Tempuss Fugit

Friday already - where does the time go? As I sat nursing a cup of tea and a sugar hangover, William came flying in through the kitchen door pursued by a flurry of raindrops and an extra fat magpie - nasty things. For several weeks running now I have been dogged (hardly le mot juste, I know) by single magpies, dive-bombing my car windscreen or landing on the front lawn just as I look out of the window. I was already feeling a bit spooked when, in town the other evening, a pigeon landed right in front of my car. Fortunately I was looking for a parking place so moving very slow;y. I waited 20 seconds or so for it to waddle on and was just about to set off again when I realised I hadn't seen it arrive on the opposite pavement so pulled back a few feet and there it still was, staring up at me. Is somebody trying to tell me something?

I had a sugar hangover because last night, even after enjoying a very substantial risotto verde and side salad in the company of a friend, I was still hungry and very tired and it had to be sugar so I broke into Brian's cake store and pinched half a square of millionaire's shortbread although it was from Aldi so not the most appropriate epithet. It certainly hit the spot that WW's cereal bars don't reach. I blame too much swimming. I got quite carried away on Wednesday and have felt the effects ever since. I am not going today because I have hair and eyebrow appointments followed by Sainsbury's - quite enough penance for one day.

As it is raining (which he can detect without getting out of bed in the morning) William will be quite happy to stay in while I am out, not that this is usually a problem. I have noticed just recently that his vocabulary has increased tremendously. Not only does he understand, "I am going out now (so you had better come in)" but also "bedtime", " alright, just five minutes more then", "no road, no dogs" (although we have has another slight altercation with the Yorkies) and, of course, "I have booked William into the Cattery" now expressed, with some difficulty on Brian's part as "J'ai fait une reservation pour Guillaume chez l'hotel des chats. Of course, it will only be a matter of time before Mon Petit Choux, cat of superior intelligence, works that one out and we will have to move on to "Wilhelm muss ins Katzen Hotel!". On second thoughts, that's much too obvious. Anyone know the Japanese for cattery?

I have had a comment on my blog! However, it was only from martinet Daughter Number 2, pointing out that there has been a number of spelling mistakes/typos (naturally the latter) in my posts to date - now rectified and Brian has introduced me to the blog spell checker so hopefully there will be no need for the red pen in future. I dare say she was not the only one to spot the unintentional mistakes, so apologies all round.

Oh uh. "Daddy's home" has just reverberated down the hall, William has dived for the nearest exit and I've forgotten to put the oven on. Stercus Accidit - that's Latin for an unfortunate occurrence.