Catspaw

 

Catspaw

Catspaw, sometimes called a catsclaw.

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Catspaw is a name applied to a few things, apart from the obvious, of course.

It can be a light breeze on calm water which creates ripples, apparently. Barnacle Bill, who lives with me, had never heard or used the expression in his many years of sailing. Ah, well, learn something new every day.

For carpenters and those who want to attempt do-it-yourself tasks around the house, a catspaw is a heavy-duty metal tool with a V-shaped tip, which is used to extract nails from wood.  It is sometimes called a nail puller or a cat’s claw. Hammers which have a head with a hammering end and a V-shaped end are known as claw hammers.

 Claw hammer

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

In the US, ‘cat’s paw liability’ refers to cases in which”a biased individual passes along negative information about a worker to an ‘unbiased’ decision maker. The ’unbiased’ decision maker then takes a negative action against the worker based on the information provided.”

In UK law an equivalent doctrine, though not known under the ‘cat’s paw liability’ states that “an employer can be held vicariously liable for an employee’s discriminatory dismissal, even if the actual decision-maker is completely unbiased.”

Perhaps the most common application of ‘catspaw’ is as an idiom for a person manipulated by another to do their unpleasant or dishonest bidding. It originates from a 15^th century fable which became famous in the 17^th century when recounted by the fabulist Jean de la Fontaine (1621-1695)

‘The Monkey and the Cat’ (Le Singe et le Chat) tells how Bertrand the Monkey persuades Raton the Cat that they can share the roasted chestnuts in the fire if Raton will scoop them out of the embers. Raton complies, but as he pulls out the nuts, Bertrand gobbles them up one by one and Raton receives nothing but burnt paws.

The fable is also the source of the expression, ‘to pull someone’s chestnuts out of the fire’ – that is, to undertake a hazardous task for someone else’s benefit.

 
The monkey and the cat painting, 1739, by Jean-Baptiste Oudry (1686-1755)

                                    Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

 

Of cats’ claws

 

Of cats’ claws

When resting, a cat’s claws are sheathed in protective skin pouches. If a cat wants to climb or hunt, it flexes leg muscles to unsaddle or extend its claws.

Most cats, both domestic and wild, have retractable or sheathable claws. Hind paw claws are not always completely sheathed.

There are four exceptions to the retractability of cats’ claws. The first is the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), whose claws do not retract completely, giving it good traction when running.

The second is the endangered fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) which has partially webbed feet and semi-retractable claws, allowing it to maintain its footing in muddy marshland. It is a strong swimmer and has been observed swimming underwater and catching waterfowl by the legs.

The third is the also endangered small Southeast Asian flat-headed cat  (Prionailurus planiceps). This cat lives mainly on fish it takes from rivers. It plunges its head into the water and uses its front paws to feel for prey in the shallows.

The last is the rare and critically endangered Iriomote cat (Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis) found only on the island of Iriomote, in Japan. It is closely related to the leopard cat.

Cats usually have eighteen claws, four on each hind paw and five, including dew claws, on the front paws. Some breeds, notably Maine Coons and Pixie-bobs, are polydactyl, meaning they have more toes than usual. Their ‘mitten paws’ may have any number from four to seven toes on each paw. Polydactyly usually occurs on the front paws, and it is rare for it to appear on all four limbs.

Sailors prized polydactyl cats, believing them to have superior balance, climbing, and mousing ability. They were thought to bring good luck. In the 1930s a ship’s captain gave Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) a white cat with six toes. She was called Snow White and Hemingway was enchanted by her, and the litters of kittens she bore. Because of his great affection for polydactyl cats, they are frequently referred to as Hemingway cats.

 At the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West, Florida, there is a colony of about sixty cats, many of whom are descended from Snow White. Hemingway started a tradition of naming the kittens after famous people, like Pablo Picasso, Audrey Hepburn, Clark Gable. The Museum continues the tradition today.

No matter how many claws a cat may have, it will shed the outer sheaths at regular intervals. The claws are made of keratin, like human hair and nails, and develop in layers from the inside out. Cats scratch to remove the outer layer every two to three months. Our stair carpet bears witness to this activity, and ‘ghost’ claws can be seen frequently.

