Forest Walks

One of my favourite things to do in my spare time is walking.

Walking through the fields, walking in the bogs, walking in the Hills of Connemara, walking with my dogs and especially walking in the forest.

The smell of earth and fallen leaves.. The happy singing of the mountain streams..The peaceful silence and the playful light in the branches of the trees... all that and so much more  is what keeps me coming back and back and back...

I will show a few shots from a random walk from last year when Flick was a tiny puppy and was just learning the secrets of the forest. 

Now, after walking there every day for a year and a half, I would say he looks like he simply belongs in it. 

Forest Walks by Annie Japaud Photography 

 

 

 

July dreams in February

I am so tired of the rain and the bad weather I find myself daydreaming of summer. I am thinking of those wonderful July walks, very early in the morning, when everything is wrapped in green and flowers are smiling from every nook and cranny my eyes fall upon.

I am sure that I am not the only one thinking of summer in February. Honestly, this year we had a bit too much cold and rain, it is time for a change. It is time for the sun to come out, for the green to sprout and for the birds to start singing.

Until then, I will be looking at my photos from last summer, having July dreams in February, thinking of summer and waiting for the good weather.

Winter Light

Have you ever tried to look at something that you see everyday as if you see it for a first time?

It feels as if you are in the middle of a time lapse. Suddenly all details pop out and you can see an intricate and mesmerising world that you didn't even think existed.

You can hear the water running in the gutters, the golden sun rays envelop you in their embrace and   everything is submerged into a fantasy world of winter light and beautiful sounds.

I assure you, the ordinary can be magical and extraordinary as long as you decide to pause your everyday run and look with your mind's eye as much as your eyes.
Try and you will see.
Discover the beauty of the winter light with me.
And listen to some amazing music  by Ludovico Einaudi

Here is the link to the WINTER LIGHT album

The Cat That Just Moved In

Well, what do you know. It seems cats just walk in, move in, and that is that. 

If they choose you, they choose you forever and you become their new family. 

This is what happened to us, last August this ragged, starved, dirty, scared little thing just appeared in the garden and moved iton the green house eventually.
For 2 months he didn't let anyone come near him even a couple of meters away. But believe me, he ate the food I left for him in the garden. He has a crippled front paw but even so he is amazingly fast when he feels he needs to disappear. With the speed of light. 

Anyway, over the last few months he is looking better, being well fed, my daughter manages to comb him regularly and all his fluff is looking a bit more organised and lovelier. Believe me, I have never seen such a fur ball in my life!! So much fluff in one place!! Reminds me of feathers, light and airy and his colour is so wonderfully orange. He is the prettiest kitty I have ever seen.

HERE you can find more photos from our favourite fur ball ;-)

The Good Life of Some Cats

Before we know it, the summer is gone. No trace of it left anywhere except maybe if you look hard you can still see some green in the pasture fields but it is quite faint and won't be there for long..

Hurricane Ophelia came and went. Storm Brian passed by as well. We got lucky here in Galway and the area, at least where I live nothing dramatic happened, even though we got ready - I gathered all the geraniums and lined them up along the wall, all pots and garden decorations went down on the ground...

The fact that the cats were relaxed and were out most of the those nights, that is how I knew it wasn't going to be that bad over here.

Because you see, our Mr Kitty he has a barometer inside him, he can can feel when the weather is going bad, then he barricades himself in our bedroom and you can not dislodge him from the bed with any instrument, shouting or complaints...He is there until the weather gets better and that's that.

It is good to be our cat, that is for sure!! Food any time he wants, comfy bed anywhere he desires,   hugs and cuddles any time at all really...whats not to like?!

Two months ago Mr Kitty brought himself a friend. We think this is what happened or The little guy just came here and found us on his own. 

Believe me, he is real cutie with a fluffy orange and white coat, but at that time he was completely out of his mind from neglect, starvation and total fear from everyone and everything. 

I took him a month just to let any one of us get near him. We only left a bowl of food out, he ate only if we went back inside and he camped in the green house. 

After a few weeks of regular meals and time to clean himself he turned into a completely different creature. It is so sad to know that he was left alone, to fend for himself simply because he is crippled with his front right paw. It looks like it was broken a long time ago and now it's healed the wrong way. He was also very terrified of humans and their appendages like legs and hands in particular and still is quite jumpy but not as much.  

Under my persistent loving care he surrendered completely. You should see the cuddles he gets and how he is loving it!! Sometimes I think he even asks for it himself!! But when I think about it he has a couple of years of cuddles and love to catch up on before he even starts his new life.

The Good Life of Some Cats, because it does not happen to everyone...