Christmas Eve starring Hooters the Owl (Bean)

Well, it's that time of year again. The Christmas tree is out (plastic with optic glowing lights), the turkey is in the car fridge in the spare room ( no room in the main one). Unhealthy food has been bought and already half devoured. Does it have that festive feeling? Good grief no.

It's currently 43.4 degrees and that is only good if A) You are very very very very cold and want to be warmed up in 1.5 seconds. B) You are the Sun C) Your are 'Flame Man' or 'Flame Woman' from the planet 'Flame' and have stopped here for a holiday. D) you need to cook a flat egg but don't have any cooking equipment apart from a sheet of metal (yes - that can be done here). E) You like sunny days and escape the heat by using air con and swimming in a 30 degree pool (heated by the sun of course).

We tend to choose E. ( we can cook eggs on our cooker - so D isn't really necessary).

Our plants struggle at times like these and during the day look like this:



At night (with no moon) when the temps drop to their rock bottom of 27 degrees they look like this :



Which rather neatly brings us onto Owls.

It finally happened. One of Mr Blues family decided to hang around in the 'GIANT KITTEN CAGE OF CERTAIN DEATH'. Pixel or Pix or Mr Pix proved the point and brought in a baby Mr Blue.

Dead.

Yes ... after all we have tried to do to stop him from harming the native fauna it seems the native fauna is determined to off themselves. I'm quite sure the victim in this case snuck into the GKCOCD, saw Mr Pix asleep, decided life was too hard, and forced his way into the mouth of our defenceless sleeping kitty cat.

Of course that's not true. He hunted it down like a professional killer that he is.

So what's the answer? Well can't get smaller caging, and no point in sticking shade cloth all over the enclosure since it would defeat the purpose. (Doing that would also defeat the porpoise as well, so just as well we don't have one. Plus it would be cruel to put it in a cat enclosure).

A bell on a collar? ( for Mr Pix - not the bird as that would just weigh it down). Unfortunately the Splendid Wren family are know for 'weak flying capabilities'. So they look pretty but are a bit slow on the flying part.

A natural predator to scare them away? Yes!

One suggestion is a fake cat. Hmmm - you can see the problem with that one. If a real cat isn't scary enough then a fake one would have to be ... well, weird I suppose.

A bird of prey is another suggestion. Yes! Let's try that. Anything is worth trying. First choice is a 'realistic looking owl'. Luckily we have owls that live at our place but I wonder if the wrens have ever seen them since they only come out at night. Still, my ornithology facts are sometimes a little lacking, so let me introduce you to Hooters - the realistic owl.



Yes. Looks like someone has painted skulls on his chest. His head realistically spins all the way around in the breeze. Just like a real owl.

I think it looks scary and Mr Pix thinks it's pretty scary too. He's filled with sand. (Hooters - not Mr Pix). Interestingly the Wren family have not been around this side of the house since. Could it be working or is it due to closing the window that lets some of the cool aircon out of the house that might have been attracting them?

I think it's Hooters because he cost $12 (about five British notes or something like one US $ at the mo ... well that's what it seems like).

We have a back up. Oh yes.

Let me introduce you to Falcon McFalconface.



We will put him into action if Hooters needs some back up. He's not filled with sand because A) he has no 'sand hole' B) he wouldn't be able to fly as gracefully as he is here.

So with luck we can still try to protect those 'stupid suicidal but amazingly pretty when not dead' wrens.

Pixel in the meantime just continues to do cat things like sleeping heavily:



Investigating old diving helmets ( he can climb in from underneath):



To trying to work out why his favourite attention seeking scratching area is covered with bubble wrap and fake fur rugs.



So, tomorrow we will cook our turkey in the BBQ. We could just leave it in the sun I suppose but where is the tradition in that?

We also have a floaty thing to try out in the pool. The box does look suspiciously small though.



Until next time - or the time before that - bye bye and Happy Holidays etc etc.

Pixel Palace complete ... ? (Bean)

So it finally happened. The joining of the 'very well made but with a few unique quirks' cattery enclosure to the 'very well made' professional house enclosure.

The cutting of the final mesh was done as Pixel looked on:



The idea was to have a step to aid him to get to the 'airway' run.



Turns out he didn't need it as he barged pass me to explore his new domain.:







Remember, this is a six month old kitten. His new measurement (when laying flat ) is the width of an average corridor.



He seems to enjoy it very much and thankfully is using the kitty litter tray out there. The gravel was supposed to be big enough for him not to dig into. It turns out that due to his massive freakish kitten paws he can easily dig down to the underneath chicken wire and proceed to pee everywhere.

To stop this a layer of chicken wire has been layered on top ... which was not easy to do when he was 'helping'.



All in all he is a lovely addition to our little household. Having said that, he is a cat. He will not be allowed outside. His interest in our back door has lead to the installation of a 'zap mat':



If he steps on this he gets a slight shock ( like static electricity on the lower setting). He has done it twice. Now he doesn't go near it. We however have been zapped several times. Still, it's a good ' wake me up' every now and then.

