Friday, May 13, 2005

Springtime in the Garden

We have babies. We have three little kittens who have appeared with their mother in our garden. They are far too thin. They are little scraps of bone and fur and for the last two days I have been putting out food for them. They disappear after eating, and don’t reappear until late afternoon, and I have no idea where they go or how the little mother keeps them so well hidden.

She is such a good mother. She is so thin, but a wonderful colour like very milky tea. She is a soft slick shadow of a cat, flitting quickly out of sight if she thinks her babies are threatened. She has long large ears, and a long thin face, and looks exactly like every cat on a Pharonic tomb painting. She was curled quietly under the arch that is the entrance from our drive to the garden feeding the babies, though she looks half starved herself. She was cleaning them with long slow licks. My gardener told me that he didn’t think she would survive having them because she was so weak.

They must have been there at least six weeks as even the babies eat anything I give them voraciously.

One is ginger and white – almost as if the back section was dipped in the ginger pot, one is ginger, and one is the wonderful pale apricot of the mother.

I am giving them at least one good meal a day. I really want them to survive – but I would like it even better if they were friendly. One had climbed onto the sill of a basement window that is ground level to the garden. Obviously it assumed I couldn’t get through the bars. I picked it up.

BIG mistake. It immediately turned into a whipping slashing SCREECHING machine. What looked like a soft little animal was hard and whippy muscle and the sensation was like picking up a thin pincushion with too firm a grip.

As a protective technique it was very effective because I put it straight down very fast.

Now I wish I hadn’t tried it because I have frightened it.

We also have one of Egypt’s beautiful coppery pigeons nesting in the gap between our bathroom shutter and the glass of the window – in full, if frosted, view of the bathroom. The nest is built, the eggs are laid and there she sits.

So - more babies are due. She has been sitting for three days and I have no idea how long they will take to hatch.

Thank you all for my lovely comments. I have regulars I hear from often, and even the occasional complete stranger – which means, not even a quilter! I now have a counter on the blog. It is really encouraging to see that many people check it every day.

Some have complained that they can’t work out how to leave a comment. You need to click on Comments. Then put your comment in the box. Then tick the anonymous box unless you have a Blogger ID. Then click on Publish. It is pretty quick really. The comment is on the site, but it is also emailed to me, so even if it disappears somehow, I have it. However, I can’t answer them, so please don’t think me rude if you asked a question and I didn’t answer.

12 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dear Jenny - another heartfelt thankyou for the armchair trip to Damascus - I can almost smell the spices, and the wonderful mix of photos is just like looking around as one would, rather than an organised progression, so please keep up the wonderful effort. Again many thanks.

Gael in Melbourne

8:20 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks Jenny for taking me on such colourful and tasty excursions across the Middle East. I look forward to your postings every day. Many thanks. Pam Munday. Canberra.

8:46 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow! Your verbal descriptions of the places you go, the people you meet and the things you see are wonderful. Then you add teriffic pictures. I have so enjoyed your postings and am vicariously soaking up the atmosphere of these colorful places. Thanks for taking so much time to share your adventures with us.
a quilter,
Robin, so. IN, USA

9:11 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dear Jenny,
Your use of words transport us all there, I read every morning before I start work and the colours fill me with warmth, thank you so much.
Lyn Cramp, Melbourne

9:12 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh, Jenny:

I can just see you adopting the cat and her kittens! They sound so cute! Good job the kids aren't with you or you'd not have a choice about adoption! Enjoy them!

Love The Waltons

9:45 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks for letting me know how to leave a comment, Jenny! I have been loving your blog & checking it every day. Looking forward to seeing you in June at the show. You have been in my thoughts of late as I am working on a pictorial quilt/portrait & have been casting my mind back to all your hints & tips in your classes.

Cheers,
Nic in Wollongong

10:13 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thankyou Jenny for telling us how to comment. I did look at registering but thought it meant that I had to write a blog myself, not interesting like yours! Yours is fascinating, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to hear all about such a busy life. It's a wonder you have time to worry about kittens, but good on you for doing so. I've a soft spot for cats. Thankyou again. Margaret in NZ.

6:13 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jenny I just love your letters, and the wonderful pictures and discriptions of the places you have been. See the Hercules have not improved greatly since I travelled to the US in one..except the toilet which was a cental feature, and so every one knew how many times you went! I haven't been to Egypt, but have spent time in Asia and so many of your comments and pictures remind me of sights and shops I have seen. I can almost smell them from here .

6:49 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Jenny

Love the postings and the piccies! I have a real soft spot for cats myself. You can tame wild cats/kittens but they take a lot of time/work - have done about 4 myself. I would just soooo love to be over there - Egypt has been one of my "must travel to" places all my life. I just need to get the money, and lose the kids (lol). Although I don't know that I would make it passed the sweetshops! Thanks again.

Ros in Wellington, NZ

8:15 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jenny, Thanks so much for letting those of us at "home" share your adventures. I love hearing about everything.

Gail in Ohio, USA

9:38 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello Jenny, you really make us feel as though we are actually right there with you. What wonderful experiences you are having. I love the patterns in buildings, paths, floors, material etc.Jean in Wynyard, Tasmania

9:42 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you Jenny,
I love the way you integrate the colours, sights and smells of the places you travel to....I am insprired every time I read a post,
Mary-anne in a cold Dead Dog Gully

6:35 am  

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