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Tim in a thoughtful mood

Tim in a thoughtful mood

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Gyp and Tim
Episode 5 - The Night Of The Alarm Cat.
   
 
Tim You decided to go on with the story from when we left off last time.
Gypsy Yes, three episodes then the prequels worked for George Lucas, so I thought it
would do for us as well.
Tim Does this mean we have to wait 15 years for episode 1?
Gypsy No, we will speed up that part. When we left the audience last, the ginger cat
bristled out his fur and crouched down as I approached.
Tim I hissed again. Then John appeared. He seemed to know the ginger cat, and
  the ginger cat knew John.
Gypsy John called him Taggy, stroked him, and picked him up in his arms.
Tim I can’t stand being picked up, it’s so undignified, at least Thelma and John
learnt that quickly. If I am picked up I know I’m in trouble.
Gypsy I don’t mind, at times, it's an easy way to travel. Anyway John picked Taggy
up, and chatted to him as he carried Taggy out of the back garden, across the
front garden, and down the road. Then he put Taggy down, and Taggy trotted
away.
Tim It seems Taggy lives down the road, and occasionally comes up to our garden.
We are on nodding terms now.
Gypsy A few days later I caught a rabbit.
Tim Next day I caught a rabbit.
Gypsy The rabbits moved on the next day. I’ve only caught one since then. We’ve had
  lots of mice, shrews, and voles though, Thelma & John approve of that.
Tim They didn’t when I sneaked a live one upstairs.
Gypsy That one got away clean through the front porch. Now we have been here over
6 months, things have settled down into a routine. When Madeleine goes to
  bed, I snuggle down at the bottom of her bed.
Tim I settle on the chair she has been using, and go to sleep. When Thelma and
John go to bed, you make your big mistake, and go and join them.
Gypsy That’s when I get carried down-stairs. There follows a light supper, and then
several hours shut-eye, before patrolling the house, a post-midnight feast, and
more sleep.
Tim About 7 o’clock, John comes down and opens up the door to the garden, I go
out, if it’s not raining, while he prepares the food.
Gypsy I go upstairs, and do my job, the alarm cat. I make sure Thelma is awake. First
  I jump on her, then I try some gentle head-butting. Then it is off for first
  breakfast.
   
Staff Note. Gypsy Cat weighs about 1 stone, that’s 14 pounds for those on the left hand side of the Atlantic Ocean, and quite a lot for those unfortunates who only use grams. Tim is about 2 lb. lighter.

   
Tim Then I come in and run upstairs so John can groom my coat, before going
  back down-stairs for breakfast.
Gypsy I don’t like daily grooming, once a week is enough for me, but I come back up
  for stroking. Then it is second breakfast, third breakfast, and out into the
garden until about 10:30 when we come in for our midday nap.
Tim Sometimes the staff go out, and we have to sleep in the garden.
Gypsy About 3 o’clock I remind John that it is only two hours to the evening feed.
  After feeding, it is patrol the garden again, until sleep.
Tim A few weeks ago they had the decorators in to do the lounge, and dining room.
They could not shut us in downstairs at night, so we had the run of the house.
Gypsy When Thelma & John decided it was their bedtime they tried shutting their
  bedroom door, but after we charged through a couple of times they gave up,
  and left it open.
   
  Staff Note. The bedroom door opens inwards, so simply by pushing or, in
  Gyp’s case, running at the door, the boys could open it. The doors downstairs
  have to be pulled, one cat on the work surface pressing down on the door
  handle, while the other claws open the door. Gypsy and Tim’s predecessors,
  Ursa and Elgin, managed this several times. So far the boys have not cracked
  it.
   
Tim In we went.
Gypsy Thelma & John sleep in my day stateroom, so I was not too pleased with you
  being in there. I settled down at the end of the bed, my normal daytime place.
Tim I tried to join you.
Gypsy I did not think there was room for all of us, and told you so. We discussed it
quite loudly for a few minutes, then Thelma and John joined in the conversation.
Tim I was placed on a nice little stool where I slept until dawn.
Gypsy Trouble was it was mid-summer, and dawn was about 4 o’clock.
Tim I think John understood I wanted him to see the sunrise, to discuss the meaning
of life, and the menu for the next day.
Gypsy Did not sound like it to me. I slept most of the night, at the bottom of the bed
  until you started making a racket. Now and again I would go downstairs for a
snack, and mostly got back on the bed without waking anybody.
Tim Mostly.
Gypsy It could happen to anyone, a momentary lapse. I was in alarm-cat mode when I
  ran up the stairs at about 2 a.m. on the third night, and launched myself from
just inside the doorway. Thelma was quite understanding really, and I have lost
  weight since.
Tim With the number of cat treats you eat that won’t last.
Gypsy This is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. A few weeks ago, the staff
decided to renew the plastic line on their rotary cloths-dryer, in the garden.
Tim By then we had been going outside for several weeks, so we were able to help.
Gypsy First they took the old line off the dryer, and put it on the garden.
Tim Then they started putting the new line through the dryer’s arms.
Gypsy This was when we were able to help, we chased the line everywhere.
Tim That was when you skidded by the pond side, and got rather wet.
Gypsy Not as wet as you were a few weeks ago, anyway I like water.
   
