Random tangent (blog)
Ameel Khan's personal blog. This is a blog about life, technology, photography, typography, the internet, science, feminism, books, film, music, and whatever other random stuff I come across or happen to be interested in today.
Watching Nadia eat a piece of roast chicken is instantly and infinitely more interesting than playing with a rope toy.
Photo of a red dog on a carpet, with one of its paws on an orange and grey rope toy. The dog has interrupted its play and is looking up intently at someone off-camera.
I’d almost forgotten how lovely it is to smile at your neighbours!
It did feel a little strange walking Maggie without a face mask this afternoon. But I’m so happy outdoor mask-wearing restrictions have eased across Melbourne just before summer kicks in.
Photo of a medium sized red dog on a leash sniffing around a patch of white flowers next to a chain link fence.
When you leave the bathroom door closed…
Photo of a dog sitting on a rug in a hallway that ends at a closed door. The dog is facing the door, ears perked, listening for what’s happening on the other side.
And when you leave the bathroom door open.
Photo of a red dog poking its head through an open door to a bathroom. The photographer has taken the photo from inside the bathroom.
Hope folks in Melbourne are getting to enjoy the gorgeous day were having today!
Selfie of a man walking a dog on a residential street. The man is wearing a t-shirt, face mask, and cap. The dog is sniffing around the nature strip next to a parked car.
The best way to make them most of a sunny day in spring.
Photo of a red dog asleep on the grass in a residential garden on a bright, sunny day. The dog’s head is resting on a paved path, like a pillow.
Yes, Maggie. Feel free to circle around me while I’m holding onto your lead. Our walk will go really well if you do that. *sigh*
Photo of the front a man’s legs with a dog standing behind him. The dog’s lead has been wrapped around the man’s ankles.
Melbourne might be cold and super rainy the next few days, but at least spring is definitively here.
Photo of a red dog on a lead who is sniffing around in a patch of greenery with several flowering plants.
Maggie doesn’t care about the Olympics that we’ve been watching on TV these last two weeks (the only sport she likes is Freestyle Possum Chasing)…
Photo of a red dog lying on her side on a sofa. The dog’s head is resting on a cushion and it appears to be out cold.
But when Nadia goes to the kitchen, she’s all ears :)
Photo of a red dog lying on her side on a sofa. The dog’s head is raised up and her ears are pricked as she looks at someone off-camera.
Until we moved into a house with this type of gas heater we had no idea just how much Maggie loves heaters! (The stone in front of the heater is cool, by the way, so it’s not like she's burning her chin and paw pads.)
Photo of a red dog lying on the ground in front of an indoor gas heater. The dog is facing the heater and is resting her paws and face on the stone tiles installed in front of this heater.
Walking Maggie on a rainy nine degree morning that feels like 5 degrees. Fun times.
Selfie of a man walking his dog on a residential street. The man is wearing glasses, a face mask, and a light grey rain jacket with visible wet patches on it. The dog is sniffing around in the dirt by the side of the road.
At least this was followed by much deserved post-walk heater time.
Photo of a dog asleep on its side in front of a heater in a carpeted lounge room.
Maggie knows how to make the most of sunny days in winter. She is alternating between warming up on a sunny patch of concrete and then cooling down on a sunny patch of dirt.
Photo of a relaxed red dog sitting on a patch of dirt next to a wooden deck. It’s a sunny day. The dog has her eyes closed and her face to the sun.
Maggie knows this is how you deal with a maximum of 13 degrees Celsius in Melbourne today!
Photo of a red dog sitting on the carpeted floor in front of a large gas heater.
Emerging as the meaning of life, the universe, and everything on her 42nd birthday, I present to you Dr Nadia Niaz!
(Maggie is suitably impressed.)
Photo of a woman with long black hair. The woman is wearing a maroon and black sweater, black jeans, and black boots. With a big grin on her face, she is striking a post in front of the the door to a house. Standing at her feet and looking up to her is a red dog.
It’s nice to take an afternoon break when you’re working from home.
Here are Maggie and I making the most of the only corner in our back garden that is still bathed in sunlight.
Selfie of a man and a dog sitting right up against a weathered fence on a bright sunny day. The shadows being cast by nearby objects are long, meaning the sun is getting lower in the sky and so it is late in the afternoon.
