HELLO JIJI #008

At home with two sleepyheads today.

I haven't done one on the little cat in a long while. She's a bit over four (just a good guess, we picked her up from the streets) and not so little anymore, but she still seems like a kitten to me.

Musings of a crazy cat lady.

I've also been so missing from this blog (sorry!). It seems that more and more I'm pulling out my iphone instead of my minolta or classica. Ah the quick and easy lure of instagram. A lot of my favourite photo blogs have been lying fallow for a long time too. I think I can understand why but truth is, I've really missed them.

Let's hope this is a good re-start to an old well-loved hobby turned lazy. 

Have a good one!

YAWN AND STRETCH

Good morning.

We're off for some exploring today, yipee.

BYE BYE SOON

A bit of a cuteness overdose perhaps, but the little guy's going home soon after 8 months and we have a nagging suspicion that we are so going to miss those black and white patches and that funny grumpy look on his face.

MR HOUSECAT

Doesn't he makes you want to laugh?

I've just realized that he looks really good in black and white because he is erm, black and white. Though effectively he's actually black on white because if you part the fur on the black spots you'll see white beneath, meaning his fur is bottom half white, upper half black? We've asked his parents but they don't seem to know too, it's kind of a great mystery.


Edit>> Ai san was nice to send me a link to help solve a bit of the black on white mystery. "... ...the way that cats' coat patterns are determined is like pouring sauce over white cats from on high." Now everytime I look at him I imagine someone having poured black sauce over him and I can't help giggling.

HELLO JIJI (& DEAR KIT CAT) #005

We have a guest cat in our home.

Kit Cat will be living with us for around a year while his real parents go on their grand tour around Europe. He's a rather easygoing cat and so far they've been getting along charmingly, what with chasing and pouncing and rolling together and friendly swatting, oh and not forgetting those wet nose kisses, it's really entertaining to watch.

His parents have an interesting blog on their grand tour, you can take a look here. I'll also be guest blogging now and then (basically posting photo evidence that their cat is still well and alive *lol*).

Jiji will be sharing her photo series with him from now on, and this is the cheesiest title I can think of, did you get the pun?^^

NEW GREENS

2 new plants for my bathroom. Indoor plants can get a bit tricky because of the little cat and we have to make sure to get ones which aren't poisonous to her. That's why recently I've become a big fan of sealed terrariums and hanging pots as they're sure to be safely out of her nibbling reach. 

I would really like to know their names though, anyone happens to know what plants they are? The lady at the flower-shop gave me names that don't turn up anything when I google.

OF NEEDLES & YARN

I'm laughing as I'm uploading these because I can imagine the reactions from my friends, "What! You knit?!" Yes my dear friends, I've actually known how to knit since I was a little girl in plaits, it's probably one of my best kept secrets *lol*

I picked it up again recently because I wanted coasters for my home but couldn't find anything I like, so I've decided to go DIY. For now I'm finding it terribly therapeutic, highly recommended for people with insomnia!

Edit>> The deer was a toy I picked up from Nara recently, can't believe that was last year already, do you recognize it B?

HELLO JIJI #04

I realized I've actually not introduced her properly yet, so here's 10 trivia.

1>> We found her when she was a couple of months old, leaping around at a construction site near our home. When we went near slowly she didn't run and hide like most kittens do. Instead she meowed a 'hello' and flipped over onto her back, wanting to play.

2>> We couldn't find a proper box, so she came home to us in a timberland shopping bag. She still loves paper bags now and you can hold the straps and carry her in one like you do groceries.

3>> The animal doctor we brought her to was surprised to find her a girl. Apparently most gingers are boys.

4>> She yawns at the specialty toys we get from the pet shop, but goes crazy over a leftover cable-tie or an old shoe box (we're not complaining).

5>> Her antennae looking tail is bent at a right angle, making her look like a fifth teletubby.

6>> She blends in perfectly with our birch and white home, prompting friends to ask if that was the reason why we got her. We like to joke that if we change the theme of the house we'll need to get another cat.

7>> Her favourite past-time include cliff-hanging from our window grills and dragging down clothes from the laundry line.

8>> She'll always greet us at the door when we're home without fail.

9>> She'll always give us wet-nose kisses and wake us up early in the morning without fail (we're complaining a little... ...especially on weekends).

10>> She's totally convinced that one day she'll catch a bird, even though our windows are completely mashed (we live on the 9th floor), so even after so long she's still crash-jumping onto the mash everytime a bird flies by.

In a nutshell... ...we're really fond of the little cat =)

HELLO JIJI #03

It's been a long rainy day and she's all curled up on our bed not moving. I would really like to join her... ...

HELLO JIJI #02

The little cat in her favourite box.

It was actually the shoe box of HC's new trainers. We had put it near the door so as to leave it out for the recycling collector the next day, but she was in it in 2 bounces and claimed it for her own. It's placed now facing the entrance so she could peep through the crack under the door at the activity outside our apartment, and she would play, doze or simply sit in it for hours.

HERE & THERE

Been messing around with the digital again and having quite a bit of fun. I went for the easiest targets, basically stuff hanging around at home, like the globe that HC had since young, the pebbles we picked up from Gotland, and a rather sleepy little cat.

Come to think of it, now that I'm spending so much time at home, I've been developing more and more stepford-wife tendencies. I mean, I've picked up cooking and gardening. I potter around the house, keep it clean, go about arranging and rearranging bits and pieces, buy household stuff, and enjoying them all immensely. I think it's about time I start sending out resumes.

Oh and in case I don't get to see or hear from you these few days, merry christmas! We're having some friends over and looking forward to it. I hope everyone's having a good time.

HELLO JIJI #01

To be honest, I haven't touched a digital camera in years. I kind of gave up on them after I "discovered" film and mechanical cameras. But recently HC bought a Panasonic GF1. I got it for him in Tokyo for half the retail price (!!!) and I've been playing with it with interesting results. One thing I've realized for sure, it's definitely more of a breeze to chase our orange cat with the digital (try manual focusing on a cat who won't keep still).

Sometime back I also got a gift in the mail (thanks B!), a book called 「かわいい猫が撮れる本」(How to get cute shots of your cat) and now with the digital I'm going to put the techniques in the book to the test at last! So here's the start of the series "Hello Jiji".

Edit>> Her name is pronounced as ジジ (as in "gigi"). She was named after a Japanese cat character in a Ghibli anime.