Cheetah

There are two things that people rarely associate with Nathaniel; a) simple but drawn out imaginary games and b) cuddly toys. Although he is fond of Spaniel, Beagle and Herman (a mammoth), he is not obsessive about them. He rarely knows where they are, and all get is the occasional cuddle.

It was a surprise to everyone when Nathaniel started being a cheetah. He has been a cheetah for at least a couple of days per week for the last few months, and spends a lot of time hunting gazelles. I have no idea where he found out about cheetahs (to my knowledge we have no cheetah books), or why he is so interested in them.

And these two things are linked because.......

When Ian was in South Africa he found a cuddly cheetah and brought it back for Nathaniel, now knowing how bothered he'd be. The answer: very bothered. Cheetah (as usual, he gets no name, despite my best efforts), is so very loved. He is taken everywhere and shown everything. I have to provide all meals with extra mice added (Cheetah's favourite food!?), and Cheetah has to have a drink whenever Nathaniel drinks. He has been taken to the sailing club and introduced to everyone and everything:

He has been taken to nursery every day and has watched everything from the "going home shelf". On the way, he sits to attention in the trailer, tucked under Nathaniel's straps and asks him questions. It took me a day of careful planning to convince Nathaniel that Cheetah was too young for creche (I was worried he's get lost in the transition between rooms and didn't know if there was a going home shelf in creche), and so Cheetah stayed at home, but Nathaniel told everyone about it, and was desperate to see him when he got home.

Cheetah has been treated to all sorts of activities. Here, Nathaniel has provided him with a photo of big cheetahs for him to look at (postcard from South Africa), and he is explaining it to him.

When we went to collect Thea from nursery, Cheetah needed to come to, and to see where he was going. So we needed a sling:

Then there was a drop of rain, and despite claiming that he didn't need a coat as it was clearly only a little shower from an otherwise blue sky, Nathaniel insisted that Cheetah have a cover to keep him dry.

Only then were we allowed to go anywhere!