Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 165
April 24, 2015
Furkid Friday - April 24th 2015
Hellooo everyone!
This is Baggins - the cutest and bounciest gerbil ever - and I have the most amazing news in the history of amazing news... It's almost time for mine and Bilbo's book to be officially released!
See... I told you it was amazing news!
The book is called "Home Squeak Home" and tells the story of the exciting adventure that was our move from the place the humans call "petstore" to live with these humans we have; as dictated to the Mummy human by Bilbo and myself, of course, since we couldn't rely on her to manage it without our help. I mean, she's a great writer and all that, but I bet she'd have forgotten some important points of the story if we hadn't been telling her what to write; she can be quite the scatterbrain sometimes, after all.
Of course, she also had to get our permission to do the changes needed, since we had to change a couple of things; for a start, we had to use different names, because we're named after this little guy called a hobbit, who went on an amazing adventure with a bunch of dwarves, and a wizard... I don't know all the details, because I got bored of listening to the story; it's too long for me. But, it's still us in the "Home Squeak Home" story... Honest!
Anyway, the official day for the book to be available is this coming Tuesday, which is April 28th... There will be a proper bloggy post announcement thingy about it from the Mummy human on the day, but I'm so excited that I had to tell you now! I love adventures, and I love that we have our very own book, and will be famous!
Bilbo's not as keen on adventures as me, but he is excited about the book; says it's the kind of story he could really get his teeth in to.
Squeak soon,
Baggins
This is Baggins - the cutest and bounciest gerbil ever - and I have the most amazing news in the history of amazing news... It's almost time for mine and Bilbo's book to be officially released!
See... I told you it was amazing news!
The book is called "Home Squeak Home" and tells the story of the exciting adventure that was our move from the place the humans call "petstore" to live with these humans we have; as dictated to the Mummy human by Bilbo and myself, of course, since we couldn't rely on her to manage it without our help. I mean, she's a great writer and all that, but I bet she'd have forgotten some important points of the story if we hadn't been telling her what to write; she can be quite the scatterbrain sometimes, after all.
Of course, she also had to get our permission to do the changes needed, since we had to change a couple of things; for a start, we had to use different names, because we're named after this little guy called a hobbit, who went on an amazing adventure with a bunch of dwarves, and a wizard... I don't know all the details, because I got bored of listening to the story; it's too long for me. But, it's still us in the "Home Squeak Home" story... Honest!
Anyway, the official day for the book to be available is this coming Tuesday, which is April 28th... There will be a proper bloggy post announcement thingy about it from the Mummy human on the day, but I'm so excited that I had to tell you now! I love adventures, and I love that we have our very own book, and will be famous!
Bilbo's not as keen on adventures as me, but he is excited about the book; says it's the kind of story he could really get his teeth in to.
Squeak soon,
Baggins
April 22, 2015
Wednesday's writing related ramblings: special anniversary edition - April 22nd 2015
Three years ago today, I published my first book on Smashwords.
The book was "Mr. Pumpkin-Head And Other Poems" and to celebrate its third birthday, I'm offering it at just 30% of its regular price. Simply go to the Smashwords page for "Mr. Pumpkin-Head And Other Poems, add it to your cart, and enter coupon code QC34R at checkout.
But... That's not all!
I'm also offering the following three books at half price:
Cubby And The Beanstalk (with coupon code ZT39U).
Goodies For Grandmother (with coupon code JZ55B).
Snowball The Oddball Kobold (with coupon code TK39H).
All coupons are valid until May 1st 2015.
Please note that these coupons are exclusively for use on Smashwords, and will not work on any other retailer's website. However, since Smashwords offers so many formats - and I make my books available in all that they offer - they will work for you regardless of your prefered method of reading ebooks, whether it be with a Kindle, with a Nook, with some other sort of eReader, or on the computer.
Feel free to share these coupon codes with your family, friends, book loving pets, neighbours, random people you meet on the street... Anyone, really!
Before I end this post, I'd like to thank everyone who's supported me over the past three years by buying my books, and by leaving reviews and spreading the word about them. You're amazing people, and I appreciate everything you've done to help support me as an author!
The book was "Mr. Pumpkin-Head And Other Poems" and to celebrate its third birthday, I'm offering it at just 30% of its regular price. Simply go to the Smashwords page for "Mr. Pumpkin-Head And Other Poems, add it to your cart, and enter coupon code QC34R at checkout.
