A rare burst of Welsh Goth for you with the band BLOOD SANCTION, who left behind two fine cassette releases before morphing into Distorshaus.

BLOOD SANCTION - DISCOGS

DISTORSHAUS - DISCOGS

Forty more photos follow below, for paid subscribers.

To view ALL MY INDIE, PUNK AND GOTH PHOTOBOOKS click here »- https://mickmercer.substack.com/publish/post/100069746)

Photos or posters - Click here » MICK MERCER PHOTOS - REDBUBBLE

Goth classics (Gothic Rock Black Book, Gothic Rock, Hex Files etc) on Kindle can be found here » GOTH KINDLE

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Truly legendary guitarist John McKay is back in action these days with John McKay’s Reactor, getting great reviews.

Here we see his only musical project between Siouxsie & The Banshees and now, as ZOR GABOR play the Batcave, comprised of John, bassist Matthew Seligman (ex Soft Boys), vocalist Linda McKay (then Clark) and former Ludus drummer Graham Dowdall, all three of which have featured on some of the recordings that have so far appeared on the ‘Additions’ EP and ‘Sixes And Sevens’ album, which also included some drumming from Kenny Morris. Tragically everyone bar John mentioned above have sadly passed away, a sad indicator of just how fleeting life can be.

JOHN MCKAY - DISCOGS

JOHN MCKAY - FACEBOOK

JOHN MCKAY - BANDCAMP

JOHN MCKAY - INSTA

Interesting interview. Youtube subtitles being great you may find Hamstead Heath comes out as Hamster Teeth! Good name for a band.

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Hard to see the point of this comic, written by Kevin Smith. The amiable idiots find themselves targeted by Doom and a legion of bad guys as Bob has apparently come up with a drink that will bring about a perfect peaceful world which would then make us so weak we are a target for takeover by all sorts. Superheroes galore come to protect the hapless mates and it’s a whimsyfest that soon becomes tiring.

JAY & SILENT BOB - Forbidden Planet mail order

I’ll keep it simple. The Punisher has adopted a dog! Black Cat accidentally hits it with her car and rushes off as bad guys are after her. Frank gets the dog to the emergency vet, then seeks vengeance on Felicia. They fight, a lot, and now he’s dragging her somewhere.

I’m just worried about the dog.

BLACK CAT - Forbidden Planet mail order

No idea why I ordered this as issue 1 didn’t impress. Anyway, here we have another chance to meet a bunch of uninteresting people who have the resources to live in an underground bunker when the world has gone down the toilet. They’re suffering hallucinations as well as some kind of otherworldly intrusion, and their own dogs attack them. Good.

THE HAB - Forbidden Planet mail order

Love that old school cover art and the story is okay, just slow. Whatever this new threat is that Daredevil is facing (now officially named as The Omen) it has the ability to throw all his senses off. Spidey swings by to help him minimise the sensory overload and focus on one thing, which sort of helps, but not greatly. It still appears that Matt is who The Omen is after, not Daredevil, but beyond that nothing is particularly clear. Reasonable stuff. At least Matt hasn’t started having doubts about anything yet. We don’t need any more self-pity.

DAREDEVIL - Forbidden Planet mail order

Another exquisite issue in which D’Orc accidentally gets a vain and pompous Lord burnt to death and takes shelter in the shop of a fortune teller only to discover she is no mere fortune teller, but in his presence is able to trigger the End Of The World! She’s also done something to his trusty talking shield and the decapitated chicken, body and head, appears frozen in two parts.

This comic just gets better and better.

D’ORC - Forbidden Planet mail order

Well Supergirl being upgraded with biotech didn’t last long as now she has this new super-substance suit and is taking the fight to Black Flame, the issue ending with an even bigger transformation for one of the characters. It’s still great fun.

SUPERGIRL - Forbidden Planet mail order

And so to the big one. Every new title in the Absolute series has a lot riding on it, primarily expectations. These Absolute comics are all a level above their regular character’s titles, so let’s see what they have in store for Selina, who we have already seen flitting cockily through the Absolute Batman series.

