# 179: Relaxing

Biscuit has now been here 2 weeks and is much more relaxed as family life goes on around her. She has begun to favour particular places for curling up to sleep and has even let me pick her up and have her on my lap for a minute or two's fussing without any struggle, and been happy to jump back down. Last night she even slept at the foot of my bed for part of the night. Rosie hasn't hissed at her today and they have eaten side by side. Getting there... isn't she beautiful? Her coat is so smooth and soft now, and she 'chats' to us a lot as well. She's pictured here on the kitchen windowsill, behind the microwave, a spot she adopted without us noticing to start with! She is playful and affectionate and likes to be in my company if I'm home in the day, sleeping on the other office chair while I'm working.

# 178: Hot as hell?

Unlikely, but today was really hot - for England that is. It tipped 32 degrees in the early afternoon, and I'm not good in anything over about 22, and the aircon on my car isn't working, so I lay down for a rest before I went out for the evening. The room has a warm cosy feel due to terracotta red walls and curtains, and I was trying out a new lens on my Hipstamatic app in iPhone - Lucifer VI - which makes everything look hot.

Noise reduced with Topaz DeNoise plug in.

# 177: Bubbly

Celebratin' ;0)

The wallpaper started to go on the lounge walls today, almost sixteen years since we first moved here!

# 176: Love in a Mist II

A seed head.

# 175: Cobweb at the window

The old Church Hall has lovely stone mullion windows, and it seems the spiders like them too.

# 174: Cafe Exhibit

At Deda's Cube Cafe.

# 173: The Bride

This is Anna, she's a model - I attended a Wedding Photography Seminar presented by Stewart Randall. (Under that dress, on the end of legs that go all the way to the top, are some imposssible stillettoes!)

# 172: Pelargonium Variations

Variations on a theme: my favourite colour of pelargonium is red.

# 171: In the dark and the wet

Traffic lights.

# 170: Lily the Pink

Another bloom from the bouquet.

# 169: Jodie

Jodie. Enough said.

# 168: Yellow

I have been sent a beautiful bouquet. I wasn't expecting anything, so it was a lovely surprise. Don't you love that few moments between the flowers arriving, and then seeing the name on the card revealing who has sent them? They're from my first NILMDTS family, expressing grateful thanks :0) 

A cornucopia of emotions accompanies me in my NILMDTS journey which began with this first family.

I'll never forget them and will think of them often.

# 167: Face at the window

We can tell that Rosie is already happier for having Biscuit in the house, even though they are still staring each other out and hissing at each other, Rosie growls a little as well, but its all part of the ritual. Sooner or later, Biscuit will get a Big Wash, as a new cat in this household, once you've had your Big Wash, you're in!

# 166: Biscuit

We have a new cat in the family. Meet Biscuit, she's from a rescue centre, around 2 years old, and very shy and nervous. She is also beautiful :0)

We don't know what her previous owner* called her, so we settled on Biscuit.
*Dogs have owners; cats have staff.

# 165: Pretty Pink Petals

The flowers from Rosie's garden are still providing photographic interest ;0)

See 156 & 160.

# 164: Shark Bait!

An educator at ThinkTank in Birmingham - it wasn't a great white's jaw bone, but it was frightening nonetheless!

# 163: Heath Robinson measures

We have a leak from a roof panel in our conservatory and to have at least some of the rainwater wick to outside the window, I used a j-cloth wedged in place with clothes pegs. It worked until the rain became too heavy, then it began to drip off the right hand peg - see droplet - and when it rained heavier still we had to bring in buckets because it was dripping from the edge of the panel. We think the heavy snow last winter has damaged part of the roof structure so the long glass panel isn't adequately supported and has bowed, breaking the seal :0( This conservatory has been problematic, right from supply and construction!

# 162: Blue

Blue.

# 161: Little Insect

Tiny little thing, no idea what kind. I tried to photograph bumble bees but they were far too busy moving around too fast for me to focus. Posting this a few hours later while its raining heavily I wonder if that's the reason they were so busy, they'd seen the forecast ;0)

# 160: Love in a Mist

I love this plant, such a romantic name, and it has much to offer right from bud to seed head. Memo to self, get some for the garden.

# 159: The Directive

The Directive.

# 158: Paint the house red

The turquoise is finally history! YES!! Today red undercoat went on, tomorrow (weather permitting) the red top coat goes on - bright pillar-box in-yer-face sportscar red! It's been a long time coming, but it's finally happening :0)))

# 157: Poppy

I love big floppy tissue paper-like poppies. We had some like this in the garden when we first moved in to this house, but we lost them. I've recently been given three plants, and they're full of big fat flower buds. I'm hoping the seeds will take and we'll get more next year.

# 156: Flowers for Geordie

We lost Geordie today, or at least, he was run over sometime between yesterday afternoon and this morning. Fortunately, he was likely killed outright, and neighbours recognised him as probably being ours and let us know. Mark went to check, even took a photo with him to be sure. Later, one of those lovely neighbours brought us some flowers from her garden. And now there are two bowls instead of three :0(

# 155: One Trick Pony

Jodie rode Bonnie again today for her lesson. A couple of months in and she's doing really well. Today's image title refers to one of my favourite Paul Simon tracks, from an album that was largely underrated, IMHO. (We left in a hurry so I only had time to grab the compact - Canon Powershot A560, 7.1mp! It was this or my iPhone!) Edited in Ps with Nik Color Efex Pro again.