But... That's not all!
I'm also offering the following three books at half price:
Cubby And The Beanstalk (with coupon code ZT39U).
Goodies For Grandmother (with coupon code JZ55B).
Snowball The Oddball Kobold (with coupon code TK39H).
All coupons are valid until May 1st 2015.
Please note that these coupons are exclusively for use on Smashwords, and will not work on any other retailer's website. However, since Smashwords offers so many formats - and I make my books available in all that they offer - they will work for you regardless of your prefered method of reading ebooks, whether it be with a Kindle, with a Nook, with some other sort of eReader, or on the computer.
Feel free to share these coupon codes with your family, friends, book loving pets, neighbours, random people you meet on the street... Anyone, really!
Before I end this post, I'd like to thank everyone who's supported me over the past three years by buying my books, and by leaving reviews and spreading the word about them. You're amazing people, and I appreciate everything you've done to help support me as an author!
April 20, 2015
Monday's random mutterings - April 20th 2015
The above photo of the boats on the ocean was taken looking out of our living room window on Easter Monday.
***
We've had some beautiful weather lately!
Some days it's been warm enough that I'm very grateful for the fact there's always at least a slight breeze coming in from the ocean, since I don't do well with a lot of heat, and we don't have air conditioning (few places do over here).
I'm not 100% certain on temperatures, but I think it's been hovering around the low 20s C (lo 70s F). That's just on average though; some days it's been a bit cooler, other days it's been warmer. It's the days it's been warmer that I've been grateful for the sea breeze!
***
This past Wednesday was my appointment to go to the hospital to see the dentist.
My anemia didn't cause any problems - even though my iron level was quite low, according to the blood test they did last month - so that was a good thing, and meant I didn't end up staying in hospital.
The only real complication we had was that the wisdom tooth on the same side as the tooth I spent four months in pain from had the start of an infection again. It was that tooth getting infected (probably because of how it was broken) that caused the swelling, that caused the irritation, that caused the problem with the tooth I had to have out.
Anyway, infected teeth don't take well to the stuff they use to numb the area, so we had quite a job numbing it enough that the dentist could pull it out. He actually almost gave up, but finally got it numbed enough, and pulled it out. When he finally could pull it out, I nearly swallowed it, but he luckily caught it just in time.
The only other issue was that I couldn't keep the gauze stuff in my mouth for as long as they'd have liked me to. From the moment it went in my mouth, I was gagging and wretching (and almost bit the dentist's fingers while he was attempting to adjust it). So I had to take it out sooner than you're really supposed to, and they just had me sit quietly for a while, and made sure the bleeding appeared to have stopped before they let me leave (luckily, my body was being co-operative, and I stopped bleeding quite quickly).
They gave us some gauze to take home in case it started to bleed again, and told us to call or go to A&E (ER) if it started to bleed too much, or if I was feeling really dizzy or anything. But it was fine. I felt a tiny bit dizzy, but not enough that I was concerned. I spent the evening laying on the bed with a book anyway, and was fine by the following morning.
I'll get an appointment soon to go back and have the wisdom tooth on the other side out. I could have made the appointment while I was there, but it was a hot day, and - of course - they had the heat on at the hospital, so I just wanted out of there to where there was a chance of feeling some of the breeze from the ocean. That's why I wasn't too concerned about the tiny bit of dizziness... I think at least part of it was caused by the heat.
***
Book Riot has some great articles about books and reading, as well as book reviews and such.
If you're a big book lover, you may want to check it out!
***
A little something for the Terry Pratchett fans among my readers...
It seems there's to be another Discworld book, which Terry Pratchett managed to finnish last Summer.
Check out the post about it for more details.
I'll be grabbing a copy, that's for sure!
April 17, 2015
Furkid Friday - April 17th 2015
Hi humans, rodents, and everyone else. This is Jasper the degu.
I arranged a new blankie for our nesting box:
My "blankie" was supposed to be our hammocks, but I decided I wanted them in our nesting box. The Mummy human says I can keep my blankie for now. She can't put it back on the hooks anyway, because I damaged the corners pulling it off, so she says I might as well. The humans are arranging replacements for the hammocks.
Meanwhile, my brother, Jenks, has a project of his own.
