Monday 20 January 2014

Open windows and the cat, the birds and the noise

There is a lot written about free range chickens and eggs. All very well. But what about the free range cat?

Was my house designed in order to accommodate the needs and desires of a free range cat? It certainly seems so. Not only is the house on three levels, but my bedroom is at the top of the stairs and the stairs lead straight into the bedroom. No doors. The cat bolts up and down them, constantly, madly and frenetically. What fun he has.

I like to sleep with the window open. This house would not win any awards for good design. The block faces east - west, and that where most of the windows are. The summer sun comes both morning and night. The west facing windows have shutters and these are permanently covered by block out fabric, to keep out the heat. The east facing windows also have blinds and curtains. The remaining window faces north, and I like to keep it open for fresh air and whatever breaths of wind comes from that direction.

The cat likes it open too. He sits on the window sill, peering out, fascinated by the unreachable bird life which perches on the power lines nearby. The birds shriek  in a constant cacophony as soon as they see the cat in the window, and they launch periodic sorties against him. The cat cannot get the birds, and the birds cannot get the cat, Both cat and birds find this very frustrating. They complain loudly.

I am not a bird, and so do not want to get up with them. It is not possible to sleep through this constant attack on peace and quiet, nor through the attempts of the cat to bite my toes, get into bed with me, and go for extensive forays underneath the sheets. If the bathroom door is open, the cat nudges it open even further and then prowls around the basin and bench.  He has already broken one mug...

So what with the cat, the birds, the traffic, the garbage collection trucks during the week, and the incoming flights nearby - Oh sleep, it is a blessed thing, but hard to achieve around here. How does my daughter remain sound asleep while all of this is going on?

Notwithstanding all these trials and tribulations, I will miss the cat when he and my daughter leave.

Bruce, the handyman, came on Friday, and started fixing lots of things. The front electric doorbell has been replaced. He installed a real bell, with a genuine bell sound, at the back door. He is changing the unreachable light globes. He is a tall man and thus even my rather short ladder is useful. he pulled down the cover of the bathroom fan so I could clean it.  He is patching some plaster. And investigating the various problem blinds and will return with the necessary bits and pieces to fix them. And he will replace the handrails out the back, which are rotting and therefore unsafe. And he is doing other things, as we find out about them.

It is a great relief to get all these things done.

My daughter and I went shopping together yesterday and she came home with a fine bone china teapot. We also went shopping locally a few days ago and she came home with several rather fetching new dresses, all of them bargains.

The knitting and crochet group met on Friday, all very exciting, and everyone delighted to be back together, with lots of completed wraps (two of which were mine). The blanket I am making at present is for my nephew and his wife's expected baby, and I am up to the edging. National productivity has soared. And I have seen three films in the last week or so.

And I thought of Dr P, who would have turned 90 on Saturday.

3 comments:

Elephant's Child said...

Dr P shared a birthday with me - or more accurately since he was here first, I shared his birthday.
Snap on the sleep front. Though my partner sleeps through the cats excursions. Regardless of the damage.
And a past cat piddled on his head (twice) without waking him. I am envious of his capacity for sleep. Mostly.

Pam said...

Glad you're getting jobs done. A handyman sounds a splendid fellow to have around.

Australia does sound very hot. It must have come as a huge shock to the system for the first white settlers. Here, south facing rooms are valued for the light and warmth!

It's nice that you are still thinking about Dr P and I hope that the thoughts are at least partly happy ones.

VioletSky said...

Cats can be very intrusive, can't they. With at least one of mine, I was unable to have any privacy in the bathroom for 3 years. I lived alone for the privacy.

I would like to have a handyman like yours. Sigh.