Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 63

#MondayMotivation, #Inspiration, And #Wisdom - #Quotes For July 15th 2019

Do just once what others say you can't do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again.
~James R. Cook

The important thing is to learn a lesson every time you lose.
~John McEnroe

Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.
~Dalai Lama

Success waits patiently for anyone who has the determination and strength to seize it.
~Booker T. Washington

A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.
~George Moore

Learn from the mistakes of others. You can never live long enough to make them all yourself.
~Groucho Marx

Until you value yourself, you won't value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.
~M. Scott Peck

#FurkidFriday: Logan The #Cavapoo's First Blog Post

Hi everyone. This is Logan the Cavapoo.

My new big sister, Lilie, said I can have a turn on this thing. So, here I am.

I've been here for a little over amonth now. It seems like a nice place to be. I think I might have landed on my paws, so to speak. I kind of miss my Furmama though, and my puppy playschool friends. At least I have my new Westie sister, Lilie, to play with. There are some things in those wire boxes humans call "ccages" too. Sometimes they make squeaky noises, but they don't play with me, or give me food, so I'm not really interested in them.

The humans - I call them Mummy and Daddy, since Lilie does, and they seem to want to be called that - are OK. They give out great toys and food, and play and sleep with us too. Lilie has also been for something called "walkies" lots of times. I don't know what it is, but Mummy and Daddy say I'll learn very soon, and it seems to involve Lilie putting some strap things on, and going somewhere where I can't find her when I look. She also smells of all kinds of different things I don't know what they are when I find her again. It's really strange. I can't wait to find out what it is!

I tried grabbing the end of the long strap one time, thinking maybe I'd get to go too. But Daddy took it away, and said I wasn't meant to hold it, he was. Then I stayed home with Mummy. I love spending time with Mummy, but I do wish I could go too. Lilie always seems so happy about going.

A couple of weeks ago, when Lilie went somewhere with Daddy for a long time, Mummy tried the strap things - which they apparently call a "harness" and "lead" - on me. She said she wanted to see how it fit. To be honest, I didn't know what to think of it. She pointed the flashy thing at me when I was wearing it, so here are the photos it made:


Then, last week, she put it on me again, and we went in something called a "taxi" to a place called "vet" where everyone called me cute, and I guess Lilie must keep going, because we found her and Daddy there. I don't know how they got there, but they rode in the taxi thing with us coming home.

Apart from when I came in the big noisy thing they tell me is called a "van" to come from where my Furmama lives to here, I've never been anywhere in my whole entire life, so I was excited and maybe a bit scared. Mostly excited though, because I love the idea of exploring the world... As long as we make time for food and naps.

Anyway, I thought maybe that was what walkies was. Rides in those taxi and van things, I mean. But Lilie says it isn't, and thought I was funny when I suggested it, so I guess not.

I did see someone who did things like the human at the vet place did before. But that time the human came to where I was. I guess where we went is some kind of vet nest or something. I don't know. I'm just a puppy, and the world is very confusing to me sometimes. Actually, a lot of the time. Lilie says she still gets confused about things the humans do sometimes too, and she's lots older, so that makes me not feel so bad about being confused.

Anyway, Lilie says you'll want to know how the trip to the vet place went, so I'll tell you.

I cried lots when we were sitting on the chairs waiting to go in to the vet's room. Lilie wasn't upset, but I wasn't too happy about it. Maybe I might not have cried so much if I could have gone down on the floor like Lilie. But they said I wasn't allowed yet. I don't know why... I go down on the floor all the time at home. Why wouldn't they let me at the vet?

I was a good boy when the vet person was pulling and poking at me though. I stayed where he put me, letting him do what he needed to, and didn't even cry when he stuck the sharp thing in my neck, which Mummy gave me lots of praise for. I got a treat too, which I was pleased about. I love treats!

