#Halloween Fun: Spooky Scary Skeletons Tag

Happy Halloween! 

     

I know today’s Saturday, and Saturday’s not an official posting day for me, but it’s Halloween today, I saw this tag over on TheStrawberry Post when Cat did it recently, and I just had to join in the Halloween fun.  If you check out Cat’s post for this tag you can both see her answers and learn where the tag actually came from.

     

As usual, I’m not tagging anyone, but I would love to read your answers, so feel free to play along, whether you do so in the comments section of this post, or on your own blog.  If you go with the latter option, please drop me a link, because I’d hate to miss your answers.  For now though, let’s take a look at the questions, along with my own answers to them.

     

*~*

     

1. Friday the Thirteenth: What is a superstition you believe in?

     

There isn’t any.  I’ve walked under ladders, failed to throw salt over my shoulder when I spilled it, owned black cats (so clearly not minded them crossing my path) and am not concerned by the fact my birthday falls on Friday the 13^th this year.

     

2. IT: What scares you the most?

     

Spiders.  I just can’t do spiders.  I can tolerate them being in the building if they stay away from me, and don’t wish harm on any spider, but if they come near me I freak.

     

3. Scary Movie: What’s a book or movie that made you laugh?

     

“Mrs Doubtfire” – actually, any movie starring Robin Williams.

     

4. Frankenstein: What is your favourite monster? (litarary, mythylogical, etc.)

     

There are so many great ones, so it’s hard to decide.  If you forced me to pick one though... No.  I can’t.  It’s too hard! I can’t decide between dragons, werewolves or zombies.  That’s as close as I can get to picking a favourite.  I’d prefer a dragon if I have to associate with any of them, and rather become a werewolf than a zombie myself though.

     

5. Paranormal Activity: You’ve turned into a ghost!  What ghostly thing are you going to do?

     

If I’m supposed to be doing some wicked ghostly activity, I’ll move things after people put them down, and enjoy people’s reactions when they put something down in one spot and it’s mysteriously in another.  Otherwise I’ll take the Casper route and be a friendly ghost.

     

6. Scream: What is the scariest book or movie that you’ve ever read or seen?

     

I’ve mentioned this one loads of times before, but the scariest book I’ve ever read is “Dark Matter” by Michelle Paver.  Even my re-reads of it had me scared each time. 

 

    There isn't a movie that's scared me.  Though an experience right after watching "The Ring" means you could sort of say that did.  The movie itself didn’t scare me - it was unsettling, but not scary.  What happened was that someone spooked me a little immediately afterwards, so I sort of associate it with the movie.  I went to see it with my brother, and one of his friends called his mobile with the mobile of another friend so he wouldn’t recognize the number, and said, “7 days,” in a spooky voice before hanging up.  It was done right after we came out of the cinema.  It only took me a few moments to realize what had happened, but I was scared for a moment there.  Took my brother a lot longer to get over it.

     

7. Zombieland: The zombie apocalypse has begun!  What will be your weapon and hideout of choice?

     

If I can only have one weapon, a knife, because it works for stabbing and – if you turn it around and use the handle – as a blunt instrument.  Plus, no need to worry about ammo running out, and I’ve got more chance of knowing for sure I hit my target.  However, if I can have more of a selection, I’d also like a solid blunt instrument – like a baton – and a sturdy bow with plenty of arrows and spare strings.  Why a bow rather than a gun? Because I like my chances with using a bow more than a gun, and bows don’t make so much noise when you fire them, so won’t draw more zombies.  Plus, it's easier to find string and make arrows than it is to repair and make extra ammo for a gun.

     

As for a hideout: somewhere that would be difficult for zombies to access – like somewhere with stairs, since most can’t manage those – and with more than one exit.  Why more than one exit? Because, though it does mean extra exits to have to watch, it also means extra escape routes for me if I have to get out of there, so maybe one of them will be clear.

