Welcome to my weird world!

Friends, family and cat runs

Why had I never realised that an aimless chat is one of the best ways to start a day? I'm sure that will come as no great revelation to a lot of you (particularly any of the more gossipy women!!), but I have obviously always had other things on my mind first thing in the morning.

Yesterday, I met up with a friend for our second Friday-morning cofee (or tea, in her case) and a chat. We talked about nothing of significance, but that is somehow refreshing, and it's amazine what can come out of thoroughly 'pointless' conversation. We have both had similar negative experiences at different points, and that means that we can thoroughly understand where each other is coming from.

I love relationships where both parties understand the standpoint of the other to such an extent that there are many things that never need to be said. The above friend and I seem to be like that, my partner and I certainly are, and in business, I am lucky enough to share the same thing with my Dad.

Someone said: "A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words." I hope that everyone has people in their lives for whom that is the case, and where the same is true in reverse. There are few things more powerful than sharing an understanding with someone, and also few things as pleasant.

My friend, my partner and my Dad are all capable of acting as sounding boards for my ideas, beliefs, and moans. I can offer the same in return, and if I do nothing else in life, to have done that is worth a lifetime.

On a completely different note, my friend showed me a piece of work written by one of her friends. It is excellently written, and very funny, and I would love for it to be seen on here. My friend is going to put this woman in touch with me and hopefully I can get her on here, and then I can link her piece into my blog so that you can all read it.

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My partner and I spent today working on our cat run. We live in the flat above the office, which has its positives and negatives. A major positive is the flat itself: the main section of the building was built in 1728, with Victorian and Edwardian extensions, and an acre of walled garden.

One of the downsides is the fact that, with an office below, there are daily visits from assorted delivery drivers. These drivers come flying into the driveway, and skid to a halt on the red gravel outside the front of the building (often leaving dusty skid-marks where the gravel has been kicked away from the soil beneath).

The door of our flat leads down a flight of stairs and then out through an opening in the front wall directly onto this driveway. We are therefore more than a little nervous about letting our cats out that way. I don't like the thought of what might happen. What is the solution? Build a suspension bridge to take the cats from the study window onto the wall of the walled garden, then build a pen to take them down the other side.

Obvious, isn't it?

So, anyway, we've built the bridge (yes, we now have a suspension bridge in our garden - 8 metres long and with three-pairs of cables holding it up and another pair bracing it backwards), and now need to build the run. We've already got foundations, roofing struts, and about 2/3 of the walls complete. Today was spent putting up a few more of the wire panels for the walls, and building the cats' 'house' (basically a small cupboard to give them somewhere sheltered to sit if it is particularly disgusting outside).

We've also had to visit Wickes (a DIY/hardware store) to pick up panels for the roof. I don't think we'll quite finish the run tomorrow, but it would be nice. I definitely want it finished by next weekend, because we're going away for a couple of days, and I would love to have them out in their run by then. Whether that will happen or not, I don't know, because we've also got the last of the peas to pick, and the whole of the potatoe patch to dig up. I'm guessing that'll be tomorrow's job.

Thinking about it, I'd better go to bed, or I'll never be up early enough to get on with it. Night all.
Hx