Posting days: Sunday and Wednesday and, sometimes, maybe, extra ‘news flashes’

Wednesday February 14th 2018

Three days after the hexed Monday, the microwave stops working. Honestly.

No cooking for me then!

Then, the day after that, I knock my radio onto the floor and a wire is torn out of the connection.

This Monday, Isis can’t go to the park with the Pet Angels because the sun is too bright, so, exactly a week after all our troubles began, there we are in The Lane, Isis playing with snake in the shade, I sitting on my plastic chair in the sun.

Soon I become aware of a very cold sensation in my nether regions. I know it’s an extremely cold day, but not this cold, surely?

When I get up to examine the chair seat I find that a sheet of ice has formed on it overnight. I hadn’t noticed it when I placed my plastic bag on the seat.

The sheet is now deliquescent and the bottom of my coat is very wet. Ew!

With difficulty and a short stick, I prise off the ice.

Settling back on the chair, I feel it lean a little to the right. Sensible as ever, I lean a little to the right too to test it out. I can’t of course, break a fall with my arms so I have to stay put as the inevitable happens in slow motion and I descend into the brambles.

Chuckling away to myself, I take the above image. I find it very funny. Until I face the challenge of getting up. Unable to risk further damaging my dislocated shoulders, I can’t pull myself up with my hands.  And although the backs of my knees are nowhere near as painful and swollen as they were, I still can’t kneel.

Oh dear.

At least no-one can watch the pantomime, sheltered as I am by garages on each side.

I glance over at Hairy One. She’s snake hunting.

It’s quite easy to shove the chair back upright with one foot, but it takes me a long time to shuffle my head and shoulders onto the seat, rock myself forward inch by inch and gradually stagger to my feet.

I’m grateful that the brambles broke my fall. They weren’t a comfortable resting place ….

but it could have been nasty if I’d landed smack on the frozen earth. And I have five layers of clothing on.

Isis is now dancing up and down the lane with her snake, quite oblivious to my plight. I make my way towards her. It’s home time.

She looks as happy as ever, so I’m unprepared for what happens next. As I reach out to place my hand on her back, she leaps, snarling into the air and jerks her head round, growling and biting at her tail.

I know that she’ll not bite me, but, as always, it’s a startling display.

This time I know immediately what must have happened.

Yes, it’s another stick mouth!

This time she is panting so heavily that she can’t clamp her jaws shut. I am able to grab the offending stick and remove it.

“Well, it’s Monday again, isn’t it?”, says Adopted Niece.

Isis came from the Aeza cat and dog rescue and adoption centre in Aljezur, Portugal. For information about adopting an animal fro