in time to see Bo let go.

“No!”

Oblivious to everything other than the puppy falling, Virgil finally got traction under his bare feet, took a running leap and grabbed Bo from the air. He instinctively wrapped himself around her, rolling in midair, tinsel and baubles flung in all directions.

As he plummeted into the pool.

The splash took his senses, muffling exclamations, and repeated shouts of his name. There was dark blue, and wet, and, for a moment, blessed silence.

Then logic reasserted itself and he kicked for the surface.

Sound, light and cool air on his skin. He blinked water out of his eyes as he lifted Bo up so she could breathe, his legs kicking to keep them afloat.

She whined at him as if to tell him off, sneezed, and began enthusiastically licking the saltwater off his face.

He couldn’t help but grin, and he knew he wasn’t the only one as laughter drifted across the water.

“You trashed the tree, Virg.”

“I don’t think he cares, Gordon.” He looked up to see Grandma smiling at him.

And no, he didn’t. As Scott poked him with a pole to help drag him to the edge and Bo decided his ear might do for her next meal, he suddenly felt joy. It could simply have been relief, but he was going to tack it up as Christmas joy and enjoy it while he could.

-o-o-o-

“Only you, Virgil.”

“It wasn’t intentional.”

“I have no doubt of that, it never is.”

“Aw, c’mon, Scott.”

“If it was intentional then I would have to accuse you of doing it deliberately just to get out of helping with the Christmas dishes.”

“We have a dishwasher.” Bo let off a bark as MiniMAX flew past dragging a bag full of recyclable cups, plates and cutlery, giving Virgil and his dog an extremely wide berth. “And there are hardly any dishes.”

“You are still getting out of clean up.”

“C’mon, Scott, you know me better than that. Ow!”

“Sit still. I’ve almost got all of it.”

Virgil leant back against the lounge, Bo curled up in his lap. “I’m not particularly happy about this either you know.”

“You’ll be fine.”

“I know that, Ow!”

“Well, if you would watch where you were going, you wouldn’t have collided with the Christmas tree. And what’s with the bare feet anyway?”

“Bo ate one of my boots.”

Scott snorted and pulled out yet another tiny piece of glass Christmas bauble from the bottom of Virgil’s left foot. “She hasn’t been here twenty-four hours yet and she has already caused havoc.”

“She’s a puppy.”

“I noticed.” Scott sighed, peering through his magnifying visor at his brother’s foot. “I think that’s all of it. Please don’t do that again. You’ll be limping for a week.”

“I’m not planning on it.”

As Scott wrapped his foot in gauze, he eyed the puppy on Virgil’s lap. “And you, young lady, I thought we had a deal.”

To Virgil’s surprise, Bo’s head bobbed up and she looked distinctly guilty.

Scott arched an eyebrow. “Hmm, don’t let it happen again.”

Bo yapped at him.

Virgil stared at both of them. “What?”

“None of your business, you just lay back and look after yourself.” And Scott was smirking.

Ooookaay.

He relaxed back against the lounge and stared up at the fairy lights above.

Bo stomped up the length of him and licked his eyeball.

He coughed up a laugh and grabbed an armful of wriggly puppy.

“I think that was a Merry Christmas, Virg.” Scott held his injured foot and grinned. “Merry Christmas.”

#Gumnut logic #thunderbirds are go #secret santa 2018 #fanfic #Virgil Tracy #Scott Tracy #Gordon Tracy #alan tracy #John Tracy #grandma tracy #brains #kayo kyrano #thunderbirds christmas #tag team secret santa

[catestseries4-blog]

Chartered Accountancy (CA) Course

The profession of CA (Chartered Accountant) is financially rewarding and challenging at the same time! In this article, you will be reading about Chartered Accountancy course details, eligibility criteria, further studies & courses, career prospects and job opportunities.

In India, CA education and training is managed by ICAI. ICAI stands for The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. It is the body responsible for maintaining the quality of CA course and education in India.

If one wants to attain the qualification of ca test series in India, he/she must complete the training and get himself/herself registered with the ICAI. Membership has to be renewed each year.

 What are the functions of a CA, you may ask. Basically, as the term Chartered Accountant suggests, CAs deal with auditing, accounting and finance management. These are their primary tasks. However, depending upon specialization, they may venture into other areas too, like- Law, risk assessment, Investment banking etc.

Eligibility criteria

Students who have passed 10+2 from any stream (Science/Commerce/Arts) are eligible to pursue CA course. Graduates or Post Graduates who have completed 3 or 4 years long Bachelor’s Degree program from a reputed institute are also eligible to pursue this course.

 Commerce stream students will find CA course relatively comfortable to deal with. This is because of the fact that the course consists of subjects like Accounting and Finance, which are present in 11th and 12th commerce stream schooling.

Despite the above mentioned fact, students from any stream, after 10+2, may give this course a try! Same condition applies in case of graduates and postgraduates.

 Wondering what CA course structure is like? Want to know check out the course duration? Let us check out the course details and you will get answers to all the questions mentioned above.

 CA course details

CA course can be divided into three main levels. They are-

CPT     (Common Proficiency Test)

IPCC     (Integrated Professional Competence Course)

CA Final     Course

 CPT is the entry level test. IPCC is the first stage of theoretical education and Final course is the final stage of theoretical education. Only on completing the above 3 stages, a candidate is said to have finished the course! There are no regular colleges (like in case of other professional courses) offering CA course. One must apply online, pay the fees and prepare like one is in ‘correspondence’ mode. Yes, one may take coaching and training provided by CA tutors. Duration to complete whole course depends on one’s aptitude. Generally, it could be wrapped up in 5 years.

1 CPT

Common Proficiency Test (CPT) which is designed in the pattern of entry level test for engineering, medical and other professional courses. It is a test of 4 hours duration comprising of two sessions of 2 hours each, with a break between two sessions. The test comprises of objective type questions only with negative marking for choosing wrong options. CPT syllabus include the following subjects-

Fundamentals     of Accounting

Mercantile     Laws

General     Economics

Quantitative     Aptitude

 Note (CPT Exemption Rule): Students who are Graduates/ Post Graduates in Commerce having secured in aggregate a minimum of 55% of the total or its equivalent by studying any three papers of 100 marks each out of Accounting, Auditing, Mercantile Laws, Corporate Laws, Economics, Management (including Financial Management), Taxation (including Direct Tax Laws and Indirect Tax Laws), Costing, Business Administration or Management Accounting or other than those falling under Commerce stream having secured in aggregate a minimum of 60% of the total marks or its equivalent grade in the examination conducted by any recognized University (including Open University) and Candidates who have passed the Intermediate level examination conducted by The Institute of Cost Accountants of India or by The Institute of Company Secretaries of India are exempted from qualifying Common Proficiency Test (CPT). Such students can directly register to the Intermediate (IPCC) Course, which is the first stage of theoretical education.

  2 IPCC

This is the first stage of theoretical education in CA course. This level focuses on theoretical knowledge about accounting and related subjects. This theoretical course is followed by training session (articleship) and final course.

IPCC syllabus include-

Accounting

Business Laws, Ethics and Communication

Cost Accounting and Financial Management

Taxation

Advanced Accounting

Auditing and Assurance

Information Technology and Strategic Management

 Students who are pursuing the Final year Graduation Course can also register for the Intermediate (Integrated Professional Competence) Course on provisional basis and such students, registration would be regularised and they can commence articled training only on submission of satisfactory proof of having passed the Graduation examination with the specified percentage of marks within six months from the date of appearance in the final year graduation examination.

 While going through IPCC, a candidate also has to complete 35 hours of orientation program and 100 hours of ITT (Information Technology Training). ITT consists of computer knowledge, MS Office programs, ICAI CA software, E Filing, Web Technology, Accounting package, project work etc.

After going through above mentioned stages and completing them, a candidate then has to join 3 years long practical training at an auditing firm or accountancy firm. This practical training is known as ‘articleship’. A candidate is entitled to a stipend while he/she is going through this training program. During practical training, a candidate also has to complete two courses on General Management and Communication Skills.

 After qualifying both groups of IPCC and completing the training program, a candidate may join the CA final course.

  3 Final course

The last leg of the Chartered Accountancy course is Final Course, designed to impart expert knowledge in financial reporting, auditing and professional ethics, taxation, corporate laws, system control, strategic finance and advanced management accountancy. Practical knowledge is given much importance in this stage.

