new work...

I know - it has been quite some time since I was here... but I have some new work to show, so I hope you will forgive me.

I have been trying my hand at a bit of basket weaving with wire. This was my first finished piece...

This morning I decided I was going to give it another try, but on a smaller scale - for earrings. Not that that pendant is big - the basket is maybe 2 inches high and less than an inch in diameter.
But earrings... I made a 'frame' of wire and then began to weave with very thin copper wire (approx. 26ga). After an hour...

I had this... another hour of weaving...

and then another hour...

finished baskets. These are not quite an inch in length.

Finished earrings.

The kittens are doing fine...

and mama looks pretty relaxed - after getting a bigger basket to live in... but wait...

there's more.... another litter, oh my.... well, at least they look healthy and happy...

Wishing everyone a great Sunday and hoping the weather is better than here where ever you are!

new kittens

She did it again....

9 days old...

Random spring Sunday...

Just random pictures - enjoying the garden. Wishing all mothers and those who mother a very special day.

Finished pieces

I finished the prayer bead piece this week - an archaic kind of necklace. It is big, full of emotion and thoughts.

And the woodland necklace was completed - the focal has moss preserved beneath resin and drops of labradorite. The necklace itself is a medley of labradorite, prehnite, jade and forged leaves, one of which is part of the clasp.

I haven't any new kitten photos to share - there was too much going on this week and I didn't want another pic of sleeping kittens. But they are doing much better - we have finally found an antibiotic that can combat the bacteria we are dealing with; their eyes are no longer infected and they are soooo energetic... Their skinny mama has also put on weight, since the kittens are on solid food and is generally also in much better condition. I am still fighting the cat flu in two of the older kittens, but the antibiotica is also helping there, so I'm hoping we will be through this situation soon.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Sunday.

sad Sunday

Yesterday  - yesterday... my heart aches, I am devastated. Yesterday I witnessed one of the cats being hit by a car. The person didn't slow down, didn't stop, just kept going. No - I won't tell you any details - bad enough that I will never be able to forget what I saw. And no, it wasn't one of the kittens. It was Mr. Babysitter.

Well, while trying to keep my mind off what I saw, as I lay in bed last night - I realized I needed to express my sorrow in a constructive way. I decided to make something like a prayer bead. Don't know if that is the best term for it. I can think about that later. So, this morning, after feeding the cats/kittens; starting the fire to heat the house; I started work on this:

A piece of etched copper sheet, hammered into almost tube form, containing a piece of  handmade paper (with some words that have meaning for me on the paper) - sorry, I don't know who made it, it was a gift my husband brought home from a business trip to Australia - and a piece of dyed silk rod. Beneath are an Ethiopian prayer bead and one of the jasper beads I brought home on Friday. It is still a work in progress...

Wishing everyone a happier Sunday.

where we interrupt our regular program for kitty antics

 Awwww.....

All kids like toys - even kitty kids.  I gave them some toy mice - boy, did I make their day!

The big ones are washing up, getting ready for dinner...

Hope you are having a lovely Sunday, wherever you are in the world!

...looking out my back door

Well, actually, it is the front door. But this what I was enjoying this morning...

The kittens seem to be enjoying themselves hugely, after a large breakfast. I find their games surprisingly gentle - I remember my cats being much more rough when they were this size - and all the more surprising, given their fierceness during meals - growling, hissing, claws out, jumping in the bowl to defend it from the siblings... already they are much more steady on their short little legs.

Sunday flea market and feeling a bit under siege

A dreary, rainy, cold morning - 13°C (= 55°F) - I am not at all sure it is July. In fact, it can't be. Whatever happened to summer????
Well, I went to the flea market anyway - in my winter jacket. It was dreary there too. Rain came down in a steady drizzle. I almost had my eyes poked out by umbrellas and I saw lots of plastic foil covered over tables. Wow. Exciting! not.
But those of you that have visited here often know that I will not be deterred from finding goodies at the flea market. And I wasn't.

Bone beads and faux coral. The lady I bought them from says they are coral - but I am pretty sure that they aren't - too shiny and too cold to the touch. They don't feel at all organic; more like glas.

 More doll parts unearthed in Thuringia - some arms and legs.

The seller said these are from Tibet. Maybe. Although I would have thought Afghanistan.

These are wild boar tusks. So cool! And so big!!

I have been feeling as if I am under siege lately. This is what it looks like:

None of these are my cats. And then there are these:

There are actually 4 of them. But impossible to get all of them in one photo.  I 'hate' that I am a sucker for kitten cuteness. But then, even my husband is a sucker for kitten cuteness. 

None of these cats is a pet - they don't want to be petted, just fed. And they are extremely hungry.

It all started with one young cat - not one of those kittens, most of them are probably not yet one year old - giving me that I-am-starving-look. I have a character flaw - I can't resist a hungry cat. So I gave the cat some food. You know - one more cat isn't going to be a problem... Next thing I knew, there were five cats. Then seven. Sometimes even 10. Plus the kittens. And this is not counting my own 5 cats.

Now what do I do?

spring rain

 We finally received some rain - it has been quite a while since it really rained here and everything was way too dry. The early crops were already beginning to fail - seems there is a problem every year in spring now. Either too cold, hailstorms, too dry... it is always something.
But now we did get some rain - not enough - but we can still hope for more. Everything in my garden got washed and now it seems so incredibly green. And the spring flowers...

Alpine clematis

Columbine

Ferns look so fascinating when they unfurl

Seems like Murr finds them fascinating too. This is the little guy that has 'occupated' our house since early February. Apparently, he thinks this is his home. I haven't been able to trace any owners, so I guess now it is.

Aaawww - look at that face!

Sorry - no trip to the flea market today! I went to the airport to pick up Max. And now, he is on his way to Vienna. A busy time of year for him.

As for me - well I have been invaded adopted. Last weekend's weather did not only bring very low temps, but also a young cat, that apparently shares my views about cold winter weather. He has decided to live in my studio. My kitties are really not too thrilled about him. So, I tried to discourage him - honest. But will you look at that face?

My kitties are taking it better than I expected. But I am starting to wonder. See this 'nest' I have by the front door?

Well, today I caught Socks in there. I wonder if the stress of another cat in the house has been too much for her?

Well, I think she is just goofing around and enjoying the mild weather and sunshine. But I will keep an eye open to see if she's getting into the birdseed...

Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday!