My parents came up this weekend to pick up our feline house guest, and the house suddenly seems empty and a bit lifeless without that little furry monster. I miss her jumping in my lap and head-butting my book as a not-so-subtle cue that I should be getting her dinner ready, I miss the way she wound herself around my legs, purring furiously when I was trying to get my jeans on in the morning, and I miss her suddenly curling herself into the tightest possible ball, paw over her eyes on the sofa in the evening.

On the plus side, our battered, scarred and heavily repaired fridge magnets are probably now safe.