Kitty , again

D , on the phone in an intense exchange with a solicitor .

He paces , finding it impossible to engage whilst sitting , or at his desk . This winds Kitty up and coupled with the fact that its after the four o clock watershed , adds to her determination to disrupt proceedings .In her eyes , food should be imminent . She yowls wildly and he proceeds to pace in the general direction of the kitchen , perhaps intending to provide a scoop of food whilst he talks .

I listen from my perch in the other sitting room , where I am lurking with a book , avoiding doing the painting .

As he approaches the kitchen the Guinea Pigs get wind of him and set up an earth shattering series of squeals .

I wonder what the solicitor makes of it . Perhaps we need a phone on a cord , attached firmly to a desk .

Toby , messing in the sink

Strict morning routine . The cats usually wait for me on the landing , unless they've manouvered the bedroom door open and started nipping . The Guinea Pigs either sense the vibrations through the house or hear movement as the very minute I cross the threshold the squealing starts downstairs . They are first to be fed and they woffle my fingers . The coffee machine goes on next and the cats swarm around , Pearl on the benches in defiance of all the rules , Kitty attacking the legs till the food is down , Jessie waiting patiently in another room and Toby at the sink , more interested in water play than in food .

Kitty , in all her splendour

Kitty , looking almost streamlined . (An optical illusion )

The nurse at the vet 's , trying to get the message across whilst also being tactful , says , when we pick her up after an operation

, " You know yourself, I dont need to tell you , she's a big girl . "

I smile

"And its not good for her . "

Managing to instill the necessary sense of Guilt to ensure we start the diet immediately , and silencing our attempts to explain that none of it is our fault . That Kitty is a law unto herself and that we wouldn't actually dare try to reduce her food intake , or indeed take any action that went against her wishes . That even making her wait five minutes for cat biscuits after she has tapped the food bowl and made her wishes known, results in a frenzied attack on the legs , coupled with loud hissings and spittings and audible yowls and cries of anger which increase in intensity and volume should the offender happen to be on an outside call , particularly of a business nature .

" Is that your cat in the background ?"

Silence as they listen to the anguished shrieks .

"Is everything all right there ? Do you need to check on her ? "

Sharing her space with three Birmans of small stature and with little real interest in food doesn't help . As they stroll around the food bowls and peck like birds , Kitty moves in for the kill and hoovers up the leftovers , swishing her tail angrily as she goes , defying all efforts to slow her progress.

A law unto herself .

bathrooms , therapy .

It's that time of week again . The day job in full swing for three days . The bathroom contents remain on the landing , where most of them went on Saturday night whilst the teens were dying their hair . Never wise to leave white towels in the vicinity of dark brown hair dye . Once out , the emptiness improves the acoustics considerably and adds to the air of mystery and decadent Italian crumbling palace . Water enters by the taps and via the missing slate on the roof , into the third window , flooding the sanitary items nestling on the window sill for ease of access. Trying to get a roofer is proving tricky . And tv footage of the flooding in Sheffield and its environs suggests this is nothing . All plans to see art at Belsay went on hold whilst we tried to locate a floor standing stainess steel bathroom cabinet for the mountain of homeless toiletries . To no avail , though we did spend much of the afternoon in traffic queues . Why does everyone go shopping on Sundays now , when they could be at the art ? The wood is sanded , but not painted . It might get worse before it gets better . We tell them that when they come for therapy . Spidery bathrooms , decorating, therapy . Its all the same in the end .Roll on Wednesday .

Mandy , and Freddie

After the service at the church , for Mandy , and the shorter service at the crematorium , we stood outside and looked at the flowers and stared around and said nothing very much , there not being anything left to say . As we all squashed into Leo's car , Sarah said to me " We can all go home and get on with our lives but they can't , they have to live their lives now without her".

I thought she meant Brendan , and Siobhan , but it was Mandy's parents she was thinking of .

Having lost Jonathon at Christmas , I guess she had seen the impact on his parents . I wonder again about Tim and Rachel , Freddie's parents and how they are living their lives .