**LOVE TO COLOUR?** Colouring with Cats #122 ~ Getting Your OM’s on with Mandalas on Mondays ~ Crystal of the Week PLUS **Your Crystal Questions Answered** What Is Spirit Quartz Good For?

Mindful Monday Magic with Melvyn: Colouring Mandalas, Finding Your OM, and Unleashing Zen Harmonies at BionicBasil.com

Supurr greetings, gorgeous furiends

Welcome to another furbulous Monday at BBHQ, and many thanks for joining us as we continue our crystal journey today. This time, we've got a lovely gemstone to share, as we were asked: What is Spirit Quartz good for? 

Crystal of The Week

&

What is Spirit Quartz good for?

Spirit Quartz is a lovely looking stone, usually a candle, aka a long crystal covered in tiny clusters, which make it look like a cactus, and at many shows in the U.K. we've been to, a lot of sellers do call it Cactus Quartz.

It comes in a variety of colours: amethyst, citrine, white/clear quartz or smoky quartz. Though we've never seen a smoky quartz one yet. And it can be a mixture of all the aforementioned, though today's crystal is a combination of amethyst and citrine.

Our Spirit Quartz at BBHQ is a stunning pale lilac colour on the amethyst side and a deep orangey-yellow on the citrine side. It's a nice size and has lots of larger spikes covered in tiny clusters, we can't remember when the P.A. purrchased it, but it's been sitting on the sideboard in the kitchen for at least a decade or more. We do have a couple of smaller pieces that are like the tip of one of the spikes on this particular piece, although they are in the crystal room at the moment.

Let's hop right in and tell mew a little about the gem lore surrounding this interesting crystal. It has all the qualities of regular quartz; see the link above. Though as its name suggests, it is purported to be an exceptionally spiritual stone that has an immense vibration, really high, and aids in meditational journeys such as out of body experiences - OBE - and assists in enhancing clairvoyant and metaphysical gifts, so if these are areas mew are looking to raise, this stone could supposedly be of great benefit.

Melvyn was purrticluarly curious about it, and after an initial inspection, he actually taste-tested it, and his findings were, "Dudes, I know why they call it Cactus Quartz, that's a really prickly crystal!" MOL

It is also said this stone can encourage a deeper dreaming state, so if mew're looking to engage in dream exploration, keep a piece under your pillow and see what spiritual realms or new dimensions mew can journey to.

We've also read that it can aid in self-forgiveness, and as it's a stone of duality, it can bring balance and harmony, or yin and yang.

Spirit Quartz is also supposedly very effective for increasing heightened psychic awareness as it can apparently raise the vibration of the crown chakra; this is located above the head, and it is also suggested that it can assist with a mind/emotional detox; so if your head is full to bursting aka racing thoughts and won't quiet down, this might be a crystal to sit with and gently explore the reasons why.

We think Spirit Quartz is a meautiful stone that emits a lovely vibration; not only is it visually stunning, but it also has bucket loads going for it. And it can also be used on the third eye chakra, aka the middle of the forehead, and on the solar plexus, located between the ribs and the belly button.

There are other colours which mew can get, some are enhanced to make them more visually pleasing, although that doesn't detract from the purrported properties, and the different colours have different additional qualities. These are lilac, aqua aura, citrine, smoky & flame aura.

So on that note, we'll let mew decide if this is a crystal mew'd like in your collection. We know we wouldn't be without one or two, well purrhaps three at BBHQ!  MOL

Many thanks for this week's question.

 If mew have any crystal questions, email us, DM us or ask us in the comments below.

To check out last times, Crystal of the Week, click the link: Garnet.

(disclaimer: we are not health or medical practitioners, all crystal info is purely for entertainment purposes only.) 

We hope that mew're ready for the week ahead, so let's jump right in and start as always with our little breathing exercise, which we're sure mew all have down paw by now...  but if mew've forgotten, stop what mew're doing for a moment and take deep, fulfilling breaths; counting to five on the inhale and five on the exhale:

Breathe in

Breathe out

Breathe in

Breathe out

Breathe in

Breathe out

Smooch is here again to offer mew assistance in getting your OM's on and Zen Harmonies happening, so just press play, close your eyes and follow his instructions.

Don't mew feel better already?  I know we do!

All the mandalas featured are designed and coloured by us, aka The B Team.

Here's today's mandala.

Right-click the image to save and/or print the mandala.

And here's our finished version... this week, we used a combination of greens, purples and pinks with a splash of royal blue. We really love the finished effect.

Coloured on the iPad and then transformed in Prisma, this time we chose the effect - huawei.

Don't forget mew can download** our **FREE** Colouring with Cats here: Books One, Two, Three and Four.

