princessprattles

21/52: boxing lessons for cats

princessprattles — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:59:56 +0000

As anyone with cats would know, show them a cardboard box and they will invariably climb into it. Perhaps it’s a return to the womb experience for them, being all cuddly and enclosed? Or just another way to look absolutely adorable.

As you can see, Bartholomew loved boxes as much as he did as a kitten, right up until he was fourteen, with this photo taken before severe weight loss attributed to kidney failure, the cause of his ultimate demise.

Bubble was with us until fifteen, and at age one, she enjoyed her own little boxing lessons.

Ah, the look of contentment. Oh, to come back in life as one of my cats!

20/52: mothers’ day memorial garden

princessprattles — Wed, 15 May 2013 03:48:00 +0000

Although generally I am pretty good at grammar, I’m never sure whether to put the apostrophe before or after the “s” for this particular day, as it depends if you are talking singular or plural: Mother’s Day if you are only referring to your own mother, but Mothers’ Day for the general populous of female parents.

In this case I am going plural, as last weekend I enlisted my husband’s help to create a memorial garden bed for our mothers. Utilising bricks I had been given (hooray, finally finished clearing them off the path that had been their home for months), we, (meaning he: my design, his labour of love), made a circle for a cast iron birdbath to take pride of place in its centre.

Planning and preparing the area had to be done prior to the planting. My original plan of a three brick radius had to be modified to two, for the available space (and bricks).

Then, five azaleas were placed around one side, making another attractive vista from our bedroom window. Three smaller Shirazz azaleas sit adjacent to the others.

The two white Aline azaleas, one in memory of my darling mother, Elaine, (d. 2001), and the other for my wonderful mother-in-law, (d. 2005), contrasting against the burgundy foliage of the Shirazz, should make a brilliant show in future years.

My own children were unavailable that weekend, with one holidaying in the USA and the other working in hospitality, but I know our ♥love♥ is strong. To compensate, I still had my furry boys Shadow and Zorro, and I so appreciate my husband’s labour of love on this project, so it was a lovely day, and a most fitting one to honour our mothers who brought us forth into life.

P.S. As my own tribute, I decided to start another blog, based on families, relationships and human behaviour, which you can find at princesspoppsychology.wordpress.com.

19/52: signs of autumn

princessprattles — Wed, 08 May 2013 11:05:31 +0000

My three beautiful weeping japanese maples, Inaba shidare, continue to delight every autumn, with their vibrant burgundy tones.

They seem to all be at various stages of colour-changing, though unfortunately the photos do not do them justice.

Moving around the garden, there seems to be an abundance of the reddish and burgundy tones, including the delightful nandina.

Even some of the flowers are in an analogous colour range, such as the nerines and fuchsia.

Just when you thought they were all very similar, the marvellous marigolds stand out golden in their contrast.

18/52: pumpkin project bears fruit

princessprattles — Wed, 01 May 2013 07:43:32 +0000

Some time ago I did a little artificial insemination to ensure fertilisation of a female pumpkin flower. I am delighted to show you the fine result of my interference:

Ta-daa!

Unfortunately, some of the pumpkin eggs I tried to fertilise just died off. I am calling them eggs as if they are not mated with a male, there will be no pumpkin.

It is now late autumn and as I was just about to harvest the one pumpkin from that massive vine, and pull out the rest of the plant, what did I spy? Amazingly, both a male and female flower sitting side by side, making googly eyes at each other. I introduced them, and before long they were coupling, with a little help from the Artificial Inseminator. It may well be too late in the season but it’s worth a try. Happy honeymoon!

17/52: no arch enemies here

princessprattles — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:29:02 +0000

As with serial planting, a recurring theme or two can help unify your landscaping and decorating into a complete unit. My fondness for arches is evident in my garden.

Starting with the front door and welcome sign, through to the back yard with a variety of arches, the theme continues.

The garage has two arches, in the form of both the window and the side door.

The patio features a number of arches, with a cane unit, fence and table decorations.

Even the doormat is arched.

My little propagating area is decorative and functional.

I think my favourite is the arch over which I have trained asparagus fern.

Then, past the patio and pergola area another arch leads to the rest of the back yard.

The original arch in our yard was probably the rose arbour, which set off this continuing love of arches. And, knowing me, it’s not over yet!

16/52: present purr-sonalities: shadow

princessprattles — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:37:43 +0000

Having recently featured Zorro in his own special post, today it is Shadow’s turn. A black cat, with a little dash of white, at fourteen he is now flecked with grey, taking after his human “dad”.

His voice is higher-pitched than Zorro’s, possibly similar to comparing a tenor to a semi-baritone. One of his strange features is the way he purrs. He seems to purr backwards, as though he is breathing in while making the noise, a little like a gentle snoring.

