Shameless exploitation of kittens

Pretty kitty.

 I suppose by rights I ought to be writing about the impending cataclysm/last minute agreement of the Greek economic situation, but thinking about it makes my brain hurt and then I found these pictures. They're not new, but I still like them. Pictures of kittens are very popular on the internet so I'm hoping they'll work for me to attract followers.

The one above shows our cat Mimi when she was still a kitten. The furry shape on the left of the picture is Merkel, Mimi's mum. The picture was taken two summers ago and here's a pic showing Mimi with her sister, Daisy, (in the middle) and Merkel.

Taking it easy.

 Sadly, Daisy died last year and in some ways it was surprising that Mimi was the kitten who survived and thrived, not least because only a few days before the pictures above were taken she managed to get her head trapped in a picnic table.

The next picture shows the hole through which Mimi managed to force her head while playing a game with Daisy. We tried soapy water and olive oil to free Mimi, but it was only thanks to some pretty brutal woodwork with a chainsaw by our landlord that we were able to save her from a gruesome death.

Wood you believe it?

The piece of wood with the hole is what Mimi squeezed her head through. The wood underneath is what remained of the plank after our landlord came to the rescue with his chainsaw.He then used a hammer and chisel to split the piece with the hole and free Mimi. I reassembled it for the picture.

Mimi seems to be none the worse for her ordeal all that time ago and as I write this she is curled up fast asleep in the sitting room, although I do wonder whether cats can suffer from some form of post traumatic stress disorder. She can sometimes be a little weird. Who knows?

This post has been all about kittens, but while looking at these old pictures I found some of Bonnie, my much-missed Labrador. So here's a photo of her.

You lookin' at me?

Music to go with this was easy. It's Lovecats by The Cure.

Merkel unmoved by Syriza triumph

What, you say, after all those warnings of dire consequences should Syriza win in Greece and Merkel is unfazed by this key moment in modern European history?

Absolutely. In fact, I happen to know she ate a hearty breakfast and then went for a little nap. AND I have photographic evidence, which I present below.

Merkel enjoys her breakfast.

Yes, what a laugh, I've been pulling your leg. The Merkel I'm talking about is the cat who lives on the land here. Named by our landlord several years ago, Merkel has little in common with the German Chancellor who I suspect might not have such a good appetite for breakfast this morning.

And really, that's about as much as I can tell you about yesterday's election. Syriza won as expected, but fell just short of an overall majority so Alexis Tsipras will now have to find a partner, or partners, in what promises to be interesting times for us all.

I hope all goes well for Greece, and for the rest of Europe, actually, and I hope I don't sound too much like Eeyore when I urge people not to get their hopes too high, it's just I have an innate distrust of politicians and their capabilities. I have felt optimism at election results before and then been bitterly disappointed.

Oh dear, that does sound so gloomy, doesn't it? I think I'll have another cup of coffee and go talk to Merkel for a while.

Today's music rather reflects my scepticism and is most likely to resonate with Brits with a reasonable knowledge of their country's political history. So here we have it, Things can only get better by D:Ream.

Timewasters welcome

Watching the kittens skitter about is a great way to pass/waste time. You're on your way to do something else when they suddenly emerge from behind a flower pot and 15 minutes later you're still watching them leap about.

Anyway, I have wasted even more time videoing them prancing around and this unedited film is the result. I tried to post it on my blog a few days ago, but technical difficulties intervened. I think I have solved these problems now, at least to some extent.

Anyway, enjoy the film. Parental advisory: This film opens with a scene in which Merkel, the kittens' mother, is licking her nether regions. Sorry about that, I was so intent on trying to catch the kittens on film that I never really noticed what was going on until I'd finished. There's more to this animal photography malarkey than meets the eye. Also the film goes on a bit (4 mins), next time I intend to get to grips with the editing process.

The generation game

It's that time of year when the word fecundity springs to mind. The olive grove where we live is brimming with wild flowers and blossom is bursting out on trees.

Wild flowers among the olive trees

I have pointed out before that most visitors who come to Greece during the height of the summer are probably completely unaware of the wealth of wild flowers that grow here. They miss out on a spectacular display which is brought to a rapid end by summer's brassy heat.

Orchids and, er, other flowers. I don't know the names, but I still enjoy them.

The fruit trees are continuing to show off with glorious displays of blossom. The large blossom below is on a quince tree and below that is cherry blossom.

And to top it all off, Merkel, our landlord's cat, who lives on the land here, has finally had her kittens. Five of them, and here she is about eight hours after giving birth.

Merkel with her kittens. They take after their mother and their numerous fathers.