2012.... a year in which:
I learnt that I really don't do being poorly,
I became very familiar with being stuck on the sofa,
My parents health both had wobbles, mum now being fine, but dad still continues to deteriorate
My sister found a new partner and one year on they are still going strong
I didn't manage to electrocute myself (despite several near misses with the kettle, heater and light fittings),
I discovered that my destructive powers extended to my Kindle (but limited it to 3 replacements over the course of the year)
I spent far too much money on e-books
I spent far too much time reading said e-books
I took the plunge and wrote a story for more than just myself by taking part in LiAW
My internet friendships grew and provided me with some excellent memories, advice, support and parcels :)
oh yes, and I finally got my professional qualification.
So as I sit hear listening to some premature fireworks signalling the arrival of 2013 what am I hoping for....
That my mother continues in good health as she approaches her 75th birthday in the summer - and of course continues to embarrass me whenever she can!
That my dad's condition stays as stable as possible, or that if he does deteriorate then it happens quickly and without pain
That my sister and her partner's relationship continues to grow from strength to strength
That my friends who are pregnant have swift and safe deliveries of their expected daughters (who knows, the latest half daughter might get something hand knitted before her first birthday....)
That I continue to have a job and a roof over my head
That my critters behave themselves (yeah, I know, optimistic)
That my friendships, both online and in real life, continue to grow and flourish and that I can give back to my friends even part of what they give to me
That my leg continues to heal and there are no more set backs
That I can pluck up the courage to do more with my writing this year and in particular to join in and go to the UK GLBT writers and readers weekend in July
And with that, all that is left is to wish anyone reading this a happy and peaceful new year and all the best for 2013
Monday, 31 December 2012
Sunday, 30 December 2012
Books I read in December....
A day early, but I wanted to do some totals and favourites tomorrow (well whilst everyone else is out enjoying New Year's Eve I shall be at home with the critters due to an excessive amount of fireworks!)
So, this month I have read...
So, this month I have read...
1.
Papa’s Boy – Sue Brown
2.
Country Mouse – Amy Lane - It took me ages to get into this one, I am not sure why but just something didn't gel the first couple of times I tried to read it, got there eventually though and really enjoyed it
3.
Shying Away – Kate Sherwood
4.
Blind Items – Kate McMurray
5.
Diplomacy – Zahra Owens - This probably has to be one of my favourite books this month
6.
Sorcerer’s Knot – Tali Spencer
7.
Silver/Steel – Belinda McBride - I really enjoyed Blaque/Bleu so was pleased to see a sequel, unfortunately I found it a little muddled and quite rushed towards the end
8.
Reclaiming Love – V. L.
McElfresh (December’s pick it for me choice)
9.
Aaron – J P Barnaby - This is again one that sat on my Kindle for a while before I read it. I loved the story line and was so glad to see that the author didn't go down the "magical healing penis" trope to give it a HEA.... this one could only have a HFN ending given what the MC had been through, his age etc. Also had a good supporting cast of characters.
10. Domestic Relations – K-Lee Klein
11. The Long Way Home – Z. A. Maxfield
12. An Isolated Range – Andrew Grey - I enjoyed this series to start with but they are all becoming a touch formulaic now
13. Marked Yours – Elizabeth Noble
14. Vanilla Free Christmas (manlove edition) – various - Meh - just don't even go there
15. Bound by Honour – S. E. Jakes
16. The Condor – Isa K - this was a freebie I picked up and enjoyed, the MC (first person dialogue) has a snarky sense of humor and for a very long story it moves along quite quickly.
17. Naked Tails – Eden Winters
18. Beaten – Sean Michael - I had high hopes, it seemed to have a plot.... then it turned into the typical things to be expected from the author/series
19. In the Red – Kari Gregg
20. Luke’s Present – Sue Brown
21. Half Moon Chambers – Harper Fox - This author's writing is exceptional, sadly I think I read too many crime novels/police procedurals from other UK authors, not to mention working in the legal field, which meant a couple of technical things pulled me out of the story
22. Lorcan’s Desire – S.J.D. Peterson (r)
23. Quinn’s Need – S.J.D Peterson (r)
24. Ty’s Obsession – S.J.D Peterson (r)
25. Connor’s Courage – S.J.D Peterson
26. Jess’s Journey – S.J.D Peterson - Another series I really enjoy, I also read the short (Riveted) on Good Reads - looking forward to reading the series that will branch of from Ty's story and the short.
27. Frat House Troupers – Xavier Mayne - I read this on Literotica a couple of years ago, post editing it is slightly more polished, the main storyline has been done before but the characters make this, particularly the supporting characters of Nestor and Bryce.
28. Room at the Edge – Jane Davitt - I was really pleased to see a follow up to Room at the Top, and it didn't disappoint at all.... and well.... fire play... for a happy little pyromaniac this was a huge plus :)
Saturday, 29 December 2012
A "relaxing day" as only I can have.....
After only two days back at work I was so tired last night that I fell asleep on the sofa at about 6.30 for a couple of hours.... then spent half the night awake, thinking very random thoughts, unable to get back to sleep. I eventually gave up and got up at about 4 am, let the dogs out and then dozed with them on the sofa till about 9 am.....
It's been raining pretty solidly the last 3 days and I was feeling very creaky so phoned mum and told her I wasn't going to be coming to visit as I wanted a nice quiet relaxing day at home........ or at least that was what I was hoping for...
It started well, I did some reading, pottered round the kitchen, put away the supermarket delivery and then about 3 pm wandered through to the lounge. Fire on and NCIS marathon, book if needed, yep I was all set.... well for about 90 minutes till the dogs wanted their dinner.
