Tag Archives: garden

RDP Tuesday: Garden

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Wolfe's Bane 13.10 (1)

Morticia and her husband Dracky had at last found the perfect house, It was in a ravine where the suns rays only reached them for five minutes at midday. Otherwise it was permanently in shade. It did not bother them so much as they were usually sleeping during the day.

The company that sold them the house was glad. It had become a white elephant, although it was built from dark granite stone and the window frames, as well as the door, were painted in black. They could not remember who actually built the house, it was at least 300 years old, but there were rumours of a religious sect.

Dracky and Morticia had found the perfect place. It was quiet, on its own and at last Morticia had a garden. She planted her favourite flowers, wolfe’s bane. Even her pet wolf loved them and would lay for hours in between the flowers, breathing the heavy scent. At last a place where they felt at home. It reminded them of their castle in Transylvannia. Unfortunately they had to leave as there were too many tourists since a guy wrote a book about his experiences there and then they began to make the films. There was no peace during the day for a good sleep. The film crews were noisy and had to be fed. The crews left in the evening, somehow they did not feel so secure.

Eventually an American millionaire bought the castle and now does mystery tours, during the night of course.

Now they were happy to have their own cosy house in the shadows and a garden. After the neighbours pets began to disappear after visiting their garden, they had no contact with the local people – just perfect. And the local blood bank was happy to deliver to the new people in the neighbourhood. Dracky and Morticia were the best customers for the blood with the “use by dates” that had expired. Every morning they retired to the cellar to their coffins and slept the sleep of the dead.

In the meanwhile Morticia was happy with her new plants, stinging nettles. They made such a wonderful tea.

Stinging Nettle 05.06.2017

RDP Tuesday: Garden

Something is moving in the garden

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Tabby

Actually Tabby, the feline that owns me, is now moving in on my own private Angloswiss space, she has her own page at Cat Chronicles, where she writes her own contribution daily, with a little help from me, her human slave.

Every evening after the human evening meal where she waits for a few extras from our plates, she sits in front of this window which is in front of my desk where I write my prize winning suspicious blogs. I go to my desk and she is already there, just staring out of the window. I usually raise the blinds during the afternoon, but keep the window closed. If I opened the window to let her out she refuses to go and remains just sitting. Slowly the evening approaches and light begins to fail. I now only have the light from my computer screen.

I do not dare to make light in the room or close the blinds as I know it would be a feline catastrophe, a destruction of her concentration.

What does she see that I do not see? There is no visible movement in the garden outside the window, it is too cold for buzzing insects. There must be something there to attract her attention and concentration. Perhaps it is a gathering of the ghosts of felines passed. Perhaps her litter sister Nera and apprentice Fluffy float by from the eternal corn chambers in the Kingdom of Bastet to say hello, how are things in the nine lives? I don’t know and probably never will, but Tabby is there every evening, same time, same place.

The flowers are flowering

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Anenome

Yes they made it despite the fact that they were already sprouting leaves in December. I planted the anemones in October last year in a new flower bed I had constructed, thinking what a good show that would be. When the leaves were growing wildly in January I was sure that the flowers would be killed by frost before they had a chance, but no: spring is arriving and so have my anemones.

Anenome

There is also a mauve anemone, or is it violet, in any case it is a different colour. I have the promise of some red ones as well but they are still buds.

Crocus

And, of course, the crocus which I also freshly planted last Autumn, they all made it. I am now awaiting the arrival of the grape hyacinth flowers, but they have decided to make the grand finale and are keeping us all under suspense.

It certainly brightens things up when the flowers arrive, although my birds are now a little disappointed as Mr. Swiss removed the bird feeder at the week-end. He found it was time that they searched for their own food. This afternoon he was bird watching, turned to me and said

“Am I imagining it, or are our sparrows overweight. They seem to have such large bodies, quite round.”

I think it was when one flew over and his wings cast a shadow over our complete garden and our cat ran for safety, that he got a bit nervous.

Mowey, our automatic lawn mower, was 10 minutes late today on his schedule, but Mr. Swiss was sure there must have been a power cut somewhere. Mowey completed the job, but only in 20 minutes instead of the 30 minutes. We will have to keep an eye on him to make sure he is not sleeping on the job.

Actually Mr. Swiss has left me this evening for a meeting in connection with investments to be made where we are living. It seems the house front will be painted, but there are people with more money than brains that would like new windows and new blinds, and there is talk of a makeover on the entrance to the garage. There will be a discussion and all being well Mr. Swiss will return home after 2 hours if they meet an agreement. If they do not reach an agreement, there might be arguments, perhaps a fight, and even a headline in the newspaper. Of course not, we are civilised people and not competing for the president of some great nation over the pond.

Good morning

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This is just a quick one, I do not often do it.

garden

It is 8.30 a.m., just finished breakfast, checked through my computer and was ready to begin the household chores and then I glanced out of the window. Ok, I glance out of the window every day, but today it looked good and made me feel good. The sun is shining on our garden. The garden was put into shape yesterday with the furniture and my little ornaments and I just thought let’s share the day.

It looks like it will be a good one, warming up during the day and inviting me to sit outside in the afternoon. I just thought it was one of those moments to be savoured with a photo. Spring is here, or at least a good part of it is on the way.

It’s Spring Again

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First Spring day on the porch with dinner 2

And about time too. After Winter threw its last snow showers sometime during February, it gave up and left, although there were some remains in the shape of temperatures below 0°C during the night and white frost covers on the grass in the early morning. Now the time has come to think about enjoying warmer temperatures outside. Even Fluffy our blind feline makes the most of the spring weather.

The trees have been cut ready for the new outgrowth and there are even signs of crocus in the lawn. I was surprised because this lawn is completely new and only arrived last year some time in summer. The solid was renewed but it seems that the crocus bulbs retreated to a secret place as if to say “you won’t kill us off that easy” and they have returned in their full glory.

In the bottom lefthand corner you see the top part of one of our patio chairs. Of course there is a table and four other chairs to match, as well as two sunbed chairs. You never know, I might even dare to show my shoulders and legs to the sun, in the hope that their usual shades of Mediterranean brown will return.

Today was the first day of the year that we ventured to eat lunch outside in the fresh air. OK, I managed to find a knitted jacket, my son was wearing a pullover and Mr. Swiss was wearing long sleeves. It was a simple plain lunch of veal breast slices in a cream sauce and saffran noodles and I must admit that the noodles were not the usual fresh from the saucepan warm temperature, but who cares. We survived and we did it all outside.

I am now writing this memorable blog outside in the full sunshine whilst Mr. Swiss is playing with his iPhone. I am in a dilemma. shall I lower the sunshade which would mean blocking out the ultra violet rays of this memorable day, or shall I continue to squint my eyes against the glare. I think I will continue squinting. The days are not long enough up to now for an eternal sun glare and due to my enlarged nose I avoid sunglasses. It turns my nose into something resembling a snowman carrot nose.

Yes, the golden sun is slowly sinking into the West, and our neighbour opposite is preparing her vegetable patch for Summer and probably installing protection from the four legged felines that invade from time to time. She does not like felines, she hates felines, and would probably organise a shot gun if it were not for the fact that I am an outdoor person and permanently have her under observation.

And here another prize winning photo of the first crocus in the garden, complete with bee waving to us all and being proud to appear on my blog.

Early spring crocus

The Daily Post: Cupid’s Arrow 2 – Who is this cupid guy?

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Write an ode to someone or something you love. Bonus points for poetry

Orchid

Cupid shot an arrow
It was two years ago
I wrote about it then
To tell my tale of wow

I do not feel like writing
an ode to anyone
I have just been in the garden
Cutting trees, it was not fun

Mr. Swiss was helping,
he was also not so keen
We chopped away at branches
I felt so very mean

’Twas then I saw a flower
It was blossoming so well
A crocus had survived
so yellow and so swell

Cupid did his best
to compensate for pain
My back was hurting and my feet
But a crocus was a gain

The ground was wet and soggy
There still was snow around
It was cold and mucky
but I was safe and sound

Because the work was done
I sat and drank some tea
and then I turned my aching neck
An what was it I did see

Last week there was a bargain
Mr. Swiss went to the store
He brought home a lovely orchid
For me and him and more

My pain it went, all misery gone
An orchid smiled at me
I forgot the trials of writing a blog
And drank my cup of tea

Daily Post: Cupid’s Arrow 2 – Who is this cupid guy?

