Kittens and Le Tour Because I Don't Have A Life ...

Right now my life is comprised of kittens and Le Tour de France. I stumble awake at my usual 3:15 am, download orders and answer emails, write my blog, go to the gym, switch my gym bag for my laptop, take care of the kittens, and go to work. After work I go home, catch up on emails, watch a little TV and go to bed at 9:00 pm, only to start it all again the next day. But since I am working for Chickie, I'm also squeezing laundry, grocery shopping, and housecleaning into that schedule and it's not squeezing in very well. We're starting to get a bit ragged around the edges and it will be even worse in September when she goes to Spain for a longer vacation. "sigh"

The furry demons were quite pleased with their little treat of some
wet food added to their dry portions. A breakfast treat for the girls.
That's Roxie closest to you and Tilde behind her. 

 The kittens are adorable. They are around a year old, so still qualify as kittens in my mind. They're growing up fast. Yesterday I was the only person on the schedule, so I knew they'd be lonely. I decided to give them a special treat for their morning food ration and added some wet food to their dry food. I think I'm their favorite Auntie now. They have a battery-operated timed food dispenser for their evening meals. It's the brown container at the bottom left of the photo. I fill it, set the timer dial, and it pops open for them at around 7:30-8:00 pm. Pretty easy and rather nifty.

Some rolling hills to begin with today, but then a monster of a mountain,
Mont Ventoux to end the day in style. The peloton is starting to be
stressed and banged up, so getting up this peak should split times even more. 

Yesterday's stage at Le Tour was a real surprise. It was supposed to be a sprinter's stage, and indeed, it was won by Peter Sagan, but the rider in second place less than a second away was Chris Froome, the current leader of the Tour and he who currently wears the yellow jersey. Froome is going all out this year to win the Tour. I'm quite impressed with him and he's riding a really excellent race. Quintana is probably out of contention after yesterday, so it was a good shake-up in the GC ranks.

Mont Ventoux has been in Le Tour several times and always
leaves an impression. Additionally, today is Bastille Day, so
ending the stage near the top of this fabled bald peak is
a perfect choice. Race organizers pulled the end back
6K from the actual top of the peak because of 100kph
winds causing safety concerns. It's still going to be a beast
of a climb. 

Today we get Montpelior to Mont Ventoux as we celebrate Bastille Day in the appropriate style. What a glorious way to celebrate French Independence Day. Have a great Thursday.