This time I’m going to deviate just a little from the subject of vintage Pyrex. It certainly has a part in this unfolding story but for once it’s not centre stage! We have just become the proud new family of a Tabby kitten, who we’ve called Raffles. He is fluffy and cute, likes chasing a squeaky mouse on a stick and is generally adorable and I have the photos to prove it!
Before we went to collect him, we spent some time “kitten proofing” the house; fixed a door to the big cupboard under the stairs so he couldn’t nudge it open (he’d never have found his way out with all the junk in there!), moved electrical leads and blocked off potential areas of exploration which we felt might be hard to get to him in if he got stuck. That left just one thing – my Pyrex. We have a large Welsh dresser which is the home to a lot of our vintage Pyrex and I was very anxious about him getting on it and accidentally knocking some off. Various friends and relatives with kitten experience were consulted and the consensus was that, at first anyway, he wouldn’t be big or strong enough to cause any accidents. That should have reassured me but I had my nagging doubts. I’ve driven the rest of the family mad on the subject in the lead up to kitten collection day! I did a lot of research and finally came up with the solution – aluminium foil and distilled white vinegar! It sounds like the start of a fairly unpalatable recipe but it has totally (well, almost) put my mind at rest. Apparently kittens and cats dislike the rustling sound which the foil makes under foot – can’t blame them, it sets my teeth on edge too – and dislike the smell of the vinegar. So I spent a busy afternoon covering our enormous dresser in foil, spraying the area around the base of it with diluted vinegar solution and just in case that wasn’t enough, I put some old glass jars on the shelves with the vinegar solution in too! So far it’s worked but I don’t think he’s had a chance to really try and get up there yet as he’s got too much else to explore…watch this space!
Raffles has tried to help out with my vintage Pyrex Etsy shop and is proving quite the brand ambassador, although I must admit that that wasn’t what I was calling him the first time he photobombed a shoot for the shop! You know what it’s like, kittens are nosy and they want to be involved in whatever’s going on… The first time it happened I gave up and got out the feather boa on a stick (he’s very theatrical, it seems!), this happened a second and third time before I had a bit of a lightbulb moment! I thought, if he’s so desperate to be in the pictures, why don’t I put him in there?! Problem solved! Indeed this is the photo with which I introduced Raffles to my followers on social media:
The perfect model I hear you cry (along with “awwww” and “isn’t he cute” – he has that effect on people!) and I’d be tempted to agree with you if it weren’t for these:
Yes, the old saying is true, never work with children or animals (well the animal bit is anyway)! If you don’t want him there you can’t get him away and if you do, you can’t get him to stay! He’s definitely showing an interest in Pyrex though and I think he has the potential to be a collector! He’s also very keen to help when I’m working on my tablet or laptop – that’s what you get for downloading the special games for kittens to play onto your iPad, I may have to get him his own if I’m going to get any work done! So far I’ve resisted my mother’s requests for a vintage Pyrex mini for him to use as his bowl, although I have recently seen an 8oz Lobster on my travels…
Adventures Of The Pyrex Party Pixie 