Since yesterday, Patsington and I have received a series of mysterious visits. The visitor favours a somewhat unorthodox style of socialising, prefering to climb in our bedroom window and stroll around the house rather than following the more conventional route of ringing the doorbell and waiting to be asked in. In fact, I didn't even know he'd turned up (despite the fact I was in my room, at my desk, at the time) until I heard David's voice from the hall say, "um, look who's walking down the stairs..."



Yes, Bubbles has started inviting himself into the house, aided by the fact that our window is above the porch and so extremely easy for feline access. And he's so quiet and nimble I didn't even notice him climbing in the window and strolling through the room behind me (Ju Ju, however, makes the earth shake every time she jumps on anything, and is not good at stealth). His first visit was brief, but apparently he was only getting started, because a few hours later he did it again, and had to be bundled back into our room and out the window again before Ju Ju caught sight of him. And in the early hours of this morning - while Patsington and I were lost in slumber - he came in again! The thing is, he's so friendly and funny that we haven't got the heart to just chuck him out, so we play with him for a while before directing him towards the window, Which is probably why he returned about half an hour later. I don't think we'll ever get rid of him now.

But we'll have to stop encouraging him. It's making us compare Ju Ju's sullen crossness with his effervescent charm. And I have to say, Ju Ju isn't coming off too well....