Being very new to the world of smartphones, I've had a ball taking snaps of anything and everything that takes my fancy. No worrying about lugging around the heavy SLR in a big black bag that screams, "I'm a tourist! Come pick my pockets" or the smaller digital version that Love Chunks insists is his and his alone. "Where is MY camera, the one that *I* bought?"
To be fair, though, these have mostly all been placed on Facebook and it's very easy to click the link, add a line (a slight challenge with my man-sized fingers that end up pressing 'ASD' instead of 's') and posting it up.
A 'selfie' taken slurping coffee on our balcony during a blizzard. My cup was topped with snow by the time I took a picture that was acceptable to share with anyone, so try and imagine those that were rejected.
Milly in front of at least twenty discarded Christmas trees, left by the big bins near our apartment. Silly season was well and truly over.
On the Number 22 bus to the UN stop. I tend to select the double seats near the 'accordian' divider of the bus so that Milly has space to sit but she is terrified of the moving circular floor, undulating folded curtains and how it bends......
......and usually, therefore, ends up cowering under the seat. This maneouvre provides an additional bonus in that fellow travellers feel sorry for her and she ends up receiving loads of pats, coo-ed endearments (in French) and ear ruffles.
Milly's nemesis: a fellow apartment-dweller, the Tabby Cat. She enjoys sitting on the heaters in the lobby on cold days and the vantage point gives her plenty of notice to escape when Milly eventually spots her. The cat watches as my darling dog's paws skitter on the marble floor before she ends up slamming into the glass. She eventually recovers her poise only to see puss out in the garden looking disdainfully triumphant.
She can only be photographed (and petted) up close by me when Milly's not around. On warmer days she perches in the enormous flower beds, waits for Milly to see her and automatically jump up in response only to have her nose swiped at by the cat before she shoots off. It is only when Milly smells squirrels in the trees that she ignores the cat.
Milly with her sleepover buddy, Alfie the chocolate lab. Milly is NOT nice to other dogs; making it very clear that she'd prefer a world where she is the only canine and all homosapiens adore just her, but she's slowly getting used to seeing Alfie. He is the perfect host and when she visits him at his abode, he trots over with a toy in his mouth to offer her.
She snaps at him - "Don't YOU be taking liberties with ME!" and he wanders off with a "Whatever, lady," response to the other side of the living room. Eventually Milly climbs down from her high horse, gives his butt a careful sniff and they're friends again. Alfie is a patient and true gentleman.
Two friends found in the park that Milly can tolerate.
Sometimes, our dog does have cruelty inflicted upon her. Forced to wear a bra whilst enduring Sapphire's and my ridiculous laughter is not fun.
Then again, being my 'secretary' during freelance writing gigs isn't too bad.
G-strings, doggie winter coat version.
Rebel dog. When we first moved here, I saw the red circles with dogs in them and thought, "Wah hey, they welcome dogs here - a garden just for them!" Fratman the concierge soon set me straight. Red circles don't have to have a line through them to mean 'no.' It is with great thankfulness that Milly has a section of the garden filled with trees, bushes and lively squirrels where she is allowed to whizz and play.
Sapphire likes taking 'anti-selfies', partly to make fun of various FB 'friends' that take photos of themselves at their very, very best and caption them with 'I'm so ugly,' the universally-recognised plea for compliments or the 'Look at the snow outside' pose when the majority of the screen is filled with their figure artfully on show to display everything at its best.
"But surely, Sapph, sometimes you could put a photo up that shows you looking, if not show-offy, at least a bit normal?"
She then gave me a lesson in how the Show Offy Gals do it: tilt the phone so that the eyes become enormous:
Ah. Imagine her halfway in between.
Sometimes, a purchase just has to be made, despite much eye-rolling from Love Chunks.
A Swiss marmot, ready to hike in the snow, on a bottle of wine. Three euros. And yes, I will drink it.
And, drum roll please for the phinal phone photo:
WHO made the yellow snow?
Milly did!