I put them in the kitchen, threw wings at them and then shut the door on them to go up and see to the dietary requirements of the felines.... nipped on the net for 10 minutes and then went back downstairs.... let the dogs back out the kitchen and herded them towards the lounge.... where Hugo flew over the baby gate towards us and landed right in the middle of the dogs!
Cue bedlam....... Now I know that Ivan will attack and possibly kill if he catches a cat, so he was my main concern... I managed to scruff him and stuff him back into the kitchen.... only Hugo went through too and ran a circuit or two around the work tops, table and cooker before landing on the floor amidst the dogs again ... they chased him out and at one point had him cornered in the hall. Again I extracted Ivan and got him back in the kitchen, by which time the girls were all running around frantically in the hallway, leaping up and down and generally being very excitable.... but no sign of Hugo, so I assumed he'd gotten away over the baby gate and back upstairs........ wrong!
I let Ivan out, only to have him leap onto the night crates they sleep in which are under the stairs.... he then got behind the storage boxes that have their towels and spare bedding in.... at which point I realised Hugo was in fact wedged at the back of the crates...... extraction process commenced again, with the girls herded into the lounge behind one gate, Ivan unceremoniously scruffed and dropped over the kitchen baby gate, and then Hugo safely gathered in from where he was wedged......... one quick once over of a furious and extremely stressed cat revealed no serious injuries, but he then proceeded to pee all over me....I have some minor scratches to my hands caused as he flung himself over the bannister to rush upstairs.......
The dogs went to their crates for an hour whilst I calmed down.......
I've since checked everyone over and the damage is as follows:
Ivan - limping on both front legs where he's got cat bites across the lowest joint on one side and a small hole in his pad on the other
Gretchen - small claw mark by her right eye
Kammi - ripped ear (sheesh they don't half bleed)
Hope - nothing at all except a confused look (she actually gets on with the cats and plays with them)
I have cleaned wounds, applied antiseptic and arnica (and thrown antibiotics into Ivan)..... there has been no sympathy or bed time biscuits though.
As for Hugo.... aside from needing a bath quite desperately he's a couple of scratches that have taken some pigment off but nothing that has broken the skin....... he's still a bit skittish but is currently curled up on my hip occasionally purring, so I am guessing he's getting over it.
So much for a nice quiet relaxing day........
It's been raining pretty solidly the last 3 days and I was feeling very creaky so phoned mum and told her I wasn't going to be coming to visit as I wanted a nice quiet relaxing day at home........ or at least that was what I was hoping for...
It started well, I did some reading, pottered round the kitchen, put away the supermarket delivery and then about 3 pm wandered through to the lounge. Fire on and NCIS marathon, book if needed, yep I was all set.... well for about 90 minutes till the dogs wanted their dinner.
I put them in the kitchen, threw wings at them and then shut the door on them to go up and see to the dietary requirements of the felines.... nipped on the net for 10 minutes and then went back downstairs.... let the dogs back out the kitchen and herded them towards the lounge.... where Hugo flew over the baby gate towards us and landed right in the middle of the dogs!
Cue bedlam....... Now I know that Ivan will attack and possibly kill if he catches a cat, so he was my main concern... I managed to scruff him and stuff him back into the kitchen.... only Hugo went through too and ran a circuit or two around the work tops, table and cooker before landing on the floor amidst the dogs again ... they chased him out and at one point had him cornered in the hall. Again I extracted Ivan and got him back in the kitchen, by which time the girls were all running around frantically in the hallway, leaping up and down and generally being very excitable.... but no sign of Hugo, so I assumed he'd gotten away over the baby gate and back upstairs........ wrong!
I let Ivan out, only to have him leap onto the night crates they sleep in which are under the stairs.... he then got behind the storage boxes that have their towels and spare bedding in.... at which point I realised Hugo was in fact wedged at the back of the crates...... extraction process commenced again, with the girls herded into the lounge behind one gate, Ivan unceremoniously scruffed and dropped over the kitchen baby gate, and then Hugo safely gathered in from where he was wedged......... one quick once over of a furious and extremely stressed cat revealed no serious injuries, but he then proceeded to pee all over me....I have some minor scratches to my hands caused as he flung himself over the bannister to rush upstairs.......
The dogs went to their crates for an hour whilst I calmed down.......
I've since checked everyone over and the damage is as follows:
Ivan - limping on both front legs where he's got cat bites across the lowest joint on one side and a small hole in his pad on the other
Gretchen - small claw mark by her right eye
Kammi - ripped ear (sheesh they don't half bleed)
Hope - nothing at all except a confused look (she actually gets on with the cats and plays with them)
I have cleaned wounds, applied antiseptic and arnica (and thrown antibiotics into Ivan)..... there has been no sympathy or bed time biscuits though.
As for Hugo.... aside from needing a bath quite desperately he's a couple of scratches that have taken some pigment off but nothing that has broken the skin....... he's still a bit skittish but is currently curled up on my hip occasionally purring, so I am guessing he's getting over it.
So much for a nice quiet relaxing day........
Wednesday, 26 December 2012
So that was Christmas....
Tis all over and alas I must go back to work tomorrow
*stamps feet and throws hands around dramatically*
Don't want to!!
So, Christmas Eve.... mum's party was great fun and as usual I spent most of my time acting as bar person, guide to the edibles and finder of suitable things for children to eat..... which brings us to the nipple buns... I hadn't actually planned on telling anyone bar my sister about how said buns had been making me chuckle and why.... only she told mum...... who then decided to have a guessing game of "what are these meant to represent" with nearly everyone....... the funniest comments being from her cleaner who got the whole boob reference... at which point his partner declared that in fact he should not know anything about how they looked like boobs/nipples as he hasn't really had the experience with them.... to which my mother calmly pointed out that I made them and that to be honest I was probably, out of everyone in the room (at that point, one gay couple, two straight women, one about to be rather shocked elderly het couple and me) the expert on boobs so should know.......... I should be used to my mother by now, but really!
