Camera Critters #73 Pet Pride Monty and the jigsaw

Both Winston and Monty like to see what's going on in the house. 'What are the humans up to now?' they ask each other and follow us around. Recently, I've been doing jigsaws. Every so often I revert to childhood and while away (waste) a few hours testing my powers of observation. I like to do them without reference to the picture on the box but Gillian prefers to study the picture. As she was staying with us recently, the picture was on show.

Winston likes to jump onto the jigsaw board, stretch his claws, sharpen them and then settle down to watch and eventually sleep. Monty leaps onto the jigsaw, clambers into the box of pieces and scrabbles around then walks across the partially complete jigsaw and lifts the blocks with his claws. After that he decides that he can do as well as the humans so picks up the pieces in his teeth. Eventually he lies down on the jigsaw making it impossible to fit any more parts.

We discovered three pieces were missing as we neared completion - h'mmm . . . MONTY!!!

To see more Camera Critters or candidates for Pet Pride please click on the appropriate title.

Many thanks to Misty Dawn and Tammy for hosting Camera Critters and to Bozo and his human for hosting Pet Pride.

The eternal triangle!

Foxy: C'mon, Dominie, let's play - Jenna's not looking!


Foxy: Oops! Spoke too soon!
Dominie: Mind where you're stepping, Jenna . . .



Foxy: She's gone - c'mon, c'mon . . .


Dominie: Jenna, Foxy's playing with me. No, we don't want to play chew the bone. No, no, we really don't . . .


Foxy: I'm not saying anything.


Dominie: Ignore her - she'll soon go away.
Foxy: . . . but she's my friend - you're my friend - I want to be friends with everyone.

Last evening Gillian and I were in the dining room and we were gradually joined by most of the non-human animals and Barry. The three youngest humans in the house were in bed, supposedly going to sleep. Foxy, Gillian's fox red Labrador was lying next to Dominie and they were playing very gently. Dominie chewed her muzzle and when she stopped Foxy pawed her to ask her to continue. Jenna was trotting around with one of her toys - she has a basket of toys and rootles through each day to find the particular one she wishes to play with, usually taking it to bed with her at night-time. Some days it's a ball, sometimes one of the cat toys (!) at other times a nylon bone. Yesterday it was a stylised red plastic bone. She walked across Dominie and Foxy several times as if she were pointing out her relationship to them both. We could hear her saying, 'Foxy, you're my friend and I play with you. Dominie's my friend and I play with you. You and Dominie can play with me but you can't play with each other.' It was the typical three-girl triangle!

There was no aggression in her activity - she was simply being aggravating. She soon stopped when she realise they were taking no notice of her antics.

The Jackson Factor

The late unfortunate Michael Jackson is in the news again – and again – and again. It would appear that UK news stations are determined to continue to exploit him. We think there is a phenomenon at work which we call 'The Jackson Factor'. It works thus – the amount of news coverage is in inverse proportion to the importance of any event. The highest Jackson Factor score would be 10 where news items of no global impact are given excessive/continuous exhaustive air time. The lowest score of 1 would be awarded to events of global significance that receive little or no media attention.

To illustrate the point take the example of serious life-threatening water shortage for millions of people. For many years the UN has warned that water shortages will become one of the most urgent problems worldwide in coming years. One estimate is that four billion people will be affected by 2050. India, with a growing population and increasing agricultural and manufacturing output, is facing huge problems of water supply in rural and urban areas. Climate change may mean there will be less rainfall in future. Northern India has experienced the driest season for more than eighty years; the monsoon is late and the people are praying for rain as they struggle to live through a widespread drought. Fights have broken out and murders have been committed as desperate people rush to fill vessels with water during the limited periods that water flows through the pipes. For example, in Bhopal, known as the 'City of Lakes', the thousand-year-old largest man-made lake has shrunk from 38 sq km to 5 sq km. The population, some 1.8 million, has had water rationed to 30 minutes' supply every other day since last October. That ration is now reduced to one day in three. Indore, not far from Bhopal, is rationed to 30 minutes' supply every seven days.

In the south Mumbai has had heavy rainfall and flooding but even so levels in the lakes have dropped, forcing the water supply to be cut by 30%.

