Lle Llywela

So the house that I live in really is going on the market sometime soon - my landlord Dad is spending his second Saturday in a row hacking back the jungle of a garden, on a mission to make the place a bit more saleable. I hardly dare look at what he's done to the poor shrubs - I know he's broken two of my pots already!

When the house goes on the market, I'm going to have to plan carefully for when to move, see how much interest there is and how fast it is likely to be sold in order to judge when to start house-hunting. I don't want to move too soon, as my rent is covering the mortgage and I don't want to leave my parents out of pocket, but I also want to have time to find somewhere decent to live when the time comes! I need to find a cat-friendly landlord and a house/flat with garden access, somewhere to keep all my pot plants, preferably someplace central so I can get to and from work easily, I'd like central heating rather than going back to storage heaters that never really work, but I'd also like the rent to be manageable...

Yeah. It's going to be an interesting year.

My brother's little Chess cat moved out today. Poppy watched her go, searched the whole house just to make sure she wasn't hiding somewhere, and then cheered up almost immediately.

Am now attempting to teach her how the cat flap works, having kept it locked up till now. She had already figured out for herself that it was a possible exit...but is now struggling to make the conceptual leap to recognising it as something she can operate herself.

She'll get there eventually.

Chess is apparently quite distraught at having been taken to a new house, predictably enough, being such a cantankerous, reclusive little thing. Worse still, she has been taken to a new house that now has another cat in it. It seems a young stray has adopted the family. They had her crying on the doorstep for a couple of days, gave in and fed it and then took it to the vet to find out if it had a microchip and maybe was just lost. No such luck, but it has been spayed, which is something, at least. So, they've taken it home with them and are keeping it, at least until a) an owner shows up to claim it, or b) it wanders off again, as is the wont of some cats. It's a little tortoiseshell, about the same age as Poppy, and Small has called her Chloe.

My poor Mum. She so didn't want any new pets to have to worry about until long after the move, so that there would be time to get everyone settled, but instead she's found herself landed with both a hedgehog and a new cat, within the space of a few weeks!

In other news, I've spent much of the day down on hands and knees with a bowl of soapy water, scrubbing carpets. Turns out, this takes an unreasonable amount of time, so I've not got anything like as much done as I'd hoped. Better get back on with it, then...

1. You know what I want? A new vaccuum cleaner. One that actually picks up dust and dirt instead of just flirting with it.

*adds to list of things to invest in if/when I have money again*

2. Lots of kerfuffle in work at the moment. Some of the pretty but elderly and, it turns out, rotten Victorian fretwork that underhangs the eaves decided to fall off and almost brain members of staff as they left the building the other day. Cue consternation. So the building is now swathed in scaffolding with one entrance out of commission for the duration. Problem is, although this isn't a listed building, it is in a conservation area, which means that any repair work to the façade has to conform to Cadw standards, which can only lead to delay and expense. Fun!

I think they'll be trying to think of any work that might possibly need doing up there to squeeze in while the scaffolding is in place, to avoid having to pay for it again in the future.

3. My spoilt little princess Poppy really doesn't know what to make of this whole 'competing for food' thing Chess has got going on with her. She's just so bewildered, Chess can walk all over her! She also doesn't know what to make of living in a whole house - our flat was so tiny, she's totally flummoxed by the size. I've found that she eats better if I stay in the room with her and lock Chess out for the duration. If Chess sneaks in later to hoover up the leftovers, well, that's Poppy's fault for not finishing!

Chess should be moving out soon, maybe over the weekend. Hopefully Poppy will find it easier to settle once it is just the two of us again. I'll start letting her out more then, as well. She's already halfway to figuring out what the catflap is for, even without ever having seen it in use, and has twice now wandered off out of the garden when she was allowed out for some air and found her way safely back home both times, so I'm sure she'll be just fine.

4. Poppy noticed the fish for the first time last night. I'm not sure how she'd managed to miss them before, given that they live in the room she was shut in for the first few days and still spends most of her time in, but they certainly hadn't caught her eye. Then last night she was sitting on top of the bookcase when I fed them, and was absolutely fascinated to see Sinbad darting around gobbling down flakes. She sat there for ages, staring!

Luckily it hasn't occurred to her to do anything other than look, although I don't think she could get at them in the tank even if she tried.

I've been promising Poppy piccies for a while now, and all the cables are now unpacked and accounted for, so here goes: moving house through animal eyes.

First of all, Poppy had to help me pack. So many boxes! What's a confused little cat supposed to do?


( Poppy-spam continues under the cut )

Back online, post move. Been so busy all week I didn't even miss the internet - didn't even re-assemble the computer until this morning, with the technician coming to re-connect everything. Thanks for all the good wishes - hope you've all had a good week. Let me know if I missed anything earth-shattering; just the thought of trying to read back is exhausting!

Will return with piccies at some point in the future when I have unpacked the cables to connect camera to PC.

Stick a fork in me; I am done. Other than whatever I need for breakfast tomorrow (and the cat) all I have left to pack is the computer, which is up next. Tomorrow is the Big Move.

Catch you all on the flip side, folks - back online end of the week, if all goes to plan.

Almost everything I own is now in a box. Some of the stacks of boxes are beginning to look a bit precarious. Poppy is getting a bit cross that I keep bringing boxes home and then putting things in them that aren't her - I took more pics of her playing in empty boxes last night, but have already packed the cable to connect my camera to the PC so can't upload them to show! The only thing I haven't touched at all to pack yet is my wardrobe - that can be a job for the weekend, methinks. Other than that, I've left myself bare essentials only: one plate, one dish, one knife, one fork... Oh, and one baking tray, as I'm currently living off whatever is left in the freezer, having packed the rest of my pots and pans and most of the contents of my larder (well, the tallboy I use as a larder).

Four more days and I am out of that flat.

Things I am going to miss when I move:

1. The parks and lake, in honour of which I just posted a picspam over at scene_again.
2. The district in general. I love all the little shops and cafes, boutiques, art galleries, etc, etc, that we have here.
3. The fruit'n'veg stall on the corner. I buy nearly all my fruit and veg there! What am I going to do without it??
4. Living at the intersection of several major bus routes - never wait more than 5 minutes for a bus into town!
5. The farmer's market on Saturday mornings.
6. My friend Jane who lives next door, and Molly, just around the corner.

Things I am not going to miss when I move:

1. That dark, dank, pokey little shoebox of a flat.
2. Him Upstairs.
3. Them Next Door.
4. Banjo Man.
5. Students.

Not long now. Felt very stressed and depressed about it all yesterday, but gave myself an evening off packing and watched a bunch of Midsomer Murders, from the very first season. Feel much better now, calm and relaxed and ready.