Hopeless
Flat-faced
houses look out
On strangers passing by;
The pavement feet away,
The road beyond.
A bus
trundles past,
Indifferent passengers
Gaze, glassy-eyed,
Noting nothing.
A to B,
B to C;
Endless journey,
Soulless.
Drugs, poverty,
Despair, fear;
No job, no hope,
No life.
No-one is above the law . . .
. . . and so, today, on his 66th birthday, the former Duke of York has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
It’s not
a very pleasant birthday present.
A visit to the hospital
When Jellicoe visited the vet recently for a regular check-up, it transpired that he, too, has a heart murmur, like his brother. Additionally, a biopsy of the cyst that had reappeared on his head indicated that it was malignant and he would have to go to an animal hospital for treatment.
This morning Barry took him to Aura, the animal hospital in Guildford. As we were not sure whether the consultation would lead to an immediate surgical procedure, Jellicoe was only allowed a token breakfast, a quarter of his usual ration, because, as a diabetic cat, he must have insulin injections regularly. He was not happy and kept miaouing and following me for more food.
The outcome was that he has to return tomorrow for an echocardiogram before an operation next week. This is to ensure that he is fit enough for surgery, just as happens with human surgical procedures.
Many pet insurers have raised their cover to £25,000, but ours tops out at £12,000. Veterinary medicine is now so sophisticated that £12,000 is soon swallowed up in tests.
We are looking at alternative providers. Roxy and the cats are probably too old to transfer, although Jellicoe is the only one with pre-conditions, but Gilbert is still a young lad.
Chinese
New Year 2026
Gong Xi
Fa Cai (Mandarin)
Kung Hei Fat Choi (Cantonese)
Both of these salutations and their variations mean ‘Congratulations and may you be prosperous.’
Chinese New Year will be celebrated from February 17th to 3rd March this year. It ushers in the Year of the Horse, specifically the Fire Horse, bidding farewell to the Year of the Wood Snake.
There are twelve animals represented in the Chinese Zodiac in a sequence that is repeated every five years, meaning that sixty years elapse before a repetition of a particular element.
Thanks to Bendigo Joss House Temple for the following information.
The five elements applied to each animal in the zodiac are wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. The sequence of these elements is important and set. Wood makes fire burn, fire creates earth, earth brings forth metal, metal runs water, and water makes wood grow.
Based on your animal these are considered to be your key traits:
Rat: Intelligent, adaptable, quick-witted, charming, artistic, sociable.
Your associated element contributes the following traits:
Wood: Exceptionally gifted, idealists and planners
Bearing in mind the lucky cat with its waving paw, why is there no cat in the Chinese zodiac?
Cats are native to Egypt and were not known in China when the Chinese Zodiac was devised about four thousand years ago. They only appeared two thousand years later, introduced via the Silk Routes.
Despite this, there are legends about the absence of a cat in the calendar. Two of them mention the Jade Emperor, ruler of Heaven and Earth. He resolved to make life easier for his people by giving them a calendar to organise their lives. He thought he would name the twelve months after animals, but could not think which were the worthiest, so decided to hold a race across the river. The first twelve to arrive at his palace, on the opposite riverbank, would become the animals of the zodiac.
Naturally, all the animals were extremely excited, and longed to win such a great honour from the Emperor. At that time Rat and Cat were great friends, and thought they would enter the race together. When they saw the deep, raging waters of the river, they were distraught, knowing they were not strong enough to swim across without assistance. They were clever little animals and picked out a big strong ox, who would barely notice their slight weight on his broad back. Of course, being polite as well as cunning, they sought his permission and Ox, a pleasant sort of fellow, readily agreed to carry them.
Ox lumbered into the current and started to swim. As he neared the bank, Rat saw the Jade Emperor on the shore and thought, ‘If Cat were not on Ox’s back, Ox could swim faster and then I would reach the palace first, and I really want to be first.’ So, he pushed Cat off into the wild, white water.
As Ox was almost ready to trudge ashore, certain he would be the first animal to grace the zodiac, Rat leapt off his back and ran helter-skelter to the Emperor, who congratulated him roundly and placed him first. Ox was second, but he was just pleased to be there – position meant little to him.
Cat later struggled ashore, half-drowned, and too late to be given a position on the calendar. That is why, to this day, cats and rats are sworn enemies.
