Zone Doubt, a.k.a. 'Surreal Я Us'...

Joules, trusted by... dozens... to make a drama out of your crisis...

Other sites:

:: JAT :: WaveWrights :: Publications ::

I live to write. It's not wise to get in my way.

... I'd write my autobiography, but no-one would believe it....


If you come across any words you don't recognise in this blog, take a look at the Taylorspeke Glossary in the left-hand infopane, you'll usually find a definition there.


The Poppy Tales

(Transformers fanfiction!)

Transformers mini-comics here.




Adventures in Orchids

Apparently I am now collecting them...

There's room for one - or maybe two, at a pinch - more on that bedroom windowsill (the only one in the house that's ideal for them). Let's see what I find. Well, that didn't last long...


EO - Everlasting orchid. Phalaenopsis. I've had this orchid since 2007 and it just keeps flowering...







AO - Alien face orchid. Phalaenopsis . Bought 2018 - lovely little flowers, all different patterns!





RO - Rescued orchid photo to come when it flowers. Phalaenopsis. Rescued from a bin up the road in 2019. Classic!






TO - Tiny orchid. Phalaenopsis. Bought at Tesco 21.8.20. It just begged to come home with me. How could I say no?





CO - Crimson orchid. Cambria. Another Tesco find. This one may be going to live in Ken's room once we've redecorated and put up the new shelving; it prefers a cooler, less sunny windowsill. If so, I'll need to find another cambrian to keep it company.






GO - Golden orchid. Phalaenopsis. Saw this one when I bought CO and left it behind - then immediately regretted it as soon as I got home. Never seen one like it before. Ken, bless him, went back over to Tesco in the rain and bought it for me...





DO - Dendrobium Orchid. Smells of wisteria, so beautiful...











RO2 - Rescued orchid no 2. Phalaenopsis. This is the one I rescued from the wall along the road middle of 2021.








PO. Pink orchid. Phalaenopsis. This is the one I bought at Cabury Garden Centre on special, late 2021. It's much happier here!










TWO. Teeny weeny orchid, Phalaenopsis. Rescued from Tesco end 2021 (I think).




















My IMDb ep summaries

(completed)
Arthur of the Britons
Sky
Star Maidens
The Starlost
Space Rangers
The Sentinel (part: seasons 2 and 3)
Swamp Thing (part: season 3)
Gravedale High
Transformers: Armada
Transformers: Energon
Transformers: Cybertron (part)
Misfits of Science (four eps)
Zoo Gang
Zodiac
Jupiter Moon
Transformers: Beast Wars (part: seasons 2 and 3)
Transformers: Beast Machines (part)
Vampire Princess Miyu
Starhyke
Nathan Barley
No Heroics
Undermind (3 eps)
Will Shakespeare (Tim Curry version)
Nightwalker
12 Kingdoms
Trigun (ep 8)
Rayearth
Hyperdrive (season 2 ep 3)
The Café

For later:

Missing Earthian ep
Missing Haibane Renme eps


Silver birch at Eastwood 

Farm

"Autumnal - nothing to do with leaves. It is to do with a certain brownness at the edges of the day... Brown is creeping up on us, take my word for it... Russets and tangerine shades of old gold flushing the very outside edge of the senses... deep shining ochres, burnt umber and parchments of baked earth - reflecting on itself and through itself, filtering the light. At such times, perhaps, coincidentally, the leaves might fall, somewhere..."

(Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead Act 2: Tom Stoppard)

Autumn...

I love this time of year. I love the colours, the sharp slant of sunlight on the trees, mosaics of acid-yellow and harts- blood, velvet and darkness and a haze of mist-grey over the hills. I love its immanence, its mellowness, the tang of frost just around the corner of the year...

Watching the little birds in the goat-willow in my garden, I realised something more.

I love this land with a fierce, possessive love, deep-rooted in two thousand years of history. From the frosted beaches and cloud-brushing peaks of the north to the wind-haunted meanderings of the rivers of the east, from the sensuous rolling patchworked hills of the south to the demanding dark moors of the west, this land seeps into bone and blood and synapse, mother of motley nobility, culture, individual freedoms. It can be known. It can be understood. It can be felt deep inside.

I love its effortless eccentricities, its vigour and vibrancy, its flawed perfections, its silent strength and tenacious resilience, its hard-won tolerances and intense and variable beauty, the profound energy in its sacred mythical landscape.

Home and more-than-home, the forces that shape and protect and bind, in me, as I am in the land. Love returning love in the stillness for those who'll only take the time to listen...

(Joules, Autumn 2004)


All photographs taken by Joules unless otherwise specified. All photographs © Joules A Taylor or other specified individual.


In Memoriam

17.03.09 - Argent

25.07.08 - Raptor

18.12.07 - Quyn

02.12.06 - Ryme


Currently enjoying:
Muse
Transformers - IDW, Prime, Animated, Rescue Bots.

Currently reading:
Various Transformers books and graphic novels.



Currently working on:
Haadri

Currently chuffed with:
My garden

Currently miffed at:
Nestlé, Nonpres Tinyhands Fart, Toadface Farage

Currently maintaining:
BCHS
BCW


Blog Pics
I've gathered some of my pages of photos together: the page of links is here. I'll be adding more as time goes by!




Evil Squid
A Little Glossary of Taylorspeke
(in no particular order)

plit popints - n. Typo for 'plot points' typed on a keyboard with more than half the characters worn off...

[PING] (alt [ping]) - n. A brainwave. The text equivalent of a lightbulb going on blindingly over someone's head. Usually mine. And usually at the most inconvenient of times. [sigh]

TPTB - The Powers That Be.

wulmet - n. A person of little or no talent who somehow inveigles himself into a position where he is in power over other, far more talented people and uses his position to downplay them in order to try to make himself feel superior.

biteable - referring to an anatomical part vb, tasty.

Flatterfed - vb. 27.02.08: my typo for flattered, but since it's so cutely apt I thought it would fit nicely here. Lutra defined it as "the lovely warm feeling of satisfaction resulting from enthusiastic reviews..." (which I've been getting for my MB fics).

Composted - vb, 'compos mentis', mentally capable of working. Contrast with uncomposted or non- composted, not 'compos mentis', not capable of working, hungover...

Cumbles - n, cucumbers.

Kewp - how Ken says 'thank you'. We rather like Lutra's 'nanx', too...

Musekick - noun, music, without which I cannot work.

'feinne - noun, caffeine, essential for correct mental functioning, especially first thing in the morning. I prefer mine in the form of SodaStream Diet Coke. And on that subject...

Skoosh - verb, noun. To skoosh - to add CO2 to a sodastream bottle filled with water to make it fizzy, prior to adding Diet Coke syrup (or just drinking as sparkling water). A skoosh - a bottle of water that has been skooshed. Skooshy - something that has been skooshed, water, or that whipped cream that comes in tins you have to shake then upend and press the nozzle...

