Roman Conquest

I remember being taught that 'decimate' comes from the Latin for ten (December was once the tenth month), and relates to the Roman practice of killing one in ten captive enemy soldiers after a battle. Evidently that was evidence of their compassion, as the norm at the time was to kill all of them! This may be spin by Roman historians, of course. Anyway, when we use the word as a synonym of 'annihilate' or 'obliterate', we are really being unfaithful to the original meaning. But it's too late now; like the useful distinction between 'uninterested' and 'disinterested', that battle is already lost 

I have decimated the rosemary hedge that I planted 5 or 6 years ago. To be accurate, I've probably cut off 60 or 70 percent of it; it had become coarse and woody, too high and too wide. I hope I have renovated (not annihilated or obliterated) it. Time will tell 

Clearing up the pieces, this amazing creature appeared - a warrior in oh-so-shining armour - on a brighter day it would need a health warning. This is new to me, but it crossed my mind that it would be fun if there was such a thing as a rosemary beetle. I looked it up and would you believe it... 

Chrysolina americana; a native of southern Europe, Africa and the middle east, says the RHS, now widespread, but not seen outdoors in this country until 1994. A strange name for a species from that area. The RHS also says the beetle will eat, not only rosemary, but lavender, sage and thyme. Almost a Scarborough Fair beetle, then? I wondered if the person who named it liked the Simon & Garfunkel recording but preferred their greatest song: America. As these silly thoughts were going through my head, the beetle looked up at my phone, and I could see it thinking "Is that really a camera?"