Friday 9 May 2008

Oh yeah....

Today has been another gloriously sunny day, here in The Garden of England.

At lunchtime I went to my usual food bar and bought a chicken, bacon and salad ciabatta. The guy who runs the place is a New Yorker, and really knows how to put a sandwich together. Guaranteed to hit the spot.

I then took the short stroll to the Cathedral grounds...



...and found a nice seat in the shade of a huge oak tree. I must post pictures of some of our trees because they are wonderful. This one must be around 300 years old, about 8 feet across and really gnarled.

I took a few moments to actually appreciate the amazing building that is the Cathedral, one of the most holy Christian sites in the world. This is a good place to be.

So, I settled down with my "sandwich" and another chapter of my book.

I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. A rather well-fed black and white cat was heading my way. He had given up trying to get bits of someone else's lunch and was trying his luck with me.

He did not try to get sympathy, he clearly knew he was too fat to get that, so he just sat in front of me, watching.

I tried to ignore him, but there was something about him - maybe he was a Jedi or something. I pulled out a piece of bacon and offered it to him. Slowly and delicately he maneuvered his head to take it (he did not move his body, that was clearly too much effort) and chomped on it. He seemed to enjoy it. He even somehow moved a bit closer without seeming to move, possibly sliding forward like a snail or something.

Then I found myself offering him some chicken. This was what he really wanted, what must have drawn him over in the first place, so I sat there eating the rest of my lunch, taking a bite, pulling off a piece of chicken for my new friend, taking another bite, etc.

When it was clear that there was no more chicken to be had, he found a cool patch of grass at the foot of the tree and went to sleep.

Oh yeah.

It is a hard life for some!

Oh yeah.

12 comments:

mr zig said...

I wish I had chicken and bacon right now.... mmmm

krista said...

You just experienced having dinner at our house! Ricky and our cat do that same dance every night. She looks at him he says no and then leans over and gives her half of his dinner! I believe she also is a Jedi! She likes bacon better than chicken though.

Rock Chef said...

Zig - it was really good too...

Krista - You have a Jedi cat too! I somehow think that Ricky's "no" is to himself rather than the cat.

Kiki said...

Rock Chef, I love this church, next to collecting maps I love all religious relics, specifically Christian, and this church is lovely. I am completely jealous that this is the scene of your yummy lunch and I love that you shared with that cheeky cat.

As for the NY-er who made the sammie, that's kind of our speciality, I'm glad he represented well!!!

Anonymous said...

That does sound like a fabulous way to spend a lunch break! What a softie you are... giving into that cat like that! (I would've done the same thing.)

James said...

Not keen on cats but I like majestic cathedrals....only seen inside a couple though, Coventry (new and old) Notre Dame and Montmarte in Paris. I do like to find little old country churches though.

Alyssa said...

I'm envious - about the beautiful atmosphere and the cat to share your lunch with.

Logzie said...

I knew you were just a big ole teddy bear RC!! I knew you'd feed the cat before you even wrote it. Ha!

Sounds like a very relaxing and beautiful lunch!

Marie said...

It looks so tranquil. I love trees so I'm really looking forward to seeing those pictures. I also love cats and am so pleased that you and the cat had such a lovely lunch.

m said...

When I go for a walk in my neighborhood, the view is substantially different. You win.

kenady said...

What an amazing photo! Hard life for kitty and for you... with that for scenery and all.

Sitting In Silence said...

What an amazing photo.
Where you live looks so beautiful.

And you go to eat lunch looking at it....i'm so jealous...