No Mr Puss….Poetry Ireland Reading

Phew! And double phew! Have just managed to get on Blogger after a week or so of not being allowed access, I suspect something unsavoury and virus-like lurked in the nether regions of my laptop and made it totally impossible for me to gain access. I did a scan and found a nasty-piece-of-work type virus and promptly sent it into quarantine and on its merry way….after doing this, it usually takes a week for things to get back to normal and bingo! today, after lunch, I took the Blogger-bull by the horns and here I am.

No Mr Puss

I have quite a lot of updating to do - the one most prominent on my mind being my Mr Puss, who has not come back. I leave doors ajar at night and even during the day, we close the iron wrought door and leave the inner door ajar, held in place by whatever is handy, usually a saucepan or something like that and leave his food out and water. His cushion and everything is just the way it was when he disappeared – I can’t bear to move them. I am deeply upset at him not returning, we had him for 5 years and he was my shadow, literally…I moved to the kitchen, he moved to the kitchen, I went to the loo, he kept a vigil outside the loo door. He slept in our bed at night, just tucked into the small of my back.

With him being Siamese, he was a complete chatter-box. He was the best of crack – always answering differently, at times it was like having a contrary adolescent in the house as he held his own in all exchanges!

I miss him so much – the thing is I cannot admit this to most people, as here, especially, cats are looked on as another form of vermin, so many run wild and to actually admit that one is cut up about their puss’s disappearance could be proof enough that one is crazy! Not that I give a monkey’s…true friends are listening to me and I have not totally given up hope yet.

The truly worrying thing is that we have a very strange neighbour who lives in a dungeon-like cave with no electricity, nothing. He is an alcoholic and it was through him that we got Mr Puss. He found him in the village and took him to his cave in a plastic bag, Mr Puss escaped and made it to our place on a Christmas Eve….he was sitting under our canopy, like a little present that Santa had brought.

He was really ill and practically dying, I paid the neighbour a few bob for him and took him to the vet’s and we managed to save his life…. my most upsetting concern would be that the neighbour had anything to do with his disappearance…I am not exaggerating when I say that he has killed animals before…he has told me so and I know for a fact he has.

When Mr Puss went missing, I immediately went to him and said there was a 100€ award for Mr Puss….or even more….I sweet-talked him by saying he was a great neighbour who I trusted would be able to find Mr Puss etc Nothing so far though.

I can deal with the idea of Mr Puss being out there roaming and enjoying himself but it breaks my heart to think that the neighbour might have had anything to do with his disappearance – I try not to think of that or else I cannot hold it together.
Sorry this is one almighty ramble – please keep the positive vibe and ‘um’ machine on full blast…..thanks : )

Poetry Ireland Reading

I will be reading in the Irish Writers’ Centre on Thursday the 28th of May at 6.30. The details are here. I haven’t begun practising yet but will get my act together soon….hopefully.

Back for more updates later…
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