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Brine to Wine (and some)

Date: 16 April
Distance: 12 + 5km
Time: 1:41

Since our last running of the Brine to Wine back in 2016, the course has changed a bit and was shortened from 16km to 12km. The walkway has also been sealed (cemented) all the way, as apposed to our last running when parts were still on shingle (limestone).

As was the case previously, with the event being a point-to-point, we had to get to the start. Luckily this time, and with the changed course, it was only a 5km run (and not 16km) to get to the start.

We left early from Palmy with the idea to have 15 minutes or so spare to park and pee and get ourselves sorted for the run. On the way there we thought of driving by the start first (to see where it is) and to potentially register. Which, fortunately, we could do.

But by then and with an entry in hand, we ran out of time and quickly had to drive back to the finish, park, pee, and start making our way back for the 9:15 start. For some reason I was terribly unorganised since I woke up. If I hadn’t put out my running clothes, and dry clothes for after the run, the night before, who knows what I would’ve arrived with. Luckily Gerry was a bit more organised and made coffee for the road, packed jet planes jelly sweets for the run, and some snacks for afterwards.

Needless to say, we started later than planned. Only after we started running, did I realise that actually I would have loved to walk the first kilometre or two. However, there was no time. We had less than 30 minutes to run the 5km to be on time.

While running I started making planes in my head for when we arrive late, as I was convinced we would be. I figured we could either run until the last runners came past from the front, then turn around and follow them, or keep going to a deserted start, turn around and just be far behind everyone else. Luckily neither of these were necessary, as we made it in time.

After the first kilometre on our way to the start, I realised that we were going at a (almost) 6min/km pace, and I wasn’t completely winded. Somehow I managed to pick up the pace from there to dip under a 6min/km and kept going at that pace all the way to the start. I knew I could do a parkrun in less than 30 minutes going flat out, but thought I would pay for it later in the run.

By the time we reached the start, race briefing was underway, and with a four minute late start, we ended up spending five minutes hanging around.

It was reasonably cool (about 11 degrees) and being wet from running there, the light breeze just added to my discomfort. Both Gerry and I had to put back on the layer we took off halfway through our run to the start.

Paula counted us down and then we were off on the official event. It took a few kilometres, running into the breeze, before I could take off my extra layer again. This time of year, having to put on and take off layers mid run, is a constant for me. We started near the back, but managed to overtake a couple of other runners. And that remained our position for the bulk of the event. Only near the end did we pass a few more runners and walkers.

As we were running, we saw lots of other runners just out on their Sunday run, and I couldn’t help but wonder why more people wouldn’t sign up for the event. At only $15 for the 12km event, why not support it? Every year with the Manawatū Striders’ Super Sevens events, hundreds of runners crawl out of the woodwork, and one has to wonder where they go the for rest of the year. Obviously there are heaps of runners out there, so why don’t they do the events? My theory is that the running culture in NZ is still one of ‘racing’. Unless you can go with guns blazing, you are not a true runner and should not waste time with events. Whereas in South Africa, the running community was much more inclusive – everybody ran and did events. The system with clubs and events was also different, which might have added to more runners and walkers participating.

The weather was just about as good as it gets. A little bit too cool for my liking, but no rain and no gales. So, ‘perfect’.

I was going surprisingly well. It felt like the good ol’ days when I could run anything from a 5km to a 50km at a 6min pace without killing myself. By the time we were about 3km from the finish, I realised I might be able to make it to the finish in 1:42 – a six minute pace. Surprisingly, I could keep going while the kilometres ticked over quicker than usual. It has been a good few years since I last could managed a six minute pace for anything further than a 10km. I got to the end not feeling like the walking dead, and very pleased that I could keep the pace. I would have been happy with two hours for the 17km run at this stage of my fitness, which on hindsight is probably what I should have done.

