Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 60

#MondayMotivation, #Inspiration, And #Wisdom - #Quotes For August 26th 2019

A single dream is more powerful than a thousand realities.
~J.R.R. Tolkien

The journey between what you once were and who you are now becoming is where the dance of Life really takes place.
~Barbara De Angelis

Many people have gone a lot farther than they thought they could because someone else thought they could.
~Zig Ziglar

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
~Dr. Seuss

Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.
~Les Brown

Life is inherently risky. There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing.
~Denis Waitley

Leaving aside the perspective of spiritual practice, even in worldly terms, in terms of our enjoying a happy day-to-day existence, the calmer our minds are, the greater our peace of mind will be and the greater will be our ability to enjoy a happy and joyful life.
~Dalai Lama

Friends Of #FurkidFriday: Saangchai

Hi everyone. This is Lilie the Westie.

I have a new friend for you to meet again today. Let's see who it is, shall we?

So, new friend, what’s your name? Also, Mummy said the friend I was meeting today had an unusual name. So, tell me, is there a special meaning or a story behind your name?

My name is Saangchai and it means Happy Heart in Thai...It was the name I was given by the people who rescued me.  my mistress kept the name as she liked it and didn't want to confuse me by changing it.

I like it too... It's a great name, with a lovely meaning. Mummy loves when names have special meanings like that too.

So, Saangchai, what species and breed are you?

I am just called Thai Breed...by the vet.

Fair enough. I've never met one like you, but I'm sure you're a lovely dog. By the way, I know you sent a photo, so I'll share it with everyone, but please describe yourself too, for the benefit of those who can’t see the photo.

I am quite big and tan in colour with short hair...I am just the same golden colour all over no marking and have a curly tail.

OK, so, now I know who you are, but... What sort of place do you live in? Who do you share it with?

I am a house dog and live with my mistress and my best mate called Aston and little Lily.

Hey, that's just like my name! Although, your Lily spells hers a bit different. Anyway, it's great you have a few people to do things with at home. Speaking of which, what’s your favourite thing to do?

I like to sleep, play ball and run with my little master when he goes out on his bike

Sounds like loads of fun! Especially the playing with balls part... I love balls! Other toys are fun too, but balls are the best! Speaking of fun toys, do you have a favourite toy? If yes, what is it?

Not really as I just pull them to pieces and my mistress always worries I will swallow the squeak.

Ah, yes... I know what you mean. I'm tough on toys myself. Oh, but don't tell anyone I told you that... I always tell the humans it wasn't me. Shhh! Don't tell them, OK? They might stop my treats or something, and I wouldn't want to miss out on something good to eat.

On the subject of good things to eat, what’s your favourite food?

I like chicken and rice...I also get a marrow bone as a treat.

Great choice! I love chicken and rice too. Especially the chicken part.

By the way, speaking of things we love, what’s the one thing your human does that you love most?

I love to go for a walk and I always go to the shop with my master. If I am walking off my lead I only go to the end of the Soi and wait for my master to come back or sometimes I go back home on my own.

You're a good dog. I don't get to be off my lead outside, because Mummy and Daddy don't think I'd come back... Something about me being too easily distracted. Anyway, I'm glad yours don't have that problem with you, and you can enjoy that bit of freedom. Mind you, Mummy says it's also probably at least partially because you live in Thailand, and we don't. I don't know what that has to do with it, but Mummy says it makes a difference. I think it's just an excuse. Sometimes she can be unfair. I hate that! I love Mummy, but sometimes she does things I really hate... Daddy too sometimes.

Hey, Saangchai, what’s the one thing your human does that you hate most?

I don't like it when my mistress goes out without me she always gives me a treat and makes a fuss of me when she gets home. I also really don't like going to the vets.

I don't blame you for hating her going out without you. I hate that too. Why do they do that?

Talking of humans, Mummy says your human is a writer and blogger. Has she written anything about you? If yes, can
you tell us about it? If no, do you think she will in the future?

I write my own blog posts..When my mistress lets me on her laptop. She tells me I can have my own slot again just once a month starting in August...

