MONDAY MIRTH No 12

I will keep these animal funnies coming as long as I can find them suitable.   I think this one will bring a smile to your face to start the week off well for you.

We once had a golden retriever and a ginger and white cat (Emma and Gus) and they were the best of friends.  Gus didn't take advantage as this cat has but the two of them used to cuddle up together to sleep.

FRIDAY FAVOURITES No 13

I wonder how many of you remember the Andrews Sisters singing this one......way back in 1944!!  Probably not but I remember it well.  I was 12 years old at the time and it was towards the end of WW2.  Lots of versions on YouTube and I hope this one comes through OK.

FAVOURITE FLOWERS No 3

Although I do really love camellias and am very fond of chrysanthemums I really must put CARNATION as my favourite "C" flower.   I have grown them, given them as a gift and also received them as a gift.  They are one flower that seems to please everyone with its simple beauty, fragrance and the fact that they are long lasting as a cut flower.

 

They are of course of the Dianthus family along with their smaller cousin the pinks.  

They are a herbaceous perennial growing to 80cms in height.  The leaves asere glaucous greyish-green to blue-green, slender up to 15cms long.  Carnations have been incultivation for over 2000 years. 

The flowers are produced singly or up to five together in a cyme they are 3-5 cms in diameter, and sweetly scented; the original flower colour is bright pinkish-purple. but cultivars of other colours, including, red, white, yellow and green, have been developed.

Some fragrance-less carnations cultivars are often used as boutonnieres for men.

Growing carnations:  They require well-drained, neutral to slightly alkaline soil, and full sun.  Numerous cultivars have been selected for garden planting.  Colombia is the largest carnation producer in the world.

For the most part, carnations express love, fascination and distinction, although there are many variations of meaning, dependent on the colour.

WEDNESDAY WISDOM No 11

A few words of wisdom for you to think about:

That would also apply to the female of the species of course.

TUESDAY CHAT

Not much chat as I have very little voice.   Phil is recovering from his head cold and he is now looking after me as I did for him last week.   A sore throat for about 4 days and now sneezing and coughing and a head full of cotton wool and, no this is not me.  I doubt I look quite that elegant when sneezing!!

It is at times like this that we are both so thankful we still have each other.  Phil has been well enough to pop down to the local shops to get the necessities and yesterday he made a crock pot full of pea soup (which we both love) so that's our smaller meal taken care of for a few days and we also bought a cooked chook (chicken) which lasts us a couple of days.

I had an appointment with my optometrist for Wednesday but will be ringing tomorrow morning to cancel that for at least a week and I am sure he would be not be pleased if I arrived as I am right now.

Nothing much else to report for the past week except we have had some excellent rain in Perth but it is now going to fine up for a few days and then, hopefully more rain will arrive.  It is nearing the beginning of spring and sometimes rainfall in Perth can be very iffy between September and April and our dams are just so low right now we are I think having to rely on desalination plants.

I believe the month July was the hottest worldwide which doesn't cheer me up as it probably means Perth is in for another long, hot summer.

I'll still try to pop in a few funnies but forgive me if flowers and small towns are on hold for a while.  Will depend on how long this thick head feeling lasts.

MONDAY MIRTH No 11

Once again an animal funny which I am sure you will all enjoy.  Hope it puts a smile on your face to begin your week and any troubles will be little ones.

Strange how many of my choices seem to be about cats.  Must be a reason for that.

SMALL TOWNS IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA (2)

BALINGUP is a town Phil and I have travelled through several times on our trips in our south-west and I believe a couple of times we have stopped for a rest and a cuppa.

It is 241 kilometres (150 miles) south of Perth.  It takes its name from Balingup Pool, situated on the Balingup Brook which flows through the town.   The name was first recorded by a surveyor in 1850, and is said to be derived from the name of the Noongar warrior Balingan.

It is situated on the South-West Highway and originally had a station on the railway line, opened in 1898, the same year the town was gazetted.

In the 20th century the Balingup area was known for fruit and vegetable growing but more recently for beef cattle and dairy framing.   There are two long-established religious communities.

Balingup hosts annual rural festivities, primarily the Small Farm Dairy Day (late April) and the Medieval Carnivale (August).

Nearby can be found mushroom varieties familiar to both drug users and law enforcement agencies.

Balingup is one of the few towns through which the Bibbulmun Track passes.  It is also the home of the local artist Sally Darling, who specialises in portraits and Japanese paintings.  The historic Southamptom homestead is nearby which was reduced to ruins when a bushfire swept through the area in 2013.

You can view the little town at a distance from the nearby hills or rent a cottage for a peaceful holiday.

or pay a visit to the beautiful lavender farm.

The beautiful Blackwood River flows nearby.

