Asleep on the stairs

Beware! Early morning hazard on the stairs. As the days and nights get warmer I think he sleeps on the stairs because there is a cool draught of air descending down them. It does make navigating them difficult for us. Thankfully I have two handrails and I walk carefully anyway. Rushing down (or up) could lead to a serious fall. I am also happy that he has a prominent white mark across his back which makes him more visible against our charcoal grey carpet (which the cats are pulling loose). Early morning perambulation is done at our own risk! Meanwhile he’s snoring quietly, curled up, a step full of fur asleep on the stairs.

Boat house

Picturesque

There it sits, down by the lake. How old is it? Are there boats still moored inside? A life belt is still attached to the back wall as the wood gently greens and rots… .

I’ve never been down the steep steps to the shore, it’s green and slippery and there is no handrail. If I was young I would explore. The reeds and rushes are starting to grow up, and no doubt moorhens or coots will be nesting there soon. Chicks still waiting to be laid in their eggs. There are Canada geese about. Life is renewing.

A trip to the vets

Booster shot time for the cats….

One was fine, the other one not so much. She hid in a cupboard, ran under a cupboard, ran behind the armchair, ran in the kitchen then out again. Finally I managed to grab her at the top of the stairs because we had shut the bedroom doors. Then, well walking downstairs when you are a bit wobbly on your feet and cannot hold the handrail because you need to hold onto the cat… To say I had a feeling of vertigo, scary. Hubby came halfway up the stairs so I could deposit her into the cat carrier.

Then off to the vets, female cat was miaowing all the way (The male was much quieter on his trip) . I kept gently telling her she was OK. The vet was lovely, he was very good with both cats and gave the inoculations while my cats were still in the carrier. A quick check of each cats hearts and we whisked them home again.

Now two hours later I’m being headbutted and purred at by the female. A sprinkling of catnip seems to have helped.

I was in it!

What was the last live performance you saw?

Our choir members sang at a celebration for the completion of a project a few weeks ago. We were involved with a performance at The Potbank hotel at Spoke in Stoke on Trent, which also included the Boat Band (above). Our choir leaders are members of the band. We sang sea shanties and some interesting pieces, like the Eerie Canal and A Wonderful World which Louis Armstrong sang.

Being part of a choir is something I would recommend for helping your mental health. I only sing a couple of times a week and wish I could do more. Singing takes you out of yourself. Singing at a performance boosts your confidence. I’ve sung many times over the years and I don’t get overwhelmed with nerves anymore. OK it’s usually only to a few people, but if I’m giving pleasure to other people then that’s good.

As to an actual performance that I saw, but was not involved in? That goes back a few years I think. We went to the theatre and saw a play about suffragettes. It was interesting, it brought out a lot of the issues women were affected by in those days. I wish I could remember what it was called? It’s so long ago that I’ve forgotten! I don’t know if it was during or before the pandemic? Life can be hard to remember!

Help

My life is quite chaotic at the moment. Lots of things to do, plenty of time, but lack of inclination to do things. Procrastinating is my favourite pastime!

Everything is tangled up. I’m trying to organise and assess things, but failing. Thinking and worrying is not helping. I think I need to meditate or do some relaxation. It’s not that I don’t want to do things, but I think I’ve had my head in the sand for so many months, I don’t know how to drag it back out. I know this is self reflection, and I hope its a good thing. Writing it down might give me a push.

Grief has not helped. And now other people I know have died and that has knocked me back. I don’t want to think of the end of things. But I guess we should all make some plans? Sorry this is a bit random, maybe talking will help though.

Eye see

Eye see you looking out at me. What are you? A mishmash? A chimera….

An ape or monkey? Imagined monster, alien symbol.

Is that a volcano or a scientific flask full of acid. How were you created. Are you a figment?

Have you got whiskers or a moustache? Close set eyes stare back. A mythological owl.

Do those eyes hide a soul, will you start to howl? A dark night could hide you, are you foul or fowl?