Weeping Angel

After a few lazy days, we all decided on a big trip today, so piled into two cars and headed down to Carcasonne. It was slightly busier than my last trip, but at least the castle was open today so we could get in and have a look. Mr B dutifully queued for an hour in the burning midday sun to buy tickets, while the rest of us skulked in the shade of a big wall and the kids made imaginary cities in the gravel.

Finally we could get in, and that's where the trouble began for me. The tour starts at the exciting point - up on top of the battlements, walking around the slatted wooden walkways. Anyone who, like me, is scared of heights will be wincing at those words. Often with heights I can (nowadays) rationalise my way out of the fear a bit. But today I just froze, again and again. It would have been embarassing had I at that point been capable of embarassment. As it was I just inched my way around the (very long) circuit, whimpering slightly. After a firm talking to (by myself) in the portcullis room, I opted to charge round really fast instead and was finally on the ground safely again.

We all survived the gift shop with only a little whinging, then a quick search for a restaurant, a quick lunch (with delicious beer) and a short walk to get ice cream (and take this snap of the outside of the Cathedral). We then split up with Mr B and Katherine heading off to pick up C from the airport and the rest of us heading up into the hills for a short stop at a lake for a paddle (brrrr). Home again we reconvened on the terrace for drinks and much food.

Later, once the kids were in bed thankfully, there was the sound of a cat miaowing across the fields, and eventually a black kitten appeared bouncing over the fields. It had no collar, but was clearly accustomed to people - if a little frightened. We tried it with various kinds of food (sausage went down best) but the presence of folk allergic to (and slightly phobic about) cats meant it had to go. I called our neighbour (farmer) and asked if he would mind me bringing it over - he didn't - so I picked it up and headed off on the walk there. The kitten was reasonably calm... until we got to the farm and the farmer's dog started going crazy. I was mostly ignoring it as it barks all the time - until it took a lunge at my rear end... and came away with a chunk of me. Ouch. Double ouch when the farmer tried to pull the kitten's claws out of my shoulder where they had firmly lodged.

After a bit of chat (and not mentioning the dog bite strangely) I headed home, limping a bit. Turns out the dog had fallen out of a van that morning and injured her eye, so perhaps her 'snapping' aim was just off a bit and she got more than she bargained for. As she's a pet dog and both of us are up to date with immunisations, I was trying to be relaxed about the bite. (With the benefit of backblipping a week hence, I can happily report that it has healed well and just left a very unattractive bruise. And no, I'm not blipping it.)