Sunday, January 31, 2010
January 2010 craft update: beaten by booties
There's not much to say for this month's craft update, because I spent most of the month "trying" to knit a pair of baby booties for someone's baby who's due soon. I have now admitted defeat. Five times I tried to knit that damn bootie, and each time I was almost done when...
First I dropped some stitches and the bootie unravelled while I was trying to pick them back up.
Then I dropped the knitting and the stitches fell off the needle.
Then Kero got his foot caught in the wool, because I'd knocked the ball on the floor without realising, and when I went to untangle him I pulled the stitches off the needle again.
Then I picked the knitting up wrongly, and the stitches fell off the needle.
Then Kelly came and gave me a hug, and... Well, see #1.
After that I gave up.
Tori
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Children... LOL!
I had this sent to me in an e-mail a couple of days ago, and I thought I'd share it.
******
1. A nursery school pupil told his teacher he'd found a cat, but it was dead.
'How do you know that the cat was dead?' she asked her pupil.
'Because I pissed in its ear and it didn't move,' answered the child innocently.
'You did WHAT?' the teacher exclaimed in surprise.
'You know,' explained the boy, 'I leaned over and went 'Pssst' and it didn't move'
2. A small boy is sent to bed by his father.
Five minutes later.....'Da-ad....'
'What?'
'I'm thirsty. Can you bring a drink of water?'
'No, You had your chance. Lights out.'
Five minutes later: 'Da-aaaad......'
'WHAT?'
'I'm THIRSTY. Can I have a drink of water??'
' I told you NO! If you ask again, I'll have to smack you!!'
Five minutes later......'Daaaa-aaaad..'
'WHAT!'
'When you come in to smack me, can you bring a drink of water?'
3. An exasperated mother, whose son was always getting into mischief, finally asked him 'How do you expect to get into Heaven?'
The boy thought it over and said, 'Well, I'll run in and out and in and out and keep slamming the door until St. Peter says, 'For Heaven's sake, Dylan, come in or stay out!''
4. One summer evening during a violent thunderstorm a mother was tucking her son into bed. She was about to turn off the light when he
asked with a tremor in his voice, 'Mummy, will you sleep with me tonight?'
The mother smiled and gave him a reassuring hug. 'I can't dear,' she said. 'I have to sleep in Daddy's room.'
A long silence was broken at last by his shaky little voice: 'The big sissy.'
5. It was that time, during the Sunday morning service, for the children's sermon.
All the children were invited to come forward.
One little girl was wearing a particularly pretty dress and, as she sat down, the minister leaned over and said, 'That is a very pretty dress.
Is it your Easter Dress?'
The little girl replied, directly into the minister's clip-on microphone, 'Yes, and my Mum says it's a bitch to iron.'
6. When I was six months pregnant with my third child, my three year old came into the room when I was just getting ready to get into the
shower. She said, 'Mummy, you are getting fat!' I replied, 'Yes, honey, remember Mummy has a baby growing in her
tummy.'
'I know,' she replied, but what's growing in your bum?'
7. A little boy was doing his math homework. He said to himself, 'Two plus five, that son of a bitch is seven.
Three plus six, that son of a bitch is nine....'
His mother heard what he was saying and gasped, 'What are you doing?'
The little boy answered, 'I'm doing my math homework, Mum.'
'And this is how your teacher taught you to do it?' the mother asked
'Yes,' he answered.
Infuriated, the mother asked the teacher the next day, 'What are you teaching my son in math?'
The teacher replied, 'Right now, we are learning addition.'
The mother asked, 'And are you teaching them to say two plus two, that son of a bitch is four?'
After the teacher stopped laughing, she answered, 'What I taught them was, two plus two, THE SUM OF WHICH, is four.'
8. One day the first grade teacher was reading the story of Chicken Little to her class. She came to the part of the story where Chicken
Little tried to warn the farmer. She read, '.... and so Chicken Little went up to the farmer and said, 'The sky is falling, the sky is
falling!'
The teacher paused then asked the class, 'And what do you think that farmer said?'
One little girl raised her hand and said, 'I think he said: 'Holy S#@%! A talking chicken!''
The teacher was unable to teach for the next 10 minutes.
9. A certain little girl, when asked her name, would reply, I'm Mr. Sugarbrown's daughter.'
Her mother told her this was wrong, she must say, 'I'm Jane Sugarbrown.'
The Vicar spoke to her in Sunday School, and said, 'Aren't you Mr. Sugarbrown's daughter?'
She replied, 'I thought I was, but mother says I'm not.'
10. A little girl asked her mother, 'Can I go outside and play with the boys?'
Her mother replied, 'No, you can't play with the boys, they're too rough.'
The little girl thought about it for a few moments and asked, 'If I can find a smooth one, can I play with him?'
11. A little girl goes to the barber shop with her father. She stands next to the barber chair, while her dad gets his hair cut,
eating a snack cake. The barber says to her, 'Sweetheart, you're gonna get hair on your muffin.'
She says, 'Yes, I know, and I'm gonna get boobs too.'
******
1. A nursery school pupil told his teacher he'd found a cat, but it was dead.
'How do you know that the cat was dead?' she asked her pupil.
'Because I pissed in its ear and it didn't move,' answered the child innocently.
'You did WHAT?' the teacher exclaimed in surprise.
'You know,' explained the boy, 'I leaned over and went 'Pssst' and it didn't move'
2. A small boy is sent to bed by his father.
Five minutes later.....'Da-ad....'
'What?'
'I'm thirsty. Can you bring a drink of water?'
'No, You had your chance. Lights out.'
Five minutes later: 'Da-aaaad......'
'WHAT?'
'I'm THIRSTY. Can I have a drink of water??'
' I told you NO! If you ask again, I'll have to smack you!!'
Five minutes later......'Daaaa-aaaad..'
'WHAT!'
'When you come in to smack me, can you bring a drink of water?'
3. An exasperated mother, whose son was always getting into mischief, finally asked him 'How do you expect to get into Heaven?'
The boy thought it over and said, 'Well, I'll run in and out and in and out and keep slamming the door until St. Peter says, 'For Heaven's sake, Dylan, come in or stay out!''
4. One summer evening during a violent thunderstorm a mother was tucking her son into bed. She was about to turn off the light when he
asked with a tremor in his voice, 'Mummy, will you sleep with me tonight?'
The mother smiled and gave him a reassuring hug. 'I can't dear,' she said. 'I have to sleep in Daddy's room.'
A long silence was broken at last by his shaky little voice: 'The big sissy.'
5. It was that time, during the Sunday morning service, for the children's sermon.
All the children were invited to come forward.
One little girl was wearing a particularly pretty dress and, as she sat down, the minister leaned over and said, 'That is a very pretty dress.
Is it your Easter Dress?'
The little girl replied, directly into the minister's clip-on microphone, 'Yes, and my Mum says it's a bitch to iron.'
6. When I was six months pregnant with my third child, my three year old came into the room when I was just getting ready to get into the
shower. She said, 'Mummy, you are getting fat!' I replied, 'Yes, honey, remember Mummy has a baby growing in her
tummy.'
'I know,' she replied, but what's growing in your bum?'
7. A little boy was doing his math homework. He said to himself, 'Two plus five, that son of a bitch is seven.
Three plus six, that son of a bitch is nine....'
His mother heard what he was saying and gasped, 'What are you doing?'
The little boy answered, 'I'm doing my math homework, Mum.'
'And this is how your teacher taught you to do it?' the mother asked
'Yes,' he answered.
Infuriated, the mother asked the teacher the next day, 'What are you teaching my son in math?'
The teacher replied, 'Right now, we are learning addition.'
The mother asked, 'And are you teaching them to say two plus two, that son of a bitch is four?'
After the teacher stopped laughing, she answered, 'What I taught them was, two plus two, THE SUM OF WHICH, is four.'
8. One day the first grade teacher was reading the story of Chicken Little to her class. She came to the part of the story where Chicken
Little tried to warn the farmer. She read, '.... and so Chicken Little went up to the farmer and said, 'The sky is falling, the sky is
falling!'
The teacher paused then asked the class, 'And what do you think that farmer said?'
One little girl raised her hand and said, 'I think he said: 'Holy S#@%! A talking chicken!''
The teacher was unable to teach for the next 10 minutes.
9. A certain little girl, when asked her name, would reply, I'm Mr. Sugarbrown's daughter.'
Her mother told her this was wrong, she must say, 'I'm Jane Sugarbrown.'
The Vicar spoke to her in Sunday School, and said, 'Aren't you Mr. Sugarbrown's daughter?'
She replied, 'I thought I was, but mother says I'm not.'
10. A little girl asked her mother, 'Can I go outside and play with the boys?'
Her mother replied, 'No, you can't play with the boys, they're too rough.'
The little girl thought about it for a few moments and asked, 'If I can find a smooth one, can I play with him?'
11. A little girl goes to the barber shop with her father. She stands next to the barber chair, while her dad gets his hair cut,
eating a snack cake. The barber says to her, 'Sweetheart, you're gonna get hair on your muffin.'
She says, 'Yes, I know, and I'm gonna get boobs too.'
Friday, January 29, 2010
Kero's korner: Photos from January 2010
Hi humans.
Firstly, I want to let everyone who has been worrying about me know that I've been doing much better this week. I wasn't sick at all this past week, and the only things worrying me have been the usual things. You know? The tumble dryer, noisy humans, etc. and, of course, the usual worries that us dogs all get when our humans go out places without them.
Anyway, I have some photos to share from this past month. Firstly, me napping...
Secondly, here's a photo of me on the sofa in the living room. Please excuse the mess of blankets... They are there mainly for Willow and myself, but we let the humans use them sometimes too. Anyway, I think this photo was taken just after my grooming session a couple of weeks back. Remember? The grooming session that I had at the start of January.
Here's another photo of me. Sorry it's a bit blurry.
And here I am taking a nap on our bed at the house. I love naps!
Anyway, about the only exciting thing that happened this past week is that I got a new tag with my name and phone number on. These next two photos were taken after I got the tag.
I expect it's hard to see - partly because it's a small tag, and partly because the photos are kind of dark - but my tag is a blue one, and it's shaped like a dogs' head. You may be able to see two tags on my collar? Well, if so then that's because I have a lighter blue one - a square shaped one - because of having a microchip in. The new one probably just looks like a blob of colour? If so, sorry! It's meant to be a dogs' head in blue though.
Hopefully soon we will get some better photos where you can actually see the tag properly.
Anyway, the only other interesting thing that happened this past week was that Mami, Mamgu and Wayne took me and Willow to the park for walkies. As I'm sure you can imagine, we loved that! And we were VERY tired when we got home... We didn't move more than we "had to" all the rest of that evening. We've had lots of short walkies too. We get those almost every day. It is meant to be every day, but some days weather - or human outings - don't allow for it. On those days we have to just go out in the garden to do whatever we need to do.
OK, I'll let this do for today.
Licks and sniffs,
Kero
Firstly, I want to let everyone who has been worrying about me know that I've been doing much better this week. I wasn't sick at all this past week, and the only things worrying me have been the usual things. You know? The tumble dryer, noisy humans, etc. and, of course, the usual worries that us dogs all get when our humans go out places without them.
Anyway, I have some photos to share from this past month. Firstly, me napping...
Secondly, here's a photo of me on the sofa in the living room. Please excuse the mess of blankets... They are there mainly for Willow and myself, but we let the humans use them sometimes too. Anyway, I think this photo was taken just after my grooming session a couple of weeks back. Remember? The grooming session that I had at the start of January.
Here's another photo of me. Sorry it's a bit blurry.
And here I am taking a nap on our bed at the house. I love naps!
Anyway, about the only exciting thing that happened this past week is that I got a new tag with my name and phone number on. These next two photos were taken after I got the tag.
I expect it's hard to see - partly because it's a small tag, and partly because the photos are kind of dark - but my tag is a blue one, and it's shaped like a dogs' head. You may be able to see two tags on my collar? Well, if so then that's because I have a lighter blue one - a square shaped one - because of having a microchip in. The new one probably just looks like a blob of colour? If so, sorry! It's meant to be a dogs' head in blue though.
