Elementary, My Dear Watson

Undercover Cat, Prince Richard, (P.R., for short), prepares for duty.

Good Day, Poppy View Readers, 

P.R., here, Private InvestiCATor, at your service. Poppy asked me to take you on a little tour of the garden, to reveal the identities of those puzzling personalities she introduced you to a few days ago.  Just before you got here, a little bird, (my trusty, canary confidant), told me that Poppy's previous post had left you rather perplexed! Rest assured, you're in good hands. After all, I live with the woman, (and between you and me, she's a bit of an enigma, herself!)...Ahem...Right this way, ladies, watch your step...

 

Let's take another look at that red striped sack, shall we? 
Upon closer inspection, it becomes evident that the bag
 is densely packed with some sort of egg shaped pieces. 

Walnuts, drying in the Cretan sun.

Kudos to those who guessed 'walnuts', since the
  answer was practically dropped into your lap, with
 the phrase, 'a hard nut to crack', in the description.

Walnut harvest: a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it!

Have you ever seen walnuts in their fruity form? 
These were manually shaken from a few trees that Poppy's 
mother-in-law planted many years ago. They were collected, hulled, rinsed several times in cold water, and finally left in the sun to dry completely. Poppy has promised to make a traditional walnut cake; (after all, it's the least she could do for teasing you so, wouldn't you agree?).

Late September, 2014

These raddish lookalikes, which some of you referred 
to as 'thingamabobs', and 'thingamajics', are actually...

 

 budding  flowers! I, myself would
 have guessed some kind of tropical fruit.

Far left: star jasmine, mid July 2014

Yet, here they are; sweetly scented stars  among a 

herbaceous cast of sage, rosemary, thyme, mint, laurel,

 and lavender. Yes, Trachelospermum jasminoides, 

more commonly known as star jasmine, is what those 

carbon copy, kumquat-y sprouts eventually bloom into.
 And soon, they'll honour us with an encore of their

  delicate beauty and signature fragrance.

A coil of courgettes curls itself around quinces and plums.

 If you perceived these bumpy, lime green spheres to
 be quinces, then you are correct! Here on the island, they
 are made into marmalade, compotes, and other sweet treats.



And speaking of treats, here's a peek at Poppy's peace offering. 
She's confident all will be forgiven after the first bite!
 

P.R. plays Sherlock

 Well, it's been swell hanging out with you gals!
That Poppy's sure got some real sweet pals! 

xo
P.R.

Sharing at:
Five Star Frugal, Saturday Sparks,  Flaunt it Friday, The Inspiration Gallery,
Show & Tell Friday,  Friendship Friday, Home Sweet Home,
Simple & Sweet Fridays, Feathered Nest Friday, Artsy Corner,
Worthwhile Wednesdays,  Home & Garden Thursday, Create It Thursday,
 What's It Wednesday, Wow Us Wednesdays, Be Inspired Features & Link Party,  
Tuesdays at Our Home, Inspire Me Tuesday, Treasure Box Tuesday, The Scoop,
Tweak It Tuesday, The Art of Home-Making Monday, Inspire Me Monday,
Amaze Me Monday, Inspiration Monday, Make it Pretty Monday

PR: A Dude in Demand

 Lately, Prince Richard, our ravishing, resident cat, has 
been the source of some spicy, internet intrigue! PR is single, relatively quiet and low maintenance, if he's properly fed,
 playfully pampered and sufficiently sheltered.

Now, I may be biased, but I have to say, this feline fella 
is handsome, rugged, and charmingly mysterious.

 

 Most days, when he is not dozing off for the dozenth time, PR can be spotted sitting silently in one of his many designated spots,
 soaking in the sun, supposedly deep in thought.

Nights, are another story; we have no idea where he disappears to, whom he sees, and what he does. He is your typical tomcat
 bachelor, and from what I hear, (according to him), quite
 sought after by countless kitties, who, (and I quote),
 'cannot resist his debonair demenour'.

 One day, snuggled in his favourite chair and staring at the
 sky above, day dreaming about the details of dinner,

 PR thought he'd heard a rustling in the row of bushes behind him.   
 He immediately shifted into spy mode and started his stakeout.

Within seconds, he realized that he was being stalked by a sultry, yellow eyed female, who had slithered her way into his territory,
 finally coming face to face with her target.

It wasn't long before this femme fatale had PR wrapped around
 her little finger, (not to mention her furry bod), catering to her
 every whim, sudden cravings and diva demands!



It goes without saying, that the manipulative Ms. Meow
 had made a pauper out of this prince, as he spent every
 waking hour fulfilling her wishes, causing him to
 collapse from exhaustion, early on. There was no doubt: 
this dude was in dire straits.

Enter Kanga: a sweet, gentle gal from across the pond. Pretty, 
pleasant and petite, she is a breath of fresh air, compared 
to the stuffy conditions in which Ms. Meow circulates.
 She first fell for PR after seeing his picture posted on
 this blog, and since then, their selfies have been the 
source of their romantic correspondence, each cyber snap
 securing  their loyalty to each other until the day they meet.

Of course, like all love stories, this one is not without its  complications; namely, Kanga is not willing to relocate, nor 
is her mommy ready to part with her - perfectly understandable,
 given how utterly adorable and precious she is!

 

Thus, poor PR seems doomed to distress, and until his own mommy returns from Canada, he can only hope that she brings him a special souvenir: his alluring, American sweetheart - in the flesh! But, until then, it's back to the trenches for this silently suffering, love-struck cat.

And the story continues...

Thanks for visiting!
xo
Poppy
PS: Hope to visit all of you soon! After an 8 hour delay in Munich, we finally landed in Toronto, having spent 14 hours on 3 planes, 8 hours in 3 airports, and countless more, jet lagged, with no end in sight!

Joining:
Friendship Friday, Friday's Five Features,
Flaunt it Friday, Show & Tell Friday, Home Sweet Home,
Simple & Sweet Fridays, Be Inspired, Feathered Nest Friday, 
Wow Us Wednesdays, Be Inspired Features & Link Party,
Brag About It, The Scoop, Treasure Box Tuesday, 
Tuesdays at Our Home, Tweak It Tuesday, Inspire Me Monday
Make it Pretty Monday, A Return to Loveliness,
Mosaic Monday, Inspire Me Monday, Amaze Me Monday,
Seasonal Sundays, The Sunday Showcase,

Buttercup Brilliance

 6:45 am, Poppy View headquarters, orange skies just before sunrise.

  

 9:09: My feline ally, Prince Richard, the cat,
misses his wake up call for the day. So predictable.

 9:10: I leave him behind and head for the hills, as planned.

 You snooze, you lose.

 

 The Bermuda buttercups had arrived for their annual visit,

and I was curious to see how they were getting on

 with their hosts, the olive trees and grapevines.

9:49: Everything seemed harmoniously fine, from a distance.

10:15: A serene scene on a canvas of blue; a pretty, pastoral view.

10:34: Up close, it was evident that our generous hosts, 

indeed, had made the little buttercups feel at home, 

giving them plenty of space, in which to stretch and freely roam.

 11:58: At my garden gate, I am greeted with a yawn,

by a lazy companion I can never count on. Shameful.

Happy first day of March!

Spring Countdown

Spring: __ days, (and counting), to go...

Will flowers grow where there is snow? I sure hope so!

xo

Poppy

All images: Poppy View

Sharing at: 

The Art of Home-Making Mondays,  Home & Garden Thursday,

Wow Us Wednesdays, Sunday Showcase Party, Treasure Box Tuesday,

Be Inspired Features & Link Party, Inspire Me Tuesday, 

Brag About It, The Scoop, Tweak It Tuesday, Tuesdays at Our Home,

 Make it Pretty Monday, Inspiration Monday, Amaze Me Monday,

Mosaic Monday, Inspire Me Monday, ☀Sunlit Sunday, Seasonal Sundays,

Be Inspired, Home Sweet Home, Show & Tell Friday, Flaunt it Friday,

Fabulously Creative Friday, Simple & Sweet Fridays, Feathered Nest Friday, 

Friday's Five Features, Saturday's Critters, Say G'Day Saturday,

I Spy...Autumn Go By!

For the past few weeks,
the skies, the vines, and I,
have been playing a little game.

 We get an early start;
seconds after sunrise, to be precise.

Prince Richard, albeit, a curious cat,
is no early bird, so he sits out the first round.

To the east, the sky is awakened
with orange juice clouds.

 

 Within seconds, they morph into fluffy,
floating, scrambled eggs.

Northerly, and a few moments later,
it is blindingly bright, and not a cloud in sight!

Hanging geraniums lift their droopy heads

and sneak a peek at the vines below,

where rays of sunlight streak the land,
 like amber strokes of a ghostly hand.

 Vines, in various stages, mingle with
olives, oranges, lemons, and walnuts,
and circulate the space.

 Cretan leaves in October light,
 mimic Canadian emblems,
and thus, my memory delight.

My one and only maple steals the show
 amid millions of Cretan competitors below.

Yet, soon enough autumn's hues

will yield to winter's sparser views,

 and a lazy feline of sharp eye

will be too late to play 'I spy'!

Thanks for visiting!

All images: Poppy View

Sharing at:

  Friendship Friday, The Art of Home-Making Monday, Inspiration Monday, 

Autumn Abounds,  Be Inspired Features & Link Party,Tuesday Trivia,

 Brag About It, bebetsy.com, Tweak It Tuesday, Make it Pretty Monday,

The Sunday Showcase Party, Amaze Me Monday, Mosaic Monday, 

Inspire Me Monday, Flaunt it Friday, Friday's Five Features,

Oh, the PLACES I've been!, Show & Tell Friday, Feathered Nest Friday,

Home Sweet Home, Be Inspired, Sweet & Simple Fridays, Saturday Sparks,

Open House Block Party, Home & Garden Thursday, Home, Wow Us Wednesday,