The transients' diary: week 2

The scaffolding’s up around our house!

Scaffolding up. Execution next

It was a joy to behold. The contractor had to give up on the firm he chose first, the one whose lorry proved unserviceable, and even on the firm he talked to next. But then the third firm he tried came through and they did the job. Just within his timetable for doing it: he’d assured us it had to be this week.

So he’s got no excuse for not hitting his schedule, right? He said the scaffolding had to go up this week. It is up this week.

On the other hand, once they dug up the old bathroom floor, they found all sorts of ghastly stuff underneath. Rotten, it seems. Unstable. All over the place. Happens so often, though, doesn’t it? You start to fix something and you find more things to fix.

Naturally, that rather kills things as far as sticking to budget’s concerned. I just hope we can still meet the timetable...

There’s no doubt in my mind that the success so far has all been down to the encouragement Danielle provides the contractor. It’s wonderful that our temporary accommodation is only ten minutes’ walk from the house. That means she can keep popping in and checking on progress. It must be wonderful for the contractor to know that she’s doing that, and he can count on his client’s constant vigilance.

He must be so pleased.

The other reason we go round at least once a day is to see Misty, our cat. We didn’t want to bring him here, where there’s no cat flap. He’s always enjoyed being able to go in or out at his pleasure.

Catch a mouse outside? He can have a pleasant and invigorating snack.

Fail to catch a mouse outside? He can pop back in through the flap and tank up on dry food instead.

We didn’t feel we could deprive him of that so we left him at home. But it must be a bit of a dismal experience being alone so much of the time. So we go and see him, and also make sure he’s got all the food he needs.

He’s a proud and independent creature. But you can see it’s hurting him to be left alone for so long. And he's living in the shed, with his food bowls in there. Which he must feel is a bit of an indignity.

I don’t know what your problem was, but I was 
happy in the house. Look where I'm living now

The moment we show up he comes trotting over, mewing the whole time – very vocal, he’s become – and rubs himself up against us. Why, he even rubs himself up against the dogs, if we bring them around: in the good old days when we were all under one roof, he’d often get fed up with Toffee and Luci, but these days he’s pitifully happy to see them again.

All very sad.

Hang on in there, Misty! We’re working on it. Why do you think we keep the contractor under pressure? It’s only so we can get back as soon as possible, with our couch, so that all five of us can crowd onto it together to watch some gripping TV series or other.

That’s what transience is all about. Getting it over fast. Returning to normal.

“So why the heck did you move out in the first place?” I can practically hear him saying. Bitterly.