All week Ian had been going on about getting a cat! That quite took me by surprise as I really thought he wasn't a pet person! However, various comments were made, and tentative questions were asked - "Do you think I should get one?" "A friend gave me the name of someone who has a kitten. Should I phone her?" "Do I really want a cat?"
However he hadn't given up. On the way home from one of our days out we took a detour to the old mill where the lady with the kitten lived! We found her at home, just about to have supper with her husband and two children, but we were welcomed in and duly introduced to Smudge! She was gorgeous, and so affectionate, just right for Ian. She allowed herself to be cuddled and stroked, and purred loudly to show her appreciation.
Once at home she plodded around, exploring every little corner..... down into the living room, round all the furniture, up on the sofa, down again, back up to the kitchen, up the stairs to the bedrooms. We could hear her lightly padding her way across Ian's floor, up on his bed.... off it again - we could tell by the thud. Then she crossed the landing and found the bathroom and then my room, all of which she explored thoroughly before coming down the steep stairs again at a rate of knots, sounding like a fairy elephant!!! Then she found the understairs cupboard off the kitchen where she rustled around for a bit, quite interested in the bags of vegetables hanging up above the washing machine.
We had put bowls of food and water into the wee porch off the kitchen, so encouraged her through to eat, which she did quite happily, not seeming in the least upset at her change of home! We left her to her meal and continued with our own, soon aware that she was now exploring Ian's soon-to-be-dining room and upstairs in his den. There were the odd little crash as something fell over, but nothing major!
When we ourselves had eaten we took our glasses of wine through to the living room, where Ian had lit the woodburning stove, and relaxed on the big old sofa. Done with exploring, Smudge came to find us and after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing between us both, finally curled up beside Ian and went to sleep! It had been a tiring day, so before long we were all dosing in front of the fire!
So CC was kept inside for the next couple of days, during which time she met Mulberry, Ian's teddy bear, but was agitating to get outside by the third day! We let her out into the garden while we ate our breakfast outside, and let her sniff around. 
She didn't go far, and was soon seen to have found a playmate - not a willing one either! There are lots of little lizards running around walls and stonework, and a tiny one met CC, who lost no time in grabbing it to throw up and down and bat from side to side with her paw..... Poor wee thing. However we reassured ourselves that by this time it must be dead. Suddenly a car came whizzing along the road. Still in the garden, dropping the lizard, she raced back into the kitchen. (There aren't many cars on this little side road so it shouldn't be too dangerous.)
She ventured out again soon though and seemed to have forgotten poor Lizzie. I went to pick it up realising it had lost part of its tail - in the encounter with CC no doubt - I began to scoop the thing into my hand when it suddenly wriggled! OMG! It's still alive! Sure enough! Probably rather traumatised by its ordeal it had obviously played dead, but as I finally turned it off its back and onto my hand it wriggled some more, though making no effort to scarper! It blinked a tiny eye and just sat quietly in my hand till I had taken its photo and attempted to shake it off onto the garden wall. At first it clung on - not that I could feel it - but eventually allowed itself to be placed on the top of the wall. Still it didn't run away, but I forgot to look later to see if it had escaped. I presume it had, and hope it lived to grow another tail end - as they do!
So, I've exhausted my collection of CC photos now, so that's all for today. I'll take you to Rochechouart next time - a lovely town where I took lots of photos! Don't worry. You won't need to look at all of them!
"It's up to you, Ian!" "If you want a cat, Ian, then go ahead!" I tried not to encourage or discourage, though secretly I thought it was a great idea! Well, I would, wouldn't I? I just adore cats! Eventually it got to the stage when I was replying, "Well, you obviously do want this cat or you wouldn't keep bringing the subject up! So phone!!!" He did... twice... and got no reply. I think he was really quite disappointed !
However he hadn't given up. On the way home from one of our days out we took a detour to the old mill where the lady with the kitten lived! We found her at home, just about to have supper with her husband and two children, but we were welcomed in and duly introduced to Smudge! She was gorgeous, and so affectionate, just right for Ian. She allowed herself to be cuddled and stroked, and purred loudly to show her appreciation."Are you my new dad?"
The little girl told us how Smudge liked to lick ears, which was soon just what happened! She climbed up onto Ian's shoulder and began to rasp away at his ear, causing some hilarity all round. It seemed she was quite taken with Ian, and Ian was certainly very taken with her!!!
