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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01/12/2009 - 31/12/2009
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01/02/2010 - 28/02/2010
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01/05/2010 - 31/05/2010
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01/12/2010 - 31/12/2010
01/01/2011 - 31/01/2011
01/02/2011 - 28/02/2011
01/03/2011 - 31/03/2011
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01/12/2011 - 31/12/2011
01/01/2012 - 31/01/2012
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01/01/2013 - 31/01/2013
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01/10/2013 - 31/10/2013
01/11/2013 - 30/11/2013
01/12/2013 - 31/12/2013
01/01/2014 - 31/01/2014
01/02/2014 - 28/02/2014
01/03/2014 - 31/03/2014
01/04/2014 - 30/04/2014
01/05/2014 - 31/05/2014
01/06/2014 - 31/06/2014
01/07/2014 - 31/07/2014
01/08/2014 - 31/08/2014
01/09/2014 - 31/09/2014
01/10/2014 - 31/10/2014
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

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Samhain 

Joyous Samhain!

(Even if it is pissing down out there...)

[grump] So I had a dental appointment. So what did I do last night? Lifted a conchiglia pasta shell from the furiously boiling pot to see if it was cooked, was in a hurry and it didn't click that it was open side up. It slid off the spoon onto my lip...

I now have a whapping great blister on the outside of my lower lip, a smaller one on the inside, and a burnt tongue.

Dentist was sympathetic, at least. Wants me to go back for a deep clean, so I've made another appointment for a couple of weeks time - should all be healed up by then.

That aside, it was a successful trip - found a gorgeous double bedding set in the PDSA charity shop, deep teal with teal appliqué flowers with gold stitching. Exactly what I wanted for our room - dead chuffed! And picked up crickets (just as well, Rosa only had one left).

And I remembered why cleaning the greenhouse is such a pain in the arse: you can't get the staging out without disassembling it... Going to try moving it out towards the centre and using the extendible squeegee to get the sun-ward side clean.

Currently fending off trick or treaters with chocolate...
Medlar flower


Yes, that is a flower on the medlar. Climate gone very strange...

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0 Comments:



Tuesday, October 30, 2012

[blink] Where the Pit did Monday go?

Oh, yes, of course. I cleared all the tomato and cucumber plants out of the greenhouse in preparation for a thorough cleaning and disinfecting later. Kai's already said he'll help me move the staging and assorted other bits out for a few hours so I can get it done thoroughly with Jeyes fluid. Then I'm going to try putting the organic slug gel I have around the base, trickled down between the frame and the glass. I will get rid of the little buggers one way or another...

Feather is now down to the last three mice in the pack. Once she's eaten them I'm going to try her on the rat weaners - had a proper look today and they're about the right size for her to cope with. (Though that reminds me, I need to pick up some more crickets for Rosa after I've been to the dentist tomorrow.)

We watched the second ep of Grimm season 2 in the evening - it's intriguing - and finished a role-play scenario on tumblr in the night. Was fun, but I think I'll wind it down a bit now.

Today: Next!Poppy is coming along at a steady pace. And I've made a start on next!D3-N15 as well - hoping to have the latter up tonight and the former before the weekend, but it's a busy week so no guarantees. I also have a little client stuff to get done...

But this afternoon Kai and I are going to rewatch the last four eps of Prime season one in preparation for Friday's Primefest... Definitely making time for that!

Lutra suggested I watch this. It's hysterical! (A bit risqué but SFW).

Going to make time to watch a few other skits - these guys are so funny.

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Sunday, October 28, 2012

Happy Birthday Sue!

Hope it was a good one. (Also hope the package arrived...)

Ken and I went over to the LoveFood Hallowe'en Festival. Great fun!

But that's about all we've done today. Weather's been very cold and drizzly, most unpleasant...

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1 Comments:

Blogger Sue said...

Thank you - and it was :)

9:07 pm  



Saturday, October 27, 2012

WAIIIIIIII!!!

happy bouncing rhino


Next Friday! From 9 am! The first twelve eps of Transformers: Prime Season 2 back to back!! A five and a half hour Primefest!





happy bouncing rhino



Well that's what Kai and I will be doing next Friday! I'll record them then Ken can watch later - and for backup. Always useful to have backup...


happy bouncing rhino





In other news, Kim and I went out to Cadbury garden centre. They have all their Yule stuff already out for sale (and it looks as though this year the trend is for old fashioned and realistic or sparkly and fibre-optic).Fidjit They have an ice-rink (for display skating and public skating) and today Avon Owls had a stand there, with all sorts of goodies and souvenirs - and owls that members of the public were welcome to hold! (This is Fidjit on Kim's wrist.)