Even though I had the sharp thing in my neck before I left where my Furmama is, I have to have it again. Most times puppies only have to have two, but my vet doesn't have the same exact stuff the other vet used, so he says it's best if we do it as if I haven't had shots before, which means I'm having three of them. Mummy said that was fine. I'm not so keen on the idea, but nobody asked me, so I guess I'll have to put up with it. Mummy was a bit worried that would mean I'd have to wait longer before I can go for that walkies thing with the humans and Lilie, but he said I can still start going when I would have been allowed to. That means I should have already had my first walkies by the time you get to read this, unless there are one of those nasty storm things I don't like right when they're about to take me, because Mummy said she doesn't want my first ever walkies to be in scary storm weather. Now that's something I completely agree with. Storms are bad enough when I'm safely indoors in Mummy's arms, thank you very much!

Mummy says she should have had the vet person trim my claws. I'm not sure I like the sound of that. I have to go back to the vet place in three more weeks. I think my appointment is on August 1st at 11:00am. I expect she'll ask about my claws then. Her and Daddy keep complaining they're too long and sharp, and saying I need them trimmed.

In the meantime, I had to have a funny tasting treat, and some wet stuff on my neck. I didn't mind the treat... Like I said, I love treats... But could have done without the wet stuff. I hate getting wet!

By the way, they weighed me when I was at the vet, and I weighed 4.2 kilos. The vet seemed to think it was fine for me to weigh that much, even though it's about 0.4 kilos more than Lilie weighed at my age. Mummy says she thinks that's about 9lbs, for those of you who need it like that. That number isn't exact though, since she's just estimating, so if you want to be accurate, you need to look it up. The scales definitely said 4.2 kilos.

Anyway, Mummy was playing with the flashy thing again, and got more pictures of me playing, so here they are:


Those were from before I had my bath a couple of weeks ago. She told you about my bath at the time, and even shared a video and some photos. I didn't like it. So, I'm going to move on. Anyway, these were from afterwards:


(I'm eating a treat in the first photo).

She got a video too:






Also, here are a couple of photos from when Mummy gave me and Lilie a load of little balls that bounced lots, which she loved because they were balls, and I loved because they were real easy to make move about, and I love to chase things.


Lastly, here's a photo of me and Lilie in Lilie's metal dog bed together:


Lots of licks,
Logan

#AmReading + #AmWatching - July 11th 2019 #Reviews

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:

Instructions For Falling In Love Again by Lucy Mitchell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I've been a fan of Lucy's blog for some time, and eagerly awaiting the publication of this book. I was not disappointed! Had other commitments - not to mention, the need for sleep - not prevented it, I could have easily devoured this book in one sitting! The story had me hooked from the start, and the characters were well-rounded and fascinating people I was glad to get to hang out with for a while. Add to that the author's fantastic writing, and you have exactly what this is: a truely fantastic read, complete with all the feels you'd expect to find in this kind of book. In other words, a fantastic debut novel, which has me already eagerly anticipating the next book from this author.

A Gypsy Song by Willow Rose
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
There were parts of this book that were really good: the fantasy creatures in particular were very creative. I also thought the plot idea was great. Unfortunately, it was spoiled for me by the lack of emotional connection with the main character, the fact the behaviour of her adoptive parents wasn't believable (nobody who wanted a child as badly as they supposedly did would be so quick to push one aside if they'd taken her in, even if they later had some of their own) and the fact it needs some serious editing. I loved the ending though.

Breakfast By The Sea by Jeff Sobel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was a kind of cute story. However, the main character was a horrible person I couldn't like or connect with. Not to mention, the story could have been improved if our glimpse of her enjoying breakfast by the sea with her dog had shown her obviously devoted to the dog and loving the beach, rather than clearly caring more for her newspaper and routine than either of those things. I mean, she even has to be persuaded to take the dog with her when going door to door to get people to back her in stopping dogs being banned from the beach. Speaking of which, why is the dog loose when she does finally take him? Ever heard of a leash? He should have been on one... Especially given his habit of getting in to mischief. Basically, the main character seems like an irrisponsible and horrible person to me, and it spoiled the story as far as I was concerned.

As for what I've been watching:

Apart from a couple of "Friends" reruns I caught on TV, I didn't watch anything during the past week. I was going to either watch more "Goosebumps" or a movie on Sunday afternoon, but didn't end up doing so, and I used Lilie and Logan's naps on the other days to get other stuff done, so the week went by without me watching anything.

