[ Mini heatwave here in England folks, hot on the heels of the wettest drought on record ( the day after the drought was announced it rained for a month and a half)! , Ed]

I have been lolling in the shade today making a few feline observations on life, the Universe and the humans in our care which I thought I would share with you.

...just settling down in the cool borage

Not two days ago my Tom human had his fleecy jacket on, zipped tight against the cold, but today he has exposed those pale, stubbly legs to the unexpected sunshine and, I'm sorry to say, it's not a pretty sight at all, although he doesn't seem to think so (bless).
However there are other interesting things to look at to gladden a cat's eye. There are bluebells swaying in the breeze and bees buzzing in the Borage, (if only I could raise the energy to give them a quick bat). Birds are busying themselves all over the sky, each one with its own unique song (and most delicious they all sound too).

The humans are caught up in watching The Chelsea Flower Show and dreaming of having a calm, ordered Japanese garden with trickling streams and carefully clipped bonsai trees. But flower shows and the humans in my care, have seemed to miss the glaringly obvious - that whether you have a rustic French jardin, a manicured Elizabethan knot garden or a yard with a few pots of cheery geraniums, the most beautiful thing of all for the heart to see is a happy cat mooching around and bringing the garden to life with its inquisitive, furry, fabulous ways. So please let me suggest, to any readers who have a garden but no puss, that a visit to your local cattery or cat rescue center would bring even more sunshine into your life and complete the little patch of earth you call home perfectly, plus they will help with the digging in their own way, honestly!

Love and purrs to all,

Norman. x x

Seasons Greetings reader, whether you are cat, kitten, creature or human.

I hope you had a lovely calm and peaceful year and have an equally peaceful 2012.

Ahem miaow. I myself had a fairly uneventful time of it except for my run in with a veterinary dentist who had the audacity and wherewithal to extract my left rear molar without my consent (and very painful it was too). That, and of course my enforced summer stay in the local cattery (always a low point of my year)! Other than that I had a marvelous time, mainly sleeping but occasionally getting up to chase a bird, mouse or small human around the garden.

Enough of me already! This season of the year is (as always) a time for us all, to think about one another, and for yours truly this means meditating on the sad plight of the tigers, lions and all the human hunted cats of this world. Also, consider (as I do) the unwanted street cats and the waifs & strays of our cities and the hardships they have to endure.

So I urge you dear reader to, reassess your priorities and to visit your local cat (or dog) sanctuary in the new year and, if you can, fit another ball of fur, claws and teeth (ouch) and sheer feline/canine delight into your clan, please do so.

As for our bigger cousins, let those with the means, help as much as they can. For the rest of us we will have to pray that the hunters realise the error of their ways in this coming year.

A very merry Christmas, good health and kind fortune to you all,

All my love, sincerely,

Norm
x x x