Yesterday rats, today cats...

We had a relaxed morning with pains au chocolat and coffee for breakfast, and at lunchtime drove over to Buckingham, as we had an appointment to meet two black kittens at 3pm. Sophie popped into Boots on the way (and nearly lost me when I went to park the car) and we took the A508 towards Milton Keynes, as directed by Trish.

However, the A508 was closed because of extensive roadworks so we had to drive back to Blisworth and get onto the A43. It was another beautiful autumn day with warm temperatures and sunshine. Gorgeous! Trish took us off the A43 and through beautiful countryside, and we passed through the village of Maids Moreton, where a recent real-life crime television series was set. 

In Buckingham, we parked the car and went to find a café for lunch. A very popular tea room was full so we headed for another place, but it was full of dogs and children and had loud music playing. We decided to have a Subway sandwich, which was a great choice, and it was great to sit in the quiet seating area and enjoy our lunch.

Sophie had wanted to go a bit earlier to have a look around some charity shops, but everything was closed. We wandered back towards the car park as there were a couple of cafés there, and we wanted to pop into Waitrose. We spotted a wine shop, and just had to go in! 

I was so glad we did, as the man running it was French and came from Chinon in the Loire so we had the loveliest chat about wine and France for a good half an hour. He had some beautiful wines from all over France, including a Montlouis sparkling wine, and we said we'd been to Vacqueyras only two weeks before. We both bought a bottle of wine, and Sophie chose two Belgian beers for Keith. The shop (a Cavavin franchise) reminded me very much of Duncan's shop in Market Harborough and had some out-of-the-ordinary spirits, as well as Port and different beers.

After our wine buying, we treated ourselves to a glass of wine at a bar opposite, and it was bliss to sit in the sunshine and enjoy our tipple. It felt more like July or August rather than October!

After a quick visit to Waitrose where Sophie treated a homeless man to a sandwich and a drink, bless her, we drove to the house where our future kittens were staying until they found a home. April, the foster carer met us and directed us around to the back of the house where she had an enormous garden, with large ponds full of Koi carp. Right at the back were sheds housing numerous cats resembling a professional cattery. She took us in and the two back kittens, whom she'd named Danny and Blake, came right up to the front of the run and seemed excited to meet us!

I think this was Gomez

We stayed for half an hour chatting with April and cuddling the exceptionally friendly cats. Both were black, with no markings at all, so goodness knows how we'll tell them apart! We decided to take them and arranged with April to contact the local Cat's Protection League office to sort out the payment (£90 each) and the adoption papers. The cats would be vaccinated, neutered, chipped and wormed before we welcomed them home, so the fee was very reasonable.

We felt very excited and drove home via the A508 and the A5, heading back onto the A43 at Towcester. This whole area is a nightmare at the moment with lots of roadworks going on so the journey back to collect the cats will be fun!

Back home we relaxed and Keith cooked the last barbecue of the year! We forgot that it now gets dark at 7pm so he grilled the food in the garage opening with a portable light! It may have been the last, but it was one of the best!