Just like all the best soap operas, I will recap: when last we visited, dear blog friends, The Homestead was down one working knee, a functioning vehicle, and a usable microwave (except as a cupboard to defrost meat out of the Homestead Hound’s reach).
You’ll notice nowhere on that list does it mention a cat.
To be fair, we had been sort of on the look out for a tabby kitten since we had said our sad goodbye to Mel. The Homestead is really a two feline property – what with the rabbits and rats and rodents in general – but the timeframe for expanding the menagerie was a little more extended. We didn’t figure on the basic cruelty of the being who, it appears, threw her and her littermates out of a vehicle that was seemingly still moving, on a dark country road, leaving them to fend for themselves way before they should and could. Nor on the kindness of the lady who lives on that road who, 1: noticed them and, 2: set about catching them. Not being in a position to keep the one kitten she managed to catch, she then took it to the nearest vet. Yep, the one The Princess works at and, yes, she was rostered on for that Saturday morning.
Until we could get her checked out by our vet, the kitten had no name as we were not sure, at 550 grams, it would be fair to expect her system to tackle the massive infection resulting from her tiny face hitting the road surface.
Not that the injury slowed her down much!
A week on, Babette (named for Sally Struther’s raspy voiced character on Gilmore Girls due to her hoarse, gravelly, ragged-throat meow) is no longer seeing plants as a food source, weighs just shy of 1 kilo, squawks like a real kitten and has, with the arrogance of youth, taken over the running of The Homestead.
Xanthe is not impressed all her best sunbathing spots have been thoughtlessly usurped by the pouncing, prancing, posing interloper but she has already organised us into a new feeding and sleeping regime. Colin is in love but needs to be watched as his paws, that she just loves to nibble on along with his tail, are about the same size as young Babette’s head.
Yes, The Homestead is full-throttle chaos as usual but it’s not been all kitten-smitten mooning around; life has rolled on.
We found a replacement for the Cube, which wasn’t that easy as most of New Zealand’s vehicles were either bobbing around on the briney enroute to our shores or earmarked for flood-affected folk in the North Island. Lucky for us, we have The Engineer on our side. She’s a great one for planning, researching, and quietly watching.
Yes, the Homestead has taken the plunge and added a full-electric vehicle to the mix (The Engineer drives a hybrid). It’s early days but we’re very impressed with both the kilometre-per-charge, and vehicle performance.
In other developments, my knee is getting better every day; I am now able to undertake the chores on my own again and, more importantly, drive myself around. While I was moping and feeling sorry for myself (aka sitting and resting as per orders), Greg and Fred the rams were introduced to our ladies – it’s all very tea-dance civil in the back paddock – and last season’s lambs and one of their Mums (because she wasn’t letting her baby go on their own) have moved to the front paddock. This is good in many ways, but the one I’m super-celebrating right now is it’s not so far for me to hobble to feed out each morning.
As for the microwave, we were not sure we’d replace it.
“We hardly use it,” we commented to each other.
Then we had a week of staggered dinnertimes, having to soften the butter for baking over bowls of boiling water (unbelievably bothersome, to continue a theme), and tipping out the percolated breakfast excess cup of coffee rather than zapping it for my morning tea and we rethought things. We’ll pick one up when next in town. Microwaves, for all their sins, are might handy gizmos; Who knew?!
It feels a little foolish to voice it, but it feels like we’re back on track again. I found myself humming a Homestead anthem this morning as I tended the menagerie. You know the one about walking through storms, golden clouds and singing larks
Seems we’re not the only ones back on track.
Union Homestead 
Oh, that kitten is utterly adorable. She had a very rough start, and it’s nice to know she is now in a loving home. So glad your knee is feeling better. And an electric car? I am green with envy. We use our microwave all the time and wouldn’t want to be without one.
It’s all looking quite bright in our world, right now. I’m so happy my knee is progressing; being dependant on others doesn’t come easy too me. The electric car seems to be living up to expectations…actually exceeding them… But new is always a little scary. As for Babette the kitten, I’m utterly a dog person but she certainly melted all our hearts🙂
Hi. This essay rambles from one thing to another in a most impressive way. It’s real enjoyable!
Thank you! My life as a whole is pretty rambling 😁
I hope that you find driving your electric car is as much fun as we do. They are amazingly quick off the mark and can make you feel quite like a boy racer! All the same, the peaceful nature of the driving style makes me drive more sedately than I used to which is no bad thing. Well done for providing a home for the misused kitten.
I’m utterly surprised at how nippy and powerful the car is. At the moment I’m learning to judge how fast I’m going; without engine noise it’s a while new world. I am also learning to calm down about the battery usage
The kitten is gorgeous! Tabby is absolutely the best for mousing, I totally agree. Glad the knee is mending, don’t rush it!
I’m trying to be patient…it doesn’t come naturally🙂 Babette is already displaying some pretty decent pouncing and prowling but as rodent season is now upon us, Xanthe is on her own this year.
Hi, Now that I have caught up with your recent posts, I can definitely say ‘there is no fear of you dying of boredom in your part of the world.’ Congratulations on the addition of a new feline to your household – the Fates were smiling on that little kitten. The Fates were also smiling on you as you escaped damage from a grass fire in a neighbour’s paddock. This summer, grass fires were a major source of anxiety in Central Victoria because of our wet winter and spring. Angle grinders have a lot to answer for as they generously spread sparks near and wide. All I know about the floods on the North Island was what I saw on the nightly news broadcasts. I was amazed by the depth of the mud which coated and smothered everything once the water subsided. Clean up? Where to start!
The fates certainly smiled on the Homestead with the fire and with the addition of Babette to the household. She’s quite the character and shaping up to be a wonderful hunter. Colin is constantly concerned at the scrapes she gets herself into and the “risks” she takes and is forever shepherding her to his idea of safety. As for the floods: devastating. It was so weird to be sitting her in glorious sunshine knowing what was happening up north.