Wednesday 31 May 2023

The BBHQ Midweek News Round-Up ~ Floofy Fudge in The Garden, Pandora in Stealth Mode and Melvyn's Wearing This Weeks Top Pick Bandana **PLUS* An Epic Throwback To 2018 **AND** June's Brand New Bandana Selection

Midweek News Banner ©BionicBasil® May 2023

Furbulous Greetings Supurr Furiends

Welcome to the BBHQ midweek news round-up!

It's blooming marvellous at BBHQ this week, just take a look at these luscious lupins.

The BBHQ Midweek News Round-Up ©BionicBasil® Luscious Lupins at BBHQ

There is one stretch in the front border that is a lupin paradise; it must be the most optimum place, as they don't grow like this anywhere else in the garden. And believe us when we tell mew, we have tried them everywhere, as new seedlings emerge in the gravel every spring and the P.A. will carefully remove them and pot them on. Once they are bigger, she when will plant them in various places around the garden, but they never do as well as these here.

And each year, new colours emerge, we are waiting to see if the hot pink and cream one from last year emerges - see pic below, as so far that's on the missing list. We have a light pink and a darker pink one just about to pop, plus there's a very light pink and white.

The BBHQ Midweek News Round-Up ©BionicBasil® Luscious Lupins at BBHQ - Hot Pink and White

Isn't it gorgeous?

And while we love lupins, the only problem is the big, blue juicy aphids that love them too. And right before these photos were taken, the P.A. had just washed the latest onslaught off the lupins; we don't like using chemicals in the garden due to all the insects and wildlife so a gentle hose-off is the only deterrent used. 

The P.A. has tried a couple of methods to get rid of the aphids, such as a couple of drops of washing-up liquid in water, mixing it well and lightly spraying it on. This resulted in not only getting rid of the aphids but it also damaged the flowers. She has also tried the special gardener's soap, with the same result. So she figured it's just best to rinse them off every night, but it is like fighting the Borg, as they are such relentless little fluffers, intent on mass destruction of such beauty. 

Ah nature, apparently there's a reason for everything, but we can't think of one for aphids! Sometimes the smaller birds cotton on to the huge protein buffet on offer, but most of the time the aphids keep marching onward and upward! MOL 

Anyhoo, let's look at this week's top headlines.

Midweek News Divider ©BionicBasil® May 2023

First up in the news this week

Floofy Fudge in The Garden


The BBHQ Midweek News Round-Up ©BionicBasil® Floofy Fudge in The Garden

Fudge was being supurr floofy the garden, he adores his mini garden safaris and bipping about everywhere and checking out absolutely everything.

He also has a tendency to sneak over the fence, so he is heavily snoopervised at all times. And while it's ok he goes over the back fence to the P.A.'s cousin's house and field, he sometimes goes over the side fence into nextdoors front garden, which then leads onto the main street. So if he looks like he's going AWOL, he's promptly put back inside.

Mew can never be too careful!

Midweek News Divider ©BionicBasil® May 2023

Next up in the news

Pandora in Stealth Mode


The BBHQ Midweek News Round-Up ©BionicBasil® Pandora in Stealth Mode

Pandora was hiding on top of the fence behind the rose the other day. She was spying on Smooch who had no idea she was up there.

Smooch would be really hissed off if he knew! MOL

Midweek News Divider ©BionicBasil® May 2023

Finally this week

Melvyn's Modelling The Top Bandana Pick


Finally, the Stars and Moon bandana got to the BBHQ catwalk, or runway depending on your preferred terminology, and it looks epic! 

The BBHQ Midweek News Round-Up ©BionicBasil® Melvyn Modelling This Weeks Top Pick Bandana - Stars and Moon

Melvyn looked adorable in this one, and he really did a great job on the catwalk today, as mew can watch below on your preferred platform, plus each video has different mewsic, so mew can enjoy three separate funky tracks if mew watch them all! MOL

Check out Melvyn strutting his stuff on:



 
Midweek News Divider Small ©BionicBasil® May 2023

Which one should he model next?

Here's the brand new bandana selection for June.