It is an enjoyable run, mainly on the walkway away from traffic, with just a short stretch on the pavement in a suburb. At a water point at 6km we got a 500ml bottle of water which Gerry and I could share. As a single person, a whole bottle is a lot of water to down, and not many people would want to run with a water bottle, but it worked well for us. At the finish we got another one, as well as some cheese curls-type chips. We were also handed a token for a free beer at the Stellar pub across the road from the finish.

After changing into dry clothes, Gerry and I went to the pub for our drinks and prize giving. Dave and David were also there with fellow race walker Graeme, whom we met for the first time. 

While this should now be the ‘Brine to Beer’ run, I opted to go for wine, keeping with the Brine to Wine theme. The house also offered some nibbles, really making this the best value for money event out there.

After prize giving (no spot prizes for us), we went by the supermarket for some salad, chicken and olives, to make a picnic at Araheke MTB park/Lakelands Holiday Park/Lake Wiritoa, before heading home.

Cheers to another small, value for money event in our region – long may it continue.

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Tutaenui Reservoir Reserve loops – taking stock

Date: 9 April
Distance: 26km
Time: 3:26

With only eights month to go (to our 100 miler) we should be upping the kilometres, slowly but surely. As with most things in life, getting fit is also a case of one step forward and two steps back. Or is it the other way around? Whichever, the foxtrot is not a linear process. A couple of sidesteps anyone?

Add to that continued physical malfunction (ha!) and it makes it so much harder. I am sure I’m not the only person (runner or no runner) that has aches and pains in various places due to misalignment, and unbalanced muscle strength and lack of flexibility. Nobody is perfectly symmetrical, and certain types of sports just exacerbate (or cause!) these imbalances. I blame my years of playing badminton (and some squash) during University and a bit after. My right forearm was double the size of the left arm, and my adductors developed completely differently due to me presumably always pushing off with the same leg. Using only one arm (as is the case with all racket and bat-type sports) in a variety of positions at full force is bound to cause imbalances.

Since we are now at the point of having to increase our mileage, I am yet again trying to do all the other things necessary to get me to the start line. I try to go through a stretch and strength routine at least three times a week, and hope to get back to more foam rolling. I definitely have much more tightness in certain areas (like my hips) since I neglected everything the past couple of years (or longer). Apart from running, stretching and strengthening are also things that needs to become habitual.

We are running and walking reasonably consistently since the beginning of the year. We aim for six days a week, and occasionally only get to five, or sometimes four days, but mostly we do our bit. At 8km a day, of which 5km are run kays at the moment, we cover 40-50km per week, of which we run at least 30km. We hope to increase that to run 5 and walk 4, and a month or so after to 6 run and 4 walk. Slowly but surely the increased mileage will hopefully condition our bodies enough to withstand the longer distances.

Also, we still need to do a qualifier, but unfortunately there aren’t many races on the North Island. Our options are the WUU2K (62km in July), the Taupo Ultra (74km in October, but totally unaffordable, and perhaps also leaving things a bit late), The Blue Lake 24-hour event (September), which might not count as a qualifier if we don’t complete one of the official distances, and the Trail Trilogy (100km, also in September). Each of these have pros and cons. Some are too far, some too expensive, others just not on our radar for whatever reason. But there’s one other, which we nearly forgot about: the Marton to Whanganui 66km relay race early in September. This is a small town community event which Gerry and I have done a couple of times before as a team. But it can also done solo. It’s an official event and there’s timing, so it should count as a qualifier. Our only challenge will be support, as usually with teams there’s always a vehicle with water, sustenance etc, to support the team.

There are a number of nice looking ultras on the South Island, but going there for an event will set us back a $1000+ (excluding entry fee). We are particularly keen on the Crater Rim (85km in October), have been for many years, so are still thinking of going down for this. As a qualifier this will also be cutting it too thin, as there won’t really be another opportunity to run an ultra before the event, should we not make it before the cut-off, or have to pull out for whatever reason. Or if the race gets cancelled, which can certainly not be ruled out.

