Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 132

#Furkid Friday: Joshua The #Degu On Plans For Next Weekend

Hi there humans, rodent types, and anyone else reading this. This is Joshua the degu.

Guess what I just found out? The Mummy human says there won't be a "Furkid Friday" post next week! She says we'll be back to our usual schedule the week after, but she has something planned for that weekend, so has decided not to have us do a post next Friday, since she'll be posting something else.

On Mollie's birthday week too!

You know the worst part? It's all about some battle that happened 950 years ago! How is that more important than letting our chinchilla sister, Mollie, post about having her very first birthday? I mean, the battle happened years ago. Yeah, it's kind of interesting. But not as interesting as we are.

Sure, the Mummy human says she'll post a birthday message for Mollie on her actual birthday - which is Wednesday, by the way - and Mollie will get to do her birthday post the following Friday. But that's totally not the point, and I do not approve!

Mollie says it's perfectly fine, as long as she gets the special birthday nibble the human caretakers have promised her on her birthday, and doesn't have to wait for that. The Mummy human has promised she won't have to wait for her special nibble, so she's not complaining. I am, however, because I happen to think we should be more important than anything else... Especially things that happened so long ago even the human caretakers weren't born yet, and especially considering the human caretakers should be making even more effort than usual to make us feel special after we lost our brother, Jenks, a couple of weeks ago.

So, please don't blame us rodent types for the missing post next Friday... It's the humans' fault!

Squeak soon,
Joshua

A #Poem For #NationalPoetryDay

Today is National Poetry Day, which I'd forgotten it was supposed to be until I saw it mentioned on Twitter earlier, hence my not having a post ready for it. But, in honour of the day, I'd like to share a poem. So, just for fun, here's one I wrote based on the lost sock incident I mentioned in Sunday's blog post:

My Poor Lost Sock

Where, oh, where could my little sock be?
Oh where did my little sock go?
He went in the machine with his twin,
But where he is now, I don’t know!

I checked in the washer and the dryer too,
But no sock was there to be seen.
I checked in the basket again just in case,
But the basket is empty and clean.

Where, oh, where could my little sock be?
The poor thing is lost and alone!
If you see my poor sock, wherever he might be,
Please send my poor sock back home!


© 2016 ~ Victoria "Tori" Zigler

#Writing Wednesday: #Blind #Writers And #Authors

"How do blind people deal with the writing and publishing process?"

I've been asked that question - or some form of it - so many times I've lost count.

First of all, let me make one thing clear: there are as many different ways for blind writers to approach the writing process as there are for sighted writers. Now, most of the time people do take this in to account, and spacifically ask how "I" approach it, but I have had the question worded in the way I posted it above too, as if all blind writers are the same. We aren't. No writer is exactly the same, whether they can see or not.

A sighted writer may write in a notebook first, and then type it up. A blind person has the option to do something similar using a hand-held writing frame. Some sighted writers like to use an old typewriter, and worry about getting the stuff typed up later. Blind writers have the option to do the same using a perkins brailler (a very chunky braille writing machine, which looks a bit like an old typewriter, but has a lot less keys). Other sighted writers immediately go down the technology route, using phones or tablets, or simply skipping straight to using a word processor on a laptop or desktop computer. Again, the same is true of blind writers, though admittedly there are some devices that aren't accessable to the visually impaired, and special software is sometimes required to make others accessable. Like I said, it varies.

Personally, I hate the hand-held writing frames, because they're a little awkward to use, in my opinion, and most of them require you to write each character backwards. Using one of those is a last resort for me, and when I do I keep it really short. Partialy because I have to, since my writing frame is a small one (it's around the size of a credit card, though a little thicker) and partially because I find it takes so much work to write even a short note. Besides, with the need to remember the characters backwards, combined with how fiddly I find using the frame, I find anything longer than a few words is forgotten by the time I've done a few words anyway. However, there are blind writers who do use this option, some of whom will quite happily set up a larger frame and write out a full sheet of paper in this manner. Like I said though, this option isn't for me, and if I'm forced to use it, I simply take down a couple of key words that will jog my memory later. Mostly I try to avoid being forced to use this option though. To me, this is like the sticky notes some sighted writers use to remind them of key points, or make short notes to remind them later of an idea they didn't have time to work on.

