And After The Storms... A Ray Of Hope
A day later... at dusk, there were other cloud formations, quite low in the sky, illuminated by the setting sun behind them. One was captured with the rays of the sun shining outwards, like a heavenly radiance.
After unleashing her magnificent wrath on the earth, Mother Nature can also be very inspiring, and so very beautiful.
A Storm Cloud Gathers...
What strange weather we have been having. Extremely hot, especially in the south, and thank heavens we have an air conditioning unit in the bedroom, which means we can at least sleep at night; during the day, it has been quite stifling.
Added to which, the dreadful news of extreme rainfall in Germany, resulting in terrible floods, showed so clearly the devastation wreaked by nature; there has been much loss of life, homes swept away, and streets turned into rivers.
We have dear friends in Germany, and happily they are all safe and well, but they have endured some anxious and frightening times. Now the clean-up has begun, but it must be heart-breaking for so many people who have lost everything, and have to start again.
In America and Canada, too, there has been appalling heat, with people experiencing what has been called a "heat dome," and enduring it as best they can.
It shows how fragile we humans are, when it comes to surviving extreme temperatures; we're happiest existing in a fairly narrow temperate range!
A couple of days ago, we were warned of thunderstorms and rain, but for most of the day, the sky remained cloudless, until we went outside and looked up: and there was a cloud on high, looking for all the world like something out of the film, Independence Day. Apart from three or four sprinkles of rain, and a few rumbles of thunder, that particular episode passed us by.
A scene to inspire the makers of Independence Day?
Snowy
It's been weeks now, since we last saw Snowy - the cat who started coming round to see us regularly, waiting by the back door, his/her little nose pressed up against the cat flap, expecting (and getting) as many square meals a day as he - or she - wanted.
We definitely don't like being "cat-less," and since we lost both Blackie and Pushkin, apart from seeing the Ginger Tom in the garden occasionally - whom we know is owned by folks in a house down the road - we have missed having a loving cat around.
In spite of his feral nature, we hoped that, over time, Snowy might become more tame. After all, when Mum first became acquainted with Pushkin and Tiddlywinks, they were also semi-feral, but would allow Mum to stroke them - at first, only momentarily, before they would pull away, but later on, a bit more willingly. I remember a time when they were unwell, and we had a home visit from the vet; he diagnosed them both with cat flu, and prescribed medication for them. Pushkin would take her tablet in with her dinner, but for Tiddlywinks I could wrap each pill in a piece of ham (only the best, of course!) and she would take the "ham and pill parcel" from my hand!
That didn't last, because over yet more time, Tiddlywinks never got any friendlier, but Pushkin did, eventually becoming very much a house pussycat, happy to be loved and cuddled on a lap. Pushkin was also the one who would throw herself at my feet whilst I settled down to the ironing; that was when I knew she was waiting for me to take my slippers off, and use my toes to tickle her ears. What a strange, unique cat she was! and a very lady-like cat, who could hold her own against Blackie.
Blackie, of course, was a different personality altogether; very vocal, very demanding, with an "I'M HERE!" personality; he was a cat who could not be ignored. He was the cat who arrived "from nowhere," and although he was very nervous at first, he quickly decided we were definitely his people, and we counted ourselves lucky to be chosen as his family.
Without Blackie and Pushkin, the house seems empty, and we had been nursing hopes that Snowy might one day decide to stay with us on a more permanent basis. Quite possibly these were forlorn hopes, because Snowy, from the first time he condescended to accept food from us, was in a constant state of nervousness, and ready for immediate flight. He had started to come in over the kitchen threshold, and eat his dinner in the kitchen - always with the door open, of course, allowing him a swift retreat when he felt the need to flee! - but we hoped he would also feel safe with us, and know he could relax eating "just indoors." When he ate his food on the step, he was always looking round anxiously, for any perceived danger.
There were also occasions when Snowy would be just inside the kitchen, sitting on the mat, and looking out on the patio; in that position I'm sure he felt safe, and that we were guarding his back! Sometimes he'd sit on one of the patio chairs, or the bench, and soak up some sun, and have a wash, or else be snoozing in the little cat house, also on the patio. He would lie in that, right at the very back, so at first glance you could not see he was there, but then, on a longer look, you could the splash of white on his paws as he was curled up, and think he must be happy and comfortable, dry and warm - and hope he felt safe.
Sometimes Snowy would come round 3 - or even on occasion 4! - times a day, and very clearly hungry; we would wonder where he had been, as he could get through two or three sachets at a sitting! and then afterwards he might go and sit on the trellis over the fishpond and watch the fish swimming underneath the water.
Even though we haven't seen him or such a long while now - it's been weeks - we still don't want to abandon hope, and wonder if perhaps he has been locked in somewhere; but we can't help but start to think we may not see him again. We are keeping him in our thoughts.
Such a very particular cat!
The white flashes of Snowy's fur made us think he had just climbed out of a snowdrift...
Safe, inside the kitchen
So Where Shall We Book Our Next Champagne Tea?
A DIAMOND JUBILEE TEA SALON SONNET
It’s a fine and elegant venue:
The best place in town to take tea
Named after the sixty great years of her reign,
The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
We’d followed the guidelines, and at last there was cheer
To celebrate milestones we’d marked through the year.
The staff were most charming, and all of one mind,
Fulfilling our wishes, so attentive and kind.
With the Steinway piano magnificently played,
Adding romance to the ambience tastefully displayed.
And now family and friends can gather once more,
There’s no better place to meet to ensure
The making of memories, with time to renew
The ties of family and friendship, and love that stays true.
Alexandra Wilde
June 2021
FORTNUM AND MASON –
THE ESSENCE OF EXCELLENCE
Fortnum and Mason is an iconic store
With selections of tea and biscuits galore
From the moment you step through those sturdy oak doors
You’re in a world-famous emporium with delights on each floor
The windows are inspiring - a sight to behold -
Imagination takes flight, and the subjects are bold
There are perfumes and silks and so very much more
Special gifts to take home to those we adore.
Whilst up on the roof, in Eau de Nil hives
The bees buzz industriously, throughout their short lives
For over three hundred years, Fortnums has stood
For quality, choice, and all that is good
The options are boundless, and rare as pure gold,
Inspired by a world where fine goods are sold.
Alexandra Wilde
June 2021
A Champagne Tea At Fortnum and Mason
It all went off beautifully!
