Friday 20 October 2006

THE CAT’S WHISKERS

I really wish I had a garden! And if I did have, then I’d require certain essentials such as a sundial, a nice clump of lavender, a tit-box (we had one when I was child but it was never occupied) and assorted beds bursting with country cottage type blooms - hollyhocks, foxgloves, lupins and such like - of the kind I remember seeing clustered around a little thatched house with lattice windows on a particularly devilish (5000-piece) jigsaw I once had and more or less finished --- except for the blue sky bit on the top right which was too boring to be bothered with…

Anyway, I digress…

I would - in the event of having a garden - also want a POND and, with it, what the gift catalogues from the House of Bath and other mail-order emporia are pleased to call a “water feature”. What’s more, I’ve seen just the one I want...

I very desperately desire this totally fantastical cat fountain --- with running water whiskers!


It's the work of my brilliantly gifted chum, Martin Cheek, who - when he’s not making cat fountains - is creating stunning mosaic images such as this golden tiger….


…this gold-crested crane…


…and a myriad other birds, beasts and glorious eccentricities, many of which can be viewed on Martin’s website.

Thinking back to my recent blog about the Cheshire Cat from Wonderland (I do seem to blog a lot about cats for someone who's allergic to them!), I can’t help thinking what fun it would be to have a Cheshire Cat Fountain with just the head --- the body having already vanished away of course --- suspended above a tree branch with whiskers cascading down onto the upturned face of the tirelessly inquisitive Alice?

Technically, it would probably be a tall order and, anyway, I don't have a pond - or a garden - but if and when I do...

Meanwhile, there's always 'Ginger'...

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, Fountain Whiskers Kitty is adorable!

We do have a garden. Well, we have a yard because we have zero water, which means everything is dead. But if we did have a garden and were allowed to have a pond, I too would want the Cheshire Cat Head fountain. It would drive our dog INSANE!

Incidentally, Brian, are you saying that you a Cat Person stuck in the body of a Cat Hater?

Brian Sibley said...

Yes, I'm afraid so....

A-A-A-CAT-CHOOOOOO!

Brian Sibley said...

Supposing I were to stand some plastic FLAMINGOS in the pond (they're in the 'Alice' book, as well, you know - only NOT plastic, of course!) would that help??

On the other hand...

Perhaps I'll just look for a Cheshire Cat jigsaw -- with as little sky as possible! :-)

Phil said...

How about this one, Brian:

http://www.cleverwood.com/alice_jigsaw_puzzles.htm

Very little sky there. In fact, very little jigsaw by the look of it.

Brian Sibley said...

Perfect, Phil! Thank you!!

I particularly enjoyed the description of these "Matchbox Puzzles":

'Each of the four Alice in Wonderland puzzles are a 12 piece die-cut color glossy cardboard miniature jigsaw puzzle.These “matchbox” puzzles are SURPRISINGLY WELL MADE [my caps]...'

I LOVE "surprisingly"... :-)

Brian Sibley said...

I don't know about HELPING...

I imagined with the garden would come a GARDENER!!

martin cheek said...

thanks for featuring my cat fountains - they are NOT such a crazy departure from my mosaics as you might at first think - you see they are maquettes for bigger works - I see them being AT LEAST 4 foot tall and rendered in - yes - you 'gaddit' - MOSAIC!!!