Then there's the brailler. I don't really mind using the brailler, and can quite happily tap out pages and pages on it. However, I rarely do. Why? Well, for one thing, the brailler isn't very portable since it's so heavy, and mostly I figure I might as well use the PC if I'm at home and save the effort of typing up what I already "typed" on the brailler. But also because that thing is quite noisy. You know how noisy the old typewriters used to be? Well, maybe you don't, but if you don't then just ask anyone who dealt with them, and they'll tell you. Anyway, imagine several of those tapping away in unison, and you'll have some idea of the noise of the brailler. This means I can only use it at certain times, unless I want some rather upset neighbours, and since my hours are all over the place, it means I'd be limited as to when I could work on my writing projects if I made the writing on the brailler phase a regular part of my writing process. Instead, the brailler is a sort of backup option for me, which I very rarely use. There are, however, some people who prefer to do their first drafts on a brailler, much like there are still sighted writers who like to use an old typewriter, or who prefer to write their first draft by hand.

When I need to write something and am not at my computer, the option I generally go with these days is to use Apple Notes on my iPhone, which always has voice over (Apple's text to speach software) turned on. This is a relatively new addition to how I do things, since I've only had the iPhone for about a year, and it took me several months to get to grips with the touch screen keyboard, and I still don't like to use it for long writing sessions, since touch screen keyboards are annoying. Yes, I know there's the option to dictate to Apple Notes, but if you've ever tried this, you'll know it's equally frustrating, since the voice to text software doesn't always get your words right. Still, I do write short pieces - a scene here and there, or a short poem - and send them to myself via my iPhone. I don't consider it an important part of my writing process though, since mostly I know I'd get up and go to the PC if I didn't have the option to use Apple Notes... Just like I did before I had it. I know of a few sighted writers who do the same, whether they use it for just short pieces like I do, or write longer pieces.

The important tools for me are Microsoft Word and JAWS. I could use Open Office instead of Microsoft Word if I wanted to, but I'm more used to Microsoft Word, and since I have a copy, I use it. JAWS stands for "Java Access With Speach" (or something like that) and is my screen reader. It's how I know what's on my computer screen, whether I'm using Microsoft Word to work on some writing, browsing the internet, or pretending to be doing something important while really playing GMA Cards or BG Scrabble (card and scrabble games for the PC, which are designed to be accessable to the visually impaired). As long as JAWS is working, I can just type away happily, and then have JAWS tell me what I just wrote. I was taught to touch-type while I was still in school, and am a fast typist as a rule... Unless I'm working slowly because I'm thinking. Typing straight in to Microsoft Word is my prefered method of writing, both because I can write fastest that way, and because I then have the option to edit at will (something more difficult with the iPhone, and even more so when it comes to using braille). Plus, since I use the internet to publish, it means my work is already right there on the computer for me to use. I think, if I'm not mistaken, this is the prefered method of most sighted writers these days too, though they obviously don't have JAWS. I happen to know that a couple do use screen readers - cheaper ones than JAWS though - as an option for helping with proof reading their books, so what they do isn't all that different from my own method.

This brings us nicely to the publishing process...

To be honest, I haven't a clue how other blind authors deal with the publishing process. I can only tell you how I do it. In fact, I'm not even entirely sure how most of the sighted authors I know do things.

Anyway... Remember how I said JAWS lets me use the computer? Well, there are a few things it can't handle. Visual things like images, for example. When it comes to the things JAWS can't handle, I simply grab sighted help. Nine times out of ten, this sighted help is my hubby, Kelly. He acts as my eyes for things JAWS can't handle, or things off the computer (like checking out the proofs for my paperbacks) and puts up with my frustration when I get cranky about JAWS not being willing to do something I think it should do. However, things JAWS can handle, I do myself.

That's basically it. I hope this answers the questions everyone has on the subject. If not, however, feel free to ask about whatever I didn't explain about in the comments section of this post. Also, feel free to post any comments you have.

Please note that this invitation to ask questions extends to other things as well, and not just my writing and publishing methods. Don't fall in to the trap of those involved in the "How Eye See It" campaigne. You can't put on a blindfold and understand how things work for a blind person. The blindfold test is not an accurate one, since anyone trying a new method of doing something is obviously going to find it difficult, whether they're blind or not. If you want to know how I manage to do something, just ask, and I'll do my very best to answer.