Christmas Day was spent at my sisters, and after home made chocolate croissants and decaf coffee there was present opening and much amusement .... I then ran away for peace, tranquillity and emergency chocolate at home for a couple of hours... oh okay, I went to check on the critters. I went back later for a lovely lunch involving far too many vegetables..... the hazelnut and chocolate meringue went down very well and has been asked to feature at future events..... For some reason my sister changed the rules regarding washing up in her house (usually we don't wash up in each other's houses... it stems from the fact that my mother although willing to wash up is in fact really bad at it and you have to rewash half of it.... personally I think she did this on purpose).... this year it was decreed that I could wash up.... which I did..... though only after causing much amusement when each time I sidled along my sister's extremely narrow galley kitchen I had to stop every three paces to detach my knicker elastic from the handles of the kitchen doors.....
Today I took things very easily this morning and then went back to my sisters for a few hours this afternoon where we did jigsaws, read and finished up some of the left overs.
And now I have to get ready to go back to work tomorrow..... I have a list of little bitty things that I never get round to normally to try and finish off before New Year so that is the plan..... well, aside from faffing about on the net and catching up on the gossip with the skeleton staff that will be working with me
*stamps feet and throws hands around dramatically*
Don't want to!!
So, Christmas Eve.... mum's party was great fun and as usual I spent most of my time acting as bar person, guide to the edibles and finder of suitable things for children to eat..... which brings us to the nipple buns... I hadn't actually planned on telling anyone bar my sister about how said buns had been making me chuckle and why.... only she told mum...... who then decided to have a guessing game of "what are these meant to represent" with nearly everyone....... the funniest comments being from her cleaner who got the whole boob reference... at which point his partner declared that in fact he should not know anything about how they looked like boobs/nipples as he hasn't really had the experience with them.... to which my mother calmly pointed out that I made them and that to be honest I was probably, out of everyone in the room (at that point, one gay couple, two straight women, one about to be rather shocked elderly het couple and me) the expert on boobs so should know.......... I should be used to my mother by now, but really!
Christmas Day was spent at my sisters, and after home made chocolate croissants and decaf coffee there was present opening and much amusement .... I then ran away for peace, tranquillity and emergency chocolate at home for a couple of hours... oh okay, I went to check on the critters. I went back later for a lovely lunch involving far too many vegetables..... the hazelnut and chocolate meringue went down very well and has been asked to feature at future events..... For some reason my sister changed the rules regarding washing up in her house (usually we don't wash up in each other's houses... it stems from the fact that my mother although willing to wash up is in fact really bad at it and you have to rewash half of it.... personally I think she did this on purpose).... this year it was decreed that I could wash up.... which I did..... though only after causing much amusement when each time I sidled along my sister's extremely narrow galley kitchen I had to stop every three paces to detach my knicker elastic from the handles of the kitchen doors.....
Today I took things very easily this morning and then went back to my sisters for a few hours this afternoon where we did jigsaws, read and finished up some of the left overs.
And now I have to get ready to go back to work tomorrow..... I have a list of little bitty things that I never get round to normally to try and finish off before New Year so that is the plan..... well, aside from faffing about on the net and catching up on the gossip with the skeleton staff that will be working with me
Monday, 24 December 2012
Happy Christmas....
I hope you are all spending the time in warmth and safety with the ones you love.
May you all have a wonderful time.
With my very best wishes
*hugs*
K
Sunday, 23 December 2012
General ramblings ....
Well I was going to update yesterday.... but I, erm, caught my foot on the wire to the electric heater in the study..... then kind of fell over the heater itself..... finally landing in an oh so ungraceful heap on the floor and slightly bashing the side of my head on the wooden chair I use when I am at the computer..... so I didn't update, I took it as a sign and went to bed....... This morning I woke to a slight singe on my right shin and a rather impressive bruise just to the side of my right eye...... I would add that during the whole falling over process Hugo watched with some amusement from the top of the door and then used me as a trampoline before I could get up.....
So, aside from being a klutz, what else have I been up to....
Well, last night I was going to blog about my eyebrows.... no seriously.... the thing is I don't really do the whole eyebrow plucking thing... okay sure, they are kept neat and I make sure there are two of them but that's about it...... except when I am stressed..... when I have a bad habit, well not even really a habit, as it's done totally unconsciously, of plucking my eyebrows the way a stressed cage bird would pull out it's feathers..... okay, so... I have passed my exams, I am enjoying a week off work when the office is mainly shut so nothing can go wrong, my leg is getting better, the critters are all fine, the family are doing well.... so why the hell did I manage to sit the other night and rip out most of my right eyebrow and pretty much half of my left?? I didn't even realise I'd done it till I got in the car on Saturday morning and looked in the rear view mirror... I look moth eaten..... I've done some tidying up but, meh, they look terrible, thank goodness I can hide them behind my glasses till they grow back!
Today has mostly been about prep for mum's Christmas Eve party.... I am on salads again, and puddings.... for which I made and iced cup cakes this afternoon.... They are cherry cupcakes and have almond frosting and a cherry on top, which was mum's suggestion as they will look like Rudolph's nose......... only they don't they look like boobs with large red nipples....... which has given me the giggles all afternoon and there is no way on earth I will keep a straight face tomorrow handing out nipple buns to the kids who come to the party...
