"C" is for Cat's affected by Colour

Yes - you are correct, even cats are affected by colour!
Take this morning for example. Hercules was scheduled for a trip to the vet....or rather THE trip to the vet but he wasn't to know that.

I caught Big Boy & put him in Bizkit's cat carrier, the reaction was immediate;

"Hmmmm, Hang on a minute, this is pink....pink? Pink is no colour for a studly young male of my magnitude, what the blazes is happening here...is the woman trying to subversively emasculate me??"

"Uh oh - did I say 'emasculate', hey back up the truck, I know what's going on here!! I.Must.Escape.Now"

"That didn't work!! I'll try this. Must.Get.Out.Somehow"

"Ok, that didn't work either... maybe if I give her my pleading "Puss in Boot's from Shrek II" look she'll think of Antonio & let me out...."

The last two weeks have been interesting for young Herc! Long story - but he got rather ill & became literally skin & bone within a couple of days & could hardly walk. It was pretty darn scary.
A trip to the vet & we had to wait overnight to see if he had something deadly (Feline Aids or Cat Leukemia). Thank goodness it was neither & the verdict was either poisoning or an infection from a scrap with another cat over some female when he had been out gallivanting around at night.

The vet said he was full of hormones (I have another term for it!) & to keep him confined inside. Bring him back & get him neutered when he finishes the meds.
Easier said than done for an over sexed tom cat in Spring. So 10 days worth of antibiotics & a special diet (read: was spoiled rotten!!!) & he was fit as a fiddle. Due to his confinement the same can't be said of the house.


We knew he was feeling a lot better at 3am one morning when he decided to call out of my bedroom window & let the 'gals' know that he was available to give them what he felt they needed....HIM!
The rat bag kept up that racket most of the night & the following day decided it would be acceptable practice to mark his territory! (something he had not done until that point)
I could tell a lot more tales too about a certain young lad with the testosterone levels of an adult movie star.
Let me put it politely (cos I'm a lady after all!) - Big Boy & his family jewels were a legend in his own mind, & he felt his sole purpose on earth was to share the joy! He became a veritable Houdini!

Until then I had been having serious second thoughts about removing those impressive things, somehow it seemed almost sacrilegious & they'd had an indefinite stay of execution.

But this morning, feeling really bad about it still, I put him in the cat carrier & took him to the vet. Even the vet was impressed!!
I picked him up at lunch time by then he was Herculess.

Apart from a slight stagger when I let him out of the carrier - he doesn't seem any the worse for wear, the first thing he thought of was food! Typical!
After that instant weight loss too ;o)

Tantalizing Teasers of Colour

The sneak peek of parts of the beads for my totem progress! In fact I think I have made enough for two totems & I'm not entirely sure that the two slightly different styles work together.
Does that sound like an excuse for wanting to make two? You bet'cha!!

I love this 'thing' I made - it's wonky & really just a prototype of me trying to figure how to do something, but it will definately be included.

This is another first attempt at trying to work something out, an 'inspired by' bead if you like, again this one will also be included....unless I change my mind!

Another 'inspired by' bead made the day before a certain tutorial came out - it broke when I was taking it off the mandrel, although to be truthful I think I felt him 'ping' when I was finishing him off, so I wasn't too surprised by his disintergration. I have a distinct feeling that he will be glued together & become part of a second totem.

Colourific Wednesday

How good is your perception of hues, tones & shades? I never think too much about mine, & to be honest when it comes to putting glass colours together for beads I pretty much suck.....big time, unless I have specific instructions.
But that is just in beads - in everything else it is not a problem. Go figure!

Not to blow my own trumpet (well not too much anyway), but in fabrics, yarns, clothing & decor it is not a problem at all. In fact more than once I have been asked to consult on colours for peoples decor, & I've lost count of the times when I was at the Gallery that an artist would ask "what do you think it needs" when it came to an incomplete artwork that needed a touch of 'something more' to give it a lift.