#Reading Ramblings: September 2016 #Book #Reviews (LBE)

It occurred to me recently that those of you who enjoy books, but aren't on Goodreads, might like a book version of the "TV Talk and Movie Mutterings" posts I do. It also occurred to me that doing these posts would encourage me to actually put up a bit of a review for each book. I always review the ones I've been given copies of in exchange for reviews, and am pretty good about putting reviews on Smashwords for the books I have from there, but I mostly don't bother putting the Smashwords reviews anywhere else, and if I just grabbed a book randomly from Amazon, nine times out of ten I don't do more than rate it and move on. I want to change this and write at least a few words... Even if I only put the reviews on Goodreads and on here. I'm not going through all the books I didn't do more than just ratings for in the past, because there are just too many. But I'm determined to be better at putting some kind of review up from now on... At least on Goodreads... And I figure those book loving followers of my blog who aren't on Goodreads might be interested in knowing what I've been reading, as well as what I thought of the books. Mind you, people on Goodreads might also be glad of having everything in one post too, so... *Shrugs* Anyway, I'll post what I read one month at the start of the following month.

I warn you though, I read more than I watch, so these book posts will be longer than the TV and movie ones usually are; even on a month like last month, when I considered myself to be really busy and not reading as much, I generally read more than most people. I also warn you that I read across multiple genres, so these posts will contain everything from children's books to books aimed at a more adult audience; please check the book's reading level, as well as any content warnings, before reading, especially when children are involved.

I admit I cheated a little with the reviews for most of the first September books. I hadn't actually reviewed most of the books I read during the first week of September on Goodreads, but I'd put reviews on Smashwords for most of them, so I grabbed those reviews to put in this post, and added a short review just for this post for the one I didn't have either a Smashwords or Goodreads review to copy. I did start doing it properly after that though.

You can click on the book title, or author name, to learn more about one or the other. Yes, the links take you to Goodreads, but you don't have to be a member to view the book and author details.

As a point: the format that you're taken to if you click to see the book details may not actually be the format I read the book in. I often don't bother to check what format I'm marking as "want to read" or doing my review on.

OK... Here's what I read last month...

Endgame by Kate Wrath
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I've loved all the other books in this series, and this one was no exception; this was an excellent ending to the series!

The Path of Water by Barbara G. Tarn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have enjoyed the other books I've read in this series, but I enjoyed this one even more. All her previous books have given Barb the practice needed to
grow as a writer, and this is more obvious in this book than it has been in any other. Excellent worldbuilding, a colourful cast of characters, and great descriptions, all come together to make for a fantastic read.

The Path of Fire by Barbara G. Tarn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is another excellent example of how Barb has grown as a writer. Plus, it was interesting getting to see a few of the events from "The Path Of Water" from another point of view, followed by the chance to see what happened to a couple of the characters afterwards. An all round excellent read!

Beat The Hackers by Stephanie Dagg
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a great book, which makes for an exciting and enjoyable read.

My Vibrating Vertebrae: and other poems by Agnes Mae Graham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A beautiful collection of poems.

More Tales of the Southern Kingdoms - volume 2 by Barbara G. Tarn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is an excellent and well-written collection of tales, which makes for an enjoyable read, and is a wonderful addition to the series.

Oh Auntie! by Stephanie Dagg
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved this book! It's well-written and very entertaining. The story will amuse children and adults alike, whether they're familiar with the way things work on a farm or not.

The Jack Russell Adventures (Book 1): The Pet Shop by Jackie Small
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a really cute and entertaining story. The only reason I don't give it the full five stars is because I felt the ending was too sudden. Having also read book two, I know it continues from where this one left off, but I think it would have been better had the two books been combined.

The Jack Russell Adventures (Book 2): A New Life by Jackie Small
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
An excellent - and really cute - continuation of Rocky and Rosie's story.

The Jack Russell Adventures (Book 3): Santa's Extra Presents by Jackie Small
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a really cute Christmas story, which will bring a smile to any animal lover's face.

Oh Grandad! by Stephanie Dagg
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is an amusing and fun read.