#WriterWednesday - July 10th 2019 + The #Smashwords Summer/Winter #eBook #Sale

In case you missed my post about it two weeks ago: my Magical Chapters trilogy is now in audio, narrated by Emma Thorpe. For full details of all three books, as well as purchase links for the various formats, please check out the post I just linked to. However, if you just want to go grab the audible audio book versions, you can find "Witchlet" here, you can find "The Pineapple Loving Dragon" here, and you can find "A Magical Storm" here.

Another of my books shouldn't be much longer before it's available in audio too. But I'll tell you about that when it's available. In the meantime, revisions on my pirate themed adventure story are happening. Slowly, but at least they are. It takes time though. I mean, writing is time-consuming.

In other book related news: the Smashwords 2019 Summer/Winter Sale is now on, and most of my books are 25% off with coupon code SSW25 until the end of July. Yes, it's the same code for all titles that are enrolled, which is everything usually priced at $1.99 or higher. This is exclusive to Smashwords, but I enable all available formats, so there will be a format you can read regardless of whether your eReader of choice is a Kindle, Nook, or your computer. So, go to my Smashwords author page, pick your books, and take advantage of the discounts. Plenty of others have their books on sale too, so don't forget to check what's in the sales while you're over there.

That's all I have to say about my own writing for now, so let's see what links I've gathered for you recently, shall we?

First, here's how to de-clutter your brain to welcome more ideas, in case you need some advice on doing that. It can potentially help with one type of writers' block.

Speaking of the different types of writers' block: this is why the blank page is so intimidating, and how to fill it anyway, in case that's what your particular problem is at the moment. Also, here's a post with a great 30 second rule to try if you're struggling to get your writing done, and another on how to crush writers' block.

On the other hand, if your issue is with fitting everything in to your day, here are some time management tips in a post that asks, "How much time can you afford to give?"

On a similar note, here's a post where one author tells how she wrote a novella in a month as a stay at home Mom, which contains some tips you can potentially use in other situations too, if that particular situation doesn't apply to you. Also, here's a post for if you find you're too tired to write after work, or after you've done whatever else you need to before you can sit down to write.

No matter your situation, remember though that anyone can write, but you don't have to. So don't feel you have to just to please others. Don't be too quick to walk away - maybe try taking a bit of a break first, before you commit to fully quitting - but if not writing is really what you want, you should be allowed to stop doing it.

Also, if you're feeling emotionally drained from writing your story, and need to step away for a bit, that's fine too. Self care is very important, after all!

Assuming you do want to continue writing - whether after a short break to deal with your emotions, or after a longer one - and are currently doing so, let's take a look at an expansion pack for the villains journey and the monster, to give you some things to think about regarding the villains and monsters in your story.

Alternatively, if you're writing a bad boy character, here are some tips to writing a bad boy, which you might find useful.

No matter who your characters might be, here are some ">writing characters with healing or regeneration powers.

Next, here's another of those expansion pack posts, this time talking about fanatic fans.

Worried your story isn't original enough? See how you feel after reading about the secret ingredient of original stories.

So, how long does it take you to write? There's no right or wrong answer here, by the way. After all, writing success isn't about how fast you write.

Regardless of how long it took you to write it, is your book finished? Well, before you publish it, check out these manuscript formatting tips, and make sure it's really ready. You'll want to do this regardless of whether you self-publish or work with a traditional publisher.

By the way, are you going on holiday this Summer? Then check out this list of things writers should take on holiday. There may be other things you might want to consider too, or instead, especially if you're working with a disibility or something. I, for example, would use my iPhone's notes feature instead of a notebook and pen, because it's more accessable to me with my lack of sight.

Last, but most definitely not least, I put these posts together with articles I find interesting, and advice I think may be potentially useful. But, do you know what the best part about all the writing advice out there is? You don't have to listen to it! So, if something doesn't work for you, that's fine. Check out and try the stuff I link to that you think might, and disregard it if not. After all, there's no one size fits all solution to writing problems, and what works for one writer or story often doesn't work for another.

Cooling Toys, Boxes Of #Puppy, And Other Random Things

The weather last Tuesday and Wednesday stayed in the comfortable range. It was kind of overcast, and never got higher than 20 degrees C. In fact, in the early morning, when I first woke up, it was cool enough that it was almost chilly with the combination of the temperature, cloud cover, and ocean breeze. I loved it!

