Felis Domesticus

Mention has to be made of the cats. While a lot has been written on the subject and I am by no means a scholar, the power of web publishing means I feel I do have to have my say. Cats in Blighty tend to be a bit of a nuisance, and make noises at volumes during the night, which has done nothing to raise my overall view of the species.

Introducing Moses, the boss cat. Hes a tabby and the largest of the group. Obviously the leader of the pride he is brave and forthcoming. Next to say hello is Toby, slightly less approaching but just as curious. Toby is black with white paws, and I think a white tummy. Moses can be picked up, not yet by me, while Toby doesn't seem to like it at all.

Sweetpea is next, sweetpea is timid, and scamps away in that feline manner despite having a crippled front paw. She is not as brave as the boys and it took a few days before sweetpea would even approach me.

This brings us finally to Nyssa. The phantom. For days, I was pretty much convinced there were only three cats. When I eventually saw Nyssa she was gone so quick I wondered if I'd imagined her. Two days later I got a photo of Nyssa - it came out blurred. She has yet to show herself again. I am beginning to doubt my own perception.

But this entire trip is becoming a walk along my perception, and even something so simple as a timid cat reflects my own reaction to the strange and new world around me. Perhaps if we were as quick to judge people as we are cats, we might trim away the social apparatif and feast on the person underneath.

Where that feast begins, I could not say. You could spend years getting to know somebody and still not be close enough to tickle them behind the ears with a feather and rub their tummy as they stretch out on the rug.