Cate Ellink's Blog, page 43

Wildlife Wednesday - Green Vegetable bug

Sorry I'm late. I had to do a computer upgrade and that's just a nightmare - for me anyway! It's going to take me weeks to get the hang of all this new stuff, not to mention find everything!!

So, anyway, today is a little bug, which I think is a Green Vegetable Bug, but you know me and ID. You can check out the Australian Museum site here and see what you think.

They use their mouth parts to pierce plants and suck out the juices - the original juice diet :)

We live near a river, so I make a little visit down there about once a year to collect ribbon weed to use as mulch for my garden. I checked the legislation and you are allowed to do this in small doses :)

So I went the other week and grabbed a great pile of weed at low tide. Then I came home and hosed it down to get rid of as much salt as I could, then I thickly coated my garden in mulch.

In the weed was this bug. I was a bit surprised as I wasn't expecting live critters in the dead weed, so I'm not sure where he came from but he was pretty!


On a completely different note: my neighbour is chopping down all his gums that lined his driveway right next to my house. These trees were the homes to many of the birds who featured on Wildlife Wednesday...not sure how my bird visitor numbers will go now. I'm a bit sad...plus my office is going to get awfully hot in summer.

Phallic Friday - mannequins

The mannequin fetish is called agalmatophilia. It's arousal/pleasure from a doll, mannequin, statue or other similar object.

This fetish continues on, I guess, from the 'watching someone sleep' fetish but could also involve bondage fetish too.

It can also be linked to a pygmalionism, which is the love of something you've created.

When I've gone hunting for information on this fetish, there isn't a lot. The websites are mostly for those with the fetish, not about the fetish.

There's a website for the perusal of mannequins dressed in various costumes, and various states of dress/undress. (www.mannequinfetish.com)

There seems to be a lot of 'art' associated with this fetish, with cartoons, images, videos, stylised photographs, etc filling social media sites (like Tumblr).

There was a reference to this fetish on a Criminal Minds episode too, not that long ago. I wrote a post about it here.


Not sure that this one will make it into my story. I can't get my head into being sexually aroused by mannequins...but maybe it's more about the stylised woman/man, than an inanimate object.

Do you have any insights into this fetish?

Having a Rant - State of Origin Game 1

I need to vent today, so skip this post if you've no interest in football - rugby league - state of origin - me ranting!

Last night's game had me fuming. Absolutely ashamed to be a Blue. Why? Because some of the players on the Blues team have egos that are far huger than their abilities. For years I've thought this, but last night blew my mind. If I was choosing the state side, for either team, some of the guys in that game would not be there, would never even be considered. I know footballers, or any sports people at the elite level, need egos. You don't get to the top without a healthy dose of self-worth...but when you're combining into a team, egos have to match ability and, to a certain extent, be left at the door.

Queensland seem to be able to do this. NSW rarely.

Is this a sign of the coaching? The attitude around the teams? The players chosen themselves? The captains? The history of each team?

Yes. For all those questions.

As a spectator, I can only look and interpret what I see. I know I'm a little one-eyed sometimes, and I'm rather opinionated, and my opinions rarely match the masses. But here's my opinion, cos it's my blog and I need to express my fury!

Qld has a wealth of highly decorated players in their team. There are a handful of club captains in their roster. As we've heard all build up, the Qld team is 'old' which means most of the guys have earned their reputations by what they do on the football field. On paper, these guys should have huge personality clashes...there are some big reputations in that team...but that doesn't seem to happen. They function like a team, work together by doing their job and somehow that gels.

NSW...gees, where do I start? Let me start with Pearce or Farah, because I would never have them in an elite team, yet they keep being chosen. Neither are imaginative players. I don't see any evidence of a brilliant footy brain in either of these guys. They don't seem to read the play as quickly as I expect they should, especially when it's not a set play. They're left scrambling, in the wrong place, doing the wrong thing, no longer in control of the game they should be controlling. Pearce's kicking game last night was incredibly boring. Why would you kick time and again down Billy Slater's throat? He drops what, a ball in 10 games? It made very little impact except to give the ball back to Qld. Yet he kept doing it. Some of the commentators even thought it was brilliant because it was testing Billy's shoulder - except there was no evidence that Billy Slater had a shoulder issue. Was Pearce/Daley a victim of the Qld media campaign?

