30.12.09

K9 Settles Down

I am very thankful for receiving photo updates of K9 from his adopter.

K9 Exploring The Vast Surrounding



K9 trying to befriend Skippy. Hey! They look alike!



K9 is really fortunate.  Now he gets to 'chase' squirrels, monkeys and birds away from the fruit trees. If he is effective, his adopters might finally get to taste their homegrown fruits before the squirrels do. Fat hopes? Well, realistically, he may be better at catching cockroaches.

I wonder if K9 miss tugging at Goldee and Clifford's ears...

27.12.09

Making A Splash

Clifford Splashing Water - 3 months old.


Clifford Splashing Water - 5 months old


Clifford Splashing Water - 11 months old


Clifford Contented After Making Splashes


Santa

Little Santarinas made attempts to cheer Clifford up who seem to miss K9.



A gloomy Santa surrounded by angels.



Goldee remains cheerful.


26.12.09

Good Bye

It's almost time to bade good-bye to 2009. But not yet. Today we said good-bye to K9 first.

A friend dropped by this morning to say good-bye to K9. He said K9 will certainly cry when he has to leave. I thought maybe Clifford is the one who would cry since he adores K9. Guess who cried? I was very surprised myself. I thought I was totally prepared for K9 to leave us but I still cried.

Neighbours came to bade K9 farewell. Looks like K9 has quite a few friends.

I am very comfortable with the family who has adopted K9. They seem like the perfect family for K9. Not only are they loving and caring, they also have a big compound for K9 to show-off his skills as a guard dog.

A hardworking dog is not always appreciated as some may think it is too active or noisy. I am glad this family looks forward to a working dog.  K9 Should fit the bill as a working, companion dog.

The photo that got K9 adopted - posted in Petfinder


K9 behind the wheel


K9's favourite resting spot - underneath the bicycles

16.11.09

Something's Missing


"Where is Batu?"



"Batu, You in there?



"Big Bro, let me help."



"Nope, not in here."



"It's getting dark. I cannot see anything."



"I'm missing Batu."



"Hey Big Bro, You still have me."


Annica


A 'sawah padi' appeared  in front of my house after a flash flood.



'Sawah Kereta'



A beautiful rainbow appeared in front of my house after rain.



Rainbow fading off...



Annica - Constanly Changing Nature

9.11.09

Siesta

Sleeps Best
With A Head Rest

Dumb Cane
Plump Canine

Splashed It Wet
 Prior To A Nap

Between Pots
Favourite Spot

Porcelain - Smooth & Cool
Reduce Heat Like A Pool


3.11.09

Sauropus Androgynus




A Vegetable That Is Sweet
With Pretty Flowers, Fruits and Seeds
Beauty Rarely Noticed Indeed
Beneath The Leaves They Shyly Hid

In Malay, The Plant Is Called Cekur Manis
But It's Known As Mani Cai For The Chinese
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2.11.09

Freedom for Batu


I had the intention to let Batu go if he ever attempts to escape. An escape attempt may mean that he wants to move on. However, if he doesn't make any attempts to escape, it may mean that he's quite comfortable here and I am more than happy with his presence. Many a times, when I thought he has left, I found him again inside the compost pile. I checked on him daily and noticed that he enjoyed tomato and even pomegranate apart from the usual banana, water spinach and water lettuce that were served. He usually appears only at dusk or dawn to have his meal.



On Haloween morning, Batu was no where to be found. Shortly later, he was discovered by a security officer who brought him back to me. I was glad to see him because I had not said my good-byes yet.

On the same day itself, together with the the couple who rescued Batu from the dangerous road, we released him at a pond. It was not the cleanest pond but the environment should be a whole lot more ideal than a garden with a 'pond' too-tiny and dogs too-many.



We had expected Batu to rush into the pond but he walked and walked on land instead.



He headed toward a mangrove area which was not the least swampy that day.



We said good-bye but somehow it didn't feel quite right.



Thankfully, Batu's rescuer came along. He wasn't satisfied with Batu's hide-out and looked for a better home for Batu. With some effort, he found a spot with water spinach growing and a small pool which Batu happily dived in.

Later I found out that Malayan Box Turtles are known to be clumsy swimmers and prefer shallow water. Maybe that was why Batu preferred a small pool than a vast pond. Batu has moss growing on his shell. It looked a little ugly but I read that the moss is supposed to be a good camouflage for him against predators. The strange thing is that the photo I took of him in the compost pile just a few days ago didn't show any moss. The first time I saw the moss was when he was handed to me by the security officer. I had my doubts if it was Batu. The size was the same. The face and the tail looked the same too. However, the carapace and plastron were definitely different. Then again looks can change over time. Maybe I didn't notice the transformation since he remained mostly in the compost pile and only appeared in the dark.

Batu had stayed with us from 15 Sept to 31 Oct 2009. We hope Batu is having a good time out there and sure hope to see him again.

29.10.09

Crows




Since last week, I have found several young crows on the ground. I wonder if  there is something dreadfully wrong with their nests. New houses here are having defects due to soil-settlement issues. It looks like even the crows' dwellings are having defects, probably due to 'air-settlement' issues. Jokes aside, these young ones could have been thrown out of their nests for some good reason.

Whatever the reason, the parents of these fledglings are very protective. They caw and encircle the little one from above when there are human or other animals near their young ones. One almost pecked on Clifford who was curiously near a fledgling.



If the young one is still not left alone after a few minutes, a whole flock of crows would join in, cawing loudly and to some extent, darkening the sky. By the way, a flock of crows can be referred to as a 'murder' of crows. They did look like they will murder someone if their fledgling is harmed. Those crows are most likely the parents and youngsters from the previous year and possibly the year before that. Crows are known to live together with their family for quite some time. They do not change mates.

It is amazing to see the unity among the crows to protect the weak. It is there natural tendency to do that. We human are like that too except for some who have forgotten their natural selves.

Most of the crows are black but there is one with a white ring around its neck who used to visit us frequently. It has the same colour combination as Clifford.



 There is another one which brought a message, literally speaking. See its claw below.



Sometimes they just form a smile in the sky.



Of course, some help themselves to Goldee's food.



Below is a fledgling that has not learn to fly. Someone fed it with rice and then released it near its worried parents.



I used to find bones dropped in the water feature. Perhaps a crow saw its own reflection in the water and try to feed it with a bone, thinking it is feeding another bird. Or perhaps it was trying to make chicken soup. Have you wondered how a bird feed water to the their nestlings? Maybe it is by soaking food in the water for a few days first before feeding.

There are many myths surrounding the crow. Most people seem to enjoy in crow bashing. However, many American Indian tribes saw the crow as a wise adviser and the spirit of wisdom and the law.

25.10.09

Behind the Scenes


Several months ago, I made an attempt to snap some photos of puppies in flower pots.



It was surprisingly quite easy...



Until one of them realized she was not in the center of the picture.

 

As she fought to switch pot, another pup slipped away.



Then they had some serious business to discuss while I waited patiently for them to pose...



 These are Captain, Panda and Clifford in flower pots. Panda loves to be in the center of attention.



In fact, she refused to get out even after the photo session.



So I snapped a few more...



and some more...



and she was absolutely delighted.


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