The BBHQ Midweek News Round-Up ©BionicBasil® June 2023 Bandana Selection
The options from the top left in a clockwise direction:
1. Astrology For Cats
2. Purrtastic Peach Blossom
3. Bee Fabulous
4. Fairy Magic
Tell us your top pick for next week in the comments!

Midweek News Divider ©BionicBasil® May 2023

EXTRA, EXTRA!


An Epic Throwback To 2018 

The BBHQ Midweek News Round-Up ©BionicBasil® An Epic Throwback To 2018

This epic photo was taken on the 5th of  May 2018.

❤️ Ahhhh the good old days! ❤️

Midweek News Divider ©BionicBasil® May 2023

That's us done for today, do join us tomorrow for my 21st Birthday Pawty and Giveaway, then we'll be back on Friday with Amber and another fab book, and if mew missed any other posts, here are the links:

The B Team's Fairy Pools Waterfall Selfie

Brain Training with Cats

The B Team's Quick Cat Guide ~ Cat Wellness

Smooch Around The Wurld - The Epic Japan Adventure

Midweek News Stay Fluffy ©BionicBasil® May 2023


Wing Commander Basil & The B Team 












Spring Divider 2023 ©BionicBasil® Midweek News

Don't furget to subscribe and never miss another post! 

Spring Divider 2023 ©BionicBasil® Midweek News
Graphics created with paid licence www.canva.com 

Tuesday 30 May 2023

**NEW EXPEDITION for 2023** on Smooch Around The Wurld ~ Today We're Smooching All Offur Japan with Spike as My Pawesome Travelling Companion

Welcome To

Smooch Around The Wurld Banner ©BionicBasil®

Woo Hoo Pawsome Pals

Smooch here, and how are mew doing today?

So dudes and dudettes we're going to be Smooching Around the Wurld, how much fun, so much fun!

And because The B Team doesn't use conventional means of travel, I'll be using the TTTB aka the Time Travelling Telephone Box to go on my little jolly's, so thank cod I won't have to use an airport as I don't think I'd get through security with all the extra covert hardware I travel with! MOL

Smooch Around The Wurld ©BionicBasil® Banner
Furst though I have to make a travel check sheet:

Travelling Cat - Smooch Around The Wurld ©BionicBasil® Tasmania

 I've already had all my travel vaccinations, as mew neffur know and I always think it's better to have the lot rather than risk getting some foreign lurgy which in turn ruins your jolly's! 

Smooch Around The Wurld ©BionicBasil® Banner

So where are we going today?

Today we're going to the mystical land of Japan, and my epic travelling buddy is Spike, who resides in the gorgeous realm of Scotland, U.K. 


I got Spike's travel card ready, as I'm a bit of a pro at making these documents now! MOL 

Then I jumped into the Time Travelling Telephone Box and landed in Spike's garden about 3 seconds later.

"Spike dude, are mew ready for the adventure of a lifetime?" I yelled.

Spike opened the door and peered out, he looked rather shocked as I stood leaning against the TTTB waving his travel card.

"Smooch, me old scallywag, I wasn't expecting to mew until after lunch, I was just in the middle of my mid-morning snooze!" Spike replied, rubbing his eyes."Mew know us older cats need our extra catnaps, otherwise we won't have enough energy for our main snooze!" 

I laughed, "Dude mew are only sixteen, mew're still young!" 

Spike grabbed his backpack and headed towards the TTTB. "Wow, this is some impressive piece of kit Smooch," he said stepping over the threshold. "And just look at the size of inside, it's fluffing huge!"

"Everypawdy says that!" I said grinning. "And it has lots of levels too, dude mew could get lost inside here forever, come on let's get going as I've got a totally furbulous trip planned just for mew!"

We walked to the main console, and I could see Spike was rather overwhelmed, the TTTB does that to most cats who've never been inside it before.

"But Smooch, I just can't catch my breath at the scope of it, it's incredible!" Spike beamed.

"Dude I was exactly the same when Basil first showed me inside too, I couldn't get my head around the physics of it, in fact, it gave me a bit of a headache, so I decided to accept that it's a tiny telephone box on the outside and a massive multi-level space on the inside," I said. "I don't need to understand the method of why, I only need to know that it is what it is!" I laughed and Spike laughed and then I pointed to the big red button on the console.

"Spike would mew do the honours and push that button!"

