Village life

I think I've adjusted to my new way of life in a retirement village.  I admit I had my doubts for a little while, I think I was a bit overcome by all the activity around me.  In new situations it's always been my way to sit back and observe for a while, to figure out how things work, assess the personalities.  I found that a bit difficult in this instance as, at the same time, I was also the focus of others' assessments, the new lady in the village.

It's a small village, around 40 residences, managed by a local community trust and the residents organise the social activities and take care of the community hall.  I'm still figuring out how some things work.  But I now feel confident that I'll find my place. 

I'm clinging to the results of a recent survey which found  the majority of people are happier as residents of senior living communities than they are living alone.  My little unit is on the outskirts so I have no neighbours at the back, a semi rural outlook which feels comfortable and familiar to me.

Happily, Alleycat is also a lot more settled.  She has some new habits, spends a lot of time under my bed or at my feet if I'm sitting.  She has not made new friends, still hisses if she sees another cat on the other side of the ranch slider.  She's been surprising me by somehow knowing when I wake in the night or in the morning.  Honestly, the minute I wake up she meows quietly by my bedside.  She must lay there listening to my breathing (snoring?).  She keeps talking to me until I speak to her, then re-settles.   There's a gentleness in our interactions that is new.  She's not as noisy as she used to be.  Belief me, she was a very noisy, very talkative cat before.