Much fun was had. And I bought two little Yule decorations - two pairs of small angel wings. Why? You'll find out later!



And as for this week's Prime ep: ermergerdermergerdermergerd! Want to know what happens next. Need to know what happens next! But don't want spoilers. But need to know!! [runs round in circles] And it's the last ep next week! ermergerd...

*ahem* It was jolly good.

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3 Comments:

Blogger Lutra said...

Zomg, mini-owl!

Good to see the bouncing rhino making an appearance. It's a good barometer of mood :)
Back to back eps!

Angel wings, eh...?

12:41 am  
Blogger Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor said...

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH! yepyep.

Mini-wol was soooo cute. Except - you can't see it here but her expression! It was a combo of 'grumpy/durn kids get off my lawn/come any closer and I'll have you!'

Will tell you bout the wings in a mo...

12:44 am  
Blogger Lutra said...

Ooh, secrets! (humour me, it was a late night... :)

Mini-grump is quite adorable.

12:48 am  



Friday, October 26, 2012

The Poppy Tales 

Twenty second part of New World - Home Comforts 4 - now posted over at The Poppy Tales (link above).

Enjoy!




Pretty little car is little and pretty!

Tailgate. Basically a redeco of Cliffjumper, but very pretty. Also very dead, but when has that ever stopped anyone...




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1 Comments:

Blogger Lutra said...

Pretty little car is indeed pretty!

Re: Poppy. [snerk] Fangirls...

11:24 pm  



Thursday, October 25, 2012

This is the sort of thing Kai is working on at the moment. Absolutely beautiful. If I'd been taught maths as music it would have made so much more sense to me...

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Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Well what a day it's been!

Kai's Yule present arrived (no, not going to say what it is in case he or a mate read this), then my Energon mk 2 Starscream arrived, hand-delivered by the seller who was in Briz working 'just around the corner today'!


Twins...


Pretty! (Anyone spot the deliberate mistake? I corrected it before I posed him out here...)

Seller also gave me a freebie - Japanese catalogue of the Unicron Trilogy figures, which is great fun!

Then it was out to the Post Office and down to Sains - who are having a sale with a third off all toys, including Tfs. And they had a Cyberverse solo Knock Out [sigh]. Then again, I like the driller, and the solo figure's colour is more orange than his true cherry red, so I'm not bothered. I did pick up a Tailgate though...

And I've just had emailed confirmation that my Hearts of Steel Starscream has arrived at the BigBadToyStore and the order has been processed! EEEEEEEEE!! He's on his way...

And even Poppy is coming along OK today!

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3 Comments:

Blogger GoodTwin said...

All sounds very busy and exciting...

Are you are getting a shed in that garden revamp, for all the models? :)

7:52 am  
Blogger Lutra said...

Ok, I give up - what was the mistake?

11:19 am  
Blogger Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor said...

GoodTwin - no, but we are considering a new shelf...

Lutra - his legs are backwards.

1:08 pm  



Tuesday, October 23, 2012

I'm awfully tired of being constantly tired...

We had a garden designer visit today - Diane, who is setting up her Urban Eden Designs business and offering to do a few visits on LETTs to get her name known and generate a bit of free publicity. We had a good walk around the garden while I explained our own aims and pointed out things that have to stay and ones that we'd be happy to transplant to other areas, and she's going to get back to us with some plans. The basic thing for us is for it to be as cheap as possible, so we'll have to see what she says!

Haven't managed to get much else done (though a trip to Tesco took up a good hour and a half), and I'm very tired, so may not get much done tonight either - which is annoying as both Poppy and D3-N15 are nagging me now...

This is fun!

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Monday, October 22, 2012

Monday hummed along... had a bit of a lie-in, cleared a wee bit of client stuff, made stock, wrote a little Poppy...

Quotes from Transformers: Cybertron ep 9 - all on the TV:

"Your proactive bipartisan synergy is indemnifying!" (Presidential speech)
"You darned annoying guy! I'll make you genuflect like a dung beetle simmering in yakisoba!"
"That ninja vanished in a wisp of flatulence!"
"I will dishonor your guts with my REVERSE QUACKING DOG ATTACK!" (All three from a ninja film)

I rather like that second one. And the last one...

First ep of Grimm season 2 in five mins.