Shoogle - verb. To shake gently, for example, of roast potatoes in a roasting tin to ensure they're covered with oil. I have vague memories of this being a real Scottish colloquialism...

Stegasaurus - n, spider of the genus tegenaria. Why? No idea. I just find it easier, that's all...
Edit 08.09.07: Lutra thinks that Brian is a good name for a mini-stegasaurus. From now on, any 'Brian's in the posts may be assumed to be a tegenaria. Except where otherwise specified.

Viterals - noun, vitamins + minerals. Also a pun on victuals.

Splish - verb. A combination of slosh and splash.

Parrots - noun, paracetemol (from the old joke "Why are there no aspirin tablets in the jungle? Because the parrots eat 'em all...")

Maggles - noun, magpies. As opposed to non-magical people.

Flamewings - noun. Swifts. So called because the first time we became aware of them was an early summer evening when they were flying high, the light from the setting sun seemingly turning their wings to flames. Lovely little birds. We always know summer's arrived when we hear their high-pitched squeeing.

Murfs - noun, moths.

Peasant cut - noun, roughly cut up into big chunks, e.g. vegetables chopped in a hurry for a hearty stew or soup. By extension, anything prepared in a hurry - haircut, material, even a first draft of a story...

Giraffe - noun, a carafe (of wine, coffee or water, for example).

Shrumps - noun, mushrooms.

Splings - noun, Kai's spelling homework: by extension, any spelling.

Tyops - noun, typos. var toyps, typso, psyto, psoyt, etc. Usual result of a dose of the fingerials (see next entry).

Fingerials - (pr. fin GEEE ree yalls) noun, fingers that will not type what you want them to.

Haddock - noun, time, of which I never have enough. (Origin of this term here.)

Sleep - noun? vb? a.k.a. sheeeeeeeeep.... I used to know what this word meant...


The Updates Blog

The place to stay notified of WaveWrights' Fiction updates: Zone, Darkside, DarkRealm, Matrix, Vault, Safehouse 13...




my computer gremlin Butch. click the pic to see the larger image

Butch, my computer gremlin. Click the pic for larger version, and read his adventures here...

Butch by the talented 

Sylverthorne

A gift for me! Butch by the very talented Sylverthorne. Click pic for larger image.

Joules' 

Haddock

This is MY haddock. It was caught exclusively for me by Talon. No, you can't have any. I need all the haddock I can get!!



A'lestrel by Valkyrie.

A'lestrel - a gift for me from Valkyrie...



Albino Alsatian Benten (c) MEBird 

2004

Another gorgeous Valkyrie gift for me - Benten the Albino Alsatian! Click thumbnail for larger image.

Radittsu, an oekaki for my birthday 04 

by 

Onna

Oekai by Bakayaro Onna - Radittsu at his sexiest...



The Zone Plant from
The Zone 

blog 

plant

OrganicHTML (which alas no longer seems to exist...)
[::..My Regular Reads..::]
:: Astronomical Pic of the Day [>]
:: What is Space... [>]
:: Dark Roasted Blend [>]
:: BLDG [>]
:: Watchismo Times [>]
[::..Fun Places..::]
::HubbleSite
Stunning...
::PALEOMAP Project
Absolutely fascinating.
:: Skymap
Check out the night sky where you are!
[::..Useful Sites..::]
:: GreenNet
First stop for environmental matters
:: The Forest of Avon
Our local community forest and places to visit
:: The Guardian
Online Guardian Newspaper.
:: Symbols
Exactly what it says
:: World Timeserver
For checking the current time around this world
:: Universal Currency Converter
Actually it's just a terran-global currency converter, not universal, but it's still useful...

So what is it with the haddock? Am I some kind of fish freak?

I'll leave that to others to decide.

The tale (or tail if you prefer) harks back to October 2000, when my GoodTwin and I, ably assisted by Sue, ran the first UK Professionals convention...
It's common knowledge that I never have enough time, and I was determined not to bewail the fact that weekend: hence I promised not to use the 'T' word...
Of course, that didn't really work (if nothing else I had to let the trainees know what times things were supposed to be happening!) so we decided a substitute word would be employed instead. There were several suggestions. Banana came very close to being chosen. However, I eventually decided that 'haddock' fitted the bill nicely. Ever since, haddock=time. Hence the title of my forthcoming autobiography,
My Half-Life in the Haddock Space Continuum....


Normally I wouldn't, but these were just irresistible...

How could I resist?

Just too adorable...

and to complete the rainbow...

These Too-Kawaii Kitties
were adopted from
Ghost's Anime Page (which appears to have disappeared, alas...)

[::..Anime/Manga..::]
Useful sites:

BBTS -
Fabulous anime figures

Anime Lyrics
A huge selection... evil popups

Anime still needed to complete series' I'm collecting... Many thanks to everyone who has helped me acquire the collection!
Ai no Kusabi

Owned:
   DVD
   Dj: June Special
   CD: Ambivalence

Cyber City Oedo 808

Owned:
   DVD
   All 3 eps on Video, dubbed
   Dj: Cyberage 1-3
   Illustrated Book 2 (Benten's) in Japanese

From Eroica with Love

Owned:
   Manga Vols 1, 9, 11

Mirage of Blaze

Owned:
   DVD Vol 1 (eps 1-4)

R.G. Veda

Owned:
   English Manga: Vol 1
   Japanese Manga: Vol 1-7 complete
   Tarot Pack
   R.G.Veda video

Twelve Kingdoms

Owned:
   Anime Vol 1-12: complete

Under the Glass Moon

Owned:
   Manga Vol 1, 2
Vol 3 needed

Vampire Hunter D - Bloodlust

Owned:
   DVD

   Vampire Hunter D Book 1



New Vampire Miyu

Owned:
   (Studio Ironcat) Manga Vols 1 -5 (complete)


Yami no Matsuei

Owned:
   Viz Manga: English translation, Vols 1 - 11 (complete: I believe vol 12 is only available online)
   Japanese 3-DVD set
   Central Park Media: Descendants of Darkness Vol. 1, English/Japanese subbed.
   Sketchbook


[::..Joules SP fied..::]


... this is Terra? How the hell'd I end up here...?

(Thanks, Lutra, for the quote!)