 Syllabus-

Financial     Reporting

Strategic     Financial Management

Advanced     Auditing and Professional Ethics

Corporate     and Allied Laws

Advanced     Management Accounting

Information     Systems Control and Audit

Direct     Tax Laws

Indirect     Tax Laws

 After qualifying the final examination, one may acquire membership of ICAI! One may use the prefix of CA with his/her name after acquiring membership!

 Further studies and courses

After CA course, Chartered Accountants may pursue advanced courses and specialize in disciplines such as law, finance management, taxation etc. Some of the well known advanced courses available are-

CFA     (Chartered Financial Analyst)

FRM     (Financial Risk Manager)

MBA     (Finance)

CFP     (Certified Financial Planner)

CS     (Company Secretary) course

CWA     (Cost and Work Accountants)

Actuarial     Sciences

LL.B.

Career prospects and job opportunities

CAs have numerous job opportunities available in front of them. Government as well as private sector offers diverse job opportunities and profiles. Tax related matters, finance management and auditing are the main work formats that CAs get. It is like bread and butter for them. With experience and further education, they may venture into fields like Risk assessment and management, budgeting, financial planning etc.

 Well known areas where CAs may find a job include-

Banking     and Insurance Sector (Government and Private)

Income     Tax Department

Tax     Advisory Firms

Auditing     Firms

Stock     Broking Firms

Investment     Banking Firms

Asset     Management Firms

Law     Firms (LL.B. Degree will be useful)

Finance     Companies

CA Firms

Corporate     Houses (Planning and Budgeting team)

 Most industries and companies, from manufacturing to services sector, have to deal with finance matters and tax matters. Qualified CAs are required by such companies to deal with tax matters in an efficient manner. Many companies even have dedicated CAs who take care of tax matters and auditing.

Besides working for a CA firm, one may also start one’s own practice. Before starting independent service, one must gain enough working experience by working for a firm. Some well known job profiles include-

Auditor (statutory, internal, tax etc)

Cost Accountant

Tax specialist (Direct and Indirect taxes)

Investment Banker

Asset Manager

Manager/Assistant Manager (Accounts, Finance, Credit     etc)

Consultant

#ca inter test series

[ainawgsd]

Somali

The Somali cat is often described as a long-haired Abyssinian. The first Somali cats appeared in the litters of Abyssinians as long-haired kittens. The Somali is a product of a recessive gene in Abyssinian cats, though how the gene was introduced into the Abyssinian gene pool is still a mystery.

In the 1940s a British breeder named Janet Robertson exported some Abyssinian kittens to Australia, New Zealand and North America. Descendants of these cats occasionally produced kittens with long or fuzzy coats. The first known long-haired Abyssinian, named 'Raby Chuffa of Selene', appeared in America in 1953. Breeders assume that the long-haired gene was passed down through his ancestry. 

Most breeders were appalled by the sudden difference in appearance in their litters and refused to mention them. However, some breeders were intrigued and continued to breed the long-haired Abyssinian. At first, other Abyssinian breeders looked down upon the new development of the Somali and refused to associate them with the Abyssinian. They worked hard to keep the long-haired gene out of their own cats.

An American Abyssinian breeder Evelyn Mague also received longhairs from her cats, which she named "Somalis". Mague put out a call for other cats to breed with her own long-haired Abyssinians and found the many other breeders internationally that had been breeding long-haired Abyssinians for several years already. In 1979, the breed was recognized by the CFA in North America. The new breed was accepted in Europe in 1982. By 1991, the breed was broadly (though not universally) accepted internationally.

The name "Somali" stems from the African nation, Somalia. Somalia bordered Abyssinia, which is modern day Ethiopia. Mague thought that since the land borders were a human creation, so are the genetic borders between the Abyssinian cat and the long-haired Abyssinian.

The Somalis are recognized for their bushy tails, large almond eyes, and large pointed ears, earning the breed its nickname of "Fox Cat." Their ticked coats, containing between four and twenty colors on each hair, are very fine in texture, making their coats softer to the touch. The cat itself is medium-large in size. 

The usual or ruddy Somali is golden brown ticked with black. There are 28 colors of Somali in total although certain organizations accept only some of these colors. All organizations that register Somalis permit usual (also known as ruddy), sorrel (a.k.a. red), blue, and fawn. Most clubs also recognize usual/ruddy silver, sorrel/red silver, blue silver, and fawn silver. Other colors that may be accepted by some registries include chocolate, lilac, red, cream, usual-tortie, sorrel-tortie, blue-tortie, fawn-tortie, chocolate-tortie, lilac-tortie, and silver variants of these (e.g. blue-tortie silver).

#feline abc's #S #somali #long haired abyssinian #cats #source: google

[marugujaratonline]

Bank of Baroda Recruitment @ www.bankofbaroda.in

Bank Of Baroda - BOB has been published Latest Job For Human Resources & Chief Manager Information Security Post. This is the Great Opportunity for candidates who want to make their future in BOB. Candidates Should Be find more details in Given Below Post. For More Jobs, You Can Check MaruGujarat Latest Job Page. Organization Name Bank Of Baroda Recruitment About Human Resources & Chief Manager Information Security Total Vacancy 06 Applying Process  Online Last Date of Apply 06-07-2020 Post Date: 16-06-2020

Here You are Getting All the Information on Recruitment about Human Resources & Chief Manager Information Security Post Details like Educational Qualification, Age Limitation, Payscale, Selection Process, and Also We are Cover How To Apply Step by Step guide in this post. Must Read This post Carefully and apply for this job of published by BOB Recruitment Board 2020. Full Recruitment Details of Post Human Resources & Chief Manager Information Security Name of the Post: Human Resources: 02 Posts Chief Manager Information Security: 04 Posts Total: 06 Educational Qualification: Should Have Various Degree for Mentioned Post (Please Check Official Advertisement) Age Limit: Human Resources:  32 to 40 Years Project Manager - Smart Cities: 28 to 45 Years Project Associate – Smart Cities:  26 to 35 Years Salary: Human Resources: Remuneration offered will on fixed pay basis as per market benchmarks and is based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, and overall suitability for the respective posts. However, selected candidates will be eligible for Performance Linked Variable Pay which will be over and above the FixedSalary but linked to the achievement of specific targets. Chief Manager Information Security: SMG/S IV - 50030 x 1460 (4) - 55870 x 1650 (2) – 59170 Selection Process: Human Resources: Selection will be based on shortlisting and/or Written Test and /or Personal Interview and/or Group Discussion and/or any other method. Chief Manager Information Security: The selection process may comprise an online test, psychometric test, or any other test deemed suitable for further selection process followed by Group Discussion / & Interview of shortlisted candidates. Application Fee: Application fees and Intimation Charges (Non-refundable) Rs. 600/-for General, EWS, and OBC candidates; Rs. 100/- (Intimation charges only) for SC/ ST/PWD candidates. The bank is not responsible if any of the candidates makes more than one payment. How To Apply: Online Registration of Application starts from 16-06-2020 Last Date Of Apply 06-07-2020 Last Date of Submit Fee Online 06-07-2020 ⇓ Important Links ⇓ Advertisement Human Resources Chief Manager Information Security Apply Online

Bank of Baroda has been recently published the latest job vacancies for Chief Risk Officer Posts. Candidates Apply for this job online if candidates have Require Qualification in Detailed notification. Organization Name Bank of Baroda Recruitment About Chief Risk Officer Total No of Post 01 Job Detail Contract Basis Applying Process Online Last Date 22-04-2020 Post Date: 13-04-2020 Mandatory Education Qualification: Graduation/Post Graduation in any stream (recognized/approved by Govt., Govt. bodies / AICTE). Desirable Professional Qualification: Certification in Financial Risk Management from Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP), OR Professional Risk Management Certification from PRIMA Institute, OR Holder of Chartered Financial analyst charter awarded by CFA Institute, OR Designated as Chartered Accountant by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, or equivalent abroad, OR designated as a Cost and Management Accountant by the Institute of Cost Accountants of India, or equivalent abroad; Age Limit: 60 Years Work Experience: Minimum -25-years of experience in Bank /Financial Sector of which at least -7-to -10-years should have been in the Risk function. Additionally, the candidate should have been in a Chief Risk Officer / Head of Risk position for a Bank / Financial Institution for at least -3-years. Nature & Tenure of Engagement: Fixed Term Engagement on Contract Basis for a period of 3 years extendable by a period 1 year at a time subject to a maximum term of 5 years. On the expiry of the term, the engagement may be extended into other related roles in the Bank as per Bank’s Requirement. Location: Mumbai How To Apply: Candidates are required to apply by clicking on the following link. A detailed CV, containing relevant qualification/ experience/exposure for the applied post/date of birth, needs to be uploaded on the link provided. Last Date: 22-04-2020 (23:59 hours) Official Advertisement View Apply Online Apply Now BOB Cheap Risk Officer 2020 Recruitment FAQ How many vacancies are there for Chief Risk Officer? There Are Currently 01 Vacancies for Now. After when I can apply for this job for posts of Chief Risk Officer? You Can Apply After 13 April 2020. What is the Last Date of Applying for this job for Post of Chief Risk Officer? Online Applying Last Date Of 22 April 2020. What is Age Limit for This job of Chief Risk Officer? The Age Limit of this Job for Minimum 60 Years How Can I Apply for this job post for Chief Risk Officer? If You Want to Apply for This job First Must You Read Official Notification Carefully and the Applying Process for this job for post-Chief Risk Officer by filling the form, You can apply online form date 13-04-2020 to 22-04-2020.