This startling, appalling chain of events scores extremely low on the Jackson Factor scale. It fails to grab reporting honours for the following reasons: it lacks 'celebrities', it is happening in an impoverished continent not inhabited by Westerners, it has no spectator participation with the attendant thrill of feeling that 'your vote counts'.

Recent Michael Jackson UK media coverage scores 10. Calamitous events in Bhopal score 1. Casualties in Afghanistan, while not global, affect many nations whose military forces are engaged and receive very little coverage. Deaths are reported while large numbers of maimed survivors are barely mentioned. Civilian casualties in Afghanistan are rarely mentioned. Low Jackson Factor of ??

Can we expect or predict that this over-reporting of 'non-news' will continue in a downward spiral to banality? Are we seeing the end of serious reporting of dramatic global events that will affect us all? Has sensationalist celebrity reporting overtaken the serious business of presenting information on matters of international and global importance?

It would be interesting to know if this phenomenon is being seen in other countries around the world.

Winston’s short quick August blog update

Winston here . . . p'rrrrr, p'rrrrr . . .
Thought you'd like to know I'm supplementing my diet. Caught and ate a spider yesterday – bit peppery in parts but that'll teach Mrs H to restrict my food intake don'tcha know.
TTFN
(Note from Mrs H – if Winston's going to eat spiders I'll cut his food even further!)

Winston’s late August blog

Winston here . . . p'rrrrr, p'rrrrr . . .

Do you like my latest portraits? Mrs Human thinks I'm putting on too much weight but Mr H says I've got a lovely tiger tummy – it swings when I walk and even faster when I run don'tcha know. Anyway Mrs H says she's putting me on a diet. Monty's got a tiger tummy too but she's not putting him on a diet. Well, she started it the other day and Gillian laughed and said I'd turned into Hunter Cat coz I was prowling around by the conservatory door while Monty ate his chicken wings. Then I went in and had mine. It's all right – I mean, I'm not starving – well, not yet, anyway.

Gillian and Mrs H have been fiddling about with small bits of coloured cardboard. Someone must have broken something and they were trying to put it back together again. It takes hours to mend just a little bit. Anyway, they mended one the other day and they were quite pleased 'cept they said there was a piece missing and wasn't that a shame? Looked all right to me and it was nice and warm to sleep on.

Next thing I know Marnie's broken it again. Monty and me thought she'd get into trouble after all the time it took Gillian and Mrs H to put it together but they actually thanked her. Then Mrs H brought in another box of broken bits and they started all over again. There's a special board they put it on and it's just right for stretching my claws, then I curl up on it and watch them till I fall asleep. Monty's a bit of a pest though coz he likes to get in the box with the bits and scrabble around. Gillian's afraid he'll think it's another litter tray coz the bits make a rattling noise like our litter. Sometimes he walks all over the mended bits and pulls them up with his claws. I walk over them too but I don't break them. I only pull up the keys on Mrs H's laptop – only by mistake though.

Everyone's getting excited coz Gareth and Nina's coming at the weekend. They've been in Noo Yawk for two years in a place called Man at'em ever so high up and now they're coming home. There's goin'to be a party coz it's Kiri's birthday on Sunday – she's ever so old don'tcha know – fourteen. It's goin' to be a party for Eve too coz she was eight in July but they were busy packing up to come back so Mr and Mrs H kept her presents here. Don't know if the others are coming. I'll tell you in my next blog.

TTFN

Today's Flowers #54

French Marigolds (Tagetes patula) are brightly coloured daisy-like annuals and are easy to grow. They have a long flowering period and are useful in the garden for attracting insects and as companion plants for vegetables. They are believed to repel white fly and secretions from their roots kill nematodes in the soil. Yellow dye from the flowers is used to colour foods and textiles. In Asia leaf and flower extracts are used to stop nosebleeds.
'Marigold' derives from 'Mary's Gold' and the plant is associated with the Virgin Mary. Tagetes were brought to England by Huguenot refugees. They fled France after the St Bartholomew massacre of 1572 when tens of thousands of French protestants were murdered by Catholic mobs influenced by the French queen Catherine de Medici.



The name 'Pansy' comes from the French 'pensee' (can't place the acute accent on the first 'e') meaning 'thought' as the flower is considered to resemble a human face.


Thank you to Luiz Santillo Jr for creating this meme and for hosting it with Denise Gullickson, Laerte Pupo and Valkyrien.

