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
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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
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10/01/2007 - 10/31/2007
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01/01/2008 - 31/01/2008
01/02/2008 - 29/02/2008
03/01/2008 - 31/03/2008
01/04/2008 - 04/30/2008
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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
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01/12/2015 - 31/12/2015
01/01/2016 - 31/01/2016
01/022016 - 28/02/2016
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01/12/2016 - 31/12/2016
01/01/2017 - 31/01/2017
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01/12/2017 - 31/12/2017
01/01/2018 - 31/01/2018
01/02/2018 - 28/02/2018
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01/07/2018 - 31/07/2018
01/08/2018 - 31/08/2018
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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

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Please note - large spider photo further down. 

[sigh] I am having nothing but trouble with my teeth this year. Now another chunk of enamel has broken off a different back tooth, leaving a whacking great hole around the filling. Luckily I was able to get an appointment for Thurs (8.30 am... Perhaps I'll swim first thing and go there straight from the pool: saves climbing the hill twice in two days...) Oh joy. Wish I could afford to have all the filled ones replaced with implants. Only problem is, that would leave me with about four of my own teeth...

On a brighter note, I'm happy to report that the new pillow worked extremely well, and this morning I woke without pain. Going to go back and get the same pillows for K&K: I'm sure they'll sleep better for it!

Did a little gardening this morning, cleared most of the grass from the salad burnet patch and layered three sprigs of rosemary (it's in the wrong place with the new plans so going to see if I can get it to root before we dig it up).

My heuchera patch is looking very colourful this year!

And here's Rosa being thoroughly splendid. I'm feeding her a couple of crickets a week at the moment and it seems to be keeping her happy.

Labels: , ,





0 Comments:



Monday, May 30, 2016

Another quick update before staggering off to bed...

Was distinctly ill yesterday - I suspect possibly a prawn in the mixed bhuna I ate on Sat night. Took me till early evening to feel a bit better. Gods, I hate wasting a day on summin like that! Not to mention my ribs hurt like hell when I cough from several hours of throwing up. OK again today though (I swear I have a lead-lined stomach...) so did a double shop and picked up a Slumberdown pillow at Tesco for my legs. Will try it out tonight, but initial prodding does seem to suggest it'll stay in place and stop the painful leg aches I've been getting now the double pillow I have been using is no longer soft enough to be comfortable.

But oh oh OH! We've just watched Russell Davies' A Midsummer Night's Dream and it is seriously awesome! I have absolutely got to have it when it's released on DVD. Fabulous adaptation! Not to mention superb, scenery-chewing-as-befits-the-subject acting! A sheer joy to watch. [happy sigh] With a bit of luck it'll influence my dreams tonight...

Quick edit: it'll be available from amazon on June 6th. Have pre-ordered!

Labels: ,





6 Comments:

Blogger GoodTwin said...

We're debating catching MND on iplayer - we don't want it to influence us :) However, I'd really like not to dream about it - my dreams are full of Shakespeare after every rehearsal atm and it's getting tedious...

10:38 pm  
Blogger Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor said...

No, you really don't want to watch it until after the amdram... Hope that's coming along well. When is opening night?

8:13 pm  
Blogger GoodTwin said...

We watched it last night - I have to agree a fabulous presentation, even if they did play fast&loose with some of the speeches and storyline. It's given Adrian a few pointers as well.
Our rehearsals are full-on - the effects will be pretty spectacular (if not up to BBC standards) and so far it's going well. We open on the 17th for 5 performances :)

11:14 am  
Blogger Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor said...

Sounds fantastic - can anyone film it?

3:45 pm  
Blogger GoodTwin said...

Everything was somewhat flat tonight - please send encouraging vibes! :)
There's generally a video made of each production so I hope so. We usually get a copy to keep.

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

... It WILL be good. It WILL be inspiring. This is just a minor glitch.
Sending 'fluences...

12:19 am  



Saturday, May 28, 2016

Very quickly, as I'm knackered...

While Kai revised (last two exams next week) Ken and I went to Almondsbury Garden Centre, priced up plants, and bought my greenhouse. It'll be delivered in approx 4 - 5 weeks.

Ordered a curry out when we got back, then watched Castle of Otranto Crimson Peak. Hm. Well Gothic, interesting, well acted, but I don't think we'll buy it.

Early night tonight.

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Tuesday, May 24, 2016

PAID!!



[vbg] We longer owe anyone anything.

... actually that's not quite true. I owe a letter (sorry Noirin, I have your card sitting on my desk glaring accusingly at me, will reply as soon as I can), several well-overdue emails, and of course I owe everyone the next Poppy chapter. But the mortgage is now completely paid and we no longer owe anyone any money!

