The Entropy Gang's May 2015 blog

The Entropy Gang’s May 2015 blog (formerly Conservatory Cats’ Chats)

All change!

Herschel: It’s been very busy in and around our palace. First Paul and John came and took down the old garden fence and put up a new one. Then Paul came and put up new banisters. It was good to see the iron bars go.

Isambard: The THINKER and The MAID and Susannah took all the pictures off the walls and emptied many of the cupboards and packed up lots of things. Then Susannah painted the walls. They looked ever so much betterJ  

Jellicoe: After that some men came and took up all the flooring downstairs and put new boards down. They put new carpet on the stairs – it’s lovely for sharpening our claws. The HUMANS don’t like us doing that – I don’t know why.

Herschel: There is much talk of the Cat FENCE – rumour has it that The THINKER has decided to let someone else put it up. I hope he hurries up.

Isambard:  We were interested to see some men changing the GARDEN. They put a FENCE round the POND so that Frankie can’t fall in it. They also made a dry stream bed and laid nice fresh grass – we can’t wait to get our paws on.

garden, week one 

garden, week two 

garden, week three

Jellicoe: Susannah wanted us to make friends with Pats so she opened the door into her area so that we could go in and out. Herschel and Isambard were quite polite and happy but Pats doesn’t like me so I don’t like her.

Herschel: We were quite sure we could all be friends but Jellicoe wasn’t very nice to her – he bullied her so that’s why she doesn’t like him.

Isambard: The really interesting thing is that Susannah had kittens – well, not her exactly, but she brought two Somali kittens home one day. (Somalis are long-haired Abyssinians.) They’re brothers and they’re really fun. Herschel plays with them a lot.

Leonard, known as Lenny 

Solomon, sometimes called Solly 

Jellicoe: They spend a lot of time downstairs with us, bird-watching in the conservatory. At night they go to bed with Susannah though sometimes they end up with Bertie and us on The THINKER and The MAID’S bed. It’s quite crowded when we’re all there.

Herschel: A sad thing that happened was that Frodo, the spotted dog, has gone. We miss him because we liked cuddling up with him.

Isambard: We liked him because he had spots, like Herschel and me, and he was big and warm and gentle.

Jellicoe: I’ve got spots, too, on my tummy. Actually, we all had new spots, apart from Jenna, even the HUMANS.  Leonard and Solomon, the kittens, gave us ringworm. They didn’t mean to and we’re all better now.

Herschel: The THINKER and The MAID keep saying there will be a surprise soon.

Isambard: We know that Lolly is coming to stay for a few days when Bethan and Robert go on holiday so that can’t be the surprise.

Jellicoe: We can’t think what it will be. I hope we like it.

April A-Z blogging challenge 2012 U is for Umpteen

April A-Z blogging challenge 2012

The next story in this sequence of short stories of 250 words or fewer starts with U. All the stories are about the life and times of a fictional character called Alice.


Oops! My chronology went a bit wrong!! Emily is married the year of Ivy's birthday and has four small children immediately . . . Ted's twins, born the same year, have mysteriously had babies themselves . . . oh dear - and it was all going so well;-)

U is for Umpteen

Ivy’s 90^th birthday was an excuse for a family get-together. Their house was too small to accommodate everyone so Alice and Norman booked a hotel and reserved rooms for all the family.

Ivy thought she was going out for lunch and then to a matinee so when she walked into the hotel restaurant and saw her entire family clapping and smiling she was speechless. Lunch ensued with much laughter and chatter. Ivy was delighted to see Emily with her four small grandchildren, three girls and a baby boy. She didn’t see her or her family very often as she lived in France. The little girls spoke French to her and she spoke English to them and they all got along splendidly.

After lunch the head chef brought Ivy a beautiful cake decorated with fresh flowers. He helped her cut the cake and complimented her on her beautiful family.  

‘You have so many daughters and granddaughters,’ he said.

‘Granddaughters and great-granddaughters,’ she corrected with a smile. ‘Umpteen of them.’

She sat with Alice and Ruth and her older granddaughters and their babies and watched as the younger cousins played together. She noted the similarities between them as well as the differences and recognised gestures that reminded her of John or Charles. The newest baby boy, just a few months old, resembled Daniel. She sighed. Poor Daniel.