Bank of Baroda Published Latest Recruitment for 39 Posts of IT Professional Posts 2020. A candidate can apply for only one post under this project Candidates are advised to check Bank’s website www.bankofbaroda.co.in/careers.htm regularly for details and updates. Call letters/advice, where required will be sent by e-mail only. ost qualification experience below 6 months in any organization would not be considered. Only Candidates willing to serve anywhere in India should apply. Application Fee: For General,EWS& OBC candidates : Rs.600/-plus GST & Transaction charges (application fees & intimation charges)- For SC, ST & PWD candidates : Rs.100/-plus GST & Transaction charges (intimation charges) How To Apply: Candidates are required to have a valid personal email ID and Contact No. It should be kept active till the completion of this recruitment project. Bank/subsidiary may send call letters for Test, GD, interview, etc. through the registered email ID. In case, a candidate does not have a valid personal email ID, he/she should create his/ her new email ID before applying Online. Under no circumstances, he/she should share/ mention email ID to/ or of any other person. Last Date: 15-04-2020 Official Notification View Extension of Online Application Notice View Apply Online Apply Now Read the full article

[animala2z]

Scottish Fold Cat Know About Weight, Care, and Info

The Scottish Fold is a breed of domestic cat with a natural dominant gene mutation that affects cartilage throughout the body, causing the ears to “fold”, turning forward and down towards the front of the head, giving the cat what is often described as “Owl-like” appearance.

Scottish fold became the breed name in 1966, after the lop-eared rabbit originally known as lop-eared or lops. Depending on the registry, long-haired Scottish Folds are variously known as Highland Folds, Scottish Fold Longhairs, Longhair Folds, and Coopers.

Origin: Scotland

Size: medium

Weight: 2.5 – 6kg

Lifespan: 11 – 15 years

Colors: They come in a variety of colors and patterns.

Organizes: Scottish Fold Longhair Association

Breed Characteristics

History

All Scottish Folds can trace their pedigree back to 1961 to a cat named Susie at McRae Farm near Cooper Angus, a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. This white female farm cat had unique, folded ears, and British Shorthair breeders William and Mary Ross saw this unusual cat and recognized its potential as a new breed.

William Ross asked McRae if he could buy a cat, and was promised a kitten from Susie’s first litter. Susie’s mother was a straight-eared white cat, and her father is unknown, so it is unclear whether Susie was one of the first cats of her kind or whether folded ears had never been reported before. In 1963, Susie produced two fold-ear kittens, and as promised by William and Mary, Ross was given one – a white beauty with folded ears like her mother, whom they named Snooks.

Breeding program

On the advice of British geneticist Peter Dyett, the Rosses began a breeding program using British Shorthairs that were closely related in their catteries and random-bred domestics. They took the name Denysla as their fold cattery, named after the two rivers, Dan and Isla, that flowed through their hut.

William and Mary Ross quickly realized that the gene governing folded ears was dominant; Only one parent needed the gene to pass on the unique trait. Any cat with one copy of the fold gene produces about fifty percent of fold kittens.

Initially, the Rosses called their new breed Lops after the lop-eared type of rabbit. In 1966, however, they changed the name to Scottish Fold in honor of this most unusual feature and the country in which the breed was found. That same year, the Rosses registered their Scottish Fold cats with the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF). Along with other enthusiasts he met along the way, the Roses began the process of gaining acceptance for their fold friends.

At first, many breeders and fans were enthusiastic about this new and different breed, but soon the GCCF became concerned about potential health problems. Initially, he was worried about ear infections, ear mite infestation, and deafness, but these worries proved to be unfounded. However, the GCCF soon became concerned about genetic problems, which were, unfortunately, very real difficulties. By 1971, the GCCF stopped registering Scottish folds and banned further registrations in their registry. In order to advance to the show ring, the Scottish Fold had to pack its kilts and move to North America.

Registration Of Cat Breed

All genuine Scottish folds can be traced back to Susie. The Scottish Fold was accepted for CFA registration in 1973; In May 1977 Scottish Folds were granted CFA provisional status. In 1978, the foal became the CFA champion breed. In a surprisingly short period of time, the Fold gained acceptance in all North American cat associations and became one of the most popular breeds in North America. The long-haired version of the breed was not officially recognized until the mid-1980s, although long-haired kittens were bred in Scottish Fold litters from the breed’s origins. Being a cat of uncertain origin, Suzy may carry the recessive gene for long hair.

The use of a number of Persians in early outcrosses also helped establish the long hair gene. Today, all associations accept the Scottish Fold Longhair for championships, although many associations have a different standard for longhair and call it Highland Fold or Longhair Fold. The Scottish Fold is known by three other monikers depending on the longhair association. AACE, ACFA and UFO call the breed Highland Fold; The CFF recognizes the breed as the Longhair Fold

Association

In CFA and TICA, the Longhaired Scottish Fold is a division of the Scottish Fold strain and a standard in each association. CCA the conclusion is Scottish, and the length of the two hours has the same proportion, although the length of the two hours has a different type. In addition, the CCA accepts the Scottish Straight Shorthair and Scottish Longhair under the name Scottish; These are Scottish herds that do not have fold intelligence. The Scottish Shorthair, also called a Pert-ear, has a similar personality and body type to the Scottish Fold; They simply do not have folded ears. Since folds do not breed valid, pet-quality pet ears can be purchased relatively inexpensively. In the Australian Cat Federation (ACF), the Scottish Shorthair is recognized as a breed in its own right.

Appearance

The Scottish Fold is a medium-sized cat with medium-sized boning. He is a very round-looking cat.

The head is round and the folded ears add to the illusion of roundness. The eyes are very round, bright, and clear.

Temperament

These cats have very similar temperaments, meaning they are not unusually active, but they are more active than lap cats. They are also sociable and friendly and enjoy playing games, exploring, and spending some quality time with their family.

Personality

Scottish Folds are generally intelligent, sweet-natured, soft-spoken, and easily adaptable to new people and situations. They are loyal and tend to bond with one person in the household. While they usually allow others to hug and pet them, their primal attachment quickly becomes apparent as they isolate their chosen humans. They thrive on attention, but it should be on their own terms. Despite their devotion, they are not clingy, demanding cats and generally prefer to be close to you rather than on your lap. They enjoy a good game of catnip mouse catch now and then and keep their playful side well into adulthood.

[anna-2807]

As many baby boomers near retirement, some new facts are coming into focus. According to the latest Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on retirement security, 29 percent of households aged 55 and older have no savings set aside for retirement and no pension. If that doesn’t change, they’ll be relying solely on Social Security during retirement. In 2019, the average annual Social Security benefit is about $17,500 — not much above the federal poverty level of $12,490 for a single person.

In a recent hearing, the House Ways and Means Committee invited experts to testify on the issue. Here’s what they learned:

Many union-sponsored multiemployer pension plans face dire funding challenges.

The average Social Security benefit is not enough to sustain women, people of color and others who are disadvantaged in the workplace and have lower participation and savings rates in employer-sponsored retirement plans.

Enabling universal access to a retirement savings plan via employer payroll deductions can help broaden coverage.

Permitting a universal savings plan to include guaranteed income for life can help protect retirees from outliving their savings.