  Staff Note. Gyps regularly stands in the pond, with all four legs, and summer
sometimes part of the tail, in several inches of water. This, so far, has been a
activity, but he has not been in the garden in winter yet.
   
Tim Never saw it coming, I was just settling down to my toilet in a neighbouring
garden, when whoosh, covered in cold water. John was very good, he didn’t
  laugh, Thelma went and got a towel, and mopped up the floor. I dried off my
fur.
Gypsy Anyway Thelma & John decided that we were having such a good time with
the line, they added an improvement.
Tim On two of the dryer arms there is a piece of plastic line hanging down to the
ground, we often chase that now.
Gypsy Time to close down this episode.
Tim Coming next - Episode 1 Tim and Gyps - The Early Years.
Gypsy Gyps and Timothy-Cat - The Early Years. This could give John some
problems, as he did not know us then, and he still has trouble understanding
what we want at times.
Tim Can someone invent a can opener that cats can operate?
Gypsy Say Goodnight Timmy.
Tim Coming Soon - Episode 6 - Gypsy On The Roof - with photographs.

 

Tim takes a break
Gyp looking for inspiration
Tim takes a break
Gyp looking for inspiration
 
 
Episode 6 - Gypsy on the Roof
 

 

Tim
Gypsy

Now pay attention, we're not writing all this for fun you know!

 
 

After a hard day's (well hour or so) patrolling the garden, checking on the neighbourhood dogs, and coming in and out for breakfasts (at least three), the boys settle down to chat before the main siesta of the morning. This normally lasts until mid-day then if the weather is fine, a short patrol; if it's wet, straight to the afternoon siesta.

 
 
Tim We have been here for a year now.
Gypsy Yes, it was last winter we arrived, it's so nice to be indoors again.
 


Staff Notice. January 16th.

 
Tim And space to run as well, and human company.
Gypsy I think Thelma and John's training is going quite well, they are coming on nicely,
their door opening is especially good.
Tim Today was not very pleasant. I hate worming tablets.
Gypsy So do I, but at least it's only every three months.
Tim John muttered something about it being time for our flu jabs in a few weeks. I
hate that.
Gypsy I think we should tell the people how our routine has changed since the summer.
Tim Anything to avoid Gypsy On The Roof.
Gypsy Very well, it happened not long after we arrived here last year. Thelma and John
kept us inside the house for a few weeks until they were sure you had settled.
Tim That's right blame me.
Gypsy I was ready to go in a couple of weeks, you were the one holding things up.
Anyway it was one afternoon in summer, we had both finished the mid-day
siesta, and gone out for a pre-supper patrol of the garden, and surrounding area.


Staff notice. The house stands in the middle of the plot, with front and rear gardens of about equal size. At the back of the rear garden is a line of tree at the top of a slight bank, behind that are open fields. There are houses on either side of the boys' home. There is a fence on both sides of the garden, right down to the road at the front and to the trees at the back. No fence to either front or rear, and then there were three quite tall trees on the left-hand side of the house. They were taller than the house. They have now been removed, not because of Gypsy's story, it was already planned.

 
Tim I went into the fields at the back, the last time I saw you, you were sniffing
around the pond.


Staff notice. The next few paragraphs could be total fiction, but fit the facts.