[::..archive..::]
07/01/2002 - 07/31/2002
08/01/2002 - 08/31/2002
09/01/2002 - 09/30/2002
10/01/2002 - 10/31/2002
11/01/2002 - 11/30/2002
12/01/2002 - 12/31/2002
01/01/2003 - 01/31/2003
02/01/2003 - 02/28/2003
03/01/2003 - 03/31/2003
04/01/2003 - 04/30/2003
05/01/2003 - 05/31/2003
06/01/2003 - 06/30/2003
07/01/2003 - 07/31/2003
08/01/2003 - 08/31/2003
09/01/2003 - 09/30/2003
10/01/2003 - 10/31/2003
11/01/2003 - 11/30/2003
12/01/2003 - 12/31/2003
01/01/2004 - 01/31/2004
02/01/2004 - 02/29/2004
03/01/2004 - 03/31/2004
04/01/2004 - 04/30/2004
05/01/2004 - 05/31/2004
06/01/2004 - 06/30/2004
07/01/2004 - 07/31/2004
08/01/2004 - 08/31/2004
09/01/2004 - 09/30/2004
10/01/2004 - 10/31/2004
11/01/2004 - 11/30/2004
12/01/2004 - 12/31/2004
01/01/2005 - 01/31/2005
02/01/2005 - 02/28/2005
03/01/2005 - 03/31/2005
04/01/2005 - 04/30/2005
05/01/2005 - 05/31/2005
06/01/2005 - 06/30/2005
07/01/2005 - 07/31/2005
08/01/2005 - 08/31/2005
09/01/2005 - 09/30/2005
10/01/2005 - 10/31/2005
11/01/2005 - 11/30/2005
12/01/2005 - 12/31/2005
01/01/2006 - 01/31/2006
02/01/2006 - 02/28/2006
03/01/2006 - 03/31/2006
04/01/2006 - 04/30/2006
05/01/2006 - 05/31/2006
06/01/2006 - 06/30/2006
07/01/2006 - 07/31/2006
08/01/2006 - 08/31/2006
09/01/2006 - 09/30/2006
10/01/2006 - 10/31/2006
11/01/2006 - 11/30/2006
12/01/2006 - 12/31/2006
01/01/2007 - 01/31/2007
02/01/2007 - 02/28/2007
03/01/2007 - 03/31/2007
04/01/2007 - 04/30/2007
05/01/2007 - 05/31/2007
06/01/2007 - 06/30/2007
07/01/2007 - 07/31/2007
08/01/2007 - 08/31/2007
09/01/2007 - 09/30/2007
10/01/2007 - 10/31/2007
11/01/2007 - 11/30/2007
12/01/2007 - 12/31/2007
01/01/2008 - 31/01/2008
01/02/2008 - 29/02/2008
03/01/2008 - 31/03/2008
01/04/2008 - 04/30/2008
01/05/2008 - 31/05/2008
01/06/2008 - 30/06/2008
01/07/2008 - 31/07/2008
01/08/2008 - 31/08/2008
01/09/2008 - 30/09/2008
01/10/2008 - 31/10/2008
01/11/2008 - 31/11/2008
01/12/2008 - 31/12/2008
01/12/2008 - 31/12/2008
01/01/2009 - 31/01/2009
01/02/2009 - 28/02/2009
01/03/2009 - 31/03/2009
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01/05/2009 - 31/05/2009
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01/07/2009 - 31/07/2009
01/08/2009 - 31/08/2009
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01/12/2009 - 31/12/2009
01/01/2010 - 31/01/2010
01/02/2010 - 28/02/2010
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01/01/2011 - 31/01/2011
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01/01/2012 - 31/01/2012
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01/01/2013 - 31/01/2013
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01/01/2014 - 31/01/2014
01/02/2014 - 28/02/2014
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01/11/2014 - 30/11/2014
01/12/2014 - 31/12/2014
01/01/2015 - 31/01/2015
01/02/2015 - 28/02/2015
01/03/2015 - 31/03/2015
01/04/2015 - 30/04/2015
01/05/2015 - 31/05/2015
01/06/2015 - 30/06/2015
01/07/2015 - 31/07/2015
01/08/2015 - 31/08/2015
01/09/2015 - 30/09/2015
01/10/2015 - 31/10/2015
01/11/2015 - 31/11/2015
01/12/2015 - 31/12/2015
01/01/2016 - 31/01/2016
01/022016 - 28/02/2016
01/03/2016 - 31/03/2016
01/04/2016 - 31/04/2016
01/05/2016 - 31/05/2016
01/06/2016 - 30/06/2016
01/07/2016 - 31/07/2016
01/08/2016 - 31/08/2016
01/09/2016 - 31/09/2016
01/10/2016 - 31/10/2016
01/11/2016 - 31/11/2016
01/12/2016 - 31/12/2016
01/01/2017 - 31/01/2017
01/02/2017 - 28/02/2017
01/03/2017 - 31/03/2017
01/04/2017 - 30/04/2017
01/05/2017 - 31/05/2017
01/06/2017 - 30/06/2017
01/07/2017 - 31/07/2017
01/08/2017 - 31/08/2017
01/09/2017 - 30/09/2017
01/10/2017 - 31/10/2017
01/11/2017 - 30/11/2017
01/12/2017 - 31/12/2017
01/01/2018 - 31/01/2018
01/02/2018 - 28/02/2018
01/03/2018 - 31/03/2018
01/04/2018 - 30/04/2018
01/05/2018 - 31/05/2018
01/06/2018 - 30/06/2018
01/07/2018 - 31/07/2018
01/08/2018 - 31/08/2018
01/09/2018 - 30/09/2018
01/10/2018 - 31/10/2018
01/11/2018 - 30/11/2018
01/12/2018 - 31/12/2018
01/01/2019 - 31/01/2019
01/02/2019 - 28/02/2019
01/03/2019 - 31/03/2019
01/04/2019 - 30/04/2019
01/05/2019 - 31/05/2019
01/06/2019 - 30/06/2019
01/07/2019 - 31/07/2019
01/08/2019 - 31/08/2019
01/09/2019 - 30/09/2019
01/10/2019 - 31/10/2019
01/11/2019 - 30/11/2019
01/12/2019 - 31/12/2019
01/01/2020 - 31/01/2020
01/02/2020 - 29/02/2020
01/03/2020 - 31/03/2020
01/04/2020 - 31/04/2020
01/05/2020 - 31/05/2020
01/06/2020 - 31/06/2020
01/07/2020 - 31/07/2020
01/08/2020 - 31/08/2020
01/09/2020 - 30/09/2020
01/10/2020 - 31/10/2020
01/11/2020 - 30/11/2020
01/12/2020 - 31/12/2020
01/01/2021 - 31/01/2021
01/02/2021 - 28/02/2021
01/03/2021 - 31/03/2021
01/04/2021 - 30/04/2021
01/05/2021 - 31/05/2021
01/06/2021 - 30/06/2021
01/07/2021 - 31/07/2021
01/08/2021 - 31/08/2021
01/09/2021 - 30/09/2021
01/10/2021 - 31/10/2021
01/11/2021 - 30/11/2021
01/12/2021 - 31/12/2021
01/01/2022 - 31/01/2022
01/02/2022 - 28/02/2022
01/03/2022 - 31/03/2022
01/04/2022 - 30/04/2022
01/05/2022 - 30/05/2022
01/06/2022 - 31/06/2022
01/07/2022 - 31/07/2022
01/08/2022 - 31/08/2022
01/09/2022 - 30/09/2022
01/10/2022 - 31/10/2022
01/11/2021 - 31/11/2021
01/12/2022 - 31/12/2022
01/01/2023 - 31/01/2023
01/02/2023 - 28/02/2023
01/03/2023 - 31/03/2023
01/04/2023 - 30/04/2023
01/08/2023 - 31/08/2023
01/11/2023 - 31/11/2023