One new piece of retirement legislation winding its way through Congress is called the SECURE Act. The bill calls for a number of changes to retirement accounts, such as eliminating the age limit on IRA contributions, delaying required minimum distributions to age 72, and curtailing stretch IRAs, requiring non-spouse beneficiaries to take distributions on inherited IRAs more quickly.

As always, if you’re looking to create or review your own retirement plan, we’re here to help. Please contact Lake Point Advisory Group to discuss your unique situation and how we can design a specific plan of action that helps you work toward your financial independence.

According to the Plan Sponsor Council of America (PSCA), employers are contributing more than ever to 401(k) plans. In 2017, they pitched in an average of 5.1 percent of employee income to 401(k) accounts — the highest percentage ever recorded. To their credit, workers contributed an average of 7.1 percent on their own. Another new trend is that more plan sponsors are adding a Roth IRA option, now available with at least 70 percent of all plans

The CFA Institute recently published a survey of investors with investable assets of more than $1 million. The study found that younger high-net-worth investors are more than twice as likely to seek a holistic approach to wealth management than their older counterparts. By the way, “holistic” doesn’t mean “generalist.” Instead, it refers to comprehensive management, utilizing strategic partnerships with other professionals when necessary in certain scenarios. Also, higher-net-worth investors are less enchanted with environmental, social and governance investment opportunities and more concerned with traditional assets. Their investment priorities continue to be minimizing taxation (50 percent) and diversifying across asset classes and industry sectors.

If you’re struggling to estimate your retirement lifestyle needs, consider this mental exercise: Think about a specific day in the future. If you aren’t able to envision a day very far away, you may need to push a little further. How well you are able to envision life in the future — referred to as your “mental time horizon” — can have a significant impact on your financial health. Not only in terms of investing for growth, but also your ability to manage cash, debt and develop prudent savings behaviors. According to Morningstar, a person with a long-term mental time horizon tends to save 20 times more than those without.

Standard Disclaimer.

Advisory services offered through Lake Point Wealth Management, LLC, an SEC Registered Investment Adviser. Insurance products and services offered through Lake Point Advisory Group, LLC. It is important that you do not use e-mail to request, authorize or effect the purchase or sale of any security or to effect any other transactions. The information transmitted herein and any attachments or files transmitted herewith may contain proprietary, confidential and/or protected, non-public information, are covered by applicable state and federal laws and are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity named above as the intended recipient. If the reader of this message is not the above-named intended recipient, or his/her/its agent, be advised that any review, disclosure, dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by telephone or e-mail and destroy the material forwarded in error. Nothing in this communication shall constitute an offer to sell or solicit any offer to buy a security or any insurance product. Recipients should be aware that all emails exchanged with the sender may be archived and may be accessed at any time by duly authorized persons and may be produced to other parties, including public authorities, in compliance with applicable laws.

Read more at Retirement: Savings And Financial Health - Lake Point Advisory Group

#retirement planning services #Retirement Planning #Retirement Planning Experts #Financial Planning Services #health insurance services #wealth mangement #wealth management experts #Investment Planning Services

[catbreeds2]

Scottish Fold Cats

There’s nothing a Scottish Fold — named for his folded ears — likes increased than to be collectively together with his people, collaborating in regardless of they’re doing.

In 1961 Scottish shepherd William Ross seen a white cat with uncommon, folded ears at a neighbor’s farm near Coupar Angus throughout the Tayside Space of Scotland. Realizing the individuality of this cat’s ‘lop’ ears, he requested spherical and positioned that the feline was a barn cat of no express pedigree. Named Suzie, the cat belonged to Ross’s neighbors, the McRaes.

Ross realized that Susie’s mother was a straight-eared white cat. Her father was unknown, so it was unclear whether or not or not Susie was the first of her kind, or whether or not or not the folded ears had merely in no way been seen sooner than. Susie’s brother was moreover a Fold, nevertheless he wandered away, certainly not to be seen as soon as extra.

Ross and his partner, Mary, have been enchanted by the feline and when Susie produced two folded ear kittens a 12 months later, they acquired one, a white magnificence like her mother whom they named Snooks.

The Rosses started a breeding program and proceeded to analysis establishing a model new breed by attending cat reveals and talking with breeders. Proper now, they often known as the breed ‘lop-eared’, after the rabbit choice.

In 1966 the Rosses began registering their cats with the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy and, along with completely different followers, began the prolonged means of accomplishing acceptance for his or her folded associates. By the tip of the final decade the breed was renamed the Scottish Fold.

Inside the early 1970s, nonetheless, the GCCF stopped registering Folds on account of points about ear issues akin to infections, mites, and listening to points. To proceed inside the current ring, the Scottish Fold needed to give up its kilts and bagpipes and switch to America.

Folds had been first launched to the US in 1970 when three of Snook’s kittens had been despatched to Dr. Neil Todd on the Carnivore Genetics Evaluation Coronary heart in Massachusetts, who was researching spontaneous mutations. He lastly abandoned his evaluation, nevertheless positioned homes for his Folds. One in all his cats found his choice to Salle Wolfe Peters in Pennsylvania, who’s primarily responsible for rising the breed in america. Totally different Folds had been later imported to america. All actual Scottish Folds may very well be traced once more to Susie’s line.

The Scottish Fold was accepted for CFA registration in 1973; in 1978 it acquired Championship standing. In an amazingly fast interval, the Fold earned acceptance in the entire cat associations and a spot throughout the U.S. cat fancy’s prime ten hottest breeds.

The prolonged haired mannequin of the breed was not formally acknowledged until the mid-1980s, although longhair kittens have been cropping up inside the Scottish Fold litters as a result of the genesis of the breed. Susie might need carried the prolonged hair gene, being a barn cat of not sure origin. Utilizing Persians in early crosses moreover helped to find out the longhair gene. CFA, CCA, ACFA, NCFA, ACA, CFF, AACE, UFO, and TICA have accepted the Scottish Fold Longhair for Championship.

The Scottish Fold Longhair is assumed by four utterly completely different monikers, counting on the affiliation and area you reside in. ACFA, AACE, and UFO seek the advice of with the breed as a result of the Highland Fold. TICA, NCFA, ACA, CCA, and CFA title the breed the Scottish Fold Longhair, and CFF refers again to the breed as a result of the Longhair Fold. Canadian breeders moreover identify them the Coupari.

Life Span: 11 to 14 years

SCOTTISH FOLD PERSONALITY

The Scottish Fold cat persona is outgoing, cuddly and lovable. The overall cheeks and angelic expression don’t mislead – it’s a very sweet breed. This cat simply is not your best choice for busy individuals who aren’t residence alot because of they need plenty of love and gentle, playful interaction.

These cats present distinctive breed traits like hugging with their entrance paws when held shut, and whispering whereas cuddling.

They’re acknowledged to sleep inclined on their backs and to “sit-up” with their entrance paws resting on their ample bellies in a sort of Buddha-pose.

Although gaining in recognition and considered one of many additional recognizable pure-breeds, the Scottish fold stays to be a relatively uncommon pure-bred or “pedigreed” house cat.

The Scottish Fold is accessible in any coloration or pattern. The coat is dense with an opulent undercoat. Shedding may be extreme and customary grooming is definitely desired.

These are fairly chunky, medium-sized cats that do have quite a few breed-related nicely being factors, most of which will likely be prevented if extra care throughout the alternative of a breeder is employed.

On account of it is mellow, nice, and considerably needs interaction, the Scottish Fold is an impressive family cat that does exceptionally correctly with, and often seems to cherish children.

SCOTTISH FOLD HEALTH

Every pedigreed cats and mixed-breed cats have varied incidences of properly being points that may very well be genetic in nature. A typical lifespan is 15 years. Points that may affect the Scottish Fold embody the subsequent:

– Degenerative joint sickness, notably inside the tail however moreover inside the ankle and knee joints, inflicting ache or poor mobility. It’s essential to cope with the tail fastidiously if it has developed stiffness. – Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a kind of coronary coronary heart sickness, has been seen inside the breed, nonetheless it has not however been confirmed to be a heritable kind of the sickness.

SCOTTISH FOLD CARE Comb the Scottish Fold’s coat weekly to remove ineffective hair and distribute pores and pores and skin oils. A longhaired Fold may should be groomed a couple of events each week to ensure that tangles don’t develop.