Then there was the framing - I could just glance at an image & straight away go to the right mat boards, mounts & frames that would compliment it the best ... & there were physically thousands of choices in both tones & shades of every colour imaginable.

There is alsocolours as I see them in my minds eye - I once amazed a certain male by buying 20 meters of organza swearing that it was exactly the right tone to match the antique gold that was in my duvet cover..... I didn't have the duvet with me. I just knew.

So why the hassles with glass & beads? Is it some form of mental block - or perhaps that fact that so many colours seem to react 'not quite as anticipated with each other.

Don't mind me - I'm still just trying to figure it, but in the meantime if you have a spare moment take this 'Hue Test' that a friend sent me a link to a while back - it's fun, even if my perfect score the first time around made me wonder all over again just what is wrong when it comes to me & glass ;o)
FM Hue Test

(here's a hint - if you find it a bit tricky - squint!)

Colourful Fibers Spin my Wheels & a Sneak Preview

Well, they're are going to take a spin on a Kumihimo disk - so I'm not telling fibs!

I love fibers & textiles, especially colourful fibers & textiles. I buy them, I stash them away & I hoard them, occasionally I take them out & fondle them! The fact that 80% of what I have bought doesn't get used is academic! It will.....one day.
That, however, doesn't stop me from buying more, although I must admit that since glass I have been very well behaved...sort of!

This lot I shall happily blame on Jo - they were her discovery at Hands Ashford. Of course it wasn't me that suggested a trip into the country to visit the showroom of the creator of these wonderful hand dyed fibers last Friday. Jane's studio was a positive Aladdin's Cave of delightful colourful fibers & threads. Unfortunately we didn't get to meet Jane, but her wonderful husband Rob was more than willing to help us out & let us browse & buy.

If you are into fibers I can highly recommend a visit to Janes Van Keulen's website - there you will discover an array of hand dyed silks, rayon's, cottons & so very much more. Of course if you are hesistant about buying online, prefering to have a more 'hands on'experince - I will gladly offer my services as a personal shopper!

Additions to my Fiber Stash

Now for a sneak preview at a couple of beads that will be part of my totem....or parts of them anyway ;o)

Things that Float My Boat & Colour My World

If I had to pick the singular thing that has the most impact on my core being, it would have to be colour. Colour is the essence that all else that inspires me centers around.

Right now, in my corner, of the world I am enjoying looking at the bright greens of the new growth on the tree's.. that new fresh yellow green that gradually matures as the season advances into many rich deeper shades of green.



Colour is what attracts me to all else that inspires me, closely followed by texture. Perhaps that is part of the reason why, although I can appreciate the colours of the scenery & various landscapes here in New Zealand, I mourn the lack of interesting native animals & bugs. To put it mildly everything from our bugs to our birds are boring, dull, plain & pretty much totally & unequivocally uninspiring. Take the ugly giant weta from Thursdays post - what colour was it??? Brown - yep brown!! Case in point!

I wont even go into the fact that it looks like it fell from the ugly tree & hit every branch on the way down.

Now brown is ok is some situations - like as a background to orange...

The problem is I love all sorts of critters, birds, animals, bugs & ... dare I admit it even snakes. So here are a few colourful critters out of my inspiration folder that never fail to make me stop & take a breath, marvel at the colour that surrounds us on this amazing technicolour planet of ours... & of course want to travel to the places that they call 'home'!

All of this just goes to show you that even though the grass may not be greener - the animals are sure as blazes brighter ;o)

Freaky Friday Challenge... on a USA Sunday

Late again! These days sometimes I feel as if I'd be late for my own funeral.

Oh wait..... I will be!

This week Mallory had chosen "Sculptural Flowers" as the subject for the Freaky Friday Challenge. Check out her wonderful efforts here "Freaky Friday Challenge - on a New Zealand Saturday"

I have to admit that I didn't try very hard this week - it was busy & I just didn't get the chance to torch. However I did get the chance to do one of the things that has been on my wish list since long long after I started lampworking & that was to watch someone else torch!
So believe me peeps - I am not complaining!!! That in itself was a dream come true. I have always suspected that I may just have a couple of 'aha' moments when I finally got to watch someone else - & I did!

