Ok I've decided to call it Google-baiting: the art of bringing people to your blog from google by using much sought-after phrases out of context.
So to start it off...
The weather is warming up now and the garden is sprouting fresh greenery everywhere, the ducks and geese on the river are getting frisky and it's looks like the swans are a couple. It's all good, because I adore baby ducks and I'm sure the baby geese and swans will be adorable too.
There's a tree not far from the balcony that seems to be the local community centre for all the small birds, so it's branches are always full of house sparrows and blue tits. In an attempt to entice them closer I've hung a couple of feeders (one seed and one nut) above the balcony and they do seem to be attracted. Anyway I was reading in the living room the other day and I glanced up to see a large pair of tits perched on the feeder pecking away at the nuts (Hi there fellas, sorry to disappoint you but this is about British birds of the feathered kind). Unfortunately when I tried to sneak across the room to get the camera they saw me and took off.
Now it's light in the evenings when I get home (and the weather is milder so I can leave the door open) I've started letting the kittens out to play in the garden. Azrael took to it right away but Smurf was really timid and would run back indoors at the slightest provocation. I didn't mind this too much, it keeps her away fromt he road. At the weekend I opened the balcony door and propped it, so as to get some fresh air into the house and the pair of them were playing out there, chasing bits of fluff up and down. I became aware of a funny noise, so I went out to see what the problem was and Smurf was lying on her side scrabbling frantically at the boards and drooling a little, very panicked. I got hold of her and she started to calm down and then she freaked completely, scratched the hell out of me and bolted. I followed her and managed to assure myself that she wasn't hurt or poisoned, just scared stiff, so I left her to calm down. I think maybe her tail had got caught between two of the boards but I'm not sure.
Later on after she'd come for a cuddle and everything was ok again, I heard a clunk and more scrabbling followed by a thud. This time the dozy moo had decided to try and jump from the balcony railings to the next window along, which was open, but nowhere near enough for her to get through. So she had clung briefly to the windowsill and then fallen down onto the patio (only one story), again she was fine if a little confused.
Since all these escapades it's as if she's a different cat. It's almost like she's decided that after all those traumas nothing else can bother her and now she races out the back door almost as fast as Azrael (she's got shorter legs) and bombs around the garden with him quite happily.
Now I’m looking forward to getting a catflap fitted and finally being able to get rid of the litter trays and accompanying stink (and whinging from DBF) *YAY*
5 days ago
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