This cake was for Clive’s surprise 60th birthday party! – Here he is in his rather well tended to vegetable garden!

I was getting rather stressed making this cake! – I very nearly decided to deliver a plain white cake and in true ‘the Emperor’s clothes style’ say it WAS a garden… but it snowed!.

I was stressed – not least because as I prepared to decorate it my husband decided that now was the time to give the cat his worming pill! – Great sense of timing husbands have! – So, me being a nurse!?! was asked to help! – I mean yes, I do give 4 year olds their pre-school booster immunisations, but hey, 4 year olds don’t have teeth and claws! (well most don’t!).
4 year olds cannot give you the look of sheer horror as they are held tightly with a chunky finger of DH being rammed down their throat either!

I could feel my blood pressure rising and almost steam coming out of my ears by the time we retreaved the pill from the floor for the 3rd time, so I gave up and let the cat go.

I mashed the now very sticky tablet into a paste and hid it in some cooked chicken chunks.
I sat and hand fed some unadulterated chicken to the somewhat terrified cat whilst sat under the dining room table with him. Just as I thought I had lulled him into a false sense of security I made a bid for completion of ‘operation worm’ by handing him the poison chalice! – yes the piece of chicken laced with no doubt some foul tasting anti-worm medication.
Well, I was spotted – it was unceremoniously spat back at me … undaunted I offered another piece of chicken, a nice one this time…. and what did I get for my trouble?! – a side swipe from a front paw -and an ‘if you think I’m taking poisoned poultry from you, you can think again’ look.
Undeterred I offered another piece of chicken – and got side swiped again – bearing in mind I’m still sat under the dining table with the cat!….

… I decide to make a cup of tea and call in reinforcements….

DH comes back in … I head upstairs to get the secret weapon…

…. My cat (Beaker) has always been fascinated with bags and boxes only marginally big enough to house him … so I knew he wouldn’t resist getting into an empty rucksack…. 3,2,1…. Yep he got in.
I zipped it up.
It wriggled A LOT!. (I wondered if the saying you have to be cruel to be kind was coined for this very occasion…)
I unzipped it slightly until a head popped though the opening.
I zipped it shut again! – so just a head stuck out! – I glanced at my DH – by now we had both seen the funny side of our predicament and casting hilarity aside got on with the job in hand…
Ah-ha – we now had a rucksack, albeit a squirming rucksack, this one has teeth but no claws!.
I took the top jaw, DH took the bottom jaw, and we opened inserted tablet and most of DH’s fist! – and hurrah! – tablet was delivered!! ….

… At least we think it was. I will no doubt find it in days to come somewhere in the lounge…

… Never again will I look upon a parent with scorn as they attempt to hold their squirming 4 year old still for me to stick a needle in its arm!.

Beaker is going to the vets for his next worming tablet! … no amount of nursing qualifications will tempt me to try the impossible again!

(anyone noticing the writing style will know I am the biggest fan of Deric Longden!!) LOL!

source: the-icing-on-the-cake. (Jo)

Related posts:

1. Garden christening cake
2. Vegetable Garden