Daily Prompt: Think Again – I paid a hitman to kill it

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Tell us about a time you made a false assumption about a person or a place — how did they prove you wrong?

New Back Garden

I paid the hit man and planned the assassination in every detail. It all began as a harmless idea. I wanted a pampas grass in my new garden about 15 years ago. I was younger and naïve and was sure it would be the crowning glory of my lawn. I visited the supermarket garden department. Supermarkets are always the cheapest. I found it in a corner, nothing special, a few grass stalks, but what was not could easily be. I took it home and placed it in the garden.

“What is that” said Mr. Swiss

“A pampas” I answered proudly.

He shook his head and found it looked a bit stupid.

Fast forward just five years: Mr. Swiss was becoming worried. He found the pampas was growing, spreading taking over. I did not agree. I was proud of my pampas, and in the second winter after he moved in he had produced five long spears of fluff. Over time I discovered that in Australia they reproduce and cast their seeds everywhere. They are even regarded as a weed to be ripped out as soon as their fresh shoots appear. Mine never spread its seeds, but over the years we had a layer of pampas fluff over the garden through winter. To be quite honest, I was a little worried. The earth was not so deep and I imagined pampas roots destroying the roof of the garage which was underneath the garden. “No worry” said a gardener I knew. “They do not grow deep, they just spread.” Yes, it did spread and after fifteen years it was wide. In the middle it was empty and our Tabby cat would often sleep in the middle. Our other cat used one side of it as a marking place which eventually caused the grass leaves to disappear and on a hot day it was not a pleasant smell.

I was of course proud that it was now producing regularly about 20-30 feather ears annually. Of course a certain amount of work was involved in spring to cut it down with the electric cutter, sweep the remains away and tend to my cut fingers from the sharp edges of the grass.

One day we decided to have the garden renewed and to take revenge on the pampas. In the meanwhile I was convinced it was possessed and was planning to take over my garden, my apartment and the village. It was the only pampas in the village.

In the meanwhile I had discovered there were two mounds beneath the pampas which suspiciously resembled ant hills. Unfortunately I forgot this when the gardener arrived to remove the pampas, but no problem for the gardener: he cleared the pampas in thirty minutes. When it was gone you would not have known that it was once there. We were all happy and the gardeners continued with their work, flattening everything, removing our old lawn, which resembled more a field of dandelions and daisies, and preparing for the new replanted grown roll lawn.

Mr. Swiss looked at me as if to say “I told you so” and I must admit he did have the gift of prediction on the day the pampas was planted. However, 15 years later it was gone, killed forever.

We were pleased with our new look garden. Two days later Mr. Swiss and I were sitting on the patio enjoying our evening meal and the view on the new green weedless lawn when I saw something move in the opposite flower bed. No, it was not something; the whole edge of the flowerbed was alive, teaming with insects. I took a step nearer, yes; it was the revenge of the ants. They seemed too small to be the normal average black ant, but there were millions, fast moving ants, some with wings and flying (OK, perhaps not milliions but it looked like it). Would we be eaten alive by an invasion of red ants, injecting their poison and our bodies covered with red lumps? I decided to take action. I had no time to consult Internet. I boiled water, at least two litres and poured it on the active ants. Then there was silence, no movement, all was still and then….. Yes I saw at least ten ants still alive. I poured another jug of boiling water on them and all was still. Afterwards I read in Internet that baking powder was quite good. They eat it and explode. I decided against this method as I did not want exploding ants in my garden.

The next day Mr. Swiss visited the supermarket and brought home ant killing tins. They are filled with attractive ant poison. The ants take a walk in the tins through the doorway and cover their little feet in the poison. They return to the nest and hopefully say “Hello Queen Ant” spreading the poison all over the nest. Within a day or two the ants are dead. I distributed four tins in the ant infested area. In the meanwhile a Facebook friend told me that a bottle or two of acidulated water (you know the fizzy mineral water) poured into the nest kills the queen because it removes the oxygen. A day later I tipped three liter of fizzy mineral water over the place where the ants were. This was a week ago and since I have not seen one single ant, just a few firebugs, but they are OK. They bring some colour into the garden.

So there we have it – my false assumption was that a pampas grass is really something to make the neighbours envious, but they were probably laughing when they saw it. She will be sorry one day, and we were. However, we killed the pampas (and the ants) and now have a normal average garden. Of course you want to see the finished product, so here it is.

