My Newest Favourite Thing: Sarah & George

Home again!

When I returned from my fabulous holiday seeing my brother and his family, Him Outdoors had bad news for me: Chester had disappeared. He was last seen on Friday morning and hadn't been home since. We've not got a cat flap as we are renting and have to lock the doors and windows when we are out, but we leave the door open when we are home so Chester can come and go as he pleases. 

As a side issue, I have always had 'outdoor' cats since being a child, and was raised to think that keeping an animal permanently indoors is cruel. Domestic cats still have a wild streak, as do domestic humans, and if you told me I could never go outside and run and play and roll around in the grass freely, I would probably bite and break things too. There is a proposal for Canberra to become the first contained-cat city in Australia. I appreciate the arguments for this, but I just can't agree. It would be like having an animal confined permanently in a zoo with no hope of rehabilitation and no purpose of education.

To return to the point: Chester was missing. I spoke to all the neighbours; I made up leaflets and posted them in letterboxes; I put up flyers; I phoned the local vets and the RSPCA to ask them to look out for our cat (he is de-sexed and micro-chipped and wears a collar with my contact details); I posted messages on Facebook and the Canberra Lost Pet Database (a great resource, incidentally). I received many words of support and encouragement - Chester has a great many friends and admirers - but no-one had seen him. I was in despair.

We missed him desperately. We missed his adorable little face, his fluffy tummy, his soft, silky paws, and his chattering, trilling and purring. We missed him running up to us when we came home from work, nuzzling his nose into our neck, curling up on our lap and snuggling in behind the crook of our knees to sleep at night. Our house felt empty without him; it wasn't a home.

Yesterday morning I received a phone call from a lady called Sarah in a suburb 10km away, across several busy roads and on the other side of a (snake-infested) hill. She said she knew that cats generally made their way home, but she had found ours crying outside their house that morning. She had given him a drink and checked his collar and decided to give me a ring. I practically burst into tears and asked if she could keep him in until I got there, then I raced round to collect him. He had been entertaining her three-year-old son, George, who had been showing Chester his dinosaur collection and playing hide and seek around the sofa.

Chester with new friend, George

Chester is a little on the skinny side and very hungry, sleepy and clingy, but otherwise seems okay. I have booked him into the vet for a check-up to be sure. He keeps sitting on my lap (Chester; not the vet) and refusing to let me get up. When I do, he head-butts my legs until I sit down again, and then he snuggles back onto my lap. He is sitting there now as I type, which is a little awkward, but I am so glad to have him back that I don't mind a bit.

Chester will not reveal his adventures, so I will never know where he went nor how he survived. I only know that I am incredibly grateful to Sarah and George for being good people and doing the decent thing. I appreciate the support we've received from everyone who cares about Chester and cares about us enough to know how important he is in our lives. I realise that people aren't 'things' but Sarah and George are my newest favourites anyway. I'm thankful our world still contains such humanity. It's a small thing in the grand scheme of things, but it's a massive thing to us. Thank you.

Friday Five: Wineries

Yes, of course we did other things in South Australia, but we did visit several wineries - well, you've got to, haven't you?

5 Wineries in South Australia:

1. Jacob's Creek - A big flash building with its own visitors' centre and a number of different tours to cater for all budgets and tastes. We went self-guided. My favourite was the Steingarten Reisling ($48), while Hoggy's was the Centenary Hill Shiraz ($70). Yes, I know; champagne taste on a beer budget...




2. Chateau Tanunda - a lovely chap hosted our tasting, augmented with many recommendations of places to go and things to eat! I tried the Reisling, Chardonnay and blended white; Hoggy got stuck into the Shiraz.




3. Reilly's - located in Mintaro in the Clare Valley; a lovely little village featuring a collection of old stone buildings. I tasted my way through a line-up of delicious Reislings, including a sparkling variety.




4. Pike's River - Good Reislings and an excellent cab sav, but not the best presentation. Renovations are currently underway, so it could well improve.




5. Sevenhill - Sticking to whites, I tried the Reisling, Chardonnay and a fabulous fortified Verdhelo. This was the first winery in the Clare Valley, established by Jesuit monks from Austria in 1851, and it has a very picturesque setting and an underground cellar.

Friday Five: Lounging about

I've always been slightly confused about whether the item of furniture seen in posh houses and vintage settings is called a chaise longue or a chaise lounge - there seems to be no doubt that it is a French chair, but is the point that it is a long chair, or that it is a chair designed for lounging rather than sitting? 

For no apparent reason, I seemed to be surrounded by the things on a recent trip to South Australia, so they became something of a theme...

5 Chaises Longue/Lounge:

1. The hotel room in Adelaide featured one which was very comfy for reading books and watching Liverpool games - unfortunately the score wasn't as satisfying.



2. The Art Gallery of South Australia didn't help, depicting this work by Marcel Breuer as a 'long chair' and imploring punters 'please do not sit'.



3. Another example in the gallery, By Marc Newson, describes itself as a chaise longue, so I think I'm going to stick with that from now on.
   
   
   
   
4. Meanwhile, in Auburn, this innovative design combines a clawfoot bath with the chaise. I like it.



5. At Emily's Bistro and Emporium at Quorn, it is difficult to tell whether the antique furniture and clothing for sale are considered quirky or current.
   
   
   
   

Friday Five: Coward Quotes

Lauren Bacall and Noel Coward in Blithe Spirit

As I am directing Blithe Spirit, my mind is currently full of Cowardisms. Here are five of my favourite.

5 Quotes from Blithe Spirit:

1. "You're awfully irritating when you're determined to be witty at all costs." 
2. "It's discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit."
3. "I do think it's interesting how easily people allow themselves to be deceived."
4. "Anybody can write books, but it takes an artist to make a dry martini that's dry enough."
5. "I long ago came to the conclusion that nothing has ever been proved about anything."

Friday Five: The Joy of Guests

5 Great Things About Visitors:

1. Eating and drinking out in good pubs and restaurants - any old excuse.
2. Finding things that one likes in one's town and introducing them to others.
3. Discovering new things and places together.
4. Talking and laughing and gossiping and reminiscing and discussing.
5. Finding everyday items in strange places where the guests have put them back - it turns domestic chores into a treasure hunt!

We were having fun, look!

Friday Five: Blooming Spring

The advent of spring brings blossom and flowers. They're pretty and colourful and brighten up the day, so I thought I'd share. 

5 Spring Blooms:

1. Golden wattle

2. Camellia

3. Hellebore

4. Tree Violets

5. Magnolia

Friday Five: TV Programmes

After the excitement of the World Cup, Tour de France and Commonwealth Games, my television viewing has hit a barren patch. There are, however, a few programmes that I will make an effort to watch.

Neil Stuke, Maxine Peake and Rupert Penry-Jones in Silk

Five Programmes I'm Watching:

1. Silk - created by Peter Moffat and starring Maxine Peake, Rupert Penry-Jones and Neil Stuke, this is season three of the adventures of the barristers and clerks of Shoe Lane Chambers. Each episode is a self-contained piece of drama with some fine acting and larger themes of justice and morality.
2. Dr Who - He's back and he's Peter Capaldi. I'm still not impressed with Jenna Coleman's Clara companion, and the signs show no indication that she might fade back into the role of assistant rather than trying to take over. The Doctor, however, has a little more of the edgy madness and less of the cuddly doofus aspect that was threatening to spoil the franchise, so I'm prepared to give it time. (Do you see what I did there?)
3. Utopia - a sort of Australian version of The Thick of It. It's not quite as classy, but office politics and government departments are such rich comedy seams to mine that there are still plenty of nuggets to polish.
4. The Book Club / At the Movies  - personable people having intelligent discussions and reviewing stuff that interests me (i.e. books and films).
5. The Project / Have You Been Paying Attention? - information and questions about current affairs both portrayed in a lighthearted manner, or, as they say themselves, 'It's news delivered differently'.

Peter Capaldi as Doctor Who