Do I look like I want to go for a walk???

Honestly, these animals of ours live the life of Riley. I went out with their leads to take them for their mid-afternoon walk, and found Miki stretched out full length on the swing-seat. She has taken a shine to it, but usually only jumps on when one of us is sitting there as well. Jonathan sat there with them and they got used to its movement. More often they just lay under it as it is always a welcome shady spot. Miki wasn't interested in her walk but I took her anyway. Chico choses to curl up on the cane seats on the porch, but only when we are not there. He knows he isn't supposed to be on them, and quickly slips off if we go out there. I've taken to putting the cushions from it indoors now, so they stay clean enough for us to sit on!

Last night we had the thunderstorm to end all thunderstorms with enough rain to last all year!. That's what it seemed like anyway. There was continuous thunder and lightening for a couple of hours and our power went on and off several times, so we had no TV and we had to switch off and unplug the computers. It is the first time for ages that we have brought the dogs inside. In fairness to them they didn't seem particul;arly fazed by the thunder considering they have never experienced anything like it before, but the wind was blowing the rain into the porch so they had no-where left to lay that was dry. There is still a big trench all down the road but last night it wasn't just full of water, it had disappeared and there was a river flowing the whole width of the street. The piles of earth they had left all along the trench (what they had dug out of it) all washed away down the road and just left the larger rocks.

With all the rain we had to find a new route to walk the dogs this morning as our usual one was a quagmire. So I didn't get to check on my 'fairy flower'. That's what I call it because I have a set of fairy stamps for my craft that has a plant just like it. I have been keeping an eye on it as we pass it each day. hoping that no-one had trodden on it, and no bug has eaten it. I want to see what it opens into. It started off as just a tiny cone peeping out of the mud but it now has quite a long, bare stem. The day I photographed it there was a red bug resting on it. Today, on our alternative route, I saw these lovely grasses. Don't they look beautiful against the blue of an early morning sky?

I have finally found a home for the lovely green lantern that I bought last year in Hoy Ann, Vietnam. Chris managed to cobble together a holder for it when I got a bit too enthousiastic with the mop handle and broke the glass one that was there before. We bought the lantern to go in our bedroom, but the light in there is attached to the ceiling fan so it wasn't suitable. I'm glad it's got a home now. It is too beautiful to just lay around as it has been for the passed six months.

Although the rain is very welcome and everyone was pleased to see it, for once our garden didn't need watering. On Saturday, the folk next door turned on their asecia water, which comes direct from reservoirs in the mountains, and is used to flood their orange grove. This is the fourth time they have done it this year. It is turned on using a valve under a manhole cover in our front yard, and they just come in and do it. Then they turn the valve and divert the water to the orange grove across the road. Well, we are guessing that the roadworks had in some way blocked their duct, so the water backed up and flooded our garden instead. It filled the recessed part where out little tangerine tree is, and then flowed under the gate and on to the pool surround. Chris said that at least it gave our drains a good wash out!! The men came in and cleared it, but it did it again, so our plants are actually very well watered for now.

'If it moves, eat it' seems to be the motto for the mutts, and they are experts at grabbing a cicada mid-flight, licking up the ants, and nosing out the juiciest snails. Well this week Miki grabbed at something off the wall and thinking it was another snail, (which don't really agree with them!) I forced her to open her mouth so I could retrieve it. Instead I found myself holding the cutest baby ghecko. He had lost his tail but he can survive without it and will eventually grow a new one, but other than that he seemed to be alright. So I carefully carried him into the front garden, which the dogs can't get into, and released him on the wall, with a warning to keep a safe distance from now on. I hope he was listening!