The Finished Garden

Daily Prompt: Think Again – I paid a Hitman to kill it

Daily Prompt: 190 days later – I made it

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Back on January 21st, we asked you to predict what day #211 would be like. Well, July 30th is that day — how have your predictions held up so far? If you didn’t reply to the prompt at the time, is this year turning out to be as you’d expected?

Predictions – so if you follow this link you will see what I wrote 190 days ago. I found it a stupid prompt then and still do and find this prompt the superlative of the original prompt. Since last writing I am still alive, but not all. My chief feline Nera decided to go to the eternal corn chambers and accompany Bastet on rooting out the mice in the feline happy hunting grounds.. I did not want that to happen, but it did.

As you can see from my blogs I am still here annoying all with my deadpan humour and trying to make the most of life and daily prompts. I am still waiting for an opportunity to order an XXL WordPress t-shirt, but forgot to mention this in my original prompt on 21st January. Can someone supply the link please?

New Back Garden

The blackberries shown in my first blog, really did disappear from the garden forever. They do not even try to reappear on the surface in the lawn. “What lawn?” you are asking. Yes, even the lawn has disappeared but this is a pure coincidence. Yesterday two gardeners arrived and scraped the remains of the lawn away, together with some slimy patches of dead slugs that were disintegrating from the salt I had spread on their munching bodies. The new lawn will probably arrive beginning next week. We have had a lot of rain and it was not possible to deliver at the moment. I am having a ready-made lawn delivered as it it not certain that if I grow a new lawn it will not be devoured by the eternal hungry slugs. I have even planned on Fred, a lawn mowing robot. As soon as the new lawn roots itself into the surface and begins to grow, it will have a daily cut by Fred who will even recharge himself when the power runs out, but more to this exciting novelty later when the new lawn arrives and has happy roots in the garden.

Although when re-reading the last paragraph of my original blog it seemed I had a morbid future in view.

“The computer was shedding light on the surroundings, it was breathing, its fans cooling the inside coils and circuits. There was a half empty glass of water on the desk and a half eaten doughnut lying next to the mouse pad. The blogger was slumped in the chair, a hand stretched towards the keyboard, and a finger resting on the letter “z”. A glance at the screen did not show a “z”, it was a blank black screen, a screen of death, until a white sign began to creep across the terminal as if guided by an invisible hand. Yes, the death of a blogger left many open questions.” TO BE CONTINUED ON 31ST JULY 2015 (perhaps).”

It was not so tragic. There was a temporary power cut and thus no power. At the same time I had knocked over my half-filled glass of water and dropped some doughnut crumbs. I had to slump on the chair to wipe it all up with a paper handkerchief I found. This was a difficult job. “Z” on the screen was just a coincidence, it could have been @ or §, or even ¢, according to where my fingers had roamed. If your fingers remain on a key because with the other hand you are mopping up wet doughnut crumbs, the letter will repeat itself until you have collected whatever you are gathering with the other hand.

Anyhow here I am, living my usual golden oldie life, which is currently quite stressful. I have had quite a bit of logistic work to do, but together with Mr. Swiss we have mastered most of it. On Friday of all days, it is 1st August. If I say it is a Swiss 4th July I think you get the hang of it, but we are not celebrating independence. We only had a couple of disagreements about religion in Switzerland, otherwise it is a country with the bits and pieces of of Europe that were left over after everyone else took their chunk (Geography according to Mrs. Angloswiss). Now and again Switzerland acquires a new member. The last was the Kanton of Jura, which decided to split from the Kanton of Bern. The country did not grow larger, it just became more complicated.

Anyhow this 1st August stuff does not suit me on Friday. All the shops are closed, everyone walking around with a Swiss flag and kids with patriotic paper lanterns, lighting fires on the mountain tops and listening to a few speeches from the local mayor in town. As I do not shop every day, due to other womanly chores, I had to plan it all very carefully. Now we have barricaded ourselves with food to last until Monday. Mr. Swiss volunteered to fetch the remainders tomorrow morning. If this special commerative day had been on Sunday, it would have been more convenient, as the shops are then closed in any case and I would not have had to plan meals in advance.