To see more beautiful flowers please click here

SkyWatch Friday #58

Photographs this week were taken from the passenger seat of the car as Gillian and I drove from Berkshire to Dorset. We were caught in slow-moving traffic. Tom Tom informed us that there were delays just after we passed an alternative road - very helpful! We were told repeatedly that we were on the fastest route as we chugged along at 4 mph!



It was a pleasant sunny day and the sky was interesting. Despite the 'No U-turn' sign some drivers decided to risk it!
Beyond the fence there was a pig farm.
They had plenty of room to root around, adequate shelters and water and there were many crows keeping them company. Pigs need shade as they can suffer from sunburn.
It's good to know there are parking lay-bys ahead with public telephones. Cars overheat or break down and it's not always possible to get a signal on a mobile (cell) phone.

When we reached the turn off to Stonehenge we saw the cause of the traffic jam. There had been an accident on the opposite side of the road. Ambulance and police were in attendance and people on our side of the carriageway had been rubber-necking. Ghouls!

The traffic flowed freely thereafter.

If you would like to see other skies from around the globe please click here

Thank you to the hosts of this meme, Klaus, Sandy, Ivar, Wren, Fishing Guy and Louise.

Yet another butterfly

Yesterday, while hanging out the washing I saw a pretty butterfly ( . . . now haven't I said all this before on another occasion??) Anyway, it seemed to be taking its ease on a windowsill so I went indoors to fetch my camera and was delighted to find it was still posing helpfully so I took a photograph - well, I would have done but I'd forgotten to replace the memory chip after downloading to my laptop :-{. Needless to say the butterfly fluttered off before I could do the necessary. Muttering to myself I continued with the chores. (What chores? Gin and tonic please. . . . tada! . . . groan)Later on, Barry was walking the estate, camera at the ready, and took photos of a very pretty butterfly supping on the Candytuft - and it was the very same one I had seen in the morning, or at least a very close relative. I had no idea what it was so referred to 'Britain's Butterflies' by David Tomlinson which is illustrated beautifully with photographs, maps and drawings by Rob Still.

It is a Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) a butterfly that is very successful in the southern half of England. In recent years it has been gradually extending its range northwards. It is sometimes called the Hedge Brown because it favours shrubs and hedgerows. It lives in colonies of variable size and doesn't stray far from its community. It likes to rest with wings outspread in the sun.

Gatekeepers start to fly in mid-July with a peak of butterflies at the beginning of August. The flight period ends with the end of the month.

This particular individual is a female, already looking a little ragged on the hind wings. Males have a dark band of scales on the forewing - this is called the 'sex brand'. Although they are common and widespread they are vulnerable to intensive agricultural practices and removal of hedgerows.

Candytuft (Iberis umbellata) is a member of the Brassicaceae family, related to mustard. The name derives from Candia, the former name of Iraklion in Crete.

Camera Critters #71

There was a tiny spider on the conservatory the other day. Although less than 4mm it was a voracious hunter and as I watched it captured a small fly and proceeded to devour it. I don't like spiders generally but this one was so small and rather atttractively patterned.


It is munching the fly in the following photograph, difficult though it is to see.

On the Japanese Anemone a hover fly hovered . . .

A ladybird was busy inside the antirrhinum . . . (this is the only photo that will enlarge . . . no rhyme or reason to it!)

Thanks are due to Misty Dawn for creating this meme and to Misty and Tammy for hosting it.

To see more Critters please click here

Andrex puppy?

I think Jenna has her eye on a career in advertising . . .

Flower Power

Not only does Buddy Liver Spots enjoy brushing through and standing under shrubs and plants, he also likes smelling flowers. Lying on the sofa next to a table holding a vase of flowers he stretched his nose to sniff the Stargazer lily - beautiful strong scent . . . mmmmm . . .

Unfortunately, lily pollen stains so Buddy is temporarily a liver-spotted Dalmatian with a golden spot on the top of his head.

Willow Beauty

'Between our birth and death we may touch understanding,

As a moth brushes a window with its wing.'

Christopher Fry 1907 - 2005

Monty and Winston were highly entertained yesterday by a moth flying near the patio door. I thought it was a nocturnal or at least a crepuscular moth as it seemed to be seeking shadows in which to settle.The flash from my camera upset it somewhat and it just wouldn't pose long enough for a decent portrait! I later discovered it flies both at dusk and by night and this is when it mates.