I have “trained” him to “kiss”. Of course, if he feels like it. When food is involved it is more likely to happen. Imagine standing, bending down a little, clicking your fingers near your face, and Shadow balances on his back paws and basically head-butts your cheek. When it works it is quite adorable, but don’t try to do it in company because it rarely happens in company.

It’s the same when you try to do a photo shoot with a cat. They look so gorgeous most of the time, you’d think it would be easy, but again, they can treat you with disdain while you are trying to get them ready for their closeup.

Oh mum, can you see I’m not in the mood?

Which direction did you want me to face?

I’m tired of this whole procedure. May I take a rest? Well, I will anyway, if it’s all the same to you.

15/52: japanese windflowers

princessprattles — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 23:16:15 +0000

A lovely sight to behold down the laundry side of the house in autumn are the japanese windflowers Anemone x hybrida.

They have beautiful foliage, which remains attractive for months, but it is when they flower they really come into their own. In clothing I am definitely not a pink person, but various shades of pink in the garden can add another colourful dimension.

14/52: rocks in my head

princessprattles — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 11:07:00 +0000

While some people may think this is a metaphorical truth, in reality I speak of my planning process. Some days I work quite hard in the garden, and at times I wander around just looking, thinking and planning.

Many ideas go through my head while strolling about the yard, some which take me off on total flights of fancy. For example, there was the time we came back from a trip to France and I was envisaging building a second storey just so we could have a balcony. I came to my senses fairly quickly, as that would have been very expensive. Perhaps I might just enjoy the architecture when I am actually in France.

After Thailand I came back pumped about a tropical garden, but this idea has actually come to fruition.

Currently there are rocks swirling around in my head, ready for some revision. Whereas stone walls are permanent, single rocks or groups thereof can be rearranged as required. Usually these rearrangements involve more than one area, so it takes some thinking about. Okay, if I move those rocks over there, that means this area needs something else, and so on. Weeks may pass before I actually work on that project, but it has had time to agitate about my mind and change a few times before I even tackle the task.

Rocks can be rearranged to accommodate the growth of plants as well, such as in the front garden. The large rock featuring in the second photo was obscured by plant growth.

I’ve tidied up the side of the driveway and the edge of the footpath using bricks and rocks I was given, in addition to rocks I already had. The whole job only cost me time and labour, and gave me much satisfaction. I even used old weathered palings to extend the bottom edge of the fence next to the driveway.

13/52: a trip down memory lane

princessprattles — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 09:04:23 +0000

Having moved into our house 28 years ago this month, I realise we have come a long way from a “shell on a paddock” to a comfortable home on a lovingly landscaped block.

As I sit at the laptop I glance out at the front garden. From my vantage point I look through the lovely timber full-length bay window. I can see two of the three weeping japanese maples, Inaba shidare, a greenstead magnificent, a couple of pruned english box shrubs, and another whose name I am unsure of. You’d think I would have kept records of everything I planted, and I probably did, somewhere in the archives, in a safe place. Ask my husband about me keeping things in “safe places” and he is likely to mutter something about a black hole in which items notoriously disappear.

Last but not least, as I look out the lounge room window, on the right is a slow-growing conifer we planted way back in 1987, as part of a group of plants which looked so tiny in amongst the mulch, but provided a nice view for us from the master bedroom.

The last conifer on the right grew up like this:

Fortunately on that occasion we had the foresight to plant it well back from the footpath, to allow room for growth, which could be a subject for a lengthy post, as we have learnt from other less successful planting experiences.

12/52: present purr-sonalities: zorro

princessprattles — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 10:05:23 +0000

Our current cats, whilst not pedigreed, are very special to us. At fourteen years old, Shadow and Zorro continue to give us lots of happiness, and occasional mischief. Today I am going to feature our black and white boy, Zorro. How did he come by his name? If you can’t tell by the photos, he bears a striking resemblance to the man with the sword, as you can see by his black mask, moustache and cape.

I am always amazed at the diverse purr-sonalities and character traits that all our different feline companions have had. When we use the term “pets”, it is only because we enjoy patting and cuddling them. We really know who is in charge, but sometimes they let us believe that we are in control.

Take, for example, Zorro. A creature of habit, he lies across my husband’s legs when we go to sleep, but then halfway through the night, usually when it gets a little cold, or closer to dawn in the warmer weather, he moves towards the pillows.

If I am facing outwards, lying on my side, Zorro taps me on the back of the head. When my response is a little slow, he unsheaths his claws and gives me a gentle scratch on my scalp, never hurting me, but enough to make me move. I am well-trained, and roll over, facing the middle of the bed, so that he can curl up on the pillow next to me and have his obligatory cuddle.