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
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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
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01/01/2013 - 31/01/2013
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01/01/2014 - 31/01/2014
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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
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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
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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, October 31, 2013

Samhain 

Samhain in the Forest

We discovered a few days ago that the mist is caused by a very large deer (Kai thinks he might be called Velocity but isn't going to swear to it: for me he is Cernunnos) and the mist was heavy tonight. See all those glyphs down in the left hand bottom corner? That's a gathering. We headed right for it.

[The next six pics are clickable to larger images] Everyone was gathering around Cernunnos (the red one with huge antlers), milling around, calling...

And then we danced...

The music was huge and stirring, and the sense of wonder palpable. It was sublime.

And then Cernunnos headed off and the gathering followed him - but I'm only a little faun and couldn't keep up.

BUT he stopped again at the fountain near the pool.

And we danced again...

It was intense. But what a way to spend Samhain!

Afterwards Kai and I retreated to the singing tree to rest...

Labels:





0 Comments:



Kai now has a deviantArt page. Go look. Is there anything this young man can't do?

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1 Comments:

Blogger Lutra said...

"...Is there anything this young man can't do?"

Well, he's your son so probly no, there isn't anything he can't do. :)

11:30 am  



Wednesday, October 30, 2013

[sigh] Is this why we haven't been able to buy any grape juice cartons for months?

Last two spreads sent - well, two and a half really: I'd like to do a little more and make it three but I have to wait to see if she likes it first. It was highly speculative, called on TV and film, and may not be at all what she wants. Still, I believe I've acquitted myself professionally and competently with the others... We'll see.

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0 Comments:



Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Only two more spreads to do and I've finished...

My pear tree. There are three different varieties grafted on the rootstock - I didn't expect them to have different autumn colours! Pretty...

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2 Comments:

Blogger GoodTwin said...

That's amazing! What a lovely tree.

6:38 pm  
Blogger Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor said...

[g] Ta. Now if it would just produce some pears...

10:56 pm  



Monday, October 28, 2013

Happy Birthday Sue!

Hope it was a great one!

... It's Monday. Where'd the weekend go?

Actually, don't answer that. It went in writing spreads, cleaning, shopping... the usual, but busier than ever. Still, as of tonight I only have four spreads left to do, and they're relatively easy.

Kai had his Monday appointment first thing (tests, checks and a platelets transfusion) so we were home before midday, and we have the appointments now made right up to the end of November. I can organise the rest of the time a little better now.

The storm actually pretty much missed us. Yes, it rained, but it wasn't too bad, and the wind was quite tame - it's been worse today, with a handful of torrential downpours.

What was rather exciting was the Forest last night. I almost didn't visit, then thought, soddit, why not? And I'm glad I did.

It was raining! And these giant toadstools had sprung up all over the place!


Great fun! Kai tells me that strange things happen there at Samhain...

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3 Comments:

Blogger Lutra said...

... is that a penguin on top of the toadstool?

11:49 pm  
Blogger Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor said...

No, it's a deer... though admittedly it's an awkward angle and does look a little pingwingy...

12:00 am  
Blogger Sue said...

Thank you and yes it was*G*

5:29 pm  



Friday, October 25, 2013

Today was completely insane. Yesterday the Citizens Advice Bureau range to rearrange my appointment - for 11.45 today. Cutting it fine but otherwise there wasn't one for another two weeks, so I said yes but warned them about my optician appointment...

I was about to head out the door - late - to get to Specsavers when the consultant rang from the hospital with new instructions re: Kai's meds. Wrote them down and repeated them back, then had to adjust the ones I was getting ready for him for his 10 am doses. Got to Specsavers a few minutes late, advised them about the CAB interview, and bless 'em they didn't hang about. I have new glasses on order (same as my current ones but black not silver): the vision in my left eye has changed, actually got a little better. I pick them up next Friday.

Then I hared off to CAB - got there in time - and spent a very informative half an hour with a lovely woman who was incredibly helpful. There are all sorts of things I need to check out next week.