And the champagne was wonderful. Crisp and clean with citrus foretaste, and floral, apple and honey finish. Very very nice indeed.

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3 Comments:

Blogger Sue said...

Congratulations - it's a nice feeling, isn't it? :-)

7:31 am  
Blogger GoodTwin said...

Well done!
Like walking on air :)

11:14 am  
Blogger Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor said...

[bg] Oh yes. It'll be a few days before it really sinks in, I think. But what a feeling!

11:18 am  



Friday, May 20, 2016

16 lengths at the pool this morning. Without taking pain killers first! Good start to the day...

We keep catching trailers for Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation and quite fancy seeing it, so I've been keeping an eye out for the previous 4 films so we can catch up. And, being me, found them all (1 - 3 at 99p each in charity shops, Ghost Protocol cheap at Tesco) within a week. I may find Cruise's beliefs repugnant, but have to admit he's fun to watch as an actor. We've watched the first three and are planning to watch 4 tonight.

It was Kai's Introduction to the Philosophy of Science exam on Tuesday and it was awful. He's struggled with the subject since the beginning, and was panicking badly all last weekend and Monday. However, he has the extenuating circumstances safety net, and actually only needs 40% to pass, so please keep fingers tightly crossed. He has his Introduction to Computer Architecture viva (oral exam) this afternoon: he got to choose one of the three subjects so is going to talk about building his own computer (which of course he did, last year. Or was it the year before? Anyway, he knows that one inside and out so that should count for a lot). It's only a 15 min viva and he's a lot more confident in this subject, so hoping it all goes well.

In other news, I've now cleared the backlog, finished the clearing out, and am beginning to relax a little - just in time to get busy for the growing season! Though that being said, I'm sticking to greenhouse crops this year. The mange tout I planted out were completely eaten overnight (it's been a fantastic winter for gastropods, damn them), so I'm taking a rest this year. By next year I'll have the new greenhouse, raised bed (which I can protect with copper tape, which works pretty well), and more controllable veg bed in the centre of the garden. It means not having any sweetcorn this year, but we can live with that.

The last Poppy chapter I posted was July 6th last year. Going to try to get the next one done before the same date this year!

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6 Comments:

Blogger Sue said...

Well done on the lengths, that's really good going!

7:29 pm  
Blogger Sue said...

And this is a follow-up cheer because I've had horrendous problems getting into blogger!!!

7:29 pm  
Blogger Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor said...

Thanks!
Sorry to hear that. Are you still using IE?

9:36 pm  
Blogger Sue said...

Sigh, I responded to this last night but it hasn't shown up. No, I'm using Firefox but whether I let the boxes autofil or filled them in manually, it would not accept my email/password combination. However when I changed my password, it worked so hopefully I'm OK again now.
We'll see if this comment shows up - if not, it's back to the drawing board!

7:30 am  
Blogger Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor said...

Mm. Blogger has tightened up its formatting - I had to dismiss a warning in order to get the photo (above) to post. Maybe that's what's causing the problem?
I don't know why they've done it, as far as I knew the whole thing was working just fine before...

9:44 am  
Blogger GoodTwin said...

Whereas, bizarrely, while I'm still using IE on XP (which apparently should no longer work with anything) I have no issues whatsoever - my previous comment I even forgot to check the box to say I wasn't a robot and it still accepted my comment...

5:15 pm  



Sunday, May 15, 2016

So, accommodation booked at the Pollock Halls of Residence (just underneath the volcano of Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh), easyJet return flights Bristol/Edinburgh booked, now just have to book a return rail trip from Edinburgh to Aviemore through the Cairngorms National Park - because Kai wants to see mountains - and we're sorted. Kai can't wait! (Neither can I...)

Dentist tomorrow...

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Friday, May 13, 2016

... It's Friday again?! How did that happen...?

Though this last week really has been exceptionally busy. However, I believe I have now managed to do all the fiddly business stuff I had left (much of it client work), finished the IMDb ep guides for NightWalker, organised my pension drawdown, organised appts for both Kai and I, and we're a little closer to finalising the Edinburgh trip (hopefully this weekend). I've swum (12 lengths), bought myself a couple of new kitchen gadgets, ones to make my life easier now my hands are even worse than before, and... OH! I keep forgetting to say! My wonderful wonderful pillow is still wonderful and making my sleep so much better than it was. For me, it's as cool as the adverts say too, at least so far, and we've had a couple of horrible muggy, hot and sticky nights in the past week.