Brush the enamel to cease periodontal sickness. Daily dental hygiene is best, nonetheless weekly brushing is finest than nothing. Trim the nails every couple of weeks. Wipe the corners of the eyes with a cushty, damp materials to remove any discharge. Use a separate area of the fabric for each eye so that you just don’t run the hazard of spreading any an an infection. Check the ears weekly, significantly in the event that they’re tightly folded. If they offer the impression of being dirty, wipe them out with a cotton ball or snug damp materials moistened with a 50-50 mixture of cider vinegar and warmth water. Steer clear of using cotton swabs, which could hurt the within of the ear.

Preserve the Scottish Fold’s litter discipline spotlessly clear. Cats are very particular about bathroom hygiene, and a transparent litter area will help to keep up the coat clear as successfully.

It’s a superb suggestion to keep up a Scottish Fold as an indoor-only cat to protect him from illnesses unfold by totally different cats, assaults by canine or coyotes, and the other dangers that face cats who go exterior, resembling being hit by a vehicle. Scottish Folds who go exterior moreover run the possibility of being stolen by someone who need to have such an exceptional cat with out paying for it.

SCOTTISH FOLD COAT AND GROOMİNG

With one of the best ways his small ears match like a cap over his rounded head, the Scottish Fold is usually described as resembling an owl. The ears fluctuate in look from a single fold, bent forward about halfway up the ear, to a double fold, significantly tighter, and the triple fold, lying tight to the head, which is fascinating for current cats. Kittens are born with straight ears, which might or couldn’t fold after they’re about three weeks earlier. In depth open eyes gaze out on the world with a sweet expression. The medium-size physique can be rounded, completed by a medium to prolonged tail that usually ends in a rounded tip.

A shorthaired Fold has a dense, plush coat with a easy texture. The longhaired choice has medium-long to prolonged fur with britches (longer fur on the upper thighs), toe tufts, a plumed tail, and tufts of fur on the ears. He might also have a ruff throughout the neck. The Scottish Fold is offered in quite a lot of colors and patterns, along with steady, tabby, tabby and white, bicolor and particolor. Eye shade depends upon coat color. For example, white and bicolor cats can have blue eyes or odd eyes (each eye is a definite coloration).

SCOTTISH FOLD KITTENS

Scottish Fold kittens are often very quick to adapt to a model new setting. They’re normally a bit on the clumsy side, and kitten-proofing, considerably with regard to avoiding extreme places, is extraordinarily recomended.

These is not going to be the type of kittens to get lost and get misplaced, though. You may likely know the place they’re all the time – very close to you, if in a roundabout manner on you!

Although they’re vivid and playful, teaching is normally considerably troublesome and this generally is a kitten that may miss the litter subject for only a few weeks, or presumably years.

There could also be little or no sense of urgency, and these mellow kitties will match correct in with the whole family. Solitude will make them sullen, nonetheless, and these often should not good various in case your schedule requires you enable the cat alone for prolonged intervals.

Demand for this superb breed has risen in the previous couple of years. Scottish Fold cat breeders are fairly simple to hunt out, nonetheless kitten prices are going up and prepared lists are frequent.

SCOTTİSH FOLD CAT BREED TRAİTS

The Scottish Fold’s folded ears are produced by a dominant gene that impacts the cartilage of the ears, inflicting the ears to fold forward and downward, giving the highest a rounded look. As a result of the gene is dominant, all Scottish Fold cats ought to haven’t lower than one folded ear mum or dad to have folded ears themselves. When a Fold is bred to a straight-eared cat, roughly 50 % of the kittens can have folded ears, although the number of Folds in any given litter can vary enormously.

Breeding Fold to Fold will enhance the number of Fold kittens, however moreover considerably will improve the probabilities of skeletal deformities. Homozygous Folds (Folds that inherit the folded ear gene from every mom and father) usually tend to develop congenital osteodystrophy, a genetic scenario that causes crippling distortion and enlargement of the bones. Avoiding Fold-to-Fold breeding reduces the problem; however, controversy surrounds the breed on account of this defect. Thickness or lack of mobility of the legs or tail are optimistic indicators of trouble. You presumably can determine tail flexibility by transferring your hand down the tail in a extremely gentle, barely upward-arching movement.

All Folds are born with straight ears. At spherical three weeks the ears begin to fold, if they will. Because it is not readily apparent what variety of Folds one has, breeders ought to play a prepared sport until the ears develop their final folds. Even then it’s powerful to tell if the folds could be the tight folds preferred inside the current ring or the looser, pet-quality folds.

No matter being folded, the ears are nonetheless expressive and swivel to concentrate, lay once more in anger, and prick up when the can opener whirrs. The fold inside the ear can become a lot much less pronounced when the cat is in heat, upset, or sick. Although some Fold householders report an elevated manufacturing of wax buildup of their cats’ ears, apparently the folded ears do not make the cat additional vulnerable to mites or infections. The beforehand reported susceptibility to deafness is also related to the reality that many early Scottish Folds had been white, and white cats might be liable to deafness unrelated to the fold gene.

SCOTTISH FOLD BREED STANDARD

Head Type: The highest is spherical with a company, chin and spherical, full cheeks. A flattened, or dish face is typical, nonetheless not necessary. Males can appear pretty jowly as they mature and it’s a fascinating trait. The ears must be small, folding over forward and downward. Tightly folded, tiny ears are extraordinarily fascinating. The ears are set to the sides, and ideally, physique the rounded skullcap on each aspect. The eyes must be spherical and pretty enormous with a sweet expression. Certainly one of many breeds most beautiful choices. Any eye shade nevertheless some preferences counting on coat shade.

Physique and Tail: The physique is medium dimension and properly rounded with hips equally as giant as shoulders. Company, muscular and thick. Legs are transient to medium with good bone and large, spherical, well-knuckled ft. The tail is medium to prolonged and tapering. A protracted tail is fascinating.

Coat: Fast in measurement, plush, delicate and dense. There are longer coats typically.

Pattern: All colors and patterns are accepted.

Complete Look: This have to be a medium measurement, significantly cobby cat, in some other case well-formed and of fundamental shorthair sort. The excellent ears, coupled with the big, spherical eyes set it apart and gives this cat perhaps primarily essentially the most distinctive expression throughout the feline world. Pretty inside and outdoors, the Scottish Fold cat is an distinctive choice.

A FEW MORE SCOTTISH FOLD CAT FACTS

Scottish Fold kittens are born with common ears that begin to fold over throughout the third week of life. Normally occurring all through the same litter, some individuals ears in no way fold, and these cats are referred to as, not very cleverly, “straights.”

#catbreeds #catlovers #scottishfold

[cafinaltestseriesicai]

Chartered Accountancy (CA) Course

The profession of CA (Chartered Accountant) is financially rewarding and challenging at the same time! In this article, you will be reading about Chartered Accountancy course details, eligibility criteria, further studies & courses, career prospects and job opportunities.

In India, CA education and training is managed by ICAI. ICAI stands for The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. It is the body responsible for maintaining the quality of CA course and education in India.

If one wants to attain the qualification of CA in India, he/she must complete the training and get himself/herself registered with the ICAI. Membership has to be renewed each year.

 What are the functions of a CA, you may ask. Basically, as the term Chartered Accountant suggests, CAs deal with auditing, accounting and finance management. These are their primary tasks. However, depending upon specialization, they may venture into other areas too, like- Law, risk assessment, Investment banking etc.

Eligibility criteria

Students who have passed 10+2 from any stream (Science/Commerce/Arts) are eligible to pursue CA course. Graduates or Post Graduates who have completed 3 or 4 years long Bachelor’s Degree program from a reputed institute are also eligible to pursue this course.

 Commerce stream students will find ca final test series icai relatively comfortable to deal with. This is because of the fact that the course consists of subjects like Accounting and Finance, which are present in 11th and 12th commerce stream schooling.

Despite the above mentioned fact, students from any stream, after 10+2, may give this course a try! Same condition applies in case of graduates and postgraduates.

 Wondering what CA course structure is like? Want to know check out the course duration? Let us check out the course details and you will get answers to all the questions mentioned above.

 CA course details

CA course can be divided into three main levels. They are-

CPT     (Common Proficiency Test)

IPCC     (Integrated Professional Competence Course)

CA Final     Course

 CPT is the entry level test. IPCC is the first stage of theoretical education and Final course is the final stage of theoretical education. Only on completing the above 3 stages, a candidate is said to have finished the course! There are no regular colleges (like in case of other professional courses) offering CA course. One must apply online, pay the fees and prepare like one is in ‘correspondence’ mode. Yes, one may take coaching and training provided by CA tutors. Duration to complete whole course depends on one’s aptitude. Generally, it could be wrapped up in 5 years.

1 CPT

Common Proficiency Test (CPT) which is designed in the pattern of entry level test for engineering, medical and other professional courses. It is a test of 4 hours duration comprising of two sessions of 2 hours each, with a break between two sessions. The test comprises of objective type questions only with negative marking for choosing wrong options. CPT syllabus include the following subjects-

Fundamentals     of Accounting

Mercantile     Laws

General     Economics

Quantitative     Aptitude

 Note (CPT Exemption Rule): Students who are Graduates/ Post Graduates in Commerce having secured in aggregate a minimum of 55% of the total or its equivalent by studying any three papers of 100 marks each out of Accounting, Auditing, Mercantile Laws, Corporate Laws, Economics, Management (including Financial Management), Taxation (including Direct Tax Laws and Indirect Tax Laws), Costing, Business Administration or Management Accounting or other than those falling under Commerce stream having secured in aggregate a minimum of 60% of the total marks or its equivalent grade in the examination conducted by any recognized University (including Open University) and Candidates who have passed the Intermediate level examination conducted by The Institute of Cost Accountants of India or by The Institute of Company Secretaries of India are exempted from qualifying Common Proficiency Test (CPT). Such students can directly register to the Intermediate (IPCC) Course, which is the first stage of theoretical education.

  2 IPCC

This is the first stage of theoretical education in CA course. This level focuses on theoretical knowledge about accounting and related subjects. This theoretical course is followed by training session (articleship) and final course.

IPCC syllabus include-

Accounting

Business Laws, Ethics and Communication

Cost Accounting and Financial Management

Taxation

Advanced Accounting

Auditing and Assurance

Information Technology and Strategic Management

 Students who are pursuing the Final year Graduation Course can also register for the Intermediate (Integrated Professional Competence) Course on provisional basis and such students, registration would be regularised and they can commence articled training only on submission of satisfactory proof of having passed the Graduation examination with the specified percentage of marks within six months from the date of appearance in the final year graduation examination.

 While going through IPCC, a candidate also has to complete 35 hours of orientation program and 100 hours of ITT (Information Technology Training). ITT consists of computer knowledge, MS Office programs, ICAI CA software, E Filing, Web Technology, Accounting package, project work etc.

After going through above mentioned stages and completing them, a candidate then has to join 3 years long practical training at an auditing firm or accountancy firm. This practical training is known as ‘articleship’. A candidate is entitled to a stipend while he/she is going through this training program. During practical training, a candidate also has to complete two courses on General Management and Communication Skills.

 After qualifying both groups of IPCC and completing the training program, a candidate may join the CA final course.

  3 Final course

The last leg of the Chartered Accountancy course is Final Course, designed to impart expert knowledge in financial reporting, auditing and professional ethics, taxation, corporate laws, system control, strategic finance and advanced management accountancy. Practical knowledge is given much importance in this stage.

 Syllabus-

Financial     Reporting

Strategic     Financial Management

Advanced     Auditing and Professional Ethics

Corporate     and Allied Laws

Advanced     Management Accounting

Information     Systems Control and Audit

Direct     Tax Laws

Indirect     Tax Laws

 After qualifying the final examination, one may acquire membership of ICAI! One may use the prefix of CA with his/her name after acquiring membership!

 Further studies and courses

After CA course, Chartered Accountants may pursue advanced courses and specialize in disciplines such as law, finance management, taxation etc. Some of the well known advanced courses available are-

CFA     (Chartered Financial Analyst)

FRM     (Financial Risk Manager)

MBA     (Finance)

CFP     (Certified Financial Planner)

CS     (Company Secretary) course

CWA     (Cost and Work Accountants)

Actuarial     Sciences

LL.B.

Career prospects and job opportunities

CAs have numerous job opportunities available in front of them. Government as well as private sector offers diverse job opportunities and profiles. Tax related matters, finance management and auditing are the main work formats that CAs get. It is like bread and butter for them. With experience and further education, they may venture into fields like Risk assessment and management, budgeting, financial planning etc.

 Well known areas where CAs may find a job include-

Banking     and Insurance Sector (Government and Private)

Income     Tax Department

Tax     Advisory Firms

Auditing     Firms

Stock     Broking Firms

Investment     Banking Firms

Asset     Management Firms

Law     Firms (LL.B. Degree will be useful)

Finance     Companies

CA Firms

Corporate     Houses (Planning and Budgeting team)

 Most industries and companies, from manufacturing to services sector, have to deal with finance matters and tax matters. Qualified CAs are required by such companies to deal with tax matters in an efficient manner. Many companies even have dedicated CAs who take care of tax matters and auditing.

Besides working for a CA firm, one may also start one’s own practice. Before starting independent service, one must gain enough working experience by working for a firm. Some well known job profiles include-

Auditor (statutory, internal, tax etc)

Cost Accountant

Tax specialist (Direct and Indirect taxes)

Investment Banker

Asset Manager

Manager/Assistant Manager (Accounts, Finance, Credit     etc)

Consultant

#mock test icai

[marksexcel]

Government Jobs SBI Recruitment

State Bank of India (SBI) has published notification for a recruitment of Circle Based Officer posts. For more important information please refer the official notification. If you have any queries please comment. The interested and eligible candidates can apply online till 16th August 2020.

Government Jobs Vacancies Details:

Post Name

Vacancies

Qualification

Circle Based Officer CBO

3850

Bachelor Degree in any Stream and Knowledge the Local Language with 2 years experience

Government Jobs Essential Qualifications:

Graduation in any discipline from a recognised University or any equivalent qualification recognised as such by the Central Government. Note: i. The date of passing eligibility examination will be the date appearing on the mark sheet or provisional certificate issued by the University/ Institute. In case the result of a particular examination is posted on the website of the University/ Institute, a certificate issued by the appropriate authority of the University/ Institute indicating the date on which the result was posted on the website will be taken as the date of passing. ii. Candidate should indicate the percentage obtained in Graduation calculated to the nearest two decimals in the online application. Where CGPA/ OGPA is awarded, the same should be converted into percentage and indicated in the online application. If called for interview, the candidate will have to produce a certificate issued by the appropriate authority inter alia stating the norms of the University regarding conversion of grade into percentage and the percentage of marks scored by the candidate in terms of these norms. iii. Calculation of Percentage: The percentage marks shall be arrived at by dividing the total marks obtained by the candidate in all the subjects in all the semester(s)/ year(s) by aggregate maximum marks in all the subjects irrespective of honours/ optional/ additional optional subject, if any. This will be applicable for those Universities also where Class/ Grade is decided on basis of Honours marks only. The fraction of percentage so arrived will be ignored i.e. 59.99% will be treated as less than 60% and 54.99% will be treated as less than 55%.

Government Jobs Circle wise Vacancies Details:

State

SC

ST

OBC

EWS

GEN

Total

Gujarat

112

56

2020

75

305

750

Karnataka

112

56

202

75

305

750

Madhya Pradesh

44

22

79

29

122

296

Chhattisgarh

15

07

28

10

44

104

Tamil Nadu

82

41

148

55

224

550

Telangana

82

41

148

55

224

550

Rajasthan

45

22

81

30

122

300

Maharastra (Excluding Mumbai)

77

38

139

51

212

517

Goa

04

02

08

03

16

33

Grand Total

573

295

1035

383

1574

3850

Government Jobs Age limit Pay scale:

  Post Name

Age Limit

Pay Scale

Circle Based Officer CBO

Max 30 years as on 1st Aug 2020

Rs.23700-42020

 Government Jobs Application Fees:

For UR/EWS/OBC Candidates Rs750/-.

For SC/ST/PH Candidates Nill.

Payment mode Online/Offline Mode.

Important Dates of this government jobs:

Starting Date to Apply Online.

27/07/2020

Closing Date to Apply Online.

16/08/2020

Last date Printing Your Application

31/08/2020

How to Apply for this government jobs?

The interested and eligible candidates can apply online till 16th August 2020.

To apply online click here.  

Candidates will be required to register themselves online through Bank's website https://ift.tt/2sBlOZR or https://ift.tt/2kejxM5. After registration candidates are required to pay the requisite application fee through online mode by using debit card/ credit card/ Internet Banking. Helpdesk: In case of any problem in filling up the form, payment of fee/ intimation charges or receipt of Admission/ call letter, queries may be made at telephone no. 022-22820427 (between 11:00 AM to 04:00 PM on working days) or lodge their query on Bank’s Careers website. Candidates should mention ‘RECRUITMENT OF CIRCLE BASED OFFICERS IN STATE BANK OF INDIA-2020’ in the subject of the email. a. List of documents to be uploaded: The list of the documents to be uploaded is as below. i. Recent Photograph, ii. Signature, iii. ID Proof (PDF), iv. Proof of Date of Birth (PDF), v. Brief Resume – detailing educational/ professional qualification, experience and assignments handled (PDF), vi. Educational Certificates: Relevant MarkSheets/ Degree/ Certificate (PDF), vii. Professional Qualification Certificate (eg. MBA, CA, CFA, ICWA etc.), if any. viii. JAIIB/ CAIIB Certificate (if any), ix. Experience certificates (PDF), x. Form-16/ Salary Slip (PDF), xi. 10th or 12 th standard mark sheet/ certificate evidencing having studied the specified local language of the applied State as one of the subjects. b. Guidelines for scanning the documents, photograph & signature: Before applying online, the candidate will be required to have a scanned (digital) image of his/ her/ their documents, photograph and signature as per the guidelines given in Annexure-I. Online application will not be registered unless candidates upload photo, signature and documents as specified Note: i. If, the face in the photograph or signature is unclear, the applicant’s candidature may be rejected. ii. In case, the photograph or signature is unclear, the candidate may edit his/ her/ their application and reupload his/ her/ their photograph or signature.

Before applying online a candidate will be required to keep ready a scanned (digital) image of his/ her/ their photograph and signature as per the specifications given below. a. Signature: i. The applicant has to sign on white paper with Black Ink pen. ii. The signature must be signed only by the applicant and not by any other person. iii. The signature will be used to put on the Call Letter and wherever necessary. iv. Size of file should be between 10 - 20 kb & Dimensions 140 x 60 pixels (preferably). v. Ensure that the size of the scanned image is not more than 20 kb. vi. Signature in CAPITAL LETTERS shall NOT be accepted b. Photograph: i. Photograph must be a recent passport style colour picture. ii. File size should be between 20 - 50 kb and Dimensions 200 x 230 pixels (preferably) iii. Make sure that the picture is coloured and is taken against a light-coloured, (preferably white) background. iv. Look straight at the camera with a relaxed face. v. If picture is taken on a sunny day, please make sure that the sun is behind you, or you are in a shaded area, so that you are not squinting or there are no harsh shadows. In case flash is used, ensure there's no "red-eye" vi. If you wear glasses make sure that there are no reflections and your eyes can be seen clearly. vii. Caps, hats and dark glasses are not acceptable. Religious headwear is allowed but it must not cover your face. xii. Ensure that size of the scanned image is not more than 50 kb. In case file size is more than 50 kb, then adjust the scanner settings such as DPI resolution, number of colour etc., before scanning the photo. c. Document: i. All documents must be in PDF format. ii. Page size of the document should be A4. iii. Size of the file should not exceed 500 kb. iv. In case a Document is being scanned, please saved it as PDF with size not more than 500 kb. If the size of the file is more than 500 kb, then adjust the setting of the scanner such as the DPI resolution, no. of colors etc., before rescanning the file. v. Please ensure that Documents uploaded are clear and readable.

d. Guidelines for scanning of photograph/ signature/ documents: i. Set the scanner resolution to a minimum of 200 dpi (dots per inch) ii. Set Color to True Color iii. Crop the image in the scanner to the edge of the photograph/ signature, then use the upload editor to crop the image to the final size (as specified above)The photo/ signature file should be of JPG or JPEG format (i.e. file name should appear as: image01.jpg or image01.jpeg). iv. Image dimensions can be checked by listing the folder/ files or moving mouse over the file image icon. v. Candidates using MS Windows/ MSOffice can easily obtain photo and signature in .jpeg format not exceeding 50 kb & 20 kb respectively by using MS Paint or MSOffice Picture Manager. Scanned photograph and signature in any format can be saved in .jpg format by using ‘Save As’ option in the File menu. The file size can be reduced below 50 kb (photograph) & 20 kb (signature) by using crop and then resize option (Please see point (i) & (ii) above for the pixel size) in the ‘Image’ menu. Similar options are available in another photo editor also. vi. While filling in the Online Application Form the candidate will be provided with a link to upload his/ her photograph and signature. e. Procedure for Uploading Document: i. There will be separate links for uploading each document. ii. Click on the respective link "Upload" iii. Browse & select the location where the JPG or JEPG or PDF file has been saved. iv. Select the file by clicking on it and Click the 'Upload' button. v. Click Preview to confirm that the document is uploaded and accessible properly before submitting the application. If the file size and format are not as prescribed, an error message will be displayed vi. Once uploaded/ submitted, the Documents uploaded cannot be edited/ changed. vii. After uploading the photograph/ signature in the online application form candidates should check that the images are clear and have been uploaded correctly. In case the photograph or signature is not prominently visible, the candidate may edit his/ her application and re-upload his/ her photograph or signature, prior to submitting the form. If the face in the photograph or signature is unclear, the candidate’s application may be rejected.

Government Jobs Important Note:

i. The reservation under various categories will be as per prevailing government guidelines. ii. Reservation for PWD candidates is horizontal and is included in the vacancies of various parent categories. iii. Vacancies reserved for OBC category are available to OBC candidates belonging to ‘’Non-creamy layer’’. Candidates belonging to OBC category but coming in ‘’CREAMY LAYER’’, are not entitled for any relaxation/ reservation available to OBC category. They should indicate their category as General OR General (LD/ VI/ HI/ d&e) as applicable. iv. OBC category candidate should submit the OBC certificate on format prescribed by Govt. of India, having “Non-Creamy Layer’’ clause issued during period 01.04.2020 to the date of taking up appointment, if selected. v. Reservation for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) in recruitment is governed by Office Memorandum no. 36039/1/2019-Estt (Res) dt. 31.01.2019 of Department of Personnel & Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievance & Pensions, Government of India. Disclaimer: “EWS vacancies are tentative and subject to further directives of Government of India and outcome of any litigation. The appointment is provisional and is subject to the income & Asset certificate being verified through the proper channels.” vi. Benefit of reservation under EWS category can be availed upon production of an ‘Income and Asset Certificate’ issued by a Competent Authority on the format prescribed by Govt. of India. vii. Candidates against whom there is/ are adverse report regarding character & antecedents, moral turpitude etc. are not eligible to apply for the post. viii. Candidates with record of default in repayment of loans/ credit card dues and/ or against whose name adverse report of CIBIL or other agencies is available, will not be appointed in case of selection. The position in this regard will be verified before joining.

Government jobs FAQ:

Q1 Which post have available in this government jobs recruitment notice?

Ans  Circle Based Officer CBO.

 Q2 How much government jobs vacancies are available ?

Ans.  3850 Posts.

Q3 What is the minimum qualification required for these government jobs vacancies?

Ans  as per post see para vacancies details.

Q4 What is the minimum age limit required for this government jobs hiring?

Ans. as per post see para vacancies details.

Q5. What is the last date of submission of this government jobs application?

Ans.16/08/2020.

Q6. Is it a part time government jobs?

Ans. No   

Q7. How can I apply for this government jobs?

Ans. see para how to apply.

Q8. What is prescribed format of government jobs application?

Ans.  See para how to apply.

 Q9. What is pay scale for this government jobs?

Ans. as per post see para vacancies details.

Q10. What is the job location of this government jobs?

Ans.   See para circle wise vacancies details.

Disclaimer: Kindly check the all details from respective website before apply to this government jobs.

government jobs

#IFTTT #Blogger

[janeaddamspeace]

History will be kinder to student organizers of walkout than their critics #JACBA Newsletter

History will be kinder to student organizers of walkout than their critics

In Phillip Hoose's book, "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice," Colvin recounts her fear of reprisals for her activism, although it was the armed Klan she worried about, not a college rejection letter.

Her words should inspire Georgia teens facing pressure to remain silent. "But worried or not, I felt proud. I had stood up for our rights. I had done something a lot of adults hadn't done."

