Mippies first day out!

By about eleven last night it started to pour with rain, waking me and my mippies. What woke me was the first short power outage – which lasted less than a minute, but made my UPS beep me awake.

I’ve been thinking that maybe it would be better, if I continue to keep my mippies shut in at night. I’m not too worried about Ziva and Lady Jane – but have you met Mewthos? In weather like this, he’s quite capable of huddling under a bush, soaking wet, feeling sorry for himself! I should know – I got soaked through and through once, looking for him during a downpour!

Lady Jane has taken advantage of my being up now and come for a couple of cuddle sessions – love it! It’s now twenty to one, I’ve put my audio book back on and I think the mini power outages are now past, so I’ll try to go back to sleep.

I woke up to my cell phone vibrating off the nightstand again, surrounded by curious mips! It’s still set for quarter past five, but it was quarter to six when I finally got up. I had my first cup of coffee and then came the big moment!

Mippies Outies!

I opened the door to the lounge and all three followed me, I opened the front door and gate … and they sat down inside and watched. After much encouragement, Ziva ventured outside … slowly and cautiously. It didn’t help that everything was wet – but Ziva did take a short tour through a small part of the garden, all the while mipping for reassurance? I encouraged her as best I could, though my heart beat at the thought of her getting a fright and running in the wrong direction. It all went well – but she hasn’t ventured out for another tour.

My landlord has picked Mangoes off his tree and generously gave me three! I can’t wait for them to ripen – I’m sure they’ll taste delicious!

The little dog, Lady, from next door is very excited to see mippies out! Her tail is wagging so hard, I’m waiting for her to take off like a helicopter! I’ve opened the kitchen window as well, so mippies have a second route in and out – that’s the one I plan on leaving open from Monday onward.

Mippies need loads and loads of reassurance from me, the whole time. Both Mewthos and Ziva venture to the door, but only when I’m outside. They’ve both taken a short tour nearby, but not ventured further. Lady Jane prefers to sit atop the highest bookshelf and watch these strange goings on. Mewthos is driving me nuts mewling incessantly … he’s already enjoyed a walk through the high weeds, I think he wants more garden time.

I’ll put the first load of washing into the machine, and then I’ll go out and garden for a bit. Sigh, I just may dig a hole to shut up Mewthos! Ha Ha, nah – despite his Mewsance factor, I do love the little darling.

I’ll have to do three loads of laundry today, first my normal clothes at 30° followed by the black work tops – the label says cold wash! Huh? Work clothes? Cold wash? What idiocy is this? They claim to be 100% pure cotton, so why only cold wash? I’ve decided to give them a try at 30°, but separately, since I don’t yet know whether their colour stays or washes out. And lastly my work pants at 40° together with my socks.

As soon as I start to garden, all three mippies come out and explore! The stalk through the tall weeds, they climb the tree, they sit on top of my car, they see the freshly turned soil and decide: Oooh! Mummy is making us a new litter place! Gotta use it right away! Sigh. And before I know it, they are exploring the neighbour’s garden!

As soon as I go inside, though, they follow, mipping for reassurance – except Lady Jane, she’s now enjoying the outside too much!

Lady Jane has found the tree, and from the tree the roof over the car, she also found the car itself and stretched across the car roof. Mewthos saw his chance when I was weeding under the tree – he strolled up the tree and from there jumped onto my back!

All three are still cautious, though, and when doggie Lady arrived, the sat inside the door, Ziva’s fur bushing somewhat. Lady was not deterred, she’s determined to closely investigate these funny furballs … and got caught by Ziva in the kitchen! There was a yelp, followed by a doggie jumping out of the kitchen window and running home at top speed!

I worked steadily until the sun caught up with me. I cleared the one side of the path, quite a wide space, I cleared around the three spekboom and started on the opposite (lawn) side of the path as well – but there I found a host of clovers! They have practically taken over that side, so I will have to dig and pull roots for at least another weekend before I can plant anything there. I also didn’t finish that bed, so I’ll have to see how far I get tomorrow. I mixed some compost with the soil on the clean side and now I’m waiting for the sun to set, so I can start planting. I worked from around nine until about two. I now feel about a hundred! Every muscle is letting me know it’s not happy with me and I have the beginning of a blister on the palm of my right hand, where I used the hand fork to dig. My big fork somehow didn’t make it here …

Mippies have also decided it’s too hot to be outside, Lady Jane is stretched across my chest of drawers, Ziva is … somewhere around, usually under my feet, and I am guessing Mewthos is under the bed. I’m too sore to get on the floor and check. Ah, no, he’s curled up on the tiles of the bath.

First load of laundry is hanging up to dry, second load is in the machine. I think I’ll take a nap. After taking a smoke-break look at my achievements today!

Cor blimey! My flower pots are overflowing! Everything is growing like crazy! Even the small decoration Rose made just before I left – it’s just covered in green! That round pot, where I collected a variety of succulents from Rose, including the cabbage plant, is bursting at the seams! I urgently need to take something out of there – but put it where?

The bed I managed to finish today is for the Dianthum. They all need to go into the ground where they can spread as well – they are all doing their best to flower continuously! I barely cut the flowers, when new ones appear. I may place some of the succulents under the tree, although I’d prefer some time to find out where the cats prefer to walk, so I don’t put plants in their path. Since it’ll be the plants which will suffer.

I napped just over an hour, with Ziva by my side. When I got up, mippies started stirring as well – it’s just after five. I hadn’t eaten last night, nor did I have breakfast – apart from a cookie or two – so by now I was quite hungry. I fried my steak, after I’d hung up the washing and put the last load into the machine. I ate with Ziva’s usual insistence she get some of my food – it’s not so much about the food itself, it’s mostly a reassuring token of my love. Mewthos also got a piece, Lady Jane sniffed one, but didn’t fancy it.

I went back outside and planted all the Dianthum from the pots into the garden, as well as the Alyssum. I emptied the Alyssum seed packets at the back of the bed. The bed is nice and narrow, and the Dianthum are planted close enough to the path, that I can comfortably tend to them without needing rubber arms.

And then I totally confounded Mewthos by watering the garden with a hose pipe! Ha Ha! He watched with a look of bewilderment as the water came out and the ground got wet! At the same time, he was fascinated with the sprinklers which were busily watering everywhere!

I watched the two ladies watching each other on opposite sides of the fence. Lady Jane almost invisible in the tall grass and Lady barking with frustration.

Then I sat outside looking at today’s achievement, watching my mippies – none of which went outside the garden … yet. And then I gave Rose a call, to let her know the mippies survived their first day out. She told me Romeo is still Romeo – spraying and caterwauling. Her new neighbours now use my lawn – the one I cleared so thoroughly of all weeds – as a parking lot, although they haven’t run over the Snapdragons, yet. Well, I also pulled nails out of that ‘lawn’ … I wouldn’t risk parking there – but then, I wouldn’t park there anyway. At least they are polite and no trouble to Rose!

As we were talking, I saw my landlord going outside with a torch – was the power off again? No! Fortunately it wasn’t! When I came inside, mippies followed me quite happily, I didn’t even have to call them in. I shut the kitchen window then the gate and finally the front door – mippies safe and sound inside!

Then I took a shower – what a pleasure, washing the day’s heat and dirt off! I hung up the last load of washing, wrote this and now I’m ready for bed. Somewhat later than usual, but then, I had an hour’s nap during the day.