But back to our Sunday long-run. A number of other runners and walkers joined us on the 3.4km trail around the dams which made it more social and fun. Was great to see Scott and Dianne, Nina (and Brock on his bike), Stef, Rachael and the boys, and to meet Sandy and Rachel.

The trail around the reservoir was upgraded and officially opened in 2020. The pine tree forest was cut down and other trees were planted. Work is ongoing, and in fact a man on a small digger was working on an extended loop (which we did once, making the loop 4.5k) while we were there. Since it was Easter weekend, a number of Easter-themed boards with a hole to poke your face through and take a photo were placed around the trail. They must be aimed at kids (or very short people),

Quite a few other people were making the best of the good weather day by bringing the kids and dogs for a walk. We saw a few fishermen and at some point I counted 16 cars in the parking area.

With a toilet (hands down the cleanest/non-smelly long drop in the country), picnic areas, and a beautiful undulating trail, this makes the hour’s drive from Palmy worth the effort. Especially for a long-run. The aid station comes around every 3.4km, and running in circles has never been an issue for me. The shorter the loop and longer the overall distance, the better. It’s all about transcendence, isn’t it. Which brings to mind the Self-Transcendence race in Queens, New York – a 3,100 mile race around a half mile block. ‘Runners must average 59.6 miles per day in less than 52 days in order to be considered a finisher.’ [https://www.outsideonline.com/health/running/path-self-transcendence-begins-3100-miles/]

Which also brings to mind the marathon monks who run 52.5 miles for 100 consecutive days in order to achieve ‘enlightenment in the here and now.’ Perhaps totally unrealistic and unachievable, but nonetheless still bucket list items for me.

But for now, I’d be better off to focus my energy on running a half marathon at a 6min/km pace.

Onwards and upwards.

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Cystic fibrosis #27MoreYears fun run

Date: 2 April
Distance: 20km
Time: 2:14

After parkrun in Palmy, followed by a three kilometre walk, we headed home to shower, pack and get ourselves sorted for the remainder of the weekend.

First up was the Kimbolton Sculpture Festival. I was hopeful to be able to create something in time to participate in the exhibition, but alas. Time caught up with me and I couldn’t get it done in time. Better luck next year, maybe.

The festival had lots of vendors including food stalls, but the art exhibition seemed smaller? Maybe just my imagination. While having lunch there (the food truck selling gluten free meals was a good find) it started to drizzle. We didn’t stay long and as we were leaving I poured some coffee from our thermos for the road.

From Kimbolton to New Plymouth is a little over three hours drive. It was already past 2pm when we left, but thought we could still head to the event base when we get to New Plymouth and maybe preregister. This was not to be.

As we were driving the drizzle became more persistent, and by the time we reached Stratford it was raining bucket loads.  At times it was difficult to see the car in front of us, and we had to slow down considerably. The deluge made traveling slow and arduous.

Originally, when Gerry first read of the event, we thought we’d go visit friends and do the event at the same time. But the timing didn’t work out, as they were heading down south the same morning to bike the West Coast Wilderness Trail. They offered their house to us to stay in and left the key with a friend.

At around 6pm we were safety inside the house, dry and sheltered from the rain. We poured the last glass of leftover wine and dished up a precooked meal and salad.

Luckily it was the end of daylight saving (something I am not a fan of), and we had an extra hour before having to get up early for the 8am start.

A persistent drizzle through the night had me worried that we were in for a wet run. According to the weather predictions it was meant to still rain until after 9am, meaning we would run at least the first hour in the rain. When we woke up it was pouring again. Cats and dogs. All we could do was cling to the hope that it would pass soon.