Hopefully soon we will get some better photos where you can actually see the tag properly.
Anyway, the only other interesting thing that happened this past week was that Mami, Mamgu and Wayne took me and Willow to the park for walkies. As I'm sure you can imagine, we loved that! And we were VERY tired when we got home... We didn't move more than we "had to" all the rest of that evening. We've had lots of short walkies too. We get those almost every day. It is meant to be every day, but some days weather - or human outings - don't allow for it. On those days we have to just go out in the garden to do whatever we need to do.
OK, I'll let this do for today.
Licks and sniffs,
Kero
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Thursday's fragmented thoughts
The weather's not been too bad here over the past week. It's rained some, and we've had some quite frosty mornings, but it's not been too bad. This has meant that we've been able to take Kero and Willow out most days. We even took them to the park on Monday after dinner.
Most of the other times I've been places have been for shopping. I wont be going to do the big shop with Mam and Dad each time now though. We've agreed it's easier all round if I don't go shopping with them. Besides, I hate shopping so I'm quite happy to stay at home instead.
I did go to the gym with Mam on Monday though, but not for a workout. I went to take photos for her. She'll be posting the photos on her blog some time in the not too distant future. I stopped going to the gym for a workout, because... Well, there were a couple of reasons. I may have mentioned them at the time, but I can't remember, so I'll say now. For one thing I felt that having to help me work the machines was making it difficult for Mam to have her workout properly. For another thing other gym members kept stopping their workouts in order to watch me use the machines. It seemed to fascinate them that a blind person was using the machines, and I hated it. I was told that it could have been arranged that I went at a time when others weren't there, but I didn't want special arrangements made for me, so I just stopped going, and cancelled the payments.
We've been working on clearing out some clutter at the house and packing up some bits at the flat. Both places aren't exactly as tidy as they should be right now, but we're getting there.
Going to let this do for today.
Enjoy whatever's left of your day, stay warm, and stay safe!
Tori
Most of the other times I've been places have been for shopping. I wont be going to do the big shop with Mam and Dad each time now though. We've agreed it's easier all round if I don't go shopping with them. Besides, I hate shopping so I'm quite happy to stay at home instead.
I did go to the gym with Mam on Monday though, but not for a workout. I went to take photos for her. She'll be posting the photos on her blog some time in the not too distant future. I stopped going to the gym for a workout, because... Well, there were a couple of reasons. I may have mentioned them at the time, but I can't remember, so I'll say now. For one thing I felt that having to help me work the machines was making it difficult for Mam to have her workout properly. For another thing other gym members kept stopping their workouts in order to watch me use the machines. It seemed to fascinate them that a blind person was using the machines, and I hated it. I was told that it could have been arranged that I went at a time when others weren't there, but I didn't want special arrangements made for me, so I just stopped going, and cancelled the payments.
We've been working on clearing out some clutter at the house and packing up some bits at the flat. Both places aren't exactly as tidy as they should be right now, but we're getting there.
Going to let this do for today.
Enjoy whatever's left of your day, stay warm, and stay safe!
Tori
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Sherbert sunset
After dinner last night, Dad and I were in the kitchen when he commented that there was a beautiful sunset. So, we grabbed the camera and took a photo. And here it is:
I've had it described as looking sort of like orange sherbert, hence the title.
I hope this sunset brightens your day, and that you are having - or, have had - a wonderful day!
Tori
I've had it described as looking sort of like orange sherbert, hence the title.
I hope this sunset brightens your day, and that you are having - or, have had - a wonderful day!
Tori
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Cruelty and suffering
I've been sat here for a while now, just wondering what I should write. It's not that I don't have anything to say. I can always find something to say. No. It's that I wanted to write a post about something spacific, but I can't seem to get it right. I wanted to write about my concern for those friends who are going through a rough time... Be it because of their own suffering, or because of the suffering of a family member. I wanted to write about how cruel the world is, with floods and other disasters - natural or otherwise - taking many lives every single day. I wanted to write about how strange it seems to me that the human race can find it within themselves to pray to a God who they believe is responsible for all of these things. And how cruel humans can be sometimes... Creating and using weapons in order to destroy one another, yet complaining when people use these same weapons on people they care about. And I wanted to write about how I can't help wondering why - should any God(s) or Goddess(es) exist - he/she/they can sit back and allow all the things that happen in this world to happen. Perhaps he/she/they can't help but delight in our suffering? Perhaps, for example, that which we call "The Devil" is simply another name for the side of our God(s) or Goddess(es) that we don't really want to admit exists? Or, perhaps both names - "God" and "The Devil" - are simply man-made creations that are essentially physical forms for the two sides of man? In other words, the good and evil that exists in us all. But I don't know where to start, nor how to finish. And - to be honest - I'm not even sure how to go about writing the bit in the middle either. After all, where do you start with writing such a post?
Tori
Tori
Monday, January 25, 2010
The Borrowers
By Mary Norton
"Arrietty Clock is a Borrower, although actually, when this story starts, she's never been borrowing in her life. She lives with her father and mother under the floorboards in the kitchen of a rather large, old house. Her father, Pod, regularly goes off borrowing, for the things that the family needs.
Have you ever wondered where all those little lost things go to in a house? All the bottle tops and pins and needles and string and matchboxes and reels of cotton and a hundred and one other things? Well, someone like Pod has probably been round collecting them.
You should see where they live:
'Homily was proud of her sitting-room - the walls had been papered with scraps of old letters out of waste-paper baskets, and Homily had arranged the handwriting sideways in vertical stripes which ran from floor to ceiling. On the walls, repeated in various colours, hung several portraits of Queen Victoria as a girl; these were postage stamps, borrowed by Pod some years ago from the stamp-box on the desk in the morning-room. There was a lacquer trinket-box, padded inside and with the lid open, which they used as a settle, and that useful stand-by - a chest of drawers made of match-boxes. There was a round table with a red velvet cloth, which Pod had made from the wooden bottom of a pill-box supported on the carved pedestal of a knight from the chess-set.'
As Homily will tell you when you read the book, there used to be many families of Borrowers living in the big house. There were the Overmantels, and the Harpsichords and the Broom-Cupboards, to name a few. But by the time we meet the Clocks, those other families have all gone. Where to? I'm not sure really. But they've most likely gone to live somewhere a bit safer. Arrietty's Uncle Hendreary and Aunt Lupy emigrated with their family to an old badger set in the fields. So that just leaves Arrietty and her parents living a rather lonely life, locked away behind all the gates that Pod has built to keep them safe.
Safe from what? Well, there are the obvious dangers like rats and cats, but the worst thing of all is to be 'seen'. And that, is what happens to Pod.
Now, if you want to know who sees Pod, and what happens next, you will have to read the book. I think you will really enjoy this story."
(Above taken from here)
This is the first book in Mary Norton's "Borrowers" series. There are about six books in the series, I believe. The first three I have read - though I only own the first one, and am only reviewing the first one at present. Anyway, this is a great book, especially for anyone who enjoys reading about "little people" and has often wondered if there really is a valid explanation as to why small items just seem to disappear.
Tori
"Arrietty Clock is a Borrower, although actually, when this story starts, she's never been borrowing in her life. She lives with her father and mother under the floorboards in the kitchen of a rather large, old house. Her father, Pod, regularly goes off borrowing, for the things that the family needs.
Have you ever wondered where all those little lost things go to in a house? All the bottle tops and pins and needles and string and matchboxes and reels of cotton and a hundred and one other things? Well, someone like Pod has probably been round collecting them.
You should see where they live:
'Homily was proud of her sitting-room - the walls had been papered with scraps of old letters out of waste-paper baskets, and Homily had arranged the handwriting sideways in vertical stripes which ran from floor to ceiling. On the walls, repeated in various colours, hung several portraits of Queen Victoria as a girl; these were postage stamps, borrowed by Pod some years ago from the stamp-box on the desk in the morning-room. There was a lacquer trinket-box, padded inside and with the lid open, which they used as a settle, and that useful stand-by - a chest of drawers made of match-boxes. There was a round table with a red velvet cloth, which Pod had made from the wooden bottom of a pill-box supported on the carved pedestal of a knight from the chess-set.'
As Homily will tell you when you read the book, there used to be many families of Borrowers living in the big house. There were the Overmantels, and the Harpsichords and the Broom-Cupboards, to name a few. But by the time we meet the Clocks, those other families have all gone. Where to? I'm not sure really. But they've most likely gone to live somewhere a bit safer. Arrietty's Uncle Hendreary and Aunt Lupy emigrated with their family to an old badger set in the fields. So that just leaves Arrietty and her parents living a rather lonely life, locked away behind all the gates that Pod has built to keep them safe.
Safe from what? Well, there are the obvious dangers like rats and cats, but the worst thing of all is to be 'seen'. And that, is what happens to Pod.
Now, if you want to know who sees Pod, and what happens next, you will have to read the book. I think you will really enjoy this story."
(Above taken from here)
This is the first book in Mary Norton's "Borrowers" series. There are about six books in the series, I believe. The first three I have read - though I only own the first one, and am only reviewing the first one at present. Anyway, this is a great book, especially for anyone who enjoys reading about "little people" and has often wondered if there really is a valid explanation as to why small items just seem to disappear.
Tori
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Bride Wars
"In Manhattan, the lawyer Liv and the school teacher Emma have been best friends since their childhood. They both are proposed to by their boyfriends on the same day and they plan their wedding parties in Plaza Hotel, using the services of the famous Marion St. Claire. However, due to Marion's secretary's mistake, their weddings are scheduled for the same day. None of them agrees to change the date and they become enemies, trying to sabotage the wedding party of the rival. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil"
(Above taken from here)
This is one of the movies showing on "Sky Movies Premier" this week. I'd seen the trailer for it, and I wanted to see it, so I figured I'd watch it. It was quite good, with a few funny parts, but it wasn't quite as good as I'd thought it would be, since it showed just how petty people can be when they want their own way. I thought it had a nice ending though. And, I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it, because I did. I just didn't find it as enjoyable and amusing as the trailer led me to believe it would be.
Tori
(Above taken from here)
This is one of the movies showing on "Sky Movies Premier" this week. I'd seen the trailer for it, and I wanted to see it, so I figured I'd watch it. It was quite good, with a few funny parts, but it wasn't quite as good as I'd thought it would be, since it showed just how petty people can be when they want their own way. I thought it had a nice ending though. And, I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it, because I did. I just didn't find it as enjoyable and amusing as the trailer led me to believe it would be.
Tori
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Poem: That's What Friends Do
If you need healing thoughts
Or you could use a prayer
Close your eyes tightly
And picture me there
I'm holding your hand
I'm praying for you
I'm doing all I can
To help you through
Because, my friend,
That's what friends do!
© 2010 ~ Tori
Or you could use a prayer
Close your eyes tightly
And picture me there
I'm holding your hand
I'm praying for you
I'm doing all I can
To help you through
Because, my friend,
That's what friends do!
© 2010 ~ Tori
Friday, January 22, 2010
Kero's korner: woofs and woes
Hi humans, it's Kero here.
The start of my week was OK. That snow and ice went away, and then it rained a lot, but I've been able to go walkies most days, so that's good news to me. Tuesday was a bit of a ruff day for me though. Something wasn't right, and I just couldn't settle, and I couldn't get the humans to understand what I was trying to tell them. Things were better the next day though.
But then, yesterday, I was sick. I woke Mami up to try and tell her, but by the time she was awake enough to do more than just mutter, "what's wrong, Kero?" it was too late and I'd been sick. So, Dadi cleaned it up, and Dadi and I went back to sleep. This was about 6:00 am, and about an hour later I was up again being sick. Not a good way to start the morning.
Mami and Mamgu weren't sure I should have breakfast, but I got upset about that idea, so Mami decided to let me have some. I swear it was smaller than normal though. In fact, I swear I heard her admit to Dadi that she'd done me a much smaller breakfast. It's probably for the best, because I was sick again a couple of hours later. I haven't been sick since though.
Mami and Mamgu think I'm probably either eating a bit quicker than I should, or eating more than I should be. Willow thinks I should just let her eat my dinner for me. Fat chance, Willow!