     

8. Dark Shadows: What is your favourite book or movie featuring vampires?

     

My favourite movie is “The Little Vampire” – it’s such a cute vampire movie.  My favourite book – well, books – would have to be Lynsay Sands’ “Argeneau Vampire” series, which is a paranormal romance series featuring vampires, and the vampires in it have the best vampire origin I’ve read.

     

9. Hocus Pocus: You are now a witch.  What will be your first wicked act?

     

I’ll turn anyone I think deserves it in to animals.  There will be a variety of animal species chosen, especially ones that are endangered, so – though it will be wicked by human standards – I can help the animal populations recover a bit.

     

10. The Nightmare Before Christmas: You get to plan Halloween this year! What will you do to make it an unforgettable day?

     

If we’re not in lockdown, I’ll bake all kinds of Halloween themed treats – things involving pumpkin, things shaped like skulls, bats, etc – and have everyone dress up in Halloween costumes.  Then we’ll have some Halloween games – like a pumpkin carving contest, bobbing for apples, etc – with prizes for winners, while some Halloween music plays in the background.

     

If I have to arrange something with us in lockdown, I’ll make sure everyone has supplies of Halloween treats – whether they make them, buy them, or I need to arrange for them to be delivered to the people – and then we’ll all dress up in spooky Halloween costumes for a virtual Zoom party while we enjoy the snacks, listen to Halloween tunes, and hold a virtual pumpkin carving contest and costume contest, which I’ll either post or drop off the prize to the winner for as soon as I can afterwards.  Then we’ll all log off Zoom to finish off our evening with some time enjoying whatever our favourite Halloween movies or books are.

#PetKidPals - Noodle

Hi everyone.  This is Logan the Cavapoo.

 

First of all, thanks for all the nice messages about my neuter.  I'm all better, cone-free, and back to my old self, complete with returning to my preference for jumping in to the bath to drink from the tap rather than using a water bowl.  What can I say? I just prefer running water.

 

    ~ 

     

Anyway, I have a new friend for you to meet today.  So, say, “Hi,” to Noodle.

 

Hi, Noodle.  That’s an interesting name.  I’m sure there’s a story behind it, so I’d love to hear it, if you’re willing to share.  So, how did you get a name like Noodle anyhow?

 

“Sue and Charlie were trying to come up with a name and I guess Charlie thought I looked like a noodle!”

 

Interesting.  So, what species and breed are you?

 

“Just a big, fluffy kitty. Not sure. Maybe part Maine Coon because I’m really fuzzy.”

 

Ah, I guess it’s the fuzzyness that makes Charlie think of noodles? Makes sense.  Tell you what though, I’ve got a photo to show those who can see it, but please describe yourself too, for the benefit of those who can’t see the photo.

 

“I weigh 19 pounds, I’m all black, and very poofy. Think of a stuffed animal and then add more fur! I have a black nose, long whiskers, and big paws. I’m a big boy, or so they tell me.”

 

Definitely a big boy.  A cute one though.

 

So, Noodle, where do you live? What sort of place do you live in? Who do you share it with? Do any other animals live with you? Or is it just you and your human?

 

“I live with Sue, Charlie and Monkey (the other kitty) in a big two-story house. I have lots of stairs to run, but I prefer to lay around and get fed Shrimpy Shrimp Treats.”

 

I don’t blame you for that.  Anyway, it’s nice you have another kitty in the house with you for company of the same species.  By the way, what’s your favourite thing to do?

 

“Eat treats and lay on Sue and purr.”

 

Cuddling with your human and eating treats? Oh, a cat after my own heart! Good choice.  How about playing though? Do you like toys? If so, do you have a favourite toy? If yes, what is it?

 

“Toys are okay, but they usually involve me moving. But yeah, I’ll chase a string or mousy a little bit.”

 

That’s right... Don’t use more energy than you have to.  Smart kitty! OK.  Back to the food.  What’s your favourite food?

 

“Shrimpy Shrimp Treats from Temptations.”

 

Never had those, but bet I’d like them.  I love food.  Oh, wait... Lilie’s just told me they’re a kind of kitty treat, so I won’t get any.  Still bet I’d like them.  I love food! Did I mention that? I did? Oh, OK then.

 

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

 

“Probably pet my head. I love to lay on Sue’s lap, but sometimes she’s busy and doesn’t like it.”

 

Yeah, what’s up with that? Humans aren’t supposed to be too busy for us.  Silly humans! Other than sometimes not liking you to be on her lap, what else does she do that you don't like? Most of all, what’s the thing your human does that you hate most?

 

“Cut my claws. I know they need it sometimes, but it makes me nervous.”

 

I get that.  Those things they use on them are pretty scary looking.  OK.  Let’s move on, because I don’t want to think about those claw clipping things any longer than I have to.

 

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

 

“I know that sometimes, there are kitties in her stories, but I don’t think they’re particularly about me. She writes fiction, so I don’t think I’ll really be showing up in her books. But that’s okay. I’m not looking to be famous.”

 

Well, as long as you’re fine with that, I guess it doesn’t matter.  So, what do you do while your human writes?

 

“Try to jump in her lap. Sometimes, I’ll sit near her or sleep under her other desk. Maybe look out the window at the birdies. Maybe poop.”

 

Sounds like a busy schedule.  Glad you’re able to entertain yourself while she’s not available for snuggles.  OK, I hear Mummy doing breakfast things, so I better go check it out.  First though, is there anything else you’d like people to know about you?

 

“I’m nine years old and I’m scared of a lot of things, but I do alright. I like this house better than our old house. There are more places to hide and it’s just more comfortable overall.”

 

I’m with you on how scary the world is.  There are so many noises and things.  Having lots of good hiding places is a very good idea.  Especially at this time of year.  Glad you like the new house better than the old one.  Also, thanks for coming out of hiding for long enough for a chat.  It was great to meet you, Noodle.

 

***~~~***

 

About the human

Sue Rovens is an indie suspense author who has written three novels - Buried, Track 9, and Badfish - all of which fall under the suspense and psychological horror banner. Track 9 garnered a starred review from Publisher's Weekly in May 2018 and Buried snagged a positive review in the publication as well. She also has two collections of short horror stories - In a Corner, Darkly: Volumes 1 and 2. Currently, she is working on her fourth novel, Rage, and plans to have it available sometime in 2021.

Aside from writing, Sue also manages a blog (https://suerovens.com), part of which is dedicated to interviewing authors of all genres. She welcomes writers from all professional levels to reach out to her if they are so inclined to participate.

Sue spends her free time running (slowly), watching weird movies, learning the French Horn, counting the work days until retirement (77 as of today) and hanging out with Charlie, her much-better half.

 

~

 

Buried (2019)

Priscilla Wyatt is a single, middle-aged nursing assistant who lives behind Sommerville Funeral Home. When her dachshund, Weenie, returns home with a ghastly find, Pris’s life starts to spiral out of control, plummeting her headfirst into the macabre.Gerald Zenith, proprietor of Sommerville, couldn't care less about the dead. Between running scams and keeping a necrophiliac subordinate in check, Gerald’s hands are full. He hasn’t the time nor the interest to be concerned with what is happening in the cemetery during the wee hours of the mornings…until all hell breaks loose. Some secrets are too big to stay buried.

 

***~~~***

 

I hope you enjoyed getting to meet Noodle, and learning all about him and his human, Sue.  Please don’t hesitate to leave them a comment, share this post around, or both.  I’m sure they’d love if you did.  I know me and Mummy would.

 

By the way, we’re always eager to meet new friends, and would love to hear from you.  So if you’re a bird, cat, chinchilla, degu, dog, fish, gerbil, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit, rat, tortoise, or other non-human creature, and you share your home with a human who calls themselves a writer or blogger, feel free to get in touch and become a PetKid Pal  yourself.  To find out how, or to meet all the PetKid Pals we’ve featured in the past, go to the PetKid Pals page.

