the art of receiving gifts

Today I opened my blogswop parcels, sent by Susan. What a treasure trove! Presents for the cats and the dog, drawings, a photograph, papers and magazines, local delicacies in tins, pebbles, sea glass, scented soap, seaweed, and a lovely hand drawn catalogue of contents. Everything was beautifully wrapped in a variety of pretty papers.

It's not an easy thing to do, this exchange of objects; we had an agreed list (15 items: something scented; local; garden-related; red; delicious; old; modern, and so on) and we both agonised in our different ways about what to send. I also worried about weight and postage cost, so the jar of English mustard didn't go in the box, and neither did all the house and home-type magazines. It was evident later that Susan was less parsimonious than I. What I received was so exciting - I had never heard of chicken haddie (a fish) or tasted lobster pate. Neither of us would really know what was unusual or commonplace in the recipient's country.

Susan sent some tiny dog biscuits that she had made herself, and shiny cat toys marinaded in catnip. These too were well-received.

Greedy Millie has limited social graces at the best of times, and when it comes to cat drugs, no finesse at all. She seized the shiny fish while stabbing me painfully with one claw, and went into rolling, biting raptures of the fiercest kind.

The dog loved the tiny dog biscuits. She sniffed, accepted nicely, crunched, licked the floor in case a crumb had escaped, and declared that they were delicious. She is so ladylike compared to the teenage tabby delinquent.

Lottie was out when the parcel was opened. She was on Menacing duties in Lesley's house, making sure that rival visitor Hattie didn't stay too long - or at all, if truth be told. I regret to have to tell you that Lottie has turned into the street bully. So much for the timid, half-starved, un-street-wise little waif who arrived last December!


When she came home, looking satisfied, she enjoyed a cat treat or three,


while her naughty little sister burgled the blogswop box and stole all the wrappers.




Thank you, Susan, for giving us so much pleasure, all the way from Nova Scotia.