Colouring with Cats Book One

Colouring With Cats Book Two ~ Easy Mandalas 

Colouring With Cats Book III

Colouring With Cats Book IV

[**see our download policy here]

So on that note, we'll say bye for now and look forward to your company on Wednesday when we're back with our Midweek News Round-Up. And if mew missed any posts since Friday, here are the links:

Amber's Latest Book Review

Sunday Selfies with Melvyn

Until then

Keep Calm and Colour OM!

Supurr zen purrs

Wing Commander Basil & The B Team

Don't forget to subscribe and never miss another mandala! 

Copyright Notice

© [2026] BionicBasil®. All Rights Reserved. No part of this post, characters, or lore may be reproduced, scraped, or rewritten in any form (including AI) without express written permission

Graphics created with paid licence www.canva.com   

The Sunday Selfies and Caturday Art Blog Hops at BBHQ **FEATURING** Melvyn's Supurr Cute Snoozy Selfie

A Sunday Selfie scene on a comfy sofa, surrounded by snuggle blankets, Melvyn snoozes peacefully.

Meowvellous Sunday greetings furiends

Welcome to another BBHQ selfie, and Melvyn is today's supurr star snoozer! MOL

Melvyn's Supurr Cute Snoozy Selfie

He was loving his catnap, gosh, he's such a cutie!!! 

Anypawdy want to tickle his tummy?

MOL MOL

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

We are loving this effect, so soft with pastelly purrfection! 

The effect was created with Befunky - AI Enhancer and Watercolour Drawing GFX+, with changes to the variation.

Click here to dive into this cat-tastic puzzle starring Melvyn mid-catnap! It’s a floof-tastic test of feline furbulousness, and guess what? 

We crushed it in just 11 minutes and 20 seconds. Can mew beat our time? 

Of course, mew can! MOL

Let us know your time in the comments ~ we love seeing how mew get on!

We're off to pawtrol the garden and snoopervise the P.A. while she does a bit of gardening, as it's time to plant the veg out and the raised beds need topping up with more compost, then weeds everywhere have grown so quickly, another job, and not one for cats either - we'll just offer gentle encouragement from a nice comfy spot!!! MOL

Then, it's lunch, Smooch is on Smooch time, so growling will begin around 11:45 am to remind the P.A. to get his steak cooked properly! 

This afternoon, well, we're getting tomorrow's post ready, and we're undecided whether to share another episode of Fudge's Magical Menagerie or perhaps more Colouring with Cats. 

Anyhoo, stop by in the morning as it will be supurr fun as always, mew know how we roll at BBHQ!!! MOL 

In the meantime, don't forget to...

... and utterly furbulous!

Wing Commander Basil & The B Team

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 and Cooper Murphy ~ visit them at their pawesome blog:

www.thecatonmyhead.com

Don't furget to subscribe to our blog and never miss another post.

Copyright Notice

© [2026] BionicBasil®. All Rights Reserved. No part of this post, characters, or lore may be reproduced, scraped, or rewritten in any form (including AI) without express written permission. 

Graphics created with paid licence @www.canva.com & www.befunky.com

Book Reviews with Amber ~ The Cat Book Connoisseur at The Mewton-Clawson Library ~ #362 featuring **The Cat Who Went Underground** by Lilian Jackson Braun **PLUS** Friendly Fill-Ins Blog Hop

This review of The Cat Who Went Underground by Lilian Jackson Braun is part of Book Reviews with Amber, the Cat Book Connoisseur at the Mewton-Clawson Library. Scroll to read.

The world’s leading feline literary critic

From the shelves of the Mewton-Clawson Library, a curated review destination for cat-centric fiction at BionicBasil.com

✨ This Week’s Intro ~ 72% Post‑Festival Calm, 18% Glitter Residue, 10% Sleepy Mouse Energy ✨

Hello, my furbulously serene library guests

and

Welcome back to the Mewton‑Clawson Library at BBHQ, where the atmosphere this week has shifted from full‑throttle festival frenzy to a gentle, contented post‑Stackstock sigh.

The energy is still buzzing… but softly. Like a purr instead of a roar. Like the disco ball that’s finally switched to “ambient twinkle.”

Stackstock has officially wrapped for the season, and the library is settling into that dreamy, floaty lull that happens after several days of glitter, cheese‑fog, neon lights, and mice performing feats of questionable physics on roller blades.

The mice have retired their LED skates (for now), and most of them are curled up in tiny hammocks made from repurposed bunting. A few are still wearing their festival bandanas, but only because they’ve fallen asleep in them.

The fax machine, exhausted from its role as Festival Coordinator, is humming at a much lower volume - more “spa day” than “main stage.” It’s currently printing soothing affirmations like:

“Mew did a great job!”

“Glitter is temporary; memories are forever.”

“Hydrate, recalibrate, and avoid electrical sockets.”

