carla – Page 4 – Louisa Parry

3BT – the foraging trio, mmm charity, from my viewpoint

1. I call for Carla but she’s already on the balcony waiting for me and the three of us – me, her and Lily – head into the woods. Lily paddles in the beck and Carla climbs trees while I pick pungent pods for pickling.

2. The (very) local Leonard Cheshire home is having a garden fete and, joined by the Slaters, we walk over to check it out. As the brass band plays, I find cute polka-dotted vintage handkerchiefs and we buy cake in the name of charity.

3. Looking up, my vision is field with green. Looking down, our neighbours’ party balloons are reflected in the glass.

3BT – it’s just a tribute, not all the letters, worth the wait

11/6/2010 / louisa / 0 Comments

1. John and I often hold conversations in the form of song, usually singing alternate lyrics to an earworm or the song we’re currently playing. Today’s conversation in song: I explain that I’ve left the door key in my hoodie pocket and my hoodie is at the bottom of the garden because by the time I’d got there, I’d realised it was too hot to wear it for the walk. I explain that to the tune of Tenacious D’s Tribute.

2. The tubby black cat jumps over the lazy dog.

3. It nearly doesn’t happen – it’s already late and we’re hungry – but John decides it’ll take as long to get curry delivered as it will for him to make his own keema achar. He thinks it’s too lamby but I think it’s delicious. The seeds add variety to the flavour of the sauce. “Are there fennel seeds in here?” I ask him at one point. There are.

3BT – nice weather for water birds, fab cats, ugly Google, happy hound

10/6/2010 / louisa / 0 Comments

1. We’ve been avoiding the muddy woods and walk to Apperley Bridge instead. We watch the swans and their perfect reflections in the marina, then the ducks squabbling on the canal.

2. It’s 11th years to the day since Carla & her late brother Carbon came to live with me. Throughout the day, I sing celebration songs to Carla and miss her brother.

3. A joke becomes real and we all get headaches from looking at it for too long.

4. Lily sits at our feet while we enjoy the hearty meal. The shift manager sneaks her treats and tickles. On the way home, we stop for a park for a quick stroll at dusk and she plays with an excitable young terrier. All in all, a good evening for the dog and for us.

3BT – glare of the glade, happy Carla cat, new to the neighbourhood

5/6/2010 / louisa / 0 Comments

1. We happen upon a sunny clearing in the middle of the wood but quickly retreat back into the leafy shade.

2. We worried how Carla – once the most scaredy of scaredy cats – would handle the move to the new house, after the death of her brother, after the arrival of Lily – but stroking her as she stretches out in the morning sun, I realise she’s possibly the happiest, most content cat I know. (She’s actually dancing over me as I type this twelve hours later – grabbing my hand from the keyboard for tickles and purring so loudly it’s drowning out the noise of the YouTube video John’s frowning over.)

3. Our next-door-but-one neighbours bring over their brand new, six week old springer spaniel puppy. With his markings, he’s a miniature version of Lily and we’re instantly smitten. We offer/beg to babysit.

3BT – combing, misty, mmm

29/5/2010 / louisa / 0 Comments

1. While John’s out, we have a lazy day, the dog, the cats and me. I comb Lily for one cartoon, then Carla for another. Carla, despite being a third of the size of the dog, wins the fluff shedding contest. Both feel softer and smoother by the time the funnies come to an end.

2. The rain slows for the first time all day and we descend into the woods for a walk. The mist hangs in the air beneath the canopy and reflects the light, making the lower levels brighter than they should be. The beck water is higher than it has been for the last few weeks but in the pools, it’s unusually clear too. Lily runs around like a crazy thing, I dawdle behind.

3. Nothing tastes as good as leftovers.

3BT – surrounded, distracted, rewarded

29/3/2010 / louisa / 0 Comments

1. I wake up just before dawn to the sound of some low half-barks – Lily getting excited in her sleep. She’s still in her bed so I go to her to soothe her. Next time I wake up, perhaps an hour or so later, she’s lying in between us, on her back with her paws in the air, Carla is sat on my chest purring and Boron is fast asleep on my head. The best way to wake up.

2. On the bus, my ears and brain are distracted by a lecture on human pre-history, my hands and eyes by granny squares.

3. After a difficult rehearsal, I need cake. Lots of cake. Then I spot it – a fancy, expensive cake reduced to clear for just 99p.

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