The humans got us a cargo net style climbing toy, and Jenks has been hard at work destroying it. He's finally made some real progress:
I'm not sure if the humans have any plans for when he succeeds in destroying the last of it.
Anyway, here's Jacob on our wheel:
While Joshua and I have some cuddle time:
That's all for today.
Squeak soon,
Jasper
I arranged a new blankie for our nesting box:
My "blankie" was supposed to be our hammocks, but I decided I wanted them in our nesting box. The Mummy human says I can keep my blankie for now. She can't put it back on the hooks anyway, because I damaged the corners pulling it off, so she says I might as well. The humans are arranging replacements for the hammocks.
Meanwhile, my brother, Jenks, has a project of his own.
The humans got us a cargo net style climbing toy, and Jenks has been hard at work destroying it. He's finally made some real progress:
I'm not sure if the humans have any plans for when he succeeds in destroying the last of it.
Anyway, here's Jacob on our wheel:
While Joshua and I have some cuddle time:
That's all for today.
Squeak soon,
Jasper
April 15, 2015
Wednesday's writing related ramblings - April 15th 2015
It's a shame my laptop no longer holds its charge well enough that I can use it for more than a few minutes without it being plugged in, or I could have made the most of the little over three hours I spent on trains last Thursday going to and from London (the trip is a little over an hour and a half each way).
It's times like that my lack of sight is frustrating, because I would have had pen and paper as an option if I could still see; and I'd have used the option, as I've done on train rides many times in the past... I always used to have pen and paper with me, and have written while on trains (and busses) so many times I couldn't begin to count them. I actually often miss being able to do so.
However, since neither the laptop nor pen and paper were an option, I got no writing done on Thursday... I took my Kindle and read instead, and was too tired to do much of anything when I got home.
Thursday was fun though, so I'm not complaining!
Besides, I got my poem for this week written for my personal NaPoWriMo challenge, and did some work on the "Zeena Dragon Fae" books too. So I achieved this week's writing goals, which is all that matters. :)
***
Are you new to writing? Or, perhaps, you've been writing for ages, but are only now thinking about publishing?
Either way, here's how to thrive as an indipendant author; in case you were thinking of going down that route.
***
Got an eReader that's not a Kindle? Check out the listings on this site; you may just find your next great read! A couple of the authors have paperback versions of their books listed too.
Also, if you're an author and you've got a book you want listed on the site, which is available in formats other than mobi, on sites other than Amazon, you're in luck! Simply follow these instructions and you'll soon have your very own listing.
It's times like that my lack of sight is frustrating, because I would have had pen and paper as an option if I could still see; and I'd have used the option, as I've done on train rides many times in the past... I always used to have pen and paper with me, and have written while on trains (and busses) so many times I couldn't begin to count them. I actually often miss being able to do so.
However, since neither the laptop nor pen and paper were an option, I got no writing done on Thursday... I took my Kindle and read instead, and was too tired to do much of anything when I got home.
Thursday was fun though, so I'm not complaining!
Besides, I got my poem for this week written for my personal NaPoWriMo challenge, and did some work on the "Zeena Dragon Fae" books too. So I achieved this week's writing goals, which is all that matters. :)
***
Are you new to writing? Or, perhaps, you've been writing for ages, but are only now thinking about publishing?
Either way, here's how to thrive as an indipendant author; in case you were thinking of going down that route.
***
Got an eReader that's not a Kindle? Check out the listings on this site; you may just find your next great read! A couple of the authors have paperback versions of their books listed too.
Also, if you're an author and you've got a book you want listed on the site, which is available in formats other than mobi, on sites other than Amazon, you're in luck! Simply follow these instructions and you'll soon have your very own listing.
April 13, 2015
Cafe In The Crypt & The Sherlock Holmes Museum (LBE & FD)
Last Thursday (April 9th 2015) Kelly and I went up to London for the day.
We got a train up to Charing Cross, where we met up with author, writer, and world creator - not to mention, friend of mine - Barb, who we had lunch with at Cafe In The Crypt at St Martins In The Field.
Here are some photos Kelly took while we were in the cafe:
And here's a photo of me and Barb that was taken just outside the cafe:
Barb brought me a couple of gifts...