Speaking of electricity and kittens, here's a picture of our spring onions:



I actually don't want to pull them up after all the effort they've made.

Also, the weird 'alien tropical plant that 'do we really want it there' by the back door' secretly does this at night:



Sneaky heh?

I'm thinking of naming him Brian.

It's always a bit of a challenge to end a blog post neatly.

Well, that's how I find it sometimes.

Then I think why should they be ended neatly? I mean surely if Aristotle ca

Diary Days, Crops and technical measurements. (Bean)

When I was a lad at my first boarding school I used to keep a diary. Every year, although I think it might have been every term, I would get a 'Letts Schoolboy Diary'. It was very useful since I was indeed a schoolboy. I would mark out all the important things that would aid my education. Things like, holidays, half-terms, my, what I deemed as too few, exeats. The very rare film nights and finally birthdays. (Well, my own as it seemed the most important). Then I would carefully put the little pencil in the spine where it belonged ( the diary, not mine) and put it back in my tuck box. There it would sit being not written in forever. I would promise myself each time that I would be more organised or even just organised. Promises that I would write wise thoughts and useful notes to help me through my school days.

Now you may think Im going to say that that never happened. Well, you'd be right because it didn't.

These days we have things like blogs ( no you don't get points for seeing where this is going ... you do get some for persevering though) and like diaries I tend to ... well not do them very well.

That's a long way of saying 'My blog posts are further apart'. Luckily for me I can make simple things appear to be quite complicated. Lucky I say Because I hope it will keep my mind ... er...whatsit... you know...thingy... that complicated word ...

Focused - that's it.

So what's been happening? Well, I'm glad I asked because I've just taken some photos in 40 degree heat.

Tomatoes. Yes, we now have some. They aren't vines as such but sprawling 'look like I'm dying' variation.



(The bowl is put out each morning so they can jump in when they feel they are ripe enough. It works rather well).

We have sweet potatoes that I think may take over the world:



Also I am trying some seeds. Surprisingly they do better outside in the extreme heat than they do inside. Inside there doesn't appear to be enough light for them and they just go " Oh whats the point" and stop growing. They don't really die. Just do nothing on purpose. Outside, well, look:



What are they? Aha, well I have some little marker cards which I haven't used so it's pretty much guess work. Pak choi and radishes or beetroot ... maybe.

We have a new fig tree which is still alive after four weeks.

The Sturt Desert Pea is also still alive:



The eromophelia or aeromoffalla depending on how it's spelt is coming back after it's severe trim:



We have had a bit of rain so with the heat etc everything is growing extra fast. Which brings me neatly to the cattery build, which is growing at a slower rate. :



So far I have learnt that I should have done parts of it in a completely different way. Oh well. What you can't see here are the forty to fifty thousand flies that try to help out by crawling into my eyes and ears. (Well, four or five maybe) Still that's Outback 'Stralia for you. There be flies and heat and if you can't deal with it well tough! Actually going inside to the air con and a cold drink is usually a good idea.

So Pixel went to the vet. I went with him since he can't drive yet. Once I got him out of his carrier (oh we had fun with that process. The vet didn't look too impressed) he had his injection etc. He was pretty well behaved although he did act a bit annoyed later in the day. His microchip works and we noticed it had his date of birth on it. ( Well the paperwork not the actual chip) He's actually only five months old.

I'm sure he's bloody huge to be only five months. I mean how big will he get? We have a future panther here. I decided to try and measure him:

It was a little difficult since he can stretch himself out to forty times his normal size ... or not. He reminds me of one of those squeeze musical instruments. What are they called? Timpani - that's a drum I think. You know, piano keys and a squeezy box. Sound like an asthmatic duck. Harpsichord? No. Zucchini? No.

Accordion!? Yes that's it. Or Concertina? What's the difference? I've lost all sense of direction. Note to self: don't add lib when typing.

Oh yes. Stretchy cats.



...plus attacking the tape measure didn't help.

Anyway we will soon see how big he gets. Maybe he'll be like the seeds when indoors and just stop growing.

Not much else really ( well, lots, but not for increasing the boredom factor).

Oh, latest LEGO cards.

Sleep and suicidal fauna. (Bean)

Another blog pretty much still about Pixel as he gets used to sharing our lives. (Or are we sharing his?)

So he continues to settle into his new environment. He’s not as scared of flushing toilets, washing machine, vacuum cleaner, mop, fridge, car noises, gravel ‘crunch’ noises, anyone entering the house even if after 5 minutes, as he was. Which is good. As Al continues to work hard Pixel does a good job of sharing her tired state.

Draped over her...


Sleeping but still in contact ...


Sleeping close by and taking up as much room as possible ...


Meanwhile the cattery has turned out to be a success too:


For some strange reason though the native fauna seem fascinated by this ... well, let’s face it, a ‘cage of certain death’ for them if they were to enter it ... and it was full of killer kitten. I mean seriously, do I have to put up warning signs? Let’s face it that no one reads those anyway really.

