lathany | Travelling Cat in Ireland

Having had fond memories of Travelling Cat by Frederick Harrison, but no longer my copy of it (I've lent it to various people and one of them must still have it), I bought a second-hand replacement. Searching for it, I also found Travelling Cat in Ireland by the same author, so I bought a copy of that as well. The second book is set in the early nineties (a little while after the first) and again features the London-based author on his travels with Pugwash the cat, but this time it's in Ireland (rather than England) and he's brought Pugwash's mother Cheesy along. The result is entertaining cats-on-the-move and part-travel guide (although very out of date). At the time the story was printed in the Guardian (which is also how my father decided to buy me the original book) and while somewhat dated now, still holds up very well. Some of my favourite lines include "Even Cheesy admitted defeat when an outraged seagull the size of a small glider looked on in disbelief as she stalked it, then casually rose into the air at the crucial moment and shat on her head while giving a mocking cry that added insult to injury" and "At a time when the most effective form of birth control for women was to point and giggle (it probably still is)" (describing the history of St Kevin).

I guess I should really get on with reading the remaining John Le Carrés I bought last year. Before the busy period starts at work and I'm back to Harry Potter and Dan Abnett re-reads.