These beautiful necklaces, which she made a while back, when she used to make jewelry:
And some French chocolate:
Fantastic gifts, I think... Thanks again, Barb! :)
After we'd had lunch on Thursday, we headed to The Sherlock Holmes museum and Barb took a photo of Kelly and me outside it before she left us to join the long line to get in. Here's the photo:
These are our tickets to enter the museum:
We still have them, which is lucky, because we wouldn't have gotten photos otherwise, since we didn't think to take photos of them at the time; the photos of the tickets were taken at home the day after our trip up to London.
Anyway, since only a limited number of people could go in at once, this nice police man was in charge of making sure only a certain number of people went inside at once:
After a bit of a wait - though, not as long a wait as we were told to expect - we went inside.
First stop, Sherlock Holmes' study:
Where I took a seat on his sofa...
(Yes, it was OK to do so; the woman supervising us told me to sit on any of the chairs I wanted; I only sat on the sofa though).
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would have likely had a similar study in which to sit and write the adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Though I dare say he wouldn't have been as concerned as us about whether or not his presence disturbed anything in it, and I bet his wasn't as tidy either; at least, not for very long. It would be great to have a study like that where I could work on my writing!
Anyway, the next stop was Sherlock Holmes' bedroom:
Where I stood for a while...
...Talking to the woman who was supervising us.
While Kelly got shots of some of the other things there were to see...
Like the things in Dr. Watson's room:
Some letters to Sherlock holmes:
And some Sherlock Holmes themed waxworks:
Then I got to try on some hats:
Before we headed to the gift shop, where I got my very own Sherlock Bear:
After that, we got a taxi from near Baker Street station back to Charing Cross station to go home, which took us past Trafalgar Square, so we grabbed a photo of Nelson's Column and three of the lions while we were waiting in traffic:
OK, we actually did the photo because I wanted one of the lions; I admit it... I'm obsessed with lions!
I'd have liked to stop and go see the lions, but we weren't sure how easy it would be to get a taxi afterwards, and didn't want to have to pay the one we had to wait for us - nor did we want to have to walk from there to Charing Cross, since we'd have probably managed to get lost. Should have thought about it when we still had Barb with us, since she'd have probably known the way. Actually, I'm positive she would have, since the cafe wasn't far from where the lions were, so I'm kicking myself for not thinking about it at the time. But I didn't, so I didn't get to make friends with the lions... Maybe another time?
Anyway, that was our day out in London, which was exhausting but fun!
Oh, and.. Yes.. I did get my hair cut; in case you noticed, and were going to ask. I had it done a week before these photos were taken.
We got a train up to Charing Cross, where we met up with author, writer, and world creator - not to mention, friend of mine - Barb, who we had lunch with at Cafe In The Crypt at St Martins In The Field.
Here are some photos Kelly took while we were in the cafe:
And here's a photo of me and Barb that was taken just outside the cafe:
Barb brought me a couple of gifts...
These beautiful necklaces, which she made a while back, when she used to make jewelry:
And some French chocolate:
Fantastic gifts, I think... Thanks again, Barb! :)
After we'd had lunch on Thursday, we headed to The Sherlock Holmes museum and Barb took a photo of Kelly and me outside it before she left us to join the long line to get in. Here's the photo:
These are our tickets to enter the museum:
We still have them, which is lucky, because we wouldn't have gotten photos otherwise, since we didn't think to take photos of them at the time; the photos of the tickets were taken at home the day after our trip up to London.Anyway, since only a limited number of people could go in at once, this nice police man was in charge of making sure only a certain number of people went inside at once:
After a bit of a wait - though, not as long a wait as we were told to expect - we went inside.
First stop, Sherlock Holmes' study:
Where I took a seat on his sofa...
(Yes, it was OK to do so; the woman supervising us told me to sit on any of the chairs I wanted; I only sat on the sofa though).Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would have likely had a similar study in which to sit and write the adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Though I dare say he wouldn't have been as concerned as us about whether or not his presence disturbed anything in it, and I bet his wasn't as tidy either; at least, not for very long. It would be great to have a study like that where I could work on my writing!
Anyway, the next stop was Sherlock Holmes' bedroom:
Where I stood for a while...
...Talking to the woman who was supervising us.While Kelly got shots of some of the other things there were to see...
