Furry gifts

Last night at midnight our visiting cat came to see us. She was very excitable and full of energy.

This morning I realised why she'd been so lively, there were *2* dead rats laid out by our back door, one adult and one young one, side by side.

Chat

My brother J and I decided that if I were to write a book it would be titled "Don't poke the swan". His would be "Stress doesn't exist".

We swap philosophies and stretch out on the sofa and chairs.

The cat makes an appearance and manages to be in the kitchen at the same time as some defrosted steak I carelessly left covered up on a counter. We all know what happens next. So no steak for us now! I have put a note in at our neighbours' door and hope the cat is ok...It was my fault and I should have known better after all the years of having cats around.

We went for a walk in the village, sat on a bench a couple have decided to put outside their front door. Then picked blackberries and chatted to a woman and a dog doing something complicated with a long, white tape in a field for horses.

Recognition

Am I tempting fate by saying that I think I am beyond that awful feeling that being a mother was magically not nearly enough to justify my existence? Even though it was taking all my hours and with no weekends or lunch breaks either. Lulu land! In what crazy world could a woman tending to a household day and night for *years* be seen as 'not working'?

Anyway, good bye to all that. Watching the cat and the plants lets me see that life is for living. It is a free gift, so there!! The actions I take each day are my life. The actions I don't take are also my life. The cat gets to sleep on a fleece and kill small mammals. She has no CV behind her or carefully planned route ahead of her. She is cherished by some humans and just does her catty thing each day.

Obviously I hope I'm guiding the boys well, but they have access to a whole world of other people's views to learn from too. They are mammals and have brains to use to make their own judgements.

White Cats - Black Cats

A year ago our lovely cat Snowy died. And practically to the minute a black cat walked into our house. She has been meowing a lot, sitting on my knee, exploring right up to the top floor and doing a good impression of a cat who wants a new home.

I am not being fooled, she is sleek, well-fed, healthy, has no fight injuries and has a pink glittery collar. I did feel between her shoulder blades to see if she has been micro-chipped. No chip, but she still looks like a cat with loving humans who take her to the vet and give her worm pills!

Anyway, RIP Snowy! Our sofa looks empty without you.