Wednesday, May 18, 2016

YES!!

Spring has finally arrived!
I think?
I am afraid to get my hopes up in case Mother Nature decides to take another holiday and leave the seasonal temperatures to her underlings.
Even Napoleon is excited.

He has literally been bouncing up and down since I opened up the patio doors this morning.

I have also been keeping tabs on our feathery neighbours.

This little one is quite difficult to photograph.
Just as you get the zoom just perfect.....poof....gone.
I did see him/her? (I respect that sort of privacy) carrying in a few insects.
Good to know that little house is not just a storage locker.

Our baby Robins are also developing very quickly.


Mom has found breakfast, make that second breakfast.


Nature is beautiful.
The very idea that it continues and develops despite human interferences.


Last but not least,
I completed my pencil portrait.

At least, I think it is finished.
I might go in later and fix a few things.

Well, I am off.
I hope you are all well.
Have a great day!

Friday, May 13, 2016

Baby Pictures!

It is another one of those up before the ass crack of dawn mornings.
That is ok.
I was not able to sleep very well anyway.
Much too warm.
I am enjoying the last of my favourite tea, Sweet Almond Green Tea.
It has this scent that fills the kitchen as it steeps.
Jackie went outside to take care of business.
She spotted something interesting and was about to give chase when I bribed her with a cookie to come back inside.
I am not really in the mood to engage in any hot pursuits in my P.J's this morning.
I have nothing planned for this morning.
I'm going to make a Shepherd's Pie for lunch, watch a little television, knit, draw and off to bed.

Before I start my action packed day, I thought I would share a new photo of the baby Robins.
It is amazing how quickly they are growing.
Every day there is something new to be in awe of.

I'm very happy with the zoom feature on my camera.
It comes in handy in times such as these.

Have a good day everyone!

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Update on Our Feathery Neighbours

Today Mom is staying close the nest.


I have also relocated our plants to the back patio.


So far, these are my favourite!


They seem to be enjoying the sunshine almost as much as Jackie.


I have also been working on my pencil drawing a little bit.


My day is almost finished. Time to get ready for bed.
Have a good day to the rest of you Day-walkers.

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Update on the Baby Robins

The temperature dropped quite a bit last night.
Needless to say I was worried about the new additions to our home.
First thing this morning, I noticed Mommy Robin was not on top of the nest, so I stole quickly outside to check in on the little fellows.
You will have to excuse the blurriness of the photographs.
I need to either grow taller or remember to bring something out with me so I can take a more steady picture.


As you see, the other egg has hatched.


They are alive and moving a little bit.

I am quite relieved!

Monday, May 9, 2016

Good Morning

I've been awake since 02h30.
After I have had a mini break from work, like a week end for example, it is nearly impossible for me to return to work fully rested.
The night before, I usually just have a little nap. This way, at least in theory, I might be tired enough to sleep before I go to work at night.
Night-shift.
It is not for the faint of heart.
Right now it is 4h30.
I have a freshly brewed tea.
I gave the fur babies a little snack to avoid the extra loud meowing/screaming for food that will undoubtedly wake up the rest of the household. Perhaps even the neighbours. Rebel has been quite frisky lately. I can hear birds chirping. The odd car driving by. Some brave soul is even running.
Here I sit at my pc debating what I will do this morning and thinking about the week end we just experienced.
There many highs and an odd low point here and there.
Mother's Day is such a weird holiday.
I'm grateful my Mom is still on this Earth.
It is sad in a way that we do not have that special sort of relationship that everyone else "seems" to be celebrating.
Have you also been inundated with Happy Mother's Day post on your social media sites?
She received her card in the mail last week.
She was thrilled.
There seems to be a slight change in our relationship.
I'm never really sure how to respond when she pays me compliments. This was not a common occurrence when I was growing up.
So I smile, say thank you and ask how she is.

Saturday was a garden day.
We went to my favourite place to pick up my herbs and plants for this year.
I found this one plant which caught my attention.

