The week ...

We had another video viewing with M on Thursday night and while we had planned to watch the next episode of Call My Agent we ended up watching a program on The Royals on television with Mouse while the very pretty Mimi did her usual things including sitting on a ledge overlooking the kitchen ... which is where M gives her cat cookies in the evening while she prepares Mouse's hot water bottle. I didn't get a photo of Mimi up there but there are a couple of pics of her sitting in her chair at the table and hiding her head under the tablecloth because she prefers not to have the light shining on her as she naps.

Earlier in the week ... my birthday!  It was very exciting to be entering a new age demographic ... and to not put my actual birthdate on anything I was adding a date to on the actual day.  I don't know why it is but every year on the 15th when I'm writing the day, no matter what the year, without fail, in goes my birth year.  

It was a good day - with lots of birthday wishes.  I volunteered in the morning, did some transcription typing in the afternoon, and then off to Trivia in the evening. I'd like to say we won ... but we didn't ... but we did manage to be within two points of the podium.  Ro had joined us again which changes the game-play a little but hopefully it won't take long for us all to settle back in.

Sooz's present to me finally arrived on Wednesday and I have already had it out and about.  I think it is amazing ... because of the crop factor of 2.7 on the Nikon 1 my 300mm lens becomes much much longer - the equivalent of 810mm - making it heaps easier to manipulate than the 150-600mm lens.  The 30-110mm lens that came with the camera makes it the equivalent of 300mm+ which means I can have enough "reach" with it if I don't have the D7500 camera with me - which is why the Nikon 1 now lives in Ravi.  Hmmmm ... come to think of it, I haven't had the 600mm lens on it yet ... that magnification is going to be phenomenal.  I took both cameras to SeaWorld yesterday and took different types of shots at the Polar Bears - especially as there are vertical wires on the viewing platform there.  The Nikon 1 lens fitted between the wires - I was very happy about that and not having to worry about erasing the vertical lines from all of the shots!  I was there in time for the Keeper's Talk which is how I now know that scientists have measured how long polar bears can hold their breaths and that the best recorded was 3 minutes 36 seconds.  Pretty impressive.  Mishka didn't stay underwater for nearly that long yesterday but when she did dive it was pretty impressive.  You have to love big feet/paws!