Tomorrow I am on taxi duty as my sister isn't driving at present.... we are off out to the farm shop to pick up the chicken for Christmas dinner (and something from the veggie deli for me) and then to get the last few bits of fresh veg, bread and make sure that we are well stocked up on critter food....oh and I've been promised a gingerbread latte (decaf of course!) for my services! Then in the afternoon I have to make the dreaded meringue for Christmas day and scribble like mad to finish a ficlet I am hoping to do as an extra present for someone..... I shall be so busy I won't have time to accidentally pluck anything else.....
So, aside from being a klutz, what else have I been up to....
Well, last night I was going to blog about my eyebrows.... no seriously.... the thing is I don't really do the whole eyebrow plucking thing... okay sure, they are kept neat and I make sure there are two of them but that's about it...... except when I am stressed..... when I have a bad habit, well not even really a habit, as it's done totally unconsciously, of plucking my eyebrows the way a stressed cage bird would pull out it's feathers..... okay, so... I have passed my exams, I am enjoying a week off work when the office is mainly shut so nothing can go wrong, my leg is getting better, the critters are all fine, the family are doing well.... so why the hell did I manage to sit the other night and rip out most of my right eyebrow and pretty much half of my left?? I didn't even realise I'd done it till I got in the car on Saturday morning and looked in the rear view mirror... I look moth eaten..... I've done some tidying up but, meh, they look terrible, thank goodness I can hide them behind my glasses till they grow back!
Today has mostly been about prep for mum's Christmas Eve party.... I am on salads again, and puddings.... for which I made and iced cup cakes this afternoon.... They are cherry cupcakes and have almond frosting and a cherry on top, which was mum's suggestion as they will look like Rudolph's nose......... only they don't they look like boobs with large red nipples....... which has given me the giggles all afternoon and there is no way on earth I will keep a straight face tomorrow handing out nipple buns to the kids who come to the party...
Tomorrow I am on taxi duty as my sister isn't driving at present.... we are off out to the farm shop to pick up the chicken for Christmas dinner (and something from the veggie deli for me) and then to get the last few bits of fresh veg, bread and make sure that we are well stocked up on critter food....oh and I've been promised a gingerbread latte (decaf of course!) for my services! Then in the afternoon I have to make the dreaded meringue for Christmas day and scribble like mad to finish a ficlet I am hoping to do as an extra present for someone..... I shall be so busy I won't have time to accidentally pluck anything else.....
Friday, 21 December 2012
Solstice Blessings....
The longest night has come once more,
the sun has set, and darkness fallen.
The trees are bare, the earth asleep,
and the skies are cold and black.
Yet tonight we rejoice, in this longest night,
embracing the darkness that enfolds us.
We welcome the night and all that it holds,
as the light of the stars shines down.
The sun returns! The light returns!
The earth begins to warm once more!
The time of darkness has passed,
and a path of light begins the new day.
Welcome, welcome, the heat of the sun,
blessing us all with its rays.
(Traditional Winter Solstice blessings for sunset and sunrise)
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
Oh My!
20 years after I originally went to university I was due to receive the results of the course I've been doing for the past three years, not just any course, no, a proper formal qualification that will do such exciting things as allowing me to have Rights of Audience in the Higher Courts, that will mean I can take oaths, that mean I am professionally qualified......
Last night was terrible. I had the most vivid dreams of failing badly.... in one of them I'd got 11%, which was apparently the lowest mark ever... I was the only person that failed in another.... I gave up shortly after 4.30 am and fed the dogs, then Ivan got groomed as there was no way I was going back to sleep.
By 10 am this morning I'd had text messages from two work colleagues, my mother, sister and one of my friends asking how I'd done...... but our post hadn't been. I was told I could phone or e-mail for the results..... erm... no, hello, compete chicken here! not a chance!
The post eventually came just after midday (after a false start where someone else came to the door to try and persuade me to buy the local paper and have it delivered).... I don't think I've ever been so nervous as I was opening that envelope......which I did after sitting and staring hard at it for about five minutes......
I eventually opened it
and found out
That I'd passed.... both exams, the one I thought I'd done badly in with 83% and the practical, which I thought was the better of the two, at 70%.
So that's it, I am now officially professionally qualified to do my job.......... must be time for a career change *snicker*
I have to add though, special thanks to those friends on line who kept me going both before the exam and whilst waiting for the results... I would have been a complete wreck (rather than the partial one) without you!
Tuesday, 18 December 2012
Slightly less of the Bah Humbug....
It appears to be time for me to shed my outer Grinch and embrace the festive season....... for I have finished work today and don't go back until after the whole she-bang is over with.... I am working between Christmas & New Year (well just 3 days of it) again so that my colleagues who have young children or who have distant family can spend the whole of the festive period together.... I am not so bothered... as much as I love my family, there are limits on the amount of time I can spend with them and three full days (Christmas Eve, Day and Boxing day) are normally quite enough in one go for me!
So to try and embrace the festive feeling I went to my sister's to help her put up her tree. Now, small disclaimer here.... I wasn't in her house when she tested the tree lights, therefore I had nothing to do with the fact they went "bang" and refused to work....... I arrived shortly after...... I don't think they knew I was coming..... anyway, my sister decreed she was going to the shop to pick up a new set of lights and suggested that her other half and I should bring the tree in from the garden and set it into the base, carry it through to the lounge and place it ready for decorating. Then she looked at us both, shook her head and said, maybe we should leave it..... we rebelled, by the time she got back the tree was set up and in place.... though not sufficiently straight for my sister's liking.
