Deja Vu Again

Since your Cat last posted, there seems to have developed a strange chronological phenomenon. Every now and again, I've chased a bird - or caught a mouse - in some part of my territorial patch and I've suddenly been overcome with a feeling that I've done this before - the same rodent/bird in exactly the same place, and in identical weather and light conditions. Of course, I just shrug it off and pursue my quarry - after all, if I pondered these things too long, I'd lose my snack, not to mention the thrill of the chase.

But this is also happening on a grander scale as well; the soothsayers of the lovely Kingdom of Northumbria are currently very animated about developments happening over in the Levant. Some years ago, when this Cat was somewhat younger, the Redistributionist Principal Minister Tondvig the Blur (known by that epithet because of his tenuous hold on reality, as well as an inability to discern the difference between fantasy and reality) urgently called the Witangemot to a special moot to persuade the Kingdom that it was vitally necessary to send soldiers to the Levant to assist those from the as yet undiscovered Ultima Thule in deposing the ruthless chieftain Sadman Hussy, who - according to the reliable reports of the day - was preparing to invade the Northumbrian shores with legions of soldiers on a flotilla of quinquiremes at a moment's notice; furthermore, he'd carried out shameful atrocities on his own people for the sheer fun of it, and reliable witnesses had confirmed this. Moreover, it was argued that Sadman also had access to Greek Fire - that feared and mysterious weapon which held the oriental promise of death and desolation for those who came under it. Something Must Be Done - and very quickly. Consequently, the majority of the Witangemot voted to proceed with the invasion of the Levant.

Later on, it was discovered that all of these stories were obtained from a piece of parchment found in a children's school playground following a creative writing lesson.

Some years later in the present day, Dagwald Caedmeron - the Principal Looby of the Tree/Liberationist Alliance administration - has urgently called the Witangemot to a special moot to persuade the Kingdom that it is vitally necessary to send soldiers to the Levant to assist those from the as yet undiscovered Ultima Thule in deposing the ruthless chieftain Basher O'Sad, who - according to the reliable reports of the day - is preparing to invade the Northumbrian shores with legions of soldiers on a flotilla of quinquiremes at a moment's notice; furthermore, he's carried out shameful atrocities on his own people for the sheer fun of it, and reliable witnesses have confirmed this. Moreover, it's been argued that Basher also has access to Greek Fire - that feared and mysterious weapon which holds the oriental promise of death and desolation for those who come under it. Something Must Be Done - and very quickly. Consequently, the Witangemot are being persuaded that a vote to send in soldiers is The One And Only Option.

So this Cat suspects that there's a children's class which has been busy again. And as for the blacksmiths - I realise that making swords, shields, helmets and body armour is great for their business, but the noise of their incessant crashing, hammering and the roar of their furnaces is doing my feline head in..