It zips around a bit to show current Selina, young Selina and mid-period Selina with her dodgy mate Holly, who appears in this story and lands Selina in a heap of trouble, with a gang of Catwoman lookalikes blowing up her home and clearly after something. A big clash at the end with that gang’s leader finds that Selina has been fighting someone known from normal Batman, but won’t have that exact role in this reality so who knows what’s going on?

Classy art, sharp dialogue. It’s another good one. And lots of casual cats, obviously.

ABSOLUTE CATWOMAN - Forbidden Planet mail order

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I have posted these before, but smaller versions, so these are better and the older post in the archive obviously deleted. Here we have Stanwell bands DEAD MAN’S SHADOW (above) and LICENSED TO KILL playing their local youth club, with RIOT CLONE who I always thought came from Ashford just up the road. A small crowd but a fun evening.

LICENSED TO KILL

RIOT CLONE

Licensed To Kill left no online traces, and I don’t know if they ever released anything. The only useful urls are below.

DEAD MAN’S SHADOW - DISCOGS

RIOT CLONE - DISCOGS

RIOT CLONE - BANDCAMP

RIOT CLONE - FACEBOOK

To view ALL MY INDIE, PUNK AND GOTH PHOTOBOOKS click here »- https://mickmercer.substack.com/publish/post/100069746)

Photos or posters - Click here » MICK MERCER PHOTOS - REDBUBBLE

Goth classics (Gothic Rock Black Book, Gothic Rock, Hex Files etc) on Kindle can be found here » GOTH KINDLE

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LICENSED TO KILL

RIOT CLONE

DEAD MAN’S SHADOW

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A cool indie trio who have sadly left no trace. I did post these before, but smaller versions. That old post has been deleted.

23 more photos follow below, for paid subscribers.

To view ALL MY INDIE, PUNK AND GOTH PHOTOBOOKS click here »- https://mickmercer.substack.com/publish/post/100069746)

Photos or posters - Click here » MICK MERCER PHOTOS - REDBUBBLE

Goth classics (Gothic Rock Black Book, Gothic Rock, Hex Files etc) on Kindle can be found here » GOTH KINDLE

If you don’t wish to become a paid subscriber which gets you permanent access to the full archive, including nearly forty thousand photos (that total growing daily) and is only $8/£6 a month, or $80/£60 for a full year, then please consider leaving a tip to help towards my ongoing work here, as I post every day.

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Last night, in bed. I’m watching some World Cup. To the left of me the ginger boys (making us the Ginger Triangle).

To the right of me my faithful Casper.

Then Nanki joined us!

Sherlocke and her “Shit! Shit"!! Shit!!!” expression. I realised something, you see. I get up and go to the bathroom, that’s the routine. She obviously realises I’m up and about and has plenty of time to dash downstairs. Today I got up and went straight into her room. Ha!

Casper got confused and followed me.

Downstairs and Watson does his usual.

Tigger seems surprised that I’m interested in him. He then follows me indoors for no logivsl reason.

Watson stand guard over some crap I’ve been cleaning off the patio.

Sage and Onion blundering about.

Nanki ready to run down the trail in front of him should I dare to approach. I did, so did he.

More of the usual.

Yum-Yum is stirring.

Sage has feed me face.

Demon Rabbit.

Perfectly happy here, thanks. Just completely blocking your way into the front room.

“Shall I sort him out?”

Garden a tiny bit neater, I’m getting there. The Cat World Cup 2026 draws near, although we need to order some new foam footballs. I’ll leave that to Lynda.

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Currently my favourite band in the world for the way they take Gothic music in new directions with their distinctive imagery and ability to highlight modern woes in their own historical storytelling of the wild west, I suddenly realised something. They’ve just released the ‘No Peace’ split EP with The Vladiators, which is Mather Louth and Chopper Franklin being joined by Gav King of the Nephilim, extending Franklin’s recent dub adventures. I was listening on bandcamp to some of his “Spaghetti Western Dub No.1” (which sadly doesn’t include ‘The Hexed’ but I guess that will emerge one day on “No, 2”?) … and then I saw it!