The new lights were wrapped round it (they flash and sequence and all sorts...... and I am banned from touching the controls on pain of death....... which is a little unfair I feel)..... after which we got on with decorating....... well, I got banished to the sofa after the first couple of minutes for throwing the snowball decorations at, erm, the tree, my sister, Mavis the cat....... and was allowed only to hand out the requested decorations when asked..... sometimes my sister is no fun! It looks very pretty and the decorations are all red, silver or crystal.... my money is on Mavis taking at least half of them down before the big day.....
Tonight the last of my on line purchases arrived, which means tomorrow I shall battle with paper, scissors, ribbon, tape and cats to wrap up the presents for the family. Wish me luck!!
I also have to finish a story I am writing about a whip wielding demonic sharply dressed lawyer and his two faithful imps ...... Rupert has some seriously weird ideas and my brain is happy to play along. Hopefully the story will be ready to be gifted to a friend in time to be an extra Christmas present for her and her family :)
There is also unfinished knitting... but alas I fear this will remain unfinished till long after Christmas......
Okay, I think I'm ready to risk a seasonal mince pie now ....
Oh and my exam results should apparently be here tomorrow........ still not convinced I've passed but there is bugger all I can do about that now....
So to try and embrace the festive feeling I went to my sister's to help her put up her tree. Now, small disclaimer here.... I wasn't in her house when she tested the tree lights, therefore I had nothing to do with the fact they went "bang" and refused to work....... I arrived shortly after...... I don't think they knew I was coming..... anyway, my sister decreed she was going to the shop to pick up a new set of lights and suggested that her other half and I should bring the tree in from the garden and set it into the base, carry it through to the lounge and place it ready for decorating. Then she looked at us both, shook her head and said, maybe we should leave it..... we rebelled, by the time she got back the tree was set up and in place.... though not sufficiently straight for my sister's liking.
The new lights were wrapped round it (they flash and sequence and all sorts...... and I am banned from touching the controls on pain of death....... which is a little unfair I feel)..... after which we got on with decorating....... well, I got banished to the sofa after the first couple of minutes for throwing the snowball decorations at, erm, the tree, my sister, Mavis the cat....... and was allowed only to hand out the requested decorations when asked..... sometimes my sister is no fun! It looks very pretty and the decorations are all red, silver or crystal.... my money is on Mavis taking at least half of them down before the big day.....
Tonight the last of my on line purchases arrived, which means tomorrow I shall battle with paper, scissors, ribbon, tape and cats to wrap up the presents for the family. Wish me luck!!
I also have to finish a story I am writing about a whip wielding demonic sharply dressed lawyer and his two faithful imps ...... Rupert has some seriously weird ideas and my brain is happy to play along. Hopefully the story will be ready to be gifted to a friend in time to be an extra Christmas present for her and her family :)
There is also unfinished knitting... but alas I fear this will remain unfinished till long after Christmas......
Okay, I think I'm ready to risk a seasonal mince pie now ....
Oh and my exam results should apparently be here tomorrow........ still not convinced I've passed but there is bugger all I can do about that now....
Sunday, 16 December 2012
That Hope(less) dog....
I am sure there is an unwritten law known by all pet animals.... if you are going to do something stupid causing injury..... make sure the Vets is shut first....
This afternoon, shortly after I hit publish on the last blog post, I was still upstairs communing with the naked ones (well trying to persuade Hugo that bad things would happen if he leapt from the top of the study door onto my lap where his mother was enjoying a cuddle) there was a very loud cry of terror and pain from downstairs.....
Now my dogs can be quite vocal, but this was a definite "panic, panic, I'm in pain" type of cry....... not helped by the fact that it was shortly followed by at least one other dog growling and snapping...... It's amazing how fast I can get downstairs at times..... I could see the problem as soon as I got to the bottom of the stairs..... somehow they'd managed to open the kitchen door (which I shut when I leave them in there) and Hope had made a bid for freedom over the top of the baby gate - something she's been doing since she was about 14 weeks old..... only this time she'd misjudged it and her back left leg had got stuck at the hock joint between the bars, leaving her front half hanging over the top of the gate and her right back leg flailing about in mid air.... Gretchen and Kammi, freaked out by the noises Hope was making, had decided something was terribly wrong and reacted in a way that dogs will and were attacking her trapped leg.
By the time I'd untangled her and hauled her the rest of the way over the baby gate her eyes were rolling and she was looking rather shocky.... her hock was also starting to swell quite badly.... I couldn't feel a break and the joint were stable (there are times when being a former vets assistant come in very handy) but getting the vet to check her over was on the cards.... so off we went... luckily my own vets have a weekend call out service and when I got to the surgery with her the vet on duty turned out to be the one I'd worked with in the past, so after a quick prod at her leg she confirmed what I thought, the silly dog has badly sprained her hock and is now on crate rest for a week with anti-inflammatory medication and no walks.......
Hope is not a happy dog right now, she's in pain and shut away from everyone... because I don't trust her for a minute not to try and jump even if it does hurt she's not even getting supervised time out of her crate for cuddles.... Gretchen has been sitting on my knee looking extremely smug for most of the evening.....
Musing about anthologies...
I recently bought, and read, a couple of anthologies. Now this is unusual for me, as I am not a big fan of anthologies..... which I think goes hand in had with me not being a huge fan of short stories (at least not when I have to pay as much for them as I would for a novella).....
Anyway, these were billed as being "kinky" Christmas stories........ which should suit be just fine..... now one anthology I did enjoy most of the stories... the other unfortunately was a reminder of exactly why I don't usually read them..... from 5 stories, 1 I enjoyed (and admittedly it was from an author whose work I've read before for free on Literotica so I know their style), 2 were okay at a push, the other 2.... well, I wondered how on earth they got into the anthology at all (in a sort of ... what really? did they not get any better submissions??)