Oh, that's great! I look forward to getting to read your posts each month. Bet Mummy does too. In the meantime, I'm curious... When it's your mistress doing the writing, what do you do while she writes?

I either sleep or I am in the garden with my master...

Ooohhh... Good choices! Outside is always a great place to be, and naps are great. In fact, it's almost time for my morning nap. So, Saangchai, before we end this, is there anything else you’d like people to know about you?

I am a soi dog and my mistress rescued me and gave me my forever home...

One of my posts about when my mistress was contacted by my Mum's mistress..her forever home is in England now https://carolcooks2.com/2016/06/29/saangchai-and-my-life-with-humans/

I'm really sorry you guys needed to be rescued, but glad you found your forever homes. Thanks for sharing that post with us. I hope people will go read it after they're done reading this one. Also, thanks for coming for a visit today.

***~~~***

You can find Saangchai's mistress, Carol Taylor, in the following places...
Blog: https://carolcooks2.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology, which you can find here: https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS

***~~~***

I hope you enjoyed getting to know my friend, Saangchai, and hearing a little about the humans he shares his life with.

By the way, we're looking for more friends to come over for a visit. So, if you're a bird, cat, chinchilla, degu, dog, gerbil, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit, rat, or other animal, share your home with a human who calls themselves a writer or blogger, and want to be featured as a Friend of Furkid Friday too, get in touch with us. Details on how to do that can be found on the "Friends Of Furkid Friday" page, where you can also see the posts for all the friends we've had over for a visit.

Lots of licks,
Lilie

#AmReading + #AmWatching - August 22nd 2019 #Reviews

We lose ourselves in books. We find ourselves there too.
~Unknown

It's time to take a look at what I've been reading and watching during this past week.

If you want to know more about the book, or the author, click on whichever it is you want to learn more about, and it will take you to the appropriate page on Goodreads. Clicking on my rating should take you to my actual Goodreads review for the book in question. Please bear in mind that the format I've reviewed on Goodreads may not be the format I actually read.

Alternatively, if it's a movie or TV show you want to know more about, just click on the title to go to a page where you can find out more details about the movie or TV show in question; the title links will usually take you to a page on IMDB.

Don't forget: I read and watch things across multiple genres, as well as for different age ranges, so you should always check before reading or viewing, to make certain something is suitable for the intended audience, especially when children are involved.

OK...

Here's what I read this week:

The Lost Diaries of Adrian Mole, 1999-2001 by Sue Townsend
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
There were parts of this that were highly entertaining, and which I loved. However, this was my least favourite of the series so far (bearing in mind, since I'm reading in publication order, this is book 7 for me). I thought, considering the timeframe it covers, it would be a diary of the events hinted at in the previous book (chronilogically, book 6 and 7 take place the other way around). The author seems to have totally forgotten about those plot points though, since things happen quite differently to how the previous book led me to believe they had. Also, while we did get glimpses in to the main characters thoughts and feelings about his personal life sometimes, there was more about the world events than his personal life, which doesn't seem right considering how he lives in his own little bubble most of the time in the books set both before and after this one. So, while I liked this book, I didn't love it the way I've loved the others in the series, and would even take the previous book, where the author's representation of a blind person irritated me, over this one.

Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years by Sue Townsend
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is an excellent addition to the series. I especially love the way the ending gives us hope that the rough times the main character has been facing will be coming to an end... He certainly deserves it after the events of this book, that's for sure!

As for what I've been watching:

I watched a movie with Kelly on Friday night, which I've reviewed for you below, since it was a new to me movie (one we've both been waiting eagerly to see, hence picking it for a shared movie night). I also declared a DVD day on Sunday, and spent the entire day watching the "Goosebumps" TV series. I ended up watching all five of the remaining disks for it. I wasn't going to watch them all, but when it got to the time I was going to stop, and I only had one disk left, I figured I might as well watch that one too. And, yes, I did enjoy the episodes. Anyway, on to that movie review...