The Calmness Tracker 3000 pens have dimmed themselves to a soft pastel glow, drifting lazily between lavender and mint. They claim it’s their “recovery mode.”

Aisle P, once the beating heart of Stackstock, now looks like the morning after a very polite mouse rave:

the encyclopedia stage is half‑dismantled

the cheese‑fog machine is unplugged and cooling down

and the “WELCOME BACK TO STACKSTOCK” banner is drooping slightly, as though it too needs a nap

Clive the Paperclip has downgraded himself from Festival Director ~ Level 2 to “Acting Assistant of Post‑Event Logistics,” which mostly involves sighing dramatically and sweeping up glitter with a sense of noble resignation.

The thesaurus is resting its voice after its powerful performance of Metaphors in Motion, though it is still muttering synonyms for “tired” under its breath.

And Velvet? She’s curled up on a stack of soft‑cover romances, still glowing with pride from her reading debut.

The entire library feels warm, peaceful, and gently sparkling ~ like the afterglow of something magical.

Stackstock may be over… but its shimmer is still settling in the air.

📚 A Morning of Quiet & Quirks

Me: “Melvyn, sweetie… why does the library feel unusually calm this morning?”

Melvyn: “Because it is. The Calmness Tracker 3000 pens have entered ‘Recovery Mode.’”

Me: “Recovery Mode?”

Melvyn: “Yes. They refuse to glow above 30% brightness. They say it’s ‘non‑negotiable.’”

Me: “Fair enough. And what’s that smell? It’s not cheese fog… thank goodness.”

Melvyn: “Chamomile. The mice are brewing calming tea. They said they’re ‘emotionally depleted.’”

Me: “After Stackstock? Understandable. Are they still wearing their festival bandanas?”

Melvyn: “Most of them. They fell asleep in them and now claim it’s a ‘comfort aesthetic.’”

Me: “Adorable. And what’s Clive doing?”

Melvyn: “He’s sweeping up glitter with the air of someone who has seen too much.”

Me: “Poor thing.”

Melvyn: “He keeps muttering, ‘Never again,’ but we all know he’ll be first in line to organise the next one.”

Me: “True. And the fax machine? Is it still printing festival maps?”

Melvyn: “No. It’s printing affirmations.”

Me: “Affirmations?”

Melvyn: “Yes. Things like ‘Today requires no glitter’ and ‘Rest is productive.’”

Me: “I like that one.”

Melvyn: “It also printed mew a sticker that says ‘VIP: Very Important Peacekeeper.’”

Me: “Peacekeeper? Why?”

Melvyn: “Because mew stopped the mice from trying to build a second fog machine out of a teapot.”

Me: “Ah. Yes. That was a moment.”

Melvyn: “A heroic one.”

Me: “I’ll be on my meditation cushion.”

Melvyn: “Meditating or napping?”

Me: “Whichever happens first.”

Melvyn: “Valid.”

📚 General Library Status Update

Sleepy mice in bunting hammocks Soft‑glowing Calmness Tracker pens A fax machine in full “self‑care mode” A thesaurus whispering synonyms for “peaceful” Clive the Paperclip sweeping glitter with quiet dignity

In short:

The library is calm. Gently calm. Calm with a faint shimmer of leftover festival magic and the soft scent of chamomile drifting through the aisles.

And honestly? I’m loving the serenity.

So, my furbulous library guests, if mew spot a mouse yawning mid‑sentence or a pen refusing to glow above pastel, don’t panic, it’s simply the library easing itself back into everyday life.

Probably.

Today, the P.A. is also joining in Friday Fill-ins Blog Hop with the pawesome 15 & Meowing and Four-Legged Furballs.

1. I think the word or phrase ____________________ is overused.

2. I am embarrassed to admit that I _______________________.

3. I wish I could convince _________ to _________.

4. I could _________ even if I were blindfolded.

The P.A.'s answers are...

1. I think the word or phrase “flow” is overused. Let’s be honest: FOMO, slay, girl math, and about 900 other phrases need to be gently escorted off the premises. Social media has sucked the life out of everything! 

2. I am embarrassed to admit that I have a favourite spoon and get upset when someone else uses it. (As you should. Spoon loyalty is real, just ask Parlsey!)

3. I wish I could convince The B Team to stop acting like rent is due every time I’m two minutes late with dinner. The performance is Oscar‑worthy, especially Smooch!!! LOL

4. I could distinguish every memfur of th B Team even if I were blindfolded. They all have their little iddy biddy 'tells', but don't ever let on that I told you! LOL 

Let's see what I've got to show mew this time!

Mewton-Clawson Library Copy

The Cat Who Went Underground

The Cat Who… Mysteries, Book 9

by 

Lilian Jackson Braun

Today I'm back with more from the original The Cat Who series; there are 29 in total, but don't quote me. I got an urge to reread this epic series earlier this year, for the first time since 2007.