Into the Vines by Caroline Clemens
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
I hate writing bad reviews. I know how much work an author puts in to writing a book, and I hesitate to take away their pride in what they’ve created. Unfortunately, there are times when I feel I have to; times when only my policy of always finishing a book I start keeps me reading until the end, and I’d be lying if I gave a glowing review. This is one of those times. It’s a shame, because I think the book has some potential. Unfortunately, for it to reach that potential the author needs to do a lot more research, not to mention some serious re-writes and edits to catch inconsistancies and contradictions in the plot, unnecessary repetition in the dialogue of things mentioned in the description, issues with character behaviour that’s either not realistic for the type of character in the situation they’re in or contradicts previous behaviour, etc.

Dylan's Yuletide Journey by Jemima Pett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a creative and entertaining story. It wasn't as festive as I expected though, and I didn't feel we had the full details of why the strawberry juice supply had run out (though we did get most of the story; I just felt some details that could have been added were left out). Still, this was a great short read.

Oh Santa! by Stephanie Dagg
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is an amusing little story, which could make for a fun holiday read for the whole family.

BookElves Anthology, Volume 1 by Jemima Pett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Like with most anthologies, I found that I enjoyed some stories more than others. Also, in the case of this particular anthology, some of the stories didn't feel very festive, some felt like they could do with a few more details added to them, and some had both issues. Still, this was an entertaining collection of stories, which made for a great read.

Pig's Big Secret by Jackie Small
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a very creative story, which is an amusing and entertaining read.

Salt by Helen Laycock
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The first half was a bit slow, but it picked up after that and became quite an exciting read.

Rhyming Rabbit's Mischief by Jackie Small
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is another creative and entertaining story from this author, and I loved it!

Viridian System Sampler: 8 Short Stories by Jemima Pett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a great little collection of flash fiction stories, which are perfect to give you a taste of the world, while making you want to know more. The little explanations of how the stories came about were a nice touch too.

The Parting Glass by Elisabeth Grace Foley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a well-written and enjoyable story. It says in the description that it's perfect for fans of Miss Marple style mysteries, and I completely agree.

The Oldest Flame by Elisabeth Grace Foley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is another enjoyable and well-written cosy mystery from this author; the perfect accompaniment to a nice cup of tea.

The Silent Hour by Elisabeth Grace Foley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another well-written and enjoyable addition to the series, which is perfect for those who enjoy a cosy mystery with their cup of tea.

The Jack Russell Adventures (Book 4): The Challenge by Jackie Small
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is my favourite of the stories in this series so far. It's cute, it's funny, and it's well-written. Plus, it teaches a great lesson about how not everyone is good at the same things, and that's just fine.

The Jack Russell Adventures (Book 5): The Play by Jackie Small
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another cute and entertaining addition to the adventures of Rocky and Rosie.

The Princelings of the East by Jemima Pett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a great read, with a plot that moves at a nice pace, and a great cast of characters. I personally think it would have been great if the author had gotten more in to the animal character thing and done things like using "paw" instead of "foot" for example, but that's just a personal opinion thing, so I'm not going to count the fact she didn't against her. Anyway, this was a fun read, with lovable and sometimes entertaining characters, and an interesting plot.

The Princelings and the Pirates by Jemima Pett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was an excellent second book for the series. I love the characters, and the plot is exciting and interesting. Like with the first book in this series, I think it could have been even more amazing if the author had used more guinea pig terms rather than people words, such as "cavie" instead of "person" for example. However, since I know this is just something I personally think would have been a nice touch, and not doing so doesn't spoil the story in any way, I'm not going to count her not doing so against her.

The Princelings and the Lost City by Jemima Pett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is an excellent addition to the series, which contains both a fun and interesting plot, and an entertaining and lovable cast of characters.

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
As others have pointed out before me in their own reviews, there is no traditional character arc to this story, and it is more like a linear series of anecdotes protagonised by the same bunch of mainly female characters. Anyway, I found it to be an enjoyable read, which was often amusing, and thought the cast of characters were interesting.

A New Beginning by Nicole Moore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
For the most part I thought this was a really good read. However, I think the author was in too much of a hurry to have things move ahead when it came to training the horse and having horse and girl bond, since everything happened too quickly with that; a new animal needs time to adjust, especially if it's been mistreated in the past, and a horse that's basically skin and bone (as I was led to believe this one was when it arrived) shouldn't be ridden until it's built up its strength, especially not by a teenage girl almost immediately after it arrives. Other than that though, as I said, I thought the book was really good.