Jo & I tried to sneak in a quick torch session on Friday afternoon - but after one bead (Jo made a turtle for my daughter) my propane ran out!! Now if I had had a chance to turn on the torch the day before - I would have known this earlier & could have refilled my gas bottle. As it was it had to wait until after dinner to get refilled. So it was late Friday night here before I got to torch....and all I wanted to do was try some of the things that Jo had shown me!
I did manage to squeeze in a couple of (not very successful) semi sculpted flowers first though..

First on the list was my 'attempt' at my favorite poppy, the Oriental "Perry's White" (yum!) - well the real thing is yum anyway. What was I thinking trying to make a flower that in reality has translucent white blowzy petals - it just didn't work. Much like a flower out of water - my petals dropped!

Poopy Poppy!

Next something a bit easier - although I must admit that I had no idea what flower it was going to be ...until just now when I went to name the photo ;o)

Nasty Nasturtium

I knew there was a good reason I don't do flowers - I love them in the natural, but am happy to leave perfection to God & Mother Nature.

Now it was my turn to choose & announce this weeks challenge.....

This week the Freaky Friday Challenge is "Mixed Media Totems"

A wee while ago I came across Esty Member Julie Christie's fabulous Totems - a series of beads stacked vertically on a base of either antlers or driftwood etc. I fell in love with them!

When I was at the beach with Jo I found a nice piece of driftwood & upon seeing it the first thing Jo said was "that'd make a great base for a glass sculpture"....the next challenge was born!
So the guidelines for this challenge are:
1/ Something from nature as a base - driftwood, a gnarly piece of natural wood, an interesting rock etc
2/ At least 5 Glass beads to work in with the theme of the base
3/ Keep proportions & visual balance in mind

Boy - I'm making this tough on myself!

My Piece of Driftwood

Anyone else keen to join us on this one?

The Beads that Jo Made

A few of the bead that Jo made while she was here:

Huge Hollow

Lime Twist

Twistie over EDP

Dichro on Dark Silver Plum

Hotlips the Turtle

Rediscovering a City

One thing about entertaining a visitor from abroad is that you get to visit places that you don't often go.
On Wednesday Jo & I spent the day together just having a look around the outer limits of my city. What is taken for granted & possibly a bit passe (ok ... a lot passe) to me is something new to others. We started along the coastal length of the shoreline & progressed to the hills, where I tried not to scare Jo too much with my hill driving. Of course the weather just had to turn on a grey, overcast & very chilly day for us - completely unlike the day before when Jo was busy studying!!

Jo treated me to a delicious lunch at a restaurant called Sachmo's in Lyttleton, which is a port township over the hills from the main part of the city. We then spent the latter part of the day in search of a few gifts for Jo to take back for friends & family.

Another of the things about travelling around with a guest - especially one that see's through slightly different eye's & is looking for different things to what I am (most of the time), is that in an effort to help provide what they are looking for is that you stop in at places you wouldn't normally stop.

A Real Giant Weta

Whilst we managed to source most of Jo's requirements I thought that it might rather be pushing it to find a replica of New Zealand's giant Weta's....after all they are not the most beautiful of creatures. Who would want to create a replica of this critter afte all???
A last stop at the Canterbury Museum's Gift Store & voila! We found one!!!

However I also spotted something else in the Museum Gift Store & in light of my current slight obsession with balls , I picked them up for a closer look. Oh dear!!! Trying to stiffle slightly hysteric snorts of laughter I attempted to quietly show them to Jo (yes the poor lady has been subject to some of my commenst - hey, she has seen Hercules in the flesh so to speak!!!).
What next????

So many undiscovered things in this city of mine.

