It's time to begin.....

CRANKY40

When we moved here I let ours out for the first time before I fed them. They're a lot less likely to roam on an empty tummy. 

Kakiste

Yep I'm thinking an afternoon mooch. Tbf once the gates are closed they'll have to work fairly hard to get out of the garden (I'm sure they'll manage but they'll probably be entertained enough just by the garden for a good while. (There are 4 mature easily climbable trees in the back garden that should entertain the younger cat for ages) 

Jellytotts

We just went out in the garden and left the door open, had a wander round and then sat and waited for them to slowly come and find us, took forever as lots of new sniffing to be done and then called them back in for treats....we moved on one of the hottest days on record here and it was an ex smokers house so keeping all the doors and windows closed on that first night was hideous.   Luckily they sussed it straight away.  I appreciate some cats are very skitty and nervous but all the more reason in my view to get them out as soon as possible to teach them where home is before they bolt in panic.

Hope you manage to get them out and about soon, if they're anything like mine then just being in on a rainy day is enough to make them stir crazy.

greensalad

One good idea for letting cats out for the first time is to set their litter tray by the back door. A dirty one that is! Helps them smell their way home better.

I did that once when a cat sitter client's cat escaped! (Their fault, not mine. They left a window open and told me it'd be fine and it was not fine).

Kakiste

Been a busy week this week. All the Level 1 and 2 work had to be collated, checked and then sent off to the exam boards. Everyone has passed which is always nice (but given the level of hounding/nagging/bribery I do around the exam periods it's always the case.

Now focusing on just the GCSE material with 1 student I've entered (it's not a very academic year group this year) for the next 2.5 weeks before the first exam. 

Humdinger1

Lovely to see you again @Kakiste.  You are plainly a fab teacher.  How are you settling in? All OK with the ex?! Love Humdinger xx 

Kakiste

Yes- all good.

Daughter is off school today so my dad is looking after her. He's turned up this morning with a bunch of guttering and some water butts in his car so has spent the morning fitting guttering and a downspout to my shed whilst my daughter has been planting out our pea and tomato seeds into one of the veg beds. I've got to clear the second veg bed as it's covered in dead wood (and possibly an ant nest) so I can set that up as a decent veg and salad bed before the end of the month

Starlight_at_Sea

Yay to dad's who do stuff like that at times like this. Hope your daughter relishes the tomatoes and peas when they arrive. Amazing progress

Kakiste

Yes it's clearly a demonstrable "I'm fixing/improving things because I care" moment.

Kakiste

First day of the GCSEs today- managed to get all of the year 11s into the hall on time despite many protests (and one literally camping in bed) Hopefully the rest of the exams aren't this much work!