Dropped into Wilkinson's on the way to the bus station as I spotted a square pinewood frame there last time I was in that looked ideal for the lovely print Kai bought himself in Glastonbury for his birthday. It's a couple centimetres too big all around but it's the closest we've found yet and it's really nice, so I used more of the £40 gift money to buy it (£6.50 as opposed to the £21 + the gallery quoted).

Home and dived straight into the spreads - have done two today, so not too bad. Kai phoned the DWP about his ESA, then Ken hobbled up to the doctor, who told him it's probably arthritis in the metatarsal, prescribed anti-inflammatories and said to go back in a month if it isn't any better. [rolls eyes] He's had it for months and it isn't going away. I think next time he should see our own doctor - she's great.

I've been catching up with my St Germain books while spending time at the BRI, and the author keeps making references to stories I haven't read, so tonight I checked her website and found I'm missing eight novels. Cue a dive into amazon.uk and the finding and ordering of six of them (second hand, total £29.65 incl p&p, a very good price). [g] Looking forward to those!

Edit: and then I found the seventh one (the eighth and latest isn't published yet) on amazon so ordered that too. Collection now up to date and I have a feast in store!

Only spent a few mins in the Forest last night (Kai was exhausted and had an early night). This was pretty - I do like the ability to change the pov.

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Thursday, October 24, 2013

Just a quick update.

Kai's first Day Unit appointment today: bloods checked, and a platelet and a blood transfusion to keep him ticking over. All told they seem to be pleased with the way things are going, which is excellent news. He's very tired - though getting to bed at 4 am and then me getting him up at 8.30 am for the appointment partly explains that! He's asleep now - no Forest for him tonight. I took a nap this evening - I got to bed at 3.30 and had to be up at 7.15 to put a wash through to take advantage of the warm sunny weather we had today, but knackered or not I still need to finish at least one spread a day or I'll run out of time...

Where was I? Oh yes. Tomorrow I have my two-yearly Specsavers appointment, and in the afternoon Ken has a doctor's appointment for a problem he's been having with his foot. Kai has DWP paperwork he has to deal with, oh joy. [Department of Work and Pensions for non-Brits: he's eligible for a little financial help while this condition lasts.]

Last night's Forest fun: Kai, me, and two other fauns dancing on the bridge.

Kai decided he was going to be the fountain...


Back to it. Hopefully I can untangle the intricacies of the various Buddhist beliefs of the afterlife before I have to wake Kai for his Aciclovir at 2 am...

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It's been manic. Still cleaning, still trying to finish two spreads a day, still triple checking the meds every time I have to dole them out (ten tablets of five different meds every morning, possibly due to become six after tomorrow, as well as other meds at other times of the day, culminating in a single Aciclovir at two in the morning) but things are going OK so far. He's not feeling too bad, still has had no reactions, and is still eating extremely well.

Last night in the Forest - dancing in the pool...

The ruin from a distance. Kai thinks it might be based on a real place.

Amazing antlers! I think I'd like ones like that when I grow up!

Recent acquisitions... Hardshell, the chief Insecticon from TF: P.

Knock Out. Not a particularly accurate or pretty version, but he was half price so I picked him up.

And two different, pretty show accurate Beast Wars Transmetal 2 Cheetors. No instructions for transforming so will have to check Youtube...


More later.

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Monday, October 21, 2013

Kai's home! (Haven't quite finished cleaning the house but the important bits are done.) He's done so well they're happy to let him be here: has umpteen different meds to take though, and is back to the day unit every Monday and Thursday for the foreseeable. But this is great!

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3 Comments:

Blogger Sue said...

Oh that's excellent news. Welcome home, Kai!

5:18 pm  
Blogger GoodTwin said...

Wonderful! (Sorry for the late response; my home phone is down so no net connection!)

11:54 am  
Blogger Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor said...

Belated thanks!

12:07 am  



Sunday, October 20, 2013

Quick update before I fall over (just sent off the next spread - Dogon and Vodun - for the afterlife project).

