Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 69
April 22, 2019
#MondayMotivation, #Inspiration, And #Wisdom - #Quotes For April 22nd 2019
What is the advantage of size, of distance? Is the distant view of a bank of primroses more beautiful than a single primrose held in the hand? I don't think so. To the eye a beautiful view is no more than a pattern of light and shade and colour.
~C.R. Milne
Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.
~Marcus Aurelius
Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.
~Buddha
When the waves close over me, I dive down to fish for pearls.
~Masha Kaleko
Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass but learning to dance in the rain.
~Vivian Greene
Just living is NOT enough. One must have Sunshine, Freedom, and a little flower.
~Hans Christian Andersen
You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will live as one.
~John Lennon
April 19, 2019
Friends Of #FurkidFriday: French Fry
Hi everyone. This is Mollie the chinchilla.
This internet thing is amazing. Not only can you talk to people and animals from all over the world, but you can also find out about people and animals who lived a long time ago. That’s just what we’re doing today. After all, if someone takes the time to get in touch across time and space, wanting to be my friend, I don’t see why I shouldn’t get to know them, especially after I lost my best pal, Maizie, at the start of the year, which means I could use a few new friends. So, let’s see who we have here, shall we?
Hello, new friend. What’s your name?
I don’t blame you for being troubled by that. I’ll add it to the ever-growing list of strange things humans do. Trust me, there are a lot of things on that list. Anyway, it’s nice to meet you, French Fry. By the way, what species and breed are you?
Got it. Definitely not a chipmunk. By the way, please could you describe your appearance? I know you’ve got some photos to share with us, but please describe yourself too, for the benefit of those who can’t see the photos.
I can imagine. I’ve never lived in a forest myself, but I know the world outside my cage can be scary at times, and that’s with the human caretakers around to keep an eye out for dangerous predators. Speaking of homes, what sort of place do you live in? Who do you share it with?
Oh, that sounds wonderful! What’s your favourite thing to do?
Yes, it does sound fun. I’ve never seen anything like that, but it sounds like it could be a very fun toy. Speaking of toys, do you have a favourite toy? If yes, what is it?
That sounds nice. Yes, I like when the humans change things around in the cage too. It helps keep the cage from being too boring, and gives us something to do other than eat when we’re in the cage. Speaking of which, what’s your favourite food?
Hey, better safe than sorry, right? Anyway, let’s talk about your human for a moment. So, what’s the one thing your human does that you love most?
Oh, I know about that thing. Yes... They call it a TV. I love watching TV. I can see ours from in my cage... It’s great!
On a less positive note, since humans don’t always do the things we like, what’s the one thing your human does that you hate most?
Yes. Sometimes they forget we’re so small, don’t they? I’m glad you found a good place to hide that day.
By the way, I hear your human is a writer. Has he written anything about you? If yes, can you tell us about it? If no, do you think he will in the future?
That’s a very interesting story. I hope whoever is reading our interview here goes to read it afterwards. For now though, I’m curious, what do you do while your human writes?
Sounds nice and cosy. OK, before I let you go, is there anything else you’d like people to know about you?
Got it. Hear that people? Just bear that in mind when you go read that story.
It was great meeting you too, French Fry. Thanks for stopping by.
***~~~***
Author bio, links, etc:
Gary Arthur Wilson is a Technical Account Manager for Oracle Corp. He has been a story creator and teller for as long as he can recall and is still writing stories today. He was born and raised in Petaluma, California (~60 minutes north of San Francisco) which is also where all of his earlier “Dime of Time” story adventures took place.
On graduating from Petaluma High School, he pursued a technical career in electronics engineering which took him into computer manufacturing. He completed his undergraduate degree at Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington where he majored in education. He authored and taught computer science courses for many Silicon Valley companies as well as the University of California, Berkeley Extension.
While he still works for Oracle, he is also still authoring new stories.
You can find his full story collection at his story blog website: https://garyawilsonstories.wordpress.com
***~~~***
I hope you enjoyed meeting my new friend, French Fry, and learning about him and his human, Gary.
If you’d like to be a friend of Furkid Friday too, send an eMail to keroberous2004@gmail.com with the subject “Friends Of Furkid Friday” – like it says on the “Friends Of Furkid Friday” page. You can also meet friends we've had over in the past via that page, since there's a list of previous "Friends Of Furkid Friday" posts on it.
Squeak soon,
Mollie
This internet thing is amazing. Not only can you talk to people and animals from all over the world, but you can also find out about people and animals who lived a long time ago. That’s just what we’re doing today. After all, if someone takes the time to get in touch across time and space, wanting to be my friend, I don’t see why I shouldn’t get to know them, especially after I lost my best pal, Maizie, at the start of the year, which means I could use a few new friends. So, let’s see who we have here, shall we?
Hello, new friend. What’s your name?
Hi, Mollie. My name is French Fry. Back in the forest, we didn’t use names like this, but here with my human family and their friends – it’s what they call me. It took some getting used to, but now I love it here so I’m not even thinking of going back. I was troubled some when I realized that my name is also a kind of human food and I don’t know what my best human friend was thinking when he gave it to me.
I don’t blame you for being troubled by that. I’ll add it to the ever-growing list of strange things humans do. Trust me, there are a lot of things on that list. Anyway, it’s nice to meet you, French Fry. By the way, what species and breed are you?
Most humans first guess that I’m a common chipmunk, but they’re wrong. My full breed is Golden Mantled Squirrel, but it’s easy to mistake us for chipmunks, especially when we’re younger because, until we’re fully grown, we look almost exactly like a chipmunk and fully grown, like me, we look just like a really big chipmunk. Humans who know about us, just call us Golden Mantels. It’s not as cute as “chipmunk” but it’s just another human name of sorts.
And, we really don’t want to be grouped with chipmunks because chipmunks are nuts. They are spastic, always moving like nervous psychos, never sitting still. We rarely socialize with them. We can run as fast, but we stop often to enjoy the world and each other. They don’t. They almost never stop running around.
Got it. Definitely not a chipmunk. By the way, please could you describe your appearance? I know you’ve got some photos to share with us, but please describe yourself too, for the benefit of those who can’t see the photos.
If you’ve ever seen a chipmunk, that’s what we look like. We’re just bigger and some think we’re a bit furrier. Here’s a couple of photos.
Depending on the time of year, I have either caramel brown fur for summer, or greyish brown fur in the fall, with two stripes of black-white-black on either sides of my back. My tail is not quite as long as the rest of me and it is light grey-brown with black specks. My head and ears are brown, but my eyes are jet black with small white fur rings around them. All the humans I’ve met think I’m adorable and they all want to hold and cuddle me. Life could be worse and it was worse back in the forest.
I can imagine. I’ve never lived in a forest myself, but I know the world outside my cage can be scary at times, and that’s with the human caretakers around to keep an eye out for dangerous predators. Speaking of homes, what sort of place do you live in? Who do you share it with?
In the forest, we live mostly in underground burrows, but after coming to live with my human family, they gave the three of us a large cage with fresh food and water and a large plastic jar half full of rag strips that we use to make comfy places to sleep. It is so much better than those dirt burrows. We have branches to climb on and there is a heavy blanket the humans cover our cage with to protect us from weather and large animals that would certainly hurt or kill us. Our human family have three kids and there are one of us for each of them, but the others never really got used to their human. My human is my best friend and I get to leave the cage almost every day to play with him.
Oh, that sounds wonderful! What’s your favourite thing to do?
You’re going to find this funny but my human family has a long board with white and black square stones all in a line and when I jumped on them, a wonderful sound came out. There’s nothing like it in the forest and my friends back in the cage never believe me when I try to tell them about it. I love to run and jump back and forth from stone to stone and make fun noises. Every stone has a different sound. My human family laughs and plays with the stones with me. It is loads of fun.
Yes, it does sound fun. I’ve never seen anything like that, but it sounds like it could be a very fun toy. Speaking of toys, do you have a favourite toy? If yes, what is it?
Hmm, other than the board of stones, I don’t think so. In the forest, we spent most of our time trying to find and save food, but my human family always gives us all the food we can eat, right in the cage, so sometimes the cage was kind of boring. We had small things to play with, but we mostly play with each other, chasing each other around the cage, like we did in the forest after finding food. Our humans change or rearrange the branches in the cage sometimes. What I really love to do is to spend time with my best human friend and his friends. I never have to worry about big animals when I’m with him so I sit on his shoulder near his neck and watch the world or play with his other human friends.
That sounds nice. Yes, I like when the humans change things around in the cage too. It helps keep the cage from being too boring, and gives us something to do other than eat when we’re in the cage. Speaking of which, what’s your favourite food?
Ah – that’s easy. We love fresh vegetables and fruit and nuts. Our humans always give us more than we can eat, but we like to hide some in the cage anyway. Force of habit I guess.
Hey, better safe than sorry, right? Anyway, let’s talk about your human for a moment. So, what’s the one thing your human does that you love most?
Oh, you’ll like this. Our human’s home has a strange window that looks out on the strangest things. There’s always something different going on outside. We can always hear what the people outside are saying and see what they are doing. Our human family watch all kinds of people and even animals doing all kinds of things, even large animals that scared me at first, but the people and animals outside the window never come inside, so I often curl up on my best human friend’s shoulder and watch out the window with him. There’s a lot of strange things outside that window and I don’t understand most of it, but my human family likes to watch it with me. Sometimes they have nuts or other treats while watching and they always share with me. We never got to do anything like this in the forest or be this safe.
Oh, I know about that thing. Yes... They call it a TV. I love watching TV. I can see ours from in my cage... It’s great!
On a less positive note, since humans don’t always do the things we like, what’s the one thing your human does that you hate most?
Only sometimes, he forgets that other larger animals hate animals my size and I have to jump or hide somehow. In the cage we’re always safe - even from the giant dogs who live with our human family. There are cats who sometimes sit outside our cage hoping for a chance to catch us, but they can’t reach us. We stay hidden when they’re around because it’s impossible for us to relax around any kind of cat. There are also a few hawks and owls around, but after they found they couldn’t get past the cage, they gave up.
But my human friend once took me to an animal doctor – another neat thing we don’t have in the forest. I like the doctor – but as we sat waiting our turn one day, I was on my friend’s shoulder and not in a cage when the biggest dog I’d ever seen came in and he saw me immediately. I had to jump and run quickly because the dog tried to catch me. I quickly found a strange burrow beneath the couch we were sitting on where the dog could not fit and hid there until everyone and that dog left. When I did come out the room was dark. I explored and found one room where there were other animals, but they were all in cages and didn’t see or smell me. In the morning, I found the doctor and his helper doing something with a dead dog. I knew the dog was dead because he was cut wide open. It was very strange because I couldn’t figure out why they would be fussing with a dead dog, but I felt safe because that dog wasn’t going to hurt me. Afterwards, my human family came back and we talked with the doctor and then they took me back home with them. Anyway, my human is a great friend, but sometimes he forgets what it’s like to be my size around other animals.
Yes. Sometimes they forget we’re so small, don’t they? I’m glad you found a good place to hide that day.
By the way, I hear your human is a writer. Has he written anything about you? If yes, can you tell us about it? If no, do you think he will in the future?
Yes, yes, he did write a story of how I came to live with him and his family. He told how he sat with me quietly until I felt safe enough for us to be friends and how I learned to trust his family. You have to read it because he really messed up with our first winter came around and he didn’t know that we sleep through winter. I won’t tell you here what he did, but looking back now, it was pretty funny. He gave me the blue words below and said you would know what to do with them.
https://garyawilsonstories.wordpress.com/a-pet-from-the-wild/
I hope you do read it because we have lots of fun together and I love my life with him and his family. He really is the best friend I’ve ever had.
That’s a very interesting story. I hope whoever is reading our interview here goes to read it afterwards. For now though, I’m curious, what do you do while your human writes?
Most often, I’m on his shoulder. He has a shirt with a hood that piles up around his neck and I love to curl up in the hood where I’m warm and safe and there are no crazy chipmunks running around like maniacs.
Sounds nice and cosy. OK, before I let you go, is there anything else you’d like people to know about you?
If your friends read his story, tell them that I am not an “owl coal haul lick”.
I don’t know what that is, but it has something to do with the drink my best human friend gave me when he didn’t know about us sleeping through the winter, then after the story, there was some confusion about it and my best human friend tells people that he’s sorry for what happened and he was only joking about it in the story. I never saw the owl and only tasted the sweet hot water twice because he figured out why I was so sleepy right afterwards and never gave it to me again.
Got it. Hear that people? Just bear that in mind when you go read that story.
It was great meeting you Mollie.
It was great meeting you too, French Fry. Thanks for stopping by.
***~~~***
Author bio, links, etc:
Gary Arthur Wilson is a Technical Account Manager for Oracle Corp. He has been a story creator and teller for as long as he can recall and is still writing stories today. He was born and raised in Petaluma, California (~60 minutes north of San Francisco) which is also where all of his earlier “Dime of Time” story adventures took place.On graduating from Petaluma High School, he pursued a technical career in electronics engineering which took him into computer manufacturing. He completed his undergraduate degree at Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington where he majored in education. He authored and taught computer science courses for many Silicon Valley companies as well as the University of California, Berkeley Extension.
While he still works for Oracle, he is also still authoring new stories.
You can find his full story collection at his story blog website: https://garyawilsonstories.wordpress.com
***~~~***
I hope you enjoyed meeting my new friend, French Fry, and learning about him and his human, Gary.
If you’d like to be a friend of Furkid Friday too, send an eMail to keroberous2004@gmail.com with the subject “Friends Of Furkid Friday” – like it says on the “Friends Of Furkid Friday” page. You can also meet friends we've had over in the past via that page, since there's a list of previous "Friends Of Furkid Friday" posts on it.
Squeak soon,
Mollie
April 18, 2019
#AmReading + #AmWatching - April 18th 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:
Ghost Story by Jim Butcher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was an awesome read! It literally picks up where the previous book left off, and then takes you on quite the rollercoaster ride of emotions, while holding your attention with an action-packed and entertaining plot. It's an excellent book in its own right, and an amazing addition to the series.
As for what I've been watching:
I didn't watch as much during the past week as I did the week before. No movies at all. At least, not enough of any to count (just the odd scene caught while in and out of the living room). But I did watch one DVD. I watched another disk of "NCIS" season 8, which means I'm now two thirds of the way through season 8.
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:
Ghost Story by Jim ButcherMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was an awesome read! It literally picks up where the previous book left off, and then takes you on quite the rollercoaster ride of emotions, while holding your attention with an action-packed and entertaining plot. It's an excellent book in its own right, and an amazing addition to the series.
As for what I've been watching:
I didn't watch as much during the past week as I did the week before. No movies at all. At least, not enough of any to count (just the odd scene caught while in and out of the living room). But I did watch one DVD. I watched another disk of "NCIS" season 8, which means I'm now two thirds of the way through season 8.
April 17, 2019
#WriterWednesday - April 17th 2019
This past Saturday (April 13th 2019) I was featured on Robbie's blog. Not only did she have me over for an interview, but she also included a wonderful review for "Catching Snowflakes And Other Poems" (one of my poetry books) which she read prior to the interview. If you haven't already seen it, click here to see my interview, and check out Robbie's review of my poetry book,.
In other news: apparently new research has discovered a formula for creativity. Just be careful not to cross the fine line between giving your muse time to work and procrastinating. I mean, you don't have to give up things you enjoy to be successful, no matter what anyone says. You just have to make sure your writing time happens too.
Also, here's what to do when creativity fails, as well as how to lure your muse - just in case you need to know. Oh, and here are some ideas for ways to practice writing too.
Of course, when it comes to getting that writing time in, interruptions are inevitable, but don't let them bog you down. Work around them when possible. For example, write when the dog naps, or give her a treat ball or puzzle toy if that plan isn't working out. It's how I get my writing done, as well as the tasks on the computer: I get on here while Lilie naps, and distract her with a treat ball, or puzzle toy, if she wakes too soon, and I need to finish something. It's not fool-proof, but it works most of the time.
Anyway, are there vampires in your story? Are some of them - or even just one of them - your hero(es)? Then check out these excellent tips for using vampires as heroes, and these tips for crafting emotionally meaty monsters.
No matter who's in your story, here's a post to get you thinking about that hero's journey monomyth thingie.
By the way, this is every type of feedback and criticism writers will face (and how to deal with them).
Remember: your stories grow with you. At least, as long as you mind your 'comfort food'.
Next, here's how to make your writing come alive. It wouldn't hurt to try these 12 simple changes that will make you a better writer almost instantly either. Just saying.
Also, if you need to feel better about your writing, or yourself, consider trying one of these writing 'self care' strategies that aren't traditional self care. On a similar note, check out this healthy writer post series, which contains great tips for self care.
Finally, here's a post that might help you get more writing done in less time. It's all about getting in to a flow state. So, what is a 'flow state' and how will it help you write more, faster? Check out the post to find out.
In other news: apparently new research has discovered a formula for creativity. Just be careful not to cross the fine line between giving your muse time to work and procrastinating. I mean, you don't have to give up things you enjoy to be successful, no matter what anyone says. You just have to make sure your writing time happens too.
Also, here's what to do when creativity fails, as well as how to lure your muse - just in case you need to know. Oh, and here are some ideas for ways to practice writing too.
Of course, when it comes to getting that writing time in, interruptions are inevitable, but don't let them bog you down. Work around them when possible. For example, write when the dog naps, or give her a treat ball or puzzle toy if that plan isn't working out. It's how I get my writing done, as well as the tasks on the computer: I get on here while Lilie naps, and distract her with a treat ball, or puzzle toy, if she wakes too soon, and I need to finish something. It's not fool-proof, but it works most of the time.
Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.
~Arthur Ashe
Anyway, are there vampires in your story? Are some of them - or even just one of them - your hero(es)? Then check out these excellent tips for using vampires as heroes, and these tips for crafting emotionally meaty monsters.
No matter who's in your story, here's a post to get you thinking about that hero's journey monomyth thingie.
By the way, this is every type of feedback and criticism writers will face (and how to deal with them).
Remember: your stories grow with you. At least, as long as you mind your 'comfort food'.
Next, here's how to make your writing come alive. It wouldn't hurt to try these 12 simple changes that will make you a better writer almost instantly either. Just saying.
Also, if you need to feel better about your writing, or yourself, consider trying one of these writing 'self care' strategies that aren't traditional self care. On a similar note, check out this healthy writer post series, which contains great tips for self care.
Stress, anxiety and depression are caused when we are living to please others.
~Paulo Coelho
Finally, here's a post that might help you get more writing done in less time. It's all about getting in to a flow state. So, what is a 'flow state' and how will it help you write more, faster? Check out the post to find out.
April 16, 2019
#Crafting And #Baking Again, More Medical Mutterings, And Weather Reports
Kelly still does Warhammer - though he hasn't played in a while... He'll have quite the army when he does play again though - which means he still gets figures for it. He recently decided to catch up some on putting them together, and painting them, which he's gotten rather behind on. I was busy with other things while he was putting them together, but joined him while he was doing some of the painting, bringing some craft kits of my own to work on.
I didn't join him every time, but the times I did, we played with and walked Lilie first, and then settled her with one of her treat balls (she has a variety of different types, to keep things interesting for her). Then we put a DVD on (we watched some NCIS, since I still need to finish catching up with that, and it's something we both like) and settled ourselves at the table to watch it while we worked on our various projects. Mollie was sleeping at the time, while Joshua was happily playing on his wheel, and with NCIS on both of them would have been happy anyhow. So all three of the furkids were perfectly content to leave us to it. It was very pleasant and cosy.
I had a unicorn I wanted to paint. Well, actually, I kind of think it's an allacorn (I think I spelled that right) since it's got wings as well as the horn. But the kit calls it a unicorn, so I will too. Either way, I thought I'd work on that one, since Kelly was painting, and since I needed him around to help with colours and things, so it was an ideal time. So, I'm painting it as best I can, and then Kelly will go over it to tidy it up a bit for me afterwards. It's not quite finished, but I'll get Kelly to sort a photo for you when it is.
In the meantime, I've been working on a couple of other little projects while the various colours of the unicorn are drying. So I figured I'd share photos of those with you, since they're finished.
I finally finished the little owl sewing kit...
Yes, his eyes are a different colour. It's because I didn't realize the buttons for his eyes mattered which way around they were stitched, and had atatched both eyes before Kelly saw and said something... I decided to just leave it. Oh, and the purple bit is because he has a little pocket on his tummy. It's not big enough to hold much, but then he's not a very big owl, so I wouldn't expect it to be a very big pocket.
I also made this little wind chime...
I've been meaning to put together that particular kit for a very long time... I've had the wind chime kit for several years, and don't even remember where or when I got it. Actually, I forgot I had it for a while. I found it when I was sorting my craft stuff out a couple of months ago, so put it with the kits I haven't yet done from my subscription boxes (which I'd just started to get when I found the wind chime kit). While the unicorn's paint was drying seemed a good time to work on it. Plus, now I feel good for finally getting around to doing it.
Anyway, I also made this heart shaped dream catcher...
I know it's not done in the traditional way... I kind of just put it together how I felt it should be done, not caring if it wasn't quite how they're normally done, since I figured something like that should be a bit more personalized.
I started a new kit a couple of days ago too. I'm doing my other owl sewing kit. It's a different kit, so at least my owls will be a bit different. "Ollie the owl" - as the kit itself calls him - doesn't have that pocket on his tummy for a start. Either way, I'm stitching another owl, and he's maybe about a third done. Of course, I'll post his photo when I've finished him. Or, more accurately, as soon as I get to it afterwards, since it does often take us several days to get around to sorting photos, so sometimes they get posted a week or so later than they otherwise might have, as regulars on here may have noticed. Hey, we get to them... Eventually. We just don't tend to rush. Not unless we need to, because it's time sensative, or it's something I'm desperate to post about. Don't take it personally though, because we're the same way with most things.
Anyhow, as well as crafting, I've also been baking.
I made a spice cake, made with the same sort of spice combination you'd use for pumpkin pie, or pumpkin spice cake, just because I've got a lot of "pumpkin spice" mixed up, and it seemed like a good idea. Plus, I made more brownies for Kelly, because he's a big fan of my brownies. I did eat a couple myself, but I'm not a fan... Brownies are as close as I ever get to chocolate cake though. But I made myself a spinach and mushroom quiche, a mini lemon tart (done to use the scraps from the pastry from the quiche) and - since it's something I love that Kelly doesn't - this coconut cake with lime butter icing:
I made most of them over a week ago, so they're long since gone. We enjoyed them though. I made the spice cake last week, but that's gone now too, since we were enjoying that over the weekend. They were a lovely addition to our crafting and DVD watching time. At least, I think so, and Kelly sure seemed to be enjoying his brownies, and his share of the spice cake.
In other news...
My post-op appointment, which I thought was on April 9th, was actually supposed to have been on April 8th. Since I went to the hospital on the 9th, I missed my appointment, and they just discharged me. They did ask when I was at the hospital if I had any concerns that meant I needed to be seen urgently, but since I seem to be recovering just fine, and wasn't about to say otherwise just to be seen (especially since I'd have had to waste my day in A and E to get seen, and had apparently wasted part of it already as it was) the hospital couldn't - or wouldn't - really do anything. If I want to be seen by a gynecologist properly, I have to go talk to my doctor for a referral, or have a big enough issue that I end up going in to A and E. Since they would have just been poking at my scar and asking if I felt OK, and then would have discharged me anyhow, and it will take several months for me to get to see a gynecologist if I ask my doctor to refer me again, I'm not going to bother. No point going through all that fuss just for someone to poke at my scar in six months or so (possibly even close to a year) and then tell me to go home. If something comes up, I can always call the doctor when it does. That or go to A and E, depending on how bad the issue is. It will get resolved quicker that way anyhow. In theory I shouldn't need to do either though. I'm no longer in pain, and the scar has knitted itself together nicely by the look of it. I'm even getting in and out of the bath by myself easily, playing with Lilie properly, and was fine with the stairs. So, while I officially shouldn't have been fully discharged without a physical examination, I'm not going to fight them on it. I don't see the point. Like I said, if something crops up, I'll get myself seen. Otherwise... *shrugs*
Oh, and... Yes. I took the bins of needles with me when I went to the hospital, like I planned to. No. I didn't bring them home. I almost ended up doing so, but the woman from the help desk helped me out. Well, women, plural, actually. They were great! They contacted various departments in the hospital, and eventually managed to get SAU to agree they should take them as part of their duty of care to me, since it was them spacifically who had discharged me with the shots (a fact they couldn't dispute, since one of the bins actually had a label on it identifying it as being property of that particular ward). Apparently, had they had purple lids instead of yellow ones, I wouldn't have had to go through all that fuss. I did offer to paint the lids purple, but it seems that wouldn't help. No pleasing some people! Either way, despite them having yellow lids, the little plastic bins of needles are finally gone! YAY!
Still on the medical front: I do have one issue, but it's not something the hospital would have dealt with usually anyhow. They cracked one of my teeth during surgery. I didn't think it was bad, and didn't notice it at first... Too distracted with the pain in my stomach, and the allergies to the pain meds, I suppose. Either way, when I did realize, I figured I'd get the post-op stuff out of the way - thus giving myself time to heal enough to sit up for as long as needed for it to be dealt with - and then see about calling the dentist. I'm past due a check-up anyhow, since being in and out of hospital so much in the past year has made going in for check-ups difficult to say the least. I guess the tooth was worse than I thought though, because it broke the other day. Needless to say, that was enough to prompt me to hurry up with that call to the dentist. I've got an appointment for April 24th at 12:45pm.
Luckily, my cold never came to much, and seems to have gone already.
Anyway, the weather's been all over the place. One day warm and sunny, so we have the windows open. The next cold and stormy, so the windows end up closed, and we're reaching for extra blankets. We've had temperatures ranging from about 2 degrees C to around 16 degrees C, and an interesting mixture of conditions, including rain, sun, and hail. A couple of days we even had fog and haze. At one point they promised snow too, though I wasn't surprised when that never showed up. It is April, after all, and we almost never get snow this time of year (if we're going to get it, it generally comes between the start of November and the end of March). I'm not saying it would be impossible for us to get snow between April and October. Just unusual enough that I never bothered getting my hopes up. Of course, Lilie and I would have enjoyed it if it had snowed though. Since it didn't, we enjoyed some puddles from the rain instead. Lilie loves puddles. She's quite the water dog at times. As for me... Well, I'm just a big kid, so of course I love splashing in puddles! *wink*
I didn't join him every time, but the times I did, we played with and walked Lilie first, and then settled her with one of her treat balls (she has a variety of different types, to keep things interesting for her). Then we put a DVD on (we watched some NCIS, since I still need to finish catching up with that, and it's something we both like) and settled ourselves at the table to watch it while we worked on our various projects. Mollie was sleeping at the time, while Joshua was happily playing on his wheel, and with NCIS on both of them would have been happy anyhow. So all three of the furkids were perfectly content to leave us to it. It was very pleasant and cosy.
I had a unicorn I wanted to paint. Well, actually, I kind of think it's an allacorn (I think I spelled that right) since it's got wings as well as the horn. But the kit calls it a unicorn, so I will too. Either way, I thought I'd work on that one, since Kelly was painting, and since I needed him around to help with colours and things, so it was an ideal time. So, I'm painting it as best I can, and then Kelly will go over it to tidy it up a bit for me afterwards. It's not quite finished, but I'll get Kelly to sort a photo for you when it is.
In the meantime, I've been working on a couple of other little projects while the various colours of the unicorn are drying. So I figured I'd share photos of those with you, since they're finished.
I finally finished the little owl sewing kit...
Yes, his eyes are a different colour. It's because I didn't realize the buttons for his eyes mattered which way around they were stitched, and had atatched both eyes before Kelly saw and said something... I decided to just leave it. Oh, and the purple bit is because he has a little pocket on his tummy. It's not big enough to hold much, but then he's not a very big owl, so I wouldn't expect it to be a very big pocket.
I also made this little wind chime...
I've been meaning to put together that particular kit for a very long time... I've had the wind chime kit for several years, and don't even remember where or when I got it. Actually, I forgot I had it for a while. I found it when I was sorting my craft stuff out a couple of months ago, so put it with the kits I haven't yet done from my subscription boxes (which I'd just started to get when I found the wind chime kit). While the unicorn's paint was drying seemed a good time to work on it. Plus, now I feel good for finally getting around to doing it.
Anyway, I also made this heart shaped dream catcher...
I know it's not done in the traditional way... I kind of just put it together how I felt it should be done, not caring if it wasn't quite how they're normally done, since I figured something like that should be a bit more personalized.
I started a new kit a couple of days ago too. I'm doing my other owl sewing kit. It's a different kit, so at least my owls will be a bit different. "Ollie the owl" - as the kit itself calls him - doesn't have that pocket on his tummy for a start. Either way, I'm stitching another owl, and he's maybe about a third done. Of course, I'll post his photo when I've finished him. Or, more accurately, as soon as I get to it afterwards, since it does often take us several days to get around to sorting photos, so sometimes they get posted a week or so later than they otherwise might have, as regulars on here may have noticed. Hey, we get to them... Eventually. We just don't tend to rush. Not unless we need to, because it's time sensative, or it's something I'm desperate to post about. Don't take it personally though, because we're the same way with most things.
Anyhow, as well as crafting, I've also been baking.
I made a spice cake, made with the same sort of spice combination you'd use for pumpkin pie, or pumpkin spice cake, just because I've got a lot of "pumpkin spice" mixed up, and it seemed like a good idea. Plus, I made more brownies for Kelly, because he's a big fan of my brownies. I did eat a couple myself, but I'm not a fan... Brownies are as close as I ever get to chocolate cake though. But I made myself a spinach and mushroom quiche, a mini lemon tart (done to use the scraps from the pastry from the quiche) and - since it's something I love that Kelly doesn't - this coconut cake with lime butter icing:
I made most of them over a week ago, so they're long since gone. We enjoyed them though. I made the spice cake last week, but that's gone now too, since we were enjoying that over the weekend. They were a lovely addition to our crafting and DVD watching time. At least, I think so, and Kelly sure seemed to be enjoying his brownies, and his share of the spice cake.
In other news...
My post-op appointment, which I thought was on April 9th, was actually supposed to have been on April 8th. Since I went to the hospital on the 9th, I missed my appointment, and they just discharged me. They did ask when I was at the hospital if I had any concerns that meant I needed to be seen urgently, but since I seem to be recovering just fine, and wasn't about to say otherwise just to be seen (especially since I'd have had to waste my day in A and E to get seen, and had apparently wasted part of it already as it was) the hospital couldn't - or wouldn't - really do anything. If I want to be seen by a gynecologist properly, I have to go talk to my doctor for a referral, or have a big enough issue that I end up going in to A and E. Since they would have just been poking at my scar and asking if I felt OK, and then would have discharged me anyhow, and it will take several months for me to get to see a gynecologist if I ask my doctor to refer me again, I'm not going to bother. No point going through all that fuss just for someone to poke at my scar in six months or so (possibly even close to a year) and then tell me to go home. If something comes up, I can always call the doctor when it does. That or go to A and E, depending on how bad the issue is. It will get resolved quicker that way anyhow. In theory I shouldn't need to do either though. I'm no longer in pain, and the scar has knitted itself together nicely by the look of it. I'm even getting in and out of the bath by myself easily, playing with Lilie properly, and was fine with the stairs. So, while I officially shouldn't have been fully discharged without a physical examination, I'm not going to fight them on it. I don't see the point. Like I said, if something crops up, I'll get myself seen. Otherwise... *shrugs*
Oh, and... Yes. I took the bins of needles with me when I went to the hospital, like I planned to. No. I didn't bring them home. I almost ended up doing so, but the woman from the help desk helped me out. Well, women, plural, actually. They were great! They contacted various departments in the hospital, and eventually managed to get SAU to agree they should take them as part of their duty of care to me, since it was them spacifically who had discharged me with the shots (a fact they couldn't dispute, since one of the bins actually had a label on it identifying it as being property of that particular ward). Apparently, had they had purple lids instead of yellow ones, I wouldn't have had to go through all that fuss. I did offer to paint the lids purple, but it seems that wouldn't help. No pleasing some people! Either way, despite them having yellow lids, the little plastic bins of needles are finally gone! YAY!
Still on the medical front: I do have one issue, but it's not something the hospital would have dealt with usually anyhow. They cracked one of my teeth during surgery. I didn't think it was bad, and didn't notice it at first... Too distracted with the pain in my stomach, and the allergies to the pain meds, I suppose. Either way, when I did realize, I figured I'd get the post-op stuff out of the way - thus giving myself time to heal enough to sit up for as long as needed for it to be dealt with - and then see about calling the dentist. I'm past due a check-up anyhow, since being in and out of hospital so much in the past year has made going in for check-ups difficult to say the least. I guess the tooth was worse than I thought though, because it broke the other day. Needless to say, that was enough to prompt me to hurry up with that call to the dentist. I've got an appointment for April 24th at 12:45pm.
Luckily, my cold never came to much, and seems to have gone already.
Anyway, the weather's been all over the place. One day warm and sunny, so we have the windows open. The next cold and stormy, so the windows end up closed, and we're reaching for extra blankets. We've had temperatures ranging from about 2 degrees C to around 16 degrees C, and an interesting mixture of conditions, including rain, sun, and hail. A couple of days we even had fog and haze. At one point they promised snow too, though I wasn't surprised when that never showed up. It is April, after all, and we almost never get snow this time of year (if we're going to get it, it generally comes between the start of November and the end of March). I'm not saying it would be impossible for us to get snow between April and October. Just unusual enough that I never bothered getting my hopes up. Of course, Lilie and I would have enjoyed it if it had snowed though. Since it didn't, we enjoyed some puddles from the rain instead. Lilie loves puddles. She's quite the water dog at times. As for me... Well, I'm just a big kid, so of course I love splashing in puddles! *wink*
April 15, 2019
#MondayMotivation, #Inspiration, And #Wisdom - #Quotes For April 15th 2019
We are like trees whose roots divide and spread outwards. Our neighbours are the same. Their roots too spread out and interlace with ours. Like trees in a wood, our trunks are quite separate but beneath the soil an inextricably tangled network.
~C.R. Milne
Who is it that can make muddy water clear? No one. But left to stand, it will gradually clear of itself.
~Loa Tzu
Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet.
~Thich Nhat Hanh
Dreams are like stars. You may never touch them, but if you follow them they will lead you to your destiny.
~Liam James
At some point in life, the world's beauty becomes enough.
~Toni Morrison
The way we choose to see the world creates the world we see.
~Barry Neil Kaufman
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
~Albert Einstein
April 12, 2019
#FurkidFriday: "She's Not Broken Any More."
Hi everyone. This is Lilie the Westie.
She's not broken any more!
Mummy, I mean. Just in case you aren't sure who I'm talking about.
She's playing ball properly and everything.
It's great, especially since I've got all those new balls to try out.
Speaking of which, I better get back to it...
I just thought you'd like to know.
Lots of licks,
Lilie
She's not broken any more!
Mummy, I mean. Just in case you aren't sure who I'm talking about.
She's playing ball properly and everything.
It's great, especially since I've got all those new balls to try out.
Speaking of which, I better get back to it...
I just thought you'd like to know.
Lots of licks,
Lilie
April 11, 2019
#AmReading + #AmWatching - April 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:
Changes by Jim Butcher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
For the most part I loved this book as much as I have the others in the series. In fact, in some ways I loved it more,, because I've become so invested in the characters by this point, and the stakes are certainly high in this one. So, why only four stars? The cliffhanger ending. I've let some cliffhangers slide with this author, but this one... WOW! Leaving the ending like that is just mean! I'm glad I had the next book already, because it would have driven me nuts otherwise. As it was I had to stay up a while longer to start the next book. I know that's the whole point of cliffhangers, but I hate when authors do it.
As for what I've been watching:
I actually watched some of my DVDs during the past week. Yeah, I know. I'll give you a moment to pick yourself back up off the floor. All set? Are you back on your chair now? No serious injuries from falling down from the shock of what I just said? Great! *wink*
Anyway, I watched the first three disks of season eight of NCIS. Yeah, I know, I'm incredibly behind on episodes of that. I'm incredibly behind on pretty much everything I want to wach though, so never mind. Honestly, the only thing longer than my to-watch list is my to-read list. Haha! At least I'm now a few disks - half a season, in fact - closer to catching up with NCIS. Hey, it's progress, and any progress is good progress, right?
I also watched some movies on Sky Cinema Disney the other day, while I was doing stuff within earshot of the TV for a long time, but didn't want to fuss with a DVD, so thought I'd check out what was on TV I could watch. They were all ones I've seen several times before though. I watched "Bolt" and "Pocahantas" from start to finish, and "The Lion King" from about ten minutes in to the movie until the end (because that's how far through it was when I went to see what was on the channel). All three are movies I love, so I was happy to watch them again, despite having seen all three several times already.
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:
Changes by Jim ButcherMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
For the most part I loved this book as much as I have the others in the series. In fact, in some ways I loved it more,, because I've become so invested in the characters by this point, and the stakes are certainly high in this one. So, why only four stars? The cliffhanger ending. I've let some cliffhangers slide with this author, but this one... WOW! Leaving the ending like that is just mean! I'm glad I had the next book already, because it would have driven me nuts otherwise. As it was I had to stay up a while longer to start the next book. I know that's the whole point of cliffhangers, but I hate when authors do it.
As for what I've been watching:
I actually watched some of my DVDs during the past week. Yeah, I know. I'll give you a moment to pick yourself back up off the floor. All set? Are you back on your chair now? No serious injuries from falling down from the shock of what I just said? Great! *wink*
Anyway, I watched the first three disks of season eight of NCIS. Yeah, I know, I'm incredibly behind on episodes of that. I'm incredibly behind on pretty much everything I want to wach though, so never mind. Honestly, the only thing longer than my to-watch list is my to-read list. Haha! At least I'm now a few disks - half a season, in fact - closer to catching up with NCIS. Hey, it's progress, and any progress is good progress, right?
I also watched some movies on Sky Cinema Disney the other day, while I was doing stuff within earshot of the TV for a long time, but didn't want to fuss with a DVD, so thought I'd check out what was on TV I could watch. They were all ones I've seen several times before though. I watched "Bolt" and "Pocahantas" from start to finish, and "The Lion King" from about ten minutes in to the movie until the end (because that's how far through it was when I went to see what was on the channel). All three are movies I love, so I was happy to watch them again, despite having seen all three several times already.
April 10, 2019
Not-So-Cute #Rabbits, And The Other Animals Of Nytefall - A Guest Post By @cyallowitz
Thank you to Victoria for offering a space on her blog to help promote my newest release, War of Nytefall: Rivalry. This is the third volume of my vampire series, which takes place in the world of Windemere where my previous series, Legends of Windemere, was set. So, there is a lot of magic and monsters in this world to join the civil war between the old-world vampires and the more dangerous Dawn Fangs. Let’s meet the . . . Oh . . . Yeah, I might have a problem here.
In my last series, I had Fizzle the drite who was a purple dragon with dragonfly wings. He was very popular and was perfect for gaining attention to the books. He was happy, loved apples, talked like a child, and had enough power to protect his friends. Fizzle worked for that series because it was an epic adventure with a sense of bright humor. War of Nytefall has an entire cast of vampires, so cute animals are kind of rare. Now, if you will bear/bare/beer with me and cast the ‘cute’ part aside, I do have a few critters that you can meet.
Lost’s Bunny
This may take a little explanation. Lost is a vampire who was born instead of turned, so she’s very special. She’s also a powerful psionic and her pet/weapon is this bunny. Originally, this was my sister’s character in ‘Vampire: The Masquerade’ RPG and she just did whatever popped into her head at the time. Having promised to keep the character as close to what she was, I couldn’t forget the rabbit. It flies around and moves really fast, which is really because of her telekinesis. Many times, it’s shot through an enemy because they’re too busy watching the vampire dancing around in front of them. The poor thing doubles as a purse too with gems, coins, and other random objects inside of it.
It’s really hard to put this creature on the list even though it has the most amount of page time among the ‘animals’. The reason is because it isn’t alive. As a baby, Lost was approached by this rabbit and it tried to bite her. She snapped its neck and they’ve been friends ever since with her subconsciously animating the bunny. The two of them talk with people only hearing her side of the conversation and she feeds it tomatoes. I describe it fairly often as looking decrepit and strange, which is the main reason I said that we weren’t going to find any cute animals here.
Bob’s Horses
Bob is one of the vampire heroes who has an obsession with horses. He loves them and will bring them up in conversation every chance he gets. In fact, his special power is that he can create horses from corpses. He can actually do it to any animal, but he sticks to horses for the most part. In an emergency, Bob will use another riding beast while complaining about them or getting himself to believe that they are close enough to horses to count. One of my favorite scenes is him using a cobbled together pronghorn antelope and having to do repairs as he rides along.
Here’s the thing with Bob and his horses: They aren’t normal. That might seem like an understatement, but I’m sure everyone is thinking skeletal and zombie horses right now. It isn’t that simple. He literally builds them and can keep a stable of 12-16 before he has to junk one to make room for another. Bob can make them for speed, strength, agility, gliding, metal skin, stone skin, breathing acid, and the list is as long as his imagination. Whatever parts and ingredients he can get his hands on, he can put into or onto one of his creations. For example, he could take a normal stallion and add griffin wings to it for a makeshift Pegasus. So, I can’t really list all of his horses because I’d be here all day. There are always some new ones that show up in every book too.
Clyde’s Eusu
I almost forgot about this guy because he’s in the background. Clyde is the leader of the Dawn Fangs and the protagonist of the entire series. After being transformed by the Great Cataclysm into a vampire who is immune to sunlight and displays incredible physical abilities, he becomes a target of the old-world vampires. They really fear him because his blood can transform them into Dawn Fangs, which many go through with for the increase in power. Personality-wise, Clyde is aggressive and struggling to maintain his humanity, so I gave him a pet. It wasn’t on purpose either. It just kind of happened because I had this animal hanging around where he had one of his big battles in War of Nytefall: Loyalty. It was eating so many vampires and some of his blood that I couldn’t imagine it being anything other than an immortal pet.
So, what is an Eusu? Imagine a large alligator that is really aggressive and the top of whatever food chain it decides to join. At least in regards to non-magical animals. Of course, there has to be something unique for me to call it something other than an alligator. It’s got a four-jawed mouth that opens into a wide ‘X’ and slams down on its prey with enough force to usually snap its neck or sever a limb. This was a beast I came up with on the fly when I wanted Timoran Wrath to have a big fight in Legends of Windemere: The Compass Key. He’s a barbarian and I wanted a really nasty predator. The Eusu just came to me and it’s been one of my favorite creatures to use ever since. It’s surprisingly simple in design and makes a great pet for someone like Clyde who is rather predatory himself. It typically hangs around the moat that is near his fortress or wanders out to prowl the island in search of food. Given that it’s been vampirized to some extent, this Eusu is much stronger and durable than others. Makes me wonder if I should do more with it.
So, there are the animals found within War of Nytefall: Rivalry (UK readers can find the book here). Hope you enjoyed it enough to give the book a look on Amazon. See you in the comments.
***~~~***
About the Author:
Charles E. Yallowitz was born, raised, and educated in New York. Then he spent a few years in Florida, realized his fear of alligators, and moved back to the Empire State. When he isn't working hard on his epic fantasy stories, Charles can be found cooking or going on whatever adventure his son has planned for the day. Truthfully, his tales of adventure are much more interesting than his real life, so skip the bio and dive into the actionBlog: www.legendsofwindemere.com
Twitter: @cyallowitz
Website: www.charleseyallowitz.com
April 9, 2019
#Unicorn Slippers, #HarryPotter Boxes, And #MothersDay Gifts
The last few days of March contained a lot of fun post, as well as some tasty goodies for me.
In the parcel that contained Lilie's princess paws outfit from my Mam, there was a pair of unicorn slippers for me.....
(Yes, they're on my feet in the photo)
Mam also sent me this Mother and Daughter plaque:
Plus, my Harry Potter box arrived. For those who like to know, March's box contained the following:
A t-shirt with a toad, some chicken feathers, and moons on it...
(Illustrating how you get a basalisk, I assume, especially given the theme of this month's box... I'm basing this on my knowledge of how that's meant to work, which comes from what they say in the books and movies).
A chocolate frogs poster...
Some sweets, which were some actual edible chocolate frogs, and some sherbert lemons...
(Yes, they did taste good, in case you were wondering).
Some "divination" Earl Grey tea, complete with a tea strainer...
(I do have one of those strainer things, though this one's slightly smaller than mine... Not that it matters. Doesn't hurt to have a spare though, and since this is the third tea they've sent out, I'm glad they thought to include one at some point for those who don't have one, since a lot of people probably didn't before they sent this one out).
An ornamental mandrake...
(the first photo shows it in its pot, the second shows it out of the pot, so you can see it more clearly).
And a Ravenclaw print...
There was also something with details on it about how I can order a personalized Hogwarts letter, plus a scratch card that I'm waiting to find out what I won from, since we had to contact them to tell them what was on my card, and haven't had the reply yet. At least, we haven't had it at the time I'm writing this, though we might have by the time it goes live.
If that wasn't enough, the last Sunday in March was Mothers' Day here in the UK, and my Mam got me a little something from Lilie. It's a little wooden heart with a message on it. Here's a photo:
Kelly also got me some mini flapjack bites, and caramel crispy bites, which were the rest of my Mothers' Day present from Lilie. I didn't bother to get photos of those, though I did enjoy eating them. *wink*
Like I said, lots of fun post, and tasty goodies!
In the parcel that contained Lilie's princess paws outfit from my Mam, there was a pair of unicorn slippers for me.....
(Yes, they're on my feet in the photo)
Mam also sent me this Mother and Daughter plaque:
Plus, my Harry Potter box arrived. For those who like to know, March's box contained the following:
A t-shirt with a toad, some chicken feathers, and moons on it...
(Illustrating how you get a basalisk, I assume, especially given the theme of this month's box... I'm basing this on my knowledge of how that's meant to work, which comes from what they say in the books and movies).
A chocolate frogs poster...
Some sweets, which were some actual edible chocolate frogs, and some sherbert lemons...
(Yes, they did taste good, in case you were wondering).
Some "divination" Earl Grey tea, complete with a tea strainer...
(I do have one of those strainer things, though this one's slightly smaller than mine... Not that it matters. Doesn't hurt to have a spare though, and since this is the third tea they've sent out, I'm glad they thought to include one at some point for those who don't have one, since a lot of people probably didn't before they sent this one out).
An ornamental mandrake...
(the first photo shows it in its pot, the second shows it out of the pot, so you can see it more clearly).
And a Ravenclaw print...
There was also something with details on it about how I can order a personalized Hogwarts letter, plus a scratch card that I'm waiting to find out what I won from, since we had to contact them to tell them what was on my card, and haven't had the reply yet. At least, we haven't had it at the time I'm writing this, though we might have by the time it goes live.
If that wasn't enough, the last Sunday in March was Mothers' Day here in the UK, and my Mam got me a little something from Lilie. It's a little wooden heart with a message on it. Here's a photo:
Kelly also got me some mini flapjack bites, and caramel crispy bites, which were the rest of my Mothers' Day present from Lilie. I didn't bother to get photos of those, though I did enjoy eating them. *wink*
Like I said, lots of fun post, and tasty goodies!
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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- Victoria Zigler's profile
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