I have no life - I have cats

My face was used as a launch pad some time during the night – since I only woke up to the paws digging in at the launch, I can’t be sure which kitten it was, but my guess would be this is a typical Quizzy Lizzy move. Fortunately no claws were involved, so I don’t look like I tried smooching a cactus.

The sun had just risen when Ziva woke me to open the door for her – I stumbled through the half-dark, hoping no kitten had escaped the bedroom and let her out. An hour later Mewthos meowed for attention. He wants to not only snuggle, but be petted and stroked as well – which kick-starts his purr-motor. Lizzy watched this for a while, then decided she likes that idea and joined in.

By the time I drag myself out of bed Ziva and Shadow are both ringing the doorbell (as in: stand outside the front door and meow to be let in). I let them in, shut them in the bedroom and go about my morning business. As I’m about to leave, both Ziva and Shadow want to go out – well, Ziva, you chose the home of a working mom, so I’m sorry, my girl, you get to stay in while I’m at work. Shadow was smart enough to choose a pensioner – who is seldom away from home all day.

At work I finally finished the plant documentation, so todaz is the last day I need to wear safety boots! My feet will be very happy about that!

Last week I had a disagreement with another driver – he tried to cut across my lane and I wouldn’t let him. He didn’t  indicate, nothing. We stood at the robot next to each other and he rolled down the window to shout at me. He insisted I should have slowed down to let him cross from the lane on my left, across my lane into the lane on my right. He had right of way. I calmly replied “It’s my lane, I have right of way.” Do you know how he justified his illegal move? “I’ve been driving here for fifty years!” That explains a lot about PE drivers! They make a lot of illegal moves without consideration – like crossing a solid white line, changing lanes, assuming right of way in so many situations, if they tried that anywhere outside PE they must yield or crash! There are also robots where ‘green’ doesn’t mean ‘go’ – better wait and check for stragglers, who missed the green but will still cross.

Don’t get me wrong, Gauteng drivers will make every one of these illegal moves, too – BUT they don’t presume to have right of way! On the other hand, Gauteng drivers really don’t understand traffic circles! And one thing ALL South African drivers have in common: they all presume that, when they overtake on a solid white line, oncoming traffic must either stop or get out of the way – somehow! I have had to slow down, get onto the (unpaved) shoulder of the road and even stop dead on occasions – but I have never, ever seen any South African driver back down! Seriously, what’s up with that? If you miscalculated and can see you won’t make it – back down and get back behind the car you were overtaking! DON’T just keep going expecting oncoming traffic to find some way to avoid you! For a long time I wondered how on earth head-on collisions can even happen – well, now I know.

Okay, enough about bad drivers. Back at home Ziva demands full attention for quite a while. The Mip Mips are running absolutely amok in my kitchen! They’ve overturned a bucket, explored the bath, swung on the curtains and when Rose left, they were out of the door before you could say ‘Mip Mip’! Two of them were down the stairs and one went running along the path towards the road so fast – even Ziva and Shadow barely caught up with it! They both raced after, past and jumped in front of it only just in time! We had quite a time to get them all back inside, safe and sound! Never mind herding cats – kittens are the real challenge!

Note to self: Never, and I really mean: NEVER open a tin of tuna when there is even one single cat in the room – let alone six! I had all six underfoot, meowing, until I let them see the freshly chopped celery. Only then did they turn away in disgust.

Yes, tuna, celery and pasta salad for dinner – how did you guess? For dinner I’m treating myself to privacy – all cats are shut in the bedroom now. After dinner I’ll be happy to join them, reading while they play. Putting the book down mid-sentence whenever Ziva or a Mip Mip wants individual attention.

I have no life – I have cats now.