Hidden Treasures.

I think I mentioned before that I am getting quite obsessed about photography. In a strictly amateur way.  I stumbled on a group of photo's on IG of something called 'Macro Photography'. It wasn't something I was that aware of before, I mean I'd seen it before but didn't really take much notice. But these photo's realy struck me.

When I got my Lumix I played around with the Macro mode and was absolutely smitten. I loved seeing things, ordinary things, from a completely fresh perspective. It was like a whole other world.

But then my husband surprised me with a macro lens for my iPhone. He does love a gadget, even vicariously. It arrived yesterday.

I'm going to digress for a wee bit now. We are both still under the weather a bit..Will this cough EVER go away?

 I had a meeting in town and we met up for dinner, Pizza Express. I love going out for anything either drinkable or edible. I get it from my gran. She always went for a cup of tea every time she went shopping. A habit I continue to this day. I get a wee thrill, even if it's a McDonalds or a greasy spoon, I still love it. I'm a simple soul.  My husband knows me well and will indulge me. I honestly couldn't face cooking so Pizza Express it was.

So as soon as we got home I was presented with my new lens. Its a 'Ztylus, Revolver Lens Attachment'.  Very simple and easy to clink onto the phone. The initial instructions were great.

After that it got a bit hazy. As in there was no other information. But You tube is an amazing thing, we soon (Well, I say 'we', really it was Mr M) found a review and after that I was flying.

This lens is better than the macro setting on my camera, at least that's my first impression.

The first pic I took was of the arm of my chair. A rather tasteful, muted, closely woven tartan cover chair (ahem). This is what happened.

We both almost recoiled in shock.

But it was getting a bit too dark and we were both exhausted and a had some stuff to do around the house. So I put it away until today.

Another wee digression, Archie is still wearing his cone of shame so requires supervision in the garden. No walks until we've had the all clear from the vet. Luckily I have a rather large rambling garden. So he's never bored and can run around with me to his wee hearts content.  He uses his cone to scoop up gravel and all sorts of stuff. I had to kiss a clump of carnations goodbye yesterday as he managed to dig 'em up and chew on them in the blink of an eye!  I've taken to having my coffee sitting on the front steps, sometimes huddled under a brolly, watching him.

So I let him play about me as  I played with my camera. Which may have added to the general fuzziness of some of these photos, he likes being the center of my world, does Archie! He's in for a shock after Christmas.

I contented myself with trying to get photo's of dew drops on the leaves.  It's not as easy as you'd think, even though it's been made as simple as is possible. But because you are taking pics of such small things every movement you make is amplified on the camera. A bit like shaky binoculars. I was attempting to take freestyle pics of plants which were moving in the breeze.  So initially I was a bit frustrated. But I managed to take some passibly good photos.

When I looked at them on my computer I could see how out of focus they were or just focused incorrectly, But that's okay. I think I'm going to enjoy practising.


I then spotted my old mossy garden wall, so off I went to see what that looked like under the macrolens.

It's a whole other planet on there. I caught pics of things I couldn't see with the naked eye. Little heart shaped funghi, tiny clumps of moss. Amazing textures and colours.

This world we live in is really a wonderful and spectacular place.

The thing I've found though with photography and with Instagram, is that so many people do take it rather seriously. I'm very obviously an amateur, I'm not trying to convey a message, find myself, tell a story or indeed present myself in any particular way. There's nothing wrong with doing any of those things in fact I'm wondering if I should, more to the point I'm wondering if I want to do that. I don't think I do.

My IG gallery is a miscellaneous collection of selfies, pics of the cats and dog, a diary of what I've been up to, including the cliched food pics, and some arty experiments. But then, I think, if you look at my gallery you'd find out a lot about me as a person.



Although at the minute it'll be inundated with close up photo's of my garden!!










 

The House of the Dreaded Lurgy

Well perhaps I'm exaggerating. Just a tad.

A teeny tad.

It just feels like we are all sick.

The cats aren't though, which is a relief. After an initial morning inspection of us, they just slink away only to be seen again if they want fed. Probably very sensible of them.