 

Lots of licks,

Logan

#AmReading + #AmWatching + #AmListening - Media Shares And #Reviews 29-10-20

If a story touches you it will stay with you, haunting the places in your mind that you rarely ever visit
~Neil Gaiman

    

*~* 

    
Welcome to this week's weekly media shares and reviews post!
    

~ 

    
*Disclaimer: no matter what's being reviewed, all opinions in this post are entirely my own, and I reserve the right to have them, regardless of who may or may not share them. Feel free to express your own in the comments, but please respect my right - and the rights of other commenters - to have opinions that might differ from yours, and to express those opinions too.
    
Also, please remember that I read/watch/listen to things in a variety of genres, and for all ages, so you should make sure you check that the book/movie/show/song is suitable for the intended audience before reading/watching/listening to it, especially if children are involved. I take no responsibility for anything which may happen as a result of failing to do so. 

    

*~* 

    

OK. Let's see what I've been reading, watching, and listening to, and which song I'm going to share this week, shall we? After all, that's the point of this post, and why you're here today, right? 

    

*~*
    

• Reading:

This week I finished reading the book I was in the middle of this time last week, and read another two books by the same author. So, here's what I read, along with my book reviews.
    

Star Minds Lone Wolves Team - All Missions
by Barbara G. Tarn
My rating: five out of five stars

This book was a great read. It was wonderful to join all these characters on so many of their missions, and get to know them a bit more in the process. 

    

~ 

    

Star Minds Interregnum Volume 2
by Barbara G. Tarn
My rating: five out of five stars

This is another excellent collection of stories, which is once again a wonderful addition to the series. It's great getting to go on new adventures with
the characters I've grown to know - and in some cases really like - from previous books in the series, or - as is the case with a couple of the stories
- gain more insight in to a situation by seeing events from the point of view of another character. 

     

~ 

     

Star Minds Sire Teens
by Barbara G. Tarn
My rating: five out of five stars

This was a fun read; I loved getting to see some of the characters I've read about in previous books when they were younger.

      

*~* 

    

• Watching:

This week I watched a lot again.  Some I'd seen before, some was new to me.  The stuff I'd seen before was...

    

1. Racing Stripes
2. Friends (I finished series 7, watched all of series 8, and started series 9)
   
3. Lady And The Tramp (animated version)
   
4. Lady And The Tramp 2: Scamp's Adventure
5. Shark Tale
6. Piglet's Big Movie
7. Tinker Bell
8. My Friend Flicka
   

    

As for the new to me ones... 

     

The Durrells (TV series 2016-2019):

I thoroughly enjoyed what I've wached so far of this show (the first series) and definitely want to watch more.  I highly recommend it for fans of Gerald Durrell, or those who love wildlife or family drama type TV shows in general.  I give it five out of five stars.

      

~ 

     

 Eragon (2006 movie):

This was a pretty good fantasy movie, though not the best I've seen... Definitely worth watching if you're a fan of the kind of fantasy movie that features dragons, but is much cleaner than a lot of them out there, so more family friendly.  I haven't read the book(s) it's based on, but now I want to.  I really enjoyed it, but didn't absolutely love it, so I  give this movie four out of five stars.

    

*~*
    

• Listening:

This week I've been listening to a variety of music, including country, 80s, and classical.  But I'm still doing the Halloween music thing, so... Today I'm going with Michael Jackson's "Thriller" as the song to share with you all.  So... Enjoy!

     

 

#WriterWednesday 28-10-20; Author #Interviews + A #GuestPost + Writerly #Quotes And Links

 

~ 

 

     

I did a podcast interview where I was interviewed by Patty Fletcher of "Talk To Tell-It-To-The-World Marketing" recently.  It should be embedded at the top of this post, but if it didn't work you can easily listen to it here, or - if you have Alexa - tell your Alexa to, "Play Talk to tell it to the world marketing," and listen on that (if it plays an episode not featuring me, but you spacifically want my interview, just say, "Play previous episode," until you're on the right one). 

