The adorable Miss Luna…

I think it fair to say that the adorable Miss Luna has been feeling the heat­­ in this summer of summers we are having in the UK. Well, it has been hot and she does have all that fur to contend with. Of course it could be worse; her whiteness at least reflects the heat unlike poor Blackie Doo-Dah down the road who looks like he’s about to catch fire all the time.

Luna has been seeking out shade and cool spots. In the house, which is generally cool but has warmed up considerably in this sub-tropical heat, the fireplace seems a good place to lie. Perhaps it’s the downdraught from the chimney pot high up above; but whatever her reasons she’s appeared on several occasions blacked by soot and leaving sooty footprints.

Outside she’s been staying closer to home during the day, sitting by the side of the fishpond and trying to catch the water from the fountain when she’s not trying to catch the fish. Other times she’ll chase bees and butterflies. She’s caught a couple but the stings don’t seem to make her any the more wary. When it gets really hot she seeks the shade of the mauve wisteria, sitting on the wall within its tangled web of branches grinning like the Cheshire cat that she is - I swear she’ll disappear with a loud ‘Pop!’ one day.

When evening comes we all retire to the front of the house to sit and drink wine and watch the sun go down behind the house across the road. We always harness Luna in the evenings to stop her wandering off before nightfall. At first she wasn’t sure about it, but now she’s relaxed and sits on the path taking up the last of the day’s warmth from the stone slabs and waiting for the very best titbits from the barbecue.

The adorable Miss Luna’s summer just goes on and on. If only we could all be cats.