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018 movie):
I've been waiting a long time to see this one. Longer than I usually do for anything Harry Potter related, since the original Harry Potter movies I actually went to the cinema to watch, but I've been waiting to watch this one at home, like I did with the first of the Fantastic Beasts movies. Anyway, Kelly and I both thought the first two-thirds of the story was relatively slow-paced, while the final part was rather action-packed. Personally, I didn't actually have a problem with this, since I enjoyed seeing the character development, and thought there was enough going on - including some pretty entertaining scenes with some of the magical creatures - that I didn't get bored. But Kelly felt most of the first two-thirds of the movie was, "A bit dull," himself. While I do agree the first one was somewhat better, and can see why he'd say that given his movie preferences, since he prefers there to be a lot of action in movies, I don't completely agree with him. However, as I said, I also don't think the movie was quite as good as the first Fantastic Beasts movie, despite all the cool magical creatures. So, I give this movie four out of five stars.

#WriterWednesday - August 21st 2019

If you're a blogger, you might be interested in checking out this post on ideas for keeping your blog fresh - especially if you're stuck for post ideas.

Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.
~ Picasso

Whether it's blogs or books you write, here's why there will always be people who don't understand your creative life - and that's okay!

Whether the people in your life are understanding or not, you'll never get around to writing all the stories in your heart, unfortunately. But you can write some of them. You just have to decide which ideas are most important to work on, and make those your priority. After all, it's possible that it's a great idea - but is it a great idea right now? That's the big question, and one you should really ask yourself whenever a new idea comes along when you're already working on something else. Frustrating as it is, you sometimes have to avoid chasing your ideas. As shiny as they may be, you really have to make them wait sometimes, otherwise you'll never end up finishing anything.

Regardless of which ideas you chase, though there are exceptions, like with most writing rules, as a general rule, you should be avoiding the use of cliches in your writing. Although, you can use them sparingly... In dialogue sometimes, for example. Even then though, be careful not to over-use them.

Next, here's a post that discusses how to write description without going overboard.

A word after a word after a word is power.
~Margaret Atwood

Do you have to like all your characters? Short answer: no. Especially if you don't want your readers to either. The post I just linked to explains in greater detail.

Whether your characters are likeable or not, if any of them are teens, you might like to check out this post on writing authentic teenage dialogue, which could potentially help you make your teenage characters more believable and relatable.

No matter who's in your story, are you writing a story with magic in it? If yes, you should read this post on creating a credible magic system, because even fantastical elements like magic need to have some kind of logic to them to make them believable, otherwise it spoils the reading experience, and you don't want disappointed readers, do you?

Now, let's talk about promoting your work, because your work matters, even when it feels like no one's reading it - and that goes for any kind of writing, including blog posts. So, be honest, what scares you about self promotion? If it's fear of criticism, or nobody reading your work, check out the post I just linked to, because it might help you feel better about it.

The Versatile Blogger Award From Cat

I was nominated for The Versatile Blogger Award, by Cat from The Strawberry Post, a couple of weeks ago. Thank you, Cat!

For those who don't know what they are, here are the rules:
Thank the person that nominated you for the award.Include a link to their blog.Nominate 15 other bloggers.Share seven things about yourself in your blog post.
I already said, "Thank you," above. But I'll say it again: thank you, Cat! The award is very much appreciated. If you don't know Cat, you should check out The Strawberry Post.

OK, so... Seven things about me. Hmmm... I'm going to try and keep this interesting for long-time readers, as well as anyone who happens to be new here, so I hope you all enjoy learning these things about me, and sorry to those who have been following me long enough that they know some - or all - of these things already. Ready? OK. Here you go:

When I was 18 years old, I flew half way around the world to meet a man I'd been dating online for some time. On my own. Yeah... It was only much later I actually considered all the things that could have potentially gone wrong with that. Luckily for me, it turned out well, and I later married him.I used to love doing photography when I still had some sight to use for it. I was never great, but I tried, and was interested enough to attempt to get good shots. So much so that, despite my Dad having a keen interest in photography himself, I was the first in our family to get a digital camera (which my parents brought me for Christmas... Probably figuring it would be cheaper than me keep wanting photos developed). I still like to "play" with the camera from time to time. Unfortunately, most of the shots I get these days aren't worth sharing... Unless you're in to shots of table legs, a single dog's ear, and things like that, which I doubt.WARNING: Possible PTMI alert on this one!
I haven't been able to face the idea of eating chocolate cake since I was a teenager. Someone offered me some while I was changing a toddler's nappy (diaper). From that day on, the thought of eating chocolate cake has made me feel sick. Even now, when it's been almost 20 years. I can make and serve it for others with no problems. The moment I consider eating it myself, I instantly start to feel sick. Doesn't matter what kind it is. Other chocolate things are fine. It's just chocolate cake that gives me a problem. I'm even feeling sick thinking about it enough to write this.I've been writing since I knew how, and publishing since 2012. I now have more than 50 published titles to my name - some poetry collections, and the rest children's stories - available in multiple formats from a variety of online retailers. There's a fantasy and sci-fi anthology I contributed to as well, which is only available in eBook.I'm one of those people who prefers to stay home on a Friday or Saturday night. Always have been. My idea of a perfect Friday night is a nice walk with the dogs, followed by an evening curled up with a book. Actually, that's my idea of a perfect end to any day, regardless of the day, time of year, weather, etc. I used to offer to babysit for family friends to get out of going to the pub, or to parties, and don't regret doing so.I hate shopping, despite my Mam's best efforts to get me to like it. With two exceptions: petstores and bookshops. I can spend hours - and a lot of money - in either of those, buying toys and things for my furkids, or books for myself. Take me in any other type of shop though, and I'll be looking for the quickest way to get things done and get out of there. Online shopping is one of the things I actually like about the technology we have today, because I can do my food shopping without having to set foot in a food shop, and get clothes when I need them without having to go to clothes shops. Doesn't make me like shopping, but it helps.I only like wearing casual clothes like jogging bottoms or shorts with a t-shirt, and never wear dresses. In fact, I hate wearing dresses so much I got married in a pair of jogging bottoms and a t-shirt. I'm pretty sure it was an ADIDAS t-shirt. Kelly was in a pair of casual trousers, and a t-shirt I'd brought him that had a dragon on it. Hey, it was our day, it was a small ceremony anyhow, and we were comfortable dressed like that, so... *shrugs*
As for tagging people: I'm going to cheat here. I know plenty more than 15 bloggers who deserve this award. However, I also know that a lot of the bloggers I follow don't do these things. So, I'm just going to say that if I follow your blog, I think you deserve this award. So, if you're someone I follow who follows me back, and you want to claim the award - I think there's a picture for it in Cat's post, if you want a fancy image - consider yourself tagged. Just let me know you're playing along, so I can make sure not to miss your post.

#MondayMotivation, #Inspiration, And #Wisdom - #Quotes For August 19th 2019

If you can’t find peace within yourself, you will never find it anywhere else.
~Marvin Gaye

I am not in this world to live up to other people's expectations, nor do I feel that the world must live up to mine.
~Fritz Perls

Life is not about how fast you run or how high you climb, but how well you bounce.
~Vivian Komori

Problems will always arise, but we need to address them differently. We need to engage in dialogue to resolve them rather than resorting to the use of force.
~Dalai Lama

If we know exactly where we're going, exactly how to get there, and exactly what we'll see along the way, we won't learn anything.
~M.S.Peck

Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.
~Confucius

It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.
~Ernest Hemingway

#FurkidFriday: Lilie The #Westie Shares #Videos And #Photos Of Herself And Logan The #Cavapoo

Hi everyone. This is Lilie the Westie.

Well, I'm here with my crazy little brother, Logan the Cavapoo... Just saying, "Hi."







Don't believe me he's crazy? Take a look at this:







See... Crazy!

Me and Mummy have fun laughing at him though, and sometimes I play with him... When he plays nice. The rest of the time, Mummy just plays with both of us at the same time, which she's getting pretty good at now. Here are some photos from when we were playing recently. They were taken the same day as the videos I've just shared, which was July 30th. That means Logan was about 15 weeks old. Anyway, here they are:



He's getting pretty big. Mummy thinks he'll end up a bit bigger than me when he's done growing.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the photos and videos.