Thursday, December 31, 2009

[bemused] Tyjer has taken to bringing home big worms for his mum every couple of days or so. I wasn't awake for this morning's, but Ken tells me they're definitely for me - he drops them down beside my chair at my desk...
This is very cute - but I don't like worms. Still, at least it's better than mice. Or frogs. Or birds.
Speaking of which, my garden is full of birds at the moment. They queue up for the feeders, and our blackbird pair were feasting on sultanas from the bird table earlier. Tyjer sits and watches them, but doesn't make any moves to try to catch them. It's the pigeons he hates.
So, 2009... was actually a very good year. I learned a lot about greenhouse gardening - and we're still eating the tomatoes, beans and mange tout I grew this year - and got my little veg bed sorted: next year should be even more productive. The train track is a success, as well, so Kai is chuffed. Between us we've written six books this year (even though Prime Contact is a revision, it's still substantially different from the first edition), more than ever before I think. Kai is doing very well at school, and proving to be quite a talented musician, and of course we're delighted we could get him the guitars he wanted. We had a great summer, even if we didn't do all that much. And celebrating twenty years of marriage is wonderful.
And of course we have Tyjer, my great big double-armful bundle of love. He truly is the most affectionate cat that's ever owned me, and he is definitely my cat. He loves the others, don't get me wrong, but I'm his human of choice. It's very flattering - even if half the time it's because I'm his primary provider of food and treats!
So yes, a great year for us. Quiet - they usually are! - but very happy. Here's hoping 2010 proves to be at least as good, for all of us.
Later edit: next three Swamp Thing eps: Love Lost - !! Arcane had a stepbrother? Where the hell did that come from? And he killed him? OK, well, no love lost there then... An odd ep, very odd; Mist Demeanour - love it, a firm favourite; and Nightmare on Jackson St, which is rather good.
Nearly midnight. Beautiful full moon tonight, the second this month.

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Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Skypeing...
Joules: [happy sigh] just watched last three eps of Swamp Thing Season 2 and first ep of Season 3... Lutra: [g] Good? Very! Includes Tremors of the Heart (aka the half-naked knife fight one) and Night of the Dying (possessed!Arcane writhing and barking 2 foot above his couch...) you find him interesting because he sleeps above the covers... [smirk] 4 FEET above his covers! It was enormous fun. I have to admit this is one of thoses series' where I really wish we could watch it together, it's PERFECT to MST. And Gotbusters ftw... [blink] Gotbusters? I'm turning German now?
Great fun. Touch of Death, which I didn't remember and which was interesting; Tremors of the Heart, which is so full of technobabble (and the least erotic pre-sex scene ever witnessed) it's quite adorable; The Prometheus Parabola, which is one of the daftest eps of any sci-fi-ish show anywhere but which does have Arcane in very tight jeans, boots, leather jacket and aviator-style shades on a big bike [drool]; and the so-bad-it's-glorious Night of the Dying...
Ken now watching Turn of the Screw (which has [spooks]'s Ruth in it). Not really my thing. I have Kai skypeing me hysterical fail-clips on Youtube instead...

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You've heard of monorail cat? Here's train cat. You've heard of monorail cat - now meet train cat. Headlamps optional.
Perturb, the next Swamp Thing instalment is written: I'll code/upload later.
There's a new adaptation of The Turn of the Screw on tonight, which Ken needs to watch. I think he's just hit 45K words, the absolute minimum required for the Ghosts book, which is quite a milestone!
Off to make karai for dinner. Loom later.

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Tuesday, December 29, 2009

SO what did we do today...?
[sigh] Shopping, while the weather wasn't too bad, raining but not snowing and the pavements weren't icy. Butcher, then Sainsbug's. Then, since neither Sainsbug's nor Tesco had any decent party packs for Old Year's Night, I dragged Kai with me up to Broadwalk on the bus.
Very successful it was, too. Found Dark City and Next (which we've never seen but which looks interesting. Plus it stars Nicolas Cage...) at the Cash Generator (like Cash Converter but an independent co.) and Spaceballs at St Nick's Charity Shop. Also picked up a pretty broad silver frame for my card from Kai - that's going on the wall out here later - and three different shades of pale teal trial-sized mini-pots of paint from Wilkinson's. And a feathery, rattly, teasy toy for Tyjer (he prefers chewing the handle, of course... [sigh] Cats, 'oo'd 'ave 'em...) Six different party packs from Iceland and we were back at the bus stop.
And it was perishing! We have warm(ish) air to the south and a snow-bearing cold front to the north, and at 1.30 pm they met over Briz... The wind was freezing. I was shivering! I mean, I don't shiver. I'm always too warm...
After dinner it was the next three Swamp Thing eps: Walk a Mile in my Shoots - actually a damn fine episode with some cracking acting from both MLC and Dick Durock. A firm favourite, that one; Watchers, which would have been more fun if the woman playing Abigail could actually act; and The Hunt, which is interesting and surprisingly subtle in places.
Then we caught the last part of Day of the Triffids... No comment.
Back to the loom now!

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Monday, December 28, 2009

[growl] So I try to login to the Echo control panel to sort out my gravatar and see how to customise the comments box, as per the Echo instructions, only to have the info box popup telling me that my blog doesn't exist...
Now waiting for their tech support to get back to me. Why is nothing ever easy?
In other news: Day of the Triffids... hm... Reminds me too much of Survivors.
But we enjoyed the first three eps of Swamp Thing season 2 - Birthmarks, great for backstory and further setting the scene; Dark Side of the Mirror, good for deadly!Arcane; and Silent Screams, which I didn't remember and therefore probably hadn't seen before, as it was interesting and memorable (for the dodgy science if nothing else).
More tomorrow!

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I've upgraded the Haloscan commenting system to Echo - it was either that or lose it altogether, as the good folks over there have had to make some major changes. I'm not objecting. Way back I made a ten dollar donation to have the comments ad-free, and wondered when they were going to start charging for it. To be honest, to have a stable, customisable commenting platform for just £6.40 a year is a bargain! However, I haven't got around to customising it yet: will do that when I'm a little more composted (fighting off a cold again, dammit...). So the box will look odd to start off with.
Other than that I've been trying to get household stuff sorted. Nearly had kittens when I rang the Reptile House and got the 'number not recognised' message, then did a little more searching, only to find on a reptile forum that the place closed down earlier this year. This is a problem, as I don't know anywhere reachable that stocks coir, and while the Cadbury Garden Centre at Congresbury sells livefood, I've never seen the right sized brown banded crickets there (our preferred food for Rosa, as the more common black ones chirrup so loudly I can hear them even with headphones on).
So I did the usual and turned to Google, and wouldn't you just know it, The Spider Shop provides a full range of products by post. So we have crickets, coir and some diet supplement dust on its way. Postage a bit pricey, but cheaper than a FirstDay SouthWest bus ticket (not to mention the time it would take) so everyone's happy. Except the Reptile House people, of course. Such a pity - we loved that place...
More fic and Swamp Thing this afternoon and later, after dinner. Oh, and the first part of the 2009 Day of the Triffids. Be interesting to see what they've done with the story.

