Madhatters Tea Party!

Thats how today seemed with the cats - in and out of rooms all day! On waking and going downstairs no sign of Milkshake - finally found her in the cat litter tray and I'm hoping she didn't actually sleep in it all night! So once she, the fish and the chickens were fed time to go up the allotment and do the other girls. Milkshake had to be somewhere safe to encourage FatCat down from the attic! Into the Green Room she went - twice! She bolted out the first time! 
Such a beautiful morning, mist floating low along the river  and sunshine. I would have stayed and pottered on my plot, but after doing the girls and feeding the robin I simply walked round it to get Swiss Chard for the girls and to see if the rhubarb was big enough to pick - it wasn't but I think I could see flower buds forming so will have to keep an eye on them and pull them out if they are indeed flowers. Back to see what the cats were up to!
No sign of either of them! Hoisted FatCat out of the attic to eat and then upstairs she went to the attic. I opened Milkshakes door and having found her under the bed waited for her to come down! Youngest called on her way to the train station and we had another chat over a cup of tea. She remembered how she would come with her mum to visit me as I had Sky TV and it was a treat to sit in my front room watching the Disney channel as we chatted in the kitchen! She was nervous about spending so much time with her friend - they grew up together but have never spent weeks together. She noted how she got on with all her friends at Uni but could not imagine sharing a house with her friends from the village. I wondered whether everyone away from home made more effort to be accommodating, and  friends from home just didn't have to given their long friendship, we take our friends warts and all! Maybe also like adults who return home, we slip back into old familiar patterns, becoming almost a child once more. It sometimes takes a conscious effort to let go of old habits, I used to wave my mum off to work on a saturday, even though I wanted to lie in. My fear was that if I didn't wave her off she would have an accident and never return. My first weekend back after a term at college I  felt the same impulse and had to make myself stay in bed!  I even had to remind my dad when he stayed that I didn't need reminding when to put the rubbish out, how did he think I coped all the time he wasn't there to remind me! So whilst new friends act their age, old friends slip into old irritating habits?!
Youngest went up to see Milkshake - she wouldn't come out from under the bed for her either! Youngest had spoken about her mums clothes, how she loved them but didn't feel she could take them to canada - they were too special. I spoke of how I loved wearing my mums clothes - they brought her so vividly to mind. I would love to have something of Friends to wear. I think I will ask her if I can have one thing on her return! I did ask for the miniature  beach houses I had bought her on her 50th. She always liked to swim in the sea on her birthday and I found the houses with letters on the front  in an Art shop on the beach that day. I bought four to spell out swim, and wrote her date of birth on the back of them. Youngest was delighted to give them to me and said she always thought of me when she saw them - she had seen all the photos I had taken of that  day.
Anyway the talk of clothes reminded me that I had a dress I'd been meaning to give her for ages - so up to the attic to retrieve it - Youngest knew I had a lot of clothes being the recipient of many of my cast offs over the years - but she had never seen the attic / shop bedroom before! She loved the dress and it's now on its way to Canada! 
later that day I went up to see Milkshake only to find FatCat sleeping on the bed!! Maybe she liked the smell of the feliway in there?! But I shooed her out, much to her dislike and she hissed and growled at me! Well although she later came down for her tea and she then retired to Milkshakes room again, so once more expelled, this time she went to the smaller spare bedroom and slept on that bed! Milkshake didn't appear so just  before I  headed for bed  I  took her tea to her! She came straight out and then followed me downstairs and did what she did yesterday - major heavy sniffing around the kitchen and bathroom! My bedtime was delayed as I  watched her - she walked all around the edge of the sunken bath and inspected the towels! I finally left her downstairs and FatCat still in the spare room - wonder where they will be come morning!