Apologies for not writing for some time, but I have been outside a lot enjoying some of the lovely weather that seems to have been around during June and July. This has pleased Baldy a great deal because he has not had to cut the grass nearly as much as usual. His motto is “a brown lawn is a good lawn” which somewhat goes against what he was telling people last year with regard to lawn maintenance. I seem to remember him saying something about “if it’s green, it stays”, but that may just have been an excuse for not getting rid of the huge amount of moss which inhabits the back garden.

I must say that I do have some sympathy with His Reverence because it takes him two hours to cut the grass, both front and back, and he has to consume the odd bottle of beer just to keep up his strength, or have I been misled?

Whatever - I have been out and about in the garden and churchyard numerous times over the last few weeks, and have also been the uninvited guest at weddings and the burial of ashes. I like these moments - weddings because everyone is in a good mood and generally looks favourably upon a poor forlorn cat; whilst interments provide opportunities for me to use my pastoral skills in making people feel more relaxed at moments of grief. Rectory cats do have their uses.

What has been really good over the last little while is that the doors of the Rectory have been flung open to let in fresh air. There are numerous doors in this place - each downstairs room has one - and it means that I can nibble some food in the utility room, wander around to the back garden and still be there to greet people at the front door when the bell rings. Of course some people don’t bother with the bell but just hammer on the front door - which usually means that they are in a hurry to deliver something or that they do not wish to aggravate their tinnitus. Anyway, it does throw me somewhat if people arrive in the house without me being able to brush up against them and leave large deposits of hair up their legs. (One funeral director last week was a little indignant that I did this on his nice black trousers, but I just assumed that black clothes and Rectories naturally go together. You should see what my sister does when The Household Cleric takes off his shirt in the evening - it would make your hair curl; not that he has to worry about that, unless of course he decided to wear a wig.)

But I digress! It is nice to see people when they come to visit, both at home and in Church. Now that the pews have been re-fitted after the lighting work there are less places in which to hide. I used to get myself into trouble going behind a stack of pews for a quiet lick of the nether regions, so to speak, and I was threatened more than once with being locked in. Not that it would have bothered me of course but I have to be kind to these humans because they become so disgruntled if they are ignored.

So, what to do now? The sun is shining after a shower of rain which means that if I roll in the wet grass and then some earth I can make some really pretty patterns on the Rector’s duvet - but don’t tell him it was me!