Sleeping cats on a hot afternoon

 

Sleeping cats on a hot afternoon

Herschel snores very loudly

Leonardo da Vinci said, ‘The smallest feline is a masterpiece,’ while Oscar Wilde wrote ‘Cats are put on earth to remind us that not everything has a purpose.’ 

There was a young lady of Niger

Who smiled as she rode on a tiger;

They returned from the ride

With the lady inside,

And the smile on the face of the tiger.

                                        William Cosmo Monkhouse (1840-1901) 

Our cats are limp with heat, stretching full length on cool surfaces, dreaming and twitching in their sleep.

A butterfly fluttered into the sitting room on Saturday morning. It flew aimlessly round the room, failing to find the patio door by which it had entered. Eventually, it flew too close to the floor, where Jellicoe was sitting. He promptly captured it. There was nothing left to identify, so it can only be assumed that it made a small snack for an alert cat.

De mortuis

 

De mortuis

When a person dies who is a well-known personality and has spent much time in the public eye, it is commonplace for remarks to be made. Supporters of the dead person will say pleasant things, while those who disliked the person, their principles or their values may find their feelings so enlivened or enraged that they will make egregious comments.

Ann Widdecombe, a strong-willed and outspoken UK politician, was murdered in her home two days ago. Already the knives are out in some quarters. That is despicable, for, as some would say, ‘She’s not even cold in her grave yet.’

‘Do not speak ill of the dead’ is a cautionary advice. It suggests that respect should be given to all, certainly immediately after death, for the dead person cannot defend him or herself. It is also intended to try to ensure that surviving family and friends are spared yet more pain and grief following the death of a loved one.

When a decent interval has passed, however that may be defined, criticism may be expressed.

Everyone has been born human, with all the frailty and ill-judgements we all can exhibit. Everyone is a son or daughter, perhaps with friends to admire and love us. Some will arouse dislike, disapproval, contempt, even hatred, maybe without justification, but the caution remains.

The aphorism is a loose translation of the Latin ‘de mortuis nil nisi bonum dicendum est’ which originated with the 6^th century Greek philosopher, Chilon of Sparta, one of the Seven Sages of Ancient Greece.

Earlier and earlier

 

Earlier and earlier

In a bid to enjoy the freshness of the morning and give the dogs a chance to stretch their legs before the heat sets in, we have been getting up earlier and earlier. Consequently, we are going to bed while there is still much light still in the sky.

That makes me feel like a child again, lying in bed listening to the birds, while other people are still up and about. It makes a pleasant change, though the day seems curiously truncated, with 3:00 pm feeling as though it’s five hours later.

This morning, we were up – I was going to say ‘bright and early’, but it transpired that some of us weren’t as awake or aware as others. Barry disappeared downstairs to make coffee and then reappeared a short while later. He had put his trousers on over his pyjamas. It wouldn’t have mattered, really, as they were pyjama shorts, and no-one would have known. He just felt he didn’t actually need the extra layer.

In other world-startling news, my elderly ‘for the time being’ laptop which was pressed into service has been replaced by my newly repaired computer, the one with the pretty LED lights.

 As it is now effectively a new machine, everything has had to be reinstalled. The hunt for passwords and other verifications has been long and trying. Tempers have occasionally been shorter than they should have been, but now, all is well. We just had a brief hiccough with the bank, which initially refused to recognise the new/old/new machine, but that has been resolved, too.

Just one or two things still to deal with . . . shouldn’t take long . . . oh, those weasel words!

 

More pretty vegetables

 

More pretty vegetables

Sweetstem cauliflower is sometimes marketed as Caulilini cauliflower.

The commonest variety is green and white, but there are other varieties which are purple, lime-green, or orange. The purple colour is natural and comes from anthocyanins, the antioxidants which also occur in blueberries, blackberries, blackcurrants, and red cabbage, among others.

Eaten raw or lightly steamed, it is a delicious addition to any meal.

The roof

 

The roof

We are delighted and relieved in equal measure with the work that has been completed on our roof. It was in a truly dreadful state. It looked fine on the surface, from ground floor looking up, but a cursory inspection soon showed that all was not well. A closer look revealed the dreadful truth.

It’s hard to believe that a week ago we had no inkling of what was about to be undertaken. Now, many £££ later, we are advising all and sundry to make sure they have a roof inspection at regular intervals. We have never been advised to do so, and it would seem a sensible thing to insist upon under house insurance renewal guidelines.

Looking online, I see that the advice is to have a house roof that is older than 25 years professionally inspected annually. Ours was 75 years in parts, and 50 on later extensions. Roofs on houses newer than 10 years can usually be left for three to five years. Obviously, if there appears to be a problem, it’s wise to seek advice.

At one point there were ten men scurrying around at dizzying heights. The weather was favourable for the work, in that it was dry, but it was very warm.

We shall be writing a glowing review for the company that carried out the work. We were shown videos and photographs of conditions and progress at all stages and given information and technical terms that we shall never need again – valleys, drip trays, and bird guards being just three.

In addition, when the scaffolders were erecting the scaffolding on Monday, they braced hard against our neighbour’s wall. She happened to be in her lift and the whole thing juddered. She was momentarily frightened and worried that the lift would malfunction and she would be stuck. Our builder apologised to her and cleaned the moss off her roof and did one or two other little jobs for her, free of charge.

Everything was executed efficiently and the whole area tidied up on completion of the work. We cannot fault them.

Now, when the rains come and the winds howl, we shall shelter inside our weatherproof house, poor but dry.

Life begins at forty

 

Life begins at forty

If a baby is carried to full term, it has been 40 weeks in development, so in that sense, life (outside the womb) really does begin at 40.

Forty can be significant for people taking examinations, when it may be the pass mark, and denote the difference between success and failure.

It may be even more important to the workforce, when a 40-hour week can be standard, though it may vary between 37.5 and 40 hours. Shift workers usually work a 40-hour shift.

 In tennis, 40 indicates the third point won in a game. Athletes and dancers reaching the age of 40 used to be regarded as veterans, ready to retire. In modern times players at the top of their game are seen as elite performers.

Minus 40 degrees is the point at which Fahrenheit and Celsius scales are exactly equal.

In religion, 40 frequently represents a time of tribulation or preparation. Noah’s flood lasted 40 days. Moses fasted for 40 days, as did Jesus, while the Israelites wandered the desert for 40 years. Many Christians fast or abstain from luxuries for the 40 days of Lent.

In Islam, 40 symbolises spiritual growth. The prophet Muhammad experienced his first revelation when he was 40, the age of full maturity and strength. The baby in the womb develops in 40-day stages before its soul is breathed into it.

In the 14^th century, during the Bubonic Plague, ships were held in port for 40 days before any crew members or passengers could disembark. This was to ensure that the danger of passing on the disease had been overcome. The 40-day period, still observed today in cases of communicable disease, is called quarantine, deriving from quaranta, the Italian for 40. Emerging from quarantine is like a return to life, another starting from 40.

The Roaring Forties are westerly winds blowing strongly and persistently in the Southern Hemisphere, causing huge swells, because there are no landmasses to interrupt them. Merchantmen used them in the 18^th and 19^th centuries to speed their journeys through latitudes 40˚ and 50˚ between Europe and Australasia. On their return journeys, they used the Furious Fifties!

 

Patty pans

 

Patty pans

 It had been many years – at least ten - since I had seen patty pans for sale, so I was delighted to be able to buy some recently.

Patty pans (Cucurbita pepo) look rather like flying saucers. The name derives from the vegetable’s resemblance to a shallow baking pan used for cooking patties or pasties. It is an ancient crop, archaeological discoveries indicating that it was cultivated around 8 to 10,000 years ago in North America.

They are known by a variety of other names, including custard squash, and granny squash.

I cooked them in the air fryer with no dressing or seasoning and they were soft and delicious with our main fish dish.

 

How much is too much?

 

How much is too much?

 Water makes up around 60% of our body weight. We need it to keep our bodies working efficiently. When we are well-hydrated, our blood circulates as it should, our body temperature remains at the right level, and our food is digested properly. We become dehydrated when we lose more water than we take in. Then we become tired, our heads ache, and small tasks seem impossible.

Thus we are advised constantly to make sure we’re drinking enough to remain healthy.

Of course, requirements vary according to body weight and activity, but official guidelines suggest that women should drink about 2.7 litres a day, and men around 3.7 litres. That includes all sources of fluid, including plain water, tea, and fruit. Some people worry that tea is a diuretic, and causes more liquid to be lost than gained, but studies have shown that the loss is minimal, and tea is an acceptable way to maintain fluid intake.

