I have got the mother and two kittens.  I had a third, but it got away.  I’ve only got a single trap, which is set but, at best, I’ll get one of the two remaining overnight.  It is not at all good, I feel awful.

Jamie and Stevo are coming to help in the morning and we’ll take the three or four to the vets then.  After that, I’ll have to try to catch the remaining kitten.  Unfortunately, its stomach won’t be empty, so it’ll have to wait for its operation – assuming I catch it.

I’ve no heart to write more, I don’t expect to sleep a lot tonight.  The design of the single trap won’t let me put a cat caught in it into the other trap, sadly, or I’d be in a much better situation now.

Gloves on in the morning, I reckon.

The entertaining part was being taken out for lunch, which was lovely.  Indigo Roth came over in his smart new car and he started by being enormously helpful.  His unusual height was what I needed, to check the gauge on the gas tank – I wasn’t too surprised when he told me it was getting low and I’ll phone for a refill.  Then, we went to check on those hatching chicks and I was dismayed to find that they were still in their shells – still alive, but no progress had been made.  So Indigo and I carefully picked off shell, leaving the membrane, until they would be able to get out without more effort, and we tucked them back under mum.  They were hatched and nearly dry later, but still a bit wobbly, so I hope they’ll make it.  If they do survive, she will have nine chicks.  So for now, the chicks outnumber the adults and there’s a clutch to go.  However, the good thing is that I was able to herd the remaining bantam back into the run – she clearly hasn’t been sitting, so that’s excellent, and I’ve now got 14 in the run and 4 mothers, so all present and Reynard hasn’t got any.

We went for lunch at a nice local pub that always serves tasty food and I showed off by eating a proper pudding with custard, while Indigo merely had ice cream.  He and Eloise quite took to each other and he was impressed that she is doggishly obedient (some dogs, that is, I never did manage to train Ben) when called.  He tried to take her picture but she kept turning her head.  I managed this one, however –

In the morning, I must leave early to get the cat trap.  I still feel pretty guilty about the prospect of catching them – I was able to pick up the tabby kitten this morning and they all mill trustingly round my feet – but I will be resolute.

I’ve realised that I haven’t yet shown you a picture of Eloise cat, so here is one I took yesterday.

She knew that I was planning to go out, even before I went upstairs to pack my bag and she sat next to me on the seat in the porch for a long time being affectionate – I suspect, in the hope of making me feel thoroughly guilty. She won’t succeed.  What she doesn’t know is that I’ve lived with dogs for many years and they, too, will exploit the tendency of their humans to feel guilt.

Ziggi says that Eloise is as much dog as cat, having been brought up with both, and it’s certainly rather dog-like and charming that she follows me round the house and garden a good deal.  She’s a black tortoiseshell with interesting irregular markings, very attractive.  Her body doesn’t have as much black as her face in fact, I’ll have to show you another picture before long.  I sometimes think I should put pictures on my old Blogger blog, this one takes forever to upload photos.

The reason I was leaving yesterday afternoon was that I was going to visit Mike and Ann, as I mentioned before.  I received the warmest hospitality, a delicious dinner of duck casserole, trifle with strawberries, raspberries and a judicious injection of sherry, and cheese to follow.  I overate outrageously.  This did not stop me, this morning, doing the fullest justice to a plate of bacon, egg, sausage etc (I’d be embarrassed to enumerate quite how much I ate) when we went out to a splendid café with Sir B and Small Bear.  Many thanks to all for lovely company and kind hospitality.

I hurried home because I was due to get my septic tanks emptied this afternoon.  This went rather better than I’d expected actually, I thought a prompt return visit would be required, as there are two tanks, but he was able to remove all but the bottom few inches from both.

While he was doing that, I went to check on the chicks – the new mother was out in the run with several babies, six I think, but of the four eggs remaining in the nest, two were cracking and the chicks inside were cheeping loudly.  I was anxious as they were getting chilly, so held them in my hands for a while, hoping she’d go back to sit – then I tried them under the black hen, who has one chick of her own and one of the other hen’s but, while she seemed to be okay with that for a while, she clearly knew a stunt was being pulled and shifted again.  Fortunately, by that time the blonde bantam had gone back to warm her chicks and I tucked the eggs back under her.  She was sitting tight an hour later, so I’m hoping for the best.  I’m going to move the black bantam to a smaller coop (actually, what was the tortoise table – as an indoor enclosure that’s open at the top is called) as she only has two, in readiness for the other hen that’s sitting in the greenhouse.  I don’t know when she started, but I think she has up to a fortnight to go.  I’m sure I can find homes for the surplus.  Looking at the first lot of chicks, I suspect at least two of being hens and one of being a cock, but I’m not sure and I’d only be guessing with the others.