 
Gypsy I wandered across the back garden and down the side of the house to go and
check the front garden, when suddenly I heard a noise. Round the front of the
house came a dog. The wall of the house was on my left, the gate into the back
garden behind me, on my right the trees and fence and ahead a dog.
Tim Which dog was it? There are several that live around here. One next door, one
two houses down, two almost opposite, on the left and right, and........
Gypsy We did not exchange names and addresses. I ran up the tree. Right up to near
the top. After a while the dog wandered away. I did not know what to do, but
  one of the tree branches almost touched the house roof, so I went on there.
Tim I came back for my supper. John let me in, and went out and called for you.
Gypsy I called back, but he did not hear me.
Tim I had my supper, and John went out and called you again. They wondered if
your name, Gypsy, meant you wandered. They now know better, "fair weather
cat" is your other name, any cold, wet weather and you are under the duvet.
Gypsy Last winter before we arrived here, we were outdoors in the cold, I know
which I prefer. Anyway John called again, I yelled, he heard me, but did not
look up, he assumed I was in the front garden.
Tim I tried telling him. Finally he walked down to the bank at the bottom of the
garden.
Gypsy As he turned round I let out a big meow, he looked up and saw me. The whole
family came out then, Madeleine even took my photo. I was becoming worried,
I was very high up, and dusk was starting.
Tim They decided that trying to get a ladder up to the roof and bring you down in a
bag probably would not work. Then Thelma had a bright idea. One of the
bedrooms has skylights, so they might get you in through them.
Gypsy The next thing I knew was one of the sky-light things opened, and John's head
came out of the hole. I walked over to say hello. I did not want to appear too
concerned.
Tim I was watching from the doorway of the room.
Gypsy I looked into the hole. John was standing on a high step-ladder. The floor
looked a long way down. I thought one of the other sky-lights might be better,
and started to wander off to look at that. John grabbed my tail!!!! Then his
other hand swept round and I was on his shoulders going down the ladder
before I knew what was happening.
Tim The expression on your face! Who says a cat can't laugh? I did.
Gypsy When I was put down everyone made a real fuss of me, I had lots of cat treats,
and that was nice, but I'm not going to do roofs again.
Tim Since then things have settled down, we've put up with the decorator doing our
bedrooms.


Staff notice. At night the boys are confined to the lounge; where they usually sleep in their own arm-chairs; the staff dining room, the kitchen, and utility or cats' dining room.

 
Gypsy Then they took the nice old carpet up, and polished the wooden floor. I keep
skidding on that, then the decorator came back and did the hall and stairs.
Our winter routine is not too dissimilar to the summer one. Main difference is
  the staff keep the doors shut, so have to let us in and out of the house. The day
  starts with John letting us out of our sleeping quarters in the morning. I stay with
  him while he gets our breakfast ready, he usually opens the door, but I only sniff
  the air.
Gypsy I run up the stairs to make sure Thelma is awake (See Night of the Alarm Cat).
  Once I'm sure she is, I go next door, to our old room, where I can always still
  find some kibble. Staff are very good here, once it is empty, I only have to find
  one of them, mew, and walk to the bowl, and it is filled again.
Tim By now I have had my first breakfast, and rush upstairs to my grooming room,
  for a nice morning grooming from John. Followed by ear-tickles, stomach rubs,
  and general bonding. Then it is off downstairs.
Gypsy I'm generally waiting at the door, it is opened and off we go to patrol. Usually a
  short one at first, back for second or third breakfast, then off on the morning
  main patrol. Madeleine has gone to school by the time we get back from that.
  Depends on the weather then, usually morning siesta, but if really nice we'll go
  out again.
Tim If it is very cold and dry, I head for the back field, while you sit on the ice
  leaves covering the pond. I've warned you about that. It is your trick on rainy
  days that me wondering how you are still alive.
Gypsy Great fun, on wet mornings I go out into the garden, get my paws nicely muddy,
  then charge in, up the stairs, and jump on the bed, lots of muddy paw-prints all
  over it. It is best on the day when Thelma has just changed the sheets. I usually
  give a loud chirp just as I launch, so they know who is coming. My fur is usually
  nice and wet, so I roll over to dry it, funny I don't often get The Cat Of The
  Week Award in wet weather.
Tim You push your luck.
Gypsy If it's sunny I go upstairs, jump onto the duvet, roll over on my back and go to
  sleep with the sun on my stomach, surrounded by feathers. Lunch time, down
  for another patrol, and that is it for the day, as long as I can beat Thelma to my
  armchair in the evening. If she gets there first I have to sit and stare and make
  her feel guilty, then go and sit on the settee.
Tim I usually come down for supper, then go back upstairs until mid-evening when
  I've started joining the rest of you, trouble is all the good seats have gone.
Gypsy It's worse on Sunday when John has friends round to watch the NFL game on
  TV, sometimes I have to share the settee with two humans. At least I get some
  cat treats.
Tim Well, I guess that is about it.
  What ever happened to those cute Timmy toys you were on about in the early
  episodes?
Gypsy Still waiting for a supplier. I don't know when the next episode will be. With
  spring on its way, I expect we will have some more adventures, and we will be
  able to tell everyone what's happened. Say good-night Timmy.
Tim Goodnight Gypsy.

 

Gypsy engaged in a siesta

Siesta time for Gypsy