Saturday morning on the deck

The hubs and I woke up around 8am this morning, long before the smaller people.  It was a beautiful morning so we took our coffee out to the front deck.

Cass was warming herself on the backyard fence, for a 19 year old, she gets around.  One minute she was basking in the sun, the next she was approaching us from the other side of the deck.  That tree she is sitting beside is a favorite for the birds, this time of year it has little berries all over it that the birds eat.
My garden is wild, really it's overgrown and the birds love it.  In spring when the bottle brush is flowering, a pair of Tui come to drink nectar.

I enjoy watching the birds.  The Starlings and Mynahs generally frighten the smaller Sparrows and Wax eyes away.  There are swallows and finches too.  In the afternoon my white picket front fence looks like a scene from a Hitchcock movie, with birds sitting all along it catching the last of the afternoon sun.

Everywhere I go, the dogs go too.  Sparkie is our self appointed guard dog.  Trouble is, he barks at everything! Hedgehogs, pedestrians, passing cars.  Here he is guarding me as I sip my coffee.  From what I'm not sure.  Toby was laying in the sun at my feet like the loyal dog he is.  Now if HE barks I worry.

We fenced the deck with swimming pool fencing so that we can put the dogs out there safely, at night during summer, we lock the gate and leave the ranch slider open to keep air circulating through the living area.

Finally, here is Cass demonstrating her advanced camouflage technique.  It's easy to see why she is such a good hunter, her coloring makes her blend into the light and shadow quite well.