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0 Comments:



Sunday, October 21, 2012

I actually started typing this last Tuesday, but after diving back to ebay to check the grossly overinflated price I found another at a sensible price and didn't want to say anything in case I jinxed my attempts to buy it. Not that I'm superstitious but life has an odd habit of managing to do the opposite of what I write here...

What am I talking about? Well, remember I said on Thursday that there are two versions of Cybertron Starscream? Heh. There are two version of Energon Starscream too - only you don't actually find out about it until episode 42 (I think it was), and how many people are dedicated (or daft) enough to watch that far? EnergonOther than me I mean. Doesn't help that he also goes by the name Nightscream. I think. It's all about as garbled as the series. Basically he's a redeco of the first one, which I find really pretty - and the second version is even prettier. This is a not great screencap from ep 46 (the yellow thing is Megatron's sword and nothing to do with SS).

So I went in search of his toy - and last Sunday found one on ebay US for £88 (plus another £32 p&p), which is FAR more than I want to pay. Also, it's the Supreme version (which is 15 inches tall and rather crudely made) with the Hasbro colouring, which is not show-accurate. So that was a definite case of a 'sod that for a game of soldiers, I'll keep looking'.

And then, as I said above, I checked again on Tuesday - to find that someone, in Bristol, no less - was selling the correct Takara version. For £9.99.

I've been on the archetypal tenterhooks all week, and actually got quite annoyed last night when someone dared to put in a bid for him! So I was up early this morning sitting on the site, watching like the proverbial hawk, and put in my own bid at 4 minutes 40 seconds before the end of the auction, to find that the other bidder had added a max. [g] Ken and I had already agreed my max bid, so I entered it: three mins later the auction ended and I got him for £12.50 (far far below my max bid)! Dead chuffed.

It's been a good day all 'round though. Managed to get exactly what I wanted from the Sunday Market (teal coloured downie cover and pillowslips and a new rucksack for me: the one I saw and chose was black and blue, but the only ones they had left in the lorry were black and olive green! Perfect!) And the Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid DVD we bought yesterday plays perfectly - we had it on this afternoon. Kai is now half-watching The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and loving the dreamlike surreality: will have to see about getting him a copy.

Next Poppy is started - will see if I can get it finished tonight.

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2 Comments:

Blogger Sue said...

Oh many congratulations. We're very fond of last minute bidding over here. Or in Chris' case, last second bidding! He leaves it so tight that I keep thinking our broadband connection will fail and he'll miss it altogether.

9:38 pm  
Blogger Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor said...

That's always my fear, otherwise I'd leave it even tighter (and have in the past, bidding at 30 seconds to...) But I didn't want to risk it with this one.

10:16 pm  



Saturday, October 20, 2012

Just a wee bit tired...

Ken commented in passing a week or so ago that we never seem to get much time out together - and on reflection I realised he was right. Other than occasionally going shopping - which hardly counts! - the last time we went out was... um... our 20th wedding anniversary? Which was three years ago!!

Something really needed to be done about this. So knowing that today had nice weather forecast, I suggested we go to Wells. (It's a nice ride and a gorgeous place, a real favourite trip out as regular readers will know.) Ken suggested we go a little further and visit Street - somewhere I've never been (as far as I can remember anyway) but which Ken and Kai had visited in the last couple of years...

It was a lovely ride, mild with the sun through clouds and mist in the hollows of the Somerset Levels. And Street is a great place with loads of charity shops. Found several (new!) shirts for Ken, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid DVD, an illustrated history of the MG ('Beat will be pleased!) and a Beany Baby Zodiac Rat. It's actually quite creepy with an intense stare and eyes that follow you, but I couldn't resist. It wasn't until later I realised that it reminds me strongly of Vector Prime in Cybertron - same colours and similar patterns and I have to assume that's why I had to have it (was only £1.99 so not exactly bank-breaking): Vector Prime is just so pretty. Not to mention being a fascinating character - he was the Prime who was the guardian of time and space.

... which means I have a beany rat who can control the space-time continuum. As if things weren't surreal enough around here...

ANYway... we had a good look around, which didn't take long as the place is tiny, and checked out the Clark's Village, where we found a Works outlet with a decent art supplies dept - and sketchpads for £1.99!! Came home with A2, A3 and A4 pads ([rubs hands] can really get into the Tf mini-comic backgrounds now!) and two packs of various paintbrushes for the next project. All most excellent.

Then it was back to Wells for a quick look around the Saturday market - found a small variegated acer, pale green, white and pink, which I'm going to plant by Roeg's Pool when we start getting the garden sorted again - and then headed back to Briz. A really lovely day: we both thoroughly enjoyed it and are going to make a point of doing it more often (to different places, I mean).

