Madam managed to schedule in a new year's visit yesterday.
At first she just padded across the lawn, too heavy with post-Christmas bloat to give a greeting.
But then, after a stretch and a sharpening of the claws, she felt a little better, and started to tell me all about all the parties she'd been to and who she'd met there (the gossip about the ginger tom across the road is just scandalous!).
(I realise I'm being a bit bitchy here, but she's definitely piled on the pounds since we first met. Let's hope she's made a new year's resolution to stick to the dry food from now on.)
Eventually her old joie de vivre returned and she dashed up the tree. Or maybe the climb was an element in her new exercise regime.
Either way it was nice to see she is still around.
