AS TIME GOES BY…

And it certainly does Chez dinahmow! So fast I am  surprised there isn’t a black and white chequered flag.

Most people who get to have as many “fire hazards” on their birthday cakes slow down about now. We are not  “most.”

The Man, for instance…decided he’d be semi-retired.I waved him off after lunch on Monday and shan’t see him til Lunch on Friday. (He’s working out of town.)

And I seem to be juggling hats. In between my gardener’s hat and chef’s hat I tried to make a hat for a little bit of fun and games here. Missed the deadline (of course!) as I was still trying to find my way around the new computer.And then I had some modem malarky. If I’d finished in time it would have been this

But I actually remembered to take a camera on my last walk!That header  /\  is one of many pictures from the other day. And this morning I found the dinkiest lil green spider, but he’d gone camo by the time I ran indoors to get a camera. Pretty sure it was a M.mormon (no, not that kind!) as we see lots of them ( also see quite a few of the other kind…). But, dammit! I need more spider pics for the Flickr group!

See? That’s another way I lose track of time!

I’m a bit of a links minx today, aren’t I? One more! I’m fairly confident that this won’t happen here when the Man finally retires. Hell! I hope not.Can’t have two opinionated know-alls in one house!

ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4oydSZTAns

364 DAYS AGO…

…this blog was 5 years old. W’appen? How did a whole year slip by so fast?

Traditions. Are they outmoded fancies? Relevant markers of important occasions? Should Dinah have an annual give-away to celebrate the fact that she still has a blog and readers?

And, should there be a great clamouring from the gallery, what should she give away? Cole Porter springs to mind here!

Another new banner. Croton leaves, this time. Apart from the vibrant colours, I love that all these different colours and patterns are on the same plant! I bet if I walked down the street wearing  such a mish-mash people would think (probably say!) “Poor old bat has no idea how ridiculous she looks!” But I get away with it in the garden.

Dwarf Heliconia (crab claw)

I love the bright blue seeds! They are beginning to lose their “blueness” now as they mature.

 Spathyphyllum. Generally called a Peace Lily, but I’ve no idea why. (I did ask Mr.Google, but he was no help.) Anyway, mine was overcrowded in a pot so, once we started to do something along the side fence I split it and brought both pots to the front. Oh boy! Both are flowering madly. And, so far, not objecting to having  more light. Confused creatures, like the gardener.

Clerodendrum ugandense  With the common monica of “blue butterfly bush.” Wonder why? This  is relatively young, so only about 20cms (8″) high, but it will eventually reach 1 metre or maybe more.

Right! So let’s consider this anniversary. If you think we should have a give-away, leave a suggestion in the comments. Yes, I am making you do the work! You can’t expect to wander in and have it all laid out on a plate! What am I – Liberty Hall!

When I hit the “publish” button, WordPress took me by the hand and led me to a page with a quote. Just for me! “I am a drinker with writing problems.”

(That’s Brendan Behan, in case you wondered.)

AND THE ANSWER THIS TIME…

…guessed correctly by the very clever Barnacle Goose (who spends such a lot of time travelling I’d have been surprised if she hadn’t got it. 🙂 ) is the seat fabric on my #7 bus. Thanks for all your guesses.

Very smart livery, I think.  Love those yellow poles! And a nice, clean bus, to boot. Of course, I rarely ride public transport these days; in fact, this was a first for me in this city!

But my normally reliable Toyota wouldn’t start. Fortunately, The Man was here and he whipped the battery out of the Mustang and jump-started the Camry. I dropped him at his office (yes, of course  I kept the motor running!) and drove over to the battery place. Turned out the starter motor had reached the “I’m old and tired and don’t want to do this any more” point. So I gathered my library books and walked to the shopping mall and waited for a bus. And it’s quite true what they say about buses – if you wait long enough, one will come along! Halfway home my cell phone rang. The mechanic could rebuild the starter motor and it would be ready after lunch.

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Oh-oh…I can hear a muscle car roaring up the drive…back later…

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It’s not just cars that add to the drama around here. Oh, no! Computers can also throw their spanners in the works. This time, the “big computer” (which is what I call the old one in our office ‘cos it’s bigger than my laptop) flashed an overheating warning and shut itself down. That was last Friday. I picked it up yesterday, plugged its spaghetti in and guess what? The keyboard refused to have anything to do with me.

Look, this is going to send you to sleep so I’ll just say I bought a refurbished ex-Government lease laptop. Anyone got a rabbit’s foot handy? Four-leaf clover? Horse-shoe…

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We’ve been “baby-sitting” our neighbour’s Honda motorcycle while his garage was being built. Look whose face graces the cowling!

Vincent Price . In life, much more handsome than here!

I like to think Vinnie would have chuckled to see this.

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We have some birthdays coming up Chez Dinahmow. The cats will be four years old this month. This blog will reach the the 5 year milestone next month. And this blogger will have to apply for a fire permit if she wants candles on her cake!

I think we should have a prize, don’t you? Hmm… this will require some thought. I’m open to suggestions. Nothing silly, mind, like free airline tickets!

EDIT:  I know Daisyfae’s away so may not read this, but just in case, I’ve put the spider over on the cats’ blog