Kick On! by Nicole Moore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book was better than the first. It's a shame several editing issues let it down, or it might have been a five star read.

***~~~***

Click here to view all my reviews on Goodreads. The link takes you to where you can view everything on my bookshelves on Goodreads, be it books I've read, the book I'm currently reading, or the books I've marked as to-read, and should be able to be viewed by non-Goodreads members as well as those who are on Goodreads.

Inside Our Heads (AE&D)

When I'm checking my Twitter notifications, I see the list of top ten trending items, and have gotten in the habit of checking what they are. I mean, I might as well since JAWS makes me scroll through them to get to my notifications anyway, right?

So, whild doing so on September 12th, I discovered it was National Video Games Day.

If it's some kind of holiday - well known or not - that's generally among the trending items, and I usually tell Kelly if it's a national or international day of something, as well as what it's the national or international day of. So, I told him it's National Video Games Day.

In reply, he said, "I thought that was every day; it is for me!"

Not only was his reply funny in itself, but it was made even more so by the fact those had been my exact thoughts - unvoiced at the time - on learning it was National Read A Book Day almost a week before... Every day is read a book day for me!

***

Me: “One of my socks is all lost and alone. If you see it, please tell it I miss it and want it to come home.”

Kelly (in a totally neutral and relaxed tone): “OK. I’ll look for it in a sec.”

I'm thinking when conversations like these are normal, it's time to be concerned for my sanity... Or, was that time ages ago? *Wink*

*Sensative readers may be pleased to know that, with the exception of a little distress for all concerned, no humans or socks were harmed - intentionally or otherwise - in the making of this post. The sock in question was later discovered in a crumpled heap of misery on the floor in the small gap between the washing machine and tumble dryer. It has since been reunited with its twin, and is no worse for wear from its ordeal.

***

A couple of weeks ago, we reached level five in our Pathfinder roleplaying adventure. The following is part of the conversation that took place while we were sorting out the new skills and stats for our characters, in particular while we were updating the new skills and stats for Kelly's paladin character...

Dad (GM): "OK, so what did you take?"
Kelly: "I got another channel."*
Me: "What? Like BBC Sport?"

(I appologize for my choice of channels... It was the first one that popped in to my head that we don't have).

*Note for non-roleplayers: channel is one of the healing spells certain characters can get, and is used to heal several people at once, but you're limited to how many times you can use it in a day (as in a game time day; not the same as a gaming session, or real life day) depending on how many times you've "taken" it during character creation or leveling.

#Furkid Friday: A #Chinchilla #Photo Shoot

Hi everyone. This is Maizie the chinchilla.

The Mummy human decided we hadn't had our photos done enough since we came to live with these human caretakers, so she decided we should have a short photo shoot. Quite frankly, we agreed we needed more photos, so we were willing to play along.

Please excuse the shots were our eyes look funny colours... It's the light catching us, not our eye colour.

Anyway...

This is me:


Here I am again, this time sitting on our gnawing block:


The human caretakers opened the cage door to get better shots. Mollie was more interested in the human caretakers themselves, but I was checking out how much of a drop there was to the ground:


The human caretakers did say I could come out if I wanted to, but I decided it looked too scary. I love coming out and climbing on the Mummy human (her shoulder is a good place to sit, for example) but I'm not so keen on the idea of running free. I keep considering it, but I'm not ready yet. Or, I wasn't when these shots were taken, anyway.

Mollie, on the other hand, isn't the least bit interested in getting freedom right now, and instead took the invitation to come out as her cue to climb on to the Mummy human's arm for some cuddle time:


She did climb on to the Mummy human's shoulder a little while later - and so did I - but the humans had put away the flashy thing by then, so they missed getting that shot. I expect they'll keep trying though.

Squeak soon,
Maizie

#Writing Wednesday - September 28th 2016

Do you enjoy historical fiction? How about historical fantasy? Or, alternative history with a science fiction element to it? If the answer to any - or all - of those is yes, would you be interested in reading some stories set in and around the Battle of Hastings? If so, you'll be pleased to know that four brand new ones are coming soon to celebrate the battle's 950th anniversary this October.

