Cat’s Eyes

Of Lanius and Lulu

Lanius the Butcher Bird stood warden of the gate…… as any skoolboy who went to St. Custard’s kno this is not from Virgil’s Aeneid Book IX. In fact Lanius the BB, far from standing anywhere today has legged it as far as I can tell. Why? Because the sun has come out to play. The night was full of sound and fury but blew itself out and dry by morning. Lovely post-storm light could have made my shrike picture perfect. But no.

Roll call:

Red-Whiskered Bulbul? Sir!

Chinese Bulbul? Sir!

Magpie Robin? Sir!

Tailorbird? Sir! (NB: No relation to Taylor Swift as I understand it).

and so it went on until

Brown Shrike? …………… The silence of the Lanii followed. The birds all shuffled awkwardly and looked around, up and down, whistling gently.

Lanius? Where is Lanius Brown Shrike?

Er, sir, I think he went behind the fig tree, sir.

Nobody leaves this garden until Lanius reports for registration. Don’t snigger RWB!

Chinese Bulbul tried to take a half-chewed caterpillar out of his beak and throw it away.  Red-whiskered hid the fag packet he had been brandishing so boldly before I arrived. (Note for readers who may be concerned at this comment – fag is a slang English word for cigarette).

By 10.30 Lanius had not appeared and indeed has not been seen since. I however had to leave and escort Mrs. Ha and Lulu to the poodle parlour. Only Lulu was having her claws clipped plus a quick trim and brush up. Mrs. Ha’s turn comes on Saturday morning in prep for the wedding. Apparently there are 3 make-up artists and at least 3 hair stylists arriving at 6.30. In the morning. Good grief. And none of them is for me. My guess is that there is one each for Mrs. Ha, the bride and the bride’s sister, Cost Centre number 2.

We left Lulu in the tender care of Tracey of bDOG Tokyo. And a splendid job she did too. An hour later Luscious Lulu came out of the salon and my money went in. LL had had her photo taken and we were asked to give our consent for her to feature on the company’s FB page, presumably as Miss May or something like that. No pay, I’m afraid, but what a great career move for Lulu. She was returned to us sporting a rather fetching bow, which Mrs. Ha promptly removed. Lulu is not quite in the category of Boo for cuteness but she is close. Bows however are not needed to enhance Lulu’s natural beauty, with or without hair.

We discovered this grooming parlour a year or so ago. We like it because they genuinely seem to love the dogs. They had a rescue puppy there today that they are taking care of. It had been hit by a taxi. The vet had patched it up. Now it is being looked after in the shop and they had a donation box to help with the bills. I put some money in. I hope the pup finds a permanent home soon.

Whilst Luscious Lulu was being transmogrified we did a little shopping and I tried to grab a few photos. However carrying the shopping and trying to take photos don’t go well together. So here are just 4 shots from my morning shopping torture.

Easy RiderNewspapers for sale. Cat’s eyes Pumpkin and Taro

 

Now I back waiting to see if Lanius Brown Shrike returns before sundown. Watch this space.

There’s not many people know that…..

But it seems to be the case. My viewing stats have soared and I can only conclude it is because I have posted more frequently recently. So here I go again.

Tomorrow I am off to Singapore and I shall pack at least one camera maybe two. I hope I can find a little time to escape the meeting schedule. Today however it was just a regular stroll around the town. The temperatures are still warm at about 26 C but the humidity is falling and now stands at only 75%. This makes the hill a lot easier down and back up. The elevation is not great. I believe it is about 63m but the climb is quite steep and I have a bad leg and an even worse foot. I just can’t shake off the pain. I guess it is a trapped nerve but it has bothered me for months. If the answer is rest then that is not likely to happen for a while.

Halloween is almost upon us. I am not sure why a beauty salon would choose to join in the fun. Perhaps the ladies (and possibly gentlemen) of Sai Kung like a jolly good hairdo to scare their partners on All Hallow’s Eve. My memory told me there was a book about ‘deathly hallows’ or something like that. I was convinced it was Ngaio Marsh. But like a good blogger I checked and was embarrassed to find it was an H. Potter novel. I always confused J K Rowling with J R Hartley but tut tut, Ngaio Marsh, really….. quite absurd.

Pumpkin pedicures?

I think Pumpkin Pedicures is a much swisher title.

I always walk past the Tin Hau temple as I leave the new and enter the old town. I love poking around in the little alleyways and shops. I always hope for a new angle on something. Today the temple urns were burning joss sticks and the smoke was drifting gently across the courtyard. I crouched down to eye-level despite the complaints from my knees and hamstrings and managed just one frame before the grumbling brought me to my senses.

One shop in the old town always seems to be full of cats. Most look very thin and I suspect they are adopted strays so timid are they. One puss however lords it over all the others and lies imperially along the counter. What a fine moggy.

Imperial cat

I used minimum DoF on this and just tried to get the eye’s sharp. You judge how good my eyesight is as this is manually focussed of course, the Leica being a rangefinder.

And finally, a local relaxing in the sun. Shoes off, trousers at half mast (thankfully from the ankles up) and head cushioned by his bag. The sun has obviously caught his cranium over the years but he seems perfectly at ease with himself.

And that’s your lot for the day.

I now embark on a momentous week – my last full-time week in permanent employment.

This is what Our Gracie sang 70 years ago:

Wish me luck, as you wave me goodbye.
Cheerio, here I go, on my way.

Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye.
With a cheer, not a tear, make it gay.

Give me a smile, I can keep for a while,
In my heart while I’m away.

Till we meet once again you and I,
Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye.

TTFN as Mrs. Mopp would say. Tata for now.