Fair enough Farah was injured in the first half, probably badly, but no one helped out at the dummy half role. No one came in and said to the skipper, I'll give this a go while you take a bit of a breather - even for a set, or half a set. What happened to the halves? Neither of them think to help out? Look at Qld...their hooker gets a breather, and got quite a few last night, which lets him complete 80 minutes at a high work rate still thinking at the end of the game.

And the bit that had me fuming for hours...what happened to taking the field goal? Three times they set themselves up with Hodgkinson in place ready to drill it. And what happened? The ball ended up in other people's hands. Why? Who the f*ck knows. Certainly at the end of the game Pearce had no idea - yet he's supposedly one of the freaking playmakers. Farah, the other playmaker, didn't seem to know what was happening. Is this because he slogs himself through every game and by the end is out on his feet with no blood getting to his brain, so nothing happens in the thinking department. He's unimaginative at the best of times but appalling towards the end of the game, more so last night when he may have been in pain as well as exhausted. Hodkinson, another of the playmakers, was in his position and so not available to set the plays...does that mean he was the only one who knew what was going on out there?And did he know, or was he playing his own game? Did he call for the field goal, or just stand there and think it was happening?

Yes, I'm hammering the halves and the hooker. But they're the guys who have to set the plays, steer the team around, have a brain, and work the ball to suit the team's plans. The forwards were firing. The backline, on one side at least, was firing, yet in the centre where everything is supposed to happen...they were so far from firing. It was appalling. Absolutely appalling.

There will be loads of excuses - again. There are even people who think these guys had brilliant games but I disagree. Look at the respective positions in Qld and look at the possession stats. NSW's defence stopped the score line from being a disgrace but defence is only half the game. Until NSW can function in attack, they will never win.

NSW did not deserve to win last night. They don't deserve to win until they can play like a team. 13 individuals is useless out there because no one knows what's going on. A forward pack and a backline that works, is hopeless without playmakers who can make plays.

Qld function. NSW don't.

And that makes me ashamed of being a Blue.

Wildlife Wednesday - pelicans

Up close with a resting pelicanOn Sunday I had the day of pelicans! These 4 photos were taken on my walk. Some days the pelicans aren't photogenic, but on Sunday, they were posing well.

This first fellow was sitting just off the path. I was a little worried he may have been injured because he let me get so close to him...but on my return a few more people were around he wasn't so thrilled by their attention. So no injury, just resting...and he must have enjoyed me chatting to him as I took my photos!

Coming in for landingPelicans coming in to land make me laugh. They are the most ungainly things and this photo depicts the typical landings. Legs and wings seem to go like the clappers, then there's a flick of feathers and they settle down as if nothing funny happened. I wish I had a video, not just a still! Just love peli-landings! They're kind of like jumbos...but messier.

These two pelicans were in poles at the boat ramp. One tucked up having a snooze, the other surveying the scene.

Given the messy approach they have for landing, it always surprises me that they can land on poles and lights and bars. They don't look any worse landing on tricky spots than they do on the beach!

They're a magnificent bird. I think I fell in love with them when I read Colin Thiele's Storm Boy. But it may have been the rhyme associated with pelicans that won me over - Mum often said it to me because I was a guts! Pelican, pelican, your beak holds more than your belly can.

Having a snooze where no one will bother you
Surveying the scene without expending energy

Sunday Story - Krissy Daniels

With a book title of, How to Kill Your Boss, how could I not read that? Immediately a few of my past bosses came to mind - one in particular I used to fantasise about his end! LOL Thankfully not the way this book had it!