A group of Smashwords authors - Barbara G.Tarn, L J Hick, Steph Bennion, and myself - have written stories based in and around the battle, which will officially become available on October 14th 2016... Exactly 950 years after the date that this particular historical event is said to have taken place.

Most of the posts about these stories are going up next month, but the eBooks have been pre-released, and you can find details and pre-order links in this post done by one of the authors involved, if you don't want to wait until next month to learn more.

***

If you're a writer too, you may be interested in knowing just how useful Apple Notes can be. I know I find it really useful, since I can't just grab a notebook and pen/pencil to take notes, jot down ideas, etc, any more. Apple Notes is one of the most used things on my iPhone. I haven't fully gotten the hang of it yet, since using touch screen technology when you can't see is even more frustrating than doing so when you can. However, I am starting to get the hang of it, and learning how useful it can be. The article I just linked to gives you some idea of options for what you can do with it though.

Anyway...

Have you ever thought about using the seasons in your writing? It can really help to breathe life in to your story, and pull the reader in to it even more.

There are certain grammar issues that always need to be fixed. However, there are also some that are just an example of how language is changing and evolving. For more on this topic, take a look at these six answers fiction writers have for the grammar police.

Before you publish - especially if you plan to self-publish, though it can't hurt to do so if you plan to go down the traditional publishing route - take a look at these five legal terms every author should know

***

Did you always love writing, but now find yourself struggling to find the passion you once felt? Then read this post on rekindling the flame, and this one on how to stay motivated in your writing journey. Then make sure to remember you are not alone.

Looking to make a career out of your writing? Great! Before you get too carried away though, here are some writing dreams and harsh realities, which you should bear in mind if you want to have a successful writing career, but can ignore if you just write for fun.

R.I.P. Jenks

We woke up this morning to find that one of our degus, Jenks, had made that journey across the rainbow bridge during the night.

Since we were asleep when it happened, we don't know exactly what time it was. But we know it was some time between 4:00am and 9:00am,, since he was fine and playing shortly before 4:00am, and it was shortly after 9:00am we found him when we got up. He appears to have gone quietly in his sleep.

R.I.P. Jenks
March 9th 2013 - September 26th 2016.

Rest in peace little degu buddy... You will be missed, Jenksy boy!

September 2016 #Vegetarian Friendly #Food Themed Thoughts (FD)

I like trying new fruits and vegetables. Be it ones I never got around to tasting in the past for whatever reason, ones I'm not sure if I've tried or not, or ones I don't remember if I liked when I tried them.

So, when the opportunity to do so presented itself, I tried a sharon fruit recently... After I Googled it to learn how exactly one goes about eating such a fruit.

Have you ever had one? If you have, what did you think of it?

For those who haven't tried a sharon fruit: it has a strange sort of taste... Sort of makes me think of a cross between a watermelon and a pear, and has the consistancy of a soft pear. Sorry, but that's the best way I can describe it.

Anyway, I thought it tasted OK. Not amazing, but OK. I mean, I didn't dislike it, but it won't be making its way in to my favourite fruits list any time soon, that's for sure.

I read somewhere online - when I was looking up what exactly one does with a sharon fruit - that adding a little lime juice to it can improve the taste. So, I tried doing that, and do agree that it improves the taste a little; makes it a bit sweeter. But still not enough to make it a new favourite fruit of mine.

I still prefer grapes, cherries, and berries of various types (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries, in that order). Oh, and rhubarb too... I love rhubarb... Especially if it's made in to a crumble, although cobblers and pies are also acceptable, and so is just a bowl of sweetened stewed rhubarb (either sweetened by adding yogurt to it to take away some of the tartness to the taste, or sweetened using sugar or something... I'm not fussy).

***

There's a cafe that's technically below the front of our building, right on the seafront. We can smell the food cooking from our apartment, and have been meaning to try it out since we moved in here a little over a year and a half ago. Honestly, if I had a penny for every time I've said I'd like to try the place to see if the food's as good as it smells, I'd be rich! We never did get around to trying the place out though... Until this month.

Alittle over two weeks ago, Kelly and I finally went for lunch at the cafe. We'd hoped to actually sit at one of the outside tables, and have our lunch out in the open, literally across the road from the beach. But it was a beautiful day, and there wasn't an empty outside table in sight, despite it being a weekday after the school term had started back. Even a few of the inside tables were already occupied, as well as a couple of the comfy sofas and chairs they had for people who just wanted to sit and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, and didn't need more than a coffee table.