‘Enough of that,’ she scolded herself. ‘You are a very lucky woman.’

She turned to Alice. ‘Thank you so much,’ she said. ‘This is perfect.’

April A-Z blogging challenge 2012 S is for Silver

April A-Z blogging challenge 2012

S is the next letter in this sequence 26 short stories - 250 words or fewer- about the life and times of a fictional character called Alice.

S is forSilver

Alice and Norman had a garden party to celebrate their Silver Wedding anniversary in 1981. It’s always a gamble organising an outdoor event in England but August that year was mostly warm and dry and the day of the party dawned bright and clear.

Alice watched Norman as he chatted with their guests. His hair was greying and receding at the temples and his laughter lines were deepening but he was still a good-looking man. Alice had discovered silver in her hair, too, but her hairdresser disguised it.

She looked at her children, young adults now. Edward John, more usually called Ted these days, was studying medicine and intended to marry once he had qualified.  Rebecca was a journalist on the local paper and hoped to make a career in the national dailies one day. Emily, sweet sixteen, was considering teaching as a profession.  

Alice breathed in the jasmine-scented air and smiled. She was so fortunate.

Her mother hadn’t been so lucky. She had lost all three sons. Though Daniel still lived his mind had wandered far away. John had died fourteen years ago and Ivy was lonely. Norman had offered to build a ‘granny annexe’ so she could live with them but she had declined - she valued her independence. Ruth spent a lot of time with her but Alice wondered if that was always helpful. They had both loved Daniel and grieved for him. Raking over the past didn’t help either of them, visiting Daniel even less so.

April A-Z blogging challenge 2012 R is for Resolution

April A-Z blogging challenge 2012

R gives us the next in a series of 26 short stories of 250 words or fewer about the life and times of a fictional character called Alice.

R is for Resolution

1965 was a momentous year for Alice’s family. Emily was born in May and was greeted with rapturous delight by Rebecca. Edward John, now eight, greeted his baby sister with unaccustomed gravity, promising to look after her.

In July Daniel had a complete breakdown after refusing to take his medication and becoming increasingly irrational. More wretched than she had ever been Ruth called the doctor who said Daniel must be admitted to hospital immediately. Daniel refused to cooperate and had to be forcibly removed.

Shortly after that event, which shook the whole family, John had a serious heart attack. Shocked and frightened, Ivy blamed herself and swore henceforth to follow all the medical advice she was given. Alice hoped she would keep her promise.

One day in August Ruth knocked at Alice’s door. Alice was surprised to see her but invited her in and made tea.  

Ruth said, ‘I should have listened to you. I knew Daniel wasn’t getting any better. I wouldn’t admit the tablets weren’t working. Daniel was so devious he convinced the doctor he was coping and I covered up for him. I thought I knew what was best for him. All those wasted years when he could have been getting the help he needed . . . and you and I could have been friends. Is it too late for us, now?’

‘I’m sure if we try we could be friends again,’ said Alice.

‘I’d like that,’ said Ruth.

April A-Z blogging challenge 2012 P is for Parents

April A-Z blogging challenge 2012

P is the next of 26 short stories - 250 words or fewer - about the life and times of a fictional character called Alice.

P is forParents

It is a truism that the child is father to the man. As children become parents and their own parents turn into grandparents it is inevitable that roles begin to reverse. Alice was pleased her parents lived nearby and could see her little boy so frequently but she worried about her father.

John had retired from the police force when he was sixty, the year before she married. Until then he had received regular medical check-ups and was an active, fit man. Since his retirement he had been more sedentary and gained a lot of weight. Now, four years later, he was breathless after the slightest exertion and inclined to sit for long periods, reading the paper or listening to the radio. Ivy fussed after him, cooking his favourite meals and encouraging him to ‘take it easy.’

Alice told John he should see the doctor about his breathlessness and lack of energy. As she had predicted, the doctor advised more exercise and a stricter diet, reducing fats and sugar. He also prescribed tablets to moderate his blood pressure and regulate his heart. Ivy clucked her tongue, maintaining, ‘A little of what you fancy does you good.’ Alice agreed but suggested her father didn’t really need three cooked meals a day with puddings after two of them. Ivy nodded and carried on baking cakes and biscuits for them to enjoy with elevenses and afternoon tea.

