Hello Spring!

After a colder than normal Winter here in Southern Australia, Spring is finally here!

Last year I wrote about looking forward to dressing in pastels (though let's face it, I do that all year round!) but this year I'm excited about my garden again! A earlier this month, I wrote about how my garden is a total mess, but I want to change that. I dredged up the plans I'd made a couple of years ago and I want to start putting them into action.

There must be something about seeing the fruit trees burst into bloom:

Oranges still warm from the slowly strengthening sun:

Daffodils peeking into life in the park:

Dashes of colour everywhere:

And the flowering trees, old friends that I pass every day on my walk to work:

There's also stowing away my woolly Winter cardigans and scarves, and of course, the fact that it's no longer dark when I get home from work. This year I've become very enthusiastic about my garden again, and I've already planted some new plant friends which I'll show in a future post soon!

Happy Spring! And enjoy Autumn if you're up there in the Northern Hemisphere!

Hobonichi Art Diary 2019 Unboxing

Just like I did last year, I purchased the yearly art diary from Hobonichi. The diaries went on sale on 1st September as they always do, but this year the sales system was different. Hobonichis have become much more popular in the last few years, and the company have had problems with their website crashing, so they divided up the sale over 3 days. Certain products in their range went on sale on different days, and customers had the option to hold their order until the end to enable them to buy everything they wanted and have it sent in one parcel.

I was a little intimidated by this system when I first heard about it, but there was ample information about how it worked (in written, video and manga form!), and it all went very smoothly. I have to commend Hobonichi for this. But let's get on to the unboxing! Get ready for lots of photos! (P.S. Stay tuned for a slightly disconcerting surprise at the end!)

This year the items came in an amazing bright orange-coloured box with a graphic pattern on it.

The quote says:

Don't ever lose hope. It's far too important.
You know how a pinch of salt
changes the whole flavor of a dish?
Your hope is that salt.

This year I decided to buy more than just the book itself. Previously I'd thought to make my own covers, but after 3 years this still hasn't happened! A couple of Etsy sellers are making nice covers, but they weren't any more cost effective than the official Hobonichi ones, so I decided to go straight to the source. I also got a few washi tapes and other things.

I purchased the Peach Sky cover with a Cover-on-Cover. The Cover-on-Cover is a clear plastic cover which slips on over the top of the standard cover, which is made from fabric, and protects it. There is a plain plastic cover, but I purchased the Forest Secrets print.

This years' free gifts were a multi-pen (the standard gift), this time in a beautiful cream colour, and a Not-Scary Bear paperweight. He looks a bit scary to me! But I think it's a reminder not to judge by appearances.

The book came with a cute poster which says "Happy Nothing Special Day!" I'll hang it up on my wall so I can see it when I'm getting ready for work in the mornings.

As I mentioned before, I want to purchase covers for my Hobonichis from now on, and that means my previous books from 2016 onwards, too. My first book was the A6 size, before I switched to A5 size. The shop had an adorable cat cover which I needed to have! The design is called "I Forgot When It Was, But I Sure Had Fun", designed by Ryoji Arai. I'm glad I purchased it, because it sold out on the first day!

I also purchased a couple of washi tapes, and some A6-sized plastic folders which I will use to hold planner stickers. The folders are designed by Nao Sakamoto and are really adorable! The Kitta stickers are decorated strips, and are a bit like a cross between stickers and washi tape.

Lastly ... the disconcerting surprise! Hobonichi have accidentally sent me a second book! It's the English language A6 planner, plus the free gifts that come with all books. I didn't order or pay for this! And I'm not sure what to do -- if I should contact them and try to return it, give it away or use it. What should I do?

Confession time : My Garden is a Mess!

Yes, it's true. My garden is a complete mess. Husband and I have just hit the 5-year anniversary of living in our house, and the garden isn't what I wanted it to be at all. Not that this is a 5-year celebration post. That would be a bit sad.

