Meet the Pod-Pets!

Hello there! Hope your day has been wonderful. Thanks for dropping in to see me again.

Mine has been so-so. It was back to work for the first time in twelve weeks today for me. I was absolutely dreading walking into the office but as is usually the case, it wasn’t as bad as I anticipated. I only worked until lunchtime but it was actually ok to get back in the swing of things. I shall reserve judgment for a while yet though!

Anyway - yesterday I promised you an introduction to the Peapods Pets didn't I?

We currently have three cats and a guinea pig. Here they are - in no particular order!!

"If I pretend to be asleep she'll go away...."

This is Minstrel, aka Minnie, Minnie-moodle or Min-pin. She’s a sassy lassy with a swagger which is the envy of all the other lady cats in the neighbourhood. She has the cutest pink snub-nose, long dark eyelashes which give the impression that she’s wearing eyeliner - and if a cat ever had a pout - then she has one!! Her cute little face belies the fact that she is in fact a ruthless huntress. It’s a regular occurrence to see her stalking down the garden path with either a long tail swishing from her jaws indicating the demise of some small rodent- or fluttery wings flapping on either side of her nose which confirms that she has caught yet another butterfly!

Excuse me!! Those 'were' my ornamental grasses!!

She has the loudest mew for a cat so small and woe betide anyone who ignores her demands for food the second she clatters through the cat flap first thing in the morning, and again not a minute past 10pm in the evening if you please!

"Mum.... Muuuuum!  I was here first!!"

This is her brother, Charlie. Aka Charlie-Mouse, Mouse-ling or, I regret to admit it, more often that not he‘s addressed as…”you little git! He’s a little imp - no foodstuff is safe from his scrutiny; he’s forever jumping up on the work tops and on top of the cooker to try to snaffle things from the grill pan.

Charlie is the most timid cat I’ve ever known. He’s scared of his own shadow - and, would you believe it - mice! Really! He leaps away from the poor dazed creatures that Minnie deposits in front of him like he’s been scalded!

He has the longest whiskers and the softest fur - and hardly any voice at all! It’s almost like his voice broke in his prepubescent years - and stayed that way! On the rare occasion he decides to become vocal about something the only sound you can hear is a rather ineffectual “me-eh”. Poor little man! I think Minnie got his share of the voice box!

Now then. Let me introduce you to Cassie. Cassie is unrelated to the others and was actually my brother’s cat. When she was about 12 months old we had cause to foster her for “just a couple of weeks please Kim”.

Evil Edna!!!

Yeah right. That was five years ago!! She arrived in style in her posh cat travelling cage - and made for the most demanding house guest ever. For weeks she was a hissing, spitting ball of fury. A growly, furry harridan who detested the other two cats with a passion they could only have dreamt about. She hasn’t changed much! Five years on and she still barely tolerates Minnie and Charlie, never missing an opportunity to whack them around the back of the head as they pass her by. She loves a cuddle (when the other cats aren’t watching), but it has to be on her terms. She has a purr louder than the engine of a small Harley Davidson.and, despite her feisty temperament, actually purrs on a very regular basis.

Her favourite activities are sleeping. And… erm… sleeping. She wakes occasionally to growl in a threatening manner at the other two if she senses that they’re daring to venture too close. Or us humans, in fact!!   She snuffles like a hedgehog when she eats. She leans against you when she requires your most urgent attention and can break the land speed record for running from the window ledge outside the kitchen to the window ledge outside the lounge if there is a remote possibility that you are about to let her in. You always know when she’s … (er, performed her ablutions shall we say) as she scats around like a mad thing for about five minutes afterwards!

I could go on at length about this firesome, fearsome red head but there’s someone else who needs an introduction.

"What's going on out here then?"

Say hello to Daisy! Isn’t she the cutest? Her stage name is Daisy Rainbow and she was my son’s birthday present some 4 years ago!

She’s such a little sweetie and is very vocal. She burbles away in that lovely liquid guinea pig squeaky speak as soon as she can hear that you’re around. She adores dandelion leaves and eats them at a rate of knots. I do worry about her though. She’s a good age for a guinea pig and although she’s fit and well, I have to admit to holding my breath every morning when I remove her cage cover, until she squeaks her greeting and I know that she’s ok.

Little Bright Eyes!

Well that’s our little pet family for the present time at least.

Very shortly (hopefully within the next couple of months or so) we shall be looking to obtain three or four chickens - and I’m hankering soooo much for a little doggie of my own. Another case of watch this space I feel!!

See you soon I hope


Love



Kim xx