A less thrilling story relates that Cat and Rat were good friends, and wanted to race across the river to the Jade Emperor’s palace. Rat agreed to wake Cat in time for the start of the race, but he did not keep his promise, and so Cat missed the race altogether. No wonder cats and rats loathe each other!
Solar power
One day recently Barry was doing something vehicular when he was approached by a young Chinese woman from Hong Kong. She was attempting to persuade people to install solar roof panels. Barry politely declined, explaining his reasons, then continued chatting to her. He has collaborated with Chinese people on many occasions in different countries and told her he admired their work ethic. She replied, ‘Yes, no benefits.’
As she departed to try her luck with others along our road, she handed him a solar-powered ‘Good Luck’ cat ornament. In direct light, it waves its left paw ceaselessly.
In Chinese culture, the left side is perceived as fortunate, associated with honour and higher status, except for left-handedness, which is considered abnormal or weird. Left-handed children were traditionally made to use their right hands for writing, just as they were in many other cultures. UK teachers stopped trying to force left-handers to be right-handed as recently as the 1970s.
The ‘lucky cat’ sits in our conservatory, inanely waving its left paw throughout the daylight hours. Neither of us appreciates its smug expression and endless movement, and we have decided that the first child to express a liking for it can take it home.
Delving a little further, in an unsuccessful attempt to decipher the Chinese characters on the cat, I discovered that the lucky cat’s origins began in Japan in the seventeenth century. The maneki-neko or ‘beckoning cat’ was depicted as a Japanese Calico (black, white, and orange) Bob-tail. Now they come in many colours.
White is for purity and positivity, black is to fend off evil, red is for good health, and yellow or gold for wealth. Any touches of pink are for romance. The gold bell or coin at its neck also symbolises wealth.
I think ‘our’ cat has the lot, though it is principally white!
The Calcutta Cup
The Calcutta Cup is the oldest trophy awarded to the winner of England versus Scotland in the Rugby Six Nations Championship.
The other trophies in the Six Nations Championship are the Millennium Trophy, won by the winner of the match played between England and Ireland, the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy for the winner of the France-Italy match, the Doddie Weir cup for Scotland-Wales, the Auld Alliance Trophy, which goes to the victor of the France-Scotland competition, and the Cuttitt Cup for Italy-Scotland. The Centenary Quaich goes to the Ireland-Scotland winners.
A quaich is a Gaelic shallow drinking cup with two handles. It is often called the cup of friendship or loving cup and originated in the Highlands as a drinking cup for whisky or brandy. Originally, they were made from wood, but can now be designed in sterling silver or pewter as well as wood. Some even have glass bottoms so that the drinkers, can see each other, or, in a double glass base, hold a lock of hair from a loved one. The two handles ensure that both hands are used to hold the vessel, thus ensuring that no-one can hold a weapon at the same time, and symbolising trust between the giver and the receiver. They often feature at Scottish wedding ceremonies.
Twenty-eight minutes after the start of the match the score was Scotland 24 to England 10. ‘Flower of Scotland’ rang around the stadium. At this point, I wondered how much more of the match we would be seeing, as complaints and criticism poured forth from the once-upon-a-time rugby player I live with. ‘Schoolboy errors,’ ‘What are they up to?’ ‘I’ve seen better play from clubs,’ and ‘Lack of discipline,’ are some of the politer comments.
Some of the commentators amused me. ‘Get your heads in there, sacrifice your ears.’
Two yellows and a red card for the England team before the end of the first half and the match was turned off. Oh, dear!
We then turned to the Ireland-Italy match. This was adjudged ‘much better.’ Thank goodness for that, though I wish Italy had won. It’s their turn for glory, surely.
Widdershins
Thinking again about anti-clockwise and counter-clockwise, I remembered ‘widdershins, which has the same meaning as anti-clockwise, but with a little magic and mystery mixed in with superstition.
The period in Britain, from about 410 to 1066 used to be called the Dark Ages, not because they were evil or nothing happened, but because there were few written records. Modern historians are more likely now to use terms like Sub-Roman or Early Middle Ages.
However they are referred to, it was thought unlucky in those times in the west to walk widdershins round a church or a cauldron. Witches were believed to move in this way to strengthen their spells, or to gain entry to the fairy kingdom.
The opposite to widdershins is deosil, or ‘sunwise.’
In some religions it is customary for processions to travel counter-clockwise.
I think it’s an attractive word, which rolls easily off the tongue. There are not many circumstances in which it can be used, however!