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Sunday, December 27, 2009

A little more Swamp Thing this evening: we finished Season 1...
The Legend of the Swamp Maiden... um, yes... another one to watch once and forget as soon as possible, I think.
Then a family favourite, The Death of Doctor Arcane. The pink, three-foot-long worm with fangs and red eyes that is going to devastate the swamp is infinitely chuckle-worthy and has Kai and I in stitches, but that aside it's a fairly serious ep. And yes, Arcane does die. It's the first time he dies - it happens again in Jury of his Fears, and he comes very close in Night of the Dying and Hide in the Night (Stella: "Boom. Splat....Splat....Anton wallpaper!") And those are just the ones I know about. No wonder he can be a little... odd.
The Living Image is also a good one, and the final ep, The Shipment, sets everything up nicely for Season 2 - which hopefully we can make a start on tomorrow.
Back to the loom...

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Saturday, December 26, 2009

Boxing Day Buffet It looks like a lot for only three people, but it all went (Kai's a growing lad and has hollow legs...) A relaxed day. Ken was still writing, I was still pottering, and Kai was half-watching the HHTTG (TV series, not the abysmal film) DVD, which we bought him for Yule. Such fun hearing those classic, unforgettable lines again...
After dinner we watched four eps of Swamp Thing - Grotesquery, which had Kai and I laughing our heads off it's so bad; New Acquaintance, which is a surprisingly good ep, especially for Season 1, and really rather sweet; Natural Enemy... yers, well, the less said the better, probably; and Spirit of the Swamp, which is the first of the Voudon eps and kind of interesting. Hoping to watch the last four eps of Season 1 tomorrow, to get it over with and move on to the much better and more coherent Season 2. Though that being said, two of the next four eps are rather fun, in an insane way...

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[sigh] I love the Alec Holland/Anne Fisk plot arc, it's adorable and so tragic...
In other news: Forgot to say we had an extremely nice McGuigan Estate Chardonnay with dinner (Australian wine is our favourite). This year's vintage but it was wonderful - definitely a name to remember.
Found to my horror when feeding the crickets that there are only two still alive. This means a trip to the Reptile House up Two Mile Hill next week, since Rosa is due for repotting soon and I'm completely out of coir, which the Bedminster pet shop doesn't carry. [grump] Two buses and a mile walk each way. Takes a whole bloody afternoon.
... Eh, I can't really complain. She's really a very easy pet to look after, water every day and a cricket once a week, repotting once a year. And she is an exceptionally fine tarantula...
Tired now though. Think an early night (well, early for me) might be a good idea. It's the traditional running buffet tomorrow, so a considerable amount of standing in the kitchen will be called for as various party snack type things go in and out of the oven.

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Friday, December 25, 2009

Well that was a fun day! We started off with present opening and High Spirits while we had breakfast. Then Kai pottered around on both guitars while I organised dinner [food porn for Lutra: prawn-stuffed avocado starter, then duck á l'orange with Brussels sprouts with chestnuts, honey-glazed peas and carrots, roast and creamed potatoes and bacon-wrapped chipolatas, and chocolate cheesecake - which I did remember to take out of the freezer - for dessert].
After dinner it was a couple of episodes of No Heroics, which Ken found highly amusing, then the Dr Who Special.
Heh.
I know the xmas specials aren't exactly renowned for their quality but that was just... pointless. Annoyingly so, as there were several very poignant moments completely washed out by the sheer idiocy of the rest....
So we then stuck on the Watchmen Director's Cut (which has a very useful 24 extra minutes on the theatrical release). Great fun!
Now going to catch an ep or two of Swamp Thing. Finally!

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Thursday, December 24, 2009

Starskimmer in orbit (c) Kai Taylor
My Yule card from Kai - beautiful...
Aaaand we're all set. I don't have to set foot outside the door now until the middle of next week if I don't want to! (Well, except to fill up the feeders and bird table, anyway.) The duck, prawns and bacon-wrapped chipolatas are out of the freezer and de-frosting ready for tomorrow, and I will probably forget to take the chocolate cheesecake out until half an hour before we serve, as I usually do...
Oh, and there's a new instalment of the Swamp Thing fic over in The (other) Zone.
Here's wishing everyone a great time over the next few days!

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Wednesday, December 23, 2009

[spooks]... AAAAAARRRGGGHHHH!!! I hate it when they do that. Now we have to wait a full bloody year to find out if they've survived. And given the programme's propensity for killing off main characters left right and centre there's no guarantee that they have! [growl]

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Weather wasn't quite as bad as we'd expected: Ken took Kai to the orthodontist, and although it was treacherous in a couple of places they both survived OK. Kai has another appointment for his spring break in February to have the lower brace done.
And now it's raining, and as long as it doesn't freeze tonight (it's not supposed to) that will wash away all our snow and ice. Then I'll be OK to nip down to Sainsbug's tomorrow for the last few little bits and pieces!
Back to the loom. The STF fic is now at twenty-five pages, while the next in the sequence of shorts for The (other) Zone is at eleven. Should have that one finished and posted tonight.

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Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Risked a trip to Tesco - not too slippery and much of the snow and ice had been cleared away. Tonight there's supposed to be freezing fog and a wide-spread freeze across the region - which may cause real problems tomorrow when we try to get Kai to the orthodontist...
Watched Beethoven's 4th tonight (ludicrously cheap buy from play.com). "Could it be any more predictable?" said Kai. Humdrum, but it had a few chuckle-worthy moments...