It is advertised as something that repels cats and mosquitoes.


Little Man helped me put all of my finds into pots with the exception of my tomato plants. They will be a little later as the ground temperature is still a little on the frosty side.
After we found the plants homes, we needed to water them. This brings me to one of the many highs I experienced.
We had placed a lot of our equipment either in the garage or a sheltered place just next to the building for the winter.
When I went searching for the garden hose, I came upon this amazing discovery:



I was resolved to water with my bucket and watering can. Hubs to the rescue managed to free the hose and still keep the nest in tact!


Mommy bird gave us the stink eye and an earful for quite some time, but I think all will be ok.

On top of that, it would seem as if someone is using the birdhouse that Hubs created.


I suspect it might just a storage locker.


Saturday was a balmy 20 degrees Celsius. Unfortunately Sunday night was only 1. My plants are now taking up residence in the bathtub until Wednesday. At least according the weather network.


Like I mentioned earlier, Rebel was even a little frisky. At 20 years of age, any interest he shows in whatever it is he sees, blows me away.





I had no idea what Rebel was looking at. Whatever it was, he was in that position for at least ten minutes.

I guess he was sleepy afterwards for he had a nice nap with Jackie.


Then here comes the low point of my week end.
I thought it would be nice to visit Hubs' mother. Wish her a Happy Mother's Day.
We brought with us a little plant because she enjoys them and not likely to get one for herself.
We had a nice little visit.
I give her a hug good bye, say Happy Mother's Day again and she smiles, leans over asks when will I be a mother.
I felt like the ground was slipping away.
In that 30 seconds, I was so angry, sad and disappointed.
She knows about the struggle that I and my husband are experiencing in this part of our lives.
She was there when I thought I couldn't experience that aspect of motherhood, then started to, then had it snatched away so quickly.
I have no idea what on Earth was going on in her head when she let that bomb of a question erupt.
When will people learn to just keep their mouths shut about these sort of questions.
I couldn't say what I really wanted to say.
I ended up just crying because that is my go to reaction when I get very angry and cannot express myself properly.
So for future references folks, do not ask people questions that have to do with the reproductive system, relationship expectations or physical appearances.
Do not start questions with
I don't mean to be rude but......
If this is personal you don't have to answer but.......
I'm just saying...
Stop.
It's not necessary.
If you are not asked for your opinoin, keep your mouth shut.

This took my longer to write than I thought.
I can now hear other people getting up and going to work.
The birds are a little quieter.
The remaining tea in my cup is cold but I will chug that down and start the coffee maker soon.
Jackie is fast asleep again.
I can hear the members of the house snoring and the furnace kicking on to take the chill out of the house.
I am going to hit publish and call it a day for my productivity.
Have a good day everyone.



Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Travel Companion No More

Remember when I showed you a photo of Jackie carting her bone around as a travel companion?
That relationship has recently changed.

She still carries around the bone, just every so often takes a nibble.

My citrus plant has really started to bloom!

The blossoms are giving off the most beautiful lemony scent at the moment.
Nothing too over powering.
Refreshing is a word that comes to mind.

I'm working on a new pencil drawing.
A portrait based on a photo I found online.
Can you guess who it is?


I'll give a hint....

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Paused

My current knitting project is in pause mode until the hole in my finger heals.
What can I say? I am an extreme knitter.
In the meantime I have been scaring myself silly playing Silent Hill: Homecoming and working a new pencil drawing.
Those little cut away scenes are freaky!


On a less twitchy note, this is my work in progress pencil drawing


I also made cake.
Who does not love cake when they fighting off the darkness.

It is based on a recipe by Add a Pinch's recipe Grandmother Verdie's Strawberry Cake
Not quite the image I was going for, but you get the point. It was delightful! All I have left are the crumbs and bits of buttercream icing cemented to the plate.

We are currently experiencing a cold snap in my neck of the woods.
I hope my little crocuses fair well. The tulips were just beginning to make their appearance.
I guess we wait and see.
I hope you are well.
Have a good day!