It all started when Sarah took me –all nice and white and fluffy, I hasten’t to add- to see Nanny and Grandad. It was so boiling, but I couldn’t resist running round the garden looking, sniffing, chasing my tail, running hither and thither. I was in my element. The smell of cooking chicken filled the air (the cat’s lunch… I know my cats don’t have freshly cooked chicken for their lunch). After we’d all had a little something, Grandad settled down for a snooze while Sarah and Nanny chatted and made a ham fist of the crossword I went off and checked the entrances and exits. A useful exercise although I had no intention of using them. It was just fun to hear nanny squeak every now and again.

No, it wasn’t until much later when I saw Sarah and Grandad go into the woods to find some bricks (it’s safer not to ask) that I put my reconnoitering to good use. As soon as they’d pulled the gate shut, I was off under the ball shaped hedge at the end of the garden and into the lovely woods. I haven’t been in there for over a year and it was heaven to be back there.

I scampered down the track –not realising Sarah and Grandad had taken the right-hand fork– until I came to the gap in the woods. It was all a bit puzzling as I had expected to find them along the way, only they weren’t there. I carried on out of the woods and into the little alley, or jitty as we say up here in Northamptonshire. Feeling a touch panicky, as I wasn’t too sure of which direction was the right direction back to the house.

Sarah told me later that she’d been in and out and around the woods several times, calling for me. I could hear her whistling at me clearly enough, but I couldn’t get to her. As fast as I could go, I dashed up to the top of the jitty and howled at the top of my head. Woofing and barking and yowling like a hound. And then the little girl next door to Nanny and Grandad’s house caught hold of me and showed me down the path to the house and once more I was home. It was an adventure, but not one any of us truly enjoyed.

The next day, I slept like a puppy all day. It had been more exhausting than I had realised. The day was hot too, so I pretended it was the heat making me tired, but to be honest, it was because I’d got too big for my boots. I don’t think I’ll do that again in a hurry, but never say never...play Muttley again, just for the lols.!

Oh, I seem to have forgotten to confess that I woke Sarah up at 5.30am on Tuesday for my breakfast! That was the second bit of naughtiness. I blame the trauma of getting lost! I shall have to admit to being tired because I ran off and because I got up way too early. Ooops.

Today though we walked, and it was wonderful. The field smells delicious of farmer dumplings… not produced by the farmer, but distributed by him. The sun was warmish and the wind was cool through my ears. And then the sun seemed to be spotty; Sarah appeared to have become undry. With her hair curled into a frizz and soggy clothes, she walked me back past the badger sets and up the field to home, where I had a lovely plate of fresh broccoli and meat, before nodding off. Which is probably what I am still doing while you’re reading this. Until tomorrow, my lovelies x x x