Here’s a pic of a stupid wren ( part of the Mr Blue mob)


Here is a beardy (Aka ‘Bearded Dragon wanting to get slowly deathed’) Admittedly he cant actually get in but if he had wire clippers he could. Luckily I’ve hidden them. 

So apart from the suicidal fauna, Pixel pretends to help me unpack the grocery shopping:


We also got him a cat tower to climb/ scratch/ attack. Was he interested in it as it was being built? Hmmm:


I think the answer is a yes. Interested in it now it’s been built and isn’t new? Well have to see.

The posts are in for the extended cattery area. Now it’s just getting some timber to brace them into a square type thingy. Yes, I know no carpentry terms whatsoever. It’s not really important as long as it stands upright ... or at least 80% of it. Al and I were looking for timber in the chook pen this morning - it’s something we like to do occasionally although often we have no reason to. This time we did - it’s an incredibly action orientated lifestyle we have here.  We found a piece but then unfortunately Urma (one of our ancient chooks) got freaked out and escaped. (Not so much as ‘escaped’ but more ‘Quick! Run that way outofthedoor!’) She’s never been out before so it was quite an experience for her. Getting her back in was was very strange and confusing plus it also caused quite a lot of stress. I think Urma felt a little bit that way too.

After what seemed like half an hour but in actual fact was more like 26 minutes she was back in the chook pen.

Oh, and the piece of timber was too short anyway.

Still, you know what they say, “Never keep your timber in pen with chooks that have possibly poor eyesight”. At least I’m pretty sure I’ve heard that although I may be mistaken.

Er what else? Well, it’s hot and humid which tells me rain is coming. There’s just that ominous ‘wet feeling’ which is probably a very bad way of saying that.  ( Note to self: scratch the term ‘wet feeling’ when discussing the weather ... or food for that matter).

Plus the forecast says so.

Who's really in charge? Pixel update. (Bean)

Well, we are in charge of course. Adult humans ( kinda), we have control of the situation. Although the other evening we did find ourselves sitting on the floor of the corridor with Pixel. He likes that area and yes, maybe that's the first time we've ever sat there in 17 years - but we've been meaning to sit there anyway, sort of.

I suppose we do have doors opened and closed depending on his activity. Yes, we do sometimes mistake far off children noises, dogs, cars, chainsaws, planes, wind, as 'meows'. Again, that's ok since he needs checking in on. Yes there is tin foil all around the floor of the back door which he hates - so good yo keep him away from it. No we can't use the washing machine just yet. Yes I had to research this new fangled 'clumping' kitty litter. ( New to us anyway).

As I said, we are pretty much in control.

Anyway, here's one of the lads "chillaxin'".


And this is him falling asleep - no purring:


Oddly that's the opposite of  me because I tend to purr after I fall asleep. Al says that humans don't purr and that it's called snoring.

Interesting.

I told her that apparently Tigers can't sneeze. I also like to share interesting facts with her.

( I suppose I better google that fact. I have been known to get confused).

Pixel (and also a tree) (Bean)

Warning: This is waffling about a new kitten. It's probably like listening to someone explain a dream.  Interesting for the someone but not so much for others.

Now there are three of us sharing the house! Pixel, our newly adopted 7 month old kitten has had his first night here. After doing the paperwork and things at the animal rescue place we picked him up from the vet the next day. Desexed and microchipped. He meowed twice on collection and remained silent all the way home. He had his quiet place set up and there he hid. The drugs were probably taking their toll

Very early this morning a quick check revealed him standing on his carrier and very much wide-eyed. He purrs a lot. I mean really a lot. You can hear where he is just because he's purring all the time. Well, until he walks into a new strange room ( or one he's been in but has forgotten) then he lets out a confused growl before going back to purring.

So a very early morning for all of us. He's been eating, drinking and using his litter tray ( after a quick growl when walking into his room).


Anyway when he's asleep his purring stops and he is one very tired cat.  So are his owners.

Some shots from this morning.




I think he's quite big for 7 months so he might be huge later. Like a big purring tiger. He doesn't have access to all the house yet since the bedroom and upstairs is enough for now. His toys and things will no doubt be used later. ( Don't want him to get too excited after his surgery). Toys? Oh yes we've  got those:


... and some hiding tunnels.

He has a choice of beds and of course he ignores them completely. Where does he like sleeping? Upstairs in the dustiet place ever. Only tracked him down because of his purring.



Anyway, his cattery (first stage) is done. Interestingly he was butted his head gently against the locked cat flap a couple of times this morning. It's as if he knows. 

Speaking of cat flaps oddly reminds me of how our big lemon gum tree is shedding.

Yes, it waits until there's a nice SE wind and then decides to drop its wooden skin into the pool. I think it's twice a year it does this - maybe once a year? Who knows? Obviously not me.


Every time it does it I think that there must be a creative use for the bark. There isn't though. Not that I can think of. So instead it gets raked and cleared up into a pile. Then the pile seems to throw itself back into the pool again.

That's Lemon Gums for you. Known for their active bark.

I prefer purring though.  ( not me - but the sound of purring)
(Plus, see what I did there? Apologies for that).