Anyway, I've also learned that if I sit or lay on the back of the sofa I can see out of the window and bark at anyone who happens to walk past. This is a fun thing to do, which I enjoy doing at intervals throughout the day. For some reason the humans don't appreciate it though. I can't think why. I mean, wouldn't you think they'd be interested to know that people are near our territory? I mean, I have a responsibility here!
Speaking of which... I hear something! Gotta go let everyone know... WOOF! WOOF! Hey, humans! WOOF!
Licks and sniffs,
Kero
The start of my week was OK. That snow and ice went away, and then it rained a lot, but I've been able to go walkies most days, so that's good news to me. Tuesday was a bit of a ruff day for me though. Something wasn't right, and I just couldn't settle, and I couldn't get the humans to understand what I was trying to tell them. Things were better the next day though.
But then, yesterday, I was sick. I woke Mami up to try and tell her, but by the time she was awake enough to do more than just mutter, "what's wrong, Kero?" it was too late and I'd been sick. So, Dadi cleaned it up, and Dadi and I went back to sleep. This was about 6:00 am, and about an hour later I was up again being sick. Not a good way to start the morning.
Mami and Mamgu weren't sure I should have breakfast, but I got upset about that idea, so Mami decided to let me have some. I swear it was smaller than normal though. In fact, I swear I heard her admit to Dadi that she'd done me a much smaller breakfast. It's probably for the best, because I was sick again a couple of hours later. I haven't been sick since though.
Mami and Mamgu think I'm probably either eating a bit quicker than I should, or eating more than I should be. Willow thinks I should just let her eat my dinner for me. Fat chance, Willow!
Anyway, I've also learned that if I sit or lay on the back of the sofa I can see out of the window and bark at anyone who happens to walk past. This is a fun thing to do, which I enjoy doing at intervals throughout the day. For some reason the humans don't appreciate it though. I can't think why. I mean, wouldn't you think they'd be interested to know that people are near our territory? I mean, I have a responsibility here!
Speaking of which... I hear something! Gotta go let everyone know... WOOF! WOOF! Hey, humans! WOOF!
Licks and sniffs,
Kero
Thursday, January 21, 2010
N Is for Noose
By Sue Grafton
"Tom Newquist had been a detective in the Nota Lake sheriff's office--a tough, honest cop respected by everyone. When he died suddenly, the townfolk were sad but not surprised. Just shy of sixty-five, Newquist worked too hard, drank too much, and exercised too little. Newquist's widow, Selma, didn't doubt the coroner's report. But still, she couldn't help wondering what had so bothered Tom in the last six weeks of his life. What was it that had made him prowl restlessly at night and brood constantly? Determined to help Selma find the answer, Kinsey Millhone sets up shop in Nota Lake, where she finds that looking for a needle in a haystack can draw blood--very likely, her own. . . ."
(Above taken from here)
This was a good book, with plenty going on in the story, and - in my opinion - a good plot. Plus, the ending wasn't predictable, which is a common occurrance in these types of novels. So, all in all, a good book! Or, I thought so, anyway.
Tori
"Tom Newquist had been a detective in the Nota Lake sheriff's office--a tough, honest cop respected by everyone. When he died suddenly, the townfolk were sad but not surprised. Just shy of sixty-five, Newquist worked too hard, drank too much, and exercised too little. Newquist's widow, Selma, didn't doubt the coroner's report. But still, she couldn't help wondering what had so bothered Tom in the last six weeks of his life. What was it that had made him prowl restlessly at night and brood constantly? Determined to help Selma find the answer, Kinsey Millhone sets up shop in Nota Lake, where she finds that looking for a needle in a haystack can draw blood--very likely, her own. . . ."
(Above taken from here)
This was a good book, with plenty going on in the story, and - in my opinion - a good plot. Plus, the ending wasn't predictable, which is a common occurrance in these types of novels. So, all in all, a good book! Or, I thought so, anyway.
Tori
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Curiosity of Kero
After I finished the post yesterday it should have been time to eat dinner. Dinner was ready. But something was up with Kero. We're still not too sure what it was. All we know is he kept hiding upstairs, and every time we took him downstairs he would run upstairs with his tail between his legs. And when I tried just leaving him and going to eat he started yapping for me to come back. We decided to try taking him out for a walk to - hopefully - calm him down. Even then though it took us several attempts to persuade him to come downstairs, and I think it was only Willow being told she was going walkies too that persuaded him to come downstairs. And he couldn't wait to get outside... He practically dragged me out of the door. While we were out Dad lit some insense in case it was due to a scent in the house.
During the walk Kero was on full alert and very jumpy, but by the time we got home he had calmed down a lot. We persuaded him to stay downstairs, but it took us ages to properly calm him, and to get him to a point where he would eat his dinner, and so that Mam and I could eat ours.
He was rather clingy the rest of the evening, but otherwise fine. And he seems to have calmed down properly now, and gotten over whatever it was that was bothering him yesterday.
Tori
During the walk Kero was on full alert and very jumpy, but by the time we got home he had calmed down a lot. We persuaded him to stay downstairs, but it took us ages to properly calm him, and to get him to a point where he would eat his dinner, and so that Mam and I could eat ours.
He was rather clingy the rest of the evening, but otherwise fine. And he seems to have calmed down properly now, and gotten over whatever it was that was bothering him yesterday.
Tori
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Monday, Tuesday, and unfair prices (R/WP and kinda FD)
For anyone wondering... Yes, I did go and sort the washing after I got off the laptop. Then I gave the dogs their lunchtime treats, had lunch, watched some TV, took a nap, and had dinner.
After dinner I ordered a couple of audiobooks with the money I'd had for my birthday and Christmas but hadn't gotten around to spending yet. I always take my time getting audiobooks, because they're not exactly cheap as a general rule. Especially if you want complete and unabridged. Anyway, I'd had almost the complete Discworld series on cassette, but they'd been played so many times that they weren't working too well any more, and many of them had snapped ribbons so didn't work at all. Plus, they were abridged versions. So, I ordered the first three on CD. It cost me just under £80 for the three, but a few pennies over that £80 once postage was added. I think it's wrong really that they charge so much for the audiobooks when you can get books for so little. Yes, I do appreciate that the cost of it would be more due to CDs costing more than paper, and the cost of someone being paid to read it out loud. But there's no reason for the prices they charge. The Discworld books, for example, cost about £5 ($10) each if you buy the book in print, but they cost £20 ($40) or more if you buy them as audiobooks. Why? I mean, I could understand them costing twice the price of the book, but why at least 4 times the price? Why should people like me who can't read the print books have to pay what could possibly be as much as £50 ($100) for a book that costs £10 or less in print?
Iggy sent me a link about a device that reads text for you. Here's the link if you want to take a look. It's a great idea, and would be extremely useful. Shame about the price tag though. Why do things like this have to be so expensive? It's not fair! It's like they think to themselves, "oh, the people who would use this will need it enough to be willing to pay whatever, so let's see how much we can get away with charging for it!" Well, guess what? People who could use things like this to help them out with day to day life - e.g. reading mail - can't usually afford these price tags, and would be more eager to buy it if it was a reasonable price. Even my Jaws programme cost less than that! And my laptop was even less again! It's wrong that something that is more or less a camera with speech software costs about three times the price of most laptops. Why do they insist on taking advantage of the fact that people who are looking for such items will - if they feel itt would really benifit them to own it - find the money somehow? Why can't they just say, "hey, you know what? People need this, it's not their fault. We need a decent amount of money for making it, but let's make it readily available to those who could benifit from it." Then set a decent price... A price people who aren't in jobs that pay a couple of thousand pounds per month can actually afford without having to save every spare penny for who knows how long. A price that's reasonable, but which still helps to pay for the time and energy involved in creating it. I mean, it could easily be quarter of the price it is and still line their pockets well, I bet, and it would be more affordable.
Anyway...
By the time I was done with deciding which audiobooks to buy, and doing any other bits I wanted to do on the computer, it was pretty much time for Supernanny, which I watch on Monday and Friday evenings. So I watched that, had supper, then basically just went to bed.
Today (Tuesday) I spent most of the morning with Mam on the Wii. OK, fine, she was on the Wii, and I wasn't. I was there though... I was giving her encouragement and "trying" to persuade Willow that Mam wasn't actually trying to play with her. LOL! Then, after lunch, I took a nap. And here I am now on the laptop catching up on blogs, e-mails, and posts that are on Dad's forum. Dinner will be ready soon, so it's good that I'm done. So...
Enjoy whatever's left of your day, stay warm, and stay safe! :)
Tori
After dinner I ordered a couple of audiobooks with the money I'd had for my birthday and Christmas but hadn't gotten around to spending yet. I always take my time getting audiobooks, because they're not exactly cheap as a general rule. Especially if you want complete and unabridged. Anyway, I'd had almost the complete Discworld series on cassette, but they'd been played so many times that they weren't working too well any more, and many of them had snapped ribbons so didn't work at all. Plus, they were abridged versions. So, I ordered the first three on CD. It cost me just under £80 for the three, but a few pennies over that £80 once postage was added. I think it's wrong really that they charge so much for the audiobooks when you can get books for so little. Yes, I do appreciate that the cost of it would be more due to CDs costing more than paper, and the cost of someone being paid to read it out loud. But there's no reason for the prices they charge. The Discworld books, for example, cost about £5 ($10) each if you buy the book in print, but they cost £20 ($40) or more if you buy them as audiobooks. Why? I mean, I could understand them costing twice the price of the book, but why at least 4 times the price? Why should people like me who can't read the print books have to pay what could possibly be as much as £50 ($100) for a book that costs £10 or less in print?
Iggy sent me a link about a device that reads text for you. Here's the link if you want to take a look. It's a great idea, and would be extremely useful. Shame about the price tag though. Why do things like this have to be so expensive? It's not fair! It's like they think to themselves, "oh, the people who would use this will need it enough to be willing to pay whatever, so let's see how much we can get away with charging for it!" Well, guess what? People who could use things like this to help them out with day to day life - e.g. reading mail - can't usually afford these price tags, and would be more eager to buy it if it was a reasonable price. Even my Jaws programme cost less than that! And my laptop was even less again! It's wrong that something that is more or less a camera with speech software costs about three times the price of most laptops. Why do they insist on taking advantage of the fact that people who are looking for such items will - if they feel itt would really benifit them to own it - find the money somehow? Why can't they just say, "hey, you know what? People need this, it's not their fault. We need a decent amount of money for making it, but let's make it readily available to those who could benifit from it." Then set a decent price... A price people who aren't in jobs that pay a couple of thousand pounds per month can actually afford without having to save every spare penny for who knows how long. A price that's reasonable, but which still helps to pay for the time and energy involved in creating it. I mean, it could easily be quarter of the price it is and still line their pockets well, I bet, and it would be more affordable.
Anyway...
By the time I was done with deciding which audiobooks to buy, and doing any other bits I wanted to do on the computer, it was pretty much time for Supernanny, which I watch on Monday and Friday evenings. So I watched that, had supper, then basically just went to bed.
Today (Tuesday) I spent most of the morning with Mam on the Wii. OK, fine, she was on the Wii, and I wasn't. I was there though... I was giving her encouragement and "trying" to persuade Willow that Mam wasn't actually trying to play with her. LOL! Then, after lunch, I took a nap. And here I am now on the laptop catching up on blogs, e-mails, and posts that are on Dad's forum. Dinner will be ready soon, so it's good that I'm done. So...
Enjoy whatever's left of your day, stay warm, and stay safe! :)
Tori
Monday, January 18, 2010
The few things I've done (kinda FD)
The snow has gone. I think it got washed away with all the rain we've had since Friday. LOL! Well, actually, it was only really Friday and Saturday that the rain was really bad, but it definately seems to have been enough to wash away the snow. And the temperature has risen too. It's been like -1 C or lower most of the time lately, but it's now up around 5C or higher... I believe that would be a change from being 30F or lower to being 42F or higher. And that temperature change really does make a difference. I've gone from being curled up in blankets and wearing a jumper most of the time, to wandering around in joggers and a t-shirt.
Anyway...