Tucked away in the usual info was the fact you can get it on CD, a limited edition of just 200, or as they describe it, “hand-pulled, screen printed, signed and numbered digipak. Screen Printed digipaks are hand-pulled on chipboard covers, so no two are the same, and each has their own characteristics.” I have no idea what that means, but it sounds exciting. I ordered one straight away and I think with postage it ended up at about £25, which isn’t bad at all, given how horrendous postage from the States has been since Trump started wanking over everything. We’ll come back to the postage in a minute, but first some photos.

So if you want one I’d move pretty quick!

Now, that’s not all. When I was lucky enough to see them playing the public bar at the Anchor in Wingham last year (photos to follow) I managed to buy the five regular studio albums from them, which obviously saved a fortune in postage, and afterwards began contemplating shelling out for the two “Bloodgrass” compilations that gather up various EPs. I found an eBay seller that offers them with free postage (and some of their other aslbums) for £15.19 each. Bargain! So I got those.

Finally I did a last forensic trawl through their bandcamp page and realised I’d messed up as there is still an ancient old CD available, the “Evil Spirits” EP from 2015 on which they work with Jyrki from 69 Eyes. So I grabbed one of those.

And just because I can be a completist at times I also shelled out on eBay for…

Here’s a great video.

And now, let’s have more photos from the Wingham gig (all different from those posted last year).

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Rabbit!

INLUBUS SUKKUBUS - DISCOGS

INKUBUS SUKKUBUS - DOT COM

INKUBUS SUKKUBUS - BANDCAMP

INKUBUS SUKKUBUS - FACEBOOK

INKUBUS SUKKUBUS - YOUTUBE

The great Inkies from 1994 but still going strong now, so why not check out the great new album. 24 more photos follow for paid subscribers.

To view ALL MY INDIE, PUNK AND GOTH PHOTOBOOKS click here »- https://mickmercer.substack.com/publish/post/100069746)

Photos or posters - Click here » MICK MERCER PHOTOS - REDBUBBLE

Goth classics (Gothic Rock Black Book, Gothic Rock, Hex Files etc) on Kindle can be found here » GOTH KINDLE

If you don’t wish to become a paid subscriber which gets you permanent access to the full archive, including nearly forty thousand photos (that total growing daily) and is only $8/£6 a month, or $80/£60 for a full year, then please consider leaving a tip to help towards my ongoing work here, as I post every day.

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As it’s so difficult to get photos of SHERLOCKE I grabbed this after giving her the licky thing treat last night.

The moment she’s had it she’s off, and there’s no sign of her this morning as per usual.

Aware that I am moving around at 7am Watson visits the bedroom.

CASPER contemplates me wisely.

TIGGER relaxes, although both Casper and Tigger have slept either side of my head throughout the night.

NANKI-POO bids me a graceful good morning.

Tigger smartens up.

Watson remains watchful.

YUM-YUM adopts her Head Of Security role.

I’m afraid this is the best SAGE photo I managed.

Ditto ONION. Along with Sage she moves too quickly.

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CASPER a year ago, but popped up in my Farcebook memories and so lovely I needed to share it.

Terrible photo but proof SHERLOCKE strangely came back in for a nap yesterday afternoon. Then when I had the kittens in during the night I went out to get a pizza from the freezer )in a mini stable outdoors) and she was out again. Consequently I am hardly surprised not to have seen her at all today.

TIGGER has been happily dozing on Lynda’s computer chair all day.

In the conservatory WATSON is just as lazy.

While I’m staring into the garden wondering what to do about the lawn when SAGE spots me. I know by his posture what’s coming next.

He is! He can’t resist.

He will ask for food, eat maybe two small mouthfuls and then dash back into the garden.

NANKI was going to come in but now I have flummoxed him.

CASPER stunned by my appearance before devouring some lunch.