Kai spent the day playing Terraria online with friends and tells me he now has a mer-form. Yerrs... He's on half term now for two weeks.

And this weeks Tf: P ep? Mostly flashbacks, and the ending was NOT what I had hoped was going to happen. There are only two more episodes until the end of the season... [bites nails]

But legs are aching - feel like I've run a half-marathon. Unlikely to get any writing done tonight, and tomorrow I need to do a major shop (Sunday market and The Range in the hope the latter has some pink grapefruit and sugar free tonic Sodastream syrups as I'm almost out, as well as the usual Sainsbug Sunday shop). May even try for an early night...

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2 Comments:

Blogger Sue said...

Thought I posted this comment yesterday but then the weekend was a bit of a .
I meant to say - has been years since I was in Street but I remember it as being very pretty. Glad you both had a good time.

9:36 pm  
Blogger Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor said...

Thanks - it was great!

10:14 pm  



Friday, October 19, 2012

So, Friday...

Click the pic for the full view. Go on. Click it, please... The text, when I upload it to deviantArt, will read -

The pride of the 6 Millionth Kaon Motor Show! The new, upgraded Super Driller De Luxe! Turn helms and be the envy of the mining neighbourhood with this mean machine. Triple drivers, unobtainium-coated drill-heads, superb manoeuvrability and endurance - you'll never need another!

Featuring Starscream draping himself over the equipment like a super-model (or, as Lutra phrased it, '[smirk] Starscream, you tart...') For those who don't know, this is from Tf: Prime, the energon driller used in energon mines. The other transformers featured are, from left to right, Knock Out (red), Breakdown (dark blue and lurking at the back), some random vehicon (D3-N15 is you like), and Megatron in the background.

[g] I like the driller. When you press that pink button the heads all rotate and lights light up. Heh, I'm such a kid inside....

Meant to post this skype yesterday, exchanged shortly before Lutra went to bed, but forgot...

Flare: Will be painting shortly. [bg] May be a completed SGSS when you next get online!
Lutra: woohoo! Then you can start thinking about doing your own designs [beg]
?
Pick up a cheap SS from somewhere, make him purple paisley. Awesome!
[headdesk] Oh ye gods.....
[smirk]

Back to Poppy...

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4 Comments:

Blogger GoodTwin said...

Purple paisley? It'd look like pyjamas... :)

7:06 pm  
Blogger Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor said...

Starscream in pyjamas...
NOOOOO! Stop giving me ideas!!

7:09 pm  
Blogger GoodTwin said...

:D

12:03 am  
Blogger Lutra said...

They'd have to be silk pyjamas.

12:09 pm  



Thursday, October 18, 2012

Project SGSS 

Finished!

From this - left - to this - right - in less than two weeks at less than an hour a day.

SGSS

Not too bad, I think. Pics of the real thing here.

SGSS

And I quite enjoyed it.

SGSS pose

Which is just as well, as now I need to find and redeco another one...

Started watching Tf: Cybertron last night, and to my surprise - and pleasure - found myself enjoying it. The dubbing is good (so far) and makes sense, the plot is logical, the cgi is lovely, the characters engaging (although the weird mix of accents threw me to start with - when did Jetfire become fake-Australian??) and some of the designs very pretty (Vector Prime is just gorgeous. Such a pity his toy does him no justice at all...) Even the humans are bearable (just).

And Starscream? Well, he's undergone considerable changes over the course of the trilogy. He started off in Armada as essentially a downtrodden lackey despite being second in command, beaten and horrendously badly treated by Megatron, fighting against his core Decepticon programming to try to forge his own destiny, and eventually sacrificing himself to save Cybertron. Then in Energon he's brought back to existence by Alpha Q (trying saying that quickly all as one word [eg]) as an amnesiac who is literally only half there (able to turn insubstantial at whim) who Megatron brainwashes into serving him - Megs then basically treating him like a pet dog. In Cybertron, however, the two seem to be on a much more equal footing (although I am only on episode 4 so that could change in an instant...)

And my needing to redeco another figure? The whole Transformers phenomenon exists to sell toys, so I shouldn't have been too surprised to find Cybertron Starscream has another colour scheme from the one I have. [sigh] Same mould as mine though - so I need to find a third one and embark on another paint job. (They are available to buy, but the only one I can find is the 'Supreme' version, 15" high and very crude-looking, not to mention the one I found was over three hundred quid.) Not in any hurry though, and I don't want to fork out too much, so will just keep checking ebay.

