At my
house, the standing summer tradition when the weather is particularly fine (started
by my parents and continued by myself) is to always have the front door wide
open from sunrise till dark. It’s a way of cooling the house. For those of you
wondering the why of it. The recent delightful London weather resulted in the
front door being left wide on many a day.
The
postie shouts up when delivering mail and I pop down for a chat. Not so much
during Lockdown, but it still happens. Neighbours stick a head in and I stop
for a tea or coffee break, depending on schedules and commitments. Most
recently I’ve had the pleasure of visits from my neighbour’s cat Nala. She’s
newish to the neighbourhood, having been adopted from Battersea not so long ago.
These visits
started out as shy forays up the stairs with a hasty dash back down if I
spotted her. Gradually a ‘hello’ in her direction has turned into treats left
in the hallway, then a stroke or two at the front door. We’ve now graduated to full
on cuddles and a pass of inspection round the living room, checks on the rooms
upstairs then back down for a sniff and wend round the papers, books and stationery
on my desk. Not forgetting the obligatory crossing of my keyboard with tail
right in front of my face. This last makes for some interesting edits in my
works in progress. Zoom meetings also get a pass by on occasion.
I’m
terrible at capturing these moments. My phone is never to hand or I’m too busy
chatting to her to remember. But I’ve gained her trust to such a degree that
her people now acknowledge my place as one of Nala’s many holiday residences (3
we know of). They’ve agreed to pay the second home tax bill and supply me with
treats such as Roly’s fudge after holiday breaks as recompense. To catch up on
Nala’s antics you can find videos of her exploits on Jinx’s Instagram page and
my Facebook page. I’m just a lowly landlady doing the bidding of a very smooth
kitty operator. And loving the extra benefits I might add.
The
change in seasons means my open door policy will soon come to an end. But I’ve
reopened the redundant cat flap in my front door. Maybe I’ll even upgrade to a
swisher one. Who knows? Milady needs access at all hours after all.
Good News
- Very excited to announce I've been accepted as a reader for Stelliform Press
- Advance Reader copies of The Witch Adoption Project have gone to my ART. Happy reading you lot! If you are interested in joining my team please email me or reply to this post.
- The new poetry book is due out very soon. Days from now in fact. You can have a say in the final cover. Check out the video on my Facebook/Instagram pages and cast your vote.
- I’m working on the extra sections for the Mailing List Exclusive. It should be done by the end of September and available to everyone on my mailing list.
So glad you have such a lovely cat for company. My stint at Shatton finished now. Next is looking after BB3 when Rog goes to Kent and London. Probably October now.
ReplyDeleteI used to leave my front door open on hot days. I was in a first floor flat with my own stairs up. I heard a noise and, thinking it was my neighbour, was surprised to find a fox half way up the stairs. Also used to have a cat visitor. The first time he visited (to my knowledge) was when he sauntered into the hall from my daughter's bedroom later in the evening.
ReplyDeleteWe get a few foxes here too but I've never been visited by any as yet. Familiar with that saunter though. Regularly see them on their evening or early morning jaunts.
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