So if the bloke/guy in the WordPress t-shirt has no further ideas about predicting what will happen in the future (and my future grows smaller day by day) I will now come to a close. See you all tomorrow on the flip side – I hope.

Daily Prompt: 190 Days Later – I made it

Weekly Writing Challenge: The Ray Bradbury Noun List Twist – There are fairies (and slugs) at the bottom of my garden

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For today’s challenge, try a twist on a technique Ray Bradbury used to beat writer’s block.

Your mission is to write a new piece that includes at least five nouns: Garden, grass, slugs, cat, salt

New Back Garden

Today was the day. I am having my back garden revamped. Everything is planned for an early morning start, Mr. Swiss confirming that he would be up and ready to go at the crack of dawn. I was glad. If I told you that my prize winning collection of photos have many showing the golden sun sinking slowly in the West, but none showing the rising sun in the East, you will understand what I mean. No sunrises in the collection but plenty of sunsets.

We had decided to have the grass removed from the garden as it was no longer grass but a superb botanic mixture of all plants generally qualified as weeds, although I always found daisies and clover to have a mystical meaning. The reason why fairies would definitely be at the bottom of my garden, but unfortunately due to the damp summer the slugs ate the fairies. Every evening when I entered the garden to take breathes of the scent of the flowers; I heard a fairy scream somewhere. She was being attacked again by the brute of a slug. She had no defence and his slimy body held the fairy in a tight embrace. I decided to take action.

Armed with a kilo box of salt, iodine and fluor free, I began my search for a long brown, or perhaps black, shiny body. I carefully approached the fairy killer on tip toe, not wanting to alert the slug into a quick getaway. I am no longer the youngest and was not sure that I would be fast enough to surround this killer. It had double strength being both male and female. Probably this was the reason for slugs to be so unsatisfied with their life. They did not feel that Spring was in the air, they had no reason. Their sexual needs were combined in one body. They could not even get a divorce if they were unhappy with their partner, their partner being themselves. How boring the life of a slug must be.

Suddenly another high pitched scream filled the air at the bottom of the garden. I now knew no mercy and I lifted the leaf from where it came. There it was. A long slimy slug that was about to entwine a poor defenceless fairy and cover it in slime. This could not be, fairies also have a right to live. I shook some salt in my hand and sprinkled it on the slug. The slug twitched and was then still. A pattern of white spots formed on its skin where it had been hit by the salt grains. The fairy escaped to be met by my cat Tabby who decided they tasted even better than butterflies. Yes, so is the life of a fairy, out of the slug into the cat as the old saying goes. Actually it would be out of the frying pan into the fire, but I adapted the sense of the words.

I have now used all my words, so now to tell the rest of this story full of suspense, murder and shock.

The fairies now hid from the stealthy steps of my pet cat and the slugs were slowly disintegrating in a sea of slime caused by a salt attack when the gardener arrived. As a new lawn was planned, he scooped away the old grass surface and the pools of dying slug slime disappeared as well. I again heard a few fairies scream, I think he scooped some of them up as well, but as he did not believe in fairies, he never noticed it.

To make the job worthwhile and to ensure that I paid enough, the gardener also fitted a nice stone border around the vanquished lawn and made some stone paths. I organised the stone paths for the fairies to make it easier for them to escape from the slugs and my cat, but I did not tell the gardener. He may not have believed me.

To put the icing on the garden cake, the hedge was also trimmed. Then the head chief gardener, capo di tutti gardeners arrived to tell me the bad news. It seemed due to unexpected amounts of rain our new lawn could not be delivered tomorrow. It was too wet to be transported. I must explain. We were not having seeds of grass planted for a new lawn. That would have taken two months and the fairies did not have so much time. The complete tribe would have died for lack of grass. We organised a lawn that was already grown and would be delivered in meters. Unfortunately this prefabricated lawn was now delayed and we would have to wait one to two days. I asked the fairies and they said it would be OK. I did not ask the slugs, as most of them were now liquid slime and the remainders were all standing at the edge of a barren garden where there was nothing specific to eat for slugs in any case. I had placed a line of salt around the fairy settlement to protect them from a slug invasion.

Now we have a nice border with bushes and flowers, edged with tiles and an empty barren space where the lawn will be planted. One of the disappointments in life: the gardener told me to spread anti slug pellets around the edge to keep them out. I checked the packet of pellets and it said fairy and cat friendly, meaning that the two species would have to live with the problem until the new lawn arrived.