It started with me, a a sneeze, a cough and a scratchy throat and then BOOM! I was floored by  a cold that quickly found its way to my chest and decided to coorie in and make itself at home there.

My immune system is weakened at the minute so I was laid particularly low by this and for various reasons I am having to rely on the most basic of remedies.

I felt very medieval.  I'm all for a natural approach but this felt extreme. A beechams powder is a miraculous thing..but I can't. But it is all for the best and I'm sure will be worth it.

I'm actually nose deep in a Vick inhaler as I type. Try not to dwell too much on that attractive image, eh?

Archie, our Scottie pup. Has had his own fair share of drama.

A fortnight ago I found a wee lump on his cheek. Being the vigilant and slightly ( read - very) overprotective dog mum I am, he was promptly whisked off to the vets. She made lots of reassuring noises, aspirated the lump and we were sent home with a weeks course of anti-biotics.

Then Archie started to sneeze and he got a doggy cold! Complete with a runny nose. So we had a Snotty Scottie!!

Back to the vets. I fully expect to be invited to their Christmas night out at this rate!

Told to keep taking the tablets and just monitor him. So we did.

He was miserable and did get much better but was frustrated as I kept him away from other dogs. He loves a good play does Archie!!

A week ago the results from his wee lump came back. They were weird results for a pup. Looks like he has lymphoid cells where he shouldn't. Very rare.  His lump was getting smaller, but the lab still recommended removal. Louise, our lovely Vet suggested we get him in for his castration and get the lump removed at the same time. We're trying not to worry too much about the results, as the worst case scenario is going to be heartbreaking.

But as anyone who knows me, knows I have a talent for worrying. A gift, if you will.

Upshot was that we booked him in two days later.

We swithered over the castration part. It seemed like kicking him while he was down, but it was the safest time as he had to go under an anesthetic anyway. I'd rather he had one op than two.

And to be truthful, he was getting a wee bit..ah...hormonal? I was begining to feel a bit sorry for his cuddly bear! A touch territorial and tiny mysterious puddles of pee were appearing in strange places.

As Mr M had to take him to the Vets, he reported that as they were waiting to be called, Archie, very matter-of-factly, pee'd on Mr M's shoe.

Talk about nipping behaviour in the bud!

 He returned home wearing the 'cone of shame', all groggy and feeling betrayed and just a wee soul.

Mr M and I felt terrible.

Then the next day Mr M came down with the cold and chest infection I did. The three of us were miserable together.

Archie's now hit that stage where he's full of beans, hating his buster collar and demanding a lot of attention. Amusing himself by trying to collect our hankies, used or new...whatever he can get his paws on. He's not that fussy. I have no idea how he gets them, but he does!

We are not full of beans, we are like two washed out rags.  working our way through Netflix and taking turns to make hot drinks.

I can't help thinking a Scottie puppy is like two other puppies. He's so sneaky, clever, quick and adorable and seems to be everywhere at the same time. But is a lot of work. It actually took two of us to put him to bed last night. He doesn't like 'bedtime' and runs and hides. It's really the only time he is out and out disobedient.

If I'm wearing a long skirt he actually hides under it! which is so sweet. But makes it easy for me to catch him.

This time next week, he'll have all his stitches removed and be free of the 'Cone'. Hopefully Mr M and I will be back to feeling much better so I think a day at the beach or somewhere else he loves will be in order!

Oh I do like to be beside the sea!

It feels like Autumn is here already. 

In many ways it is. It is my very favourite time of the year. I have never gotten out of the habit of seeing Autumn as a time of new beginnings. It's my Birthday soon so I think that contributes to my habit of starting new resolutions, hobbies and the like around this time.  

My new love appears to be amateur photography. It's easy to get hooked in this era of Instagram. I am an addict.

It all started with my OU course last year. I had to take photo's of my work and actually be imaginative. That struck fear and a sense of dread into my heart. 

I started using Instagram as a tool to practice, because goodness knows I needed to practice and I love it.

There are so many really talented people out there. I find it so inspiring. I am also in incredibly nosy individual and IG offers a peek into so many lives. 

I like I can post something and then come back later with a fresh eye and critique it. I like that friends and family can get a wee glimpse into what I've been up to or what Archie's latest escapade is. 

I love seeing photo's of the mundane right through to the spectactular..... and it makes me smile when some folk get quite snobbish about it all.   Decrying the person who loves selfies or taking pictures of their meals. 

With the arrival of Archie and forseeing the need to record events happening in life, we took the step of investing in a fancy schmancy camera. Mr Mimosa's idea really, he's been trying to buy one for the last few years but other things kept cropping up. The one he chose (I always let him pick gadgets, it's a gift he has) is a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 a bridge camera.

To me that means there's lots of buttons and dials and things to click. I was a bit daunted to say the least. 

However slowly but surely I'm getting the hang of it. My IG feed is busy. 

But as I adore beaches and will go to one whenever I can, that means lots of beach photos....

and shell photos.....

and seaweed (with the occasional jellyfish) ...

and of course, adorable little Archie.....

All in all it's been quite a summer. I think I can sit back and think it was certainly a summer I'll never forget, but one that turned out extremely well. In fact pretty perfectly. 

I can only hope that Autumn will be as good. I'm already gearing up to go searching for photogenic golden trees, leaves and forests!

Timey whimey.

It's been rather a long time since I last posted. 

My only excuse is that it's been a mad time and  possibly the best of times. One of the many wonderful things that has happened since I last posted is that Archie arrived. 

He careered into our lives with a bang! A little black, scruffy whirlwind and it's been non stop ever since.

I got every bit of the chaos I longed for. 

 He did a fair bit of sleeping at the beginning. In fact  he had two settings. It was either full steam ahead or sleep.

There has been many firsts.

His first bath....

 His first selfie!

Not to mention digging his first hole!

He's grown an awful lot!

And had quite a few adventures....

So all in all it's been a busy few months.

Archie seems to be a typical wee Scottie. Stubborn, resilient, mischievous, loving,  playful, clever and downright adorable. 

He loves apples, being rubbed on his tummy, mysterious bags, barking at strangers and hates the rain.

It's been a whirlwind so far and I can't see that ending anytime soon.

Thankfully.

Waterbabies and cats.

Tumshie

There isn't that much in life I enjoy more than a bath. I really am a water-baby.

I decided to have a long relaxing bath last night.

However no other living thing in this house likes me to have peace and quiet there. Mr M often pops in to chat to me. I don't ever like to say 'go away' as he wouldn't listen. He sometimes needs attention like I need chocolate.

But the real problem is the cats. They just detest it. 

Betty

The lock on the door is a bit dodgy so I only lock it if Mr M is in as I don't fancy being locked in the loo all day.

So the two cats have worked out that if they push and push against any door in this house it'll open. If not they'll wail at the door till we can't stand it. But the way they persistently and relentlessly try the door is unnerving and not a little creepy.

You know that bit in a horror film when the murderer is trying to get in and the girl is trapped in a room and the tension mounts till you can't stand it, till it's broken by her screaming and close ups of splashes of blood?

Well, it's a cuter version of that. No blood.

They got in. The next trick is that they ran to the side of the bath and stood on their back legs looking at me assessing the situation.

Both of them obviously felt I need rescuing.  I suppose in a cat’s mind the question is “Why on earth would anyone voluntarily steep themselves in water. Evil stuff. And that woman gives us food. Therefore get her out of there at ONCE’

If I make eye contact they start to wail again, usually at that point I'm shouting at Mr M to come get them.

That night I was on my own...so they had a quick confab and decided on a plan to rescue me.

This usually involves them getting onto the edge of the bath an operation that isn't as easy as it once was. No one in my house is as young as they once were.

So after a few failed attempted with lots of cat grunts and scrambling feet and a few bulging eyeballs. They finally arrived, a bit disheveled and panting. But triumphant, as they are now precariously balanced on the edge.

If I was a crueler woman I would simply push them off at this point. But I just rearranged the towels on the books on the chair beside the bath in the faint hope they'll just sit and have a wee cat nap. Ha! It sometimes works.

Not today.

Instead of having a nap they sat cheek to cheek and stared at me. Obviously trying to think of what to do next.

Ever been stared at by a two cats?

There’s that word again…

Unnerving.

Especially when you are naked and they are both primly turned out and buttoned up.  You feel a bit wrong footed.

Another conflab and they decide I need more persuasion. So they patted my cheek.

Pat.

Pat.

But I was equally as determined so ignored them.

It took ten minutes before I shouted and splashed water at them. This just got a sympathetic look. The water had obviously got to me. One went down to investigate my toes that were peeking through the bubbles.

As she 'investigated' with her claws, I yelped and pushed them both down.

Firmly.

Two secs later they were back. They'd now got the hang of the bath marlarky.

I gave up....this was the least relaxing bath I've ever had.

I'm now in the living room and they're sound asleep on our bed. 

Wave a camera in their general direction always makes them change position.

Ignoring me. Completely ignoring me.

Feline mission accomplished.

Archie's Blanket.

My mum came up to visit me yesterday and we were chatting about Archie. Mum is a big dog lover and loves to give advice  (as most Mothers do). She suggested that I take a jumper of mine down when we pick up Archie so he gets to know my scent.

I thought this was a good idea but I decided to go one further and crochet Archie his very own puppy blanket.  Any excuse for a crochet project really. 

I decided on stripes as I've been deeply into a giant Granny Square WIP for what seems like FOREVER.  I'll show you that sometime, although you can see it on Instagram. 

I also felt that he's suit something red. So I ended up with red, cream , pale blue, beige and after a wee bit of thought and advice from some IG followers I added a darker denim blue.

Mr M had a night out last night so was a wee bit hung over this morning, so we went out for some breakfast. When we got back I was itching to carry on with 'Archie's Blanket'.

I spent the afternoon crocheting away. and it's grown quite a bit. Doubled in size from the photo above in fact.  

I also drank quite a few cups of one of my favourite teas. Black Rose from 'Coffee, Chocolate and Tea'. A wee specialist shop in Glasgow.

It's a loose tea, which I quite like as it gave me an excuse to break out this little chap.

Isn't he sweet?

He's called Mr Tea. A fancy Tea Infuser. I'm amassing a bit of a collection of these.  I tend to do that with things I like. 

You basically pull his trousers off, fill them with a the loose tea of your choice and let him wallow in your cup.

He looks VERY happy there. 

I was a bit sorry to take him out, so I balanced him on a bowl and he looked decidedly less cute.

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend?

Spring equals new beginings.

I wonder if I can remember how to do this?

I have an urge to start to blog on this forum again. My reading list here is HUGE. I am a bit of a 'Blogaholic'. Well a 'Blog lurker-aholic'!

I have a few good reasons for wanting to blog. The main one is that we're are getting a PUPPY.  You should be able to see a photo of him here somewhere. I'm not great with technology.

But isn't he just gorgeous? He has my heart already.

He's arriving home hopefully within the next two weeks. 

I really would like to have a wee place where I can record hm growing up. I didn't really do that with my two cats (Tumshie and Betty) and I regret that.

So our puppy will be called Archie and he's a wee Scottie pup. Which I believe means he will be full of character and utterly adorable.

I expect this blog will be full of Archie antics.

What else?

Well, the blogs I follow tend to fall into several categories. Crochet, fragrance, home and  make up. I'm no expert in any of those things. I doubt there will ever be a tutorial here or indeed any entertaining reviews!!

Some blogs are just so visually gorgeous. I just feel brightened up by looking at them and it will be good for me to learn to do that. I'm sure this blog will be prettified soon.

I also adore Instagram. I am a huge fan of that. It's already taught me quite a lot about looking at the world. I try and upload something everyday. It's a good quick diary. Feel free to check out my feed here! http://instagram.com/katmimosa

I have a diagnosis of a fairly rare disease called Systemic Mastocytosis. It affects me in all sorts of different ways. I'll be using this blog as a way of sharing that and perhaps spreading a wee bit of awareness about it.
 

Thank you for reading and have a lovely day!!!