Officially Thursday was about the same temperature. In fact, most of the day it didn't go above 19 degrees C on Thursday (it did briefly go up to 20 degrees C, but only for maybe an hour in the afternoon). But it felt like it was much hotter. Even outside it felt hotter on Thursday than it had felt on Tuesday and Wednesday. What a difference less cloud cover makes!

On Friday it was in the low 20s outside, and the high 20s inside. It stayed that way through Saturday. So... Yeah... Definitely warmer than I'd have liked. But at least it didn't hit the 32 degrees C they predicted. That's something to be grateful for, that's for sure, especially since that would have been the outside temperature. I dread to think what it would have been like in our apartment if it had been that hot outside.

Knowing about the predicted heatwave, and the fact they hate the hot weather as much as I do, I ordered a couple of cooling toys for the dogs. I was going to get them a cooling mat, but they spacifically say on them that they aren't recommended for chewers, because of the gel inside them (which is what makes the mats cool themselves). Since Logan is teething right now, and Lilie is known for chewing things - though she does at least generally stick to her own toys and rawhide these days - I figured that wasn't a good idea with my two. So I ordered them something they're actually meant to chew. Apparently, you get them wet, and let them chew on them. I'll give the toys credit: they do stay cool for some time, even on a hot afternoon. Here are a couple of photos of them with the cooling toys, which Kelly took right after I gave them to them Friday afternoon:


They were excited to get a new toy, but lost interest quickly. The extra water bowl I got them held their interest longer initially than the toys did, and I actually commented to my Mam that ice cubes keep them entertained for longer as well. They did go back to them later, and I'd hoped that meant the toys would grow on them. Unfortunately, though they're supposed to be designed for chewers, they aren't made as sturdily as they claim, and it didn't take them long to destroy them. I'd feared that would be the case when I felt them when they arrived, so wasn't surprised when they quickly ended up in pieces once the pups actually decided they were worthy of attention. I'm going to have to try the other option of filling a Kong toy with treats and freezing it. At least I know the Kong toys last... In the two years since we got Lilie, we've only lost one Kong toy to chewing, and it was one she'd been given that belonged to Mam's Cocker Spaniel, Ebonie, before Lilie. Bearing in mind, the treat balls they have every night - and sometimes in the day, if I need to buy myself a few minutes to finish something - are Kong balls, so they get used daily in our place.

Anyway, it rained a bit early Sunday morning. Not much, or for long, and I probably wouldn't have noticed if it hadn't happened during the bit of time I was up with Logan in the night. But it did. As I'd hoped would be the case once I realized it was doing so, this fact, combined with the cloud cover and ocean breeze, helped to cool things down. It got up to 17 degrees C for a while, both inside and outside, but didn't get any warmer than that, which was great as far as I was concerned. I'm pretty sure the furkids were pleased to have a cooler day too.

Monday (yesterday) was slightly warmer than Sunday. It got up to about 18 degrees C outside, and about 19 degrees C inside. So not too bad. Warm, but in the range we don't mind dealing with. Plus, it felt nice after the much hotter days we had recently.

In other news...

We finally got some results back on what could be the cause of the sores on Kelly's legs. Turns out he's got a severe vitamin D deficiency. He's got to have supplements for three months, and then they'll see if anything's changed. Since he's only been having the supplements for a few days, it's too soon to know for sure if they're clearing up the sores on his legs. I hope this is all there is to it, and his legs are able to heal up properly now.

I told Lilie more time outside would help him, so she should make him take her on more walkies - and me and Logan too, when he's cleared for walkies in a couple of days time - and she got excited. I think she's happy to agree to that idea. I expect Logan would be too, if he knew what it meant. LOL!

Anyway...

Last Tuesday, I was breaking up some boxes for recycling, and the pups came to see what I was up to. Logan especially wanted to know what I was doing, and if he could be involved. Of course, I couldn't resist a fun opportunity, so told Kelly to grab the camera, and while he did I put the pups in boxes. Here are their photos:


I don't think Logan minded too much, but Lilie didn't seem too impressed. Either way, they let me put them in the boxes for the photos, and then I helped them when they were ready to get out of their boxes, which was not long after the photos were taken... They didn't stay in them long.

