Perfectly valid, up in smoke and so forth

Now you know why I haven't been able to blog for more than a week. There was a very bad fire in our street. Two houses and two factories were destroyed. No one was injured but two sets of neighbours lost everything, although I am happy to report firemen saved a pet rat and pet cat, both of whom were found huddled together in the old stone laundry at the back of one of the houses. No one could save the the Internet though, at least not the tendrils that reach my house and that melted in the heat.

The upside is that I have many posts prepared for the coming the week. The lesser downside (that is, as opposed to the greater downside of the damage and the loss) is that I did get a little over enthusiastic when my Internet connection was restored and I made rather a nuisance of myself on eBay. But I need a bottle of Cabochard, I reasoned. I witnessed a horrible fire. I need another handbag. It makes my inevitable mortality seem less important.

There are no other upsides or downsides, but there is this tangent:

How does Kate do this? I don't know. My only conclusion is that her spine can actually turn like a curtain rail. It has been hot today and she has adopted this pose three times in three different locations. Every time she does, I stand over her and stare. It's becoming a bit of a habit for both of us.

If you're around this week - and I hope most fervently that you will be - I will explain to you how recognising this this ...
...helped me accumulate these:
And I'll tell you what I bought at the thrift shop where they had tagged a dress $500. Yes, five hundred. Here is a clue: I didn't buy that dress.

Before I go, let's ponder it once again:


She must have ball bearings somewhere near her shoulder blades.