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I was relieved when I read the text; I was afraid it was the resting place of your Mad Jack.

He is what, three now? That would be very young for a cat.

Same as Rich, I thought the worst for a minute.

I do admire a folly.
Speaking of which—isn’t “folly” a deliciously old-fashioned word. Remind me to work it into my conversations more often 🙂

Heavens! CromBoris is going to suspend Parliament!

Well this should be entertaining, for those of us not involved that is.

Stoaty? Remember when you wrote about making that fermented drink? I think you bought a “starter” to kick off the process. I can’t remember what the drink is named.

Are you still making it? Satisfied with it? Is it something you would recommend?

Deborah HH, it is kefir. Yes, I’m still making it and I like it. Tastes like yoghurt but consistency of a milkshake. Unlike yoghurt, though, you really do need to buy a starter.

Jack was five. And I’m sorry to inform everyone that he was hit and killed on a busy road three months ago. Followed by our 17 year old girl Charlotte, who died earlier this week of natural causes. We are bereft.

I don’t like to post about the downers. There’s just no reason. Long-time followers of this blog may remember when my cat Damian disappeared without a trace; I howled at the internet for, like, six months. It must have been a miserable experience coming here…

Oh Stoaty. I am so sorry about Charlotte and Mad Jack.

Thanks, Deborah. It’s awful with pets, isn’t it? Particularly Jack, who was young and needy. He’s left an unfillable hole.

Charlotte too, of course, but she had been failing for some time. It was getting close to the point I would have had to make a terrible decision.

The little one is thriving, happy to say. But we are thinking of getting him a companion, as he’s a sociable little beast.

Love and heartache are the same coin. And I’d still get another wee kitten …

Now I’m going to go read my copy of Thomasina.

Ah. Have you read Jennie? Another great Paul Gallico book. The man knew his cats.

Yes—I have a copy of Jennie, too, though it’s titled The Abandoned. The American version, I think. I started collecting Paul Gallico when I was a young woman; I have them all but a few. I read Love Let Me Not Hunger when I was in the 6th grade, because the school librarian thought Paul Gallico was a youth author (xref Jean Pierre the Guinea Pig). That was a bit rough on my 11-year-old heart. I’ve been re-reading Confessions of a Story Writer for the past few weeks; it’s my booster shot when I’m struggling to write.

I also collect Neville Shute Norway’s books, and I have almost all of them.

I loved Gallico and Shute so much that I thought I could become a writer, and Shute convinced me that I could be a pilot. I did learn to fly, though I never got my license. I no longer dream that I’m flying, but it’s taken 30 years.

Oh, Stoaty and Uncle Badger, I am so sorry to hear of both losses. They were wonderful cats–I’m sorry you didn’t have more years with them, especially Jack.

So sad about your kittehs. My outdoor cat disappeared a month ago. We fed him twice a day since before he was born, built him heated winter shelters, and he lived his whole life out on our patio and in the small woods nearby. He never really bonded with us, being a spooky kind of cat, but we miss him anyway. He made it 5 years, which isn’t bad for a mostly-wild animal.

…

Yes DurnedYankee, the word of the day is “prorogation”. And the Queen has now given it her blessing. About time. I hope Boris’ entire exit strategy is “We’re gone, goodbye, and here’s a few million immigrants thrown in for free.” UK out of EU, and if they counter with a trade war, buy all your stuff from us and Norway.

My condolences, very very very much. For both. I think we’d more or less anticipated Charlotte based on your post a bit ago when she sat with you.

Mrs Durned and I ask why we do this to ourselves, every time, right after we bring another couple new fur children on board to live with us.

I intend to have speaks with ‘The Creator’ if all the pack (cats included) aren’t there waiting for me when I appear in a ball of fire.

Thanks for the kind words. It has been a difficult summer.

I’m so sorry about your kittehs. That’s so hard.

Oh, Madam S., I am so sorry to have revived that grief for you.

On a more cheerful note, it seems very likely there will be an election soon, and the Brexit Party have found a perfect challenger for Mr. Corbyn’s seat. He’s even more of a raving leftie than Jezza, but also a fire-breathing Leaver.

Which is to say, the Brexit Party are living up to their billing – Brexit the only issue. I like that.