Alice continued to worry. John continued to be breathless. Ivy continued to spoil her husband.

April A-Z blogging challenge 2012 M is for Marriage

M marks the middle of the alphabet and the thirteenth episode in 26 short stories of 250 words or fewer about Alice’s life and times.

M is for Marriage

Alice and Norman were married on a cool August day in 1956. Ruth didn’t attend. She told Ivy Daniel wasn’t well and she must look after him. Alice was sad but not surprised.  

John swelled with pride as he walked his daughter down the aisle and Ivy dabbed at her eyes and hoped there would be some grandchildren soon.

After the reception the newly-weds left for a hill-walking honeymoon in Wales. Ivy and John returned to their empty house, exhausted after a long day.

‘I hope they’ll be happy,’ said Ivy.

‘I’m sure they will be,’ said John. ‘They’re a lovely couple.’

‘We’ve been happy, haven’t we?’ said Ivy, ‘Despite everything?’

John squeezed her hand. ‘Of course we have,’ he said. ‘I couldn’t have asked for a better wife or a happier life.’

‘The boys?’ said Ivy.

John considered his answer carefully. ‘I wish they were with us as much as you do, but they’re not and we have to carry on, like so many others.’

Ivy nodded, her eyes shining with unshed tears. ‘I still hope . . . ‘

‘I know but it’s been too long. If, by some miracle Edward had survived, he would have found his way home by now.’

They sat in silence, holding hands, lost in thought. A knock at the door made them jump. Ivy’s hand flew to her mouth as John went to open it. Ruth had come to ask about the wedding. She sounded genuinely sorry she hadn’t gone.

April A-Z blogging challenge 2012 K is for Kith and Kin

K is the next letter in this series of 26 short stories – 250 words or fewer - about Alice’s life and times.

K is for Kith and Kin

It was John and Ivy’s 40^th wedding anniversary in May, 1956. The war had been over for eleven years and rationing had finally ended two years earlier. There was a sense of excitement and optimism in the air and Ruth and Alice decided they should organise a party.

It was the first celebration the family had planned since before the war and they wanted to make it an occasion to remember. They invited John’s sister and Ivy’s brothers and their families. Daniel was reluctant to attend but Alice persuaded him it would be fun to see their cousins again. He remarked sourly that they had all survived the war intact.

With their friends there were fifty guests in all. It was fortunate the evening was warm and they could spill into the garden. Everyone was enjoying themselves; even Daniel was chatting animatedly when a tipsy aunt prodded Ruth and whispered, ‘When are you going to give Ivy some grandchildren? Mustn’t leave it too late, you know. We’ve already got five.’

Ruth went white, mumbled an excuse and ran upstairs. Alice found her sobbing in the bathroom. 

‘I’ll never have babies. We don’t . . . Daniel can’t . . . our marriage isn’t like other people’s.’ Alice rubbed her back. She had suspected something of the sort.

John and Ivy thanked them for arranging a wonderful party. Ruth smiled, ‘I’m glad you liked it.’

 Alice never felt greater love and pity for her sister-in-law than she did at that moment.

April A-Z blogging challenge 2012 J is for John

Continuing 26 short stories – 250 words or fewer - about Alice’s life and times, we arrive at J.

J is forJohn

John’s job in the police force often involved danger and he had seen more of the dark side of human nature than he felt anyone should have to experience.  His overriding instinct was to protect his family.

When war was declared he felt a dull ache in the pit of his stomach that remained with him throughout its duration. He knew his sons would be called up eventually but when all three enlisted within a few months he knew a mixture of pride and fear.

He watched as worry consumed his wife and extinguished joy. He felt the loss of their sons as keenly as she but held no false hopes for Edward, grieving for him as he did for Charles. Though he would never have confessed it, in his heart he thought it would have been kinder for everyone if Daniel had died too - his torment continued and increased. His bitterness drained the life and energy from Ruth. She maintained a facade of optimism but John glimpsed the despair in her eyes when she thought no-one was looking.

Alice was the only one who had escaped relatively unscathed. She mourned the loss of her brothers and did her best to encourage Daniel, yet was able to move on and anticipate the future. John was delighted when she introduced Norman. It was refreshing to share the company of an optimistic young man who had survived the horrors of war and felt no need to dwell on them.