Orchids

I never really meant to collect orchids - it just sort of happened. I have been bought several as presents over the years and have bought a few myself, but only if they have been severely reduced in price of course. So now I have more than a dozen and most of the time half or more of them are in flower so I must be doing something right. They are all Phalaenopsis (or Moth orchids) in various colours.

This morning, I went to a talk on keeping and growing orchids and very interesting it was too and I picked up a few useful hints and tips. I didn't buy any as they were far too expensive for my frugal tastes (they dont call me Mrs. Tightwad for nothing) but I did buy some compost and fertiliser. Anyway, I think I will be trawling the reduced plant departments more frequently and perhaps even find a neglected Cymbidium or Dendrobium that needs a caring home.

Weight Watchers

Today was another of our regular trips to the vet with one of our cats. She's not ill, this is a weight watchers visit. Not being a very energetic cat and slightly prone to greediness, ToTo has put on a bit too much weight in the last year or so and for the past couple of months she has been on a diet on the advice of our vet.

Apparently, overweight cats are prone to diabetes and this is to be avoided at all costs if possible. No tit-bits or extras allowed - just 50 gms a day of dried, low-calorie diet food for cats.....looks barely enough to feed a sparrow let alone a cat.

She copes reasonably well with the cat carrier and the car journey which is only ten minutes although usually manages to poo on the way home. We arrived at the vet and was seen almost immediately. We let ToTo out of the carrier and the vet weighed her and since her last visit about a month ago she has lost the grand total of.......80 gms which in old money is 2.82 oz. Not as much as we would have liked but at least her weight is going in the right direction albeit slowly. I think when the weather warms up we'll be encouraging her out into the garden regularly to get more exercise.
At the moment she is stretched out in front of a hot radiator - her favourite place at this time of the year.

This Time of Year

When I was young, this time of the year was one of the lowest in the calendar for me. My most favourite time, Christmas, was over and finished. All the excitement and build-up was all gone. I can remember crying at the end of Christmas Day - it was such a big "down".

Not only that but school was looming, back to the grindstone and exams, tests and all sorts of nasty things to come in the next few months. Add to this the dark, damp, cold winter days and the long walk to and from school each and every day - not a very happy time of the year.

Any New Year resolutions made were quickly forgotten. The only light on the horizon was......Easter! All those lovely chocolate eggs to look forward to and of course the days starting to lengthen and the temperature starting to rise a little.

The wheel of the year turns slowly as a youngster. Nowadays it turns so fast I can hardly keep up with it!