Digital Artwork

Midnight is getting friendlier and more comfortable being here on the swing. He doesn't go to the other end of the garden now and sit on that chair to watch me during the day. He stays on my large swing 24/7, apart from getting his food, taking a leisurely walk round the garden, coming up to me when I am working in my raised bed vegetable garden, or he sits on my coir mat by my feet when I am sitting by my bedroom door.

As far as I am aware he has not left my garden at all in at least 4 days now. 

This is his manor.

Merlin number 1 (amber eyed ginger) challenged Midnight yesterday (with the arched back, twisted neck and all that palaver), but Midnight just sat totally chilled out on his swing and watched stoically. Merlin 1 finally crept away, and returned a short while later, accepted whatever terms Midnight had laid down, and ate from the cat diner, which Midnight presides over 24/7.

I have never seen Midnight show any animosity towards any animal, cat nor bird. Mr Blackbird and Mr Magpie come up to the cat food which is a couple of handwidths below where Midnight sits on the swing. They both vocally object to Midnight, but he just sits and watches them. Neither bird has to take that food, there are other (safer) supplies in the garden. 

Merlin 1 has just come in this morning, he gave acknowledgment to Midnight, and was allowed to polish off two bowls of cat food.

Yesterday Midnight was very affectionate, and gave me his belly to tickle. No chance, I thought. But finally I did try a little tickle. Mistake on my part. A vice like attack from a black panther on my arm and claws in my hand. I said 'NO' very firmly, and he withdrew his claws and vice like grip immediately. His eyes realised he had done wrong and you could see he was sorry. He hadn't drawn blood. But I still walked away from him, to ignore him, to make my point. And he got down off the swing and followed me. And was miaowing for head scritches. His way of saying sorry, and please don't ignore me. So I scritched his head, and all was forgiven, and he went back to his swing.

Midnight is one of those cats that lashes his tail when he is happy and content and pleased with you. This is disconcerting to me. I cannot tell if I am overstepping the mark with where I am stroking him. I did manage to examine his cut off left ear yesterday (cut off to show he had been neutered), and it really is a botched up job. It is far too low down. There is scarring along where is has been cut and it is very hard, and appears to irritate him. It was not done recently. Maybe it got infected when whatever cat society released him. I will try and find some cream that will possibly help him. Rub that on daily. Is there something that helps old scar tissue?

Second customer of the day is that madman Mr Blackbird, who came in swooping and attacked the feeder the GreatTit and his family feed at. He was frantically trying to empty it of fatballs...

Little Miss, that extraordinary teenage sparrow came in next to the top of my willow tree. She is checking it is safe for both the Bluetits and GreatTit families to come and feed. Mr Blackbird leaves his frenzied attack on the fatball feeder to attack Little Miss who flies off and he gives chase.

Then Mrs Bluetit appears with her two babies, and the father GreatTit appears with his two, and all the four babies are flying around joyously. They leave after being fed. And Mr Bluetit now appears with the one baby he is in charge of. This baby bluetit is very independent, is not being fed by father, unlike the mother Bluetit who has both well behaved babies waiting on a branch and she feeds them alternately.  She definitely keeps them under her wing. It looks like a peaceful Chinese painting.  The baby bluetit the father is in charge of, tries all the fatball feeders, tries the aphids on the rose bushes. Then father vanishes, and I am watching the baby bluetit anxiously...

Ravens flying overhead, seagulls swirling round and round...

Creative today is a re-working of a digital painting I did a couple of years ago with a double exposure...

Time for another cuppa...