It's Friday; It's Fish.

I was found by an old lady. She was intending to call her sister Gladys from the telephone box near Alexander park in the city of Portsmouth. This intention was replaced with another better intention. Me. I was four weeks old. I had blue eyes and was the colour of the amber necklace that adorned her large soft bosom. She was just about to put her index finger in the hole marked six when she was distracted by the discarded chip wrapper moving towards her galoshed foot.
"Dear god!" she exclaimed.
I stuck my delightfully pink nose out from the pages of the The Sun.
" Good grief."

Other terms of endearment followed. I have that effect on people; It's the recognition of appeal. Finally I was raised high and thrust to her heaving breast. She wore a woolley cardy darned at the elbows. She smelt of Johnson's lavender polish. I snuggled. I felt warm and secure for the first time in a long time. I missed my mother. I missed my brother. I started to cry in sad remembrance. Her heart beat faster. My tiny claws clung; tightening to her. Her heart beat faster still.
"Lets get you home Ginger, she said."
She put me inside her cardy grabbed her purse from the shelf and heaved the heavy red iron door open.

Fresh air. Stale urine and fried potatoes now a smelly memory. The grass at the park had just been mown. Ozone drifted from the shore. Lime trees fit to burst. Sweet smells. I snuggled but kept one eye on where we were going. Not far. Cross the road. Straight ahead, 100 yards sharp left into a little cul-de-sac. Number twelve had bright orange paint work and dark green rendering. The lurid colour scheme compliments of Portsmouth Dockyard. Red lead the undercoat for the ships of the Royal Navy, the dark green I have to this day no idea of its use, blue or even grey I could understand but green! in the navy?

I was given a saucer of milk and a couple of spratts, it was Friday and I learned Getrude was high church and that's what you had on Fridays. Fish.

I was warm and full bellied, my ears were being stroked I purred happy for the first time in a long time. 'Always look on the bright side of life.. da do, da do da do da do do doooo...'