A Tail of Two Kitties

I don't know. I go away for a week and poor Sen kitten pops a massive hernia! Got this via WhatsApp from my housemate the other day. Thankfully, we have a lovely vet who went to collect her. She's due to have a big operation tomorrow, after which we'll know more. I've been warned that, because of where it is and her history of severe asthma, there are likely to be complications. I've got everything crossed - she's in the best hands.

I'll update when we know more.

Speaking of kitties, I've been reunited with my lovely car, Kitty. Merrick took me out for a spin in his car, Freddy. It's very flash. Dual control, because he's a driving instructor, with a rear-view camera for reverse parking, automatic hill start, and if you drive past a parking space, Freddy scans the curb and automatically reverse parks himself - no hands! Merrick says they did two terms at Hogwarts to learn that trick.

It was good to have a proper driving instructor for my first attempt behind the wheel. I hadn't driven in two-and-a-half years.

Thankfully, it went really well. It all came back to me pretty quickly, and today I went out for a spin in Kitty with dad. I'm driving her all the way from Gloucester to Northamptonshire tomorrow. Whilst I'm driving Kitty, I'll be thinking about another kitty several thousand miles away and hoping she pulls through her operation okay.

So, just a quick roundup before I hit the road.

Had an entertaining experience yesterday. Decided to do something I do once in a blue moon - get a manicure. Whilst I was there, I saw an advert for eyebrow threading and thought I'd try it. I don't pluck or anything, so the ends of my brows are a bit untidy. Oh, vanity. 

Never having had this done before, I asked 'will it hurt?'

'Only a little.'

Holy mother of-!!! It really hurts. And this coming from someone who once threw herself in a fire. Oh my goodness, I had tears streaming down my cheeks by the end, and my forehead resembled a big, red McDonald's sign. I had to sneak into Boots next door to get a free dab of sample concealer.

My brows do look really tidy, though.

Went to The Boat as Ashleworth, one of our favourite pubs. Used to be a fanatical real ale pub which had been in the same family for donkeys, but sadly it's changed hands - now doing food and far fewer decent beers. End of an era. Still, nice to sit by the river and sup a dark cherry-chocolate stout.

Hops

Been face-deep in several English breakfasts. Missing the black pudding, but pretty damn good: bacon, egg, sausage, toast, beans and tomatoes.

Almost wept when I saw the price of cat food in Tesco. Cat food costs a feckin' fortune in Rwanda. I don't think anywhere makes it on the continent so everything is imported. A box of wet food costs around £3.50 in the supermarket here, but I pay between £8-12 in Kigali, and the supply often runs out. If only I had a bigger suitcase!

Still, we had a lovely time at Tapas Tuesday down the docks. It was a very different menu to Maia's tapas at CasaKeza, but extremely yummy - lots of halloumi and hummus. The decor was an interesting mixture of war memorabilia and 1920s chic.

My lovely Aunty Jean sent down an incredible selection box from Hotel Chocolate to say welcome back. Truly special. So good, in fact, that we'd eaten them all by the time I thought to take a picture.

Oh, and I forgot to include a picture of my tea and Bakewell slice from the garden at Mintey last time, so here it is.