I stumbled across Krissy Daniels through my association with The Naughty Ninjas. Krissy won our April prize and I was to send her a book. We emailed and we ended up swapping all our books - I even got a sneak peek at Krissy's new book, Aglow, that's out 2 June - and it's awesome!!!

Preorder AGLOW - I think it's 99c, which is a total bargain!!!

I did an interview with Krissy for the Naughty Ninjas, which you can find here. I desperately wanted to know more about her writing and her plans for more books. so rather than stalk her and bombard her with questions, I did it in a totally legitimate way with an interview - sneaky, hey? (That's how we get to be Naughty Ninjas, you know :) ).

One thing I noticed when I gorged on Krissy's books, How To Kill Your Boss, Aflame and Aglow, was that she writes in both first person (How To Kill Your Boss) and third person (Aflame and Aglow). The choice between first person and third person is something I've struggled with for years. I LOVE first person. It sings to me...and Krissy's is no different. For me, How To Kill Your Boss, was magical. It was witty and funny and had so much spark and sass. Then I opened Aflame and I missed the first person voice...but let me tell you, I soon forgot to worry! The story ripped me away into that 'reader world'.


And maybe that's the key. First person brings you snappier, wittier, sassier writing. Third person tells more of a story, which weaves around all the characters. I'm not convinced yet...but I'll write in third when I have to. I read comments from so many people who say something like, "I hate first person" and it makes me so sad.  They're missing out on so much great reading!

But I digress... :)



Let me tell you a bit about Krissy's books.

They're romances and don't have cliffhanger endings.

How To Kill Your Boss is like a suspense-comedy. It has some really powerful angst in the story and the characters, so although I say comedy, it's a dark one. Someone's out to kill Tatum (heroine), and Franklin (hero) is to protect her...but it's nowhere near smooth sailing. There's action aplenty, not only as they try to have a relationship, but in the whole world around them. It's chaos, even when they try to escape it. Clever, witty, fun, as well as deep and angsty.

Aflame and Aglow for a series that's a romance with paranormal themes. Each book is focused on a different set of characters within the same world...and it's a lovely world - part real world, part something like an extended family utopia.

Isn't this sexy? :)In Aflame , Grayce and Zander star. We meet Tyr (villain) and most of the other characters too. Grayce has been through horrific things but is such an amazing heroine who still cares for people after such horror has befallen her. Zander is this huge hunk who makes me all sloppy with his over-protective alpha-ism. He's fun too though, and soft-hearted.

In Aglow , Marcus and Camilla take centre stage. Oh, they're so much fun. Camilla is like Ms Purity...until she's not, and when she's not, Oh Boy! It's steaming hot! Marcus is even more over-protective alpha than Zander (and I'd thought Zander was hot!) and Camilla has him all worked up and tied in knots. And while they're trying to work out their relationship, bad stuff happens...all the time!

These books kept me up at night. So be careful!

Smoking hot heroes, wicked sex, smart dialogue and sexy sexy times - what more do you need of an evening? :)

Phallic Friday - nappies and babies

I know, this topic doesn't seem like the right thing for a Friday, does it? But there's a fetish for people who like to dress up as a baby and be treated as a baby and for those who like to wear nappies and be smacked, punished, and treated like a child. Sometimes this can crossover with the golden showers/scat fetish too.

Here's a UK newspaper article about a couple who not only live with a nappy fetish (the husband is into diapers; the wife is Mummy) but they also run a 'nursery' for adult men to visit by the hour...and they insist that nothing sexual occurs in the sessions. It's stress relieving only.

Along with the hour long visits, they also provide overnight, or 12 hour, stays. With a bonus of 'nappy changes', that are charged extra. And yes, they have adult sized nappies. Actually, from the photos in the article, they have a sized-up nursery complete with cot, high chair, and toys.

They claim to have a lot of male clients who are under 25 years of age, and say that with the increase use of the internet, people are finding themselves/their 'thing' more easily than in the past.