Sage just tried saying hello to YUM-YUM. For once she hasn’t had a go at him but he’s realised his mistake.

She trundles on.

The yak.

Sage just scampering around. No sign of Onion yet.

Ah, here she is, ONION on the left and Sage on the right. Often surging round the garden together.

They’re curious as to what I’m doing and only stop when it’s clear I’m going back in.

Yum-Yum about to go out and threaten mother nature.

Nanki slinks off into the shade of the undergrowth. Sensible lad.

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CREAMING JESUS - DISCOGS

Nutters, certainly, but such great songs. If you haven’t checked them out before go to discogs, pick a song and look for it on youtube. You will be pleasantly surprised.

To view ALL MY INDIE, PUNK AND GOTH PHOTOBOOKS click here »- https://mickmercer.substack.com/publish/post/100069746)

Photos or posters - Click here » MICK MERCER PHOTOS - REDBUBBLE

Goth classics (Gothic Rock Black Book, Gothic Rock, Hex Files etc) on Kindle can be found here » GOTH KINDLE

If you don’t wish to become a paid subscriber which gets you permanent access to the full archive, including nearly forty thousand photos (that total growing daily) and is only $8/£6 a month, or $80/£60 for a full year, then please consider leaving a tip to help towards my ongoing work here, as I post every day.

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As I may have mentioned before I live in the middle of nowhere, a miniscule hamlet all but forgotten between two small villages two to three miles either side of us. In nine years nobody has ever got off the bus at night at the same stop as me. On the last bus home after this gig I go to press the button, sweetly indicating it must halt at my command and … someone else beats me to it! A confident maniac is getting off behind me, probably with their own scythe, but we’ll come back to my murder later.

The evening had started out so innocently. I am not a sophisticated chap when it comes to gigs and my requirements. I simply love and appreciate noise and characters. That’s what makes for not just a good but memorable night, sound and vision overlapping, and all of that is rolled out to perfection tonight. The only drawback is it was weirdly dark onstage so the photos are crap. So dark it might be an omen for my early demise. Then again, no-one needs to live forever.

CROWMILK are our first weirdos and they’re already playing when I get there. I struggled with their intricate sound when last I saw them and this sudden and brief collision confuses me still. They have such boisterous drums and crafty guitar the music cascades in varying degrees of brutality, the penultimate song being quite brilliant for its luscious rhythm, with curdled gasping vocals rushing off into oblivion. You can barely see the drummer in this enforced twilight and the guitarist is seated so I don’t take many photos. I also have to admit I don’t know what scene this music fits into or what they’re actually doing, which is exciting in itself. Surprises are good.

TRAPS are similar but coming at wildness from a different angle, yet both bands juggled beauty with ferocity. The Traps singing guitarist unveils a pedal board so big it’s like some supervillain’s arsenal. Even the drummer has a strange mechanoid microphone mask affair. The singer also has his microphone set up angled well away from us so that he’s essentially staring into the void. They’re so loud that after three songs right next to the PA I move to the outer room where I can still hear them just fine and what initially seemed like one endless heaving number does actually develop into a series. There is more atmosphere here than with Crowmilk, more vocal hide and seek among the turbulence, with unpredictable beginnings, and endings, to songs. They still sledgehammer away the moments of intense beauty to leave you aghast at their decisions, but they have their own way, which is central to their charm.

After two odd couples we get down to some serious songs delivered with no serious overtones, as ZOMBIE KILLERS canter through a joyous nine song set, although there is no place for ‘Bats, Rats And Cats’ or whatever it’s called. They fly through the woozy evil of ‘They Live’ and a suitably pulsating ‘Neverending Nghtmr’ like Action Pact stuck in Hell. ‘Population Zero’ crackles gleefully and the deranged sprawl of ‘End Of The World’ is highly engaging with a playful lopsided skatastic opening combined with threshing anger and ... Oceanne’s flute!