Lots of licks,
Lilie

#AmReading + #AmWatching - August 15th 2019 #Reviews

You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy books and that’s kind of the same thing.
~Unknown

It's time to take a look at what I've been reading and watching during this past week.

If you want to know more about the book, or the author, click on whichever it is you want to learn more about, and it will take you to the appropriate page on Goodreads. Clicking on my rating should take you to my actual Goodreads review for the book in question. Please bear in mind that the format I've reviewed on Goodreads may not be the format I actually read.

Alternatively, if it's a movie or TV show you want to know more about, just click on the title to go to a page where you can find out more details about the movie or TV show in question; the title links will usually take you to a page on IMDB.

Don't forget: I read and watch things across multiple genres, as well as for different age ranges, so you should always check before reading or viewing, to make certain something is suitable for the intended audience, especially when children are involved.

OK...

Here's what I read this week:

Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years by Sue Townsend
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a great addition to this series, which fans of the earlier books will love. The main character is relatable, and the events of the plot are often entertaining - even when they aren't to him.

Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction by Sue Townsend
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
For the most part this was another exceelent addition to this series. However, it was spoiled for me a little by the way a blind character was handled. I appreciate that most people haven't had much contact with visually impaired people, so the main character's initial behaviour towards him is understandable. I have to say though, speaking as a blind person who went through sight loss as an adult myself, if my friends continued to act that way to me - doing things like leading me by the front of my t-shirt so I hit things all the time, just to use one example - I wouldn't stay their friend. It wouldn't have been so bad if the author had used those experiences as learning experiences for the main character, and shown him improving in his interaction with the blind character. But there was no improvement in the behaviour towards the blind character, or even evidence that the blind character was showing he was more than just a disabled person who needed others to do things for him. Either the main character is even less observant than I thought, or the author should have spoken to a few blind people before writing her blind character.

As for what I've been watching:

I mostly just caught some random episodes of "The Simpsons" and "Futurama" when they were on TV, plus parts of episodes of "NCIS" and a few other shows too. But I also watched a movie this week. Not one I have on DVD though... It just happened to be starting when I was looking for something to watch, but couldn't be bothered to mess about with a DVD. Since it was one I've never seen before, and I did watch it all, I actually have a movie review for you this week. So...

Ralph Breaks The Internet (2018 movie):
I haven't seen "Wreck It Ralph" yet, but ended up catching this one over the weekend. There were a few amusing scenes, and some sweet and touching scenes too (the latter mostly near the end). But I didn't love it. It was good, but not great. My official rating is 3.5 stars, but... Since I don't give half stars in my ratings... I'll be rounding up, so I give this movie four out of five stars.

#WriterWednesday: #Quotes About #Writing

I write because I must. It's not a choice or a pastime. It's an unyielding calling and my passion
~Elizabeth Reyes

Please think about your legacy, because you’re writing it every day.
~Gary Vaynerchuck

To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme.
~Herman Melville

One of the greatest benefits of writing a truly awful, lousy, no good first draft is that it can only get better from there.
~Martha Alderson

No it's not easy to write, it's as hard as breaking rocks. Sparks and splinters fly like shattered steel
~Clarice Lispector

If you write to impress it will always be bad, but if you write to express it will be good.
~Thornton Wilder

A Writer is someone who has taught their mind to misbehave
~Oscar Wilde

Random Ramblings - August 13th 2019 Edition

Today's going to be another one of my random posts, since it's been a couple of weeks since I've done a proper Tuesday post again, and a lot happened during the past two weeks. So...

***~~~***

I wanted a doughnut.

Now, normally this wouldn't be a big deal. Well, unless it's a Sunday. But the rest of the time it's no big deal. I mean, we have a bakery just up the road, which is open Monday through Saturday. So, why is it worth mentioning?

Because the doughnuts at the bakery aren't vegan friendly.

Actually, since I know they don't see a problem with putting the vegetarian stuff in with the meat stuff - despite the fact I know they've had plenty of complaints about it from vegetarians - whether or not any of their supposedly meat-free stuff is even completely vegetarian friendly is debatable, never mind vegan friendly. So, going to the bakery was out of the question for me.

