Sisi

Mrs Kinch couldn't actually wait for us to move into the new house before making an addition to the house hold. Behold one small white cat, the source of much joy to her mistress and a source of not inconsiderable sneezing to me. I was not raised with cats and it takes me a while to establish a modus vivendi with them. We shall see.

Her name is a nod to Elizbeth of Bavaria, otherwise known as Sisi, an unusual woman and a great favourite of Mrs Kinchs great uncle. He was trained as a silver service waiter by a former head waiter of her husbands. Mrs Kinch was raised by him to have an intimate knowledge of the dining habits of turn of the century European monarchs and demi-mondiales.

But lest you think we have been slacking...

Yesterday was a day spent cleaning the decks. The plumber called and we should be getting a quotation shortly. A few friends came over to lend a hand and we were very grateful for the help, thank you Savage, Tootsie, Siskey and PsySquid. The previous inhabitant was not a man who liked to throw things out, nor a man who dislike nails - the alcove above contained a cabinet made entirely out of found timber. The maker nailed all the bit together to make larger sheets of timber, which he then made into an cabinet, which he nailed together. He then nailed the sides and back of the cabinet to the walls for extra stability, but not before nailing parts of it to the ceiling.

Taking it apart was an interesting experience.

Savage and PsySquid help get those hard to reach cobwebs

- remember ladies and gentlemen, safety first...