And this is the problem..... in any anthology I find that for me there is always going to be at least 30% of the work in there that I just can't get on with..... which leads on to another problem......... and one which is probably in my mind..... but it's there anyway.... and that is that my LiAW story is going to be part of an anthology....
My story will be in the 5th volume.... along side stories by real, proper, popular authors....... my story! written, well scribbled, by me, a complete novice at this sort of thing...... My stomach kind of flips when I think about it... because yes, I am pretty sure that for a lot of the readers mine will be in that 30% giving readers a "WTF is this crap?" moment...... I suppose at least they can just skip it and at least it's free so they won't have wasted money on it.......
I know it's probably just nerves.... after all the ratings it's had have been good..... but still... *sigh*
Right, I shall go off to brood some more, and stand by the phone waiting for my mother to call me.....she informed me yesterday she'd borrowed a couple more books - I recently lent her Tigers & Devils and Tigerland to read, she enjoyed them and wanted another of the same sort of thing.... trouble was she chose herself and is currently reading My Fair Captain..... I have a horrible feeling I am going to have one of those slightly squicky conversations involving me trying to explain the concept of fisting to my 75 year old mother......
Friday, 14 December 2012
Storm warning.......
I wasn't at work, I should have been going to see a friend and exchanging Christmas presents, I should have been having fun, doing last minute Christmas shopping and drinking flavoured (decaffeinated) coffee...... I should possibly have been celebrating my exam results (or drowning my sorrows)....
Nope, didn't happen.
Instead, I woke to find that I was stuck at home
Literally..... thanks to the rainfall onto frozen ground overnight which meant that the road resembled an ice rink.... and then when it warmed up enough to get out I had a doctors appointment..... deep joy, the 3rd different doctor I've seen in the last week.... this one obviously hadn't even read my notes to find out what I was there for so we went through the whole thing yet again..... and I have another fortnight's worth of antibiotics to take... that will be zero alcohol for me this Christmas....
I then had to go to the bank to sort out some financial stuff...... four years after moving here and nearly five since separating all my stuff from the ex and taking back control of my money and what do you know, it can still be stuffed up by someone else..... apparently she has sold the house we owned jointly (which subsequently was transferred to her) and had some problems with the mortgage on the new place...... and there had been some credit searches etc done on my accounts which had flagged up some issues.....I'm sorry but WTF?? I think we have finally got to the bottom of it all and made sure she's not mentioned at all on my credit scoring or history..... but it will probably be another 3 years before my credit rating is where it should be.....
I nipped round to my mothers after that.... and she took pity on me and fed me some lunch..... then had a go at me when I admitted that I hadn't actually eaten anything up to then (it was about 2 pm at this point)..... I am sure it's the drugs that are squashing my appetite, but apparently this matters not and I need to eat three proper meals a day.... including one in the morning....... She's probably right, but, meh, just not happening at the moment.
And on top of all of this....... I am still waiting for my exam results...... which should have been released earlier this week..... so it looks like it will be Monday at the earliest before I get them....... and I am starting to get really really twitchy about it all.
The upshot of all this is I am in a really tetchy mood...... I've shouted at the dogs, snapped at the cats and, erm, taken out my frustrations on a packet I couldn't open with a sharp knife..... and now have to go clear the kitchen sides of the broken pasta pieces that are currently decorating them......
This is one of the things I hate most about being single, not having someone there to listen, or who can tell me to pack it in when I am being really unreasonably mardy, or who can just give me a hug and tell me that things will sort themselves out and to stop worrying......
*sigh* right, I think I shall go put on the CD player far too loudly and sing very out of tune till I feel a bit less frustrated about life in general......
Wednesday, 12 December 2012
I hate waiting......
It's a pretty much established fact that I only have an extremely limited amount of patience.....and my tolerance levels were all used up thanks to being grounded on the sofa last week....
So, knowing that my exam papers were marked last Monday (3rd December).... because one of the guys I work with is in the marking group.... and being told that our results should be received this week..... I am now getting to the stage of being extremely anxious about the whole thing.
If I was able to walk properly on my stupid leg I'd be pacing.
As it is I am silently (and on some occasions not so silently) driving myself up the wall..... at times like this it's a good thing I live on my own with only the critters to roll their eyes at me when I start chuntering to myself or, erm, throwing things (it wasn't anything important).....
Okay, I am not 100% sure I've passed both exams, I am really hoping I've passed at least one of them.... but I'd really like to know.... like, well, now, please, if not sooner......
*resumes mental pacing*
So, knowing that my exam papers were marked last Monday (3rd December).... because one of the guys I work with is in the marking group.... and being told that our results should be received this week..... I am now getting to the stage of being extremely anxious about the whole thing.
If I was able to walk properly on my stupid leg I'd be pacing.
As it is I am silently (and on some occasions not so silently) driving myself up the wall..... at times like this it's a good thing I live on my own with only the critters to roll their eyes at me when I start chuntering to myself or, erm, throwing things (it wasn't anything important).....
Okay, I am not 100% sure I've passed both exams, I am really hoping I've passed at least one of them.... but I'd really like to know.... like, well, now, please, if not sooner......
*resumes mental pacing*
Monday, 10 December 2012
Vague mumbling....
Hurrah! I am being released into the wild tomorrow........ okay, well not quite... I am being allowed to return to work on the strict understanding that (a) I do not walk more than 50 metres. (b) I pack it in and go home and rest if I feel at all unwell and (c) I do not over do it.......(anyone else starting to think that my doctor is perhaps getting to know me??)