FRIDAY FAVOURITES No 12

I remember the first time Phil and I ever saw Frank Sinatra sing this song and we thought he did it wonderfully well.  One of our most popular of his songs.

Hope this comes through OK.  From YouTube of course as are all the musical items I post.

MY FAVOURITE GARDEN FLOWERS (2)

I am trying valiantly to keep this theme going so my next favourite garden flower I have chosen the Bougainvillea spp.   We have 4 plants of different colours in our garden but for some reason this year the 'miniature' ones have gone feral on us and spread all over a part of the back garden.  Lots of pruning now needed which will not be very pleasant with all those nasty spikes.

Of late I've noticed that many people are planting them on their back fences where they back on to main roads.  I guess they think the spikes will deter any would-be burglars who may be in the area.

I love the vibrant colours of the bougainvilleas.   We have an orange, a deep red, a bright mauve and a terracotta colour.  All different but all very lovely. 

I remember on our trip to Carnarvon years ago marvelling at the beauty of the bougainvilleas.  Of course they grow quite rampamt up north as they truly love the hot weather.

The first European to describe these plants was Philbert Commercon, a botanist accompanying French Navy admiral and explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville during his voyage of circumnaviation of the earth, and first published for him by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789.  It is possible that the first European to observe these plants was Jeanne Bare, Commercon's lover and assistant who was an expert in botany; because she was not allowed on the ship as a woman, she disguised herself as a man in order to make the journey (and thus became the first woman to circumnavigate the globe).

WEDNESDAY WISDOM No 10

I feel there is a ton of truth in this piece of wisdom.   I think this is true of many folk, more so today than perhaps many years ago.   So many seem to think they know it all and refuse to listen.

TUESDAY CHAT

I've been apologising of late for being rather tardy in posting as well as viewing my favourite blogs.  I have no really authentic excuse other than to say my age at times catches up with me as do the aches and pains the old body has to put up with.  At times it can all get on top of one and do one's head in.  I am a winter person so it's not the season that is causing this malaise and I am making every effort to rise above it all.

Last year my GP (that man is wonderful to Phil and me) suggested I take a very mild anti-depressant which in turn can apparently help dull body pain.  I hated the idea of taking any type of anti-depressant but in desperation asked him early July if I could give it a trial.   I began taking 1 tablet at night and then last week began taking 2 (only 20mg) and I believe some of the 'minor' pains (hands in particular) may have become less.  I am certainly able to do more crochet than before and also my hands don't seem to be hurting as much when I type.  The more annoying side effects related to these tablets haven't occurred so I intend to keep on with this medication at least for the forseeable future.

Our daughter and her hubby have both had milestone birthdays in the past few weeks and as she is recovering from knee replacement surgery celebrations were put on hold.  However, the family all arranged to meet for lunch at Steel Trees in Baldivis last Saturday.  Unfortunately we didn't make it.  Fully intended to be there but Phil had been 'coming down' with something and when he woke up on Saturday morning he felt pretty rough.  We were disappointed as we don't see our busy family as often as we'd like but these things happen.   (K's knee is coming on very well after a few earlier problems and when she saw her surgeon last Thursday he was very pleased with her progress and doesn't want to see her for another 12 months.)  P.S. Phil still coughing and sneezing and feeling a bit down and fortunately we have no appointments this week so he can get plenty of rest.

I am not sure if I told you Phil had a nasty fall several weeks ago with damage to an elbow and a knee.  One of the grazes on the knee turned nasty but we eventually got it heal OK.  Last week he discovered he had this large swelling on the elbow which I thought was a bursar and we decided to let our GP have a look at it.  It is indeed a very large bursar (about the size of a small coffee cup) but Phil was told it is nothing to worry about and if he wanted the doctor could remove the fluid and give him a cortisone injection.  For some reason Phil declined this offer but I am sure he will return if the elbow becomes more painful to him.  Maybe when summer comes and he is once again wearing short sleeves and people keep asking him what's wrong with his elbow!!  That just might do it.

OK so I am back (I think) and will once again annoy you with meaningless posts but I am hoping somewhere among them you will find something of interest.   I will also try to get to your blog as often as I can.  I may not make long comments but will at least try and let you know I paid a visit.

MONDAY MIRTH No 10

Another laugh to begin the week well for everyone or at least I hope it does.  I think we often have different senses of humour to other people but most animal funnies seem to hit the spot:

Hope you do have a great week.

SMALL TOWNS IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA (1)

I did a series previously on larger towns in WA so decided I'd wander around our great state and find some interesting smaller towns.  Some of these I may have visited, particularly in our south-west, but I am sure I will find many that are quite new to me so it's learning time again.

AUGUSTA:  is a town on the south-west coast of Western Australia, where the Blackwood River emerges into Flinders Bay.  It is the nearest town to Cape Leeuwin, on the furthest southwest corner of the Australian continent.  In the 2001 census it had a population of 1,091; by 2011 the population of the town was 1,292 (excluding East Augusta).

Augusta was a summer holiday town for many during most of the twentieth century, but late in the 1990s many people chose to retire to the region for its cooler weather.  As a consequence of this and rising land values in the Augusta-Margaret River area, the region as experienced significant social change

 The coastline near Augusta was first sighted by Europeans in March, 1622 when the Dutch East India Company ship Leeuwin (Lioness) mapped and named the land north of Cape Leeuwin between Hamelin Bay and Point D'Entrecasteaus 't Landt van de Leeuwin.  In 1801 Captain Matthew Flinders named the "south-western, and most projecting part of Leeuwin's Land" Cape Leeuwin.

The town was founded in 1830 and in March of that year a number of settlers, including John Molloy and members of the Bussell and Turner families, had arrived at the Swan River Colony on board the Warrior.  On their arrival the Lieutenant-Governor James Stirling advised them that most of the good land near the Swan River had already been granted, and suggested they form a new sub-colony in the vicinity of Cape Leeuwin.  (Lt Governor James Stirling):

The following month, Stirling sailed with a party of prospective settlers on board the "Emily Taylor".  After arriving at the mouth of the Blackwood River, the party spent four days exploring the area.  Stirling then confirmed his decision to establish a sub-colony, the settlers' property was disembarked, and the town of Augusta declared at the site.

Stirling named the town in honour of Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, the sixth son of George III, due to its location within Sussex County one of the 26 counties of Western Australia that were designated in 1829 as cadastral divisions.  (Now, that is something I'd not heard of before).

Many tourist websites and information conflate Augusta and Cape Leeuwin with features that exist nearby.  In 2009, 2 Oceans FM (Augusta) was set up at the Augusta Community Centre and began broadcasting on 97.1MHZ FM.

We have been to Augusta many times and never failed to pay a visit to the *old water wheel (above) and the magnificent lighthouse.  My friend Judy and I once spent part of a camping holiday near Molloy Island, a short distance out of Augusta.

 

*The water wheel system was built in 1895 to supply water for the stone masons of the lighthouse and water to the lighthouse-keepers' cottages.  The water is supplied by a natural fall from a spring that exists in marshland approximately 330 metres away which in turn created a flow over the wheel which revolved and activated a ram pump to deliver water by pipe to the light house area.

It probably delivered about 1 litre (wasting 8 litres) every stroke, but it operated continuously day and night.  Because the level of the spring has subsided over the years, the water is now electronically pumped to the aqueduct.  It quickly became encrusted with a coating of limestone and is now frozen in rock.  As the water is now pumped electronically you can see how the water flows over each section of the aqueduct, eventually flowing over the stationary wheel creating a lovely waterfall.   The lighthouse is still being supplied water from the spring, but through mains pipes now - along with half the town.

 

FRIDAY FAVOURITES No 11

Does anyone else remember The Platters in the 1950s and 1960s?   I was scrolling through YouTube the other day and came across this one.   I remember it well and way back then it was one of my favourite tunes.  Hope you will enjoy it as much as I have ......  just reminiscing as I often do these days.

Rather different to the 'music' of today but still great to listen to.

MY FAVOURITE GARDEN FLOWERS

In an attempt to revive my flagging blogging mojo I decided on a small project which should be quite simple to do.  No great demands on either my brain or my time  My favourite garden flowers from A to Z.  I shall begin with ANTIRRHINUM which is  better known as a snap dragon.  I have always thought them a standout among garden flowers.

These were a particular favourite of my mum's as well and wherever we lived over the years she would usually plant a bed of these beauties.  They are always popular with the bees and, unless I am mistaken, this snap dragon is being visited by a bumble bee.  I have only ever seen one bumble bee in my lifetime and that was in a garden in New Zealand.  It  certainly to me looks like the rear end of a bumble bee.

I remember as a child I used to love to squeeze a flower and watch it's 'mouth' open and close thus making the dragon 'snap'.

Antirrhinums are a genus plant commonly known as dragon flowers or snapdragons because of the flower's fancied resemblance to the face of a dragon that opens and closes its mouth when laterally squeezed.  They are native to the rocky areas of Europe, the United States, and North Africa.

WEDNESDAY WISDOM No 9

They say as we age we gather wisdom but, in my case, I have never been sure if that is true.  Here are some wise words that ring true for every one of us.  I'm still trying to find out who I am!!  What I want is just peace in the world and happiness for all.  Rather a forlorn 'want' but we can always hope.

