Ramblings on libraries and life upon the wicked stage

This is a post which has very little to do with either singing or libraries.  It is not about theatre, books, television, comics or religion, which have also been topics for discussion here at Singing Librarian Central.  No, it is about a dog, a cat, a shed and one man’s mission to look after them.  That man, in case you aren’t with me, is the Singing Librarian.  Me.

Recently, I bought a house with a performing teacher, a warbling prayer coordinator and a musical auditor, who share the beautiful old former dental surgery in a strange but happy life, also looking after two black furry creatures: Hugo the Labrador, who is a working guide dog, and Clint the runtish cat.  Our menagerie recently increased due to the addition of the very well-behaved Fred, a new wooden shed who nestles quietly under our enormous holly tree.  This weekend, it is my responsibility to care for all three of these in various ways.

Clint needs a fresh lick of paint.  Fred needs to be reeducated about his toilet training.  And I have to be kind to Hugo, who has taken to sitting and purring on my bed.  Or something like that.  The cat will be no trouble at all, as cats generally look after themselves.  All I have to do is make sure that the dog can’t steal his food and be willing to stroke him if he randomly jumps on to my lap while I’m writing a blog post.  The shed needs some sort of paint-like liquid applying to it, so I am hoping for reasonable weather.  My DIY skills are essentially limited to destroying things and painting things, so this task has been left to me.  And the dog has a little trouble with continence at the moment, or is attention seeking via the unusual method or random micturition during the night.  A changed regime of eating and ‘going for a busy’ is to be enforced to deal with this, starting tonight, the first night of my stewardship of the household.

I get on very well with Clint and Hugo, having known each of them since they adopted their current owners.  Indeed, Hugo is very fond of me, or can be when the fancy takes him.  He certainly doesn’t like it if he doesn’t get to see me for a long time.  His enthusiasm when I appear after an extended absence is heartwarming to see.  Fred, on the other hand, is new to me.  I did not assist in his construction, and have only had a very brief formal introduction, so I am not sure whether he will take kindly to my ministrations this weekend.  We shall see.

Expect an update on the three boys at some point over the weekend.  Normal service (i.e. moaning about students, raving about musical theatre and a distinct lack of discussion around the topic of animal excretion) will be resumed shortly, I’m sure.