 

    Though I did stream for a while - streaming, for those who don't know, is doing a sort of online radio slot - many years ago, and did a radio interview once when I was new to publishing, this was my first time doing a podcast interview, and it was fun.  It also sounds better than I feared it would... I was worried about how I'd sound in it, especially doing the poetry readings (I've never read anything for an audience like that before; the only other time I did a poetry reading I'd memorized the poems, where as this time I was reading from copies I'd brailled out the day before to read during the recording session).  My readings aren't as smooth as I'd have liked, but I think they sound OK.  Have a listen for yourself, and see what you think... I hope you enjoy listening to it. 

     

Patty Fletcher - who, by the way, is a fellow visually impaired author - has interviewed a whole load of other guests too... I mean, my interview is part of the second series of this podcast.  So consider checking out the other authors' interviews when you're done listening to mine. 

     

~ 

    

I also did another author interview, which is currently featured in the "Author Meet And Greet" section of the blog of fellow author, Sue Rovens, along with some of her other recent guests. 

 

    If you'd like to check that out too, you can do so by clicking here (if it's not visible on the page I linked to by the time you go check it out, look in the author index section of the site).

    

~ 

     

But that's not all! 

 

    I also did a Halloween appropriate guest post, which fellow author, Hugh Roberts, invited me to do on his blog.  It's all about some real supernatural encounters I've had in the past. 

     

If you want to read it, you can find my guest post here. 

    

            

"You may be able to take a break from writing, but you won't be able to take a break from being a writer."

~Stephen Leigh

    

OK.  Since there's nothing else to say about my writing, let's see what I have to share with you today, shall we? After all, I have a couple of week's worth of links to share with you.  So, let's get to it.

    

The writing process, and writing life in general:

Thoughts on creativity - Yes, you can! Yes, you are!

Constraints and creativity for writers

How to use your excuses to get more writing done

The do's and don'ts of taking a break from writing

Mistakes I've made while writing my first book

The secret of my success - maybe

Five tips to feel better about writing angst

Escapism - why I write it

     

NaNoWriMo, and other November writing challenges:

November writing challenges

NaNoWriMo Prep: scheduling

Clearing time for NaNoWriMo

    

"I need to write to be happy."

~Nora Roberts

     

Idea generation, and finding inspiration:

Poetry writing ideas and activities

Memoir or fiction?

    

"Every time I sit down to write, I try to feel that I'm starting over. It’s all new. It’s all fresh, and I’m learning as we go."
~Rita Dove

    

     

Characters:

What's in a name? And how do you choose one? 

    

“Every first draft is perfect because all the first draft has to do is exist.”

~Jane Smiley

     

Random writing tips:

Originality in storytelling

The nutshell crisis and triumph

    

"Don’t write it right, just write it—and then make it right later."
~Tara Moss

    
Editing:

How do you make do and don't plural?

How to edit a book and get it right

How to get your dialogue punctuation right 

         

"As far as I'm concerned, the entire reason for becoming a writer is not having to get up in the morning. It's not writing when you don't want to, and writing late at night if you want to."
~Neil Gaiman

     

Publishing:

How to publish with KDP, Part Seventeen: How to set your prices, royalty options, and distribution range
 
     

Marketing:

Writers, be honest: what really scares you about self-promotion?

Author website essentials

        

"The books a writer reads are so important; they form a compost bed beneath the rosebushes of her own writing."
~Ben Dolnick

The Spooky "Would You Rather" #Book Tag - #Halloween #AmReading

So, I found this while doing an online search for Halloween themed book blog tags, and my sources tell me it originally came from someone called The Book Pusher. Sorry if this is incorrect. Either way, it looked fun, so I decided to do it. If you want to do it too, feel free to, either in the comments section of this post, or on your own blog. If you do the latter, make sure to let me know, and tell me where I can read your answers, since I'd love to know what your answers would be. For now though, here are the questions, and my own answers.