Spike paw-smacked the button and the TTTB vanished.

TTTB Launch Button  ©BionicBasil®

17.8412098237777r seconds later we landed here.

Spike & Smooch in Smooch Around The Wurld ~ Spike's Trip To Japan ©BionicBasil®

And this is what happened next...

Spike & Smooch in Smooch Around The Wurld ~ Japan Scrapbook ©BionicBasil®

Spike & Smooch in Smooch Around The Wurld ~ Japan Scrapbook ©BionicBasil®

Spike & Smooch in Smooch Around The Wurld ~ Japan Scrapbook ©BionicBasil®

Spike & Smooch in Smooch Around The Wurld ~ Japan Scrapbook ©BionicBasil®

Spike & Smooch in Smooch Around The Wurld ~ Japan Scrapbook ©BionicBasil®

Spike & Smooch in Smooch Around The Wurld ~ Japan Scrapbook ©BionicBasil®

Spike & Smooch in Smooch Around The Wurld ~ Japan Scrapbook ©BionicBasil®

Spike & Smooch in Smooch Around The Wurld ~ Japan Scrapbook ©BionicBasil®

Spike & Smooch in Smooch Around The Wurld ~ Japan Scrapbook ©BionicBasil®

Wow, what an adventure we had; from the minute we landed to the minute we left.

Guy's what a trip, the temples we visited and the gardens we saw, mew can't believe how meautiful it is.

There are islands full of cats, seriously me and Spike were blown away by it, who knew that such places existed?

It was really comical when I went and asked one of the island cats on Aoshima where a good place to eat was and the dude literally through a fish at us! Seriously mew couldn't write it, anyhoo me and Spike really enjoyed that meal with the locals, and thank cod for the TTTB's A.I. Astrid, she was a supurr translator for us, as neither Spike nor myself speak the lingo.

And don't let Spike tell mew that I toppled off the lighthouse at Yakushima, it's a total fabrication and it never happened, well I did slip a little but I didn't fall off completely! MOL

The cherry blossoms at MT. Yoshino were truly pawesome, thousands of them like a pink carpet covering the landscape, it was ameowzing, if mew ever get a chance to go and see it, do, mew won't be disappointed.

And jumpin' juniper berries, one of the monkeys at Iwatayama was moody, somepawdy had definitely stolen his lunch that day, so I gave him a banana out of my backpack and that cheered him right up. But then at hearing the word bananas, we were suddenly surrounded by monkeys, it was a little disconcerting because they did have really big teeth, and I only had one banana left.

But then I remembered in my fannypack, I'd brought Humphrey's replicator wand with me, and what's really nifty is it has a setting to choose how many replications mew want of something, so I set it to 100 and I told Spike to throw the banana into the air away from us and I zapped that yellow fruit mid-flight and it rained bananas! MOL The monkeys all ran off after them, as me and Spike ran off the other way and back down the mountain.

We then headed into Tokyo, and OH MY COD is that a busy city, busier than I could have ever imagined, but it was fun to explore the city and yes we did go to the Hello Kitty store, as what to trip to Japan wouldn't be complete without visiting HK herself!!! MOL

Guys, Spike and I had a totally terrific trip, and sadly that brings us to the end of our adventure, though before we go I must tell mew about the samurai swords we bought as souvenirs (yeah right!), they are obviously not genuine, total plastic replicas (not!) and no, we didn't have a play sword fight in the middle of  Tokyo, so please dismiss any social media footage mew may see of this event. IT WAS NOT US AND IT NEVER HAPPENED! MOL 


Thanks so much for joining me and Spike on our epic travel adventure, and I'll be back before mew know it sharing another far-flung destination so hope mew'll join me then.

Until next time

Get the travel brochures out 

and 

Don't Furget The Camera

Smooch 








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Monday 29 May 2023

Brain Training with Cats #72 with your Epic host ~ Professor Basil P.H.D. **PLUS** A Pawesome Throwback To April 2012

Brain Training with Cats ©BionicBasil®

Happy Monday guys

Welcome to another fab Brain Training sesh on the blog today.

This week I'm sharing a throwback from April 2012, Dad took this picture of me and it's still one of the ultimate favourites at BBHQ.