I wanted to explain though, why I haven't posted any garden updates for a long time. I've become less interested in looking after my garden in the last year or so, but a garden is something you can't just give up on -- there are consequences! Last Summer I didn't water the plants as much as I should have, and while some did okay, others didn't thrive. There were other times when I was more enthusiastic about working in the garden but life got in the way. I was busy, I was sick, I sprained my ankle (twice), I did my back, it was pouring rain all weekend. I don't want to sound like I'm making excuses -- it's just life.

Anyway, let's look at the shame.

This is the view I see when I leave the house in the morning and come home. This stand was supposed to be a greenhouse, but I took the plastic off last Summer as it seemed to be just cooking the plants. Some of the plants are doing pretty well, others are expiring before my eyes:

Here is our backyard. (Technically it's off the side of the house, but it's where the space is and functions as a backyard.) The fruit trees are blossoming like they're supposed to, but the lawn hasn't been mowed in months and the orange tree really needs help.

Some of those oranges are ready to be picked and are just weighing down the tree, and those yellow leaves mean it needs to be fertilised. Mowing underneath it would help the fertiliser to penetrate and prevent the tree from competing with the grass for nutrients.

This rosemary bush grows incredibly well -- too well. It's become all tangled up in the long grass and a bit weighed down. It could do with a trim, too. On the other hand, the flowers are lovely and attract bees to the garden. The dead stump has been there ever since we moved in; we've yet to find a way to get rid of it.

This is technically the back yard. It's a narrow strip that runs along the back of the house. It's where I sprained my ankle when I was gardening a few months ago. It's the area I'd like to deal with first as not only is it an ugly view from my bedroom window, it's the only way to access the side yard and it's an actual safety hazard.

The lavender bush I planted last year is growing very well and I'm very happy with it. However, it's getting a bit crowded out with grass and that bush on the left is encroaching on its sunlight.

This is at the front of the house -- in full view of anyone walking past! The garden bed here is a strange mix of vigorously growing plants, and ones that have just dropped dead and been replaced by weedy grass. It really needs a good mulching and a few nice plants put in to replace the dead ones.

At least there are some dandelions among the grass. I've been deliberately leaving them alone wherever I see them. There aren't enough yet for me to feel comfortable harvesting them, but perhaps this Summer I can make some dandelion leaf salad and fritters from the flowers.

I hope this post goes some way to explaining why I haven't blogged about my garden in such a long time, despite my professed love of gardening, as well as motivation for me to start improving things this Spring season!

Haul : New Harry Potter Shop in Melbourne!

This month, the Shop of Requirement opened here in Melbourne. It's actually within walking distance of my work, and it's been very hard to resist the temptation to go nearly every day at lunchtime! I waited until Husband and a friend were able to come too, for my (first!) visit.

I'd been told there were queues down the street in the first week of opening, but thankfully we were able to walk straight in. It was still very well patronised though, and I didn't manage to get many photos because of all the people! The shop was exquisitely decorated and set up, with a back room for relaxing and looking at the premium items in a quieter atmosphere. All of the Harry Potter merchandise that you can possibly imagine was there, from wands and robes to biscuit cutters and shot glasses. One wall had a bay dedicated to each house:

The atmosphere was so full of excitement it was a little overwhelming, and I only bought a few things. I snapped up the sticker book because ... stickers! Over 400 Harry Potter stickers to use in my art diary, in one handy book? Yes please! The keyring blind box contained a little Dobby and Hedwig keyring.

I of course had to purchase some Hufflepuff-themed items, as a proud ... well, I'm actually a Hufflepuff-Ravenclaw hatstall, but I went with my heart.

A pink Pygmy Puff keyring! The metal tag is thick and good quality. All of the official Harry Potter items that I saw were very good quality.

Whenever I see a pack of playing cards lately, I have to admit I'm always thinking about whether I can use them for divination. The diversity and depth of the characters in Harry Potter seems like it could work. I chose the cards from Order of the Phoenix as that seemed to have the largest cast of characters and action in different locations of all the movies. (I'm willing to admit I'm wrong -- I was trying to remember off the top of my head!)

If you're in Melbourne, the Shop of Requirement is at 6 Smith Street, Collingwood. If you're planning on going, check the website, as the opening times are a little unusual. I'm sure I'll be returning soon!

