One of the spin offs of Alice dog being downstairs at night is that the cats are all very firmly in our room and mostly on or in the bed , albeit taking turns .
First Toby and Jessie squabling on top of the quilt when I first go to bed , later when D arrives Kitty appears and decides she is suffering Desk Wars Withdrawal Syndrome and needs more Human Contact . Interestingly she chooses me .
I am propped up against three pillows at quite a steep angle and attempting to drink Galaxy Hot Chocolate for some reason ( usually my bedtime drink is lemon and ginger tea , which is certainly less messy) . Kitty approaches slowly but surely and insinuates herself further and further along my person until she is stretched along my top half almost in an upright position herself because of the angle I'm at , and her nose pressed under my chin . Drinking hot chocolate is already tricky wearing my glasses but I need them to read . With a cat like Kitty on board , almost impossible . Kitty , you may recall , is a lardbox on legs , rotund and narky if thwarted . I move with care .
Later , Alice gives a howl and I am not sleeping . Its 2 am so I go down to see if she needs to be out . We are becoming obsessed with whether she has had a poo since her last meal ... exacerbated by the fact that when I came down the morning before there was a chocolate log left for me in D s room , where she hadn't been able to wait . I was relieved it was a solid and not a Mr Whippy ( I am recalling the importance of consistency from my previous dog days , poop scooping is no one's favourite occupation but some days are definitely better than others ) .
She seems fine and I settle her on the bed again , and request that she keep off the sofa ( which I know she ignores once my back is turned and really we aren't that bothered as long as she can be prised off when we want the sofa . )
I return upstairs deciding to read my new book , Mr Golightly's Holiday ( Salley Vickers ), highly recommended . D is asleep but as I turn back the duvet at my side I see that Pearl has crept in and is insisting on a full third of the bed ... I squeeze in between her and D , and whilst Im propped up and reading that works fine , we each have a third of what is a massive bed .
Kitty reappears and not appreciating that Pearl is under the covers , comes back to attach herself to me again and inadvertantly walks on Pearl's head , which appears from under the covers , resulting in Aghast Posturings from Kitty who furrs up like a hedgehog and spits and stares . Pearl stretches more langorously ( spelling ? ) and is now wanting a full half of the bed .
I finally fall asleep squashed tightly up against D ( he's not complaining though ) and with my arm around Pearl .....