Anyway, it was a really nice little place. We tried out one of the sofas first, but moved to a table to eat, since there was no way I was going to be able to eat my food without a table. The sofa was more comfortable than the chair at the table, of course, but even that wasn't too bad when it came to comfort. They had it cool enough in there that it being a nice day didn't make it too hot inside, even with them cooking, but also had several fans available if needed, which is nice. We also noticed they had a couple of bowls on hand - stacked up not too far from the door - to use for water for dogs (though I think the dogs are only allowed at the outside tables). Not really something that's an issue for us these days, but still something we thought was a nice touch.

When it comes to drinks: they do a variety of hot and cold drinks, including homemade lemonade, herbal and regular teas, a couple of different kinds of coffee, and a variety of other soft drinks. Kelly had a coke as well as trying their American style coffee, which he really enjoyed, while I tried one of their herbal teas as well as their home made lemonade (which had lime and mint added to it) and I really enjoyed both.

When it comes to food: they do a variety of sandwiches, croissants, toast, and a selection of meals. Most of the meals seemed to be Indian dishes, but I'm not complaining, since they had several vegetarian options available, and I always love when a place has a good vegetarian selection. Plus, I do like Indian food. Kelly tried their cheese and tomato toastie, while I tried a dish that was a form of chickpea biryani served with salad and mango chutney, and we both enjoyed our food. They also had a variety of cakes available, so Kelly had a piece of chocolate cake, while I had a slice of carrot cake, and we really enjoyed those too.

The service was excellent too. They were friendly, didn't mind explaining to me what the different dishes contained so I could know for certain what I was ordering, and we didn't have to wait long for our food or drinks even though they were quite busy. They were also content for us to linger as long as we wanted over our food and drinks, and made no move to attempt to whisk away plates or cups until they were absolutely certain we were done with them.

Plus, unlike some people, who obviously speak differently to me than to Kelly, just because it's obvious I can't see (especially when I walk through the door using my cane) they actually spoke directly to me as if I was any other customer, which gives them extra brownie points in my book to start with, since I hate when people either speak to me differently, or won't speak directly to me.

All in all, it was a very pleasant lunch out: great atmosphere, great service, and great food.

Would I go there again? Absolutely! Would I recommend it to a friend? Yes! After all, it was so good that even Kelly - who doesn't really like Indian food, and therefore was the one limited for meal options - enjoyed it enough to want to go back.

For my part, I actually said while I was there that if I could still see to write with a notebook and pen, I'd quite happily have just stayed there for the afternoon to write while they brought me drinks. In fact, if the battery lasted better, and using touch screen keyboards for long stretches of time wasn't so frustrating, I might have just done so using my phone to do the writing on. I have Apple Notes, after all... Haha!

Of course, we'll still make our regular visits to the cafe up the street from us, which also has a friendly atmosphere, and does the most amazing cheese omletts and egg baguettes. As well as the odd visit to the one by the train station that also has friendly staff, and does absolutely fantastic garlic bread. But it's nice to have another option. Especially when it's another option with both staff who will speak to me like I'm any other customer, and several vegetarian friendly meals for me to choose from.

By the way: no, that's not all those other cafes do... Those are just my favourite foods from those particular places. I just thought I'd point that out, in case you were wondering.

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Don't forget, my website has a recipe section, which you may want to take a look at (if you haven't already done so). Most of the recipes listed there are vegetarian friendly, and several are also vegan friendly.

You may also want to check out these three simple recipes, which my friend, Dorkys, posted last month.

#Furkid Friday: Jacob The #Degu Checks In

Hi humans, rodent types, and anyone else reading this.

This is Jacob the degu.

The human caretakers took this photo of me soon after my fur started to grow back, and my sore patches started to heal up, so I thought I'd post it. Here you go:


My fur still hasn't grown back properly, and I still have some sore patches, but I'm doing better than I was a couple of months ago, which is what matters.

Plus, not having quite as much fur was kind of a good thing with all the hot weather we had this Summer. Not that I'm pleased I lost some fur where I was sick and stressed. I'm just looking on the bright side.

Squeak soon,
Jacob