Now I am sure Ray Bradbury never had the success I had with the fairies and I do not remember reading a book where he told us how he wiped out the slug population of a planet with one kilo of salt. He always did it so complicated with firemen and books and thermometers. I am sure a packet of salt would have done the trick. He forgot to put salt on his list.

Weekly Writing Challenge: The Ray Bradbury Noun Twist List – There are Fairies (and Slugs) at the bottom of my Garden

Daily Prompt: Futures Past, a Bird, Orchids and a few childish dreams – and my dad

Posted in Challenges by

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? How close or far are you from that vision?

New garden

I made this little bird happy when I adopted him the day before yesterday. He was sitting, forgotten and lonely in the corner of the flower department in the supermarket. He did not even have a price ticket on his sweet little claws, like his brothers and sisters. He was a blue bird and all the others were green, so he felt more left out, excluded from a happy life guarding his own territory and then I came along.

They had a special offer going for orchids. I collect orchids and I had one spare orchid container for another orchid. I now have the non-flowering collection outside on the porch hoping they will go forth and flower, but the flowering orchids are inside in the living room. Mr. Swiss was in a generous mood, which he always is really I suppose, coming to think of it. He pressed a twenty franc note in my hand and said buy one. They were half price (otherwise I would not have bothered) and I selected my orchid. In the meanwhile Mr. Swiss had disappeared outside the supermarket. He needed to breathe the fresh air of escape from the relentless traffic of trolleys filled with hunting trophies. It was the day before Ascension day when Switzerland has a national holiday, and everyone was buying food to cover the day of famine.

He did not actually say keep the change, although the orchids were only about eleven Swiss Francs. It was then love at first sight. The little blue bird looked at me with metal tears in his eyes and I pounced. A week ago my lawn in the garden had been transformed into a stone desert and he was the dot on the “i”. He had his price, nineteen Swiss francs. You see I was not being greedy. Mr. Swiss gave me twenty, I spent eleven on an orchid and nineteen on a metal bird, so I even donated about ten swiss francs myself, it was all in a good cause.

Another advantage was I spent more time than programmed in the flower department, so Mr. Swiss was impatient to go home. No questions asked “that’s a nice orchid” he said after a quick glance through the plastic bag, and then “What’s that?” followed noticing a mysterious clank when I settled the metal bird into the car boot. “Just something for the garden” and we drove off. He did ask “how much was the bird?” and I gave him a truthful answer “nineteen Swiss francs”, but no further questions were asked. The only problem was that my artistic arranging gift was questioned. He replaced the bird in the garden as I had it too near to the apartment window, but we are now all happy. The bird is happy, my orchid is happy amongst its brothers and sisters, and I turned twenty swiss francs into thirty, but only paid ten. Oh, we women are so clever.

Today was the day after the Swiss National holiday in the supermarket. The shoppers were ripping the food from the shelves, I even had to queue at the butcher’s counter for my meat and we forgot the milk and grit for the cat tray. Tomorrow is another day and Mr. Swiss will go on a quest tomorrow morning for the missing items. We still have two litres of milk and the felines can use the garden in the meanwhile.

And now to the prompt. I am sure you are all waiting to hear what I wanted to be when I was younger, the problem being I cannot really remember. I did not want to collect orchids or have a big metal bird in a garden. There was something about being rich I think, but we just made do. Then I really wanted to be a cowboy like the Lone Ranger, but without the mask. Of course I wanted a dog, something like Rin Tin Tin, but mum said no and when mum said no, dad usually agreed and living in a house built in 1884 with an outside toilet and no bathroom would not be the ideal place for a fully grown Alsatian. I wanted a cat, and I got one, but I was then eleven years old already. The only reason we had a cat, known as Whisky because he was black and white, the same name as the whisky brand, was because we had many lonely mice in the neighbourhood looking for a place to live. Mum did not like mice for some strange reason; she was actually terrified of them, so the cat moved in. I do not remember him ever killing a mouse, but she felt safe, so a childhood dream was half fulfilled, we had no dog, but a cat.

