Over the last few months, we've got several new housemates. Some are large, some small. I thought I'd introduce them all.
Harold the houseplant
In March of this year, our first housemate arrived from
Burford Garden Company. He's a rubber plant, who requires water around once a week, to which we lovingly add some BabyBio. He's grown somewhat since his arrival, and we're wondering about taking some cuttings to give to friends.
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| Harold in March. Bottom of stairs | Harold today. Top of stairs |
Harold is low maintenance, but far more interesting to look at than many other plants. He has red tips on each of his stems, where new leaves periodically appear, the red becoming the vein of the leaf itself.
Josh Jones
Josh is the largest and most mobile of our housemates, and the only one that contributes financially. Others might refer to him as a 'lodger', but that is an ugly, commercial term that in no way accurately reflects our relationship. Still others might refer to him as a 'pet', but that too barely scrapes the surface of our relationship. Josh is a friend who lives with us, and helps with cleaning, cooking, and socialising. We lived with him once before, so when he was looking to move out in September, we invited him to move here. I lost my office, but we gained so much more. If you too are inspired, adopt an
Adventure Plus employee today!
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| Josh in a boat |
The fish
I have always loved fish. I don't know why. For my birthday this year (in April), I received a fishtank from my sister, which was rather exciting. I then saved my pocket money for several months and finally, one day in September, we went to Yarnton Nurseries to visit the Oxford Aquatics Centre. I am now the proud owner of four fish: two
Guppies, and two
Harlequin Rasboras. Given that fish don't tend to live a long time, I've named them simply: Yellow, Black, Thing One and Thing Two (that's mainly because I can't remember that they're Rasboras without looking it up - that and the Dr Seuss connection).
I have discovered that with my cameras (the one on my phone, and an old Fuji FinePix) it's astonishingly difficult to get good close-ups of my fish, so please excuse the blurriness:
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| Black and Yellow at the front of the tank. You can just make out Thing One behind |
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| The best shot I could get of Thing Two |
The fish are doing well, although the tank got a little green this week. I'm hoping to get an algae eater to help with the cleaning, along with a couple of other pretties (maybe some barbs or tetras), although that may be delayed given the six inches of snow on everything at the moment.
Douglas
Last year we bought a real Christmas Tree, who journeyed with us all the way to Nottingham and back over the holidays. When Christmas was over, we took him outside to enjoy a bit of fresh air, and there he thrived! This year, we've brought him back in, and he has taken up residence in Harold's usual spot (which is why Harold is now at the top of the stairs, sulking). He's only little (under four feet tall), but he's hardy and we like to think he dreams of one day being a giant tree, hence Douglas the Fir.
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| Douglas with adornments |
I hope you enjoyed getting to see our little family here in Witney. It may be unusual, but these guys make our house a home.