Eleven down, including today's review, and ONLY eighteen to go! MOL

Here are the previous reviews.

The Cat Who Could Read Backwards ~ BK 1

The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern ~ BK 2

The Cat Who Turned On & Off ~ BK 3

The Cat Who Saw Red ~ BK 4

The Cat Who Played Brahms ~ BK 5

The Cat Who Played Post Office ~ BK 6

The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare ~ BK 7

The Cat Who Sniffed Glue ~ BK 8

The Cat Who Moved a Mountain ~ BK 13

The Cat Who Wasn't There ~ BK 14    

🐾 This Week’s Paw‑Approved Pick: 

Dahlings, pack your whiskers and your bug spray, non-toxic of course, because this week we’re heading to Moose County’s wild side, Qwill’s log cabin retreat, where the mosquitoes are vicious, the handyman is missing, and Koko is about to prove that even in the woods, a Siamese detective never takes a holiday.

I first read this one back in 2007, and revisiting it now feels like curling up in a familiar sunbeam, warm, nostalgic, and just a little bit dangerous.

❓ What’s the Vibe?

Think: ✨ cozy mystery meets rustic chaos ✨ summer cabin vibes ✨ a missing handyman ✨ a serial killer lurking beneath the floorboards ✨ Koko in full investigative mode

It’s atmospheric, slightly eerie, and full of that classic Braun charm, which is her quintessential style. I love it! MOL

🐾 What’s the Story?

Qwilleran decides it’s time for a peaceful summer getaway at his log cabin in Moose County. He packs the essentials:

his moustache

his typewriter

and, of course, Koko and Yum Yum

plus their litter tray, which goes everywhere with them

But the moment they arrive, things start going sideways.

A handyman hired to fix the cabin mysteriously disappears. Tools go missing. Odd noises echo from beneath the floorboards. And Koko, normally the picture of feline composure, begins throwing absolute catfits.

Then the bodies start turning up.

Qwill finds himself entangled in a chilling mystery involving:

🪵 missing carpenters 🪚 suspicious renovations 🕳 strange happenings under the cabin 🧰 and a killer who knows how to stay hidden

Koko, naturally, is already on the scent, pawing, digging, and yowling at clues long before Qwill catches on.

⚔️ What I Loved

😸 Koko’s Underground Obsession:  He’s scratching, digging, and staring at floorboards like they purrsonally offended him. And as always, he’s right.

🐈‍⬛ Yum Yum:  Our dainty queen provides the purrfect contrast, soft, sweet, and blissfully unaware of the horrors lurking below.

🧔 Qwilleran in Cabin Mode:  Less polished, more rugged, and hilariously out of his depth when it comes to DIY. His moustache, however, remains fully operational.

🌲 The Setting:  The cabin, the woods, the isolation, it all adds a deliciously eerie edge to the cozy formula.

🔍 The Mystery:  A serial killer in Moose County? The plot balances the darker elements with the usual warmth and wit Braun brings to every one of these books in the Cat Who... series.

✨ Tone & Style

cozy with a creepy twist
gently humorous
atmospheric
character‑driven
purrfect for fans who like their mysteries with a side of rustic charm

It’s one of the more suspenseful entries, but still firmly in cozy territory.

📖 Final Thoughts

This book is a standout in the series, a little darker, a little stranger, and wonderfully engaging. Koko shines, Qwill stumbles into danger, and the cabin setting adds a fresh flavour to the ongoing saga.

If mew love cozy mysteries with feline brilliance, woodland vibes, and a plot that keeps mew guessing, this is a purrfect pick.

🪄 Summed Up in One Sentence

🐾 A suspenseful, witty cabin‑in‑the‑woods mystery where Koko digs up secrets that refuse to stay buried. 🐾

A Top Paw Read!

Paperback:  256 pages

Audio:  very expensive on Amazon

My Ratings Scale

Rating of:

The Cat Who Went Underground

Overall Enjoyment

Other Fun Blog Hops to Join in Today

          Brian's Home   Catblogosphere    Feline Friday   Nature Friday    Flashback Friday   Friendship Friday       

Do enjoy the book if mew decide to read it.

It's time for me to say BFN or bye-for-now as mew know the drill, so many books, so little time, and I'll be back next week with another specially paw-picked book just for mew, and don't forget that all my previous reviews can be found on my Book Review page.

Until next time...

Keep calm and read more books

Amber 

The Cat Book Connoisseur

Follow us @BionicBasil® on Instacat

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

Copyright Notice

© [2026] BionicBasil®. All Rights Reserved. No part of this post, characters, or lore may be reproduced, scraped, or rewritten in any form (including AI) without express written permission

 graphics created with paid licence www.canva.com