You never know what those Mummies are going to come home with. This time it is a toy for me – or is it a new friend? They are battery-operated and go tearing through the house at a rate of knots. They have three settings – slow, fast and interactive. ‘Interactive’ means they make an annoying noise before scuttling off. I am not totally sure what I think of them yet. I sometimes deign to chase them – other times I let them have at it. I think M Kaz is getting more exercise from chasing it around than I am. The good news is that they are able to get themselves out from under things when they have put themselves there: the only thing M Kaz has to do is to make sure she notes whether the red light indicating ‘low charge’ is on – so she can snafu it before it races under something and gets stuck there. That’s why HAL (the robot vacuum cleaner) is not allowed in the Mummies’ bedroom because if he got stuck there – that’s where he would have to stay because there is no way the Mummies can move their beds – or get under them. And even though we know I’m strong, I wouldn’t be able to wrestle it out from under there either – and even if I could, there’s too much other stuff in the way.
So, where was I? The new toy/friend. The first night they were here, M Kaz made sure they were turned off and put in my mango box on the lounge. The Mummies know I like taking my little rubber band friends to share my food and M Kaz was worried I might do this with the ball and leave them somewhere in a transit area and cause a late night or early morning fall for one of the Mummies. That wouldn’t be good – it would be funny, but it wouldn’t be good.
I’m glad I don’t live with Cate and Steve over the courtyard fence – or that I can’t see what’s going on in there. Why? Because they had a snake visitor the other day that Cate didn’t even realise was there until she walked over it and it was between her and the door. She’s braver than Uncle Wayne because when he sees a snake he cries out ‘Nake … nake’. I didn’t hear anything from over the fence – not even when they were scooping the snake up into a box and then taking it over the road near a stormwater drain for the snake to ‘hide in’. ‘Don’t worry’ said Cate, ‘the boys there are big strapping lads and they’ll be able to deal with it if it shows up.’ The Mummies and I are very pleased she doesn’t think of us that way otherwise that snake might have come sailing over our fence.
Nigella ... 