Like the things in Dr. Watson's room:
Some letters to Sherlock holmes:
And some Sherlock Holmes themed waxworks:
Then I got to try on some hats:
Before we headed to the gift shop, where I got my very own Sherlock Bear:
After that, we got a taxi from near Baker Street station back to Charing Cross station to go home, which took us past Trafalgar Square, so we grabbed a photo of Nelson's Column and three of the lions while we were waiting in traffic:
OK, we actually did the photo because I wanted one of the lions; I admit it... I'm obsessed with lions!
I'd have liked to stop and go see the lions, but we weren't sure how easy it would be to get a taxi afterwards, and didn't want to have to pay the one we had to wait for us - nor did we want to have to walk from there to Charing Cross, since we'd have probably managed to get lost. Should have thought about it when we still had Barb with us, since she'd have probably known the way. Actually, I'm positive she would have, since the cafe wasn't far from where the lions were, so I'm kicking myself for not thinking about it at the time. But I didn't, so I didn't get to make friends with the lions... Maybe another time?
Anyway, that was our day out in London, which was exhausting but fun!
Oh, and.. Yes.. I did get my hair cut; in case you noticed, and were going to ask. I had it done a week before these photos were taken.
April 10, 2015
Furkid Friday - April 10th 2015
Um... Hi again, everyone. It's me, Skye the rat.
Like my sister, Star, told you last week, I like this new place we live in. But, you know what? The thing I liked most of everything that happened with this moving thing was that my sister showed everyone that she really does love me, which made me feel really good!
You see, for the first little while after we moved, I was too scared to do more than quickly poke my nose out of our wooden house. So, Star was bringing me nibbles. She would grab some from the bowls, and run all the way down to bring it to me; she'd leave it in the doorway of the house, so I could just grab it and duck back inside while she ran back for more. Which just goes to show... My sister might be a real bully sometimes, but she does love me!
Anyway...
The humans have been playing with that flashy thing again, so here's a new photo of me:
Star just loves to pose for the camera, so here are a couple of new photos of her too:
Squeak soon,
Skye
Like my sister, Star, told you last week, I like this new place we live in. But, you know what? The thing I liked most of everything that happened with this moving thing was that my sister showed everyone that she really does love me, which made me feel really good!
You see, for the first little while after we moved, I was too scared to do more than quickly poke my nose out of our wooden house. So, Star was bringing me nibbles. She would grab some from the bowls, and run all the way down to bring it to me; she'd leave it in the doorway of the house, so I could just grab it and duck back inside while she ran back for more. Which just goes to show... My sister might be a real bully sometimes, but she does love me!
Anyway...
The humans have been playing with that flashy thing again, so here's a new photo of me:
Star just loves to pose for the camera, so here are a couple of new photos of her too:
Squeak soon,
Skye
April 8, 2015
Wednesday's writing related ramblings - April 8th 2015
This week,I wrote my poem for my personal NaPoWriMo challenge - well, actually, I wrote two short poems - and did some more work on "Zeena And The Dryad" too.
The "Zeena Dragon Fae" books are coming along more slowly than I had hoped, and there will end up being bigger gaps between releases than there usually are with my books. But there's progress, so I'm happy with that. Besides, a story takes as long as it does to be finnished, and I'd rather have a longer gap between releases than rush a book and publish it before it's ready.
If you're a writer too... Are you happy with where things are with your own writing projects? Or, are you feeling down because you aren't where you'd like to be with your writing? This article discusses the continuum that is writing, and may help you feel better about it.
Also, here are 22 rules of storytelling according to Emma Coates; you never know, they may come in handy some time.
***
This site/blog is only just getting started, but it's worth checking out, and bookmarking for future reference. It's called "Indies Who Publish Everywhere" and is a site to help you find books by indipendantly published and self-published authors who aren't Amazon exclusive. Some of my own books are listed on there. So, if you like to read books, but haven't got a Kindle - especially if you like discovering new authors - then you should keep an eye on this site. Also, if you're an indipendant or self-published author who isn't Amazon exclusive, then you may want to contact Amber to submit your own book details... Instructions are on the site.
The "Zeena Dragon Fae" books are coming along more slowly than I had hoped, and there will end up being bigger gaps between releases than there usually are with my books. But there's progress, so I'm happy with that. Besides, a story takes as long as it does to be finnished, and I'd rather have a longer gap between releases than rush a book and publish it before it's ready.
If you're a writer too... Are you happy with where things are with your own writing projects? Or, are you feeling down because you aren't where you'd like to be with your writing? This article discusses the continuum that is writing, and may help you feel better about it.