Though we took the dogs out a couple of times during the snow, they didn't get to go out properly, because it just wasn't safe to be walking them. So, I'm sure you can imagine how pleased they were when Wayne and I took them for a walk yesterday before dinner. They were extremely excited, and very bouncy. We took them then because it wasn't raining, and because it then kept them - and us - out of the way while Mam finished making dinner and got it dished up. We got back just right for it being put on the table.
The other day, Mam and I went to Asda to get a couple of bits we can never get in Tescos. It was Saturday afternoon we went. We couldn't go before, because it was too far to risk going most of the time. Besides, we haven't been able to even get the cars out some days. It was raining hard, but at least the roads weren't covered in ice and snow. It was nice to be out somewhere, but I kinda wish I'd passed on the shopping trip. I guess a lot of other people needed to get to the shop now that they could do it more easily, because it was pure chaos! The entire shop was crammed so full of people that it took us two hours just to grab a couple of bits. Mind you, I don't suppose it helped that most people had to bring their kids with them, because it was, after all, the weekend.
I haven't done much else. We had the Chinese food on Thursday, and watched the movie I posted about yesterday after that. I spent a large part of Friday updating my e-mail address on things I'm registered with, and sending my new e-mail to everyone in my address book. Saturday evening is always roleplaying (unless nobody is available to be DM/GM, or the person scheduled to do it can't make it, and nobody else has had time to prepare anything) so that's what I did for the part of Saturday I wasn't on the laptop or out shopping. And Dad and Kelly couldn't go to the club again this week (for a different reason though) so we had another session of roleplaying again yesterday (Sunday) afternoon. So my Sunday was taken up with dogs, roleplaying, and computer time. As for today (Monday) well... I haven't really had time to do much, since it's still morning here. All I've really done today is get washed and dressed, have breakfast, and sort blogs and e-mails. I suppose I should go and sort some washing. After all, it's not going to sort itself... Even though I asked it nicely! So, I'll let this do and go sort it.
Enjoy your day, stay warm, and stay safe! :)
Tori
Anyway...
Though we took the dogs out a couple of times during the snow, they didn't get to go out properly, because it just wasn't safe to be walking them. So, I'm sure you can imagine how pleased they were when Wayne and I took them for a walk yesterday before dinner. They were extremely excited, and very bouncy. We took them then because it wasn't raining, and because it then kept them - and us - out of the way while Mam finished making dinner and got it dished up. We got back just right for it being put on the table.
The other day, Mam and I went to Asda to get a couple of bits we can never get in Tescos. It was Saturday afternoon we went. We couldn't go before, because it was too far to risk going most of the time. Besides, we haven't been able to even get the cars out some days. It was raining hard, but at least the roads weren't covered in ice and snow. It was nice to be out somewhere, but I kinda wish I'd passed on the shopping trip. I guess a lot of other people needed to get to the shop now that they could do it more easily, because it was pure chaos! The entire shop was crammed so full of people that it took us two hours just to grab a couple of bits. Mind you, I don't suppose it helped that most people had to bring their kids with them, because it was, after all, the weekend.
I haven't done much else. We had the Chinese food on Thursday, and watched the movie I posted about yesterday after that. I spent a large part of Friday updating my e-mail address on things I'm registered with, and sending my new e-mail to everyone in my address book. Saturday evening is always roleplaying (unless nobody is available to be DM/GM, or the person scheduled to do it can't make it, and nobody else has had time to prepare anything) so that's what I did for the part of Saturday I wasn't on the laptop or out shopping. And Dad and Kelly couldn't go to the club again this week (for a different reason though) so we had another session of roleplaying again yesterday (Sunday) afternoon. So my Sunday was taken up with dogs, roleplaying, and computer time. As for today (Monday) well... I haven't really had time to do much, since it's still morning here. All I've really done today is get washed and dressed, have breakfast, and sort blogs and e-mails. I suppose I should go and sort some washing. After all, it's not going to sort itself... Even though I asked it nicely! So, I'll let this do and go sort it.
Enjoy your day, stay warm, and stay safe! :)
Tori
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Angus, Thongs And Perfect Snogging
"Based on the International best-selling series of books by Louise Rennison, the film follows the eccentric and irresistible Georgia Nicolson as she overcomes the trauma of being a teenager and moves up the ‘snogging scale’."
For more info, go here
******
Dad got the above mentioned movie on DVD, because he thought it sounded funny. It was! Wayne, Dad and I watched it together on Thursday evening (Mam, Kelly and Nan weren't interested in watching it with us) and we all really enjoyed it. It was extremely funny.
Tori
For more info, go here
******
Dad got the above mentioned movie on DVD, because he thought it sounded funny. It was! Wayne, Dad and I watched it together on Thursday evening (Mam, Kelly and Nan weren't interested in watching it with us) and we all really enjoyed it. It was extremely funny.
Tori
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Roleplaying
OK, well, as promised I'm going to do a post about roleplaying. If you're not interested in learning about what roleplaying is, feel free to skip this post. If, however, you are interested... Read on! I don't mind either way, so it's your call! :)
So...
Roleplaying is a game requiring the use of imagination. In fact, if you don't have at least a basic ability to "pretend" then you're wasting your time even considering the idea of joining in with a roleplaying session, because you wont get very far without imagination.
The basic idea is that you create a character and pretend to be said character. There are various different types of roleplaying, and various different ways of roleplaying, but the basic concept is the same... You creat a character, you pretend to be that character, a DM (Dungeon Master) or GM (Games Master) creates situations for your characters to be in, you decide how to react in those situations - usually based upon your character's abilities - and dice rolls, combined with your skill level and certain decisions by the DM/GM, decide how successful - or not, as the case may be - you are in doing it. Anyway, the DM/GM has a basic plot to follow for an adventure for us. It involves us travelling to a spacific town, village, etc, in order to help out someone who needs our help. While doing so we encounter creatures that need to be killed, people that need to be persuaded to give us information, and other people who are eager to pay us to do their dirty work for them. Sometimes the adventures are simple, other times they are more complicated. Sometimes they can be completed in just a couple of hours, other times it can take several weeks - possibly even months - to complete just one adventure.
Sometimes we have NPCs (non-player characters) involved in our party (group). NPCs are extra characters played by the DM/GM to make up party numbers if it's a small group who are roleplaying, or if the DM/GM wants to have a character. There aren't always NPCs in the party (group) since some DM/GMs will prefer not to have to deal with a character as well as the adventure itself. Especially since the DM/GM is in charge of the monsters and all people we encounter. There also isn't usually any NPCs in the party if there is a large group of people playing already. Unless - as I already mentioned - the DM/GM wants a character too, which sometimes happens when the person who is DM/GM wants to play, but needs to be DM/GM because they are the person willing - or able - to run the campaigne (usually due to being the person who knows the rules best, or has more time for preporation, but sometimes just because they offer to be DM/GMs).
Most roleplaying games are based on fantasy and sci-fi type settings, and they tend to involve different races and classes you can choose from for your character preferences. Some have slightly different themes and no choice of race though. Some have just a couple of choices of classes (classes being things like "Wizard" "Scoundrel" or "thief") and others have several choices to pick from. And, of course, still others have no choices. Some - like one of the campaignes Kelly runs - allow you to simply have a spacific race and class (human mage, for example) and your choice of character is only based on abilities and the way they are used. But nobody will play even the same character in the same way, because it will depend on how they view that character. It will also depend on which abilities they choose to concentrate on, and which they feel are not benificial to them or their party.
My characters, for example, consist of:
Halfling Wizard
Human Mage
Halfling Thief
Human Soldier
Wookie Scoundrel
And a human who is a gypsy type character, but is in the middle of being created for an upcoming campaigne.
So, what is roleplaying?
It's a game where you use your imagination to become someone else, and use dice rolls and spacific stats on a character sheet you have created (with the help of character generating guidelines from the rulebook for the form of roleplaying you are doing) to determine what kind of person you are playing, and how successful you are with your chosen skills. So, basically, it's a sort of acting session with dice.
Any questions?
Tori
So...
Roleplaying is a game requiring the use of imagination. In fact, if you don't have at least a basic ability to "pretend" then you're wasting your time even considering the idea of joining in with a roleplaying session, because you wont get very far without imagination.
The basic idea is that you create a character and pretend to be said character. There are various different types of roleplaying, and various different ways of roleplaying, but the basic concept is the same... You creat a character, you pretend to be that character, a DM (Dungeon Master) or GM (Games Master) creates situations for your characters to be in, you decide how to react in those situations - usually based upon your character's abilities - and dice rolls, combined with your skill level and certain decisions by the DM/GM, decide how successful - or not, as the case may be - you are in doing it. Anyway, the DM/GM has a basic plot to follow for an adventure for us. It involves us travelling to a spacific town, village, etc, in order to help out someone who needs our help. While doing so we encounter creatures that need to be killed, people that need to be persuaded to give us information, and other people who are eager to pay us to do their dirty work for them. Sometimes the adventures are simple, other times they are more complicated. Sometimes they can be completed in just a couple of hours, other times it can take several weeks - possibly even months - to complete just one adventure.
Sometimes we have NPCs (non-player characters) involved in our party (group). NPCs are extra characters played by the DM/GM to make up party numbers if it's a small group who are roleplaying, or if the DM/GM wants to have a character. There aren't always NPCs in the party (group) since some DM/GMs will prefer not to have to deal with a character as well as the adventure itself. Especially since the DM/GM is in charge of the monsters and all people we encounter. There also isn't usually any NPCs in the party if there is a large group of people playing already. Unless - as I already mentioned - the DM/GM wants a character too, which sometimes happens when the person who is DM/GM wants to play, but needs to be DM/GM because they are the person willing - or able - to run the campaigne (usually due to being the person who knows the rules best, or has more time for preporation, but sometimes just because they offer to be DM/GMs).
Most roleplaying games are based on fantasy and sci-fi type settings, and they tend to involve different races and classes you can choose from for your character preferences. Some have slightly different themes and no choice of race though. Some have just a couple of choices of classes (classes being things like "Wizard" "Scoundrel" or "thief") and others have several choices to pick from. And, of course, still others have no choices. Some - like one of the campaignes Kelly runs - allow you to simply have a spacific race and class (human mage, for example) and your choice of character is only based on abilities and the way they are used. But nobody will play even the same character in the same way, because it will depend on how they view that character. It will also depend on which abilities they choose to concentrate on, and which they feel are not benificial to them or their party.
My characters, for example, consist of:
Halfling Wizard
Human Mage
Halfling Thief
Human Soldier
Wookie Scoundrel
And a human who is a gypsy type character, but is in the middle of being created for an upcoming campaigne.
So, what is roleplaying?
It's a game where you use your imagination to become someone else, and use dice rolls and spacific stats on a character sheet you have created (with the help of character generating guidelines from the rulebook for the form of roleplaying you are doing) to determine what kind of person you are playing, and how successful you are with your chosen skills. So, basically, it's a sort of acting session with dice.
Any questions?
Tori
Friday, January 15, 2010
Kero's korner: 2nd week in January (FD, but AED)
Hi humans, it's Kero here!
Willow and I have been playing nicely together most of the time. Although, we do have a bit of a debate - we call it a debate anyway - going on about that bone I showed you last week. Willow doesn't want me to have it, but I see no reason why I shouldn't. I mean, there are plenty of others she can have if she wants to. OK, so the others are a lot smaller, but that's not my fault. I did try hiding the bone, but she found it. It did take her a while though. I also tried asking Mami and Dadi to help me hide it - since they can reach places even Willow can't reach - but they just say, "it is hers, Kero," and "you have to share." So they're no use! Ah well, I'm getting a good chew on it for a while each day, so I suppose I can't really complain.
The other thing that's happened is that I learned how slippy it can get when it's all snowy outside. Mami said, "carefully," as she opened the door, but I didn't see any reason to be careful. So, I went racing outside. Next thing I know I'm sliding down the path and getting down the garden much faster than planned. Well, I did NOT like that one bit! So I picked myself up, shook the snow out of my fur, and went back inside. I wasn't in any hurry to go back outside either! That snow stuff is dangerous! Mami says it's probably because there was ice under the snow. I don't know if that's true. But I do know that sliding down the path in that manner is no fun at all!