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Monday, December 21, 2009

Way back at the end of August I decided we really ought to do something a bit special for this anniversary...
Back when we first decided to marry (we didn't actually have any sort of engagement as such - no ring or major party to announce it) we went for a meal at the Glassboat, which is an actual boat moored down at Bristol Bridge. So it seemed appropriate to go back there for our 20th. I was worried, even in August, I might be too late to book a table, since it's so close to Yuletide, but it was OK, especially since I opted for 6pm, right after they open.
I then kept it a secret from Ken - from everyone except Kai and Lutra, actually, I think - until today...
Getting there was a bit of a hassle: the snow had melted during the day but by the time we set off for the bus it had started re-freezing, and a two minute walk took me ten. However, at the other end the bus stops on the dock right outside the restaurant, so it was worth it to save forking out for a taxi. Bristol taxis are very expensive.
The place is gorgeous: the bow end where our table was (it's the stern you can see on the site, which is bigger and used for parties) is quiet with a great view of Bristol Bridge and the river traffic (a hired ferry with a party going on, a lone canoeist and a handful of swans this evening). The staff are lovely, efficient and professional but very friendly and welcoming. As one of the waiters was lighting the candle (a tea-light in a translucent bone china teacup!) for us I mentioned it was our anniversary, and the next thing we knew he was back with two complimentary glasses of champagne!
And the food... [warning - food porn for Lutra...]
We opted for their Yule menu, three courses of a choice of five or six different dishes each plus a cafetiere of fresh coffee, at £30 a head. (Yes, I've been saving since September...) Ken chose confit of duck, served with bread and mizuna salad, while I had breaded pork on mizuna leaves and shredded cooked red cabbage in a very nice vinaigrette with delicate little touches of whole-grain mustard vinaigrette around the side. It was absolutely delicious. Why can't I cook pork like that?
We both went for the venison in red wine with spiced rosemary root veg, which came with a side serving of perfect roast potatoes, sprouts, carrots and fine green beans. I have to confess the Barbary duck sounded wonderful too, but our waitress recommended the venison and since we rarely have it (and I've never yet managed to cook it to my satisfaction) it seemed like a good idea... Oh, it just melted in the mouth. Perfect.
Dessert was Bailey's cheesecake for me - certainly the best cheesecake I've ever tasted - and chocolate marquise with whiskey clotted cream for Ken, which was essentially a block of very solid chocolate mousse with the cream on top. Wonderful...
I had a large glass of very nice Chardonnay, Ken had one of Cabernet Sauvignon.
And they even rang for a taxi home for us. All in all it was a fabulous evening, and we have every intention of going back again.
And when we got home we watched the Mighty Boosh Future Sailors live DVD, which we've been saving for tonight, and yes, it was the show we went to see in Cardiff for our last year's anniversary (filmed in Manchester) - so we effectively had two anniversaries today!
A bit tired now...

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Curious little china... thing...

Joyous Yule!

And Happy Twentieth Wedding Anniversary to Us!
I found this little treasure sitting under my monitor smiling up at me this morning. I have no idea what it is, but it is china (20th anniversary is china - traditional - or platinum - modern) and it's incredibly cute. Weird, but adorable. Ken tells me it's made by a local pottery. It doesn't have a name yet...
And this is the garden this morning. Enough snow to make the pavements treacherous, not enough to look pretty.
garden in snow
The forecasters can't make up their minds whether there'll be more or not - but it's getting awfully dark and cloudy out there.
Tyjer, however, is fairly unfazed by it all - at any rate, he went out and did his usual rounds before coming in to complain how cold his toes were.
Thanks for the popcorn Wendy!
Off to the loom...

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[sigh] Well, that explains why Tyjer was anxious and wanting me to look out of the window - it's snowing... Wonder what he'll make of it in the morning? Bet he takes two steps, turns round, comes straight back in and spends the day curled up on our bed.
He's a sensible and comfort-loving cat.

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Sunday, December 20, 2009

And today the machine booted up almost silently...
Relatively relaxed day. Since the forecast snow/snail/rain never materialised the pavements were perfectly ice-free and safe, so I took advantage of another gloriously sunny cold day to get the last of the shopping - because I realised this morning that I'd forgotten to buy a dessert...
Although, having said that, I now remember I don't have a main course for Boxing Day. Hm. Will have to correct that over the next couple of days.
K&K are half-watching A Series of Unfortunate Events. I absolutely cannot abide Jim Carrey, he gives me the creeps and his voice makes my teeth ache, so I have the curtains closed and (at the moment) Coldplay's Talk drowning out the TV. Later I have to record A Stir of Echoes and An American Haunting for Ken for later perusal.
Back to the loom...

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Saturday, December 19, 2009

Shopping in the snow, oh joy...
Although it was only a few flakes, so not really a problem. After I raided Sainsbug's, Kai came over to Tesco with me to help carry. That's now nearly all of the Yule shopping done: just bread, milk, paté and any required fresh veg on Wednesday.
But my fan was back making the horrible grinding, rumbling sound again when I booted up. We're going to have a look at it tomorrow, to see if one of the screws has come loose again, but otherwise it looks like we'll need a repeat visit from Nick.
STF's Swamp Thing fic, If Only... is now nineteen pages and still going strong...
The Ring is on tonight: we'll record it, and Ken will try to stay awake to watch it. Undecided as to whether to watch it myself, though.

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Friday, December 18, 2009

Couple of hours writing after shopping, then Kai helped me for half an hour in the garden, melting the ice on the pools (a saucepan of boiling water held on the ice until it melts a hole then popping in a tennis ball) while I filled up the bird feeders, put salt in the bowl and cistern of the garden loo and switched on the little heater out there. That worked just fine back in February: fingers crossed it does the same now.
Apparently the wind chill factor took this morning's temperature down to -8° - it certainly felt like it - and now the skin of my face and hands is dry and sore. And my hands, and particularly my knuckles, are raw too: with Ken racing to meet his deadline my hands have been in more water/chemicals than usual. I have got to pick up some E45 tomorrow, before everything the skin cracks even more and gets infected. (And I might try putting on some honey and a light bandage tonight too. It's very painful.)
I've managed to watch Chapter 27 now - very nice cameo by MLC playing Lennon, but the film itself is a bit... pointless. However, today's episode of Murder, She Wrote - The Grand Old Lady - was charming, with a beautifully understated performance by the man (and duly recorded to DVD).
There's nowt on tonight, as usual. I'm headed back to the loom.

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There was white stuff drifting down as I set off to Tesco this morning...
It didn't last, luckily. It's bad elsewhere though. And Roeg's pool froze last night: will have to go and melt a hole before dark. I have now bought dayglo tennis balls to float in all three pools to keep them open. It is, literally, freezing out there today, and will be the same for at least the next three days. I'm hoping it eases off next week: I have to get Kai to the orthodontist on the 23rd, and it's half way up a 45° angle hill. If it's icy there's no way we can make it there.
Tyjer is confused. The ground has gone hard...
Kai's performance was a bit of a disaster - plagued by technical problems, with failing equipment and amps that didn't work. Such a shame, as it's usually really good. Even Ken's photos didn't come out very well.
Still, we have brilliant sun today, which is spirit-lifting, and it's forecast to stay like it unitl Monday. When it's supposed to rain again...
Back to the loom...

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Thursday, December 17, 2009

... we have snail...
That is, we have that peculiar weather where it's chucking down something that falls half way between the softness of snow and the hardness of hail. (Hence the just-coined term.) Snow was forecast for the south-east but I didn't expect it this far west, at least, not yet. [sigh] I do hope we aren't going to have an early repeat of February...
The contract finally arrived so I can now say - in case anyone hadn't guessed - that three weeks ago Ken was asked to write a companion book to Vampires and Werewolves: Ghosts. (Quite good timing as he'd just finished writing The Ghosts of Arnos Manor Hotel.) The only problem is the insane deadline - 11th January. Six weeks to write 50K+ words. Over Yule.
He's hit the half-way point today, and is trying to get ahead of himself a little so he can take the day off on the 25th, but it means that everything here is manic. (Probably just as well we do manic with great aplomb!)
He's taking tonight off to go to Kai's school performance: I usually go but Ken hasn't been out of the house for several days and really needs a break and a change of scenery. He's never managed to get to one, so it will be fun for him (the kids really are very accomplished!)
So it's the loom for me. Laters...