A Jump Back to Sunday & a Quick Catch Up

On Sunday we attended an afternoon tea for Sophie, hosted by My Aunt, Sophie's 'Nana', so that all of the family could catch up with her & hear how the rest of her trip through China went!
Oh..... & fondle the medals & oogle the car....did I almost forget that? No way!

It was a fabulous afternoon! A rather huge array of delectable food (as is the standard in these family get togethers) was accompanied some nice wine, tea or coffee & of course great company.
Of course Sophie was the same Sophie we all know - very chilled & not at all changed by all of the fuss that has been made of her acheivements (& what acheivements Soph! - you are an awesome young woman & we are all so very proud of you!!).

Right now Sophie is somewhat over being photographed every time she turns around. Can you tell? Actually I was really trying to capture the reflection of all the people standing around & admiring the car....honest ;o)

I got a ride in Sophie's new vehicle & WOW! What a great wee driver Sophie is - she offered me the keys, but I was a bit worried about driving that flash beauty, so I declined. What a wimp! It has a fabulous stereo & many other great features.

Ahh the medals!! Each medal has it's own presentation box, a beautiful red lacquered affair with a special insert that holds the medal in place. I didn't realise until later that each presentation box has another silk covered box to protect it - talk about great packaging!

The medals themselves really are huge ....& very heavy. The Gold Medals have an insert of White Jade (more valued & precious in China than the green) which of course adds to the weight. I can't imagine wearing four around my neck at once - mind you I expect with all the swimming that Sophie does she is pretty strong through the neck & shoulders - lol!

Plum Tuckered....

ahhh no - not really! It has been such a fun few days that I don't know where to start!
Perhaps it would have been easier to just keep up my blog on the day - each as it transpired. But hey... a girl has to have some down time.

I'm going to start with my day yesterday, spent with Jo! I don't know about Jo - but I had a fabulous time. I'm hoping that Jo enjoyed herself & wasn't too culture shocked by Christchurch, or didn't feel like she was in a relatively decent sized city stuck in a conservative time warp.

I picked Jo up a little before 10.00am & we headed back here. Jo was showing me some treasures that she had bought for me & we chatted about New Zealand & such for a while.
Knowing that Jo had visited the Arts Center on Sunday afternoon I figured I should complete her education in just how deprived we are of bead shops (& how overpriced the abysmal content of those we do have is) in Christchurch. So whilst chatting we decided to head into the City to see the other 'Big' bead store, before coming back & hitting the torch. Of course Jo was amazingly polite when we got there & resisted doubling over in laughter when we went inside.

It was a quick trip & after stopping just up the road at our local cafe for a decent coffee (something we both need in order to function!!!) & something to eat for lunch we were back home in good time.
Fed & watered we hit the torch - you know I can't describe how amazing it was to watch someone else torch! Jo works hot & very quickly - you can tell she is a dab hand at this! She talked me through everything she was doing & why she did it that way, while I stood looking over her shoulder. Of course I bombarded her with questions.

First she showed me how to make a hollow bead, then a twistie which she then applied to a bicone. Next was a pressed bicone decorated with the same twistie in a different way, a critter in the form of a white bunny rabbit with red toenail polish & then she showed me how to blow shards! It was at that stage that I remembered one tiny little thing that I had forgotten all about in my excitement.....to go & grab the CAMERA!


This caused me the most excitement as I seem to be shard challenged, but Jo showed me a couple of tricks & I think I just might get lucky the next time I try! Just look at that beauty - I didn't want her to smash it, it looked so pretty!

Talk about obsessed - I had to take the wee beauty outside for a photo shoot! Am I easily pleased - or what!

Last of all Jo made a bead using the shard bulb she had blown (& subsequently smashed - sniff).