Also, here are 22 rules of storytelling according to Emma Coates; you never know, they may come in handy some time.
***
This site/blog is only just getting started, but it's worth checking out, and bookmarking for future reference. It's called "Indies Who Publish Everywhere" and is a site to help you find books by indipendantly published and self-published authors who aren't Amazon exclusive. Some of my own books are listed on there. So, if you like to read books, but haven't got a Kindle - especially if you like discovering new authors - then you should keep an eye on this site. Also, if you're an indipendant or self-published author who isn't Amazon exclusive, then you may want to contact Amber to submit your own book details... Instructions are on the site.
April 6, 2015
Monday's random mutterings - April 6th 2015 (FD)
Things to know - some interesting, some just for fun!
***
Today is Easter Monday... Happy Easter!
Did the Easter Bunny pay you a visit? Did he leave you any chocolate eggs? Or other kinds of chocolate? If he did, try not to eat all that chocolate at once; I know it's tasty, but it's not worth the tummy ache!
Since we focus our celebrations around the Equinox, the Easter Bunny comes early to us. I got three chocolate eggs, and two of them came with gifts:
Also, we got these cards recently:
The Easter one is from Nan, Dad, and Dad's girlfriend, Cath. The new home one is from Grandma.
We did actually get two new home cards, but I don't remember if we got a photo of the one we got from Rita? I don't think we did... I don't remember for sure though. But, anyway, what really matters is that we got the card, and are grateful for it; Rita sent us our first "happy mail" in our new home!
So, thank you, Easter Bunny, Rita, Grandma, Nan, Dad, and Cath!
***
I held a Barn Owl on Thursday.
Yes... As I said on Facebook... "A real, live, flapping her wings as she adjusted her position, giving me affectionate nips with her beak, Barn owl!"
The people with the owls - I think the same ones who had Big bird the European Eagle Owl back in September, but I didn't think to ask - were at the market when we went there while we were in town on Thursday.
The woman asked if I wanted to pet Maisy the Barn Owl, which I did, and we were about to leave (after giving them a small donation for their collection bucket) when the man asked if I'd like to hold her.
I just said "can I?" but my tone was enough to tell him that was a "hell, yeah!" So, he grabbed Maisy off the woman, to give her to me.
I was so eager to hold her, I actually handed my cane over to Kelly without prompting to free up both my hands; usually I don't let go of that stick when we're out (at least, not without plenty of reasurances as to where it will be, and the fact that location won't be far from me). But I needed my hands free, and was more interested at that moment in the fact I was going to be holding an owl, than in the fact that cane is the only thing stopping me having to completely rely on others to get about when I'm out in the big wide world.
Anyway, the man put the glove on my hand, and Maisy got herself arranged comfortably, gave me a few more nips, and promptly went to sleep, so I guess she wasn't disturbed by me holding her, LOL!
Of course, we didn't have our camera wit us that day! We usually have it, but for some reason didn't... It's always the time you really want/need it that you'd don't have it, isn't it? *Sigh*
The man did take a photo for me with his phone, which he's supposed to e-mail to me, but I haven't gotten it yet. Hopefully it's just that he got busy with Easter and all that, in which case maybe he'll send it this week? Anyway, I'll post it when - or if - he sends it.
***
While running errands in town, we spotted this cup:
Kelly says the photo makes it look blue, but it's actually purple.
I used to have some red ones like it, but no longer have them for some reason. It's not a thermal cup or anything (though drinks do take longer to get to room temperature in it) but it having the lid means it's useful for reducing the chances of mess from potential spillages; something that's always a possibility with me around.
Plus, it's purple!
***
Now that the scaffolding is gone, and no longer blocking any of the view, here are a couple of better photos of the ocean view we can see from our living room:
***
Having a bad/stressful day? Here are 14 things to do when you're having a bad day - hope they make your day a better one!
***
Today is Easter Monday... Happy Easter!
Did the Easter Bunny pay you a visit? Did he leave you any chocolate eggs? Or other kinds of chocolate? If he did, try not to eat all that chocolate at once; I know it's tasty, but it's not worth the tummy ache!
Since we focus our celebrations around the Equinox, the Easter Bunny comes early to us. I got three chocolate eggs, and two of them came with gifts:
Also, we got these cards recently:
The Easter one is from Nan, Dad, and Dad's girlfriend, Cath. The new home one is from Grandma.
