The veranda’s correspondence file is officially open — and our first letter arrived not from a possum, nor a human, but from a grey squirrel in Sheffield. Proof, if any were needed, that Cheeky Possum’s international relations now span species as well as time zones.
The letter
Dear Alice,
I noticed that your new website mentions your friends in England. (Thank you!) It would be really great if your friends in the Netherlands and Arizona could also be included and given a mention.
Enjoy your next carrot!
Best regards,
Cheeky Chappy
(A grey squirrel living in Sheffield)
Alice replies
Dear Cheeky Chappy,
Thank you for your correspondence, which was received at the veranda, read aloud over a carrot, and given my full and undivided attention — a rare honour, as most correspondence is delegated to the food basket.
I am delighted to confirm that your request has been actioned with immediate effect. Our friends in the Netherlands and Arizona now appear, officially and in perpetuity, on the Cheeky Possum homepage — each with their own clock, so that Head Office may know precisely when they are awake, asleep, or (in Arizona’s case) operating on a completely different amount of daylight to everyone else. England, naturally, remains. One does not remove England. That is where you keep your acorns.
Oscar, our Head of Security, wishes it noted that he initially flagged “a grey squirrel in Sheffield” as a person of interest. I have overruled him. Cross-species veranda relations are the future — and besides, anyone who signs off with “enjoy your next carrot” is plainly a squirrel of excellent judgement.
The carrot was, in fact, enjoyed. Thank you for asking. It met the required standard.
Do give my regards to the Netherlands and Arizona. Tell them their clocks are ticking.
With warmth and mild grandeur,
Alice
Director of Veranda Relations · Cheeky Possum, Fairfield, Brisbane
Filed for the record
Cheeky Chappy’s request has been carried out: the veranda’s Possum Time panel now displays official clocks for the Netherlands and Arizona, alongside Brisbane and England. The Human Liaison Officer performed the technical work and has asked that this be noted. It has been noted.