After we were finished torching - we wandered up to the cafe for another coffee & some fresh air, before heading back home so Jo could show me how to use the Kumihimo disk & plate she had bought for me. After a demo from Jo on how to weave the braids, I had a turn & we talked about fiber & textiles for a while....always dangerous around me as I quickly found an excuse for another shopping trip.
Remembering that she wouldn't be likely to get a chance to go to the Hands Ashford Craft store (home of the wonderful Ashford Spinning wheels, looms & their fabulous acid dye range) I thought perhaps that warranted a trip before I dropped her back at her accommodation!

So off we went shopping again & found some fabulous undyed silk fibers. Now I go in that store quite often & am frequently found to be wandering through the wools & fibers fondling things, but I had never noticed these before - it took Jo's eye to find them, a wonderful potential for dying & then using in weaving & kumihimo braids, as well as for book binding & altered art.
Jo assured me that she wouldn't be able to get this sort of thing at home in the USA - so it was great to have a pair of 'fresh eye's' with me, especially ones that were capable of making quick price comparisons on some other fibers we were both interested in that were worth purchasing here too.

It was a fabulous Day! More than I ever dare dreamed of. Today we met briefly for lunch & tomorrow Jo has ended up with a bonus free day so I am going to show her some sights!

Now What Day Is It again???

Dragon Tears - Jo Hoffacker

I have just had the pleasure of meeting Jo Hoffacker aka Dogmaw Glass at the International Airport here in Christchurch! Check out Jo's blog when you have a moment.

Now I've known about this for almost two weeks - but I was just too scared to say anything about it in case I jinxed it & it didn't happen! Honestly!! I know that sounds silly - but to me here way down under, seemingly isolated from the rest of the lampwork world it just didn't seem possible that I would ever meet a lampworker from the USA on my home turf.

When I was alerted that Jo had started a thread on LE asking if there were any lampwrokers in Christchurch as she was heading here for an interview at the University of Canterbury - I was in there like a flash!! I couldn't believe it - it seemed to good to be true, or rather more like a dream come true.

Jo & I made contact & it transpired that she had a free day in her schedule & she was more than happy to spend it with me....torching!!! Tomorrow is that day. This has got to be the first time I have ever thought "Rock on Monday". Even though her transport from the airport was all arranged by the University - she was more than happy for me to pop out there & meet her!

As she came through the doors after clearing customs - I picked her immediately...the fabulous "Flame Dames" T-shirt was a great help! Poor Jo - she's lost track of what day it is, between transfers, a long international flight & gaining a day date wise, I'm sure she doesn't know whether she is coming or going!
I didn't like to take my camera to the airport, as I'm sure I wouldn't want my photo taken after a long flight - but Jo looked amazingly alert & fresh! I'll try to make up for that tomorrow ;o)

I have just got home after spending a little over 30 minutes chatting with Jo & I can't wait for tomorrow.
Just as well that I have Sophie's party this afternoon to keep me distracted from my excitement or else I have a feeling you'd all hear me squealing from there! ;o)

No Photo's of Jo sorry - but here's another of Sophie that I'd like to share - it was taken on her arrival back at school & the huge welcome that was put on for her - she's was also presented with her new car that day ....I'm told I'm getting a ride in it this afternoon! lol!

Freaky Friday Challenge... on a USA Saturday

I just had to do it....didn't I? There are many, many artists I admire & knowing that Ms M had the Jen Geldard "Ornate Series Bead Tutorial", I said c'mon Mallory gimme the brief & we'll make that our next challange....what was I thinking? I should have said "Hey Mallory - what say we take this outside the square & try base jumping instead of making beads?" - personally I think that would have been more successful! For me anyway :o(

So I planned & I selected glass & I had a nice picture of the bead printed out in front of me as a guide. Just on an hour later I had a bead that was almost like what I was looking at ready to pop into the kiln - so in it went. It was rather pretty - & it was a behemoth!! Kids than descendeded upon me - so I put off doing another bead that day. The next morning I got that solitary power consumer out of it's lonely night in the kiln( which I had remembered to turn of first - thank you!).......

There is a reason that this baby is still on the mandrel - the top is covered in crackes that will crumble into 100 pieces when I removed it - just take a look at the bigger version of this image.