Got up to Toys Я Us this morning to see if they had a Cyberverse Knock Out. No joy with the individual toy, but they had the Knock Out with Driller set (not the Bayverse diller, this is a mining machine as used in the series), which was the version I was hoping for (even if significantly more expensive). It's fun though (pics tomorrow, too dark now). Now I need to do some more backgrounds - energon mine, oh joy...

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Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Tired...

But it's been an interesting day. Starscream is still almost done - have his right-hand wing brand to do (I trimmed the tiniest brush to half its width and painted the left hand one by hand. It's not prefect perfect [edited on Friday - GAH!! My spelling goes completely to pot when I'm tired] but from a distance it looks convincing enough) and some final tidying up. Should be done tomorrow, then I will take photos!

And the interesting bit? Well, maybe frustrating is a better word. In 24 hours I had over 100 hits - and a number of readers adding it to Story Alerts - on Advantage, the first Knock Out/D3-N15 fic, on FFNet.

24 hours. For a little thing I scribbled out in an hour and a half (and a good 20 minutes of that was rewatching two eps on Youtube to make sure I got details right) and posted in the general Transformers directory. Compare that to The Poppy Tales, now into its 6th book and (I think) over half a million words, which in the year I've been writing it has attracted around 40 followers - and which I made the mistake of putting in the Bayverse Transformers directory, where (understandably) very few people ever go...

[sigh] Moving it isn't really an option, I don't think. I'll just keep my fingers crossed that people who like the KO/D fics (yes, there will be at least a couple more) will enjoy them enough to check out my profile, follow the links and read onwards.

I also posted it on my deviantArt account, where it immediately attracted views and favouriting, rather to my surprise (and delight). I'll post it to AO3 once I've written the second part.

Starting Transformers: Cybertron tonight...

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2 Comments:

Blogger Sue said...

I can see the frustration. From what I've read, I assume moving to another directory would mean deleting and reposting - in which case I believe you lose the existing comments. I know there would be all the work involved in reposting and that's probably why you wouldn't do it anyway, but losing comments might hurt as well.

5:46 pm  
Blogger Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor said...

It's too much work and I'd hate to lose the comments. It's all up at AO3 too, so it's being read by a different crowd there. Fingers crossed for word of mouth...

8:04 pm  



Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Project SGSS 

Nearly there...

After watching the latest Tf: P episode, Inside Job, a ficlet idea grabbed me and just wouldn't let go, so I wrote it and posted it in a new section here - but please note if you haven't been following season 2 and/or haven't seen the ep I'd recommend not reading it. Unless you're Lutra, as she reads all my online fic before anyone else does, and I explain the background as necessary. (Tell me if it ever gets boring, aijin!)

I was most intrigued by my reaction to the situation. I mean, I find Knock Out pretty and cocky as hell, which is oddly attractive - but this is the first time I've seen him vulnerable, and it was very affecting...

I'm four eps away from finishing trudging through Transformers: Energon and it just gets worse and worse. Except for Starscream. And when I've finished Energon, I have the 52 episodes of Transformers: Cybertron to plough through. Remind me to fall for a less labour intensive obsession next time, please!

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1 Comments:

Blogger Lutra said...

Wow! [comparing to the original model] SS's really come along.

Never boring :) You always develop the most interesting obsessions...

10:55 am  



Monday, October 15, 2012

Project SGSS 

To my surprise I'm quite close to finishing! Still have to do his eyes and the helm detail, and the teeny weeny faction brands on his wings - not looking forward to those. But after that there's just a few minor tweaks and tidying up any mistakes and he's done! Quite pleased with him...

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0 Comments:



Sunday, October 14, 2012

The Poppy Tales 

Twenty first part of New World - Home Comforts 3 - now posted over at The Poppy Tales (link above).

Enjoy!

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0 Comments:



Saturday, October 13, 2012

Project SGSS 

SGSS






A bit messy - have a load of tidying up to do and am now getting close to the really fiddly bits. I also discovered that I accidentally bought matte black instead of gloss - but I think I'll keep it, I rather like the contrast (and it's my custom job, after all!)


Next Poppy now nearly a page in. Hoping to have it ready to post this weekend.


And as for Tf: Prime - Smokescreen is a bloody Marty Stu and I'm really beginning to hope he's the one that goes...

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5 Comments:

Blogger Lutra said...

Neat! He's looking good...