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[grumble] Tyjer doesn't like winter. He's all, I can haz summar plskthnx? So after a quick rounds of the bounds every morning he comes in, stuffs his face, and goes up to our bed to sleep for most of the day.
And then comes down at midnight, wanting to play. His favourite game at the moment is snatching a feather out of my hand (sometimes he misses and catches my hand instead but with the scars I now have it hardly matters...) Now, this is really cute and wonderfully interactive of him - but I'm usually in full writing flow by then, and having cat wander across the desk (NOT the keyboard, he won't even put a paw on the keyboard. Most unusual for a cat, but very much appreciated) and stop in front of the monitor, feather in mouth, is not conducive to inspiration. Unless of course I write a story about it. Which I have no real inclination to do at the moment...
We may need to attempt a little retraining here.
I've had Bowie's Prettiest Star earworming since watching Kinky Boots: today I remembered that I burned it to my Musekicks folder a while back, so can add it to my Winamp playlist... Why am I telling you this? It's hardly riveting stuff now, is it?
Loomwards Ho!
Edit: [grump] no, I have Bowie's Star from the Ziggy Stardust album burned, not Prettiest Star. Tch', we really need to get some Bowie CDs to replace our albums. Either that or shell out for the gear to do it ourselves. Though buying them will probably be cheaper...

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Wednesday, December 16, 2009

[relieved] One of my computer fans has been making a worrying grinding rumbling sound on start-up for getting on for a week now, and today the lovely Nick from Computer Geeks came to check it for me. It looks as though it was simply a matter of the screws being loose (that's the fan's screws, not mine, for those of you snickering at the back!) and he's tightened everything for me (including the motherboard screws). It's much quieter now, and he thinks that may have solved the problem, but will come back if it happens again. Quite pleased as I thought I'd have to buy a new fan.
He's also got our new version of Adobe Acrobat working on Ken's machine. We bought a later version, as the one I have won't work on bloody Vista and despite spending over a day on installing it and trying patches, upgrades and workarounds Ken simply could not get it to operate. So that's all good!
And finally, the odd problem we were both having with the keyboards stopping working every thirty minutes seems to have resolved itself (crossing fingers here, as that could be famous last words), so hopefully that's us all sorted. Until the next thing goes wrong, anyway!
Many thanks Nick!

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... and then I made up for it by writing several more pages of a Swamp Thing fic based on an idea of STFs. It's one of those deliciously juicy ones that requires a considerable amount of research. It's now also at eleven pages and - I think - maybe about half finished. There's an episode I have to watch before I can tidy up the end though, which means staying down on the 25th after K&K have gone to bed, since it's completely out of sync with the rest. But it shouldn't take long, an hour at most.
[grins] Oh, I am loving this.

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Tuesday, December 15, 2009

I've done nothing today. It felt very odd. Not sure I liked it...

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Monday, December 14, 2009

Monday shopping. But I found a copy of Kinky Boots at the Hospice Charity shop: we all watched it tonight, and thoroughly enjoyed it!
Other than that I've been working on fanfic. This is my holiday, and I'm doing what I love most, writing. It's great!

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Sunday, December 13, 2009

Sunday market shopping today (for a new rucksack, and for 100% cotton, no-elastic socks - an unfortunate but necessary requirement when one lives in trainers...) And didn't manage much more, as I was late getting up because I didn't actually go fall over til 4.30...
Forgot to say, Ken and I bought new phones (Tesco network again: their prices have gone down), Samsung M150s, since we can now get about two hours use out of the old ones before the fully-charged battery gives up. Only £24.99 and it's a nice little phone. Haven't worked out how to upload mp3s and my own wallpaper (I want Arcane on my phone! And the Manga theme as my ringtone!) yet, though, and the instructions that come with it are useless... hang on, that link says I should be able to use USB to transfer files. Hm. It didn't come with a cable. I shall have to investigate...
Back to the loom tonight!

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Saturday night and Sunday morning Skypeing...
Joules: I have Ty chatting me up - what does he want...? Lutra: LOL! cuddles? Big hint that you should go to bed now? Ah - yes, he does do that sometimes... [sigh] my cat nags me to go to bed... [smirk] but of course. I am henpecked and catnagged. LOLOL! I didn't know you had chickens! We don't, but I sometimes feel like it the way my little birds shout for the seed feeders to be filled! [grin] They know a good thing. They know a sucker!
A good night's work. Both fics substantially progressed. Always a good thing!
Not to mention the three new plot spiders that have been generated (one of them an STF comment, rendering as a Zaphod 'If there's anything in here more important than my ego I want it caught and shot now!' Beeblebrox and Anton 'I am THE Doctor. Worship my genius!' Arcane crossover. With Graham jealously pouting in the middle. Oh... ye... gods...)
Time. Clones. T.A.R.D.I.S. Immortality... anything'll do right now...
Think I need to go fall over.

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Saturday, December 12, 2009

Ye gods. I got a lie in! Wonders will never cease...
Then it was catching up with stuff. Emails - had another from the Swamp Thing Fan (hereinafter the STF and yes, they confirmed that was OK) which was the most enormous fun. And we chatted for a little while on Skype after a comedy of errors trying to get the connection set up. My fault, I hasten to add...
Then that most direful of Saturday tasks - shopping. On a Saturday. Afternoon. Just before Yule. MUTOIDS! TROLLEY RAGE!!! But Kai came with me to help carry, so it was marginally less 'orrible than normal.
I've pottered this evening so far. Replied to the email, helped Ken a little, and plotted what comes next in the two Swamp Thing fics I'm working on while Lutra's challenge bubbles in my head. This is now going to be a birthday present instead of a Yule gift - that gives me more time to research and write. Heart is going to wait until after the holidays now - I have too much else going on and it would be best to clear them first.
Dances back to the loom...

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Friday, December 11, 2009

GoodTwin over for the day, exchanging Yule gifts and chat. Absolutely brilliant - many thanks!
Oh, and we got very nice reviews over at the La Femme Reader blog.

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Thursday, December 10, 2009

Well, that was all quite successful! Though I winced at the price of the loo seat - £37. But it has a fifteen year guarantee, so hopefully will last a little longer than the £8.99 ones that fall apart after six months...
John Cabot has retained its OFSTED 'Outstanding' rating, and the principal is giving the whole school an extra day's holiday in appreciation for everyone's hard work, so this terms ends on 17th of December instead of the 18th. Everyone is naturally very pleased!
And I finally managed to pick up a copy of Brazil, from the Cat's Charity shop. It's been years since I've watched it, so that's one to look forward to. We're going to be glued to the box this Yule...

