Remember Me

Well the title could really be about me, it's been a while between posts and I don't have a lot to say, not sure why, just no blogging mojo present here at the moment.

But Remember Me is Jarmie's final resting place.

We knew we wanted to put his ashes in the garden and we tossed up scattering them in all his favourite places, but with the winds we have here I was worried that he would soon end up somewhere else!!

So we decided to add a new rose to the rose garden and either scatter his ashes in the hole or to place his little container in the hole under the rose bush.

Jarmie came home in the sweetest little container, with a poem and a votive candle, hand delivered to our door by the wonderful people at Lawnswood Pet Cremations.

It was a another time of tears, but we were glad to have him home.  Hubby popped him out on the chair that he loved to sit on and there he sat for more than a week while hubby pondered what to do.

I have let him control this process as Jarmie was in so many ways, his cat.  Hubby's daily routines so closely wound around Jarmie's needs, especially in the last couple of years with Jarmie's twice daily medication and the needs of his ageing body.

The decision was finally made this weekend that we would place Jarmie in his container below the rose and then the choice of what rose had to be made.

I knew that it would be the name of the rose that was the attractant rather than the colour, that and the fact it would need to be a hybrid tea to match the other roses in our garden.

So hubby and I set about checking out Dawson's Garden Centre's list of roses online and sure enough we found just the rose name that seemed appropriate ... Remember Me.

The bonus is it is a beautiful multi-colour rose described as burnt orange, amber and topaz with fragrant blooms.

So Jarmie is now resting peacefully in the garden that he loved and hubby and I can now enjoy this beautiful rose when it blooms and remember him fondly for many years to come.

Jarmie's sweet little container

Finally at peace in our garden.

Thanks for popping by, hope the world is treating you well xxx

Goodbye Dear and Faithful Friend

Jarmie's last photo (taken by my Mum in October 2013)

Goodbye Dear and Faithful Friend

No more clipping of your paws as you walk down the hall

No more brupping as you greet us at the door

No more sharing our left over meals

No more cream on the plate near the fridge

No more finding you on the bed in the afternoon sun

No more joy at seeing your face and beautiful green eyes

No more laughs with your antics at play

We will miss you more than words can ever say

Our companion and friend for over 19 years

Part of our family for so long

You bought us so much joy and laughter

You helped to raise our children and grand-children

You never once scratched or bit or even growled 

So much patience with all of us

Even with rat bag Max

 We are so sad to say goodbye

But we know the time is right

Goodbye Dear and Faithful Friend

RIP Jarmie - Jan 1994 to Nov 2013

You loved sleeping on the bed in the afternoon sun so much

Our family photo in November 2012, and of course you were included

You even learned to tolerate Max

So patient with all our grand-daughters, never once growling or scratching even if they were a little rough

Jarmie lived all his life in our garden and so we will bring home is ashes and plant them under a rose bush in his memory.

Thanks for popping by on this sad day in our lives xxxx

A Stupid Sexist Put Down Inspired A Passionate Response That I Just Had To Share

I normally don't post these types of things here, you are more likely to find them on my FaceBook page, but this, this bought me to tears.  If only we could all find a voice as passionate as this.

Dear Man on the Bus

I would hope that I would have the courage to actually call someone out if I heard them say this, but would I given it is a public space?  Food for thought.


Thanks for popping by xxxx

Cold, Cold Water and the Stars, A Retrospective Tale of Two Travellers Part 14

Sitka's Aquarium is small and housed in one room and basically has a large touch pool and a salmon tank and few wall based exhibits.  It is attached to the salmon hatchery and research centre, but for all it's smallness, it was unique and fun.

On the day we went Whale Watching, I was amazed to spy some brightly coloured stars (sea stars or star fish) in the shallow water surrounding the dock.  Given that the water is so cold and my lack of knowledge I had always assumed that sea stars were only found in warmer waters.  So it was so much fun to see a touch tank full of all sorts of stars (and anemones and sea cucumbers and sea urchins).

I also had always assumed that sea stars only had 5 legs and that they were hard and knobbly, as that is the kind I have always seen in Australian waters and aquariums, so imagine my amazement to see spongy multi legged stars in all sorts of colours.  Even better was I got to touch them as well.

The water is fed into the tank from the ocean directly outside (the Research Centre and Hatchery sit right on the water's edge) and it is freezing.  My hand was so cold by the end that it was actually aching and I didn't touch all the stars or even keep my hand in the water for that long.  Makes you acutely aware of how easy it would be to get hypothermia in the waters around Sitka.

Green sea anemone

Pink sea anemone

Sea urchin

Stars, stars and more stars

Cushion sea star

Look how many legs this one has, got to touch him as well

A convention of stars, or is that a galaxy?

Hanging on for dear life?

Now that has to be a galaxy, doesn't it?

Now this wont hurt you as much as it hurts me, brrr that water is freezing

Just hanging out together, the three amigos!!

How's this for colour?

The other really cool thing is the baby salmon tank, which if you are fit enough (and small enough) allows you to crawl underneath and emerge in a bubble right in the middle of the tank.  Guess who did that?  Need a clue?  Well it wasn't me, or my daughter or my daughter in law, so it really only leaves one person and here are his photos from inside looking out.

Now who's taking who's photo??

No don't walk away and leave me here, hello are you listening??

Another exhibit was the skeleton of a baby Orca, and the fibreglass model to show it's size.  The skeleton came from a dead baby found washed up on the shore and sent to the Science Centre.

I also loved the artwork on the windows and walls.

This will be the last in the "A Retrospective Tale of Two Travellers" posts that covers our trip to Seattle and Sitka in September 2013.

I have enjoyed reliving the memories, and there are heaps more photos I could share but they basically will just be more of the same.  I hope you have enjoyed reading as much as I have enjoyed sharing and reliving what was a wonderful time in our lives.

Thanks for popping by xxxx

Sunset and Vapour Trails over Sitka Sound, A Retrospective Tale of Two Travellers Part 13

This quick succession series of photos was taken by hubby as the sun set on a cloudy evening and includes some vapour trails that always fascinated us while we were there.

Here in Western Australia it is very, very rare to see vapour trails and while there are only a couple of commercial flights that land in Sitka every day there are always vapour trails floating in the sky, that obviously come from planes that are flying over on their journeys somewhere distant.

I love the tones in these photos.

And just because I can, here are a couple I took on a clear day, at one point I think we had 5 or 6 within our view forming pretty lacy patterns as they drifted across the blue sky.

Thanks for popping by xxxx