>We have a cat.

For people who know us this may be a surprise. I love cats and Akemi doesn’t. I also am/was allergic to cats. But we now have one. We had a holiday in Normandy in August and I noticed then I wasn’t sneezing when playing with the landlady’s cat. So far I’ve not sneezed once since Calvados came home (or even when I visited the cat home). Alisa loved playing with the cat in Normandy and as the other two are still a bit wary about animals we thought it was time to take the plunge. Hugo and Selina both seem very happy with the new arrival.

We found her through Mid Cheshire Animal Welfare. She’s not a kitten – she’s a beautiful young cat – between 1 and 2 years old. She’s been with us since the end of August and is pretty settled down now.

Why the name? Calvados as that’s the region we were staying. Lamppost as I always had a dream of getting some pure breed cat for showing and exhibiting them under the name of Lamppost. Calvados isn’t pure breed but she still gets the name. And with a name like Calvados Lamppost, the III adds a little gravitas. She’s known affectionally as Calvy. She’d been in the sanctuary since May so when I let her out for the first time in four months she went wild. Here she tackles a tree.