Although the newspaper article claims that sex is not involved in their business, I think sex is often associated with the fetish. Many men masturbate while dressed as a baby. Others like to be masturbated, or sucked, while acting a child.

If you're looking for more information, this article talks of paraphilic infantilism (i.e. individuals who get sexually aroused from being an adult baby) and the associated fetishes that can be attached to this, like being a lactophile (enjoying being wet-nursed), or enjoying urinating or defecating on themselves.

This fetish is not about being interested in children, like a paedophile, but from acting like a child and receiving enjoyment/pleasure from that act.

This fetish is often used for images when people are disparaging fetishes. I've seen many images of an older man dressed in a bib, nappy and bonnet (or something similar) when I've read about fetishes in the past. It somehow seems to be the image, along with a leather-clad, stocking wearing Domme, that signifies 'fetish'. Maybe that's changing now with so many other fetishes becoming recognised and discussed.

How do you feel about changing adult nappies? I have a weak stomach, so it's not my thing!

Wildlife Wednesday - moth

I have another moth today. It was on a deck chair that was stacked up in the backyard. When I moved one to go soak up some sunshine, this stunning moth was hiding between the chairs. Beautiful isn't it?

We have a moth today because of the Naughty Ninjas. This is a bunch of writers who have wacky senses of humour and we seem to spur each other into silliness.

Anyway, over the past week, we've been talking about shifter erotic romance...because those are the things we talk about! But really, the conversation started from a Submission Call that captured Rhyll's attention. You can find the call here...but it was all about Strange Shifters.

So a few of us have been inspired by craziness and have been writing. You'll never guess what shifter type my story went to ... no, not a moth, but a butterfly!

Sometimes I do wonder about my mind. It's not quite right yet - the story, my mind is long gone crazy! - so it will take some tweaking to get the right vibe. But I think I need to thank my Wildlife Wednesday posts for giving me a range of animals to turn into shifters :)

If my shifter butterfly ever sees the light of day, you will be the first to hear :) Long live the moths and butterflies!

Sunday Story - reliving memories

Last Sunday, Mother's Day, Mr E and I took his mother to watch the footy. This was odd (and a little evil on my part) because their team wasn't playing on the Sunday, mine was...against the team of my favourite player. So we went to that game. I felt strange because they were coming to something I wanted to go to...and I felt a bit evil for perving when with hubby and his Mum...and I felt like a meanie taking her to the footy on Mother's day...but I think it worked out okay.

I spent a lot of my teenage weekends at the footy, many times at this ground. I used to go with a friend and sometimes my sister(s). I'd hang around outside the dressing rooms to get autographs. I had my huge flag to wave wildly. When we were old enough, we'd go back to the club after the game and gather more autographs and have our hearts all aflutter if we met a player. I was innocent and naive back then...getting an autograph was my thrill. These guys were my heroes.

I know when I was writing Deep Diving, I banged on a lot about my favourite player who had inspired the story. I watched him play a lot to fuel my imagination to get that story written. I still watch him, avidly. But I made a huge discovery...

When you're reliving your youth, at the footy ground of your team, it's very difficult to cheer for another player, watch another player, or perv too much.

My blood raced when a try was scored by my team right in front of us. I was on my feet screaming and shouting. That Coops was right there, close, took a while to dawn on me. So long that I didn't get a lot of photos of him. I probably have equal numbers of photos of him and Parramatta players.

I didn't think that would be possible. But the ghosts of many games past, many players past, and my Parra jersey that is older than most of the guys playing, all led me to screaming crazily for my team. And enjoying every second of it :)

And to add to the reliving the memories component, I took my old film camera with the telephoto lens. And I did remember to take photos of Coops...I just have to wait for the film to develop to see if I got any good ones. Oh, and some Parra players snuck on there too!! And in case you were wondering, Mr E wouldn't let me hang around outside the dressing rooms to get autographs!

Have you ever relived 'old' places and events?

