Janie, Julie, Abigail and Graham came round for Boxing Day lunch. It needed to be a gluten free, low FODMAP lunch and it went well; the main dish was gluten free pasta with tomato and basil sauce and I had dishes of fried onions, mushrooms, and grated cheese which people could add according to their tastes and needs. I also served gluten free rolls and cheesy bread. Dessert was gluten free chocolate brownies with raspberries and a choice of double cream or dairy-free cream. Everyone was chatting happily and seemed to enjoy the meal.
The drama came afterwards; Abigail and Graham had asked to bring their good-natured wee Westie Rowan, who trotted around the house happily. Both cats were outside when they arrived and I hoped that they would eventually make their way up to our bedroom for dog-free peace and quiet. However they must have worked out that there was a dog about, because at the end of the meal we heard Rowan barking at the back door, and there was Floof sitting on top of the fence staring down balefully at her! We all went back through to the lounge with Rowan, and after a while Abigail decided to take her out to the garden for a wee. I accompanied her, however we didn’t know that Tom and Floof were lurking in the hall, no doubt listening to the doggy sounds in the lounge. So suddenly they all met face to face and all three got a huge shock; the sound of barking and yowling was deafening as they all rushed through to the back room, claws scrabbling and skidding on the floor. Tom and Floof escaped out of the cat flap into the garden, but to my surprise Tom immediately jumped back in again! His back was arched, his hackles were up, his eyes were like burning coals, and his tail was like a bog brush. He ran at poor Rowan who scarpered to the other end of the back room. Ally had arrived to help and he gently pushed Tom back through the cat flap and locked it, so that cats and dog were safely separated. But it didn’t end there! Rowan still needed that wee, so Abigail and I took her outside on her lead and strolled round the garden. Suddenly Tom appeared at the garden steps; hackles, angry eyes, bog brush tail, and he launched himself at the innocent Rowan. He ran to within an inch of her nose and then veered towards the fence and climbed to the top of it to hiss angrily at our canine guest. For the rest of the visit the cats remained outside so Rowan could relax with the humans, but oh my goodness I never thought that Tom would attack a dog! I don’t know whether to be appalled or secretly rather proud!
When our guests left later there was no sign of either cat for a good half hour, and then they came back in, Tom and then Floof, looking around warily. A peaceful evening of eating Christmas leftovers ensued.
The drama came afterwards; Abigail and Graham had asked to bring their good-natured wee Westie Rowan, who trotted around the house happily. Both cats were outside when they arrived and I hoped that they would eventually make their way up to our bedroom for dog-free peace and quiet. However they must have worked out that there was a dog about, because at the end of the meal we heard Rowan barking at the back door, and there was Floof sitting on top of the fence staring down balefully at her! We all went back through to the lounge with Rowan, and after a while Abigail decided to take her out to the garden for a wee. I accompanied her, however we didn’t know that Tom and Floof were lurking in the hall, no doubt listening to the doggy sounds in the lounge. So suddenly they all met face to face and all three got a huge shock; the sound of barking and yowling was deafening as they all rushed through to the back room, claws scrabbling and skidding on the floor. Tom and Floof escaped out of the cat flap into the garden, but to my surprise Tom immediately jumped back in again! His back was arched, his hackles were up, his eyes were like burning coals, and his tail was like a bog brush. He ran at poor Rowan who scarpered to the other end of the back room. Ally had arrived to help and he gently pushed Tom back through the cat flap and locked it, so that cats and dog were safely separated. But it didn’t end there! Rowan still needed that wee, so Abigail and I took her outside on her lead and strolled round the garden. Suddenly Tom appeared at the garden steps; hackles, angry eyes, bog brush tail, and he launched himself at the innocent Rowan. He ran to within an inch of her nose and then veered towards the fence and climbed to the top of it to hiss angrily at our canine guest. For the rest of the visit the cats remained outside so Rowan could relax with the humans, but oh my goodness I never thought that Tom would attack a dog! I don’t know whether to be appalled or secretly rather proud!
When our guests left later there was no sign of either cat for a good half hour, and then they came back in, Tom and then Floof, looking around warily. A peaceful evening of eating Christmas leftovers ensued.
No comments:
Post a Comment