What a week!

Gosh, I'm glad it's the weekend.  On Thursday night, after I'd changed into my sloppy PJs, Lyle came in and we noticed he had a hole in his neck!  Eeek!  I phoned the vet, and they said "there'll be a surcharge as it's after 7.30pm".  Ok, but I thought I couldn't leave it. Anyway, I got a taxi and rushed over to the 24h place.
The vet was an absolute darling. Looked young enough to be my son, of course, and he was just a locum, so when he totted it up on the PC and it came out at.................... nearly 500 quid, and he'd picked me up off the floor, he recalculated it by costing each item, and it "only" came to £266, by avoiding a general anaesthetic and thus an overnight stay. He said he'd sedate him, patch him up and then reverse the sedation. Only when they put him under (which took a while, bless), and they shaved his neck, they found a lot of pus in the hole, so he didn't want to sew him up or the pus would collect inside and make it worse. So I ONLY had to pay £178 LOL. He said "sssh!". And he also took some tartar off a tooth while he was under but don't tell anyone. He said he had great teeth for an 8 yr old

When I got him home, he was VERY drunk (and stunned) looking. He can't go out for 7 days, so I had to buy cat litter. I knew there was a reason I didn't chuck their old cat litter tray.... Dionne can't understand why the cat flap doesn't work, so I opened the door, and she disappeared into the darkness, but Lyle just lay there, looking spooky, sleeping but with his eyes open. I stayed up with him till gone 1.30am, when I decided he'd be ok overnight.   Next morning, after little sleep, I got up, showered and dressed but by the time I had done that I felt very sick.  DD had been sick the day before and I'd felt a bit under the weather but had to go to work anyway as I knew it would be a busy day. Anyway, Friday I just though "I can't do this", so I called in sick and went back to bed, with the cats, till 1pm!  Luckily, I felt a lot better by evening, and the cat was obviously feeling more himself. He still didn't use the litter tray, so I let him out this morning -  he looked terrified, poor thing.
It's now Bonfire Night, so I'm not letting them out or they'll be scared of the fireworks.
Which brings me neatly to what WE are doing this evening: it's tradition to go to our old church for fireworks. My friend S is on the soup stall tonight, so we'll meet her there, and enjoy hot dogs and burgers, before oohing and aahing at the firework display and coming home to hot chocolate.  I love it every year.  DD wasn't going to come, but she's decided it will be a good photo opportunity...