A Face At The Window

Today I'm sorting lists, paying bills and making plans at the kitchen table.
I like to do this in silence.
Well silence , save for the loud ticking of the kitchen wall clock and the snoring of the bulldogs.
I always face my art wall when I work like this
I don't like looking at the lane window, especially at night.
The lane window, used to be the kitchen door which opened up straight on the lane.
I don't like the thought that people can look in directly from the road.



Last night I was arranging paperwork on the table and had just started a satisfying " to do " list on my right. (I was using my Christmas pens too which pleased me ) when I saw Dorothy raise her head from the reading chair to look at something just beyond my shoulder.
She was silent but her hackles were raised.
A gentle tap-tap at the window made her sit up sharply  and brought Mary yapping loudly in from the living room.
A man's face white was pressed up at the window as I turned around, he was mouthing words I couldn't understand

"Shit a brick!" Was all I could say
One of my pet fears is faces at windows at night.

I composed myself and pointed up the lane and went out to the kitchen wall, flanked by all three dogs in their stiff legged defence pose
" I think your cat is in my car" the man said with a worried face " he has quite a temper on him" 
It turned out that the man had stopped outside the church to drop off a Christmas wreath and had left his car door open in order to empty the car's rubbish into the Church's bins which are tucked away behind the lytch gate.
Ever nosey, Albert had appeared from nowhere and had jumped into the driver's seat then hopped into the back seat for a good sniff around . He was sitting rather angrily on the back window ledge when the man caught sight of him in his rear mirror as he returned.
Albert has a permanent look of surprise which is often mistaken for temper and wouldn't be moved even when the man had prodded him carefully with a plastic snow scraper 
" He scared the shit out of me, sitting there like a black panther " the man admitted and when we got to the car, Albert was indeed sat in the back of the car, whipping his tail back and forth in anger.
" I asked in those houses who he belonged to and was told it was you" the man said
The car was only a two door sporty number  and that's why Albert had not moved to escape and so it took a bit of arse squeezing on my part to get beyond the front seats in order to get a firm scruff hold.
The old boy eventually came quietly with his legs dangling
The man stepped back as I brought Albert into the open air
" Im glad I saw him when I did." He said " I live in Blacon "[outside Chester ( some thirty miles away)]

These animals will be the death of me

61 comments:

  1. I understand this completely. When anybody visits me, workmen mostly as I never have visitors, I always ask them to close all car/van windows and doors because sure as eggs are eggs at least one of my cats will climb in for a look round, and possibly a sleep. Lucky the man spotted Albert in the dark.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My last cat was a friendly soul who always liked a good nose around our car - and my husband had (foolishly) encouraged this. I was always wary when there was any visitor who left their door open, and had to check that I could find him somewhere before I could relax.
    Sometimes I think they like to make us worry. It keeps us on our toes!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Albert is naturally shy of strangers, it surprised me

      Delete
  3. The fear of faces at the window at night is totally reasonable. So glad the man didn't drive off with Albert.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have several " faces at Windows" stories worthy of Christmas ghost stories

      Delete
    2. Well, it would be cruel to dangle that carrot and not indulge us. We want to hear them. xx

      Delete
    3. I'm a bit of a recluse once in my own home and could never live where people could stare in! My son has a type of opaque glass across the bottom half of a couple of his windows where people might stare in. It looks very smart, lets the light in and is a pleasant pattern too, very decorative.

      Delete
  4. On your ‘To Do’ list put... a roman blind for the kitchen window. Like you I have a fear of being watched at night, so much so even when the curtains are drawn I am careful to make sure they overlap in the middle.

    LX

    ReplyDelete
  5. Replies
    1. Merry Christmas Mavis x

      Delete
    2. Eloquently put dear Mavis

      Delete
    3. Heidi5:59 pm

      Albert is a beautiful cat! All good wishes to you for this festive season Mavis and please be sure to keep commenting in 2020 - this blog wouldn't be the same without you! This is meant fondly of course!