I was sick a couple of days ago too. I was sick after dinner, so nobody would give me any snacks in the evening. Then I was sick in the morning. I was feeling much better, and ready to pounce about again within 24 hours though. Mami and Mamgu think it was that I ate too much too quickly in the evening, then was overly hungry so ended up sick from that in the morning. As for me, I don't know what it was, but I didn't like it. It's no fun being sick! I didn't even feel like running to the back door to go outside when Mami got up (which is what I usually do when Mami and I first get up).
On a brighter note, the humans had Chinese food for dinner last night, and Willow and I got some too! We had chicken - not plain chicken... It was those chicken balls that come in batter with sweet and sour sauce - with rice. It was very, very tasty!
So, yeah, that was my week. Not the best of weeks, but it could have been a lot worse, and the Chinese food definately helped make the week a better one, that's for sure!
Licks and sniffs,
Kero
Willow and I have been playing nicely together most of the time. Although, we do have a bit of a debate - we call it a debate anyway - going on about that bone I showed you last week. Willow doesn't want me to have it, but I see no reason why I shouldn't. I mean, there are plenty of others she can have if she wants to. OK, so the others are a lot smaller, but that's not my fault. I did try hiding the bone, but she found it. It did take her a while though. I also tried asking Mami and Dadi to help me hide it - since they can reach places even Willow can't reach - but they just say, "it is hers, Kero," and "you have to share." So they're no use! Ah well, I'm getting a good chew on it for a while each day, so I suppose I can't really complain.
The other thing that's happened is that I learned how slippy it can get when it's all snowy outside. Mami said, "carefully," as she opened the door, but I didn't see any reason to be careful. So, I went racing outside. Next thing I know I'm sliding down the path and getting down the garden much faster than planned. Well, I did NOT like that one bit! So I picked myself up, shook the snow out of my fur, and went back inside. I wasn't in any hurry to go back outside either! That snow stuff is dangerous! Mami says it's probably because there was ice under the snow. I don't know if that's true. But I do know that sliding down the path in that manner is no fun at all!
I was sick a couple of days ago too. I was sick after dinner, so nobody would give me any snacks in the evening. Then I was sick in the morning. I was feeling much better, and ready to pounce about again within 24 hours though. Mami and Mamgu think it was that I ate too much too quickly in the evening, then was overly hungry so ended up sick from that in the morning. As for me, I don't know what it was, but I didn't like it. It's no fun being sick! I didn't even feel like running to the back door to go outside when Mami got up (which is what I usually do when Mami and I first get up).
On a brighter note, the humans had Chinese food for dinner last night, and Willow and I got some too! We had chicken - not plain chicken... It was those chicken balls that come in batter with sweet and sour sauce - with rice. It was very, very tasty!
So, yeah, that was my week. Not the best of weeks, but it could have been a lot worse, and the Chinese food definately helped make the week a better one, that's for sure!
Licks and sniffs,
Kero
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Blanket nests and roleplaying
I ended up spending yesterday afternoon curled up in a blanket watching TV, more because I was cold than because I wanted to watch the TV. I don't know what the temperature was, but when it gets to the point where I'm wrapping myself up in blankets and such, then you know it's cold! I'm one of those people who wanders around in bare feet most of the year, rarely puts a jumper on, and sleeps with only a thin blanket. Not to mention, I'm one of those people who will go running out to see the snow in a pair of thin PJs and bare feet. If you saw the photos from our snowman building (on my Mam's blog) you'll have seen me with my jacket open and bare hands playing in the snow. So, as a general rule, when I get to the point where I'm cold and wrapping myself in blankets, everyone else has been adding layers for a while. Sorry for rambling. Anyway, where it's been so cold lately I've been sleeping under the big blanket Kelly uses, and wearing a jumper most of the time. So, yeah, I spent most of the afternoon curled up in a blanket so I didn't feel the cold, and dreading every time I had to crawl out from my nice, warm, comfy nest of blankets.
And after dinner, Dad, Kelly and I did a bit more roleplaying. Dad and Kelly would have been going to their gaming club, but since Dad couldn't even get his car out that wasn't about to happen. So we decided to spend some time roleplaying together again instead.
As for this morning...
So far all I've done is: had breakfast, got washed and dressed, and caught up on blogs and e-mails.
I will do a post on roleplaying soon for those who are interested. But, right now, I have to go fold some laundry. That wont take all that long, but by the time it's done, it will be time to give the dogs their lunchtime treats, and get myself some lunch. I might work on the post later though, then schedule it to go up on either Saturday or Sunday.
So, enjoy your day, stay warm, and stay safe!
Tori
And after dinner, Dad, Kelly and I did a bit more roleplaying. Dad and Kelly would have been going to their gaming club, but since Dad couldn't even get his car out that wasn't about to happen. So we decided to spend some time roleplaying together again instead.
As for this morning...
So far all I've done is: had breakfast, got washed and dressed, and caught up on blogs and e-mails.
I will do a post on roleplaying soon for those who are interested. But, right now, I have to go fold some laundry. That wont take all that long, but by the time it's done, it will be time to give the dogs their lunchtime treats, and get myself some lunch. I might work on the post later though, then schedule it to go up on either Saturday or Sunday.
So, enjoy your day, stay warm, and stay safe!
Tori
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Hi (Kinda FD)
Sorry I've not been on the blogs much over the past few days. Part of it has been due to being busy doing other things, but part of it has also been due to just not feeling like it.
On Friday, Kelly and I took Kero to the groomer, then we went to the shop to get something. Then Wayne and I took Willow with us to pick Kero up from the groomer. And soon after that Wayne and I went up to the shop to buy a birthday cake for Nan, since Dad and I realised about lunchtime that we'd forgotten to get one while out shopping the day before, and we usually try and get birthday cakes for people for their birthdays (even if they're not having any sort of party). Then I spent the evening watching TV.
On Saturday, Mam and I tried out the "Biggest Loser" game she got for her Nintendo Wii. I didn't think much of it, personally, so I got bored of it quickly and wandered off, leaving Wayne playing with her instead. And later in the day we had a roleplaying session, and that went on until about 9:30 pm. That's an early finish for roleplaying sessions as a general rule, but I was glad, because the season premier of "CSI New York" was FINALLY going to be showing over here, and it was starting at 9:45 pm Saturday evening. So, Kelly and I watched that, then we went to bed.
We woke up to find it snowing again Sunday, so Kelly and Dad decided against going to the gaming club. Instead, we decided to play a game of some sort, and ended up having a roleplaying session, which lasted all afternoon and well in to the evening. So, by the time that was done I just went to bed, since it was about 11:00 pm.
Monday was one of those days where I just didn't feel like doing much. In fact, I don't even really remember what I did on Monday. Well, apart from going up the road with Kelly to get a bit of money out of the atm machine the local shop has in it.
As for Tuesday (yesterday), Mam and I went shopping and didn't get back until early afternoon. The snow was mostly melted or turned to ice when we left, but soon after we got home it started snowing again. Anyway, I didn't feel like coming on the blogs yesterday. I did put the laptop on with the intention of doing so some time between when we got home and dinner time. But I just couldn't be bothered, so I turned it back off and went and watched TV in the bedroom while working on some knitting.
And that brings us to Wednesday (today). Today has so far been spent getting caught up on blogs and e-mails, and I'll be checking for new posts on Dad's forum in a bit. Not sure what I'll be doing later. I definately wont be going anywhere though, because there's a good six inches of snow on the ground again. Yeah, I know, a lot of you probably have more than that and are still going out in it. But you try following a path that's buried under six inches of snow when you can't see landmarks to use for reference as to where said path should be, and see how often you go out.
We've had a LOT of snow this year! Even I'm starting to get a bit fed up of it. Not that I wont be excited when it comes back next year, but I wouldn't mind if it wanted to melt, and not come back for a while. Say... Oh, I don't know... Next Christmas?
Anyway, that's mainly what I've been up to. Well, as well as helping Dad with laundry, which there's usually a lot of. But there would be with six adults in the house. That's part of the reason why two of us do it... To share the workload a bit.
Oh, and I've been playing with the dogs from time to time, of course... Can't forget that!
One more thing. Well, sort of two, I suppose. Anyway...
Belated happy birthday to Dorkys for January 11th, and to Angie for January 12th! :)
OK, I'll let this do for today, because I'm going to go get lunch now, and give the dogs their lunchtime snack (special hip treat for Willow, Denta Stix for Kero). So... Enjoy whatever's left of your day, stay warm, and stay safe!
Tori
On Friday, Kelly and I took Kero to the groomer, then we went to the shop to get something. Then Wayne and I took Willow with us to pick Kero up from the groomer. And soon after that Wayne and I went up to the shop to buy a birthday cake for Nan, since Dad and I realised about lunchtime that we'd forgotten to get one while out shopping the day before, and we usually try and get birthday cakes for people for their birthdays (even if they're not having any sort of party). Then I spent the evening watching TV.
On Saturday, Mam and I tried out the "Biggest Loser" game she got for her Nintendo Wii. I didn't think much of it, personally, so I got bored of it quickly and wandered off, leaving Wayne playing with her instead. And later in the day we had a roleplaying session, and that went on until about 9:30 pm. That's an early finish for roleplaying sessions as a general rule, but I was glad, because the season premier of "CSI New York" was FINALLY going to be showing over here, and it was starting at 9:45 pm Saturday evening. So, Kelly and I watched that, then we went to bed.
We woke up to find it snowing again Sunday, so Kelly and Dad decided against going to the gaming club. Instead, we decided to play a game of some sort, and ended up having a roleplaying session, which lasted all afternoon and well in to the evening. So, by the time that was done I just went to bed, since it was about 11:00 pm.
Monday was one of those days where I just didn't feel like doing much. In fact, I don't even really remember what I did on Monday. Well, apart from going up the road with Kelly to get a bit of money out of the atm machine the local shop has in it.
As for Tuesday (yesterday), Mam and I went shopping and didn't get back until early afternoon. The snow was mostly melted or turned to ice when we left, but soon after we got home it started snowing again. Anyway, I didn't feel like coming on the blogs yesterday. I did put the laptop on with the intention of doing so some time between when we got home and dinner time. But I just couldn't be bothered, so I turned it back off and went and watched TV in the bedroom while working on some knitting.
And that brings us to Wednesday (today). Today has so far been spent getting caught up on blogs and e-mails, and I'll be checking for new posts on Dad's forum in a bit. Not sure what I'll be doing later. I definately wont be going anywhere though, because there's a good six inches of snow on the ground again. Yeah, I know, a lot of you probably have more than that and are still going out in it. But you try following a path that's buried under six inches of snow when you can't see landmarks to use for reference as to where said path should be, and see how often you go out.
We've had a LOT of snow this year! Even I'm starting to get a bit fed up of it. Not that I wont be excited when it comes back next year, but I wouldn't mind if it wanted to melt, and not come back for a while. Say... Oh, I don't know... Next Christmas?
Anyway, that's mainly what I've been up to. Well, as well as helping Dad with laundry, which there's usually a lot of. But there would be with six adults in the house. That's part of the reason why two of us do it... To share the workload a bit.
Oh, and I've been playing with the dogs from time to time, of course... Can't forget that!
One more thing. Well, sort of two, I suppose. Anyway...
Belated happy birthday to Dorkys for January 11th, and to Angie for January 12th! :)
OK, I'll let this do for today, because I'm going to go get lunch now, and give the dogs their lunchtime snack (special hip treat for Willow, Denta Stix for Kero). So... Enjoy whatever's left of your day, stay warm, and stay safe!
Tori
Monday, January 11, 2010
Snow warning (AED)
I recieved the following in an e-mail and thought I'd share it.
******
Snow Warning
On a bitterly cold winters morning a husband and wife were listening to the radio during breakfast.
They heard the announcer Say, "We are going to have 8 to 10 inches of Snow today. You must park your car on the even-numbered side of the street So the Snowplows can get through".
So the good wife went out and moved her car.
A week later while they are eating breakfast again, the radio announcer Said, "We are expecting 10 to 12 inches of snow today. You must park your car On the odd-numbered side of the street, so the snowplows can get through".
The good wife went out and moved her car again.
The next week, they are again having breakfast, when the radio announcer Says, "We are expecting 12 to 14 inches of snow today. You must park...." Then the electric power went out.
The wife was very upset, and with a worried look on her face she said, " I don't know what to do. Which side of the street do I need to park on so the snowplows can get through?"
The husband replied, "Why don't you just leave the bloody car in the garage this time."
******
Snow Warning
On a bitterly cold winters morning a husband and wife were listening to the radio during breakfast.
They heard the announcer Say, "We are going to have 8 to 10 inches of Snow today. You must park your car on the even-numbered side of the street So the Snowplows can get through".
So the good wife went out and moved her car.
A week later while they are eating breakfast again, the radio announcer Said, "We are expecting 10 to 12 inches of snow today. You must park your car On the odd-numbered side of the street, so the snowplows can get through".
The good wife went out and moved her car again.
The next week, they are again having breakfast, when the radio announcer Says, "We are expecting 12 to 14 inches of snow today. You must park...." Then the electric power went out.
The wife was very upset, and with a worried look on her face she said, " I don't know what to do. Which side of the street do I need to park on so the snowplows can get through?"
The husband replied, "Why don't you just leave the bloody car in the garage this time."
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Kung Fu Panda
"In the Valley of Peace, Po the Panda finds himself chosen as the Dragon Warrior despite the fact that he is obese and a complete novice at martial arts."
(Above taken from here).
This was the movie I watched with Kelly on Tuesday evening. It was a great movie, and really funny. Despite the fact that - even though it insisted it was available - it was lacking in audio description. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't mind if there isn't any audio description for movies. What I mind is when it says there is then it doesn't work. It really annoys me when that happens! Anyway, it was a good and funny movie, and I did enjoy it. Kelly seemed to enjoy it too.
Tori
(Above taken from here).
This was the movie I watched with Kelly on Tuesday evening. It was a great movie, and really funny. Despite the fact that - even though it insisted it was available - it was lacking in audio description. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't mind if there isn't any audio description for movies. What I mind is when it says there is then it doesn't work. It really annoys me when that happens! Anyway, it was a good and funny movie, and I did enjoy it. Kelly seemed to enjoy it too.
Tori
Friday, January 08, 2010
Kero's korner: in the snow with Willow
Hi humans, it's Kero here.
The whole world has turned white and snowy. I don't know what happened. One time I went outside and it was just a bit cold and icy. The next day there was all this snow on the ground. I wish I could figure out how it got there without me or Willow noticing.
When I realised it was there, I went straight to fetch Willow.
"Hey, Willow, come and see this!"
Willow and I had a bounce about in the snow, then Mami threw some snowballs, and Willow ate them. So I figured I'd see what all the fuss was about... This stuff is cold on the tongue!
So, of course, Willow had to come see what I was eating.
Willow: "Come and play, Kero! Snow is fun to bounce in!"
Yeah, OK, I admit it. I played with her for a while. And, OK, OK, you twisted my paw... I admit it... I had fun! I know I'm going to be 6 in May, but sometimes grown up dogs can act like puppies too... Right? I mean, Willow does it, and I'm only 6 months older than her!
Anyway, after all that bouncing I needed a little snack...
Well, it's hungry work playing in the snow!
Yeah, I know, that's Willow's bone, but I earned it. First I did all that bouncing about in the snow. Then I dragged the bone all the way to the bottom of the stairs. I couldn't get it up, but Mami took pitty on me and helped me with that bit. Anyway, then I had to drag it all the way to the computer room. Mami put it in our room, so that meant going down a step, dragging it for a bit, getting it up another step, then dragging it along the landing and in to the computer room. I tell you what, that was hard work! But it was worth it... That bone tastes fantastic!
Anyway, I had a grooming appointment this morning, and Mami told them to just give me a trim and a bath, since it was probably best not to remove too much fur with this weather being like it is. My next appointment is for May 4th at 10:00 am. Mami had them leave it a bit longer than normal, because the months I get done have gotten a bit mixed up. So she's leaving it for 4 months instead of 3 this time, and says she'll do the same thing later in the year. So I get longer between trips to the groomer this time. YAY!
OK, that will do for today, I think.
Licks and sniffs,
Kero
The whole world has turned white and snowy. I don't know what happened. One time I went outside and it was just a bit cold and icy. The next day there was all this snow on the ground. I wish I could figure out how it got there without me or Willow noticing.
When I realised it was there, I went straight to fetch Willow.
"Hey, Willow, come and see this!"
Willow and I had a bounce about in the snow, then Mami threw some snowballs, and Willow ate them. So I figured I'd see what all the fuss was about... This stuff is cold on the tongue!
So, of course, Willow had to come see what I was eating.
Willow: "Come and play, Kero! Snow is fun to bounce in!"
Yeah, OK, I admit it. I played with her for a while. And, OK, OK, you twisted my paw... I admit it... I had fun! I know I'm going to be 6 in May, but sometimes grown up dogs can act like puppies too... Right? I mean, Willow does it, and I'm only 6 months older than her!
Anyway, after all that bouncing I needed a little snack...
Well, it's hungry work playing in the snow!
Yeah, I know, that's Willow's bone, but I earned it. First I did all that bouncing about in the snow. Then I dragged the bone all the way to the bottom of the stairs. I couldn't get it up, but Mami took pitty on me and helped me with that bit. Anyway, then I had to drag it all the way to the computer room. Mami put it in our room, so that meant going down a step, dragging it for a bit, getting it up another step, then dragging it along the landing and in to the computer room. I tell you what, that was hard work! But it was worth it... That bone tastes fantastic!
Anyway, I had a grooming appointment this morning, and Mami told them to just give me a trim and a bath, since it was probably best not to remove too much fur with this weather being like it is. My next appointment is for May 4th at 10:00 am. Mami had them leave it a bit longer than normal, because the months I get done have gotten a bit mixed up. So she's leaving it for 4 months instead of 3 this time, and says she'll do the same thing later in the year. So I get longer between trips to the groomer this time. YAY!
OK, that will do for today, I think.
Licks and sniffs,
Kero
Happy birthday Nan
Today (January 8th 2010) is my Nan's 82nd birthday.
No, not my Grandma who used to post on the blogs. My other grandmother. This one...
Happy birthday, Nan!
Tori
No, not my Grandma who used to post on the blogs. My other grandmother. This one...
Happy birthday, Nan!
Tori
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Random happenings (kinda FD)
I figured I'd get you caught up on what I've been up to when I haven't been playing in the snow. Especially since I know that some of you - like myself - like to know what's going on in everyone else's lives. Ah, come on, admit it. You know you do... Why else would you be reading blogs? Yeah, exactly! But don't worry about it... It's just the way humans work. We're a nosy species, aren't we? So, let's see...
Saturday:
I put away the Christmas tree - which was the only Christmas decoration I'd bothered to put up this year at our place, since we were at my parents' house most of the time, so we didn't see the point in putting more than just the tree up - and got some of our stuff packed up ready for when we start moving the rest of our stuff up to the house.
I also finished up the Shloire that I had left (I think I spelled that right). You know? That non-alcaholic grape wine stuff I mentioned that those of us who don't - or couldn't - drink alcahol had when the others were drinking over Christmas and the new year. I drank it while watching TV and eating shortbread biscuits. I don't remember what I was watching on TV though. I think it may have been CSI or something.
Sunday:
Dad picked Kelly, Kero and I up shortly before dinner, and Nan, Dad, Wayne, Kelly and I had dinner together before Dad and Kelly went off to their gaming club for the afternoon. Nan and I were going to make mince pies while they were gone, but we decided we probably had enough snacks in the house for now. Besides, the mince pie filling keeps well. So we didn't bother. Instead, Nan and Wayne worked on a jigsaw puzzle that Wayne had for Christmas, and I watched Supernanny. Well, sort of, since I watched it in between putting things away in our room and playing with Kero and Willow.
Monday:
Dad and I got i-tunes installed on my laptop. Before now I've been just letting him put stuff on my i-pod for me, but I decided I wanted to be able to do it myself. So, we got it on there no problem, but then Jaws didn't want to know. We thought at first that this would mean Dad would still have to sort it for me, but then we found an option in the settings to "allow keyboard navigation" so we ticked that box. Now Jaws works with i-tunes, so yay! Unfortunately, I haven't actually figured out how to work it properly yet, and Dad can't help much, because clicking with a mouse is a lot different to navigating with the keyboard. But at least there's hope of my figuring it out, since Jaws and i-tunes are playing nicely together. LOL!
Anyway, I watched a movie with Wayne in the evening. It was "I Always Know What You Did Last Summer" which - for anyone who doesn't know, but is interested - is the third movie in the set that starts with "I Know What You Did Last Summer." So, basically, it's a slasher movie. It was alright, though after seeing all the slasher movies I've seen I was able to predict who'd die next (and wasn't far off on how either). And that's without audio description. That's the thing with those kinds of movies... Very predictable! But Wayne borrowed it from a friend and wanted someone to watch it with him, so I said I would, since I'll sit and watch just about any movie. It's funny actually. I can watch just about any type of movie without getting scared or grossed out. But books can scare me. I think probably because it takes more imagination with books? Mind you, books don't even scare me half as much as the contents of my own head do. We probably shouldn't get in to that though. ;)
Tuesday:
I spent most of the morning playing with the dogs. Partly in the snow, partly indoors. Then I messed about on the laptop for a bit while waiting for Mam to get home. She'd gone to Norwich to take Carl and Rachel home on Sunday, and was coming home that day. We were a little worried because of the weather, but she got home safely. I spent a little time with her after she got home, then I watched a movie with Kelly, but I was planning to do a review post for that on the weekend, so I wont mention it now.
Wednesday (yesterday):
Mam, Dad and I were meant to go shopping, but - as I mentioned in yesterday's post - we couldn't get the cars out to go anywhere. Even the gritter couldn't get up the road, so Mam and Dad's cars had no chance. Instead, Mam and I went to the shop to get some bread and milk, and later Mam went up to the post office to get some gas (the kind that makes it possible for us to have the central heating on). Then Mam and I played on her Nintendo Wii... Well, in between playing in the snow. LOL! I got bored before her though, so Wayne took over my spot and they played together while I came upstairs to do some things on the laptop. Then - after dinner - I had a snowball fight with Wayne, made sure I was caught up on blogs, then fell asleep watching TV.
Thursday (today):
It took us almost two hours from when we started getting ready to leave to go shopping, to when we actually left. First we had to thaw the car out, then we had to shovel snow away from it to clear around it enough so Dad could drive on to the bit that the gritter - which had finally managed to get up our road - had put salt on. So, instead of it being about mid morning we got to Tescos, we got there lunchtime, which meant it was mid afternoon by the time we were home. After that, Kelly and I made dinner, then I came up here to get caught up on blogs and e-mails again.
Kelly and I will be making dinner on Thursdays as a general rule now. I say, "as a general rule," because it obviously doesn't apply if something serious comes up. Anyway, it was one of the things agreed on when we divided up chores when we decided we'd be moving back home. You have to divide chores - and have at least a basic routine - to make a house with six adults living in it full time run at least semi-smoothly.
There's still a lot of snow on the ground, but a lot of it has become ice. No more has fallen since yesterday, but more is predicted over the weekend. We'll see what happens. I'm not bothered either way now. I love my snow, but I've had a good snowfall, so - while I'd be happy to accept more - I'm not too bothered if we don't get more, or if this snow melts and goes away. I would, of course, be sorry to see it go - though I'm sure many others wouldn't be sorry to see it go - but at least this year I can say I had a decent amount of snow, and plenty of oppertunities to enjoy it! :)
OK, I think that's just about everything for now. So...
Enjoy whatever's left of your day, stay warm, and stay safe!
Tori
Saturday:
I put away the Christmas tree - which was the only Christmas decoration I'd bothered to put up this year at our place, since we were at my parents' house most of the time, so we didn't see the point in putting more than just the tree up - and got some of our stuff packed up ready for when we start moving the rest of our stuff up to the house.
I also finished up the Shloire that I had left (I think I spelled that right). You know? That non-alcaholic grape wine stuff I mentioned that those of us who don't - or couldn't - drink alcahol had when the others were drinking over Christmas and the new year. I drank it while watching TV and eating shortbread biscuits. I don't remember what I was watching on TV though. I think it may have been CSI or something.
Sunday:
Dad picked Kelly, Kero and I up shortly before dinner, and Nan, Dad, Wayne, Kelly and I had dinner together before Dad and Kelly went off to their gaming club for the afternoon. Nan and I were going to make mince pies while they were gone, but we decided we probably had enough snacks in the house for now. Besides, the mince pie filling keeps well. So we didn't bother. Instead, Nan and Wayne worked on a jigsaw puzzle that Wayne had for Christmas, and I watched Supernanny. Well, sort of, since I watched it in between putting things away in our room and playing with Kero and Willow.
Monday:
Dad and I got i-tunes installed on my laptop. Before now I've been just letting him put stuff on my i-pod for me, but I decided I wanted to be able to do it myself. So, we got it on there no problem, but then Jaws didn't want to know. We thought at first that this would mean Dad would still have to sort it for me, but then we found an option in the settings to "allow keyboard navigation" so we ticked that box. Now Jaws works with i-tunes, so yay! Unfortunately, I haven't actually figured out how to work it properly yet, and Dad can't help much, because clicking with a mouse is a lot different to navigating with the keyboard. But at least there's hope of my figuring it out, since Jaws and i-tunes are playing nicely together. LOL!
Anyway, I watched a movie with Wayne in the evening. It was "I Always Know What You Did Last Summer" which - for anyone who doesn't know, but is interested - is the third movie in the set that starts with "I Know What You Did Last Summer." So, basically, it's a slasher movie. It was alright, though after seeing all the slasher movies I've seen I was able to predict who'd die next (and wasn't far off on how either). And that's without audio description. That's the thing with those kinds of movies... Very predictable! But Wayne borrowed it from a friend and wanted someone to watch it with him, so I said I would, since I'll sit and watch just about any movie. It's funny actually. I can watch just about any type of movie without getting scared or grossed out. But books can scare me. I think probably because it takes more imagination with books? Mind you, books don't even scare me half as much as the contents of my own head do. We probably shouldn't get in to that though. ;)
Tuesday:
I spent most of the morning playing with the dogs. Partly in the snow, partly indoors. Then I messed about on the laptop for a bit while waiting for Mam to get home. She'd gone to Norwich to take Carl and Rachel home on Sunday, and was coming home that day. We were a little worried because of the weather, but she got home safely. I spent a little time with her after she got home, then I watched a movie with Kelly, but I was planning to do a review post for that on the weekend, so I wont mention it now.
Wednesday (yesterday):
Mam, Dad and I were meant to go shopping, but - as I mentioned in yesterday's post - we couldn't get the cars out to go anywhere. Even the gritter couldn't get up the road, so Mam and Dad's cars had no chance. Instead, Mam and I went to the shop to get some bread and milk, and later Mam went up to the post office to get some gas (the kind that makes it possible for us to have the central heating on). Then Mam and I played on her Nintendo Wii... Well, in between playing in the snow. LOL! I got bored before her though, so Wayne took over my spot and they played together while I came upstairs to do some things on the laptop. Then - after dinner - I had a snowball fight with Wayne, made sure I was caught up on blogs, then fell asleep watching TV.
Thursday (today):
It took us almost two hours from when we started getting ready to leave to go shopping, to when we actually left. First we had to thaw the car out, then we had to shovel snow away from it to clear around it enough so Dad could drive on to the bit that the gritter - which had finally managed to get up our road - had put salt on. So, instead of it being about mid morning we got to Tescos, we got there lunchtime, which meant it was mid afternoon by the time we were home. After that, Kelly and I made dinner, then I came up here to get caught up on blogs and e-mails again.
Kelly and I will be making dinner on Thursdays as a general rule now. I say, "as a general rule," because it obviously doesn't apply if something serious comes up. Anyway, it was one of the things agreed on when we divided up chores when we decided we'd be moving back home. You have to divide chores - and have at least a basic routine - to make a house with six adults living in it full time run at least semi-smoothly.
There's still a lot of snow on the ground, but a lot of it has become ice. No more has fallen since yesterday, but more is predicted over the weekend. We'll see what happens. I'm not bothered either way now. I love my snow, but I've had a good snowfall, so - while I'd be happy to accept more - I'm not too bothered if we don't get more, or if this snow melts and goes away. I would, of course, be sorry to see it go - though I'm sure many others wouldn't be sorry to see it go - but at least this year I can say I had a decent amount of snow, and plenty of oppertunities to enjoy it! :)
OK, I think that's just about everything for now. So...
Enjoy whatever's left of your day, stay warm, and stay safe!
Tori
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Still snowy
It's still snowy. The snow has been coming down at a decent rate. We've had a good couple of foot all told, though it keeps melting a bit before more falls, so we're not actually ending up with more than a couple of inches on the ground at most times. I say, "most times," because today the snow is deep enough so that we can't get either of the cars out. We were meant to go shopping today, but Mam and I ended up walking up the road to the local shop to get the things we couldn't wait for (like bread and milk).
We've been playing in the snow. Mam and I built a snowman. There are photos, but she'll be posting them on her blog, so you'll have to wait for her to get to that. Willow has been loving all the snowball fights we've been having, and even Kero's been playing in the snow a bit. He's not enjoyed today's snow as much though, but I think it's a bit too deep for him to manage properly. Mam, Willow, Wayne and I have been enjoying it though. Especially Willow. She LOVES the snow! Like I said, there are photos to come, but Mam is posting the snowman related ones on her blog soon, and the ones of the dogs playing in the snow will be posted in Kero's post on Friday.
The only time I've seen as much snow as this at one go was when I spent Christmas in Canada!
Anyway... Enjoy whatever's left of your day, stay safe, and stay warm!
Tori
Mothering dog
I recieved the following in an e-mail just before the new year, and I thought I'd share it, because I thought it was a nice little story, and a good note to start the new year on.
******
MOTHERING DOG !!
In 2003, police in Warwickshire, England, opened a garden shed and found a whimpering, cowering dog. It had been locked in the shed and abandoned. It was dirty and malnourished and had clearly been abused.
In an act of kindness, the police took the dog, which was a Greyhound female, to the nearby Nuneaton Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, run by a man named Geoff Grewcock and known as a willing haven for Animals abandoned, orphaned or otherwise in need.
Geoff and the other sanctuary staff went to work with two aims to restore the dog to full health and to win her trust. It took several weeks, but eventually both goals were achieved.
They named her Jasmine and they started to think about finding her an adoptive home.
But Jasmine had other ideas. No-one remembers now how it began, but she started welcoming all Animal arrivals at the sanctuary. It wouldn't matter if it was a puppy, a fox cub, a rabbit or any other lost or hurting Animal, Jasmine would peer into the box or cage and, where possible, deliver a welcoming lick.
Geoff relates one of the early incidents. "We had two puppies that had been abandoned by a nearby railway line. One was a Lakeland Terrier cross and another was a Jack Russell Doberman cross. They were tiny when they arrived at the center and Jasmine approached them and grabbed one by the scruff of the neck in her mouth and put him on the settee. Then she fetched the other one and sat down, cuddling them."
"But she is like that with all of our animals, even the rabbits. She takes all the stress out of them and it helps them to not only feel close to her but to settle into their new surroundings."
"She has done the same with the fox and badger cubs. She licks the rabbits and guinea pigs and even lets the birds perch on the bridge of her nose."
Jasmine, the timid, abused, deserted waif, became the animal sanctuary's resident surrogate mother, a role for which she might have been born. The list of orphaned and abandoned youngsters she has cared for comprises five fox cubs, four badger cubs, 15 chicks, eight guinea pigs, two stray puppies and 15 rabbits.
And one roe deer fawn. Tiny Bramble, 11 weeks old, was found semi-conscious in a field. Upon arrival at the sanctuary, Jasmine cuddled up to her to keep her warm, and then went into the full foster mom role. Jasmine the greyhound showers Bramble the Roe deer with affection and makes sure nothing is matted.
"They are inseparable," says Geoff "Bramble walks between her legs and they keep kissing each other. They walk together round the sanctuary. It's a real treat to see them."
Jasmine will continue to care for Bramble until she is old enough to be returned to woodland life. When that happens, Jasmine will not be lonely. She will be too busy showering love and affection on the next Orphan or victim of abuse.
(Photo not included, but it consisted of: From left, Toby, a stray Lakeland dog; Bramble, orphaned Roe deer; Buster, a stray Jack Russell; a dumped rabbit; Sky, an injured barn owl; and Jasmine with a Mothers heart doing best what a caring Mother would do...)
******
MOTHERING DOG !!
In 2003, police in Warwickshire, England, opened a garden shed and found a whimpering, cowering dog. It had been locked in the shed and abandoned. It was dirty and malnourished and had clearly been abused.
In an act of kindness, the police took the dog, which was a Greyhound female, to the nearby Nuneaton Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, run by a man named Geoff Grewcock and known as a willing haven for Animals abandoned, orphaned or otherwise in need.
Geoff and the other sanctuary staff went to work with two aims to restore the dog to full health and to win her trust. It took several weeks, but eventually both goals were achieved.
They named her Jasmine and they started to think about finding her an adoptive home.
But Jasmine had other ideas. No-one remembers now how it began, but she started welcoming all Animal arrivals at the sanctuary. It wouldn't matter if it was a puppy, a fox cub, a rabbit or any other lost or hurting Animal, Jasmine would peer into the box or cage and, where possible, deliver a welcoming lick.
Geoff relates one of the early incidents. "We had two puppies that had been abandoned by a nearby railway line. One was a Lakeland Terrier cross and another was a Jack Russell Doberman cross. They were tiny when they arrived at the center and Jasmine approached them and grabbed one by the scruff of the neck in her mouth and put him on the settee. Then she fetched the other one and sat down, cuddling them."
"But she is like that with all of our animals, even the rabbits. She takes all the stress out of them and it helps them to not only feel close to her but to settle into their new surroundings."
"She has done the same with the fox and badger cubs. She licks the rabbits and guinea pigs and even lets the birds perch on the bridge of her nose."
Jasmine, the timid, abused, deserted waif, became the animal sanctuary's resident surrogate mother, a role for which she might have been born. The list of orphaned and abandoned youngsters she has cared for comprises five fox cubs, four badger cubs, 15 chicks, eight guinea pigs, two stray puppies and 15 rabbits.
And one roe deer fawn. Tiny Bramble, 11 weeks old, was found semi-conscious in a field. Upon arrival at the sanctuary, Jasmine cuddled up to her to keep her warm, and then went into the full foster mom role. Jasmine the greyhound showers Bramble the Roe deer with affection and makes sure nothing is matted.
"They are inseparable," says Geoff "Bramble walks between her legs and they keep kissing each other. They walk together round the sanctuary. It's a real treat to see them."
Jasmine will continue to care for Bramble until she is old enough to be returned to woodland life. When that happens, Jasmine will not be lonely. She will be too busy showering love and affection on the next Orphan or victim of abuse.
(Photo not included, but it consisted of: From left, Toby, a stray Lakeland dog; Bramble, orphaned Roe deer; Buster, a stray Jack Russell; a dumped rabbit; Sky, an injured barn owl; and Jasmine with a Mothers heart doing best what a caring Mother would do...)
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Welcome to my world of snow!
When we went to leave the house on new year's day, we realised it had been snowing for a little while, and it was still coming down at a decent pace. So Mam had to drive us back to our place in the thickly falling snow. We got there safely though.
after she dropped us off I took these photos of the falling snow.
My footprint in the snow...
I just "had to"... Nobody else had walked on that part of the path, and I just couldn't resist! I just love the crunchy sound snow makes when you step on freshly fallen snow that nobody else has stepped on!
And here's a snowy garden pic I took. As you can probably tell from the snow starting to drift at the wall, there was a bit of a wind followed the snow. Not one of those nasty, howling winds. But once the pace of the snow falling decreased, the wind did get up a bit.
Here's what we woke up to Saturday morning.
Hey, look... Snow cones for the birds!
Don't worry, we did empty all the feeders of snow and replace the snow with food afterwards. We had some fat ball things, since we figured that - in this weather - they could do with the extra fat they contain. Might help the little Robins - and any other birds still around - to keep warm in all this cold, snowy weather we're having
We did get a bit more afterwards. We had a good four inches on the ground at one point.
Some of it melted a bit on Sunday, and other bits - the parts where a lot of people had walked - turned quite icy. There was still enough snow for me to make some mini snowmen on the wall Sunday morning while waiting for Dad to pick us up though. Sorry, I never thought of taking photos until afterwards... Once it was too late. I did check how deep the snow was at that point though. There was a good 2 to 3 inches still on the ground when I checked around 11:30 am Sunday morning.
Some more of it had melted by Monday, and by Monday evening we just had a light layer of snow left on the ground. But then - Monday evening - it snowed some more. And by the time we got up this morning (Tuesday morning) there was a good half an inch.
But then, guess what? It snowed more!
It snowed quite heavily for a while, and by the time I had grabbed my camera, put my wellies on and gotten out there with Kero and Willow, there was a good 2 inches on the ground. And I know it was fresh snow, because I went by the amount on the path, which Wayne had cleared yesterday (Monday) afternoon. So, since yesterday afternoon we'd had two more inches of snow. And it was still snowing when Kero, Willow and I came back inside (after having a good play in the snow, and a game of "see how many snowballs Willow can eat" in between the dogs rolling and chasing each other about in the snow). It did calm down a bit soon after that though, and Dad just looked and said he thinks it's stopped... For now! But there's got to be close to three inches of it.
We're meant to get more before the week's out. In fact, they said this sort of weather is meant to last until around January 17th. So, I guess I have snow to spare this year! YAY!
Maybe I should send some to Styxie? I bet she'd like that!
Does anyone know how to send snow via air mail without it melting?
Tori
Note, added at 1:50 pm: It was snowing again for a while, but now it's stopped again.
after she dropped us off I took these photos of the falling snow.
My footprint in the snow...
I just "had to"... Nobody else had walked on that part of the path, and I just couldn't resist! I just love the crunchy sound snow makes when you step on freshly fallen snow that nobody else has stepped on!
And here's a snowy garden pic I took. As you can probably tell from the snow starting to drift at the wall, there was a bit of a wind followed the snow. Not one of those nasty, howling winds. But once the pace of the snow falling decreased, the wind did get up a bit.
Here's what we woke up to Saturday morning.
Hey, look... Snow cones for the birds!
Don't worry, we did empty all the feeders of snow and replace the snow with food afterwards. We had some fat ball things, since we figured that - in this weather - they could do with the extra fat they contain. Might help the little Robins - and any other birds still around - to keep warm in all this cold, snowy weather we're having
We did get a bit more afterwards. We had a good four inches on the ground at one point.
Some of it melted a bit on Sunday, and other bits - the parts where a lot of people had walked - turned quite icy. There was still enough snow for me to make some mini snowmen on the wall Sunday morning while waiting for Dad to pick us up though. Sorry, I never thought of taking photos until afterwards... Once it was too late. I did check how deep the snow was at that point though. There was a good 2 to 3 inches still on the ground when I checked around 11:30 am Sunday morning.
Some more of it had melted by Monday, and by Monday evening we just had a light layer of snow left on the ground. But then - Monday evening - it snowed some more. And by the time we got up this morning (Tuesday morning) there was a good half an inch.
But then, guess what? It snowed more!
It snowed quite heavily for a while, and by the time I had grabbed my camera, put my wellies on and gotten out there with Kero and Willow, there was a good 2 inches on the ground. And I know it was fresh snow, because I went by the amount on the path, which Wayne had cleared yesterday (Monday) afternoon. So, since yesterday afternoon we'd had two more inches of snow. And it was still snowing when Kero, Willow and I came back inside (after having a good play in the snow, and a game of "see how many snowballs Willow can eat" in between the dogs rolling and chasing each other about in the snow). It did calm down a bit soon after that though, and Dad just looked and said he thinks it's stopped... For now! But there's got to be close to three inches of it.
We're meant to get more before the week's out. In fact, they said this sort of weather is meant to last until around January 17th. So, I guess I have snow to spare this year! YAY!
Maybe I should send some to Styxie? I bet she'd like that!
Does anyone know how to send snow via air mail without it melting?
Tori
Note, added at 1:50 pm: It was snowing again for a while, but now it's stopped again.
Monday, January 04, 2010
Heidi
by Johanna Spyri
"A Radio 4 dramatization of the children's classic story about Heidi, a young Swiss girl who is sent to stay with her gruff grandfather in his hut high in the Alps."
(Above from here)
Heidi was one of the audiobooks I got for Christmas. I've always enjoyed the story, so I was very pleased to recieve a copy of it in my Christmas stocking. And, yes, it is the radio 4 dramatisation I recieved, hence using that particular synopsis for this post.
Tori
"A Radio 4 dramatization of the children's classic story about Heidi, a young Swiss girl who is sent to stay with her gruff grandfather in his hut high in the Alps."
(Above from here)
Heidi was one of the audiobooks I got for Christmas. I've always enjoyed the story, so I was very pleased to recieve a copy of it in my Christmas stocking. And, yes, it is the radio 4 dramatisation I recieved, hence using that particular synopsis for this post.
Tori
Sunday, January 03, 2010
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
"X-Men Origins: Wolverine" tells the story of Wolverine's epically violent and romantic past, his complex relationship with Victor Creed, and the ominous Weapon X program. Along the way, Wolverine encounters many mutants, both familiar and new, including surprise appearances by several legends of the X-Men universe.
(Above taken from here)
Kelly and I watched this movie on DVD on new year's eve. It was pretty good, though I personally don't think it was as good as the other X-Men films. I thought I'd enjoy it more than them, since Wolverine is one of my favourite characters (the other is Rogue) and I figured since it was focusing on him then it would be a case of, "yay! Lots of Wolverine action!" But... *Shrugs*... Well, basically, despite the fact I did enjoy the movie, I just didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the other X-Men movies. Despite the fact it was basically all Wolverine, all the time. So, yeah, a great movie. But I wouldn't go so far as to say it was one of my new favourites or anything. I would watch it again though.
Tori
(Above taken from here)
Kelly and I watched this movie on DVD on new year's eve. It was pretty good, though I personally don't think it was as good as the other X-Men films. I thought I'd enjoy it more than them, since Wolverine is one of my favourite characters (the other is Rogue) and I figured since it was focusing on him then it would be a case of, "yay! Lots of Wolverine action!" But... *Shrugs*... Well, basically, despite the fact I did enjoy the movie, I just didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the other X-Men movies. Despite the fact it was basically all Wolverine, all the time. So, yeah, a great movie. But I wouldn't go so far as to say it was one of my new favourites or anything. I would watch it again though.
Tori
Saturday, January 02, 2010
greeting 2010 (FD)
We didn't do much to see in the new year this year. Kelly and I watched a movie new year's eve (review will be posted tomorrow) while eating biscuits. Plus, I had a bottle of the non-alcaholic grape wine that I like. I don't know if Kelly's not keen on it, or if he just wanted to drink cola, bbut that's what he had anyway. I don't mind, because it means more for me if I'm the only person who's drinking it. LOL!
Anyway, I sort of dozed off a little before midnight, but woke at midnight to the sounds of fireworks going off nearby. So, I listened to those for a bit, said "happy new year," to Kelly, then went back to sleep. I woke back up then about 6:45 am, which is really good for me. But I've been sleeping well like that most of the time lately.
So, anyway, Dad came to get us about 11:30 am, and we went up to my parents place. Most people had a beef dinner (beef, yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, broccoli, carrots and sprouts) but I'm not ready to face the idea of eating beef - and have never been a huge fan of beef joints anyway - and Mam doesn't eat beef, so Mam and I had some kind of chicken dinner. I still had some yorkshire puddings though, because I love them, and I wasn't going to miss out on yorkies just because I'm not having beef. There was also wine for those who wanted it, and the white grape version of the non-alcaholic grape wine stuff for those who don't drink. I wish I didn't keep forgetting what the stuff was called. I know it starts with "S" and recognise the name when people say it, but do you think I can remember it when I want/need to? No!
Anyway, we had more crackers with dinner too, but these ones weren't as much fun as the ones we had Christmas day, since they all just had stickers in them. So we all gave them to Mam and Rachel, who like stickers. There only seemed to be two different types though, so they didn't get much of a collection. One was a penguin and the other was a snowman.
After dinner was over with and cleaning up had been done, we played "Escape From Colditz" together. Well, Nan and Wayne didn't want to play, but the rest of us played.
Kelly was the Germans, and I think he was enjoying playing them just a little too much. LOL! Dad was the French, Mam was the British, Rachel was the Americans, Carl was the Polish, and I was the Dutch. The rules say that the Germans win if one of the other armies - aided by the others - don't manage to have two soldiers escape within 2 & 1/2 hours of gameplay. We almost managed to achieve that, but rran out of time just as Mam's second one was about to finish escaping. Had we had time for her to get another turn in then we probably would have won, since you roll to dice, and if you have doubles then you reroll (regardless of what the doubles are) and she only needed 5 to get her second guy out and safe. Our victory wouldn't have been guaranteed, but we'd have stood a chance. As it was, the time ran out, and the Germans won.
It was fun, but, as I said, I think Kelly was enjoying being the Germans a little too much. LOL!
So, that's how we welcomed 2010... A movie, biscuits to nibble on, and a nice drink on new year's eve, and a family dinner followed by a board game on new year's day. Quiet, yes, but nice!
How did you see in the new year?
Tori
Anyway, I sort of dozed off a little before midnight, but woke at midnight to the sounds of fireworks going off nearby. So, I listened to those for a bit, said "happy new year," to Kelly, then went back to sleep. I woke back up then about 6:45 am, which is really good for me. But I've been sleeping well like that most of the time lately.
So, anyway, Dad came to get us about 11:30 am, and we went up to my parents place. Most people had a beef dinner (beef, yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, broccoli, carrots and sprouts) but I'm not ready to face the idea of eating beef - and have never been a huge fan of beef joints anyway - and Mam doesn't eat beef, so Mam and I had some kind of chicken dinner. I still had some yorkshire puddings though, because I love them, and I wasn't going to miss out on yorkies just because I'm not having beef. There was also wine for those who wanted it, and the white grape version of the non-alcaholic grape wine stuff for those who don't drink. I wish I didn't keep forgetting what the stuff was called. I know it starts with "S" and recognise the name when people say it, but do you think I can remember it when I want/need to? No!
Anyway, we had more crackers with dinner too, but these ones weren't as much fun as the ones we had Christmas day, since they all just had stickers in them. So we all gave them to Mam and Rachel, who like stickers. There only seemed to be two different types though, so they didn't get much of a collection. One was a penguin and the other was a snowman.
After dinner was over with and cleaning up had been done, we played "Escape From Colditz" together. Well, Nan and Wayne didn't want to play, but the rest of us played.
Kelly was the Germans, and I think he was enjoying playing them just a little too much. LOL! Dad was the French, Mam was the British, Rachel was the Americans, Carl was the Polish, and I was the Dutch. The rules say that the Germans win if one of the other armies - aided by the others - don't manage to have two soldiers escape within 2 & 1/2 hours of gameplay. We almost managed to achieve that, but rran out of time just as Mam's second one was about to finish escaping. Had we had time for her to get another turn in then we probably would have won, since you roll to dice, and if you have doubles then you reroll (regardless of what the doubles are) and she only needed 5 to get her second guy out and safe. Our victory wouldn't have been guaranteed, but we'd have stood a chance. As it was, the time ran out, and the Germans won.
It was fun, but, as I said, I think Kelly was enjoying being the Germans a little too much. LOL!
So, that's how we welcomed 2010... A movie, biscuits to nibble on, and a nice drink on new year's eve, and a family dinner followed by a board game on new year's day. Quiet, yes, but nice!
How did you see in the new year?
Tori
Friday, January 01, 2010
Welcome to 2010!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Welcome to 2010!
Here's hoping 2010 turns out to be a great year for you... Yes, you!
Tori
Welcome to 2010!
Here's hoping 2010 turns out to be a great year for you... Yes, you!
Tori
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