I think Lilie only wanted in the box for a photo to be included in the fun, because Logan was doing it. It doesn't matter though. She wanted to join in, so she got included. I always try to include both dogs, unless one of them isn't interested, or is sleeping, or it's something one can't be included in for some reason, like when Logan was having his vet treatment, and Lilie didn't need anything done. Though she did get to come for the outing to the vet.

Speaking of which, Logan had vet on Thursday. Kelly and Lilie walked to the vet, while Logan and I took a taxi, so they could get that extra bit of walking in, especially since Lilie was eager for a walk. Logan isn't allowed to do the walk yet, so he didn't get a choice. We all rode home in another taxi together. Unlike me and Logan, who would have needed a taxi ride one way anyhow, since we couldn't manage that long of a walk both ways yet, even if Logan was allowed to try, Lilie and Kelly could have done the walk both ways, so Kelly was just going to put me and Logan in our taxi and walk her home, but she really wanted to get in the taxi, and the driver told us he was happy to take them both, so we let her have the car ride after all. She seemed pleased.

I use the same taxi company as a rule, because they're used to me. Mostly I have no complaints about them. I wouldn't keep using them if I did. I have to say though, I was especially impressed with the taxi drivers we had on Thursday, particularly the one Logan and I had on the way to the vet. Kelly and Lilie had gone on ahead, leaving us to wait for our taxi (since it was at home we were waiting) and the driver was great. He asked me how he could best help me before doing anything to help, which is what you actually should do when planning to help a blind person, or a disabled person of any kind. Most drivers just grab my arm and start tugging me towards the car's door, or don't do anything until I prompt them. But this guy asked what kind of help I needed, warned me before he grabbed my arm to lead me to the car's door that he was going to grab my arm, and offered to hold Logan for me so I could do up my seatbelt. I wish they could all be like hthat driver.

I was pleased with something the vet did too: he asked how Lilie was coping now we had Logan. I thought it was great he took the time to see she was doing OK with having a new puppy in the house. We told him how they mostly get on great, and will often play and sleep together, but we do sometimes get a bit of squabbling, especially when Logan jumps on her head, or chews on her ear. He agreed with me that was good - not the fact he jumps on her and chews on her ear, but the fact they get on most of the time - and all we need to do is continue working on teaching Logan that biting - and jumping on your big sister's head - is not good behaviour. I do also have to stay between them for meal times. That's not because of squabbling though. It's because Logan will steal Lilie's food, and she just backs off and lets him eat her dinner, while watching sadly. So I have to keep him back, or she ends up with no dinner.

Anyway, the other thing that happened this week was that the hose for the washing machine somehow got a hole in it, and sprung a leak. Luckily it wasn't in use when it happened, so it didn't cause a problem with a load of laundry. It did cause the utility area to turn in to a paddling pool though, since when those hoses spring leaks, the release of pressure causes the system to think it needs to send water through the pipe. We had to turn off the water supply to the washing machine's pipes until we could get a replacement hose. Thankfully, that's something that doesn't cost too much, can be picked up locally, and we can easily replace ourselves. In all fairness to it, this is the same washing machine, and same hose, we've been using since we got them about a year after we moved down to this area. Since we moved down here from Wales almost eight years ago, that makes it about six and a half years old. Anyway, we got the new hose yesterday, so the washing machine can be used again without our utility area turning in to a paddling pool.

Other than that, the only things that have happened during the past week have been the usual day to day stuff, which seems to involve a lot of cleaning up after the chaos and mess caused by Lilie and Logan playing. I don't mind though, even though it reminds me of the time I babysat for seven kids at once (from the families of three different family friends). All but two of them were under the age of five, and the three between the ages of two and five caused enough mess that I found myself searching the garden for the contents of the toy box for some time after their Mothers picked them up, since I'd had the bright idea to take the toybox outside, so I could have the five youngest out there, since it was a lovely day, and them playing outside meant the older two would play quietly on my playstation in the living room (where I could keep an eye on them, but keep the little ones from bugging them). Hey, it was a good idea, and it did work... The older two played on the games machine quietly, the younger ones stayed playing in the garden with me, and... Well, I'd have had to gather up the toys from the toy box afterwards anyhow, so... *shrugs*