To identify it I searched in books without success and then online on the Natural History Museum website where I found 'The Cockayne collection' which displays photographs of British and Irish buterflies and moths. There really are some stunning moths with very evocative names. Eventually I think I found this particular visitor's name - Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria). The antennae are feathered so it is a male - the female's antennae are plain.

Willow Beauties are very common throughout England, Wales and southern Scotland in most locations, including woodland, gardens and hedgerows. The female lays her eggs singly on vines and fruit trees and may produce up to 500. The eggs hatch in the Autumn and the caterpillars start to feed for a short period before hibernating in slits in tree bark or underground. They leave their winter shelters in April to feed on buds and leaves and towards the end of May when they are fully grown they bury themselves underground, just under the surface, spin a cocoon and pupate.

The adult moths emerge from July to August.

Winston’s mid-August blog

Winston here . . . p'rrrrr, p'rrrrr . . .

We were all up early today – it's like that sometimes, don'tcha know. It's been quite busy in a quiet sort of way what with Mr Human having swine flu and then a problem with his teeth yesterday. Turns out it was a dead nerve – is that what the humans mean when they say, 'He's got a nerve'? No? Oh well – he went to the dentist twice yesterday and now he's got some tablets to take – hope he don't get them mixed up with Frodo's anti-falling pills! That would be funny . . . No?

We had a laugh the other day. Monty acts so cool and laid-back and he was on the foot-stool sound asleep when he stretched and fell off. Mr and Mrs H had to pretend they weren't laughing coz us cats don't like looking silly. I laughed but it sounded like a sneeze so Monty's feelings weren't hurt. He wasn't so kind to me today – I was resting on top of some clean washing on a box and the whole lot fell down with me underneath it. (I don't know why the humans don't PUT IT AWAY.) I couldn't get out and Monty didn't help one little bit. Mrs H picked the box up and then Monty started a fight with me (they call it a rumble in Berkshire don't cha know) That wasn't very nice when I was feeling a bit fragile. Then we all had breakfast. Me and Monty had chicken wings and all the dogs had chunked beef heart. Me and Monty don't like heart much. It's not surprising really – have you ever seen a domestic cat bring down a cow? I didn't think so – our big cousins in the wild do but they'd prob'ly eat us too if they had a chance. So we have food that's kind of like the things we might kill for ourselves though Mrs H hasn't served up mice and rats and birds yet – well, only chicken. It's called' Pray model' – does that mean we have to say grace? Oh – Monty (clever claws) has just told me it's 'PREY' like what we hunt and chase.
Well, he might be very clever an' all but he hardly ever goes on the laptop and he don't blog like me.Mr Mr H took some photos of me blogging this morning. Mrs H had trouble editing them to leave out the untidy bits – I don't think she did a very good job. (I don't know why the humans don't PUT THINGS AWAY.) Ooh, Mrs H didn't like me saying that. She's muttering something now about Mr H and says she'll have to blog about it. She'll have to wait till I've finished though.

Gillian's coming later – goody – lots of cuddles and treats from the children. I s'pose that means that Tia and Foxy will be going home soon – pity, that – it's nice to have them around.That's all for today.
TTFN

The bat that flies at close of eve . . .

This evening we thought at first there was a large moth flying very fast around our sitting room. Too big, too fast - we couldn't capture it on film! Suffice to say our sitting room is free of insects . . . and the cats and dogs didn't react - obviously their sonar is not up to it. What a privilege though to have a bat flitting round our living quarters. This has never happened before - we count ourselves lucky to see an occasional bat flying overhead. Wow! We think it found access through the Velux window in the kitchen. (Note to self - have camera at the ready at all times . . . and learn to react speedily . . . ) My goodness, still thrilled (what a sad life I lead . . . ;-))

Pet Pride - Jenna waits

Earlier on Sunday morning Jenna was waiting patiently for her run. Her Labrador friends (Tia is just behind her) are spending their summer holidays with us so they accompany her and Frodo the Faller as Barry leads them through the forest on his bike.
Thank you to Bozo and his human for creating and hosting this meme.
If you'd like to see more gorgeous pets please click here

Shadow Shot Sunday #64

Animal, vegetable or mineral? Twenty Questions anyone?

