Into everything

Whimsy is into everything. Even blogging, as you can see. There are all kinds of things to rip and pull down. And jumping into the fridge as soon as the door opens - well, that's just too much fun. The aerial pounce on Tayoh,the older sister, is also a riot. How long does this last...?

Well, it turns out that kitty is a girl! So much for my attempts at sexing. Her name is Whimsy and yes, I am keeping her. Not a lost kitten notice in sight. The vet determined that she's probably 3 months old and is very healthy, coordinated and unbelievably confident. She tried to climb up my leg and has left me in shreds. Now where is that squirt bottle. ..
I tried introducing Whimsy to Tayoh and that didn't go very well. Tayoh is hissing and growling, torn by curiosity and loathing. The little one gave it right back. She's not backing down but is keeping a respectful distance. I suppose this will take a while for them to form some sort a relationship. It's just that I was hoping, unrealistically, that they would be instant friends. I was hoping for a Mabel/Brian response.

Kitten rescued from tree top

Yesterday, as I was walking home from an appointment, I heard a strange howling from above. I thought it might be a squirrel but lo and behold it was a kitten. He was terrified to move and I was afraid he was going to succumb to heat stroke if he didn't get down. I went home to look up some phone numbers for rescuing distressed animals but could find nothing. So I went back armed with a carrier and a long-armed reacher - the kind used after hip surgery. I thought I might be able to jostle him with it but it turned out he was at least 10 feet beyond the reacher. When I returned to him he was hanging limp from the branch and I thought he had died. So I started screaming and banging on the trunk of the tree and managed to rouse him. After an hour of yelling and coaxing, he finally came alive and started down the trunk backwards all the while wailing. I was able to catch him, put him in the carrier and head for home. He's now in the bathroom, isolated from my resident cat pending his FIV, FLE status. But he's so slippery that he's escaped a few times.
I shall watch for posters of lost kittens and if none materializes in the next week, I shall keep him. I really didn't want a kitten but this looks like some kind of destiny at work. I've given him tons of Tayoh's forgotten toys and he plays like a madman. I suppose all kittens are a bit mad. I'd forgotten that, it's been so long.

Claudine Hellmuth's Composition for Collage: Vignette

This week's composition was difficult for me for some reason. I find it hard to link together several different images in a meaningful and balanced way. I prefer to use embellishments such as flowers. And even then I was off the mark. This is the corrected version as suggested by Claudine.

Claudine's Composition for Collage

I too am taking Claudine Hellmuth's on-line class in composition for collage. She's such an excellent teacher and provides lots of examples and exercises. This picture depicts the 'high horizon' background/foreground and is the first exercise that I posted in the gallery. I'm anxiously awaiting Claudine's feedback. I feel like I don't know what I'm doing. Ha. What else is new....

ATC Night

Friday night marked my return to trading artist trading cards (ATC). I was new to the group of regulars who meet once a month at Bizzy B Stamp and Scrap (in Toronto)to trade their ATCs according to a designated theme. This months topic was 'things French'. Apart from being so welcoming to a newbie, each artist shared the techniques used in making her cards. Some very ingenious women, I must say.
In addition, Tony (the owner) graced the table with enormous red velvet cupcakes and apple strudel. Well worth abandoning the diet for a day. Of course, now I want more.
The following are some of the ATCs traded to me. I regret that my photography skills don't do them justice.

The Royal Wedding

Photo credit: Hugo Burnand, AP

Yes, I was one of the fans to get up pre-dawn to watch the wedding. And then I watched it again in the evening. I just love this picture with the kids. They were so adorable and well-behaved under the supervision of Pippa, the bride's sister, a beauty in her own right. Great dress though people were whining that the neckline was too low. Hmmm - grow up.
What intrigued me was the 'fascinator', that little bit from a hat that sat poised near the forehead of the ladies. Some were downright ugly. Take, for example, the baby pacifier on the head of Princess Beatrice. Joan Rivers called it an IUD. The raccoon eyes didn't help either.

Photo credit: US Weekly magazine

I'm given to understand that it is a religious tradition in the Anglican Church for women to wear a head covering while men must remove their hats. So when the Prime Minister's wife arrived sans hat, this constituted an egregious error. The invitation even stated that women must wear hats. Perhaps I'm overly critical.
It was a delightful escape from the woes of the world to pass the time watching this young couple (who are so obviously a 'couple')tie the knot.