A Star Only A Mother Could Love.  

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I started this post a few days back.  I wanted to write about something "happy".  Something that would make you smile, something good in my world.  My world is beyond complaint, on reflection.  It is me that isn't.
 I know that some might rush to say that I am indeed good or worthy.  But what measure is that?  If I am indeed "good/worthy"?  What then?  So what?  To what end, this mortal coil?
 I am not so keen right now, so please forgive me.  I give you the short story of my youngest kitten (still after years)!   Who has the longest tail, no pun intended.


My dear friend Nell had never been particularly keen on cats.  Somehow she ended up with a black one, which for reasons that escape me, she named "Pineapple".  Nell is a fantastic fine artist, as well as Scenic Artist and we met when I was still working; painting for opera, theater, the Philly Flower Show, cruise ships, etc. and then the movies.  I blog under a nom-de-plume, so you won't find my film credits. 



About two or three years ago, Nell gave us a buzz.  See, she had a mama cat that had just given birth in her West Philly garden.  Nell had been feeding mama, and after the happy occasion, fed the four off-spring.
There was an over-hang at the back of her house, where she set up food, water, extra shelter and, god bless her, an area to train the cats.  She tied tin-foil balls on lengths of string attached to poles.  She encouraged play every day and named the kittens.  As a first-time cat owner, she displayed an innate understanding of what the wild cats needed.
 Enough time passed, that she could get mama cat fixed and checked for diseases.  With a clean bill of health, mama needed a place to hang with her kittens until they were placed.  They came here.  The all-black female kitten with a dash of white on the tip of her tail, that Nell named "Spark", was the one we'd been attracted to.  But the boy with an odd dash of light up his nose Nell had named "Star" became the obvious choice for us.
Now, his first name is Zebedee, a character I loved from The Magic Roundabout, from the stop-animation shows of my British childhood.  I have also named others from that genre, such as Dylan (Magic Roundabout), Orinocco and Womble.  Zebedee got his middle name "Minky" due to his foul breath, his shiny, super soft coat, enormously long, lush tail and slinky ways.
Ergo:  Zebedee Minky Star.
I love this photo of him!  He looks like a feline Marty Feldman.  I love the hints of pink and teal behind him and how up close you can see his lower lip.  He only uses "Star" as his last name now, as he has come into his own, like the star he is.
His features do not favour a photogenic response!  Animals are objects of beauty, only because we love/appreciate them, or apply hidden needs within ourselves.  It is that silent gift of our speechless friendship that may help a fellow creature.

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Nursery Murals For Bear And Ruby.  

Posted by kw in , , , ,

You may recall that I was painting a nursery in trade for a teak sofa-bench from Villa and Hut for Cricket.  Some of you were interested in seeing what I did, so here they are!. You may have noticed that I've written three posts in a row with photos in them.  Sometimes I can figure out how to upload, so I have to run with it as far as I can!  Keeping notes would be far too sensible.
OK, so on the top left is the beginning of a singing goose and a very strong monkey.  I had just laid out the basic colours.  It is about three by four feet big.  To the right is the finished image, which is directly above Ruby's bed.  She is two and loves the blue monkey.  The surrounding walls ended up being painted yellow by Tanya, Ruby and Bear's mother.
Below left is the wall at the foot of Ruby's bed.  The black rectangle is chalk-board paint, which you can pick up in your local paint or hardware shop.  I used it on a movie, way back and loved the product.  It is low, only about two and a half feet tall, so the Ruby and her younger brother Bear can easily reach it.  Above, the sky is painted in two shades of blue, with an iridescent glaze.   That glaze is also over the moon and the stars.  That is a ruby red bird perched on the top of the moon.  Something Ruby's dad John wanted for her.
To the right is Bear and his friend riding a tandem.  There is a yellow horn in front and the fish ended up with a much wider tail.  Some children who had seen this as a work in progress, thought the fish was a frog!  Now that just wouldn't make any sense at all!  So the furry cyclists end up with a very large, fat, green and gold fish.  This is a smaller image, as it fits above Bear's changing table.  It's probably about three feet wide, give or tale the fishing line.
Cricket loves her bench and Ruby's family loves the murals.  So, everybody wins.

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