Kai has now actually finished the chemo: it was four days, not five. He's come through it well, is looking tired but apart from that actually better than he's looked in a while. He's had no further reactions so far (we are keeping fingers very tightly crossed) and we're now just waiting til Monday to find out if they'll let him home or keep him in a bit longer. (Strictly speaking they could have decided that today but it's the weekend and the consultants are off doing weekend stuff, mostly, I think.)

Anyway - poor sprog is going spare stuck in the room by himself, so I'm trying to spend a bit more time in the hospital with him. Tonight I had him transform my new Knock Out figure for me (too tired to download pics right now) because, as usual, pictorial instructions that a 5 yr old is supposed to be able to follow were beyond me (that being said, if I could actually see the damned illustrations it would help! Pale purple and light grey images on white paper? Who the frag designs these things?!)

I've also been spending a little time in the Endless Forest and taking screen caps to skype to him, which seems to go down well since he can't access it from hospital (I begged and pleaded but regretfully they won't open the client/server connection as it opens everything up to everything. Or so I've been told.) In the last couple of days I've watched the most adorable bright pink dragonflies, stood in the middle of a swarm of butterflies, been adopted by a two-stag family and spent an hour romping and playing and dancing with another faun. Absolutely charming!

Kai's room is now about as sterile as I can make it (attacked the window frames with Polycell mould killer and wiped down the walls with Dettol megawipes to be certain). Still have to tackle the kitchen and clean the lounge, but we're getting there.

It's the keeping it clean that's going to be the grind...


I got adopted...

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Friday, October 18, 2013

So... everything is going well so far. It looks like tonight might be Kai's last infusion of ATG, although they'll keep him in for another 48 hours to finish taking the steroids - and to keep an eye on him, as this treatment runs the risk of serum sickness occurring. On Monday we'll find out when he can come home and how often he'll have to attend the day unit. We're hoping he'll be OK to come home on Tuesday as he is very very tired of being in hospital...

He skyped me a pic from his room taken with his phone:


The red is blood, the large clear bag is the ATG.

On the plus side, clearing his room is going well. Kim came round to drop off a tree and gave me a lift up to Wilkinson's and B&M (where I bought a Knock Out but more on that tomorrow) at Broadwalk to pick up storage crates. I have a couple that can take Kai's stuff and slide under the bed, so I have less to try to keep clean.

Knackered. Going to try not to be too late tonight but since I spent most of today cleaning or at the hospital I'm now all behind again... Sleep. Know the word, can't remember what it means...

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Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Caught Kai on skype for a few minutes last night, before I closed down - all seemed to be going OK. Went in to visit this morning, and was very happy to find that he'd had no allergic reactions to anything again, and was looking and feeling pretty good. Although he had lost a bit of his appetite (though looking at what they gave him for lunch I think I would have too. I may have to organise making some chicken fajitas to take in - they're cold, they'd be acceptable). He's still very tired though, getting a lot of sleep, which is probably good for him. Everyone seems happy with the results so far.

Picked up the crates for the ornaments from Wilkinsons, bused back, booted up, opened skype - and found that Kai had had an allergic reaction to today's platelets transfusion...

HOWEVER, it was a mild reaction, a rash over his arms and legs, and they treated it with piritese (and something else, he wasn't sure what). It went away quickly - was gone by the time Ken went in to visit on his way home - so he's now on his second ATG infusion. This one should only take 12 hours though.

I managed to get two of the spreads done tonight, so have almost caught up. I really should try for three tomorrow, though, as I need to get cracking on the house clean on Friday, just on the offchance that Kai can come home on Sunday.

Tired... Sorry Sue and Wendy, will try to answer emails tomorrow. In the meantime, have some more Forest. The second and third ones are clickable to larger images, as this part - around the pool - is lovely. Fountain, pool, bridge, and at upper left of the third pic you can just see the base of the twin statues (what I've called the shrine before). Oh, and in the first one I'm a bat again after drinking the water!

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Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Got to the hospital at 8.30 am - and they didn't actually start doing anything until 1 pm...