Now (b) and (c) are not too much of an issue but (a) is as the nearest car park is well over the allowable walking distance........ and they powers that be decreed that outside the office parking is for visitors only (which means that the 5 disabled spaces sit empty for 99% of the time which really irks me).... anyway, work are obviously extremely pleased I am allowed back and have arranged for a taxi to get me to and from work for the next three days, which is wonderful of them... What is not so wonderful was in arranging said taxi my team leader managed to send my personal contact details on an e-mail to every single employee in our head office.........this I am not particularly impressed about as I don't think everyone should have access to where I live or my mobile phone number but then again, I am unlikely to develop a stalker from this and anyone that wants to burgle me know I am out, well, yeah, good luck with that one, cos rent a mob might let you in, but you ain't going nowhere once you're in......
So today I have pottered about a bit in an attempt to use my leg just a little bit...... which basically meant taking myself to mum's house and lurking on her sofa whilst I wrapped presents to go in the post. They are all done now which is surprisingly organised of me.
I also picked up my candle order today.... not only my usual selection of particularly nice smelling Christmas type candles - such as cinnamon sticks, warm spices, cherries on snow and pure snow - but also my nice long tapered solstice candles for burning on the 21st onwards....... I have been quite traditional this year and got natural beeswax candles, which smell really nice. The metal holders are out on the window ledge all ready and I am starting to feel quite festive...
I also bought a few candles to give away as presents, they may only be little things, but to me a candle is kind of a significant gift, particularly at the Winter Solstice as it lights the way forward into the new year.
Right, time to extract Hugo from the top of the door and head to bed to get a decent nights sleep before I have to remember what getting up at 6.00 am is all about..........
Now (b) and (c) are not too much of an issue but (a) is as the nearest car park is well over the allowable walking distance........ and they powers that be decreed that outside the office parking is for visitors only (which means that the 5 disabled spaces sit empty for 99% of the time which really irks me).... anyway, work are obviously extremely pleased I am allowed back and have arranged for a taxi to get me to and from work for the next three days, which is wonderful of them... What is not so wonderful was in arranging said taxi my team leader managed to send my personal contact details on an e-mail to every single employee in our head office.........this I am not particularly impressed about as I don't think everyone should have access to where I live or my mobile phone number but then again, I am unlikely to develop a stalker from this and anyone that wants to burgle me know I am out, well, yeah, good luck with that one, cos rent a mob might let you in, but you ain't going nowhere once you're in......
So today I have pottered about a bit in an attempt to use my leg just a little bit...... which basically meant taking myself to mum's house and lurking on her sofa whilst I wrapped presents to go in the post. They are all done now which is surprisingly organised of me.
I also picked up my candle order today.... not only my usual selection of particularly nice smelling Christmas type candles - such as cinnamon sticks, warm spices, cherries on snow and pure snow - but also my nice long tapered solstice candles for burning on the 21st onwards....... I have been quite traditional this year and got natural beeswax candles, which smell really nice. The metal holders are out on the window ledge all ready and I am starting to feel quite festive...
I also bought a few candles to give away as presents, they may only be little things, but to me a candle is kind of a significant gift, particularly at the Winter Solstice as it lights the way forward into the new year.
Right, time to extract Hugo from the top of the door and head to bed to get a decent nights sleep before I have to remember what getting up at 6.00 am is all about..........
Saturday, 8 December 2012
The view from the sofa....
Soooo, I last updated on, erm, I think it was Tuesday, when the leg of doom had gotten overexcited and I'd skipped off to the doctors for antibiotics.... but was spending the day on my sofa trying to feel better... and intermittently working on stuff that was left over from Monday.....
Let us move forward to Wednesday, when despite the fact I still hadn't eaten anything and I'd developed an interesting rash on my forearms, not to mention swelling on my finger and wrist joints, I decided that I was well enough to go to work.... and the parental taxi, very unwillingly I might add, agreed to convey me to and from my place of work.... Now in theory this wasn't a bad plan, I wasn't on the roads, I didn't have to walk further than the front of the building to the elevator and I could sit all day and work.... which I did... and slowly felt worse, and worse and worse.... I phoned the doctors in the morning and muttered that perhaps the rash was an allergic reaction to the meds and what was their suggestion.... answer, have an appointment after work.....
By the time I got to see the doctor I was feeling completely pants and in fact absolutely convinced that I was going to have to go to hospital for IV antibiotics...... I'd even put the emergency dog plan into place and my friend was primed to come pick up the hell hounds and take them away for the duration (brave woman that one!)......Suffice to say, yes, I was having an allergic reaction to the meds, but not the simple one that like 1 in 100 people get, no I had to go the whole way and have the reaction that 1 in 100,000 people get - namely my tissues and joints swelling - so I swapped for alternative drugs and was given strict instructions to return to my sofa until they kicked in........ it wasn't a pleasant 24 hours after that as my body seemed to wage some sort of war against itself (we voted in the end for it re-enacting it's own battle from the 12th Century English Civil War (Stephen v. Matlida) and somewhere definitely there had been a charge or two of heavy horses across my body....)
Which meant Thursday was viewed from the sofa......... as was Friday.......... which should have been a day's holiday spend doing festive things....... today has also been spent on the sofa........ the highlight of my day being the grocery delivery ...... which I looked at, put away and wondered if I was ever actually going to feel like eating again........ not sure if it's the drugs but I have no appetite at all... though I am drinking all the fruit juice in the world!
Most of my sofa time has been spent reading (okay, in the first couple of days there was an awful lot of sleeping going on too) but also watching ... or at least having on in the back ground.... any TV shows that I could find that didn't cause me to throw things at the TV.....