That’s not too different from this morning, tbh, when she and I lazed around in bed for a bit before starting the day. Evidently my thigh makes for a comfortable pillow.
Close up photo of a red dog lying on a blue bed sheet on top of a bed. The dog’s head is propped on to what appears to be the leg of the person under the sheet, who is also the one taking the photo.
Important update: both of us have changed position. She’s found another warm spot and I’m now sunning the back side of my head. #ManualRotisserie
Selfie of a man and a dog. The dog is lying on her side in a sunny path of paved residential driveway. The man is in the foreground and is looking at the camera. There is bright sunlight on the back of the man’s head.
We conclude the documenting of my afternoon break with the all-important cool down in the dirt. Though at least that’s something she’s doing all on her own!
Photo of a red dog sitting on a shady patch of cool, freshly dug-up dirt under a small tree on the side of a weatherboard house.
When your dog is being extra clingy after a trip to the vet, this is how much space she gives you to put on your shoes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Photo taken from head height of a seated man looking down at his fee. The man’s sneakers are lying close to one side of his feet and only one foot has a sock on it. There is almost no space on the carpeted floor for the man to put his socks and shoes on because a red dog has come and sat down almost directly in front of him.
Maggie often hangs out with the person who didn’t take her for a walk that morning. This morning not only had Nadia taken her out, but she’d taken her out to the vet on her own too.
“There is no fetch, only chew” — Maggie Underfoot
A red dog is lying on the grass in a suburban garden determinedly chewing a rope toy.
Maggie adores the new dog bed that Nadia got her! It’s basically a big, comfy shag carpet for dogs.
A red dog lies comfortably on a large, extremely fuzzy round dog bed.
My favourite is when she buries her face in its fuzzy walls while napping during the day.
A dog has its face buried well into the wall of a large, extremely fuzzy dog bed. The dog’s ears are still pricked, however, and those are raised slightly above the height of the bed’s wall.
Her radar ears are always alert to changes in the environment, of course.
A dog that had its face buried in the wall of a large, extremely fuzzy dog bed has now lifted her head out and is looking at something offscreen.
She can even comfortably keep an eye on the rest of the house while floating lazily on the fuzz.
A dog is lying across the full length of a fuzzy dog bed that has soft, high walls (which themselves are soft and fuzzy). The dog is resting its head on top of the wall so it can keep its eye on what’s happening in its surroundings.
Fuzzy bed FTW!
A dog is lying across the full length of a fuzzy dog bed that has soft, high walls (which themselves are soft and fuzzy). The dog is resting its head on top of the wall so it can keep its eye on what’s happening in its surroundings. This photo is taken from low on the ground so the dog, without lifting its head, is looking straight at the camera.
Happy Maggie-versary to me and Nadia! Maggie has now been part of our family for four years.
She was anxious and reactive when we got her. Now she’s curious, chilled-out, cuddly, and happy. She’s come a long way in four years.
A red dog on a leash is sniffing around in some grass next to a parked car.
Wearing sunglasses and a rain parka, I was prepared for both rain and shine when I walked Maggie this morning. (Melbourne’s weather is more unpredictable than usual this time of year.)
Selfie of a man in a baseball cap, large sunglasses, and a rain parka walking a dog along a residential street.
I’m glad I was prepared. Because here we are, 20 minutes after that first photo, sheltering under a large tree during a blustery rain shower!
Selfie of a man in a baseball cap, large sunglasses, and a rain parka with its hood pulled over the man’s head. The man is walking a dog on a leash.
And ten minutes after that we were being toasted by the bright sunshine again.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Selfie of a man in a baseball cap, large sunglasses, and a rain parka as he walks a dog along a residential street. There is bright sunshine on the pair.
Don’t get me wrong though: I love Melbourne and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. You just have to be prepared for all that this city has to throw at you :)
A hopefully look and a little tail wag. I call this Maggie’s “expecto treatonum” pose :)
And, yes, Nadia was in the process of giving Maggie a treat. So everything worked out for the best.
A red dog is standing inside a house. She is intensely focused on someone off-camera: ears pricked, ready to bound forward. The dog’s tail is a little blurry in the photo, since it’s mid-mini-wag.
This is personal website of Nadia Niaz and Ameel Zia Khan. Here we document our lives in Melbourne, Australia.
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia