happy friday ...

 

because they're mine ... & because i can!

So i'm taking a break from photos from Provence (only a short one) to bring you some pictures of my kitties. There is no specific reason for this (although our theme for You See I See this week was pets so it gave me an excuse to photograph them, not that i honestly need one but anyways) just that there haven't been nearly enough pictures of them recently & well because they're mine & because i can! So quick introductions ... cujo is the tabby (she's the silly younger fur ball ooooh pretty shiny over there kittie) & damn-it (yes that's really her name & no the hubby does not get to name the kids) is the black kittie (she's shy, way more athletic & all kinds of chatty with me & the hubby). 

help Maggie May

The Female Photographers of Etsy is a wonderful group of ladies (yes we know i've mentioned them before), & incredible talented photographers around the world. & today i'm giving a shout out to one of those ladies. 

Joy St. Claire is a wonderful portrait, landscape, animal, fine art & all round talented lady living up Ohio. She creates inspiration, dreamlike images that bring you back to nature. They draw you in & yes we're going with a cliche leave you feeling "at one" with the earth around you. They're so simple but elegant & would look stunning throughout you house.  

Joy is one of those people who is all about giving back, right now %20 of all her proceeds from her shop are going to the National Wildlife Federation's Gulf Oil Spill Restoration Fund. 

But right now she needs a little help from us ... recently her beloved dog, Maggie was taken seriously ill (you can read the full story over on Joy's blog). Anyone who knows me knows how much my cats mean to me, they are family despite anything the hubby might claim otherwise. They are my company on long winter nights, someone to curl up with when the hubby is deployed or tdy & they make me laugh & smile on a daily basis. 

Maggie thankfully has survived & is doing much better but as a result Joy has been left with large vets bills. Maggie is Joy's best friend, companion & occasional muse so please take a minute to check out her shop & treat yourself or buy something for a friends birthday. 

ps. how can you resist this?

shop

blog

leave part nine: chester zoo

We went to the zoo ... i loooooove the zoo! Chester Zoo is the zoo i have been visiting since i was knee high to a grass hopper & it's a wonderful zoo. If you ever get the chance to visit i highly recommend it, as they take wonderful care of their animals not to mention taking part in conservation projects nationally & internationally. So less talk & more pictures today ... enjoy! 

ok so i admit i went a little nuts in the butterfly house but it was macro heaven! 

proof that men are the same everywhere! 

& last but certainly not least ... my favourite ... the Ring Tailed Lemur. Don't ask me where this started but ever since i was a child i have loved them. Every time we went to the zoo we would have lunch on the benches by "Lemur Island" & so you know i could have spent hours watching these wonderful creatures. The first time we walked past they were hiding but after lunch they came out to play, i just wish i'd had a longer lens!