We arrived (not so) bright and early at the event base at Hickford Park in Bell Block shortly after 7am. With an inaugural event you never know how popular it will be and how many runners and walkers will pitch up. Turned out we were the first late entrants and not many to follow. Our ‘bib’ numbers (written on our hands with a permanent marker) were 52 and 53, of which 18 participants were doing the 20km run (the others were entered in the 5km and 3km events). And I thought to myself, here we go again – an out and back next to the sea and only about 20 participants. Same as the Foxton Beach Footprints in the Sand event. Only this one ran along the Taranaki Coastal Walkway, so the path was sealed all the way, as opposed to running on the sand. Theoretically the sealed path should result in a faster time.

While we were waiting around it started to drizzle very lightly. I donned my rain jacket and we walked to the loo which was a few hundred metres away. With ample time to kill we ended up making a second trip to the loo.

The drizzle cleared up, the weather was looking better, it wasn’t too cold, and we decided to leave our rain jackets in the car. We started at the back, but soon passed two runners, and a few kilometres later another. We stayed in this position for the bulk of the run, until we passed another in the last kilometre. The walkway was as busy as always, with bikes, prams, toddlers, scooters, e-bikes, walkers, dogs, as presumably with the improved weather, every man and his dog were out enjoying the outdoors before winter truly sets in.

What I completely forgot about is how undulating the path is. We’ve run and biked it a few times before, but I still anticipated a flatter run. Fickle memory – only remembering the good parts.

I was going okay in the first half. The wind was mostly a side-front wind (meaning the return would be a tail wind), with dark clouds still looming, but no rain. Although it was cool when we started I was soon hot and had to take off my polyprop vest. By about 5-6km, a mist spray made us a wee bit wet, but almost not worth mentioning. We crossed the railway line twice, and in the last kilometre we had the biggest ‘hill’ of all – the path made quite a steep incline to go up and over a big cliff, and repeat on the way back. At Port Taranaki we reached the third and last water spot and turnaround point. They also had bananas which I briefly considered, but they weren’t cut up, and a whole banana is a bit much. We had a bag of jelly jet-planes, so were all good anyway.

After we crested the cliff for the second time on the way back, I started to battle a bit. I suddenly felt short of breath and generally more tired than normal. Plus, I needed to pee, badly. When we reached the Te Henui Walkway and stream again shortly after the Wind Wand, I had to dash for the loo. From there it is about 7km to the finish. During this time, I also saw three 20km walkers, who started 10 minutes after us, coming from the front.

Not used to running continuously for so long, it took some doing to keep going. My pace had slowed down a bit, and all I could think about was to pass each landmark on the way: Todd Energy Aquatic Centre, Honeyfield Fountain, the Light of Land sculpture by Howard Tuffery (the curvy chrome sculpture on the pics), the Wind Wand, the intersection with Te Henui Walkway, with playground and skate park, East End Surf Club, Fitzroy Beach Holiday Park, Waiwakaiho River Mouth, Lake Rotomanu, Te Rewa Rewa Bridge (currently party under construction), and finally the Taranaki Velodrome and Hickford Park back at the finish. A few coffee shops are dotted along the the track (very tempting), as well as other sculptures.

We finished in 13th and 14th place. The weather turned out good – no rain, not too strong wind, and reasonably warm in the end.

Prize giving was only at 1:30pm, so we went home to shower, collect all our stuff, and drop off the key before heading back to arrive more than an hour early. A BMX race was happening next to our event, so we strolled over to watch some of it. It was also a good opportunity to buy some chips there, as the cart at the running event had packed up already.

We both got a spot prize (I think everyone did), which made the stay worthwhile. It is a good new event on the calendar, organised by two people involved with Cystic Fibrosis NZ’s Taranaki branch, with help from volunteers. Organising events is hard work, and it would be a shame if it didn’t become an annual institution.

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Footprints in the Sand – Foxton Beach nearly half marathon

Date: 12 March
Distance: Half marathon/20k (we measured 20.9k)
Time: 2:26.44

High tide was at 7am. The event started at 8am. Running out-and-back on a beach is challenging; and running on a beach with an incoming tide that gets progressively worse as the hours tick by, just added to the challenge. But that was all still perfectly fine.

From our house to the event is about a 50-minute drive. We decided to not preregister, as it seems to have become a case of if the event gets cancelled for whatever reason, you simply lose the money you paid upfront. Or most of it  So we’re now at the point where we rather pay more, but register/signup as late as possible. This is as terrible for me as a participant, as it is for the organisers as they can’t plan ahead. But this is the situation we’re at with events at the moment. With the task of still having to register, we had to leave extra early, and therefore had to get up extra early. On top of a few glasses of wine and a way too fatty roast the night before, this wasn’t easy. We had breakfast, Gerry made some coffee for the road, and we were off.

We’ve done this event before (two or three times?), and each time we’re only a few handfulls of participants in the half marathon. This time I counted 23, which included a single walker.

It was overcast and a cold wind was blowing as we signed up, and I decided there and then that I will keep my polyprop vest on top of two shirts. And still I was cold. All participants walked down to the beach for race briefing before the start.

It is now ten weeks since we started running regularly in an attempt to be ready for the 100 mile event in December, and it has been a struggle. The older I get the harder it is. But running 20k on your own, is hard, so doing it with others is far more enjoyable. Even if you run by yourself the whole way. Not that we are ever by ourselves, as Gerry and I always run together. But even so, I prefer doing it as part of something bigger, where you get to see other runners, even if only at a distance.

This specific event was one of those where I have no doubt that everyone ran negative splits. The cold wind was actually blowing a gale, coming nearly straight from the front. I was rowing and fighting and forcing myself forward, gasping for breath and thinking I’m going at a reasonable clip, only to find out my pace was nearly 7:30/k. I was hoping to average a 7min/k pace, but the main goal was to finish and jog the whole way, even if it was very slow. The seven and a half pace was perfectly fine – just surprising, as it felt like I was going much faster. Ideally I should be doing my long runs at a 7:30/k pace, even if that feels like a waste of time.

Fighting with a headwind for 10.5k was something else. I’m not fond of the wind at the best of times, but having to run into it, was just awful. Of course I could have run in Gerry’s slipstream, but that would have been cheating. Plus, facing adverse conditions builds gumption and character, right? After what felt like an eternity, we finally reached the turnaround point. I suddenly realised that the little stream we used to cross/jump in previous years, must have closed up as it wasn’t there anymore.

And boy was I glad we got to halfway and were heading back. Of course that same headwind was now a tailwind, making running infinitely easier. It didn’t take long before I was too warm and had to take off the polyprop. Quite amazing how having the wind in you face or in your back makes such a huge difference to the perceived temperature.

Happy to be over halfway and with a tailwind, we were going well. I was obviously fatiguing, still going slow-ish with running on the sand and all, but it felt much easier than on the way out. I kept thinking to myself that every kilometre done is one less to walk. Luckily I managed to run the whole way.

Despite being more fatigued on the second half, our splits were 1:17 for the first half, and 1:09 for the second half. It’s astonishing what a difference wind can make.

Relieved to be at the finish, we had a drink and time to catch up with some friends. The nicest part of this outing was all the familiar faces. Not that there is anything to fault about the event. It is well organiser, with water points at 2.5k, 5k and at the turnaround at 10.5, and of course you pass them again on the way back. Heaps of spot prizes (I’m pretty sure everybody got one), a fundraiser sausage sizzle for the fire brigade, and coffee cart. With a schools event, a 5k and 10k options, there were about 200 participants all up.

Unfortunately the weather plays a huge part in this event, and more often than not, the wind is a factor. Also, the beach is an open road, meaning there are cars and quad bikes, scramblers, and other nasties to look out for. It still takes me by surprise that people are allowed to drive on NZ beaches. Are there no living animals on the beaches here? No ecological damage cause by driving on beaches and in the sand dunes? Nevermind the fact that people can be run over!

You can tell – I’m not a supporter of beach driving. 🙂

Happy to have achieved my goal of running all the way, we made the trip back home for leftover lunch.

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It rained cats and dogs – Jumbo-Holdsworth trail run, Powell Hut volunteers

27-28 January 2023

As we were packing the car for the trip to Holdsworth carpark, it started to drizzle. The weather forecast for the weekend looked horrendous, and I thought the event might be cancelled before we even leave Palmy.

Ross and Kati decided to join us for the trip to Powell Hut, and we arranged to meet at the carpark. Our plan was to leave at about 12pm, meet them at 13:30, and walk the three odd hours to the hut.

The drizzle persisted on the drive there and as we started walking it just got worse. There was no wind and things started off reasonably hot, despite the drizzle. My sweat did not evaporate and after a few kilometres of walking uphill, I was soaking wet, both from being rained on and sweat. By the time we reached the Mountain House Shelter, we had to don rain jackets. The higher up we went, the thicker the mist (clag), and the bigger the raindrops.

As always, I’m surprised at how steep the last couple of kilometres are to the hut. After about 3:20 hours we reached the hut, wet and chilled. We went for one of bigger rooms, and changed into dry clothes before having some nibbles and drinks. As last time, Kati and Ross had a spread of note, to be washed down with some red wine. Unfortunately we only had olives and corn chips to add to the snacks.

Steve and Carol were already there as the other pair based at the hut, as well as Tony who was the lucky winner of the trig marshal spot, where we were based previously.

We poured a tipple just as Suzanne arrived. She volunteered as the first aider on the ridge between Powell Hut and part of the ridge, while another medic would be handling the other half of the ridge towards Jumbo Hut.

A few other people were also based at the hut: a pair of older friends, a mum with kids, and young hikers. We were all safe and warm inside the hut, while it was cold and super wet outside. No respite in the rain and every time you had to make a dash for the longdrop, you cussed a little.

Our party became more rowdy as the others all started going to bed. At some point Kati checked her phone, when the news arrived of a totally flooded Auckland Airport. In fact the whole of Auckland was flooded. The rain pelted down at 71mm per hour, more than ever before, and caused widespread carnage: cars were floating down the road, slips wiped out houses and left others teetering over the edge, numerous houses and businesses flooded, and thousands were left without power. Four people had died (drowned), and the forecast did not look favourable for the coming days.

I was almost certain the race would be cancelled. But having said that, two years ago we marshalled in similar wet, poor visibility and windy (less than this time) conditions on the ridge, except the temperatures were below zero from the snow the days before the event. It was one of the coldest outings of my life, and yet the race went ahead and everyone arrived safe back at the bottom where the weather was infinitely more favourable.

During the night it kept on raining. Not super hard, but consistent and at times a little bit harder. Little streams started to form on the path to the loo, and the wind started to pick up a bit.

At about 2am, another mum and daughter arrived. I was mostly still awake (couldn’t sleep for some reason), and contemplating the fact that I have to get up and make a dash for the longdrop in the dark, cold and wet weather to go pee. We were sleeping on the top bunkbed, and getting out of the sleeping bag and putting on extra layers was noisy. Suzanne, Kati, Ross and us shared the one room, and I thought we’d wake them all up.

But out and back in my cosy sleeping bag, after some more noise, I felt infinitely better. Finally I could sleep.

In the morning, Gerry made some tea to have with rusks, while we were all nervously waiting for the radio to crackle into action informing us that the race was called off. But still the call didn’t come.

Getting ready for the first arrivals, we put on thermals and puffers, beanies, buffs, rain jackets and rain pants. We sorted the camera, and I took shelter in the wood shed, ready to shoot some runners. With the clag, rain and generally poor conditions for photos, I wasn’t hopeful, but figured I might at least capture something of the action and drama as it was unfolding on the porch of the hut.

Kati and Ross decided to pack up, have breakfast, and head down. They had heaps to do before moving back to South Africa later that week.