Thank you to Tracy at 'Hey Harriet' for creating and hosting this meme.

To see more shadows please click on the logo

Camera Critters #70 Munch of the Caterpillars

Three Cabbage White caterpillars making short work of something the humans were hoping to eat. Sad to say - for them at least - they went to a watery grave to feed the fish.

Thanks to Misty Dawn who created this meme and to Misty and Tammy for hosting it.

If you'd like to see more Critters please click here

Invasion!

Great Britain has been invaded and can expect to remain occupied for at least six weeks. It's the Europeans again! Through the centuries we have suffered from assaults from Romans, Vikings, Normans – even the Germans declared intent to overcome but were repulsed before reaching these shores.
This time it is ladybirds that have marched or rather, flown into parts of Norfolk, on the East coast, and Somerset, in the South-West. The spotted hordes have swarmed in because of a glut of aphids that has resulted from the hot, wet weather. Cars, roads and buildings have been covered in layers of the brightly-coloured creatures – I didn't know aphids could be found in those locations – maybe the ladybirds know something the rest of us don't.
It is the most extreme invasion since 1976 though we always have some ladybirds flying across the Channel to holiday in these fair isles.
The name ladybird has been in use for centuries and was originally a reference to the Virgin Mary – Our Lady – because she was often portrayed wearing a red cloak.
The collective noun for ladybirds is a 'loveliness' and folk lore holds that they can predict the weather. If one falls off your hand that means it will rain but if it flies away the weather will be fine. Be careful, though, for they can nip. The intruder Harlequin ladybird has a more unpleasant bite that can cause mild skin irritation.
If a ladybird lands on your hand you may make a wish and then blow it away.
Unlike humans, who develop 'age spots' as they grow older, ladybird's spots fade as age. They live for just about a year but in that time will consume more than 5000 aphids, justifying their reputation as the gardener's friend. If plenty of food is available the female will lay more than 2000 small yellow eggs. These are laid in the same locations as their prey so that the developing larvae have a convenient source of food. However, they don't like cooler weather and will not fly if the temperature drops below 12.7c (55f)
The unfortunate human holidaymakers who have witnessed this influx may find themselves reciting the old nursery rhyme with some intensity:
Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home
Your house is on fire and your children are gone
All except one, and that's Little Anne
For she has crept under the warming pan.
Naturally, when I hunted in the garden there was not a single ladybird to be seen. I suppose they've all packed their bags and joined their friends and relations at the seaside.Common Seven Spot ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata) Image from Wikipedia

Monochrome Weekly Theme - only a rose

For once it will enlarge if clicked on . . . ;-}
Thank you to Aileni for initiating and hosting this meme.

Click here to see more monochrome photographs from around the world

Butterfly or Moth?

When I was a child I thought the differences between butterflies and moths were simple – butterflies flew during the day and settled with their wings closed while moths were nocturnal, attracted to light and rested with wings displayed. Then I discovered that some moths are diurnal. Apparently the antennae give the most obvious clues to the nature of the beastie – usually. Butterflies have long thickened antennae which are club or pin-shaped at the ends. Moths' antennae are comb-like or feathery. There are exceptions – some moths have clubbed antennae and some butterflies from central African forests don't.

The Large or Cabbage White (Pieris brassicae) is an exception in the bright world of butterflies.

Most butterflies have brightly-coloured wings - wing colour and pattern play a major role in courtship. Night-flying or crepuscular moths usually have plain colours – black, brown, grey or white. Females attract males by releasing a chemical signal. Additionally their wings may have swirling or linear patterns which serve as camouflage when they are resting during the day. Exceptions are the day-flying moths which have bright colours, especially if they are poisonous. Moths have a frenulum – a minute hook or bristle – linking fore and hind wings. Butterflies lack this feature – usually. There is an Australian Skipper which has this.

The bodies of butterflies are slim while moths have sturdier often hairy bodies. Moths tend to look quite downy because the scales on their wings are larger, perhaps because they need to conserve heat in the cool of the night. Butterfly scales are smaller and they can utilise solar radiation.

Resting butterflies usually fold their wings though they bask with open wings for short periods. However, the skippers often resemble moths in their resting position while moths may fold their wings when in confined spaces.

The Dingy Skipper (Eryynis tages) looks quite like a moth with its thick body and habit of resting with wings outspread.