Which is a dangerous thing
As it made Rupert suddenly start twitching his whiskers
He feels that quite a good story could be concocted from the meeting of an older flamboyant well known celebrity archaeologist and a some what sedate but openly gay young police detective, who meet when the archaeologist's team are carrying out a dig at a medieval castle and come across a shallow grave which contains rather modern remains.... suffice to say neither character hits it off, the police have jurisdiction the TV crew have permits and a deadline and a 10 year old missing person case has just become a murder investigation.......with the murderer still at large.......
And now I've dumped that out my brain hopefully the bunny from hell will stop pushing!
Ooooh, look how exciting... I can get off my sofa..... and get into bed...... this is getting old, very, very fast........
Let us move forward to Wednesday, when despite the fact I still hadn't eaten anything and I'd developed an interesting rash on my forearms, not to mention swelling on my finger and wrist joints, I decided that I was well enough to go to work.... and the parental taxi, very unwillingly I might add, agreed to convey me to and from my place of work.... Now in theory this wasn't a bad plan, I wasn't on the roads, I didn't have to walk further than the front of the building to the elevator and I could sit all day and work.... which I did... and slowly felt worse, and worse and worse.... I phoned the doctors in the morning and muttered that perhaps the rash was an allergic reaction to the meds and what was their suggestion.... answer, have an appointment after work.....
By the time I got to see the doctor I was feeling completely pants and in fact absolutely convinced that I was going to have to go to hospital for IV antibiotics...... I'd even put the emergency dog plan into place and my friend was primed to come pick up the hell hounds and take them away for the duration (brave woman that one!)......Suffice to say, yes, I was having an allergic reaction to the meds, but not the simple one that like 1 in 100 people get, no I had to go the whole way and have the reaction that 1 in 100,000 people get - namely my tissues and joints swelling - so I swapped for alternative drugs and was given strict instructions to return to my sofa until they kicked in........ it wasn't a pleasant 24 hours after that as my body seemed to wage some sort of war against itself (we voted in the end for it re-enacting it's own battle from the 12th Century English Civil War (Stephen v. Matlida) and somewhere definitely there had been a charge or two of heavy horses across my body....)
Which meant Thursday was viewed from the sofa......... as was Friday.......... which should have been a day's holiday spend doing festive things....... today has also been spent on the sofa........ the highlight of my day being the grocery delivery ...... which I looked at, put away and wondered if I was ever actually going to feel like eating again........ not sure if it's the drugs but I have no appetite at all... though I am drinking all the fruit juice in the world!
Most of my sofa time has been spent reading (okay, in the first couple of days there was an awful lot of sleeping going on too) but also watching ... or at least having on in the back ground.... any TV shows that I could find that didn't cause me to throw things at the TV.....
Which is a dangerous thing
As it made Rupert suddenly start twitching his whiskers
He feels that quite a good story could be concocted from the meeting of an older flamboyant well known celebrity archaeologist and a some what sedate but openly gay young police detective, who meet when the archaeologist's team are carrying out a dig at a medieval castle and come across a shallow grave which contains rather modern remains.... suffice to say neither character hits it off, the police have jurisdiction the TV crew have permits and a deadline and a 10 year old missing person case has just become a murder investigation.......with the murderer still at large.......
And now I've dumped that out my brain hopefully the bunny from hell will stop pushing!
Ooooh, look how exciting... I can get off my sofa..... and get into bed...... this is getting old, very, very fast........
Tuesday, 4 December 2012
Relegated .....
To the sofa again!
Alas my leg decided, rather unexpectedly as it had been healing really well, to flare up on Sunday afternoon and by yesterday morning was rather horribly swollen and sore.
A quick trip to the doctors and yes, the cellulitis is back..... possibly of all things caused by the sore throat I had a couple of weeks ago.... which I had done as recommended by medical practitioners everywhere and not sought more than advice from the pharmacist because you don't need antibiotics for a sore throat..... apparently this isn't the case for me any more! I had thought I'd got my temperature under control - but alas it was just under 39 degrees C last night... really must go find out what it is today...
So for starters I have 2 weeks worth of antibiotics ... which may then go on for another month or so.... it's a good job I am not bothered about not drinking alcohol as that will be out for the whole of the festive season!
I don't feel anywhere like as bad as I did in August the first time this happened, to the extent that I am bored out of my tree and had it not been for the small wobble of dizziness this morning I would have gone to work today. Instead I have done a bit of work from home but am now on strict instructions to rest up. Oh and I really should try to eat something as I haven't really eaten a proper meal since Saturday... which may have been a clue that I was coming down with something now I think of it!
Hopefully my Kindle is now recharged and I can go put my leg up and sofa surf for the afternoon...
Alas my leg decided, rather unexpectedly as it had been healing really well, to flare up on Sunday afternoon and by yesterday morning was rather horribly swollen and sore.
A quick trip to the doctors and yes, the cellulitis is back..... possibly of all things caused by the sore throat I had a couple of weeks ago.... which I had done as recommended by medical practitioners everywhere and not sought more than advice from the pharmacist because you don't need antibiotics for a sore throat..... apparently this isn't the case for me any more! I had thought I'd got my temperature under control - but alas it was just under 39 degrees C last night... really must go find out what it is today...
So for starters I have 2 weeks worth of antibiotics ... which may then go on for another month or so.... it's a good job I am not bothered about not drinking alcohol as that will be out for the whole of the festive season!
I don't feel anywhere like as bad as I did in August the first time this happened, to the extent that I am bored out of my tree and had it not been for the small wobble of dizziness this morning I would have gone to work today. Instead I have done a bit of work from home but am now on strict instructions to rest up. Oh and I really should try to eat something as I haven't really eaten a proper meal since Saturday... which may have been a clue that I was coming down with something now I think of it!
Hopefully my Kindle is now recharged and I can go put my leg up and sofa surf for the afternoon...
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