Sunday, December 25, 2005

Merry Christmas!

Just a quick Xmas shout out to everyone! Have a great Christmas and remember to celebrate Xmas for what it really is. The remembrance of the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Matthew 1
22:All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet. 23:"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."
Luke 1

10:But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11:Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Salem's new roomy

Mr Jangles has been with us for over 2 weeks now. He is an incredibly gentle and mild mannered cat. And compared to our weird, quirky black monkey, he is an angel.

Only thing.

He will not stop eating Salem’s dinners!!!!

I’ve tried everything!

Feeding Salem something Mr Jangles is not accustomed to. Doesn’t work.

Watching them eat. Salem never finishes his food in one hit, so that meant I have to sit and watch Mr Jangles devour his, and than stand guard while Salem leisurely waltzes in and out of the laundry taking little nibbles at each go. ARG!

Smacking. Not enough to deter him…. Double ARG!

Feeding him more so he stays clear of the other bowl. Double whammy. He finishes his own huge dinner and continues on to Salem’s for desert!!!


I give up! Just have to secretly sneak snacks and nibbles to the little black guy for now.

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Brisbane shopping spree... oh .. I meant business trip...

I was in Brisbane for a couple of days for work and the last meeting for the day got cancelled.

Need I say more....

Here are my 2 new gorgeous dresses!!! And just in time for tomorrow’s Carlton Xmas Party!


Woohoo!!





Both pieces are from Brisbane designer Dogstar.

Saturday, December 03, 2005

Agave Attenuata

I fell in love with this obscenely exorbitant green life since I first set my eyes on Jamie Durie’s Patio design.

I had always loved succulents because of its sturdiness and determination to stay alive. So it’s only natural for me to fall in love with the Agave because of it’s reputed boldness and rich texture.

I had made many trips to the nursery but have never bought one back. They were either TOO expensive or …. TOO expensive.

The Agaves are extremely slow growing plants. A good size teenage plant will set you back (easily) over $80. And an adult, with its beautiful structured longneck stem, over $180!

On a recent visit to Dural nursery for a working bee day. I stubbled upon 4 baby Agaves priced at a cool $30! On sales at a cooler %50 off!

My two little crowning glories are now nested proximately at the 2 corners of my balcony. Now all I have to do is to sit and wait for them to grow up into a stunning garden feature.

Hmmm…. Let’s see…. 10 years should do it?!

Thursday, December 01, 2005

Mr Jangles

We have agreed to pet sit a friend’s cat while she’s away for the summer holidays.

I am a little apprehensive as to how Salem would react to this new four legged guest. So to help us to prevent a potential blood bath. Our friend sent us this article….

All I can say is… I hope it works!!! Eek…!!


The introduction to other pet cats in your home
If you are bringing your new cat into a home with other cats, keep in mind that there are diseases and parasites that cats can transmit to each other, and some of these are fatal. Before you bring a new cat into your household, take it to your veterinarian for an examination and stool sample check. Your veterinarian will be able to tell you what vaccinations your cat needs and check your cat's stool for intestinal parasites. Your veterinarian can also perform blood testing for feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Then you can bring your new cat home without concerns about compromising the health of your current cat(s).
Keeping the new cat in a quiet, separate room is especially important if there are other cats in the house. The other cats will quickly become aware of your new cat's presence. The cats will usually sniff at each other under the closed door. Do not be surprised if there is some initial hissing. Help the cats get used to each other's scent by rubbing a towel over each of them in turn. Feeding them on either side of the door that closes off the room the new cat is in is also helpful. They will start associating the smell of the other cat with a good thing (food). After a few days, take the new cat out of its room, put the old cat in that room with the door closed, and let the new cat begin to explore the rest of the house for a few hours each evening.
The next step is to let the cats see each other, yet still keep them separated. An old screen door or a piece of Plexiglas works well for this. Another option is to prop open the door of the new cat's room, just enough so that the cats can see each other and put a paw through, but not enough that they can get through the door. After a few days of this, try feeding the cats together, but at opposite ends of the room. Monitor the cats during this time, and separate them except at mealtime. Each day, move the food dishes very slightly closer to each other, until the cats are eating side by side. The idea is for the cats to associate each other with the pleasant experience of eating. It is not unusual to hear occasional hissing, but this should decrease as the days go by. If things do not seem to be improving, try decreasing their interaction for a few days.
Once the cats seem comfortable with each other, you can move on to the final step. Open the door all the way, allowing the cats to come and go as they please. Monitor them closely, in case they fight. Do not leave them alone for any length of time until you are sure they will get along well. Make sure there is at least one litter box per cat. This helps to prevent a more dominant cat from stalking the other and keeping him from using the litter box.