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Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Decided to do town tomorrow instead. So finished article and emailed it off two days early instead, today. Not bad! Now I can relax for tomorrow.
Forgot to say - picked up Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince for £7 at Sainsbug. Startlingly cheap. But then again, it's not that great a film. Ken found it confusing (he hasn't read the book, I don't think) but Kai quite enjoyed seeing it again.

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Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Skypeing...
Joules: [shakes head] I wasn't imagining it - even Ken and Kai can see it. I have an Arcane streak developing in my hair - bizarrely in exactly the same place as his. 'course, his is blond and dyed while mine is silver and natural, but still... Lutra: ROFLMAO! [shrugs helplessly] Although... it's quite cute akshully. Now that's what I call channelling! [headdesk] Should I mention it on the blog or wait 'til I can get a decent photo? Mention it, then post a pic later. Or I could quote this convo. [g] or that!
What makes it worse - or better, depending on your point of view - is that when it's short (for me that is, shoulder-length and layered as opposed to knee-length as it was before I had Ken chop it) and brushed back from my face, my hair looks somewhat like his too, being thick and wavy... [sigh]

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So that's half the article written. I have to dive into town tomorrow for Yule shopping and a new loo-seat - yes, the hinges have gone on the lid yet again, damned cheap and badly-made Chinese rubbish. That's the third one in a year. Going to try Gardiner Haskins, see if they have something decent. And I shall have another look for something for Ken.

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Monday, December 07, 2009

[bg] My first online interview is now posted over at Vampchix.
Was a lot less stressful than my first radio one...

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Sunday, December 06, 2009

Brain gone AWOL. I must have done something today but I can't think what it was...
Hate days like that...
Oh - yes. I recorded the whole of Tin Man on DVD while I was working - it's a series I like, but not enough to want to fork out for.
First MLC Murder She Wrote is on tomorrow at 1pm.

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Saturday, December 05, 2009

Time. Need TIME. Need it NOW.
T.A.R.D.I.S. Clones. Immortality. Even a 60-hour day would do.
Fun day with parents - took mum through to Keynsham to investigate the charity shops, where I found the Who Dares Wins DVD to replace my video copy (which has gone home with the folks as they've never seen it and think they'll enjoy it).
Also, received fantastic email from Swamp Thing fan with absolutely masses of info, links, Youtube clips, etc. etc. and I promise I will get back to you tomorrow, if you're reading this...
Watched Fell asleep to the George Clooney version of Solaris - pretty but about as laboured as the original Russian version but not as good - as it's sort of about phantoms. And now I have to get back to the Swamp Thing fic - it's all taking too long and I am limited by how fast I can type. Not to mention that I now have some client site stuff waiting to be done as well as the Imbolc article...

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Friday, December 04, 2009

Well, we've put up a few decorations and the tree, though less than previous years and none out in my room: my snowflakes are hanging from the hall and landing ceilings for a change. It looks festive enough for us, and Kai has his colour-changing fibre-optic tree making pretties in his room. It'll do.
I'm taking it easy this Yule, not even setting the table properly for dinner this year. Admittedly it would be tricky, given I have half the greenhouse contents on top of it and all Kai's railway rolling stock under it and nowhere else to put it all... So we shall eat from the little TV tables instead.
Working on the fourth Swamp Thing fic instalment. I'm really enjoying this, it feels like ages since I've written any fanfic and getting the teeth into both the charas and the background is such fun. (Yes, I know I have the Imbolc article to do: I'm making notes as I write the fic and will tackle it on Monday.) It does mean that Lutra's gift-fic is unlikely to be done by Yule, I'm afraid, but I need to reacquaint myself with both the subtler nuances of Torchwood (had first season on in background while fic-writing this afternoon) and remind myself of the intricacies of Being Human (which is now on its way from amazon, half as a business expense as Ken also needs it for research purposes). I takes pride in my work, I does.
Back to Arcane and Graham...

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Bah humbug...
There was a time I really enjoyed wrapping presents - now it's just a chore. I must be getting old or summat...
Quite a successful day's shopping though: got the last of the things I went for for the folks to take back with them tomorrow, stocked up the freezer with the party packs for Boxing Day, and found a copy of Chapter 27 to add to my MLC collection. Now I just need Silk Hope, Separate Lives and Beethoven's 4th and I'll have all the films!
Picked the last of the cherry tomatoes from the greenhouse. Homegrown tomatoes in December, whatever next!
[spooks] and True Blood tonight (missed them on Wednesday because of Under the Greenwood Tree) then back to the loom...

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Thursday, December 03, 2009

It has been a bemusing and interesting sort of day...
First thing that happened was a friendly email from an original Swamp Thing (TV Series) fan arriving in my inbox. This is someone whose writing I rather like, so I was, naturally, thoroughly chuffed.
Then I finished the review of Under the Greenwood Tree. It's a bit shorter than Cider with Rosie: it was first night, and I believe the nerves were running a little rampant!
And my latest LoveFilm rental arrived, Biggles, which I wanted to see because it has Daniel Flynn as Ginger. Daniel Flynn is the English seiyuu for Benten, Narsus, Brahma et al whose voice just makes me melt, and I was intrigued as to what he looked like. (Not bad, is the answer.) As for the film - it's enjoyable nonsense, all terribly terribly toodle-pip and what ho! 1917 British, a very silly but fun time-travel yarn. Released in 1986 and ye gods it shows, with a soundtrack including Ian Anderson and Deep Purple. One to pick up if I ever see it going cheap anywhere, but not one to try to order.
... back to the loom...

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Wednesday, December 02, 2009

Well that was hectic. The parents are coming up for a pre-Yule visit on Saturday and I suddenly realised I hadn't finished getting mum's presents - so it was a manic dash into town, where I ended up also picking up something for Ken (who is an absolute nightmare to buy for) and a tin of medium red fast-fermenting home wine (because I'm pissed off with having to spend £1.99 on a tiny bottle of cooking wine every time I want to add it to my cooking - which is most of the time...) And some cards. And some strawberry pocky and provisions from the Chinese supermarket.
Then this evening Ken and I went to the St Luke's Players amdram performance of Thomas Hardy's Under the Greenwood Tree (regular readers may remember that I went to their performance of Cider with Rosie earlier this year). I'm about to write the review...

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Tuesday, December 01, 2009

[bemused] Had an email this afternoon from the editor of Soul and Spirit magazine asking me to write next year's Imbolg article for them. [grin] Nice to be wanted. Of course, it has to be quite different from this year's.
They want it by the 11th of December. I shall ponder...

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Orchids

Cambria in flower (smells gorgeous), second cambria flower spike below it, phalaenopsis flower spike in foreground. The last flower of the new little phal is still hanging on...
Orchids

Cambria. Would look better with a dark background...
Tyjer helping ... and Tyjer helping to change our bedding...

This camera is definitely ailing. It's eating batteries like there's no tomorrow, and half the time the telescopic function won't work. Going to need a new one pretty soon.

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