Yes. Some of the supermarkets do vegan friendly doughnuts. But since all of them take a cab journey to get to, going all the way to one of them just for a doughnut wasn't really an option either. Tempting as it was.

Besides, I did want to be making stuff myself as much as possible.

So I looked for a simple doughnut recipe that either was vegan friendly, or could easily be converted, because I didn't have one, having never actually made doughnuts before. Then I made these:


Yeah, I know they don't look like much, but I assure you they tasted great. It was probably - in fact, definitely - a very good thing I only made those dozen small doughnuts you see in the picture, that's all I can say. *wink*

***~~~***

I saw mention of banana peel bacon on one of the groups I'm on over on Facebook. I'm sure I've seen it mentioned elsewhere too. Either way, it sounded interesting, and I thought it would be a good way to make use of the peels from the bananas I've been having in some of my smoothies, rather than just throwing the peel away. So I tried it.

However, as far as I'm concerned, this was a much less successful cooking experiment than the doughnuts were.

Banana peel bacon is not for me.

At least I can say I tried it.

Although, since I ended up burning my hand a little during the attempt, I have to say that no part of this particular cooking experiment was fun for me. I'm actually lucky I reacted fast enough that it was only a small burn to be honest. It could have been a lot worse. As it was, it was just part of my hand became red and tender, and I ended up with a small blister, all of which cleared up quickly, and none of which stopped me using my hand normally. We were worried it would be worse than that at first. It might have been if I hadn't reacted so quickly. My hand is fully healed now.

If you're wondering: I misjudged the location of things, and put my hand down on the plate of freshly fried banana peel bacon, which was coated in a "sauce" that involves syrup. So think of what it might be like to put your hand in hot caramel, and you'll have some idea of what I did, and why I was lucky I reacted fast enough to avoid it being worse than it was. I'm usually careful enough to avoid doing things like that, but apparently wasn't this time.

***~~~***

I got a new slow cooker a few days ago.

Well, OK. I had one brought for me by my Mam.

I used to have a really good slow cooker several years ago, but it needed replacing, and never was. We got rid of the old one that didn't work right after it stopped working, but never got around to getting a new one. Since I'm making most of my food myself these days, and having the cooker on for a long time turns the flat in to a sauna - not only on warm days either - I figured I should get one for those times when I want to make soup, chilli, curry, etc, but don't want to feel like it's me being cooked rather than the food. Plus, they don't have to be watched as carefully as a boiling or simmering pot does, which is a huge bonus. Now I don't need to worry about getting one, because Mam beat me to it.

It's only a small one. But I did tell Mam that's all I wanted. Partially because it makes finding room for it in our little kitchen easier. But also because that's really all I need. Just one big enough to do me dinner for two nights, or tonight's dinner and some leftovers to go in the freezer, or - as will be the case with some things, depending what I'm making, and what I decide to have with it - two days dinner plus leftovers. Either way, I didn't need a large one, so Mam just got me a little one, as requested. As a bonus, it's really simple to use, so no complication of trying to remember what button does what, and needing someone to tell me again if - or when - I forget.

I tried it out over the weekend. I made some vegan chilli. It was really good! It's lucky I think so, since I had enough for two days dinner, plus some leftovers (which are now in the freezer, since I didn't want to be having chilli for more than two days in a row). I had a baked potato with the chilli on Saturday and Sunday, and will likely do that again when I have what's in the freezer, since that's my favourite way to have chilli.

***~~~***

I recently reorganized the kitchen cupboards so we could see exactly what we had in there, and get some order to them. Then I stocked them back up with a variety of grains, herbs and spices, nuts, seeds, etc, so there are plenty of non-perishable items in them to use - along with fresh fruit and veg, which I'll buy as needed - to make my meals.

I guess doing that put me in the mood for some decluttering, because I didn't stop there.

