Kitty poem

I keep remembering the first five lines of this rhyme, when I scoop Ginger into my arms and cuddle him. It's very twee, granted, but I think it's cute, and I was happy to find it from a Google search.

I knew this poem from a child when we had cat after cat, until, if some of you remember, I became allergic at the age of 9 (this is Muffin).




So, without further ado, I present you with this anonymous poem. Unfortunately, I had to change the gender, so I lose one particular rhyme ...

I love little Kitty,
His coat is so warm,
And if I don't hurt him,
He'll do me no harm.





So I'll not pull his tail,
Nor drive him away,
But Kitty and I
Very gently will play.




He shall sit by my side,
And I'll give him some food;
And he'll love me because
I am gentle and good.




I'll pat pretty Kitty,
And then he will purr;
And thus show his thanks
For my kindness to him;



But I'll not pinch his ears,
Nor tread on his paw,
Lest I should provoke him
To use his sharp claw.




I never will vex him,
Nor make him displeased -
For Kitty don't like
To be worried or teased.




-Anon

Apparently it first appeared in 1830 to teach young children to respect their cat. As well one should because they can, if they want to, dig all five claws into your hand for no apparent reason.

Stymied

I'm sure I have mentioned, more than once, my severe dislike of the arachnid. It's a phobia, actually. An irrational fear. I know that. And I wish I didn't have it.



Because, you see, it has hampered me severely in doing any gardening at all, throughout the months of August and September. This month is always the worst time, and it is no exception this year. I thought I had found a solution but alas it is only temporary. They always come back.



Actually I was reading an article today on the BBC website about how it's a "good year" for the arachnid (see, I don't even like the word "spider"). Great. I was grateful at least there were no pictures, because I can't even bear to look at one. But I thought I should be informed, so I read it with a sinking heart.



Thankfully during the summer months the garden was fairly low maintenance - enough variation between sunshine and showers to enable the plants to grow vigorously. Watering is a fairly simple task anyway, as you can be far enough away from any offending insects to at least give the plants a good dose.



I did reap a harvest of sorts, which I will share with you next time - but I also failed miserably on the caulifower front.



The cabbage white butterfly. Basically I was running an all you can eat, 24-hour restaurant for this pesky butterfly. When I came to harvest the caulis, which looked fantastic from a distance, I found that this was a completely inedible crop.

Unless you like caterpillars, that is. Probably a good source of protein.

The left border is in an awful mess as well, thanks to the fact that I haven't been able to weed since the invasion. I feel like ripping most of it up and starting again. Given the fact that the soil there is awful, I probably should anyway.

Basically, I feel like a gardening failure. I suppose there is always next year.

Cat Treats

It's called Nepata cataria. Common name, Catmint, or Catnip.

And kitties love it.

Funny, he was very hungry after that.




Not many of these have made it out of the pot and into the garden over the past year or so. But if I did manage to plant it, someone would always find it.

So go on, treat your cat today.