App Game Review: Furistas Cat Cafe

Furistas Cat Cafe is a casual app game by Runaway Play Studio, which came out in July 2018. You are the owner of a cat cafe, and your mission is to match cats with customers and keep them happy, while earning currency with which to decorate the cafe and upgrade the cats.

Customers enter the cafe with a preferred type of cat they wish to spend time with -- friendly, playful, shy, etc. Once you match them with a cat, they wander around spending quality time together. Minigames frequently appear, in which you prepare drinks for customers, give otherwise unoccupied cats a pat, or clean up kitty pawprints. These minigames earn you tokens. The games aren't timed and you can't "get it wrong", so they don't feel stressful. Occasionally cats will give you random tokens as well. These tokens can be used to buy furniture and other decorations for your cafe.

Periodically, baskets arrive, which contain currency and treats. There are 2 guaranteed daily baskets, and timed baskets, arriving in increments between 20 minutes and 12 hours. The treats in these baskets can be used to upgrade the cats (called "nurture" in the game). Higher level cats can spend more time with customers, enabling you to serve them more drinks and earn more tokens. As you level up, you get access to more cats and decorations, and your cafe gets bigger.

Aside from the minigames, it's just fun to watch the cats and the customers playing and spending time together. According to Runaway Games, all of the cats are modelled after real-life cats belonging to staff and friends, and there's a description of each one's personality on the cat screen. This makes them so much more charming in my opinion.

The developers have certainly gone to a lot of effort to make the behaviours of the cats lifelike. Cats will play with different toys, be cuddled, or petted, and sleep in different positions. Sometimes they sleep with one paw stretched out in front of them, just like my cat! They also knead the cushions, or rub up against the customers' legs. They make various different noises, from meows to purring to chirps. If you find the sound of cats purring relaxing, I definitely recommend having the sound on.

The decor of the cafe has a natural feel with many wooden items and plants to choose from. Similarly, the cats and customers are cute with large eyes, but aren't too far from reality, with realistic colours and features. This is unlike many games which are much more colourful and over-the-top. While I don't mind that kind of aesthetic, this is much more calming and appeals to my Mori Girl side. The mellow jazz soundtrack matches this feel. The sound effects -- including the cats purring when you pet them! -- aren't too obtrusive. While playing most games, I have the sound turned off as it can become annoying, but the sound effects in Furistas aren't overwhelming.

It's relatively quick and easy to level up when playing Furistas Cat Cafe. In the beginning, I was issued with a fairly generous amount of tokens, treats and kittykash. I started with one cat (Bon-Chan) and have collected another one at most levels so far. This is what my cafe looked like after only playing for about 2 hours (and I still had tokens left over!):

Many casual games these days have a plethora of advertisements, often playing involuntarily in between rounds. Furistas has no involuntary advertising. When a daily basket arrives (which occurs twice a day), you can optionally play an ad to double the amount of goodies in the basket. This is the only advertising in the game. The developers have chosen to prioritise the gameplay experience over getting revenue from advertising, and I really have to applaud this. When I come across games like this, I always enjoy the game more. I feel more positively towards the game developers, and open to purchasing upgrade packs or other things on offer. It also increases my feelings of loyalty -- I will often play the game for longer, and come back to it after a break.

Pluses
+ It's cats! And adorable ones, too! What more can I say?
+ The fact that they are based on real-life cats adds an extra dimension to the kitty goodness.
+ Made for cat lovers with realistic behaviour and sounds.
+ Generous supply of currency for upgrading cats and decorating cafe. Guaranteed daily baskets make you feel less pressured to return to the game and add to the relaxing feel.
+ Diverse customers (both in appearance and in names).
+ Natural and calming aesthetic appeals to me.
+ Minimal advertising makes for a really enjoyable gaming experience.


Minuses
- There are 4 different types of currency (5 when there is an event on). Even though tapping on a currency brings up an explanation of how to earn it and what it's for, it was still quite confusing at first. Now that I've been playing for a while, it seems to make sense though.


It was too hard weeding out the screenshots I took of the game, so I'll leave you with some photospam of the adorable kitties: