We’ve taken in a stray cat.

This might not sound like the best plan given that we have two guinea pigs and a hamster, but there you go.

Vicky had seen this ginger tom lurking last year and we saw him around over winter. After speaking with neighbours it became clear that he wasn’t owned and we felt sorry for him - a couple of people couldn’t take the chance of taking him in and having him fall out with their cats.

We took him to a vet - they neutered him, got rid of a tick, cut a matted clump off his fur and micro-chipped him. So he’s definitely ours now. A colleague, when told about the neutering, quipped that he was pleased we weren’t charged with looking after him… fair point.

Anyway, so there he is. Oh, and the vets we used was Haven Veterinary Group, Ketwell Lane, Hedon - they were all really friendly, loved their animals and absolutely didn’t rip us off. So they get our recommendation.

Oh, and another thing - he has Vicky to thank for all this. If it was up to me he’d have been taken in by cat’s protection. However I phoned them, left a message saying that I thought he needed a vet (he had a lump on his side) but I never even got a phone call back. So if it had been up to them he may as well have been dead and if it had been up to me he’d have been outside.

But, 4 weeks on I wish we’d taken him in months ago - he’s got a great temperament and, with the aid of a water squirter, keeps a respectful distance from our other lodgers.

We have grass, vegetables and half a path.

We’ve had a good crop of radishes and lettuces. Have sown more but left it too late to ensure a constant supply - we’ll be better prepared for next year when we have a greenhouse.

We’re aware of the issues surrounding the environmental impact of concrete… we’ll just have to ‘do our bit’ elsewhere.

Vicky’s broad beans are happy - there are a fair few pods on there. I was a bit over-eager and took a pod off a bit too early, so we’ll have to wait a few more weeks before we get to eat them.

The peas are doing great - there have been a few bees buzzing around which was nice to see - so fingers crossed for a good harvest.

The potatoes are being odd. They are new potatoes (first earlies) but they haven’t flowered yet. A relative’s have flowered and gone but ours are still lurking. We’re hoping we just have a different variety. If there’s as much going on under the soil as there is on top then we’re going to have enough potatoes to supply a shop.