The sound of silence

Well! That was a long time, wasn’t it?

I just stepped out to check something, and look what happened.

Needless to say, lots to report, but the salient point is this: we are in he midst of choosing a builder to extend the tiny cottage and take it from just under 10 squares to just over 18. We won’t know ourselves!

So we are guilty of extreme neglect in all sorts of areas of our lives, namely the garden.

It all looks pretty much the same around here, but shaggier and more unkempt, because drawing up plans, talking to builders and submitting to council are all massive time-sucks that we’ve been valiantly battling for over a year.

In other news, which comes with a cute photo, we finally felt ready for another cat. Meet Clawde, age 1yr, who is requisitely fluffy, though slightly more aloof than we like in a cat. She is I-man’s cat. The look she gives me when getting a pat from him is priceless.

image

Not just a blip…

… on the radar.

I’ve been quiet again. It’s because I really didn’t know what to say. Let me tell you what happened:

We decided to adopt a rescue kitten. He was from interstate- Western Australia no less – as far from where we are as is possible to get in this big country of ours. Arrangements were made, dates set, and our whole little family took an exciting late-night trip to the airport to pick him up.

We were delighted, as he ticked every box we’d listed as ‘things we want in a cat’: he was big, fluffy, vocal, friendly, smoochy and playful. He wasn’t timid, and liked dogs. He was darkish coloured, so safe to go out in our strong sunshine. Best of all, he had tufty ears, and tufty toes. His tail was like a bottlebrush – long and bushy. His name was Amigo. Here’s a picture:

The sad truth is that Amigo was hit and killed by a car 3 weeks after we got him. He’d only been allowed outside for 4 days, and was still learning what’s what in our busy world. The awful thing is that a few seconds either side of crossing the road when he did, and he’d still be here, sharing our lives.

We were shattered, our hearts broken. Pets dying is always horrible, but a kitten? Somehow more awful. So I’m cross with Life at the moment, and having to deal with the hard questions that children ask when things like this happen isn’t helping.

Sigh. Perhaps Spring being in full swing at present will help, sooner or later…

Look what happened in time for Christmas:

So, our bougainvillea has turned out to be an amazing tropical variety! We must have a lovely little warm microclimate going here, what with the avocado tree happily fruiting behind the laundry, and now this… even though we live in the hills that are usually between 2-4 degrees colder than the city only an hour away.

The bougainvillea flowered in this vibrant crimson hue from about 2 weeks before Christmas, all the way through the holiday season, and is still going now… But is looking slightly worn and worse-for wear at present. (3 days of rain and the unseasonable cold snap we’re having can’t be helping matters!)

It is especially beautiful at night, because it sits just under one of our outdoor spotlights, and when lit up it glows in the darkness, and just looking at it makes us happy. Every time we see it we feel truly blessed. Here, have another look: