Minty the Ska Protector

Minty and his best friend, Duck-on-a-String

There are not enough pictures of cats on the internet, are there? So, to redress this balance, here is a photo of Minty and Duck-on-a-String, sat on top of a bookcase together, warding off trespassers who might want to get their hands on Minty's favourite Jamaican music CDs.

Good boy, Minty!

The King Of Rompelstan

The King of Rompelstan, yesterday.

According to TS Eliot, in the poem The Naming Of Cats, cats can have up to three names.

Firstly, there are the sensible names that the family use daily.

Secondly, there are names that are peculiar and particular to only one cat: names that help keep a cat's tail perpendicular.

And thirdly, all cats have a secret name, that only they know...

Well, my cats have their everyday names. They are known as Tommy and Minty to the rest of the world.

They also have a variety of peculiar names, according to my mood and their fancy. See Tommy Pom Poms and Minty Minstrel on Kittenwar!(Come on Minty, you so cute! Tommy! Get down from those curtains!).

But recently, I have felt that I have come very close to guessing Tommy's real name - the one that only he should know. I can tell by the loving looks he gives me when I say these names:

Pompadom, Pomplemousse, Rompelstiltskin, and, most revealingly of all, The King Of Rompelstan.

And just yesterday, I caught him wearing a golden crown, just like a real king...