12:01 am  
Blogger Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor said...

Thanks! Still a fair way to go but so far I'm happy.

12:02 am  
Blogger Lutra said...

I can't quite see the insignia but would it be worth printing/applying new ones instead of painting? Decal printer paper is very useful stuff, apparently.

12:05 am  
Blogger Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor said...

Well, my printer doesn't work and I don't know if Ken's would handle the job. Not to mention I have no idea where I'd get such a thing. (Haven't started on the brands yet. They're minute. Atm they are white with purple- they need to be white with red but the coloured areas reversed. Going to be difficult.)

12:08 am  
Blogger Lutra said...

Ah, good point. A working printer is a must. :) The model shop chaps will know where to get the good stuff. They always do...

12:10 am  



Friday, October 12, 2012

Project SGSS 

Coming along...

SGSS with red

I haven't tried the grey wash yet, as you can see. Maybe tomorrow.

[snarl] I have Transformers 4 on google alert. Today this came up.

Michael Bay decided to do a fourth 'Transformers' movie because he didn't want anyone else to "screw it up"..."It's going to feel very different. It's going to definitely open the franchise up for many more to come, and it's going to have a freshness to it."

In other words, it's going to be the same screwed up hellacious mangling of the fandom as the first three, crammed with eye candy, car chases, explosions, infuriating inaccuracies and unforgivable continuity errors. Arrogant little wanker.

On a lighter and much funnier note, Lutra pointed me in the direction of The Adventures of Fatty Thor. It's hysterical - and very clever...

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1 Comments:

Blogger GoodTwin said...

ooh, looking good.

10:00 am  



Thursday, October 11, 2012

No SGSS pics today: I've finished the white (except for the inevitable touch ups where paint will smear) and made a rough start on the red, but I was late starting and it was too dark to take photos when I stopped. Looking good though. Tomorrow I'm hoping to try to very lightly colour wash the cockpit 'glass' and energon blades with a pale grey to cover the dull light purple (this one has much paler transparent plastic than the other figure I have) then continue with the red. I'll do the fine detail last. It's quite fun!

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0 Comments:



Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Big TV is BIG.

Was also supposed to be plug and play, and probably is if you have a standard set up. However, like just about everything in our lives, our set up is anything but standard. But only took a couple of hours to find the best permutation of cabling.

And it's awfully nice. Feels almost like a cinema screen.

First coat of paint

Starscream does yoga (so I can get the paint into all the visible bits and joints). It's going well - should be able to touch up the white tomorrow and make a start on the large areas of colour (saving the small fiddly bits for when Kai's made me a stand for the magnifying glass or I've learned to use Ken's loupe...)

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2 Comments:

Blogger Lutra said...

Big telly! Kewl!

I'm enjoying the blow-by-blow descriptions of the 'make-over' :) Are you feeling more confident about it?

11:43 am  
Blogger Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor said...

Yep. Though that might change when I come to the fiddly bits - especially the teeny weeny faction brands on his wings. They're tiny. And complex.

And yes, the TV is great!

12:48 pm  



Tuesday, October 09, 2012

The Poppy Tales, Project SGSS 

Seventh part of Poppy Dreams - Vortex - now posted at The Poppy Tales (link above). Enjoy!


The front primed. Should be able to start painting tomorrow!

SGSS

Tyjer


Bodie cat doesn't like the weather...

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Monday, October 08, 2012

Project SGSS  

I shall now proceed to bore you all with a day to day update of Project Shattered Glass Starscream!

Everything assembled. See that printed page there? It's 'How To Custom Paint Transformers'. Yes, someone has done a guide sheet!


The back (because I need practise with the spray paint before I tackle the front) after two light coats. The spray is relatively easy to use but I'd forgotten about the horrible smell.

And I have a very sensitive nose. It seems to be getting more so the older I get - possibly to make up for the loss of audio sensitivity. Damned annoying it is too. It's no fun having to stay well away from people wearing strong perfume (or clothes washed in strong conditioner) unless I want streaming eyes and a debilitating sneezing fit.

ANYway, after the first spray I had to move the table out to my room, close the kitchen door and the curtains between lounge and here, and open the patio door to let the smell (and stray chemicals) drift out. Which would be OK except it's horrible today, cold and wet and miserable. Even Tyjer is in and settled on the arm of the settee as close to the fire as he can get. (Bodie cat is back.) The paint is covering quite well - better on the black plastic than the maroon - and is very fine, so it's not clogging the joints. There's a long way to go yet though...

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3 Comments:

Blogger Lutra said...

