Omar's Diary for March 2022

A new itinerant servant

Our regular itinerant Lady Servant has not been available as much as usual during March. So, without any consultation or involvement in the selection procedure my Servants have engaged an itinerant Male Servant. Mitzi likes him very much and always makes a big fuss of him when he comes to Omar Towers to do his duties. As I have already said, I was not involved in his selection so I will remain a little reserved about this change. I am sure he is extremely nice and caring otherwise my Servants would not have engaged him.

Made to feel old, very old

In early March Lady Servant was fussing me and noticed a swelling on my lower lip, which is another story regaled further down, and then exclaimed:

"My goodness Omar you are going grey. Look, on your head there are little flecks of grey...and oh my, all down your back as well."

Thank you. How was I supposed to know how my hair coloring is changing as I never look into the mirror. Would that be vanity or total insecurity? Neither as all the mirrors here in Omar Towers are too high up for me to look into and reflect on what I see. Anyway felines, especially well bred ones, do not understand the concept of narcissism. To make matters worse Lady Servant then informed Man Servant. I hasten to add he has been grey if not white since I started living here. His response was a degree more sympathetic:

"Oh yes, but don't go on about it. You'll hurt his feelings".

Thank you Man Servant.

The start of the 2022 Flat Racing Season

This got underway on Saturday 26th March at Doncaster. The crash of the starting stalls opening, the turbo burst of energy as thoroughbred athletes explode out and the bristling sound of the wind rushing past the shiny silks of the jockeys. A sure sign that summer will soon be here.

Lady Servant, Man Servant and I (Mitzi was asleep upstairs) watched the coverage of The Lincoln including the buildup. As the commentators read through the runners, riders and trainers we were hit with the same realization. Out of the 22 runners we only recognized three of the jockeys' names; those that have been around for a few years. None of the other names were familiar to us as they represented a new generation of jockeys. Mere striplings of youths whose faces had been untouched by razors and would be rushing home to finish their homework in time for Monday morning.

Incidentally the race winning jockey Silvestre de Sousa who at 41 years old was one of the names we were all familiar with.

Medical issues

The swelling on my lower lip was the recurrence of one of those pesky "rodent ulcers". No, it is nothing to do with contact with rodents like rats and mice. Apparently it is a reaction to contact with ticks.

While being diagnosed at the private medical centre I was weighed. Such an indignity at the best of times. I have lost half a kilo since my last visit which is pleasing but the vet had to go and ruin everything by saying:

"He (that is "me") is in very good shape for his age."

What is it with all these references and inferences about my age over the last two weeks? I think I might be getting a complex.

The injection of steroids started to work immediately and the antibiotics I was prescribed finished off the treatment quite nicely thank you. No further medical bulletins will be posted on the gates.

And, as with the jockeys mentioned earlier, the veterinary who looked after me looked like he had just qualified. In fact he had been in practice for seven years.

It seems to have been a month for realizing my age which has been made worse as it is my birthday in less than a week. Where are the years going and why are they going so fast?

"tempus euntes celer"