The resident volunteer

 Today I'm sharing a little tale from our summer stopover at Croome Court. A major part of this now NT's property history is from the time when it was requisitioned by the government during WWII. The info board below will fill you in on all the details, but the upshot is that there is now an onsite RAF museum covering this period.

As I was admiring the wedding dress from the first RAF wedding at Croome of Rachel Eastman and Flt Lt Norman Underdown on 19th February 1944 [made from her cousin's evening dress] I thought I could hear a miaow type sound coming from somewhere.

Having got caught out just a few months ago when I'd heard similar at Nymans and looked for a feline which turned out to be a model one with a realistic soundtrack I wasn't falling for that again! The noise persisted though and eventually I looked down to find this little lady sitting at my feet and asking very patiently for a cuddle.

This is Pepper who is 'the resident volunteer'. I chatted briefly with the lady who was manning the entrance and she told me that she thought that Pepper may have had owners on the estate at one point, but for whatever reason she's still here and they've moved. She is very popular with everyone and likes to meet and greet when she has a mind to. In typical cat fashion she is free as the wind and on another day you won't see her for dust. She's not a dog lover and sets very strict boundaries with over bouncy children. Her chosen occupation is covering the seats in a layer of her fur which the volunteers are kept busy then brushing off. I was lucky to catch her on a day when she'd decided that her plans would include humans giving her strokes!

Arilx