‘Necro Disco’ glorifies its own loping rhythmic menace of morose bass and burly drums topped by slithering guitar and scathing vocal inserts. The demented swirl of ‘4 Chord Punk’ has James and Charles creating a brilliant weird clattering thump that the recorded version doesn’t bring through enough.

We get the high-spirited old school punk stomp of ‘Operation Bug’, the taunting ‘Lord Of The Lies’ with demure elements and scampering savagery before ‘Fallout Shelter Party’ is a simple crowd-pleasing, crowd-involving end, but it doesn’t finish there. Encore ‘Eat Shit Die’ brings their friend back to do added ‘vocals’ like at the last gig, and Tom gets to assault a table before handing his guitar off to an enthusiastic onlooker.

Enough detail for you? There is more. I ascertained at the bar that when Tom dons that Japanese headband he is indeed preparing for battle but I also noticed he had a Warhammer bag. It appears he’s kit-bashed some Necromunda figures and given them animal heads! I must look out some of my armed nuns photos for him. He has taste.

So I step off the bus, my enigmatic assailant behind me, and I turn to face … an amiable hippy who regards me with curiosity as the bus purrs away. “This is weird,” I say, to which he replies, “I was going to say the same.” Turns out he moved into the old farmhouse round the corner. I have met a neighbour in the dead of night. We shake hands like gentlemen do and converse while making our cordial way through the darkness. I then get home and Lynda phones immediately, the door camera having informed her I’m alive and magnificent. Cats swarm hungrily, wondering why the old bastard has been so late with the grub, and then I watch some World Cup. Why are Scotland playing in red?

Loads more photos after some relevant urls. Stay tuned!

CROWMILK - BANDCAMP

CROWMILK - FACEBOOK

CROWMILK - INSTA

TRAPS - FACEBOOK

TRAPS - BANDCAMP

TRAPS - INSTA

ZOMBIE KILLERS - INSTA

ZOMBIE KILLERS - YOUTUBE

ZOMBIE KILLERS - FACEBOOK

ZOMBIE KILLERS - BANDCAMP

DRACULA PARROT - FACEBOOK

DRACULA PARROT - INSTA

Lovely poster.

Modern art.

CROWMILK

TRAPS

ZOMBIE KILLERS

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Is WATSON finally getting used to the camera?

I don’t know who was responsible for the breakage.

Not before time, basically.

ONION may be claiming credit. Good girl,

TIGGER happily blundering about.

This is all you get from CASPER. Breakfast then back to sleep. SHERLOCKE has probably been in the garden for hours already.

Not a field of dreams exactly … yet. When Lynda gets back from Crete we need to start planning the Cat World Cup. Sage and Onion deserve nothing less.

The most active Tigger has been all year!

Watson will be sick later I expect.

SAGE has heard about the Cat World Cup and is limbering up.

His dreams are just beginning.

His future is bright.

When I do stuff in the garden these two like following me around.

ONION is very vocal this morning. With one unusual feature.

No sound actually emerges.

Tigger, perplexed.

He must be exhausted.

Nanki, ambivalent.

Onion and Sage, happy together.

YUM-YUM. “What do you want of me?”

None of that! You’re not a Reform councillor.

Oh Lord, here comes a determined Tigger.

A regularly occurring expression.

I often wake up next to the face.

Look at the damage they’ve done to the chair arm!

Onion, looking like a Winstanley ceramic cat.

See?

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SPECIMEN - DISCOGS

I have posted these before but these are better scans so the previous post has been deleted. 25 more photos follow below, for paid subscribers only.

To view ALL MY INDIE, PUNK AND GOTH PHOTOBOOKS click here »- https://mickmercer.substack.com/publish/post/100069746)

Photos or posters - Click here » MICK MERCER PHOTOS - REDBUBBLE

Goth classics (Gothic Rock Black Book, Gothic Rock, Hex Files etc) on Kindle can be found here » GOTH KINDLE

If you don’t wish to become a paid subscriber which gets you permanent access to the full archive, including nearly forty thousand photos (that total growing daily) and is only $8/£6 a month, or $80/£60 for a full year, then please consider leaving a tip to help towards my ongoing work here, as I post every day.