I went through my craft stuff. Organized it better, and got rid of a few things I know I won't use. I don't know if some of the things are actually of any use to the charity shop near us (and I do mean near... It's literally across the street from us) but I bagged them up for them anyhow, since we were taking other stuff to them, so they could use what they can, and pass on what they can't. I figured it was better to give them stuff they can't use, than find I didn't give them stuff they can use. We just told them to do what they want with anything that's no good to them.

I also went through clothes. I checked what's showing so much wear I need to get new really soon, and bagged up anything I know I won't wear again (stuff I was given at some point and don't really like, or stuff I got that I like but don't like how it fits me). I ended up with several bags of clothes, which we took to the charity shop too. Hopefully someone can make good use of them. As I said, I also figured out what I need to replace of the clothes I actually do wear, which thankfully isn't much. Going to have to do a bit of clothes shopping soon though. Ugh! I hate clothes shopping! That's one of the reasons why I wait until I actually need to replace things, along with not wanting to contribute to waste more than I need to. I'm at the point where I can't wait much longer with some things now though, unfortunately.

***~~~***

We got another baby gate.

We have a special stair gate at the top of our stairs, and a pressure fit one in the living room doorway. The stair one is so we can answer the door without the dogs escaping. The other one is so we can keep them out of the kitchen area when we're cooking, and give Joshua and Mollie a break from them in the evening. This new gate - also a pressure fit one - is for the computer room doorway, so they can be in there with me out of the way when Kelly's dealing with bringing the shopping in, and that kind of thing, so needs them to not be under foot.

I used to just pick Lilie up when that was happening. That worked fine with both of them at first too, while Logan was still tiny. Now Logan's getting bigger, it's more difficult for me to keep hold of both of them, since the way I have to hold both means I can't guarantee they can't jump out of my arms. I suppose I could put them on their leashes, which would keep them with me easily. But I feel kind of mean putting them on a leash if they're not going for a walk, and would only want to use that option if I had no other choice, or could be sure they could go for at least a short one right afterwards. Hence buying another baby gate, and being glad we have small-ish dogs, so baby gates work as barriers.

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Avout two weeks ago - after having been kept busy elsewhere for the past few months - the repair guy came to do a few of the jobs in our building again, though not the ones in our place. Although, he did test the fire alarms, since they need to be tested regularly, and were due for that again. We wish he'd been here to fix that stupid skylight though.

Last week, we had him back here, but it wasn't for the skylight then either. It was because the cooker stopped working. Every time we tried to make dinner, it would blow the main fuse, and the electric would go off, only finally able to be turned back on again when we turned off the cooker.

So, we got a new cooker out of it.

At least, we half have, and eventually will. It should have been a quick replacement, but our cooker is one of those in two parts because it's built in to the kitchen units. They had the oven part in stock, so we had that replaced within 48 hours, but they didn't have the hob part in stock, so had to order it, and haven't made it back to install that yet. It meant we didn't have access to a cooker at all for two days, and have so far not had access to the hob part for about a week, which is a bit of a pain. Not to mention, I'm a bit annoyed that they said they'd be back, "Friday or Monday," to install the hob - which they said would be available for them to pick up on Thursday - and neither came back, or let us know they wouldn't be coming for whatever reason. If they weren't doing it on one of the promised days, they should have at least had the decency to let us know.

I'm happy about the result being a new cooker for us, since the one we had hasn't been all that great the whole time we've been here, so it was about time we got a new one, if you ask me. But I'm not too happy about the new hob still not being installed.

I'm starting to wish we'd moved after all...

Not to mention, I REALLY wish they'd fix that stupid skylight. Preferably before the Autumn and Winter storms show up. It's annoying enough with the Summer storms happening and it not having been fixed yet.

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We've had some storms, some hot and sunny days, and some days where it's overcast but dry and warm. We really never know from one day to the next what the weather will be like, and sometimes it changes from hour to hour.

Luckily, Logan's getting better about tolerating the storms. Now he just wants to cuddle close during them, which is fine by me, since I happen to think cuddling up with a puppy listening to storms is a great way to spend your time. Of course, Lilie wants to get in on the cuddle time too. So, I end up curled up on the bed with Lilie and Logan, and get to enjoy the storm and puppy cuddles at the same time. Yep... Works for me!