Home, its where the heart is

We had a busy busy weekend down in Yorkshire, that's the trouble when you go home, so many people to see that you spread yourself very thinly, but well worth the effort and it was lovely to be back however briefly. We stayed Friday evening, our 38th wedding anniversary with Roger and Christine and of course their lovely cat Panther. He is just gorgeous, a big bruiser of a boy, with glossy fur and a very nice personality, affectionate but not too sloppy and never afraid to give you the occasional semi-mauling when you are stroking him, ie claws and teeth firmly gripping but not breaking the skin. The only thing to do at a time like that is relax your hand and wait. Panther lived in the house on the edge of the North York Moors before Roger and Christine bought it for their retirement. His family moved to another part of the village but Panther just kept returning home and lurking in the garden. Roger regularly carried him to his new house, not an easy task, as I said he's a big cat, but Panther just kept coming back again and despite the fact he was never encouraged or fed refused to leave his property. In the end his original family suggested that Roger and Christine might take him on, they didn't have to think long and Panther has been happy ever since. He doesn't stray far now, spends a lot of time in the garden or the field behind and though he's allowed in the house whenever he wishes, he actually has his own premises with cat door access.He sleeps here in a comfy chair with cushions, his own heater and a view of both the lovely garden and the conservatory so that he can check if his new family are about. We drove home yesterday through the Yorkshire Dales, stopping off briefly in Harrogate and Settle, for most of the journey I could be heard saying 'its so lovely, why don't we live here'. Whenever we go back to Yorkshire Mr FF tries to tell me I shall be disappointed, that I've remembered it better than it is, so far he has been very wrong, but maybe 20 years after we moved away is too late for me to play the Panther trick.