Jeopardy

The peace was jeopardised this morning when I came down to sit and write only to hear snarling outside.  Ginge, neighbourhood cat, on the patio facing off with Pearly – our cat.  I opened the door and they split, Ginge shooting down the garden and Pearly straight in to demand breakfast before trotting upstairs to bed.

Given that the weather has cooled down and we’ve had various showers over the last few days, I decided to play a game of jeopardy too – I put the washing on the line.

When I got out there and started putting things on the whirler, I discovered I was actually playing game of double jeopardy.  Some kind animal had left a substantial – well let’s call it a calling card, shall we? – within the whirler’s radius.  So, I had to change the way I hang long skirts and trousers because I do not want them accidently swinging into that.

While I was out there, Ozzie, a neighbour’s cat and frequent visitor to our garden, appears on the fence.  He wanders down to where I’m standing, sniffs the laundry basket and saunters off – straight through the open door and into the conservatory!  Cheeky blighter.  Inside I see him sniff at the kitchen door (also open), but at that point he turned, saw me looking at him, then he ran back out.

I finished pegging out the washing, assuming Ozzie had run off. When I came in, I closed the conservatory door behind me, only to hear a bell tinkling as Ozzie runs out of the kitchen from the direction of Pearly’s bowls and wants out.  I let him go.  Trapped with a scared cat is not a place I want to be.

I did check, and what little Pearly’s left of her breakfast, was gone.

Missing

I missed a blog last night, just because I just lost track of time.  Was a bit out of it yesterday too.  Today was more of a meh day, better, but not great.  Still every day is a good thing.

Managed to finish an edit on someone else’s novel, only the critique document to do now. Also got my own work to get on with.

Not sure what’s caused this bit of a downturn in my mood, have a worry that it’s the result of the call to work, but hate that idea. I can’t not work, so I’m probably being selfish and stupid in the reaction.  Like the logo says, I just have to keep calm and carry on.

In less fun news, I put a load of bedding plants in my front garden last week (there are pictures in previous blogs), the little four legged friends in the area have only gone and dug up the corner of the bed and discarded at least two of the pansy plants. I did try to save them, but they just got dug up again.  I have absolutely no proof of this, but I suspect the local cats using the corner for a dirt box, charmers that they are.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. 

Peeling

I like cooking. Well I like eating, so why wouldn’t I?

Thing is my hubby works shifts and I work a long way from home, usually he cooks for when I get in, that works if he’s on nights (leaves at 6pm) or off. If he’s on days (arrives at 8pm) I cook. 

Since I’m off, I’ve been doing more cooking, which is great. I’ve been menu planning, buying to needs and wasted next to nothing – except a bag of basa filets which I accidently left out when getting something else out to thaw. Mind those weren’t wasted, I cooked them, our cat had some, the rest went into the backgarden and the local wildlife had it away before morning. Local wildlife is currently Ozzie, Collarless, Ginge. Then there’s the birds.  A wood pigeon was in the front garden this morning – one so big, the cat thought twice about going out.  There are gulls, magpies, others, starlings that do murmurations so close to the house I’m worried, never mind the cat.

Anyway, back to cooking. 

I feel like I’ve peeled potatoes ever day for the last week. Yesterday I while peeling and took a big chunk off my nail. I’m a nail biter, but not so much while under less stress, so my nails have grown a couple of mm. Not that one, not now. Still at least it was a painless nail cut, not my flesh. By the way it was left hanging, didn’t get into the food.

Frankly, I’ve got to the point that if I have to peel one more bloody potato this week I am going to scream.  

Paella tomorrow. 

Oh, my hubby says he misses cooking, so he’s on kitchen duty from Wednesday.

At Odds

Today has been an odd day.

And I literally just typed that and had the oddest moment so far. Before settling down to write, I let my cat out. Typed that and all I can hear from the front of the house is cats screaming at each other.  So, I pushed my laptop aside and went out (in my PJs because I’d come to bed to write without the distraction of TV).

I go out, open the front door, call my cat – nothing.

Cats are still screeching, from which I could tell they are on the far side of the campervan.  So, barefoot, I step on to the drive go around and what do I see?

Not my cat.

It’s Collarless and Ginge.

I’m assuming they both live locally because they are often about and I have seen both scrapping with my cat. 

Collarless is called that, by me, because he’s one of two totally black cats in area. The one with the collar is Ozzie, don’t know what this one is called, so I just call him by the notable feature of his not wearing a collar.

Ginge is a pale ginger cat, don’t know if it (or Collarless for the matter) is male or female, but it keeps coming into our back garden.  The other day I found massive great clump of its fur, so clearly it was fighting out there and something got the better of it.

Since neither is my cat, and my cat wasn’t around, and it’s turned really cold, I left them too it. They are still, now ten minutes after the initial screech, howling at one another. 

That, I’m sorry to say, is the most interesting thing I’ve done all day. (Aside from finishing “Chariots of the Gods” audiobook.)