Puppies are fun....

But Oh soooooo exhausting! I have barely been on my computer since the puppies arrived but maybe that is not so bad? I am getting more exercise than I have had in a while and they really are a joy to watch. I feel like a new mother all over again. So I hope you will excuse my absence from blogland a little longer.

We also still have my sister and her friend staying. The house is a little squishy, it was never mean't to accommodate so many people at once. They have both started temporary work and are looking for a place of their own. Ohhhh how I wish our builder could get on with our extension!

The cats are carefully avoiding confrontation with the puppies and each other. My girlfriends cat has the puppies bluffed after a couple of firm swipes across their noses. Our two cats are curious about the puppies but also a little scared and are still sulking in the bedrooms a lot. Our cats are definately not happy about having another cat in the house but thus far we haven't had any real fireworks thank goodness!

My sister's pet rat is oblivious to all!

I may not be commenting much but I am trying to read a few blogs each day.
wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen

Meet Max and Cheby...

I mentioned in my last post how busy life was around here recently. We have a lot going on.
Thursday we picked up one of our new puppies. He is an 8 week old Bichon Frise Miniature Poodle Cross and just the cutest bundle of fluff at present.

Meet Max!

My girlfriend who became homeless recently owns a beautiful long haired domestic cat named Simba. Mr B and I told her that if she could not find a new home for Simba we would adopt her either temporarily or permanently. Simba arrived on Friday, perhaps not the best timing but we promised we would give her a home and so we have.

Meet Simba.

and yes her eyes are a beautiful green!

Saturday we collected our second puppy, a purebred miniature poodle we have named Cheby. Mr B tells me Cheby was a famous mathematician. Cheby is prounounced Ch for chain and Ebbie on the end.
Meet Cheby!

The puppies are settling in well. Simba is still very unsettled but coming out of hiding more and more. She seems unperturbed by the puppies but is nervous of people with the exception of my son, Sam and myself whom she knew previously. Simba sat on my knee for a short time today with one of the puppies so I think that is a good sign. Our two cats, Squeaky and Tabby are totally miffed and are still hiding in my daughter's bedroom only coming out to go outside. They are scared of the puppies and not happy about a new cat in the house. My sister and a friend are currently staying and I think my sister's pet rat, Hermione, is the only animal in the house truly relaxed at present. Hopefully in a short while all will settle in and at the very least learn to tolerate each other.
I imagine my time will be taken up with puppy raising duties and animal reassuring for some weeks to come.
I haven't owned a puppy for some 30+ years so it is quite an experience for me.
I hope you have enjoyed meeting our new babies, I have enjoyed showing them off!
wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen

The best laid plans...

We still have a friend of my daughter staying with us at present. We had hoped to take our guest for a drive along The Great Ocean Road sometime over the next few days. Unfortunately this is now impossible due to road closures. The huge amounts of rain we have had in Victoria caused landslides along parts of the Great Ocean Road leaving large sections of it unsafe and impassable. The road has been closed for an indefinite time. I am disappointed that we will not be able to show Li one of the loveliest parts of our country before she returns to the States.

We took an alternative day trip today and visited the Melbourne zoo. We being my partner Peter, my son Sam, Li and myself. Unfortunately Kate's anxiety gained the better of her today and she opted to remain at home. We had a great time although it was very, very HOT and we all decided to come home before seeing every exhibit. I don't remember EVER having left the zoo without seeing all the animals before!

We saw both the baby elephants today who were as adorable as expected. We also saw tiger cubs who were behaving in a typical cat like fashion and sleeping! The cutest baby of all was the baby orangutan who was so tiny and the sweetest thing! His protective mum was lying with him cuddled close. It was just adorable to see all the babies but I think the gorillas are still my favourite animals. The zoos breeding programs seem to be doing well. It has been a number of years since I visited the zoo and I saw many changes. Todays visit really did bring sunshine to my shadows, I had forgotten what a wonderful day out it makes.
Wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen
***photos  my own

We're all going to the zoo....

Well actually we went yesterday but I was too worn out to post by the time we came home. My partner played chauffeur and took my daughter's friend Li and myself to the Werribee Open Range zoo. My daughter was not feeling well and stayed at home. It was a first visit for all of us and I enjoyed it a lot. I think I still love the Melbourne zoo better but maybe that is because I adore the elephants and gorillas, which they did not have at Werribee. Apparently they have gorillas coming soon, we saw the excavations of a new enclosure earmarked for them.

We had a lovely day and enjoyed the bus trip around the larger herbivores including bison, zebras, hippo and giraffes. The highlight of the bus trip was seeing the rhinoceros mating! This sight quickly turned a bus load of adults into giggling children and was observed with great interest by the youngsters on board. I thought perhaps we were quite privileged to witness the mating of this intimidating and formidable endangered species.

After our bus trip we wandered around the exhibits of smaller animals and carnivores.
The meerkats were another popular exhibit and seemed as curious about people as people were about them. They are dear looking little creatures and I had to stop myself thinking what a wonderful pet they would make. Many endangered species are endangered due to being taken from the wild to be sold as exotic pets.

I always have mixed feelings about animals in zoos, the conservation value versus the cruelty of having wild animals kept in enclosures that are many times smaller than their natural territory in the wild. The cheetah at the zoo paced up and down and I couldn't help but wonder if he had ever known the joy of running at his full stride and top speed. Nonetheless all the animals looked well cared for and seemed healthy looking.

It isn't a cheap day out visiting the zoo but well worth the cost.(I imagine it IS very expensive to run a zoo and keep the animals happy and healthy) It was a wonderful day out, I learned a lot of things about various animals and I would definately go again. We all came home happy if a little sunburned despite our hats. (mental note to remember sunscreen next time)
wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen
* If you would like more information about any of our fabulous zoos here is a link
http://www.zoo.org.au/Default.aspx?DN=ac7a272b-6304-4228-a162-731ba6dd45e8