Oooh, excellent! Are you really surprised there was a guide sheet already? :)

11:26 am  
Blogger Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor said...

Not really. Quite a lot of people do it so it makes sense...

11:27 am  
Blogger GoodTwin said...

It all looks very neat at the start. Did it stay that way? :)

I'm slightly bemused by the guide sheet, but that's probably mild compared to some of the weird that the internet harbours...

11:53 pm  



Sunday, October 07, 2012

[sigh] The TV is no more. It has finally kicked the bucket, popped its cogs, gone 'ome, given up the ghost. It is a deceased TV. Defunct, dead, extinct.

Switched it on this morning and five hours later it still hadn't booted up, so switched it off and have been pricing up on amazon. Timing could have been better, and it's not all that old, but it was on almost all day most days, so I suppose we've had good usage out of it. We played music on the cube all day instead while Kai did homework.

In other news... um... there's not much. Ken is now back from Devon (went to stay with a friend for the weekend in Crediton, desperately needed to get away from Bristol for a while - and yes, that's away from Bristol, not away from me!) Tyjer is happier now his world and family are back to normal. Kai cleaned out Feather's vivarium this afternoon while I petted her: she was absolutely fixated on the torch he used to see what he was doing. But she doesn't like Muse. Must remember that in future.

And that's about it. I actually managed to get done everything I had planned for the weekend - quite pleased about that.

Later edit - found a very reasonably priced Samsung 40 inch LED on amazon uk so have ordered it. Should be here Tuesday (must admit I can't wait to see things on a larger screen!)

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2 Comments:

Blogger GoodTwin said...

Feather is a music critic? :)

40"? You'll be able to see that from the garden... ;)

10:36 pm  
Blogger Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor said...

Apparently so! Lacking in taste though, if she doesn't like Muse...

LOL! Eh, we love our films. It'll still be a good six - eight feet away from Kai, I don't think it'll cause any problems. [g] And I can watch Prime in all its glory!

10:45 pm  



Saturday, October 06, 2012

The Poppy Tales 

Twentieth part of New World - Home Comforts 2 - now posted over at The Poppy Tales (link above).

Enjoy!

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1 Comments:

Blogger Lutra said...

(Re: the fic) That bit in the kitchen, post consul meeting, I kept wanting to scream 'behind you! behind you!' :)

11:53 pm  



(Later edit at end of post...)

Well that was an astonishingly successful morning.

Into town for shopping. Picked up all the bird supplies I needed from Wilkinson's - and found a BotShot Jazz, so bought him as well. I had intended to stop buying them, but I don't have a Jazz in any other form and he was only £4... Then it was off to the Galleries...

Remember my plan to turn my second Cybertron Starscream into a Shattered Glass Starscream? There's a new(ish) model shop opened up in the Galleries - ModelZone - with amazingly helpful and knowledgeable staff. I borrowed one for fifteen minutes while I described what I wanted to do, what the figure is made of and the colour (because painting white over dark maroon is going to be a right bugger) and asked for advice.

I've come home with acrylic white matte spray (will need to cover cockpit, blades and face), shiny black, rich red and mid grey acrylic paints and a lovely metallic blue for the eyes - can use it to give my Bayverse OP and Bee eyes as well, since they came without them painted - a clear varnish to fix, fine sandpaper and three assorted brushes. And instructions to only use the spray twice - up and down twice and from a fair distance - then to let it dry for a good 45 mins before doing another coat. Oh, and to make sure the joints all move freely before allowing the paint to dry. Once I'm happy with the white I can move on to the detailing.

This is going to be interesting - I've never done anything like it before. And at just under twenty quid for the supplies it's not too hugely expensive. I shall make a start sanding the surface tonight, and carry on tomorrow. I'll spray the back first, to get used to the paint.

There will be pics. Unless I make a complete cockup of the exercise...

Last night. This is why I shouldn't Skype when so knackered I can barely keep my eyes open...

Joules: I'm off everything at the moment - it's Fri, next Tf: P will be being viewed and discussed [on blogs, forums, deviantArt and tumblr] and I don't want spoilers. I'll catch it tomorrow. It's called Hard Knocks and is supposed to feature Knock Out and Starscream - but the rumours are that the newbie - Smokescreen - is actually going to star. Which is bloody annoying as he's become the centre of attention and keeps saving the day. Yes, he was cute to start with, but now he's just irritating.
Lutra: [sigh] Does he have a dark secret?
I keep hoping he's a 'Con plant (he supposedly escaped from a 'Con prisoner transport, stole an escape capsule and crashlanded on earth... sounds highly suspicious to me). So, maybe.
Hah! There you go. Eh, if it's not in the series it'll be in the fanfic.
It's certainly already on tumblr role play! There's a very good Smokescreen who is now being told he's a plant and has been programmed to react to a certain phrase (and try to kill OP) which is cause for total freakout.
Though talking about freakouts, the final ep this season is called Death... everyone is panicking....

