Nigella …

I cannot believe M Kaz and M Sooz pushed and pulled me out of the box on my cat tower so M Kaz could take me to the vet. I needed to have my vaccination – can you believe it’s already a year since I had my last one? I was a bit surprised that M Sooz ganged up on me – I’m not used to that. Dr Amy was very good at giving me my shot – and I nearly didn’t feel it. Why is it that (and I know this from overhearing the Mummies when they get their shots; the doctor or nurse says something like “this won’t hurt much” or “you’ll just feel a little prick”) but at no point has a shot-giver ever said that to me.

It was cold again last night. I know this because I was snuggled next to M Kaz’s legs in bed when she got up and came back with a coat which she draped over the bed.

There’s been no further sightings of my dinosaur friend. I looked behind the shelving packs M Kaz still hasn’t assembled or put away – but Dino was not there. Other dinosaurs have hidden there over the years so was hopeful that Dino would too.

I almost managed to see the work the neighbours are having done in their yard. That would be their pool – which is shaping up nicely since the contractors started digging the hole on Tuesday. They made a lot of noise and I was keen to see what it was all about so when M Sooz was distracted this morning, leaving the front door open, I took the opportunity to run out. And I would have made it too except for the warm concrete! I just had to roll on it and while I was doing that – did I say how lovely and warm the concrete was – M Sooz snuck up on me, scooped me up and took me back into Jannie. Plan well and truly thwarted. I’ll have to check M Kaz’s phone to see if she’s been taking photographs. I can’t imagine that she hasn’t been.

I don’t know where my little (?) friend has vanished to. I know he is in Jannie somewhere but try as I might I cannot find him. I know he is here because M Kaz saw him yesterday afternoon. She was sitting at the table reading when she caught a glimpse of him disappearing under the cupboard. He gave her a bit of a startle because he is bigger than the other dinosaurs who come in to play with me. Never mind. He will show up again – probably running over someone’s foot when they least suspect it!

M Kaz is decluttering her office again – and this time I think she is actually doing it. Yesterday she carried out three big bags – one for the rubbish and the other two are destined for the Lifeline shop. I’m not sure I agree with some of the things she’s moving on – like my motorised dinosaur but if someone can get some use of it, that would be a good thing. I only like my live dinosaurs these days. She has been rearranging things as well and she has made room on the rolltop desk (she actually managed to roll the top down!) for the new typewriter so we are definitely going to be hearing the sound of old-fashioned typing around here now. And what was that mad scrambling for the white-out and correction fluid that I heard before?

Even though it is getting warmer, I am still sleeping with them on the bed. No, I am not taking up too much room – just enough. Yes, I could not be sideways on the bed but it’s more comfortable for me this way and M Kaz does manage to sleep around me. I’m sure it’s actually helping with her sore back. And she must like taking photographs of me.

It is Spring and there are patches of sunshine Outback most of the day now. I love rolling around in them on the warm concrete. And if I’m not there, I’m up on the cat tower – surveilling the territory for dinosaurs and whatever other little friends can make their way into the enclosure.

That M Kaz is going to need to find a new hobby now that she won’t be checking on where in the world is her typewriter since it has arrived safe and sound at Jannie. I think she liked watching it visit places where she has been – England, Cologne, Louisville, Sydney and Brisbane.

Mind you it looked as though she might have to cut her Yum Cha short this morning when she found out that the typewriter was at Jannie and she was not. It was amazing that the courier company didn’t let her know that they were on the way. The first she knew was when she received an email saying the package had arrived and showing a photograph of it on the path inside the gate. At least they put it inside the gate! The good news is that the neighbours were able to rescue it so M Kaz didn’t feel she needed to race home to retrieve it. We all know she would have.

She’s not the only one who’s excited that it’s here. M Soozloves the sound of typing on a real typewriter and I love that I scored the box it came in. I’m only getting to sit on the top of the box, though, until M Kaz empties out all the packing material Charlie Foxtrot put in there to protect Ollie (or is she going to call it ‘Squishy’) in transit. Now we just have to wait and see how long it will take M Kaz to sell the other two typewriters – she says she’s only going to keep two – Squishy/Ollie and the Remington Auntie Wendy gave her. Yes, that does mean a farewell to the yellow one and the other Olivetti that does the cursive script. (I wonder if she will get rid of the surplus cameras at the same time?)

I don’t know why we haven’t done that before M Kaz because it really was quite comfortable. What – it wasn’t for you? So if it wasn’t comfortable with you on the recliner with the footrest up and me lying between your legs why did you go to sleep? And we know you were asleep because M Sooz caught both you and I snoring our heads off while we were watching television – or pretending to be watching television in your case. I was surprised to find you on the recliner – I think it was because you had had a long day trudging around the Gold Coast Show and taking photographs and you didn’t want to lie down on the bed because you would have gone to sleep. (Like that wasn’t going to happen on the recliner.) The surprise bit was because I think it’s only the second time you’ve actually sat in it – let alone reclined in it! Hopefully we’ll do it again soon though.

There hasn’t been much to report around here lately – except for the fact that Denny came and fixed the roof. That has been a long time coming – what with getting different quotes, people not turning up to do quotes, and then having to decide which quote to take. Denny was nice though and he seemed to do a thorough job – and so he should have because he and his mate Jason were trudging over the roof for the better part of Monday and Tuesday. Thank goodness it didn’t rain when he had planned to do the job because they took most of the tiles off so they could reclip, redo the ridge and put in a new whirly-bird. M Kaz did breathe a huge sigh of relief when it was done though – especially since it has been raining a bit and more rain is expected. She says the next step is to get the electrician out to make sure none of the wiring has been compromised from where the roof had been leaking. I wonder how long it will take her to get to that. Mind you, she’s had no hesitation in booking me in for my annual vaccination – 8am, 11 September, with Donna my new vet. It takes a bit longer to drive over there than it did to get to my previous vet – and don’t think I won’t be complaining all the way there and all the way back!

It hasn’t been so cold that I’ve been on the Mummies’ bed every night but I have been hanging out there a bit. M Sooz was worried one of them was going to roll on me the other night because I was sleeping right up the middle of the bed between them. I would have liked to see them try it without getting a ‘friendly’ reminder that I was there.