We did actually get two new home cards, but I don't remember if we got a photo of the one we got from Rita? I don't think we did... I don't remember for sure though. But, anyway, what really matters is that we got the card, and are grateful for it; Rita sent us our first "happy mail" in our new home!
So, thank you, Easter Bunny, Rita, Grandma, Nan, Dad, and Cath!
***
I held a Barn Owl on Thursday.
Yes... As I said on Facebook... "A real, live, flapping her wings as she adjusted her position, giving me affectionate nips with her beak, Barn owl!"
The people with the owls - I think the same ones who had Big bird the European Eagle Owl back in September, but I didn't think to ask - were at the market when we went there while we were in town on Thursday.
The woman asked if I wanted to pet Maisy the Barn Owl, which I did, and we were about to leave (after giving them a small donation for their collection bucket) when the man asked if I'd like to hold her.
I just said "can I?" but my tone was enough to tell him that was a "hell, yeah!" So, he grabbed Maisy off the woman, to give her to me.
I was so eager to hold her, I actually handed my cane over to Kelly without prompting to free up both my hands; usually I don't let go of that stick when we're out (at least, not without plenty of reasurances as to where it will be, and the fact that location won't be far from me). But I needed my hands free, and was more interested at that moment in the fact I was going to be holding an owl, than in the fact that cane is the only thing stopping me having to completely rely on others to get about when I'm out in the big wide world.
Anyway, the man put the glove on my hand, and Maisy got herself arranged comfortably, gave me a few more nips, and promptly went to sleep, so I guess she wasn't disturbed by me holding her, LOL!
Of course, we didn't have our camera wit us that day! We usually have it, but for some reason didn't... It's always the time you really want/need it that you'd don't have it, isn't it? *Sigh*
The man did take a photo for me with his phone, which he's supposed to e-mail to me, but I haven't gotten it yet. Hopefully it's just that he got busy with Easter and all that, in which case maybe he'll send it this week? Anyway, I'll post it when - or if - he sends it.
***
While running errands in town, we spotted this cup:
Kelly says the photo makes it look blue, but it's actually purple.
I used to have some red ones like it, but no longer have them for some reason. It's not a thermal cup or anything (though drinks do take longer to get to room temperature in it) but it having the lid means it's useful for reducing the chances of mess from potential spillages; something that's always a possibility with me around.
Plus, it's purple!
***
Now that the scaffolding is gone, and no longer blocking any of the view, here are a couple of better photos of the ocean view we can see from our living room:
***
Having a bad/stressful day? Here are 14 things to do when you're having a bad day - hope they make your day a better one!
April 3, 2015
Furkid Friday - April 3rd 2015
Hi humans, rats, and anyone else who's reading this. This is Star the rat.
Well, I'm not sure why we came to this new place, but it has a great view; day and night. I like to sit on the Mummy human's shoulder and look out of the window. Actually, her shoulder is a nice place to sit in general.
Here's a photo of me sat on her shoulder a couple of weeks ago...
I had been looking out of the window - which was the shot the humans had been hoping to get - but I turned around when I heard the camera turning on.
Anyway... Like I said... Nice place we've got here!
Even my scaredy-cat sister, Skye, is learning to like this new place, and has to admit the sound of the ocean is very relaxing. Don't let her tell you otherwise; she's been stretched out on the hammock looking completely relaxed while clearly listening to the sounds of the ocean... Ask the humans if you don't believe me!
Squeak soon,
Star
Well, I'm not sure why we came to this new place, but it has a great view; day and night. I like to sit on the Mummy human's shoulder and look out of the window. Actually, her shoulder is a nice place to sit in general.
Here's a photo of me sat on her shoulder a couple of weeks ago...
I had been looking out of the window - which was the shot the humans had been hoping to get - but I turned around when I heard the camera turning on.
Anyway... Like I said... Nice place we've got here!
Even my scaredy-cat sister, Skye, is learning to like this new place, and has to admit the sound of the ocean is very relaxing. Don't let her tell you otherwise; she's been stretched out on the hammock looking completely relaxed while clearly listening to the sounds of the ocean... Ask the humans if you don't believe me!
Squeak soon,
Star
Zigler News
Author and book news for children's author and poet, Victoria Zigler, as well as general news from the life of the Zigler family; furry and otherwise!
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