      Delete
    4. MERRYFUCKINGCHRISTMAS XOXOX

      Delete
  6. We were often worried that our Samson would end up in a vehicle. Glad good ol' Albert was found in time! -Jenn

    ReplyDelete
  7. My cat got in my neighbours car and must have hopped back out 5 miles away, when they travelled back to where they used to live.
    He was missing for over week before a very kind lady phoned the number on his tag and we were able to collect him from her kitchen, where he was pacing to and fro behind her chairs.
    I have never seen a cat to be so pleased to get home, purring and kneading the carpet. He didn't stop purring for a good few days.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Albert has a deformed leg, the product of a car injury in his youth..I doubt he'd make such a trek

      Delete
  8. Thank goodness he noticed in time. Your last line made me smile as you have said that a few times and I know exactly what you mean.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I had this vision of you squeezing into the back seat to rescue the cat.
    I've owned a couple of "sporty two door" cars, the Cadillac was painful to get into - I only did it once, the VW - honestly I have never been in the back seat. With the top up, it would be nearly impossible to get in our out.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous2:52 pm

    This story might have had a very different ending if it had been someone else that found Albert. Cats sometimes, are their own worst enemy. They should be kept indoors and protected,

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He's a country cat
      It would kill him keeping him in

      Delete
  11. I would have flipped my nut! And that gent would have been on the receiving end of a rather sailor-like tirade before even considering getting cat out.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Never a dull moment.

    ReplyDelete
  13. My next door neighbour had left her car boot open while packing to go on holiday. Driving out of town she looked in the rear view mirror to see our cat's head popping up above the back seat, screamed, turned round and delivered our cat back home! That cat was always climbing into people's vans, lorries and cars. I was always asking people to check before they drove away.

    ReplyDelete
  14. my little dog does that. will jump in any car if a door is left open, no matter if it's a total stranger. odd as when she first showed up here as a three month old pup, she was terrified of being in a car. I had to take her for short rides around the block to show her that we would always return. now she loves car rides.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Barbara Anne3:56 pm

    It's always something!

    I'd get a window shade or thick curtain to cover that window facing the lane and use it every night. A face looking at me would likely prompt a heart attack.

    Hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Our neighbours used to take their cat on holiday with them in the camper van. Once they'd loaded up it used to sit in the front seat looking for all the world as if it was going to drive.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Too much watching of The Walking Dead?

    ReplyDelete
  18. We were all due for a "these animals will be the death of me" story.
    We have pictures of our big black cat lounging in our neighbor's dining room. He would often stroll across the street for a visit.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Oh no there's always something going on for you John -you can look back and laugh though.My top dog liked to attack cushions and one day I was at a deserted village car park and he saw a camper vans sliding door wide open-he spotted the cushions on the seats and raced over-I saw him and ran to grab him before the devastation-bless the baby x

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh, Albert, you little devil you!

    ReplyDelete
  21. gosh that was lucky.

    ReplyDelete
  22. They are our children and sometimes give us fits just like human children do! I am thankful the man looked for you.

    ReplyDelete
  23. My neighbors cat got into my car and clawed the heck out of the fabric seats and to top it off he shit all over the back seat!!! It smelled to high heaven. My neighbor cleaned up the mess but eventually he had to replace the seat. The order never went away. Learned a lesson not leave my car windows open when I park.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Heidi6:06 pm

    All's well that ends well, thank goodness.
    You could get a roller blind for that window John, you could then be in your kitchen without needing to be aware of it. I'm sure passing bricks isn't good for your health!

    ReplyDelete
  25. They drive us batty but we can't live without them !
    parsnip xx

    ReplyDelete
  26. A stroke of luck there John that the man was kind enough to make enquiries.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Two of our downstairs windows don't have curtains, but they both face away from the road, one is over the stove, the other one houses a bunch of plants.... I often don't mind if the curtains stay open, but when the heeby geebies set in all are shut tight! We live in the countryside here in Vermont and the pitch black nights were hard to adjust to. Now we have several motion activated lights and a full set of switched lights around the animal areas. Solar light garden chandeliers compete the scene...

