Fun with my camera

Last week I had fun with my camera.. There's a feature called "Creative Shot" and this is what I used to photograph a yellow daisy and then Skabenga on the golf course; and later at home I snapped Chappy in the same box which Ambrose featured in his post yesterday.

A large subject is often cut in half! 

HAPPY MONDAY EVERYBODY! 

All the Hedges kitties today!

Hi Bozo and all Mum's blog readers; this is Ambrose. Today I have photos to post about all the Hedges kitties. Mum said it was OK not to mention the dogs as they had a big post about them on Aunt Eileen's meme yesterday. 

Mum photographed Unca Shadow dozing in a sun puddle 

I don't think Unca Shadow is interested in photos or blog posts!

My dad Ginger loves to sit on Mum's kist and look out into the garden

I like to sit on the trolley and look out of the other window onto the next door garden. I spend almost ALL day in that garden and I think Mum becomes quite frustrated when I don't hear her calling me to come home!

When I do eventually come home, Mum closes the Marquard Moggies in the sunny bedroom. Then cousin Tipsy is let out of his bedroom and may explore Mum's office and the garden outdoors

He's taken to resting in Aunty Chappie's box while she's taken over our Yoomen dad's easy chair in the office. Cousin Tipsy and Aunty Chappie aren't enemies as we are with him! 

Aunty Chappie loves boxes and posed (shyly) for Mum in the middle of these three boxes

Aaaah

Aunty Chappie is the only lady kitty in the house

For more cute pet posts, please click here

First real winter Saturday critter mix

This week I had fun capturing wildflowers, birds on the fairway; birds in trees and birds on the water as well as the odd insect on the doggie golf club walks.  I have photos of Skabenga and Eddy bounding across the course and our friendly dog neighbor lolling on his master's patio. 

I also snapped several beautiful flowers still blooming here in my garden, a resident fiscal, small flocks of canaries on my indigenous grass shrubs and visiting a resident and a small red [ant] visitor on the floor tiles. 

And of course, the moon...

On Wednesday 1 June, Grant and I were up at 3 am. It's wintertime now but we dress warmly. I have my regular winter pyjamas on with lots of fleecy underthings AND an army greatcoat over all this. We drove to the ATM to cash MIL's monthly old age pension. I've blogged about this before.  If we don't go early in the morning - and I mean early -  we end up standing in mile-long queues for ages during the day. If you're patient enough to do this (which I am, and which my DH isn't!), your turn eventually comes. As you watch, the screen could suddenly go black and you know the bank has run out of money. 

Mmm...

Hence the early morning safari through the sleepy town of Marquard.

As we drove home, I looked up through Grant's window and saw the moon. I hadn't brought my camera but no problem; as Grant parked the car, I grabbed it from my office, went outside and snapped away. Only thing is, Skabenga and Eddy, seeing me wield the camera, thought we were going walkies! 

Waning crescent; visibility 19%; age 26 days. 1 June 2016 at 3.15 am 

Waning crescent; visibility 19%; age 26 days. 1 June 2016 at 7.15 am

Sitting in a tree, over the water at hole 5, I once again photographed the Reed Cormorant

On the dam, the resident Little Grebe did a turn on the shimmering water as I clicked. The mid-morning sun (which is when we walk in winter) makes photographing nature quite challenging

A  pair of Blacksmith Lapwings kick up a merry fuss as we approach. I've wondered if they've laid eggs yet, but search as I may  - they lay eggs in a small indentation on the ground - I've not found the nest

The Blacksmith Lapwing's call is a piercing metallic "klink, klink, klink"  just like a blacksmith's hammer on an anvil

Meanwhile the dogs hurtled around the course with great abandon

Skabenga running towards Mum; Eddy is somewhere off the radar! 

Two choker-chain dog

Perhaps a concerned reader or an official from Animal Cruelty has noticed the two choker chains around Skabenga's neck: one normal and then quite a thick-linked chain. The narrow and lighter chain is on Skabenga's person [sic!] at all times. The thick chain is only slipped over his neck by moi, when we go out walking. I take it off immediately we arrive home. I found that with an adult four-wheeled driven 41kgs/90lb dog, I can't control him at all with the lighter links. Now we both enjoy the walks much more with a thicker choker chain! 

Some pretty wildflowers on the course.

A busy bee enjoying this flower

On the way home one day last week, I snapped our friend neighborhood dog resting on the patio 

I need to ask the street's canine's masters what their names are! I know all the humans but have more interaction with their dogs so we should be introduced! 

As we get home, step through the gate, I unclip the lead and slip Skabenga's thick-linked walking choker chain off. He bounds down the driveway, jumps into his large water bowl and splodges. 

Master Skabenga cooling off after the vigorous walk! 

A few days ago as he did this I noticed a fleck of white under one of the perennials. 

Shadow watching from the shadows as the mad dog splashes water all around! 

The abundance of summer rains ensured that my garden is still quite green and many shrubs are still in full bloom

I photographed our resident Fiscal Flycatcher perched in the Buffalo Thorn

My Hollyhock is flowering for the umpteenth time this year

Next to it, the lavender bushes are beginning to flower for the winter

From our entertainment area I watch the Black throated Canaries enjoying the seeds on my Setaria megaphylla. . 

Black-throated Canary has just landed on the Setaria (grasses) megaphylla

A red ant walking along the tiles in the entertainment area

 Of course I had to photograph it for Saturday Critters meme! 

I'm linking to Saturday Critters with Eileen here Do visit Eileen's beautiful blog filled with all things nature - especially birds. 

Happy Saturday to you all!