So, in due course we set off home - in the dark, by this time - with a 5 month-old kitten in a cardboard box in the back seat, and some cat food! She wasn't too bad travelling back in the car, but as we got nearer to Ian's she began to get restless and miaow unhappily. Then she tried to get out of her box, while I tried from the front of the car to lean over into the back and stop her! That was futile so in the end I just lifted her over to keep her cuddled to me till we reached home. She was fine then, and it wasn't far to go by that stage.
Once at home she plodded around, exploring every little corner..... down into the living room, round all the furniture, up on the sofa, down again, back up to the kitchen, up the stairs to the bedrooms. We could hear her lightly padding her way across Ian's floor, up on his bed.... off it again - we could tell by the thud. Then she crossed the landing and found the bathroom and then my room, all of which she explored thoroughly before coming down the steep stairs again at a rate of knots, sounding like a fairy elephant!!! Then she found the understairs cupboard off the kitchen where she rustled around for a bit, quite interested in the bags of vegetables hanging up above the washing machine.She had another trip round the kitchen as we prepared a meal for ourselves, occasionally rubbing round our legs and putting her head up to be stroked, to which we each responded in the correct manner!
We had put bowls of food and water into the wee porch off the kitchen, so encouraged her through to eat, which she did quite happily, not seeming in the least upset at her change of home! We left her to her meal and continued with our own, soon aware that she was now exploring Ian's soon-to-be-dining room and upstairs in his den. There were the odd little crash as something fell over, but nothing major!
When we ourselves had eaten we took our glasses of wine through to the living room, where Ian had lit the woodburning stove, and relaxed on the big old sofa. Done with exploring, Smudge came to find us and after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing between us both, finally curled up beside Ian and went to sleep! It had been a tiring day, so before long we were all dosing in front of the fire!Ian hadn't really liked the name Smudge so we spent ages trying to come up with another name. He wanted something that sounded a bit French, but anything we came up with didn't really suit! Dosing in front of the fire drowsily listening to the crackle of the flames on the wood and the purr of a small cat, I would suddenly think of a potential name, and sleepily suggest it! Equally sleepily Ian would just mutter "Mmm? No!" Back to the drawing board!
Does this look like a man who doesn't want a cat?
That night when we went to our beds puss was still Smudge. Ian had commented on her engine-like purr so he must have been thinking a lot about a name, as in the morning he had come up with Cinq Cents which means 500. She sounded like a 500cc engine, he said! So as Cinq Cents and cubic centimetres both have the initials CC, she was to be called CC for short! I think it's sweet! Ian is a real car enthusiast, so it really had to be something to do with cars!!!!!
So CC was kept inside for the next couple of days, during which time she met Mulberry, Ian's teddy bear, but was agitating to get outside by the third day! We let her out into the garden while we ate our breakfast outside, and let her sniff around. 
She didn't go far, and was soon seen to have found a playmate - not a willing one either! There are lots of little lizards running around walls and stonework, and a tiny one met CC, who lost no time in grabbing it to throw up and down and bat from side to side with her paw..... Poor wee thing. However we reassured ourselves that by this time it must be dead. Suddenly a car came whizzing along the road. Still in the garden, dropping the lizard, she raced back into the kitchen. (There aren't many cars on this little side road so it shouldn't be too dangerous.)
She ventured out again soon though and seemed to have forgotten poor Lizzie. I went to pick it up realising it had lost part of its tail - in the encounter with CC no doubt - I began to scoop the thing into my hand when it suddenly wriggled! OMG! It's still alive! Sure enough! Probably rather traumatised by its ordeal it had obviously played dead, but as I finally turned it off its back and onto my hand it wriggled some more, though making no effort to scarper! It blinked a tiny eye and just sat quietly in my hand till I had taken its photo and attempted to shake it off onto the garden wall. At first it clung on - not that I could feel it - but eventually allowed itself to be placed on the top of the wall. Still it didn't run away, but I forgot to look later to see if it had escaped. I presume it had, and hope it lived to grow another tail end - as they do!So, I've exhausted my collection of CC photos now, so that's all for today. I'll take you to Rochechouart next time - a lovely town where I took lots of photos! Don't worry. You won't need to look at all of them!
Talk again soon.
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