When high temperatures are forecast the constant advice is to drink plenty of water and stay well-hydrated.

Is it possible to drink too much water?

Human kidneys can process about one litre of fluid an hour. Healthy adults should drink enough fluids to make their urine a pale straw-yellow.

It is dangerous to drink more than the kidneys can cope with. Too much liquid dilutes the blood’s sodium levels. Water then enters the body’s cells, including those in the brain, causing them to swell. This is called water intoxication (hyponatremia) and can be fatal.

Mild symptoms of hyponatremia include completely colourless urine, needing to urinate more frequently – that is, more than nine or ten times daily, or several times at night – stomach upsets like vomiting, or diarrhoea, and a persistent throbbing headache.

Serious symptoms indicating a medical emergency include disorientation, muscle weakness, cramps, seizures, or coma.

If people are expending a lot of energy in intense exercise, or are living in hot, dry climates and sweating constantly, 4 litres might be an appropriate amount of liquid.

Athletes in endurance events are the people most at risk of over-hydrating.

Rather than worrying about the volume of fluid you are consuming, the best method of ensuring good hydration is to be aware of your body, and drink when you feel thirsty.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

         

Sleep tight

 

Sleep tight

Night night, sleep tight,

Don’t let the bed bugs bite.

What does ‘sleep tight’ mean?

There is a plausible, but possibly mistaken explanation for this. Rope beds were invented in the 16^th century. Before the 19^th century mattresses were stuffed with straw or feathers or horsehair and suspended on and supported by a web of ropes. (The very poorest people slept on a filled sack mattress on the floor!)

With time, the ropes would sag and need to be tightened with a wrench. This led to people thinking that ‘sleep tight’ referred to the tightening of ropes to provide a sounder night’s sleep.

However, rope beds gradually fell out of use after sprung mattresses were produced in the mid-19^th century. The phrase ‘sleep tight’ was not seen in print until 1866 and became common usage in the early 20^th century. By that time, rope beds were a thing of the past.

To ‘’sleep tight’ or ‘sit tight’ means to remain still or secure. Bidding someone to sleep tight was a way of wishing them a good, restful night’s slumber.

‘Don’t let the bed bugs bite’ was added to the phrase later, although it is certain that mattresses were repositories of many types of tiny pests. Mattresses had to be shaken and beaten regularly to dislodge bugs. Usually, if the stuffing was of straw or hay or pea husks, it would be replaced entirely at harvest time.

There is an alternative suggestion which is that ‘bed bug’ was the name for the tightening wrench for a rope bed, and it would sometimes jump back and hit or’ bite’ the hand that was holding it.

Bed bugs are not entirely the affliction of poverty-stricken people. Like cockroaches, they are ancient insects and have adjusted to living with humans. It is thought that they originally lived in caves in the Middle East, where they fed on bats. Eventually they adapted their feeding to humans who inhabited the caves. They are attracted to body heat and the carbon dioxide humans exhale.

They cannot fly or jump but can crawl quickly onto clothing or other personal items. Thus, when travelling to places where bed bugs might be encountered, it is advisable to keep luggage off the floor and away from mattresses and walls. Bed bugs creep into small crevices and seams.

 Furthermore, unpack immediately on returning home and wash and dry everything at as high a temperature as possible. An infestation of bed bugs is difficult to eradicate.

Ramping up

 

Ramping up

 Solar Orbiter's widest high-res view of the Sun, March 2025

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

The heat is ramping up again in the UK, though it’s not going to be as extreme as it was in June. At least, that’s the forecast. It could all change . . .

It will be hotter in Europe.

Drink plenty of water and keep as cool as possible.

Green for Go!

 

Green for Go!

Green is an energising colour. It’s all around us in the trees and the plants.

A green traffic light tells us it’s safe to proceed. People even say they’ve ‘given something the green light,’ meaning that they accept the proposition, whatever it may be.

The green light on our vacuum cleaner operates at floor level and tells us something different. It highlights every particle of dust. Operating the vacuum cleaner is quite mesmeric, as it shows a never-ending quantity of small detritus to be sucked up from our hard floors.

We have animals so there is fur and dust in abundance.

It is not the gadget for an obsessive homeowner, because however many times the machine is passed across the floor, there is always more to be picked up.

Vacuuming in our house is a Sisyphean task.