The knee pillow, alas, was a fail. I found it horribly uncomfortable and ended up giving it to charity. No doubt someone will be able to get on with it, but that won't be me. Ah well. You never know unless you try.

At the moment we're watching The Dresden Files and I am absolutely loving it! Been tempted for years, then I found it going cheap so nabbed it. There's a couple of minutes of glitchy disc in the first ep, alas, but so far everything else has been terrific. The characters are warm and sympathetic, the overall premise intriguing, and there are plot twists all the way through. Infinitely better than Grimm. I am hooked, I tells ya!

I am also exhausted (again) and hoping for an early night. Not sure what we're doing over the weekend: Kai has exams coming up and is doing a lot of revising, though I may drag him out for a break at some point...

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1 Comments:

Blogger GoodTwin said...

My life is a bit "Friday again?" at the moment so I know what you mean. :)
Although I'm so busy with the drama group I don't have time to work...

Glad to hear about the pillow, makes it worth considering.

9:42 am  



Friday, May 06, 2016

Quick catch up, before I completely forget what's happened...

The noise from next door finally ended on Thursday - but, typically, the bit where the pavement has been dropped is now a trip-hazard and will need attention at some point. More bloody noise...

Friday... pretty sure I didn't manage much as the last two weeks I've averaged four hours sleep a night and am completely glaikit...

Sat Ken was working (something to do with the local elections) but it was an absolutely beautiful morning, so Kai and I walked along the Brislington Brook (as far as we could, anyway) then up past St Luke's to the top of Victory Park, where I have never been. It's gorgeous there, and of course I forgot my camera... next time... The walk length was just right for a sunny stroll, and the hill just steep enough to provide a bit of exercise without completely wearing us out. Will go again (with camera) soon.

Usual Sunday. And we planted my ramsons in the newly dug bed between the hazels- doing well!

Bank Holiday Monday: K&K walked out towards Stockwood, again along the brook: both enjoyed it.

The rest of the week I've been:

1 - researching. The provisions of the Criminal Damage Act 1971 are most revealing...

2 - reconsidering the wall. Given it would cost between £6K and £10K, and possibly cause problems later, we've decided to go for a hedge instead (Kai's response? "All the yeses!") Wildlife hedge, a mix of mostly native, mostly evergreen plants. It'll mean more work - I'll need to spray and lay weed-suppressant fabric along the line of the fence, and put in a hefty root barrier all the way along, and leave enough room behind it for me to get in and prune - but it will be worth it. And it shouldn't cost more than £1.5K in total.

Which will leave me plenty of cash to get one of these (6'3" by 10'5") and have it professionally installed on a 3" deep concrete base. I'm planning to put a raised bed along the sunward side, and dig a larger bed for my sweetcorn beside that. Then the veg bed will be planted up with tall grasses and native flowers, and left to the butterflies and bees.

It's going to be beautiful.

Can't make a start until the autumn though, which gives me plenty of time to decide what we want and how we're going to plant. I need a trip to Almondsbury Garden Centre: they have very knowledgable advisors and an entire section devoted to wildlife-friendly trees and shrubs.

3 - checking out the possibility of taking Kai to Edinburgh for a holiday once his exams have finished. Probably flying up there and maybe getting the train back, as the journey is amazing, but it depends on costs. Maybe stay at the uni halls of residence (they rent them out over the summer), explore the city, and Kai wants to see mountains. I know there's a very scenic train route - I've travelled it myself - which winds between mountains and alongside a loch, but can't remember the details so will need to do a little more research.

More on that as it happens!

Nearly finished the IMDb ep guides for NightWalker, which I've been doing while Masterchef has been taking up the middle part of most evening. (Finals tonight then we get back to normal.)

And that's about it for now. Ken's talking about getting out and about this weekend...

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2 Comments:

Blogger GoodTwin said...

I trust the pavement drop has been done by the Council? If not, then I think it's illegal...

Anyway, you've been busy! Far busier than I have (I'm enjoying myself far too much...)

9:39 am  
Blogger Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor said...

The drive and dropped pavement were already there when we bought the house: the extra work that's been done has left a gap close to the wall that's a trip-hazard. It's probably illegal, and I assume he's liable for it.

[g] I've spent a couple of hours this am sorting out the Edinburgh trip. It's all do-able, as long as Kai is feeling OK. He's got a nasty bug (again) atm, but overall, even with the post-transplant fatigue, the trend is upwards. I think we'll have to go for it and try to make sure he's as healthy as possible for when we get there!

Glad you're enjoying your leisure! You deserve it.

10:24 am  





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