Phallic Friday - furries, teddies and plush toys

This week we're going to look at a fetish all about soft toys, teddy bears, dressing in fursuits, dressing as animals, being happiest with furries.

This can be a fun, dress-up activity that people partake in, like FurFest which I think is an offshoot from ComicCon. A time where people get to dress as an animal and mix and mingle in relative anonymity behind their fur mask.

Or it can be a lifestyle choice, where you mix with other people who enjoy this fetish and partake in activities, including sex, dressed as your animal.

I'm probably explaining this terribly...but from what I've been reading as I hunted around to understand this fetish, it seems that for some people it's just a game they play, yet for others it's a complete lifestyle choice. Maybe that's not too dissimilar to a couple who occasionally play with a whip or handcuffs, compared with the full BDSM lifestyle.

There are quite a number of theories as to why this fetish is popular. Some believe that it comes from childhood affection to stuffed animals, or a particular stuffed animal. Others believe it's a way to hide your true self and take on a new identity that is devoid of gender, age, race, and other 'human' issues. Dressing as an 'animal' also takes away any human physical traits that a person may not see as attractive, and so they can indulge sexually without fear of rejection.

The fur community have developed a language for their needs. "Skritching" is grooming another's fur. "Yiffing" is mating, and a 'fur pile' is an orgy. "Plushies" are those who become aroused through the use of soft toys, also called "plushophiles".

It's an interesting fetish. I think the huge increase in shape-shifter romance stories might be indicative of the increase in the number of people interested in this fetish. There are certainly many more events for people interested in dressing up fetishes than there were twenty years ago. The world seems to be changing for people with some of the more 'cute' fetishes. One day the world may be ready to accept everyone. I'd love to see that.

Wildlife Wednesday - redback spider

We've been having some wild winds here the last few weeks, and because I'm surrounded by glorious trees (even if Mr E fears they'll fall on the house and kill us both), there's always a lot of debris after wild winds. Because of Mr E's dislike of our neighbour's trees, I often scurry out to pick up the fallen bits before he does it and complains mightily. (Hope he's not reading my blog!)

Anyway, this week, when picking up stuff, I came across a rather unexpected fellow on bark that had fallen - a redback spider. I've seen a few around but not many, so this was a surprise...and I was glad to see him, not feel him!

The trusty Australian museum webpage (here) tells me that redback spiders are found throughout Australia, and spiders of the same family are found worldwide. The Black Widow Spider found in the US is a relation to our redback.

The female spiders have this very distinct red marking, the male's red is often less distinct, and juveniles also have white markings on the abdomen.

The lifecycle information is interesting (taken from the Australia Museum website):

Once the female has mated, she can store sperm and use it over a period of up to two years to lay several batches of eggs. She spends much time producing up to ten round egg sacs (1cm diameter), which are white, weathering to brown over time. Each egg sac contains approximately 250 eggs and only one to three weeks need to pass before more eggs can be laid. These sacs are suspended within the web.

The young spiderlings hatch in two to four weeks. Spiderlings are cannibalistic and will eat unhatched eggs and other spiderlings.  The spiderlings disperse by ballooning to another suitable nest site on long silk threads that are caught by air currents.

Females may live for 2 - 3 years, whereas males live 6 - 7 months.

Male Redback Spiders do not produce a web, but may be found on the fringe of a female's web, especially during the summer mating season. The male has to make overtures to the female to discover whether she is ready to mate, which can prove fatal if she mistakes him for prey. It has been found that in order to occupy the female's attention during mating, the male spider offers her his abdomen by standing on his head and 'somersaulting' his abdomen towards her mouthparts. The female begins to squirt digestive juices onto the male's abdomen while the first palp is inserted. If he is not too weak, he will manage to withdraw, and then insert the second palp. She will continue to 'digest' his abdomen. Most males do not survive this process, which seems to be unique to Latrodectus hasselti (redback spiders).

First Aid for a redback spider bite is to apply an ice pack - not a pressure bandage. Fortunately, I didn't need that!