Lovely garden things...

Nature is my best lift when I am down.
Here are some highlights from my last week....

This is Tiger.
He lives about 6 doors down from my Mum, but is trying to move in with her. A typical story: a family that gets pet after pet- as soon as the novelty wears off one they get another. Now they have several dogs. Tiger is voting with his paws.
Here he is, asleep in Mum's back garden. Unfortunately she can't adopt him fully, can't encourage him indoors: Fluffy and Scooter are disturbed by him. Scooter has FiV so we can't risk him passing that on. We encourage a diplomatic distance between them. Like here, it was warm and sunny, and all three cats lay belly up in the sun, too comfy to be bothered.

Here is our hawthorn tree, in full blossom. Also called a May tree, so this May Flower, of the ship fame, I suppose :)
It has been windy these last few days and the blossom is blowing like confetti across the garden:

We have a song thrush!They are so rare now, so I am delighted to have one regularly popping in to our garden. Here s/he is, eating sultanas (raisins or currants would serve just as well...)

Here's a pair of love birds. Well, wood pigeon, to be precise :)
I think we are going to have some baby pigeons :)

I also took pic's of all the flowers in the garden, but these are on the other computer. I'll post them another time.

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Other snips of news:

Re the washing machine:

The engineer came to fix the machine yesterday. Despite my reading that the most probable cause of smoke billowing out of it is a problem with the bearings, he said it was the rubber seal round the door. Isn't it amazing how a man with a white van can tell what's wrong with a machine just by looking at it, not examining or touching it in any way? Wow! Magic! So anyway he changed the seal.

He said, "Yeah, you've had bits of rubber in your washing, aint yer?"
"Er, no." I replied.
"Yeah well you would av."

Fair enough. I gave up! I'll do some washing and see what happens. If I need to call again I'll ask them not to send the guy with the rubber seal obsession.

Re the cats:

Please keep things crossed for Scooter, as he has a dose of cat flu at the moment. With his FiV it is difficult to fight it but he is on anti-biotics. I hope he is ok again soon....

ABC Wednesday.... D is for Dressing Gowns!

D is for Dressing Gowns ..........

Dressing Gowns (or, in the USA, I believe, 'robes',) are a little bit of affordable luxury. In fact, judging by the ones I've manhandled in department stores, the cheaper they are, the fluffier. Don't bother with expensive woolly ones. They just go bobbly anyway. They're also too heavy for suitcases. And far too posh to relax properly in, especially around morning cups of caffeine.

The one above was given to me one Christmas. After many washes, it's still as soft as.... as soft as.... OK. Let me explain something here. I have my own measure for softness. Not silk or feathers or snow. No. Something reaches the pinnacle of softness only if it reminds me of my cat's tummy....

"Figs".... named after "Figaro" in Pinnochio... beatifully innocent (so she said) of the crime of scratching this wallpaper.... Her fur was thick and soft, and she was love and friendship, and cheekiness and humour, on legs. Nearly 3 years now, and I still miss her. Snuggling down in my soft fluffy dressing gown, I think of her, her soft, warm, thick silk, and try not to consider that I'll never hold that purry warmth again.

'Ahhhh....' I sigh to my patient partner, as I stroke another fur collar/ cushion cover/ teddy bear, as we wander through Debenhams. 'Soft as Figgy's tummy' I say. He smiles, rolls his eyes to the ceiling. He knew I was going to say that.

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Each morning I get up to put out food for the birds. I make a mixture of sultanas, oats, fat and apple. -Mix it all up small in the food processor. I've tried putting it out the night before, but if it rains in the night, or if there's a heavy frost (like lately), it turns into a mushy porridge. The birds eat most of it still, but it makes a mess of the bird tables. So... early morning rises it is, come rain or snow...

-This one was taken about a year ago. Hard to believe. No snow this year.... Anyway, here I am, 6am., walking back towards the door after putting out the birds' breakfast...... This is my other Dressing Gown. I bought it from a discount store called TK Maxx. It has Elizabeth Emmanuel embroidered onto the front lapel in gold. Hmmm.... quite a posh designer, that. She was one of the ones who designed the wedding dress for Princess Diana. I have to report though, that this Dressing Gown, whatever its credentials, doesn't pass the Figgy's Tummy Test. It does have a hood, though. And has towelling inside. So, good for rushed showers and baths, cool lazy evenings eating straight out of the fridge, and feeding birds in the snow.

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For links to everyone else doing the ABC Wednesday, & instructions on how to take part, visit Mrs Nesbitt's site.

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