1. Thrillers or Supernatural(s)?

Supernatural. I like the odd thriller, but supernatural events in other types of books are more my thing, to be honest.

2. Ghosts or Zombies?

Either. I love a good zombie apocalypse tale, but I also love a good ghost story.

3. Vampires or Werewolves?

Ah, now this one is harder. I love both, though I suppose I end up reading more vampire stories than werewolf stories.

4. Witches or Demons?

This one's much easier: witches. Demons are often interesting characters, but I like to see the different ways witches are portrayed in stories, so they'll win out over demons every time.

5. Would you rather read a book with 13 chapters or a book with a black cat on the cover?

I'm not bothered by either superstition, but since a book with a black cat on the cover should - in theory - feature a kitty cat, I'm going to have to go with that one, because cats are cool, and I like reading things with animals in them.

6. Would you rather read a spooky book in the dark with only a candle for light or by yourself in a locked brightly lit room?

I don't care about the lighting situation. I mean, being blind, light makes no difference to me. However, even if it did, I'd still pick the candle over the locked room, because I don't want to be locked in.

7. Would you rather face your worst fears or be trapped in the mind of a killer?

Face my worst fears. At least I'd know what to expect with those.

8. Would you rather watch a scary movie or read a scary book?

Read a scary book. Books have had better luck scaring me in the past, even when I still had sight. I think it's because it's much scarier when I imagine things than when it's right there in front of me. Plus, I tend to become more absorbed in books than movies, so that probably contributes to it.

9. Would you rather read spooky books during the fall time or all year?

I love doing both, but tend to do it more in the Fall, because I like reading scary things close to Halloween.

10. Would you rather read 10 spooky books in October or 10 spooky books all year?

That depends. If I could read them whenever I wanted over the year, and wasn't limited to only reading that number if I wanted to read more, I'd say all year. If I couldn't read more in the timeframe given, but was free to read as much as I wanted of whatever I wanted after the timeframe, I'd pick October.

#MondayMotivation - #Quotes + Words Of #Wisdom 26-10-20

Caring about everyone doesn’t require everyone to care back. Just keep doing you and spread love unconditionally.
~Koi Fresco

There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience.
~French proverb

Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.
~Carol Burnett

My soul is from elsewhere, I'm sure of that, and I intend to end up there.
~Rumi

Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.
~Mark Twain

If you take responsibility for yourself you will develop a hunger to accomplish your dreams.
~Les Brown

Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.
~Vince Lombardi

Hope is an emotion we need to make the best of life, and it is accompanied by great happiness. If hopes begin to fail us we are in danger of losing all feelings of hopefulness. Hope turns to despair. There must remain always something to hope for.
~C.R. Milne

A stumbling block to the pessimist is a stepping stone to the optimist.
~Eleanor Roosevelt

To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping.
~Chinese Proverb

Even though you are on the right track – you will get run over if you just sit there.
~Will Rogers

Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.
~Pablo Picasso

#Holidays + #Baking + Cute #Tortoise Behaviour + Other Random Stuff

I had another attempt at making vegan cinnamon rolls a few weeks ago.  Well, more than a few, I suppose, since it was this time last month I made them.  But I had other things I wanted to post about first, hence it taking me a month to post about it.

     

I made them around the Autumn Equinox, since we weren't really doing anything special for it what with trying to avoid people who don't live in our building as much as possible, trying not to spend more than we absolutely have to so as to save to move, and the fact the weather that day was terrible.  Though I was a day late making them for the equinox, because the equinox fell on September 22nd, and it was the 23rd I made the cinnamon rolls.  I'm even later posting about it, since that was a month ago, as I already mentioned.  But never mind.

     

Either way, they worked a lot better this time.  I did better with how much cinnamon I used, and I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear that actually having yeast made a lot of difference too (last time I made them I hadn't been able to get hold of any, but figured I'd carry on anyhow, since I only remembered this fact part way through making the dough).  Here are a couple of photos Kelly took of them for me to share:

    

So, how were they?