A steroids transfusion (I think that should be infusion) first, then an hour's wait (should have been half an hour) until they injected a tiny tiny bit of the ATG under his skin to test for allergic reactions. As it happened he was absolutely fine, no reaction at all - but I was not impressed that the nurse said she would check him every fifteen minutes and then left us alone for an hour and a half. I knew what to watch for, but I'm not medically trained nor should I have to do her job. Does that count as negligence? I spoke to one of the other nurses to complain (if nothing else to make sure they knew I was concerned he wasn't being monitored correctly: there's a chance the ATG could cause fever and a rash half way through the infusion), and am wondering whether to mention it to the consultant next time I speak to him/her.

I'll sleep on it. I didn't get home until 5 pm after sodall sleep and am having an early night. Trying to get any work done tonight would be counterproductive, much better to get up early and get some done before I head in to see how he is.

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Just back from hospital. Kai's settled, has has his first dose of cyclosporin and may have platelets later. Treatment starts tomorrow: I need to be at the BRI for 8.30 (ish).

I'd better try to get some sleep. More later.

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Monday, October 14, 2013

I allowed myself to be talked into taking a day off and went to Chepstow on Saturday... Photos here. I went with Dawn (a friend of Ken's) and had a wonderful time - but of course I then had to race to catch up with everything I had to do. Just about done now - possible project samples off to agent and I'm on track with the ghost writing - and I managed to thoroughly clean the bathroom yesterday. We've decided to pack away about half of the stuff we have out on display to make it easier to keep the house clean and hygienic while Kai is recovering: shall pick up a large crate next time I'm in town.

Kai is still home; when I rang the hospital this morning I managed to get the most gormless nurse on the ward who didn't know anything and said she'd check on the situation and I'd get a phone call this afternoon to let me know what's what. I shall wait 'til three and ring again myself.

Lots more pics of the Endless Forest. Ignore if you like.

Dancing!

Suddenly, a rainbow!

On the bridge...








Masks. I'm not fond of masks...

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2 Comments:

Blogger GoodTwin said...

Glad you took a little time for yourself.
The Forest looks lovely - if my computer weren't so creaky I'd be tempted to sign up myself.

10:25 pm  
Blogger Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor said...

It is an absolute delight, incredibly beautiful and the best way I've ever found to de-stress and relax before heading bedwards. But yes, you do need a decent and preferably good computer to run it successfully. I'm getting used to it, but I really would like that better graphics card. Maybe next week I'll look into it a bit more. Kai would be happy to install if for me (he did his own, and his upgraded power unit) - has already offered, bless him!

1:19 am  



Friday, October 11, 2013

In brief... The PICC line is hurting Kai, we think it's pinching a nerve. Need to see the doctor about that when we go in next.

The ATG meds he will be having are from the States, and haven't arrived yet, so yesterday he had another blood transfusion while Ken and I went to this (which was OK but didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know). I have to ring the hospital on Sunday to check but we're anticipating him going in to start on Monday. The effect of the chemo is basically to reboot his bone marrow - basically turn his immune system off and then on again...

Someone posted two £20 notes to us. No name, no message, no frank mark and I didn't recognise the writing... If it was someone reading this, thank you very much, but (since I assume it was to help out with the taxi fares) we have now been fully reimbursed for them and will continue to be so while Kai is ill. So what I've done with the money is to buy him a LimbO waterproof half sleeve to protect his PICC when he showers (£14.50), a new shower curtain for the bathroom (£7) as the old one is beginning to get mould and when he's recovering at home I have to keep the house as sterile as I can to avoid infection. There will be other things he needs so the rest will be spent later. It's much appreciated, but please no-one do it again!

Endless Forest... I now have a mouse, but it's not the pointing devices causing the problem, it's my graphics card, so will consider upgrading at some point. I have now set my f keys so I don't need the cursor and buttons to have the faun do things.

Pics...

The ruin.

A gathering...

Pretty antlers!

The pool.

When I jump into the deeper part of the pool I change into a frog!!

And the well turned me into a rabbit and a bird (not at the same time, obviously)



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