Read More

Hey, Little Ant by Phillip and Hannah Hoose 1999 Awardee

Claudette Colvin by Phillip Hoose 2010 Awardee

She Walked the Walk: How Barbara Johns Continues to Inspire Us

This Black History Month we remember the life, the courage, and the sacrifice of Barbara Rose Johns. Her actions inspire us to keep walking the walk, just like she did.

Read More

The Girl From the Tar Paper School: Barbara Rose Johns and the advent of the Civil Rights Movement by Teri Kanefield 2015 Awardee

We Asked for Your Favorite Hidden Figures From Black History. Your Responses Were Powerful.

"First she liberated herself by registering to vote, and then she helped to liberate others by spreading that message and recruiting others to register to vote," explains Carole Boston Weatherford, a New York Times bestselling author who writes about heroes and forgotten struggles for children. Her book Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement, chronicles Hamer's life through first-person poetry.

Read More

CFA Institute Supports Diversity at the 2018 Festival of the Book

Conversations that broaden one's thinking, that help support empathy, and that welcome all participants are more important to our community-and our nation-than ever.

African-American Heroes: Lives Told in Pictures-Lesa Cline-Ransome (Before She was Harriet), James Ransome (Be a King), and Carole Boston Weatherford (Schomburg) read from and discuss their historical picture books, which tell important stories of African-American heroes in the Civil Rights and social justice movements.

Read More

Birmingham, 1963 by Carole Boston Weatherford 2008 Awardee

The legacy of storytelling in African-American history

"My coming to writing was both an act of resistance, because how dare me not be on the pages. And a desire to not have my experience of spending many years not seeing myself on the pages happen for another young person," Woodson said.

Read More

Young People's Ambassador Jacqueline Woodson

The Library of Congress in collaboration with the Children's Book Council and Every Child a Reader inaugurated Jacqueline Woodson as the new National Ambassador for Young People's Literature.

Read More

Each Kindness written by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by E.B. Lewis 2013 Awardee

From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun by Jacqueline Woodson 1996 Awardee

I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This by Jacqueline Woodson 1995 Awardee

If Afghanistan Ran The Oscars, 'The Breadwinner' Would Triumph

"After the movie was over and the lights were turned back on, I saw tears in the eyes of many Afghans. I couldn't stop my own tears," says Abdul Rahim Ahmad Parwani, deputy country director of Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, an organization that supports education for Afghan women and girls. "There was a short uncalled-for silence at the end of the film. That itself explains how the movie connected with Afghans."

Read More

How screenwriter Anita Doron adapted The Breadwinner into an Oscar-nominated film

Since it was published in 2000, the YA novel The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis has resonated with readers around the world. The story centers on 11-year-old Parvana, who must disguise herself as a boy to work in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan after her father is inexplicably taken to prison. The Breadwinner was recently adapted into an animated film, which was produced by Angelina Jolie.

Read More

The Heaven Shop by Deborah Ellis 2005 Awardee

The Breadwinner Trilogy, three books by Deborah Ellis 2004 Awardee

Parvana's Journey by Deborah Ellis 2003 Awardee

Children's Books: India Before & After

Claire A. Nivola's delicate watercolors show him collecting cast-off materials and then slowly, on disused scrubland, constructing a hidden world of sculptures, mosaics and flowering plants. Incredibly, we're told, "Nek built his kingdom over twelve acres and kept it secret for fifteen years," and in a jaw-dropping two-page fold-out of photographs at the end, we see his secret kingdom's stunning contours. It's an amazing, impossible creation-and it's real.

Read More

Emma's Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty, written by Linda Glaser with paintings by Claire A. Nivola 2011 Awardee

Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai, written and illustrated by Claire A. Nivola 2009 Awardee

The Bookshelf: In 'Mary's Monster,' Mary Shelley Comes to Life

This week on The Bookshelf from NHPR is Lita Judge of Peterborough. Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, was first published 200 years ago. It told the story of Dr. Frankenstein who created a living thing, a monster, using parts of human bodies stolen from a graveyard. A new book by Peterborough author and illustrator Lita Judge tells the story of how Mary Shelley came to write her most famous novel. It's called, Mary's Monster.

Lita Judge's Reading Recommendations: Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir by Margarita Engle. "I adore Margarita Engle. She is a beautiful Cuban-American poet who writes with such evocative language. This is a memoir in verse. It's a transporting experience to live through her eyes. We learn compassion and kindness for other people through their personal stories."

Read More

One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II by Lita Judge 2008 Awardee

Silver People: Voices from the Panama Canal by Margarita Engle 2015 Awardee

The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle 2009 Awardee

Well constructed in South Sudan

The project began during the 2015-16 school year after Fort Loudoun Middle School students read "A Long Walk to Water" by Linda Sue Park, which includes a true story of Salva Dut, a Sudanese Lost Boy, and a fictional story of young village girl Nya. The book was distributed to each middle school over the course of a year.

Read More

A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story by Linda Sue Park 2011 Awardee

When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park 2003 Awardee

---

The Jane Addams Children's Book Award annually recognizes children's books of literary and aesthetic excellence that effectively engage children in thinking about peace, social justice, global community, and equity for all people.

Read more about the 2017 Awards.

[ainawgsd]

Ragdoll

The Ragdoll is a cat breed with blue eyes and a distinct colourpoint coat. Developed by American breeder Ann Baker in the 1960s, it is best known for its docile and placid temperament and affectionate nature. The name "Ragdoll" is derived from the tendency of individuals from the original breeding stock to go limp and relaxed when picked up.

In the 1960's, a regular non pedigreed white domestic longhaired cat named Josephine produced several litters of typical cats. Josephine was of a Persian/Angora type and had litters sired by several unknown male Birman or Burmese-like cats, one of which had the Siamese point coloration. Josephine later produced kittens with a docile, placid temperament, affectionate nature, and a tendency to go limp and relaxed when picked up. When a subsequent litter produced more of the same, Ann Baker purchased several kittens from the owner who lived behind her and, believing that she had something special, set out to create what is now known as the ragdoll. The breed was selectively bred over many years for desirable traits, such as large size, gentle demeanor, and a tendency to go limp when picked up, as well as the striking pointed coloration.

Baker, in an unusual move, spurned traditional cat-breeding associations. She trademarked the name "Ragdoll", set up her own registry (the International Ragdoll Cat Association (IRCA)) ca. 1971, and enforced stringent standards on anyone who wanted to breed or sell cats under that name. Because Baker owned the rights to the name "Ragdoll", no offshoot groups were legally able to call their cats Ragdolls until 2005, when the trademark on "Ragdoll" was not renewed. The Ragdolls were also not allowed to be registered in other breed associations. The IRCA is still in existence today but is quite small, particularly since Baker's death in 1997. 

In 1975, a group led by a husband-and-wife team, Denny and Laura Dayton, broke ranks with the IRCA with the aim of gaining mainstream recognition for the Ragdoll. Beginning with a breeding pair of IRCA cats, this group eventually developed the Ragdoll standard currently accepted by major cat registries such as the CFA and the FIFe.

The Ragdoll is marketed by breeders as having a docile, calm and floppy nature with claims that these characteristics have been passed down from the Persian and Birman breeds. Opinions vary as to whether this trait might be the result of genetic mutation. The extreme docility of some individuals has led to the myth that Ragdolls are pain resistant. Some breeders in Britain have tried to breed away from the limpness owing to concerns that extreme docility "might not be in the best interests of the cat".

The Ragdoll is one of the largest domesticated cat breeds, with a sturdy body, large frame, and proportionate legs. The genes for point coloration are responsible for the blue eyes of the Ragdoll. More intense shades of blue are favored in cat shows. Although the breed has a plush coat, it consists mainly of long guard hairs, while the lack of a dense undercoat results, according to the Cat Fanciers' Association, in "reduced shedding and matting"

Ragdolls come in 6 different colors: red, seal, chocolate and the corresponding "dilutes", including blue, lilac, and cream. This also includes the lynx and tortoiseshell variations in all colors and the three patterns. The three different patterns are:Colorpoint – One color darkening at the extremities (nose, ears, tail, and paws).Mitted – Same as pointed, but with white paws and abdomen. With or without a blaze (a white line or spot on the face), but must have a "belly stripe" (white stripe that runs from the chin to the genitals) and a white chin. Bicolor – White legs, white inverted V on the face, white abdomen and sometimes white patches on the back. (Excessive amounts of white, or "high white", on a bicolor is known as the Van pattern, although this doesn't occur nearly as often as the other patterns.)

#feline abc's #R #ragdoll #cat show politics #source: google