    

Well, put it this way, Kelly had eaten two before they were fully cooled, and half the rest were gone by morning.  I'm torn between being glad I only made a small batch for the sake of our waistlines, and wishing I made more so they hadn't been gone so quickly.  In other words, I'd say this batch was very successful, and Kelly seems to agree. 😉

    

*~* 

    

In other cooking elated news: I made pizza. 

    More to the point, I made vegan pizza completely from scratch, making the base and sauce myself, and topping with some grated vegan cheese.  I'd have added some veggies too, but making pizza was a last minut change to dinner plans, so I just did the cheese and left it at that.  If you're interested, the cheese is a combination of two types of VioLife vegan cheese: the original cheese, and the feta style.  They're my favourite vegan cheeses.

 

Here's my pizza before it was cooked:

    

And here it is after cooking:

     

    

It tasted great, if I do say so myself. 

     

I do wish I'd bothered to add some veggies though.  Also, using the feta style cheese for some of the cheese may not have been a great idea, because that one melts so quickly it made quite a mess. So next time I think I'll stick to the original version of the cheese for pizzas. 

     

Or, I should say, "next time I stuck with the original version of the cheese," since I made more homemade pizza this past weekend, this time only using the original version of the cheese, and adding extra toppings (mushrooms, onions, sweetcorn, and pineapple).  It was very tasty, if I do say so myself! 

    

    *~*

    

Though our weather's not been too bad, we've had some mild storms (just a load of rain and wind, but nothing really bad) and our weather's been a lot cooler over the past few weeks even on sunny days. 

     

Cooler temperatures make Artemis not be quite so active.  So much so that she's been demonstrating how to eat your food when you're a tortoise who wants to use the minimum amount of effort possible.  Here's a photo of her trying to rest and eat some lettuce at the same time:

 

She's usually much more enthusiastic, especially where food is concerned.  Even has this cute thing she does where she follows the leaf with her head if you wave it in front of her before grabbing a bit and starting to chomp away.  Here's a video Kelly got of it to show you:

 

     

Who would have thought a tortoise could be so cute and full of character?

    

*~*

    

The Jason Donovan concert I've been looking forward to since about this time last year isn't happening on December 1st.

    

They've tentatively rescheduled it for next September, but whether or not it goes ahead is conditional on all virus related things being completely over, so they also offered the option of having your tickets refunded. 

     

After some consideration, I took the latter option and got the refund.

    

I'm sad to be missing out on the concert, but there's no guarantee it will happen next year, and right now I could use the money.  Plus, with how expensive it's getting to live in this area, we're thinking it would be best to relocate to somewhere we'd have more luck finding an affordable suitable home, which means it would potentially be difficult for me to get to it if it does happen.  So I figured it was best to take the refund. 

 

It felt like the right choice, even though I'm really disappointed about not getting to see Jason Donovan after all, and it feels like yet another thing to add to the list of things to hate about 2020.  That list is getting quite long for us all, I think.

    

*~*

   

In other news: they're still doing work in the hallway. 

     

For those who don't know, "They," means the landlord's repair guys.  Well, mostly guy, since it's mostly just the one guy doing the work.  But sometimes there's more than one guy out there.  Though usually only if it's a two-man job being done.  Maybe if more than one guy was doing it the work would be done by now? Then again, since the landlord keeps showing up with more stupid ideas of things he wants done to the building, maybe not. *sigh* 

    

~

 

    Anyway, we gave them no choice but to let me take Logan to the vet for his neuter, but - since we weren't sure if Logan would need carrying anyhow - Kelly went to fetch him.  I took Logan for his follow-up appointment myself too though.  I always try to be the one to take the petkids for their appointments... Only Lilie has ever been without me.  I wasn't going to change that just because the landlord doesn't seem to care if I can get in or out of the building safely or not. 

     

Kelly had to leave Lilie upstairs by herself while he  helped me make my way through the hallway with Logan.  Lilie wasn't happy, and it still wasn't easy. 

 

~ 

     

    But mostly I'm trying to stay out of the way, and hoping the work will be finished sooner rather than later. 

     

Though I'm not holding my breath on that, since the lack of logic as to which order things are being done means sometimes work is having to be undone and redone so another job can be done.  Like this past weekend when they had to make a mess of the hallway ceiling and walls again to get access to the wiring to - I hope - fix the buzzer properly.  So what should have been them popping in for a few minutes to replace the buzzer turned in to them spending the whole day trying to get at the wires, replacing them, etc, setting the fire alarm off in the process. 

    

It was a good thing I'd already planned on spending my Sunday just hanging out watching DVDs in the livingroom with the dogs and Mollie, because that's how I ended up spending the day anyhow, since it was the easiest way to keep the dogs out of the way (they had to keep coming in to our place to access the part of the buzzer system that's inside our flat). 

    

We won't talk about how I feel about us only having about 20 minutes notice that this was happening. 

    At least the buzzer works again - for now.

 

*~* 

     

On the bright side, at least my card to say I'm exempt from mask-wearing and social distancing rules because of disabilities arrived before I needed to take Logan in for his appointments, so I didn't have to go through the constant explanations as to why I wasn't wearing a mask and needed to come within touching distance of the vet this time, which I had needed to do when I took Artemis to the vet back in August. 

    

*~* 

    Speaking of Logan's neuter: he's now back to his old self. 

     

He's a good boy.  We took the cone off him a week after his surgery, like the vet said we could, and he wasn't being excessive with licking, so we didn't have to put it back on him at all. 

     

This totally confused him for a while, and he actually tried to put his head back in it.  It took him a moment to realize he really was allowed to have the cone off, and even longer to realize he no longer had to make allowances for it when moving around.  On the bright side, his confusion over being cone-free meant it was a couple of days later before he started playing properly with Lilie, and those extra days of not being back to full play mode were probably good for his recovery.

  

*~* 

    

In other other news... Our washing machine died. 

    

In its defence, it was one we brought refurbished about eight and a half years ago. 

    I knew it wasn't doing so great, but was hoping it would last until we moved.  It didn't, and we had no choice but to replace it.  Well, I suppose technically we did have a choice, but since the amount a new one cost would have been the same as we'd spend in the next few months doing our laundry at the laundrette, it worked out cheaper in the longrun to just buy a new washing machine now.  And don't get me started on how much repairing it was going to cost.  Basically, the cheapest and most reliable option was to buy a new one.  So, we have a new washing machine. 

     

Could have done without that right now, but it is what it is. 

     

*~* 

     

We had moved a load of our stuff down here from the upstairs flat without actually packing it, and unpacked a load of what we had packed.  So now we're working on repacking the stuff we unpacked, and packing up the stuff we moved without packing it. 

     

Since moving is tentatively planned for January (I'd like it to be sooner, but we need that time to get the money together, especially since things like the washing machine decided they weren't going to wait) the goal is to have everything but what absolutely can not be packed until the last possible moment - so, everything we don't use on a daily basis, and don't need to continue using on a daily basis - packed by the time the Winter Solstice and Christmas roll around.  That way we don't have to rush to pack anything but those last few items, which won't take us long to get packed. 

  

*~* 

    

Speaking of Christmas, I keep seeing posts about how Halloween and Christmas are cancelled, so just want to say this before I end this post: 

    

They aren't cancelled. 

    

They might look different this year.  Some - or all - of the things you used to do might have to be cancelled or done differently.  But the holidays will still happen. If they've cancelled something you wanted to go to, or your traditional plans can't happen because sticking with them would mean you're breaking rules you don't want to be breaking, but you still want to celebrate, all you have to do is celebrate differently. 

    

The holidays aren't cancelled.  They can't be.  They will happen no matter what.  It will still be Halloween on October 31st, for example, whether you celebrate it or not.  The pandemic can't change that.