Thanks to everyone who sent commiserations and best wishes after my last post - and to those who e-mailed, texted and remembered the Bug at knitting night. Much appreciated.
I think it'll be a while before I have another cat (and sorry, yes, dog people, it will be a cat - I know some lovely dogs now, but I've just never even imagined myself owning a dog...). The Bug and I had got used to each other for 6 years before I started the new job with the insane hours, which mean feeding happens at Unacceptable Times; introducing a new cat to an owner who's out of the house for 12-15 hours a day during the week would just be unfair (to both of us if the cat resorts to the usual retaliation of shredding-stuff or peeing-on-stuff...). If someone were moving continent and needing to rehome a cat, that might work, but it'd have to come with the equivalent of a current MOT and a full service history, after the insurance travails this year and the realisation of what even a basic set of tests costs... Dealing with vets is a salutary introduction into the world of private medicine. I will comment no further.
Meanwhile; I've discovered my nephew is keen on monkeys these days (up to now his favourite animal has been "spiders" which is somewhat difficult in toy-shops... yes, I have a pattern...). He has the very nice chimp and gorilla I had as a child. My mam was after* a toy orang-utan and I found just the thing on Thursday. Having checked cuteness and price-points are correct, I need to go back and pick him up tomorrow and post him North.
I won't tell you where he is. I need him still to be there tomorrow morning!
*I used this construction, then changed it, then reinstated it. To be "after" something in the North East of England means you're looking fairly seriously for something.
5 comments:
We said we were 'after' something we were looking for when I was growing up in the North West, and I'm pretty sure they say it in Yorkshire too, perhaps it's just a Northern thing. I hadn't realised until now just how odd it sounds when you stop and think about it...
I've also heard 'I'm after going to the...', but I've a feeling that's more Irish.
Definitely a Cheshire/Lancashire thing!
"After" in that sense is also commonly used in Leicestershire, at least in the part where I grew up. Having since emigrated south to Sussex, am slowly indoctrinating the locals...
Hum - I thought "after" in that sense was pretty much universal. "Mam" on the other hand :> ...
That is a very beautiful orangutan. Monkey thinks he looks very handsome.
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