#MondayMotivation, #Inspiration, And #Wisdom - #Quotes For July 8th 2019

Experience is the teacher of all things.
~Julius Caesar

Life's short. Anything could happen, and it usually does, so there is no point in sitting around thinking about all the ifs, ands and buts.
~Amy Winehouse

Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.
~Franz Kafka

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.
~Marcus Aurelius

As long as you feel pain, you're still alive. As long as you make mistakes, you're still human. As long as you keep trying, there's still hope.
~Susan Gale

When you come to a point where you have no need to impress anyone, your freedom will begin.
~Unknown

There is time for everything.
~Thomas A. Edison

#FurkidFriday: Lilie The #Westie's June 2019 Grooming And Vet Trips + More #Puppy #Photos

Hi everyone. This is Lilie the Westie.

Yes, again. I promise I'll let one of the others have a turn soon.

Anyway, I went to the groomer place about two weeks ago, and had a full grooming session. Just me and Daddy went, while Mummy stayed home with Logan, because he's not allowed to go walkies at all yet, let alone all the way in to town. We were going to have lunch out too, but the weather was sometimes stormy, sometimes hot, and other times both, so I just wanted to go home after I was done at the groomer. I was so hot and tired I wouldn't even stay stood up for my after grooming photo, so this is the best one they could get:


A couple of days later, I went back to the vet place to get another one of those sharp things in the back of my neck. I love going to the vet, but do wish they wouldn't do that. It doesn't stop my excitement for the trip there though, and I don't make a fuss when they do it either, because I'm too busy enjoying the attention I get from everyone there. They especially love when I do my happy wiggle dance. Everyone loves my happy wiggle dance. Anyway, if you're wondering, it was just me and Daddy who went to that too, because Mummy was at home with Logan again. I don't mind though, because I was with Daddy. Oh, and the humans seem to be happy with how the vet trip went, so that's good.

Now that I think about it, me and Daddy have been doing all our walkies without Logan actually. I'm not sure why, but Mummy and Daddy say he's not allowed to go walkies yet. They say he'll be allowed to soon though.

Anyway, in case you're interested: the vet managed to weigh me properly this time... I was feeling more like staying still on the scales for them... And it turns out I actually weigh just under the 10 kilos. I weigh 9.8 kilos. They thought it was 10 kilos, but it turns out 0.2 kilos of that was just because I was making the scales not work so well when I was doing my happy wiggle dance. Either that or I was carrying around 0.2 kilos of fur, since I had my grooming appointment in between vet trips. Either way, like I said, I actually weigh 9.8 kilos.

Oh, by the way, you probably won't be surprised to hear that Mummy was playing with the flashy thing again. Well, she got these photos of me playing, sometimes with my brother, and sometimes with my ball:


As I said - and you can see from some of those pictures - I'm happy to play with my little brother. Although, I do wish he wouldn't keep climbing on me, like he's doing in this photo:


We play together lots though. Mostly nicely. And usually it's me who tires him out, but sometimes I get tired too, as you can see by this picture of me yawning:


Anyway, that's all for today.

Lots of licks,
Lilie

#AmReading + #AmWatching - July 4th 2019 #Reviews (Includes Challenge Updates)

Reading is like magic--I think I've made my case. Without the gift of words, this world's a crazy place!
~Denise Walter McConduit

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:

Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a really good, and obviously well-researched, book. It's upsetting in places, especially given the fact it's based on true events, but well worth the read. I didn't enjoy it as much as "Lilac Girls" (which it's a prequel to) but did find it to be a great read.

The Human Experiment by Cory Zwick
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The plot concept was interesting, and there were some great entertaining and action-packed scenes. But the author's writing style just isn't for me, and I really didn't enjoy most of it because of that.

As for what I've been watching:

I watched the first series of the "Goosebumps" TV series, which was three disks. I saw a lot of the episodes in the past, when I watched it on TV, but this is the first time I'm sitting down and watching them in the recommended viewing order, and I know I haven't seen all the Goosebumps episodes. Haven't read all the books yet either, though I've read many of them. Anyway, I always enjoyed the books more than the episodes of the TV show before, and that still seems to be the case. They were great, but the books were better. At least, I know I can so far say that for the ones where I've both read the book and seen the episode.

***~~~***

Since we're half way through the year - yes, already - I thought I'd take a moment to update you on how I'm doing with my reading and watching challenges for 2019 again. So, this is how things stand at the moment:

I've so far read 53 books towards my goal of 104 books.I've completed 15 letters for the title version of the A-Z challenge, and 25 for the author version of the A-Z challenge.I've so far watched 27 DVDs towards my goal of 52 DVDs.
So, I'm either on track or ahead of schedule with all of them. In particular the author A-Z challenge, which I only need to read one more book for. I'm really pleased about that, especially after getting behind earlier in the year.

#WriterWednesday: #Quotes About #Reading And #Writing

One sure window into a person’s soul is his reading list.
~Mary B. W. Tabor

After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.
~Philip Pullman

The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense.
~Tom Clancy

You should write because you love the shape of stories and sentences and the creation of different words on a page. Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.
~Annie Proulx

There are some books that refuse to be written. They stand their ground year after year and will not be persuaded. It isn’t because the book is not there and worth being written — it is only because the right form of the story does not present itself. There is only one right form for a story and, if you fail to find that form, the story will not tell itself.
~Mark Twain

Everything you look at can become a fairy tale, and you can get a story from everything you touch.
~Hans Christian Andersen

Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.
~C.S. Lewis

A #Storm, Too Much Heat, Paperwork, Logan The #Cavapoo's First Bath, The #StLeonards Festival, And Day To Day Chaos

Late last Monday night, and in to the early hours of last Tuesday morning, it got very stormy again. Logan did a bit better this time. He was still obviously very scared, but didn't cry through it all, and even kept falling back asleep (until big crashes of thunder would wake him again). I think Lilie's lack of concern about storms is helping him. I hope that really is the case. We're meant to get more storms in the near future, so I guess I'll soon find out.

Speaking of last Tuesday: the three windows in our place that look out over the ocean give us sun most of the day, and the sun coming in like that makes it often end up a few degrees warmer in our place than it is outside. During cold but clear Winter days, this is a great thing. However, during days like we had last Tuesday, it really isn't. It got up to 23 degrees C outside, and was about 26 degrees C in our apartment. No, closing the curtains wouldn't have helped, despite the fact it would have stopped some of the direct sun, since we needed them open so what breeze there was coming in off the ocean could help with the heat. All of us were hot and miserable, and spent a lot of time hanging out in front of fans. Even with the fans and ocean breeze I felt like I was melting from the heat though. I really don't do well with heat. I felt sorry for the furkids in those furry coats - especially Mollie - and was glad we'd had Lilie in to the groomer when we did. We had shopping delivered, like we do most Tuesdays, and I felt sorry for Kelly bringing it upstairs. I had a hard enough time, and my job is just to put things away.

Wednesday was cooler, though not by much. It was about 20 degrees C outside, and about 22 degrees C inside. It was enough that I was just too hot, and not melting though, which was a good thing to be honest, since the melting human look wouldn't have been a nice thing for the tax guy to see. Yes, I had a tax man here on Wednesday. Don't worry... I invited him. I have someone come about this time each year to help me fill out my tax paperwork. It's got to be done after April, and before November, but one of the documents I need doesn't come until May. I don't like to leave it until the last minute, so I aim for some time in June. Anyway, it's all sorted for another year now.

Thursday was about 19 degrees C outside, and only about a degree hotter inside, so it was nice. I'd planned to make it a day to try and work on some of the revisions for the story I'm working on, but that didn't happen, because I had an audio book sample come in that needed my attention, and the Landlords needed to come for the rent, since they hadn't made it over when they'd planned to the week before (they didn't make it on the Thursday, and we were busy with other things on the Friday). We only remembered after they left that we hadn't given them the letter about the boiler. Oops!

Friday was about the same as Thursday weather wise, though more productive. I actually managed to get some writing time in during Lilie and Logan's afternoon nap. Plus, we gave Logan his first bath. Lilie complained at him being bathed and not her, but it was too close to when she had her flea stuff, so we couldn't do her too. Besides, she'd been to the groomer only a little more than a week before, so really didn't need one. As for Logan... I don't think he was too impressed, as you can see for yourself in this video Kelly did of me bathing him:






And this photo of him in my arms wrapped in a towel afterwards:


But look at how his fur curls when it's damp... It's so cute!


