I said no parties...

The highly anticipated night away in a cabin over the Easter period restored the senses.  We sat fireside and ate slow cooked lamb and wondered what our two feline home residents were up to in our absence.  It's unfortunate that when you do go away for a night you can only take the dog with you as the option of having a banshee wailing cat in cage on the back seat of the car just kind of ruins the moment.  Let alone the stress you cause them every time they go anywhere, so best if they're well stocked with food and water and left to wonder if we ever even left.  We returned with our bags dumped inside the door to find the television blaring.  It wasn't on when we left.  We also very soon became aware of a live bird sitting in the chandelier in the dining room. Boy, talk about Home Alone!  The fireplaces are all blocked up and the working ones have glass doors that were all closed.  The not so home alone Starling had evidently flung itself throughout the entire house leaving a trail of destruction on the carpets, wallpaper, windows, you name it, it crapped there.  As for the two felines...sound asleep.  Or at least pretending to be.  I thought I said no parties!  One of them must have stood on the remote control although the On button is a teeny tiny dot on the end of a keyboard mouse size remote.  How they managed to do this is beyond me.  And as for the bird, I opened a window and it gratefully took off to the skies vowing never to visit ever again.  I did wonder what I might do if the next time we come home and there is a DVD playing and the electric blanket switched on.  Bazaar.