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Through a glass, gormlessly. Yum-Yum contemplates a cheery day ahead.

Nanki’s daily glare at the washing machine. Watson’s tail in the background.

Now yesterday I didn’t see Sherlocke come in, so much as hear her, being chased upstairs by Onion. I went up several times to the main bedroom to coax her calmly out but nothing. I used the torch to look under the bed and she wasn’t there. I have no idea where she hides or how. It’s her most bizarre skill.

Anyway, I stayed up late to chat with Lynda but it turned out she’d fallen asleep in Crete. As I prepare to go to bed Sherlocke dashes out of the room to grab my attention, which means only one thing. She wants what we call the ‘licky thing’, one of the tubes of sweet gooey substance, because this is her treat at the end of every day. Nanki tends to get over-excited and tries to get it, so I follow her into the main bedroom and close the door behind me. She is safe, and she responds by almost speaking to me in her excitement as she twists and turns around joyously on the bed. She then sits demurely and laps away at the stuff, so happy that I then instantly give her another one.

This morning such camaraderie is instantly forgotten. She is a different cat downstairs, something we have never experienced with any cat before. This is her, “you can fuck right off!” face.

She moves around a bit hoping I’ll forget she’s there.

“Sod it!”

Away she goes, where she will remain for twelve hours. I’m off to a gig tonight so won’t see her again until gone midnight, when the licky thing ritual will be enacted.

Nanki enjoys the garden but like most long haired cats he doesn’t stay out in the heat for very long.

Onion craves her freedom.

Sage confidently saunters out.

I don’t think Tigger is particularly bothered, he was just following me.

Sage will now be getting up to no good all day long.

A truly awful photo of Watson who will also be out there all day.

Casper enjoys a spot of sunbathing so he will pop out at some point. Here he simply waits for his food to be presented. He has a busy schedule.

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Teaming up with Typhoid Mary maybe wasn’t the best decision but with her licence revoked Jessica doesn’t feel like she has many options open to her. The pair continue criss-crossing the city, interviewing suspect…

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“HERETICS ALIVE” - DISCOGS

I was asked to record and interview with Valor and with fans outside the venue, working alongside the great Tony Luke (R.I.P.).

To view ALL MY INDIE, PUNK AND GOTH PHOTOBOOKS click here »- https://mickmercer.substack.com/publish/post/100069746)

Photos or posters - Click here » MICK MERCER PHOTOS - REDBUBBLE

Goth classics (Gothic Rock Black Book, Gothic Rock, Hex Files etc) on Kindle can be found here » GOTH KINDLE

If you don’t wish to become a paid subscriber which gets you permanent access to the full archive, including nearly forty thousand photos (that total growing daily) and is only $8/£6 a month, or $80/£60 for a full year, then please consider leaving a tip to help towards my ongoing work here, as I post every day.

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We’ll come back to this.

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ACTION PACT - DISCOGS

If I remember correctly the ‘Y’ club was basically the local YMCA. This night they played alongside Dead Man’s Shadow and The Sustained.

21 more photos follow, for paid subscribers only.

ACTION PACT photobook (128 pages, 162 photos) - Buy » HERE

A snip at £12.60

To view ALL MY INDIE, PUNK AND GOTH PHOTOBOOKS click here »- https://mickmercer.substack.com/publish/post/100069746)

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Goth classics (Gothic Rock Black Book, Gothic Rock, Hex Files etc) on Kindle can be found here » GOTH KINDLE

If you don’t wish to become a paid subscriber which gets you permanent access to the full archive, including nearly forty thousand photos (that total growing daily) and is only $8/£6 a month, or $80/£60 for a full year, then please consider leaving a tip to help towards my ongoing work here, as I post every day.

Tips appreciated. Cheers!

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Mouth agape as usual, but understandably so as young Watson gets to eat breakfast in peace as the kittens have rushed outdoors first chance they get.

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