Oh well, not to be deterred I embarked on another one the next night....Deb style. Got not even half way through & blew the power overload in the studio...off went the lights, the kiln & the oxycon cut out .....eeeeeeeeeeeek!!! My yells were heard in the lounge & out rushed MailleMan to the rescue!.... wearing a chainmalle cape of course :o)
Whilst I was frantically wafting the bead out of a pathetic propane only flame, he flicked the overload switch back on & back came my oxygen & light. I decided this bead was doomed - made it an organic oranate & finished it off.

I know, I know .....it's a little different. Then I figured what I thought the problem was - blue glass is unlucky! Yes, that's it - blue glass & I just don't get along. So I headed for a colour change - why hadn't I thought of that before.

OK - maybe it wasn't the blue glass after all. Possibly it was just a bad bead day, a little like a bad hair day... but not, if you know what I mean. This time the enamel went psycho & ended up places it had no right in being....& see that wonderful huge black space across the melted in stringer? That's where I managed to blow the largest chunk off the end....well, more like the bottom 1/3 of the bead.

Yep - base jumping is looking like a breeze after this challenge ;o)

These would have all been great 'bugger' beads!
Be sure to check out Rosebud101's "Ornate Series Beads" in her blog post about out "Freaky Friday Challenge"!

For now I'm off to bed - I've been at a wedding since 4pm - got home a little after 10pm & remembered I hadn't photographed the beads or done this.

Treasuries

Imagine my surprise upon looking at the Etsy Treasuries to see when it was next going to be open so I could try & snag one, to discover a yellow star next to one! That meant I was freatured in it!! YaY! Such a pity that it was only a few minutes away from closing when I realised - but I quickly commented & clicked anyway.

A letter to the Editor

In the rush of day to day life, the hustle & bustle of trying to fit everything we think we need to do in, we often forget that it can only take such a simple gesture to touch the lives of others - sometimes our presence is just enough & we don't even know it. Imagine what a smile or greeting to a stranger, when we have no idea if they are feeling lonely or a bit down, has the potential to do.

This was bought home to me recently when a "Letter to the Editor" that was published while the Paralympic's were on was passed on to me.

"Sophie changed my life"

Three years ago I moved here from China on my own. As do many new immigrants, I felt lonely & depressed.
One day I went to QEII to swim, and saw a young girl sitting there, resting. She was so beautiful I was shocked to see that she had lost her lower leg, but her face was calm and confidant.
Suddenly I felt so ashamed about myself. I was so healthy and lucky. Why be so easily upset by difficulties?
That day I went back home with a smile, and a descision to start a happy new life here.
Last week I read the paper and recognised the girl was Sophie, the gold medal winner at the Beijing Paralympics.
Thank you Sophie, for all the confidance and courage I got from you.
Nan Chen. Christchurch.

That Nan would pen a letter like that, something so personal & from the heart, to share in public just goes to show you how much even a simple gesture could mean to others.

Bugger - I Forgot to Post the Buggers!!!

No - really! I forgot to post my "Bugger" beads when I said I would - actually I even forgot about editing the photo's. Double Bugger! (In no way related to a double anything burger).

Such an adaptable word really.

Well here are my beads - nowhere near as innovative & amusing as Mallory's.
Since they were both a variation on a theme - they have surf related names (yes that program is still surfing around in my mind!).

"Bugger - his wetsuits fallen off and he's lost it in the waves" (Wishful Thinking!)

"Bugger me - the tide's out"

"Buggered cat - After a Night out Tom Catting!"

This is how I found Hercules (not less.. yet!) a little after 9am this morning .....yes, he is still intact, while I try to develop the parts he will soon be missing, in order to take him to the vet.
It almost seems sacrilegious to do it somehow.
There he was laying in the purrfect position in the sun, until I blocked in in order that you could actually see him in the photo - lazy, hedonistic wee bugger!