    ReplyDelete
  28. All too familiar.
    One of our cats supervised/snoopervised building renovations across the road. Including checking out the work they were doing in the roof cavity. We had to call the builders out after hours to get her released. When the owners finally moved in, she was inside the moving van checking it out when I went across the road to welcome them and reclaim her. And had to admit that she was the same cat that the builders had complained about.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Shade, curtain, shutters? Art light if people look in it's like you're on a brightly lit stage. A simple roller shade would cure that.

    ReplyDelete
  30. A house we had used to have a six foot long window in the kitchen above the sink. One evening I was doing the washing up and my husband (ex) went outside unbeknown to me and stood up in front of the window. I screamed blue murder and nearly broke the glass throwing a pot at him, so I get where you are coming from! Just as well the driver spied Albert. Thirty miles is a long way to go get a cat!

    Jo in Auckland

    ReplyDelete
  31. Dear John, those animals might be the death of you but you love them and wouldn't be without them. We have 2 cats and a dog. The cats, Oedipuss and Purrseus are only 2 years old and a bit naughty still. Purrseus is grey and loves to lay on the stairs. Unfortunately he is the same shade of grey as the carpet. I haven't yet tumbled down the stairs but it's only a matter of time. Catherine

    ReplyDelete
  32. Oh dear.
    That was quite the adventure. Pet parents. Just like the rest of us.

    XOXO

    ReplyDelete
  33. Albert nearly became The Traveling Cat though he might have started yowling when the car began to move.

    ReplyDelete
  34. LOL....Life with Cats!
    Through various tricks of fate,in a matter of months, I went from no pets to 3 cats..each one is a treasure to me.... I needed them,they needed me.
    One of my favorite memories is my Standard Poodle...Tate, sleeping curled up with our elderly cat who needed the warmth of a sweet Pup.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Our late Lab' Monty would get into anyone's car, I think he just liked the idea of a free ride.

    ReplyDelete
  36. So glad that Albert is home safe and sound, in this case a welcome knock on the window. A pull down blind for the evening might be a good idea.

    ReplyDelete
  37. People used to buy nodding dogs for car parcel shelves. How much better to have a tail wagging Albert!

    ReplyDelete
  38. We only have the two and I sometimes think THEY’LL be the death of me. This s another one of your wonderful stories. I couldn’t cope with that kitchen window at night. Curtains? Shutters?

    ReplyDelete
  39. Bloody hell, 'shit a brick' would have been mild compared to what I would have come out with. I too hate faces pressed at windows, and I also hate a single beam of torchlight in the dark, I never know what I'm going to illuminate next!! Thank goodness Albert was spotted before the chap set off.

    And get a bloody curtain on that window!!

    ReplyDelete
  40. Whatever Albert does you've still GOT to love him, haven't you? Well, haven't you?

    ReplyDelete
  41. I've had nasty neighbour peering in at me,once scaring me whilst I was vacuuming to intimidate me-I was told to call the police as there has been lots of incidents-police advised me to install cctv and they know this-I have 7 cctv cameras on my house as a deterrent x

    ReplyDelete
  42. Oh, Albert! That was an adventure you didn't want! I'm so glad the man found you.
    We had a cat (a ginger tabby named Newton) who got himself trapped in a neighboring house that was being remodeled. We had to track down the builder to let him out on a weekend.
    Also, please consider a curtain, blind or opaque covering for that window onto the lane. That would make me edgy as hell!

    ReplyDelete
  43. Oh my. That is such a cat-like thing to do. This is why cats have nine lives, and why "curiosity killed the cat"!

    ReplyDelete
  44. There are many benefits to making money online. You can stay in your pajamas as the cash flows in, you don't have to spend money on gas or food, and you can spend more time with loved ones. But, there are some things you need to know first. Read about important tips on making money online here.
    satta king
    play bazaar

    ReplyDelete

I love all comments Except abusive ones from arseholes