Mrs Beeton’s Book Of Household Management

Waking with a start, I switch the light on. 5.35pm. Suzie will be here for dinner at 7pm.
“You haven’t got time to write your blog,” the panther says, stretching his front paws down the bed, pushing his bottom up to the ceiling.
“I’ll write my blog first,” I tell him.
“You need to tidy up,” he says, “hang the washing up to dry, have a bath. Forget your blog. It’s so dull anyway.”
“The blog comes first,” I say. “Even if I spend an hour and a half writing it, it won’t matter. Suzie will help me with the other things when she gets here and…”
“You can’t invite her round for dinner and force her to cook the dinner and hang up the washing,” the panther says, arching his back and pushing it up to the ceiling: an enormous witch’s cat.
“It’s not like that,” I say. “I’ll just feel better if I can write a blog post and put it up. I will have a bath and do the other things after that. It won’t even matter if I don’t do them.”
The panther stretches his enormous self next to me, head on his front paws, and gazes at me with enormous amber eyes.

Arrived back at the flat after days away yesterday. Is good to be here: had lunch with my cousin. There are the activities involved in running a household to keep on top of but am perfectly capable of them. Am exhausted but am going to hang up the washing, have a bath and cook dinner after this. Is possible…

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