The Cat Who Travelled Through Time
My mum and dad’s cat Bridget (pictured above, more recently) has always been a bit of a wanderer. Never was her nomadic spirit more evident than in summer 2020, when (partly due to her clashes with George) she’d vanish for weeks on end. While she was away my mum and dad suffered many sleepless nights and spent hours walking every lane and footpath within a couple of miles of their house, calling her name. My dad developed a theory: somewhere in the mild Nottinghamshire countryside, Bridget had found an unlikely portal which allowed her to travel through time. To distract himself from his worries, he began to paint what he imagined her adventures to be.
The paintings came out of his work room at a startling rate. I could never predict exactly what was coming next.
Bridget’s travels became ever deeper, ever wilder, permitting her to indulge her burgeoning interest in art history…
… and psychedelic rock music…
After I showed him the astounding response to the series on Substack Notes a few weeks ago, my dad has been motivated to paint yet more Bridget adventures.
For a long time I have been nagging him to get some cards made of his paintings and I’m pleased to say they are finally here. We’ve also had some printed of the fabulous map of the fictional village of Underhill he illustrated for my novel Villager.
My dad is also selling packs of postcards via his online shop. You can follow him on Instagram here and find my mum’s Etsy shop here.
Tom
P.S. Here are some photos I’ve recently taken of insouciant sheep and goats:
Very talented family, is yours.
I already have all those books plus Close Encounters, so I'll wait for the promotional offer of a free cat.
I have a feeling your folk's shops they're going to get some traffic! What great photographs! Thanks!