Old loves...
...I was going to tell you about my weekend. And I will, because it was pretty cool. But have suddenly and randomly decided, instead, to treat you all to the complete text of the book that was my absolute favourite when I was but a wee kitten still learning to put together letters. Even then, it seems I was attracted to themes of adventure, wanderlust...and cats.
It was first published in 1951, and if I google it now (which of course I did), I find that a lot of other people over the last 60 years have loved it, too. This makes me exceedingly happy, because it and I had a very deep and forever relationship. How about the rest of you? What are the first books you ever remember loving?
Oh, Captain Kitty, where have you been?
I’ve been sailing the ocean blue - And Tabby went as my good First Mate, and Pearly and Mew were the crew.
We sailed and sailed for over a week, and followed our noses by day, and when the stars came out at night, we followed the Milky Way.
The breezes carried us on and on till we came to the Tropical Isles, where the warm winds blow, and the palm trees grow and the natives wear sweet smiles.
We saw the Queen all covered with pearls, we saw the King as well. And on his head in place of a crown he wore a big pink shell!
And Tabby said ‘Good queen, your beads are pretty and elegant, too!’ ‘I’m glad you like them’, said the queen. ‘I’ll order some for you!’
She clapped her hands and the divers dived to the bottom of the sea, and gathered twenty oyster pearls, as white as they could be.
Then the King led the way through the jungle gay where up in the highest tree, ten little parrots the colour of carrots were having a spelling bee.
‘Your jungle is charming, but very alarming!’ said Tabby to the king. ‘But I have been wishing that we could go fishing if you think we could catch anything!’
What a hulla-ba-loo when Pearly and Mew caught a prize all wet and shiny - they pulled in a whale by the end of his tail, and threw him back into the briny.
We dined on fish and coconut milk till the ending of the day. The cat with the fiddle played Hey-diddle-diddle to while the hours away.
‘Dear King and Queen and people, said I, the sun is getting low. We’ve really had a lovely time - alas, it’s time to go!
And now at last, we’re back again in Catville-by-the-Sea - We’ve been away, but I must say that Home looks good to me!’
It was first published in 1951, and if I google it now (which of course I did), I find that a lot of other people over the last 60 years have loved it, too. This makes me exceedingly happy, because it and I had a very deep and forever relationship. How about the rest of you? What are the first books you ever remember loving?
Oh, Captain Kitty, where have you been?
I’ve been sailing the ocean blue - And Tabby went as my good First Mate, and Pearly and Mew were the crew.
We sailed and sailed for over a week, and followed our noses by day, and when the stars came out at night, we followed the Milky Way.
The breezes carried us on and on till we came to the Tropical Isles, where the warm winds blow, and the palm trees grow and the natives wear sweet smiles.
We saw the Queen all covered with pearls, we saw the King as well. And on his head in place of a crown he wore a big pink shell!
And Tabby said ‘Good queen, your beads are pretty and elegant, too!’ ‘I’m glad you like them’, said the queen. ‘I’ll order some for you!’
She clapped her hands and the divers dived to the bottom of the sea, and gathered twenty oyster pearls, as white as they could be.
Then the King led the way through the jungle gay where up in the highest tree, ten little parrots the colour of carrots were having a spelling bee.
‘Your jungle is charming, but very alarming!’ said Tabby to the king. ‘But I have been wishing that we could go fishing if you think we could catch anything!’
What a hulla-ba-loo when Pearly and Mew caught a prize all wet and shiny - they pulled in a whale by the end of his tail, and threw him back into the briny.
We dined on fish and coconut milk till the ending of the day. The cat with the fiddle played Hey-diddle-diddle to while the hours away.
‘Dear King and Queen and people, said I, the sun is getting low. We’ve really had a lovely time - alas, it’s time to go!
And now at last, we’re back again in Catville-by-the-Sea - We’ve been away, but I must say that Home looks good to me!’