I am sorry if I've not been around very much but I've been a bit out of sorts of late.  Nothing specific.  Just old age catching up as it does at times.  I do very little and yet I have trouble in fitting very little in to my days.  Hope that makes sense.  I have not forgotten any of you so hopefully you won't forget me.

A VERY HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

It is one year today since we ventured to the Animal Protection Society to seek out a cat I had seen on their Facebook page.   I loved the look of this cat and, strangely enough, I then found a comment left by my daughter saying that if she didn't already have two cats this is the cat she would choose. This was the picture on their Facebook page and her name was Candy:

We had the previous month bade a tearful goodbye to our beautiful Precious who had been with us for nearly 13 years.  We missed her so much and our daughter said "you really must get another cat".  We thought about it and after seeing the above picture we decided we'd go and meet Candy and perhaps a few other cats and see how we felt about bringing one home with us.

Meet Candy we did and fell instantly in love with her and she with us.  We stayed at APS for an hour or more and, apart from the time when we visited the kitten house, she stayed near us and more or less took possession of us telling other cats, in a kindly sort of way, to keep their distance.  She sat in front of us and sort of glared at them as if to say "these people are mine!!"  Our decision had been made for us.   Candy had been microchipped, sterilised and vaccinated so I just had to pay the fee, pop her in a cat carrier and go home.

We were told to keep Candy indoors for the first four weeks, which we did, and she behaved very well and was a very clean cat.  Once she was allowed out one of the first things we had to was introduce her to the cat door which we'd had installed years ago for Henry and Precious.  She wasn't keen at first but by gently pushing her against it and then showing her how to open it to get back in, within two days she had it mastered.  She will, however, if we are close by ask us to do the butler's bit and open the fly screen for her.  We naturally always oblige for after all she is a cat and what a cat says always goes.

We of course had to buy her own cat tower and she very quickly found out how to sharpen her claws, sit on top of the tower and play with the rat/mouse that was suspended from it.  She still gives that rat/mouse what oh! and occasionally forgets the little creature and begins to chase her tail instead.  How she keeps her balance doing all that is hard to understand but then she IS a cat.   One thing about these cat towers is how do cats know they are one piece of furniture that is theirs and theirs alone.  I have never yet heard of a cat that doesn't immediately take possession of a tower no matter what size or shape it is.

The tower came in a large box and before the tower was assembled Candy had to take possession of the box as all cats will do, no matter what the size of the box.  We left it for a few weeks as she enjoyed playing it but then tired of it so out went the box and I must admit it does look tidier without it.

 Another thing we learned was that Candy prefers to drink from a running tap or a glass.  We have to make sure we don't leave glasses of water anywhere she can reach or she will help herself.  She seldom drinks from the bowl next to her dinner plate and I recently read somewhere that cats often won't do that as in the wild water near their 'kill' can be poisoned so they will drink elsewhere.  If this is a fact or not I don't know but in Candy's case she will only drink from that bowl if no other water is available.   I found a small class bowl which I fill with water and placed desk to the tap on the kitchen sink and she will drink from that when we are not there to turn the tap on.

A few months ago Candy got into a scrap with another cat and we were concerned about wounds on her front legs.   Decided we'd best take her to our vet to be checked out.  They shaved the wounds and treated them, gave her a couple of injections and sent her home with a collar to wear about which she was none too pleased.  She had some pain meds but after a couple of days she was eating and drinking OK so we stopped using them.  She found the collar awkward especially going through doorways etc., so we took it off on the third day which made us all much happier.

She loves us to go outside and will come in and ask us to go out into the back garden with her.  Unfortunately I need to used my walker and she will insist in walking between the front wheels which makes it rather awkward and dangerous for her.   After a while I give up and sit on one of the garden chairs for a while.   She enjoys the winter sunshine so here she is spread out between our side gate and the wheels of my walker.

Even when she goes outside on her own she comes back quite often and finds us as though to make sure we are still here.   Sometimes she will leap on to my desk and tell me that she is moimportant than the computer and I should make a fuss of her which, naturally I do, as how could anyone resist such appealing look?

All in all, there is nothing more to say, on this the first anniversary of inviting Candy into our lives, than we are so glad we went to meet her and that she liked us.  She has given us so much friendship and filled our lives with such happiness.   We still miss Precious and always will but Candy is a much different type of cat so has not taken the place of Precious but found her own very important place in our home and our hearts.  Thank you Precious for being with us such a long time and thank you Candy just for being such a delightful companion.

RIP both Henry and Precious: (they were friends together for 8 years)

We still often think and speak of your both as we do out other feline friends who have brought happiness into our lives over the past 48 years.  Charlie Brown, Itsy, Bitsy, Tiki, Pumpkin, Whitey, Koko, Kandi, Pip, and Soot.