Freaky Friday - Things aint going my way!

"Freaky friday, things ain’t going my way
Everything is gone, my life is a country song
Oh-oh"
Remember Aqua? In case you don't check out the song on the music player to the right

Well I swore that I would never do this, but done it I have! It's all Mallory's fault too, Freaky Friday Challenge this week is base around the word "Bugger" & I just couldn't resist giving 'bugger' the introduction it ...ummm, deserves??

But I'm suffering badly from 'kid' brain this week.
Yes, in other words it's the school holidays here (AGAIN!) & like the Egyptians in ancient times - I'm inundated. Not the by the annual flooding of the Nile to help grow my crops, sadly, but by tweenage & teenage kids... suffice to say I'm in de nile ;o).

Anyway, now that I have my computer sorta' sorted, here is part one. The beads come tomorrow & I'm ashamed to say they are nowhere near the caliber of Mallory's Freaky Friday Challenge - "Bugger Beads".

Now I don't know quite how long I shall leave this up here - I really don't want the whole word to know how dreadful I sound, with my hideous Kiwi accent.
I don't normally wear a cap! But hey, do you think I was going to do my hair just because you guys were going to see me - nah! In truth I'm trying to grow it & I'm about this far I----I from getting it all lopped off again! It looks like a bad mullet!!

And, Mallory you have no idea what a challenge this was - it is the first time ever I have deliberately let myself be videoed - let alone posted it for all to see. Oh & perhaps you can tell I had problems restraining myself to 'bugger' at times ;o)

Which side would you choose?

I've just finished loading beads & descriptions to my Etsy store & my website. What a way to spend a Friday night - whatever happened to the days when I used to go out & socialise on a Friday??

I just thought I'd pop these up here before heading for bed - I honestly can't figure which side of the focal that I like the best!

HaPpY BiRtHdAy Ms M ~ Rosebud101

HaPpY BiRtHdAy Ms M
HaPpY BiRtHdAy Ms M
HaPpY BiRtHdAy dearrrr Malloryyyyyyy
HaPpY BiRtHdAy yo youuuu ;o)

Hey there Divine Ms M - I hope you have a great *mumblemumble'th* Birthday, fun filled & fabulous or relaxing & restful - whatever your heart desires.





Happy Birthday @ Comments101.com

Papatowai

Papatowai

I've been reading up a bit on ex-pat Kiwi Big Wave surfer Campbell Farrell, after seeing him on a local TV current affairs program a couple of nights back. What a hunk!.... oh & I liked his attitude too!
This bead is name after a place in the Catlins, South Otago - where there are some not to bad waves to be found - if you can get to them, & the tide is right, & the wind is blowing in the right direction .....

Bro aka Big Boy aka (you'll have to wait & see)

looks set to stay - well for as long as it suits him anyway. I do believe that he is a bit of a mercenary & will happily visit where ever there is food down & a warm spot to lay.

He's a free spirit & good on him I say! Yeah - I'm envious.
The maille man is calling him all sorts of mean names though (just jealous I feel!)

The other day he fancied himself as guardian of the knitting - & managed to leave hairs all over the couch - ick!

This morning he spotted Bizkit playing with her toy & batting the ball around, he quickly overcame his reserve of getting too close to her & decided that a good scratch of the scratching part was in order before settling in for the duration! Pleased to see he is ignoring her nagging.

Then off he goes for a wander. How could I have ever mistaken him for anything but a 'He'???!!

His name is Hercules - it had stuck in my mind after Ang had commented about his full name on my blog - but was used for a whole different reason!
A character in the kids book "Hairy McLeary from Donaldson's Dairy" by New Zealand author Lynley Dodd inadvertently popped into my mind when one of my sons made reference to a horse. One of Hairy McLeary's doggy friends is a Mastiff "Hercules Morse as big as a horse".... say no more!!!

Besides - it's an adaptable name - when he get's neutered he can become Herculess!
That's if I can bring myself to get it done.