Anyway, Saturday was officially the hottest day of this year, and made Tuesday seem cool in comparison. It got up to 27 degrees C outside, and something like 30 degrees C inside. Yeah, that wasn't fun! Even the dogs didn't have the energy to do much that day, though Lilie was a bit disappointed at missing her walk. It was just too hot to have her walking on the hot pavements though. Anyway, thank goodness for fans, that's all I can say. Also, those of us who could have it (Kelly, Lilie, Logan, and I) were glad to be able to enjoy a nice cold bowl of ice-cream each. No. The dogs didn't have a lot, but I figured a little would help cool them down some. Joshua and Mollie aren't allowed ice-cream, so I gave them some frozen peas instead, which I'm sure they were very grateful for. Plenty of water was drunk by all too, as I'm sure you're pleased to hear.

A couple of local festivals and other events were on over the weekend, but we didn't go to any of them - not entirely because of the heat, though it would have made us stay home if we had planned to go, because of the pups. The parade from this year's St Leonards Festival went in front of our building though, so we got a video and some photos.









I was really proud of Lilie that day. She's hated drums since she was around the age Logan is now, but has gotten so much better about them with all the parades we've heard and seen go by since then. This time, she watched the parade without getting upset about all the drumming. I had both dogs - one in each arm - up at a different window to the one Kelly was taking the video and photos from, watching the parade. Both did so quite contentedly too. I gave them plenty of praise for doing so, especially Lilie, since I felt she deserved it for conquering her fear.

Sunday was thankfully much cooler than Saturday. It only got up to 20 degrees C outside, and it didn't even do that for very long - mostly it stayed between 17 degrees C and 19 degrees C - so didn't really get warmer than that inside either. I'd been awake since even before the dogs get up, so declared a DVD day, and spent the day watching DVDs while alternating between playing with, and curling up on the sofa with, one or both of the dogs (mostly both, though Lilie did go off for a nap with Kelly at one point, leaving me and Logan alone in the living room for an hour or so). It was a nice relaxing day. At least, until the channel I put on for Joshua and Mollie after I was done played a shark movie, which had him squealing in terror. At least, it seemed to be that upsetting him, since he clung to my fingers squealing when I went to check on him, and didn't stop until we changed the channel (which we did in an effort to try and figure out what had him so upset, since we know he has show preferences, so wondered if maybe that was his problem). Both dogs were agitated by him getting so upset, but their evening treat balls soon calmed them back down. Despite it being a quiet and reasonably relaxing day, I was very glad when bed time came, and was asleep very quickly after I was sure the pups had completely settled for the night.

Monday was a bit overcast, and hovered around 18 degrees C until lunch time, before rapidly climbing to 22 degrees C. It wasn't as bad as the other days when it got in to the 20s though, because the fact it was a bit overcast stopped it getting even hotter still indoors, and it actually felt cooler than it had on Sunday. Anyway, Lilie and Logan took advantage of the cooler morning to let off some steam, and ran wild from when they got up around 8:00am until they finally crashed a couple of hours later, causing as much chaos as two little pups can in an apartment. That's a lot of chaos, if you don't know. My living room ended up looking like the dog isles of a petstore had exploded in it, and the other rooms weren't much better. Officially I should have cleaned up when they crashed, but I didn't want to wake them, especially since I'd been up myself since 5:00am, so really needed some quiet time to sit down. I fiddled on the computer instead, trying to catch up with some of the blog post notifications, newsletters, and other things that were sitting in my inbox begging for my attention. I love their chaos, so I'm not complaining about it. But when I get that quiet time while they're napping, I'm not about to waste it. Besides, they're like toddlers, and cranky when they don't get decent naps, which is another reason not to wake them... Especially on days like yesterday, when I was tired myself.

Anyhow, other than those things, my week has been filled with the usual general day to day stuff, like doing the tasks required for properly caring for all of the furkids, sorting eMails as and when I can in hopes they won't pile up too much, attempting - often unsuccessfully - to make sure housework gets done in at least a semi-reasonable timeframe, etc.

So, that was my week. How was yours?