As I did not have visions, I cannot be close, but I succeeded in achieving a few that I never had. I think we have all been there and done that on my blog journey before so I will not bore you how I left the safe shores of England for foreign parts, known as Switzerland, met my rich Swiss banker, who was not a banker or rich, and ground the Swiss Family Robinson Angloswiss. My dream of becoming a well-known blogger is yet to be fulfilled. I once ordered a WordPress t-shirt, yes really – no joke. It arrived. I ordered the largest size possible, but discovered it was too tight to fit my contours. I have it. I complained and had the option to return it, but sending goods with TNT/UPS/DHL would have cost more than the original t-shirt, so if anyone would like a WordPress t-shirt in dark blue with white lettering, you can come and pick it up.

My dad is arriving home again in his apartment today. A week ago he was delivered into hospital, had a pacemaker fitted to his heart, terrorised us the main part of the week saying someone had stolen his telephone (he forgot he was in hospital) and someone stole his Swiss army knife (a present from Mr. Swiss, which he had not taken with him to hospital). Eventually he decided he could not walk any more. Two days ago this miserable state of golden oldie terrorism changed. He was moved from a single room to a ward with three other platinum oldies. Things started happening, and he no longer had time to worry. Thanks to my good friend in England, I had contact with him through my iPhone. He is 98 years old and of course he is always right. I am always right, I am in training. I will be 68 years old this year, so just imagine the nuisance I will be if I reach 98, but one thing I know, I will still be blogging. I might start my own blogging group, “Blogging with the Golden/Platinum Oldies”.

Have a nice week-end – see you all on the flip side.

Daily Prompt: Futures Past, A Bird, Orchids and a few childish Dreams – and my Dad