Like wet chickens the first runners started to arrive. Using a stopwatch, Gerry was taking their times while Carol recorded their numbers. Some put on more layers, others filled up their water flasks, before heading further up the mountain to the ridge where Suzanne and Tony were. By now they had some time on the top to evaluate the situation. And taking a walk in the gale and sleet, Suzanne opted to make the call that the race be called off. It was dangerous in the super wet conditions to traipse along the ridge in gale force winds.

Quite a few runners had gone past us already, but all the new arrivals were informed to turn around. While some seemed relieved, others were disappointed. A few decided to hand over their race numbers and carry on at their own risk. The ones that had gone past the hut, were turned around by Suzanne and Tony. The runners going the other way around were turned back at Jumbo Hut.

It was over. The year that wasn’t meant to be.

We made a last cup of coffee, packed up and started heading down the mountain. Suzanne followed suit, and caught up with us within the first couple hundred metres. With everything being wet, puddles of water and some mud, we took the first very steep section slowly. Back at the Mountain House Shelter, we had a quick break and a bite to eat, before continuing down the mountain.

By the time we reached the event finish line (surprised that it took me 2:30) we were soaked to the bone. Gerry bought coffee at the cart, we had some event food, and walked the final few hundred metres back to the car. Gerry drove up to the toilet, we chatted to Salome and her friend Matt, swapped our wet clothes for dry ones, and drove back home.

Our cat, which I was worried about was of course perfectly fine and happy to be high and dry inside the house the past 28 hours, instead of fending for food and shelter in the wet stormy weather.

I started this post with a long report on our stray cat, but thought I’d rather stick to the mountain and event itself. But for the record, the story of the cat is as follows.

We have a stray cat. Actually we were feeding several in the first half of 2022 as I thought that might keep them from catching birds. Not sure if it helps, but that was my theory. Occasionally there would be a cat fight on the porch in the middle of the night, and before we could get out of bed and turn on the light to inspect what was going on, they would be gone.

At the time I was working as a trapper and we had just bought new field cameras for work. Doing some trials and testing them out was a great opportunity to see what was going on. We saw possums (multiple!) hang out around our Good Nature trap, every night, but they would avoid it like the plague. We’ve had that trap for about 8 years, locked and loaded, and it is yet to kill any pests.

After a few nights of watching possums, we decided to see what was going on on the porch at night. Turns out we were feeding three stray cats, and occasionally more than one would come for a feed at the same time causing a fight. But one of them outplayed the others and decided to move in.

I was worried about it being a girl and pregnant as it had huge boobs, and at other times I worried about a boy going chasing after girls and making more babies, worsening the cat problem. But then a vet friend came to visit and put our minds at ease – it was a boy and it had been neutered.

This stray cat is a rather big grey cat. It chose us, and started getting friendly with only us. When it hears an unfamiliar voice, it would run and hide under our bed. It spent most days on our couch or on the bed, and at around 8pm it would usually go outside for a galavant. Between two and four am it would meow outside, wanting to come back in. It felt like having a baby in the house – we would take turns to let it out and get back in again, often more than once during the night.

This has been going on for about nine months. Sometimes we might have to go away, having to lock it out. Early on we had to go away for a month, but after our return, Mr Cat returned on the second night, hovering by the door. The last time we had to go away for only one night, kitty got all anxious, following us around the house, looking nervous and not wanting to go outside. Eventually we had to boot him out and close the door. Poor bugger.

This time, he again detected that something was up, and decided to sneakily hide in the far corner under the bed. I checked under the bed and called minutes before, when Gerry had one last look, only to find kitty hiding. Perhaps he knew what was coming weather wise, but I felt sorry for him and decided to let him be. With enough food and water to last him a few days, we locked him inside and were off on our marshalling trip. We were only away for a bit more than a day, and he probably hardly noticed we were gone. However, we need to put in a cat flap or something, so that Mr can come and go as he pleases.

Another item on the never-ending to-do list.