Lutra: ROFL!
portentious... [g]

I'm a bit concerned myself, after what they've done to several of the favourite charas. When they die in Prime, they stay dead. So... who's going to die, is the question. I doubt it's OP or Megs, but it really could be anyone else. Bee and Ratchet are fairly unlikely. As is Soundwave or Knock Out. Anyone else could be fair game.
Of course, there are those hoping it's Smokescreen.

LOL!
I'm wittering - you can tell I'm tired. My brain gear disengages and I coast...
Entertaining wittering at least.
...and woe betide anyone who gets in the way.
LOL!
[smirk] We aims to please (or not, if the steering's gone).
ROFLMAO!
I'd say I should get tired more often 'cept that's a given anyway.... I may have a lit in. In fact, not sure I can escape it tomorrow morning.
Tch - lie in.
Although lit in also works, (lit = bed in French, I think?). Ooh, that's quite a clever typo!

.....are you still there or have I run you over?

[giggling]
I'm still here. Mussed from the backblast, but still here.

Erk, sorry... at least it's happy tired.
[smirk]
Heh.... OK... calming down a bit now.... going to have a vodka and tonic...

I'm off to watch the ep now - there may be a later blog edit...

Later edit: uh, wut? That doesn't make sense...

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Blogger Lutra said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

11:19 pm  



Friday, October 05, 2012

Client sites, a little more tidying up, and now two and a half pages into the next Poppy chapter, Home Comforts pt 2...

Also fighting off the cold that Kai has brought home. Can't shift this damned headache.

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Thursday, October 04, 2012

Busy again...

Why does confused (dot) com make such a fuss about their customers getting ONE THOUSAND NECTAR POINTS when they take out car insurance? I mean, 1,000 nectar points equals just five pounds (£5). That's barely enough for a pint and a bag of crisps at your local pub...

Still ploughing through Transformers: Energon. Still hating all of it except Starscream, who just can never get a break...

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2 Comments:

Blogger GoodTwin said...

"1000 points!" (screamed at you) sounds better than "we'll give you a whole £5 discount". Sadly some people aren't able to work out just how little they're getting for it. OTOH, I suppose getting £5 of points is better than not getting them... :)

7:28 pm  
Blogger Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor said...

Heh, true...

4:21 pm  



Wednesday, October 03, 2012

One of those days...

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2 Comments:

Blogger Sue said...

Complete this sentence in 20 words or less? What's the prize?

9:47 pm  
Blogger Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor said...

ROFL!

My eternal thanks?

10:02 pm  



Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Short Community Garden meeting this am (got the email 20 mins before it took place but didn't see it until 5 mins before, but it was at the end of the road so no problem). Think we have the whole thing sorted out now.

From there I dived down to Sainsbug's. [bemused] When I got back Energon Starscream had arrived - wrapped in a map of the Lake Tahoe area.

He's very pretty...







He's significantly smaller than his other two Unicron Trilogy versions - but kind of cute... (Not sure what Bayverse Protoform Starscream's doing there...)

I've got as far as ep 14. It's... awful. But at least the voice actors are the same, so there's some consistency. But I feel so sorry for Starscream. So far his treatment in Energon has been no better than in Armada.

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Monday, October 01, 2012

Inspiration struck last night as I took a closer look at a photograph of the Shattered Glass Starscream...

Cybertron Starscream on the left, Shattered Glass Starscream on the right.

     

(Both pics pinched off the 'net.)

Notice the difference? Hint: it's the colours.

And only the colours. Shattered Glass Starscream is a redeco of Cybertron Starscream.

And it just so happens I have two Cybertron Starscreams (the first arrived without the all important Cyber Key so I had to ebay another cheaply). And there are two hobby and modelling shops in Broadmead. And it's well-known for collectors to customise their figures. Going to get into town at some point and see if the usual acrylic model paints will cover the dark maroon - if so, and I can find a way to fade the pale mauve cockpit and energon blades to a pale grey, I shall repaint the spare. At least I can have a 'pretender' SG SS, even if I never get a real one!

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