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  2. tuckedintoacorner.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/when-i-grow-up/
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  11. moondustwriter.com/2014/05/30/to-the-future-and-back-again-poetry-childhood-dpchallenge/
  12. focalbreeze.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/under-dust/
  13. wannabepoet.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/the-student-becomes-the-teacher/
  14. agirllikemee.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/what-i-really-wanna-be/
  15. planitjanet.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/futures-past/
  16. reneeandherthoughts.com/2014/05/30/when-i-grow-up/
  17. grver.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/futures-past-daily-prompt/
  18. psychologistmimi.com/2014/05/30/i-was-meant-to-be-a-psychologist-but-why/
  19. fibercompulsion.com/2014/05/30/when-i-grow-up/
  20. onesahmscrazylife.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/i-am-but-only-three-2/
  21. conversationswithyolandi.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/being-grown-up-is-hard-work/
  22. arbitwords.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/as-a-kid/
  23. lettheballoonssailmeaway.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/the-daily-post-futures-past/
  24. chasingdestino.com/2014/05/30/futures-past-daily-post/
  25. suestrifles.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/write-you-are/
  26. whoison1st.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/if-they-could-see-me-now/
  27. monicleblog.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/daily-prompt-far/
  28. bohemianstargypsy.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/once-upon-a-time-futures-past-daily-prompt/
  29. juimkul.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/i-wanted-to-to-be/
  30. chronicalsman.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/make-up-your-mind-brain/
  31. kansamuse.me/2014/05/30/dreams-of-youth-and-beyond/
  32. justvisitingthisplanetblog.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/days-of-future-past/
  33. mythoughtsexactly328.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/daily-prompt-futures-past/
  34. unstuffyquotidian.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/in-the-now/
  35. mostlytruestoriesofkrenaep.com/2014/05/30/haiku-futures-past/
  36. flowersandbreezes.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/chasing-dreams/
  37. sherrylcook.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/twist-of-fate/
  38. kingdomrichness.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/know-where-youve-been-to-know-or-get-or-whatever/
  39. idleandboredtwo.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/futures-past/
  40. marthakennedy.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/when-i-grow-up-i-want-to-be-me/
  41. theprettyhealthyblog.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/journeys-and-dream-jobs/
  42. gethsemanerose.com/2014/05/30/daily-prompt-my-desiresmy-reality/
  43. kritimythoughts.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/about-a-girl-3/
  44. rainswritingrealm.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/lots-n-lots/
  45. naziyahmahmood.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/to-infinity-and-beyond/
  46. nonsmokingladybug.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/i-am-who-i-wanted-to-be/
  47. temporarilyontheshelf.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/357/
  48. teepee12.com/2014/05/30/my-brilliant-career/
  49. professoradrstilettorockstar.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/i-could-have-somebody/
  50. exploringalura.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/president-of-the-united-states/
  51. optimisticmisfit.com/2014/05/30/the-artist-who-never-was/
  52. tyrocharm.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/prudent-choices/
  53. ahillbillyblogger.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/what-did-i-wanna-be-when-i-grew-up/
  54. michellemchatton.com/2014/05/30/my-futures-past-what-i-wanted-to-be-when-i-grew-up/
  55. veiledflames.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/dp-when-i-grow-up/
  56. theflavoredword.com/2014/05/30/all-i-ever-wanted-to-do-was-dig/
  57. morrighansmuse.com/2014/05/30/chameleon/
  58. jaynesdailypost.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/futures-past/
  59. www.10nineteen.com/2014/05/30/what-i-wanted-to-be-when-i-grew-up/
  60. sfchapman.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/futures-past/
  61. outlookoutlet.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/how-the-tides-have-turned/
  62. bobbeck1600.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/daily-prompt-futures-past/
  63. emelteethoughts.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/the-uncommon-artist/
  64. lovehappynotes.com/2014/05/08/its-a-beautiful-world-come-out-to-play/
  65. inkriched.com/2014/05/30/connecting-the-dots/
  66. mitraarchita1995.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/talking-about-the-future-on-the-school-bus/
  67. lovehappynotes.com/2014/05/29/tess-in-the-guesthouse/
  68. grfrazier.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/childhood-dream-comes-closer-to-fruition/
  69. starrytraveler.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/how-to-not-be-in-your-chosen-profession/
  70. remindyourmind.org/2014/05/30/from-then-till-now-how-my-childhood-dreams-shaped-my-reality-today/
  71. abipolarswritings.com/2014/05/30/mama-i-wanna-be-a-lawyer/
  72. rebeccaraelyn.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/futures-past/
  73. kate0murray.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/whispers/
  74. dadialogues.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/its-the-druids-life-for-me/
  75. lovehappynotes.com/2014/05/31/smudged/
  76. thatredtongue.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/futures-past-what-did-i-want-to-be-when-i-grew-up/
  77. thehalfandhalfblog.com/2014/05/30/almost25/
  78. poetrybynowelle.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/poem-as-a-child-i-wanted-to-be/
  79. josephrathjen.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/what-i-wanted-to-be-when-i-grew-up-and-what-i-am-now/
  80. mcswhispers.wordpress.com/2014/05/31/dancing-shadows/
  81. pippakinclawz.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/httpdailypost-wordpress-comdp_promptfutures-past/
  82. djgarcia94.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/knight-one-day-a-cowboy-the-next/
  83. eastelmhurstagogo.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/when-i-grow-up-to-be-a-man/
  84. brownhairedgirl27.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/when-i-grow-up/
  85. lynnesartandsoul.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/the-impossible-dream/
  86. lynnesartandsoul.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/the-impossible-dream/
  87. asword684.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/on-guard/
  88. lovehappynotes.com/2014/05/24/when-shadows-come-a-creeping/
  89. c21stguinevere.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/in-response-to-5/
  90. patcoyle53.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/daily-prompt-futures-paststaying-in-focus/
  91. mindfuldigressions.com/2014/05/30/not-a-clue/
  92. theanatomynerd.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/so-this-is-my-life-now/
  93. barbarapyett.wordpress.com/2014/05/31/as-a-kid-what-did-you-want-to-be-when-you-grew-up-how-close-or-far-are-you-from-that-vision-thank-you-mirakraz-and-tori-23-for-inspiring-this-prompt-as-a-kid-i-really-didnt-have-any/
  94. 365daysofthankyou.com/2014/05/30/learning-to-listen-learning-to-teach/
  95. speculativeparadigmshifts.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/the-dubious-virtues-of-not-being-in-the-moment/
  96. tnkerr.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/daily-prompt-futures-past/
  97. annmtrotter.wordpress.com/2014/05/31/the-seven-year-itch/
  98. lostandloony.com/2014/05/31/futures-past/
  99. caseylove1985.wordpress.com/2014/05/31/decisions-decisions/
  100. basicallybeyondbasic.com/2014/05/30/daily-prompt-futures-past/
  101. amidnightblog.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/daily-prompt-futures-past-changes/