Brain Training with Cats #72 ©BionicBasil® Flashback with Basil to April 2012

Don't worry I'll hold up the sky! MOL


It's time to get those little grey cells working.

Here's the answer key to last time's sudoku puzzle #39.

Answer Key Sudoku #39 Brain Training with Cats ©BionicBasil®

Are mew ready for this week's puzzle?

Brain Training with Professor Basil #72 Sudoku Puzzle 1 @BionicBasil® Downloadable Puzzle For Purrsonal Use Only
just right-click to save the puzzle to your 'puter or print it off.] 

The Answer Key will be on next week's post.



Here's this week's wurdsearch


Just right-click to save and/or print the wurdsearch.


And finally this week, here's this weeks jigsaw puzzle, featuring yours truly! 

Brain Training with Cats #72 ©BionicBasil® Puzzle



It took me 11 mins 45 secs...  How did you do?



I hope mew enjoy today's puzzles, tomorrow Smooch will be here with a Smooch Around The Wurld special with his buddy Spike, so don't miss that as they have an epic destination this time, and then we'll be back on Wednesday with some more midweek news.

Also, it's my birthday on Thursday, I'll be 21 and it'll be my 4th birthday in the Rainbow Realm, so mark your calendar for another epic cat rave and giveaway!

We look forward to your company all week but in the meantime...

Keep calm and puzzle on

Epic purrs


Professor Basil 











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Jigsaw Puzzle www.jigsawplanet.com  Sudoku & word-search created with paid licence www.crosscompiler.com Other graphics created with paid licence www.canva.com & www.befunky.com 

Sunday 28 May 2023

The B Team's Fairy Pools Waterfall Selfie on The Sunday Selfies & Caturday Art Blog Hop

Sunday Selfies Banner ©BionicBasil® May 2023

Furbulous Sunday greetings furiends

Welcome to another BBHQ selfie selection, and today the entire B Team is here sharing

Fairy Pools Waterfall Selfie 

The B Team's Fairy Pools Waterfall Selfie ©BionicBasil® The Sunday Selfies Blog Hop

This magical waterfall is nestled in the picturesque Glen Brittle on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, so we hopped in the Time Travelling Telephone Box and checked it out. 

The Fairy Pools waterfall is a breathtaking natural wonder that leaves mew spellbound. With crystal-clear waters cascading down a series of rocky ledges, this enchanting spectacle offers a serene and peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. If mew're looking to soak in the tranquil beauty of nature, the fairy pools waterfall is a must-see destination. We advise packing your bags and heading to Scotland for an unforgettable adventure!

And if mew hadn't noticed, Melvyn is up to his selfie tricks again! MOL

Sunday Selfies Divider ©BionicBasil® May 2023

We're also joining in Athena's Fabulous Art Hop so do stop by and show off your pawesome arty-farty skills.

https://www.athenacatgoddess.com/

The B Team's Fairy Pools Waterfall Selfie ©BionicBasil® The Caturday Art Blog Hop

The effect was created with Befunky - AI Enhancer, Oil Painting DLX + colour changes to hue and saturation.

We also turned this fab arty-farty picture into a puzzle, so do stop by the puzzle page and take the Puzzle Challenge, see if mew can beat our time of 7 mins 17 secs. 

Sunday Selfies Divider ©BionicBasil® May 2023

Anyhoo it's time for us to go and get snoopervising the luncheon menu, as Smooch is ready for some deliciousness.

We're also off in the garden this afternoon as there's still lots of activity happening, weeding, potting on, and the tomatoes are going out into their final place. The catnip plants are also ready for their bigger pot and by all indications, it could be a bumper crop this summer, which mew could guess that we are supurr excited about! MOL

So we look forward to your company again tomorrow when we're back with another Brain Training post, and in the meantime, we hope your Sunday is truly epic and don't forget to...
Stay Fluffy Banner Sunday Selfies ©BionicBasil® May 2023

Wing Commander Basil & The B Team







Sunday Selfies Divider ©BionicBasil® May 2023

Don't forget to join in the pawesome Sunday Selfies Blog Hop with

 Angel Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Angel Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth, Calista Jo, Cooper Murphy and Sawyer ~ visit them at their pawesome blog:







Sunday Selfies Divider ©BionicBasil® May 2023










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