My Birthday, #Covid Passes, & ACB Zoom Calls

As many of you know, my birthday was last weekend.

 

Thank you to everyone who sent me birthday messages, cards, presents, or money. Each and every one was very much appreciated, and helped to make my birthday special - even those that came in late.

~

Presentwise I mostly got money and books, of course.  But my Dad and my brother, Wayne, got me some figures for a game called "Burrows & Badgers" (which I'd gotten myself a few figures for recently) where all the figures are animals.  If you're familiar with the "Redwall" books, think along those lines.  I have yet to read the rules or actually play the game, but the figures are really cool, so I'd want to collect them anyhow - even if (as might be the case regardless) they get used as ornaments more than gaming pieces.  And, speaking of animal themed gifts: my friend, Karl, sent me a cuddly giraffe and redcoated lemur (one as a birthday present, the other as an early Christmas present).  I'm getting quite the zoo with my teddy collection.  Which, by the way, is most definitely not a complaint, because I love cuddly animals.  Anyway, here are photos of those:

 

And here are the birthday cards I got from my Mam, Dad, Grandma, and friend, Rita:

~

Mam made me a vegan birthday cake from scratch.  It was a vanilla sponge with lemon butter icing.  It also has pinkish butter icing writing on it that says, "Victoria, 37 today," and a "Happy birthday" cake decoration.  Plus she put a pink ribbon around it.  Here's a photo:

Yes, it really is 100% vegan.

 

~

Between take-away and Mam making me a roast dinner, I didn't have to cook for all of my birthday weekend.  It's nice to have a break from cooking sometimes, even when it's something you like to do.

 

*~*

 

I try not to do posts complaining about things, but I have something I want to rant about a little, so I'm going to.  If you don't want to read my rant, I understand.  But it's my blog, so I'm going to say it.  Feel free to scroll down to the other topic of this post if you don't want to read my rant.

 

~

 

They've introduced Covid passes here.

 

You need a Covid pass to enter pubs, clubs, cinemas, events, etc.  To get one you need proof you've had both your vaccinations, plus valid photo ID (such as a passport or driver's lisence).

 

Needless to say, I can't get one.  Even if there's a way to get some kind of exemption for the fact I can't have that second shot for medical reasons (which, if there is, I've so far seen no way of getting it) I'd have a problem, since I don't have a valid passport, and obviously don't have a drivers lisence.  In fact, Kelly can't get one either, even though he's had both jabs, because he doesn't have any form of valid photo ID either.  Though at least in his case we could go to the hastle and expense of sorting out a new passport for him, and then he'd be good to go.

I don't like it.  Not because I want to go to these places as such - I don't go anywhere much, and would definitely be reluctant to go to potentially crowded places these days, Covid pass or no, with my rubbish immune system.  But the reason I don't like it is for the same reason a friend on Twitter was complaining about it: because they've taken away the choice.

Memorial services for those who died fighting for us to have freedom take place on the Sunday closest to November 11th here.  This year it was November 14th they took place.  These new Covid passes were required from November 15th.  So, they honour those who died to give us freedom one day, and snatch it away the following day.  As though the sacrifices made by those who fought - and those who stayed at home to keep things running as best they could while those men and boys fought - meant nothing.  As though those countless men and boys who lost their lives died for nothing.

 

A bit dramatic? Maybe.  But that's how it looks to me.

~

On top of that, people are losing their jobs if they don't have the vaccinations.  It doesn't matter if they have a reason to refuse it.  It's just, "Have the jab, or lose your job," and that's that.

I get that we need to try and get this pandemic under control, and the more people who have the jab, the better, since it will potentially lower the numbers of those who die from this over all (at least, that's the hope).  But I don't like where this is heading.  I don't like the fact the choice is being taken away.  Where's the freedom we fought so hard for?? Where's the freedom families were torn apart for?

~

Sure, as Kelly pointed out, "We have Netflix," and both of us prefer watching that, or a DVD or something, to going to the cinema anyhow.  But that's not the point, even if it's true.

It's like when we were in lockdown, only with only certain people being locked down.  Just like during the lockdowns, it's all about having that choice taken away.  I mean, staying home because you want to is one thing, and if you decided to stay in and watch something on a streaming service instead of going to the cinema, there's nothing wrong in that (regardless of what your reasons might be).  But doing it because you have no other choice is a different matter.  And I'm not saying I want to go, because I do prefer watching movies at home to going to a cinema.  Going to shops from time to time is more than enough for me, and nine times out of ten I order online or send someone else for even that anyhow (even though you don't need a Covid pass for shopping).  I'm saying I want to be able to decide for myself, and be able to go if I choose to, like we all should be able to do.

~

OK.  Rant over.

*~*

 

On a much more positive note: I've started being more active with the ACB (American Council of the Blind) Zoom calls.  Hey, at least it's something I can do sitting down, and without a Covid pass (sorry, I couldn't resist that comment).  Plus, it turns out it's a great distraction from pain, which isn't why I enjoy it, but is definitely a benifit I'm happy to accept and embrace.

 

I got involved with them through Patty inviting me to join her Free To Be Me call on Fridays back in April, and then becoming her co-facilitator for that call.  I'm not usually good at sticking with things involving me being part of a social group, because I don't like being around a lot of people as a rule.  But apparently that doesn't hold true when the people are inside my computer, since I'm loving joining in with the ACB community.  And a few days ago I was part of a podcast to talk about that, where I - along with several others - shared how involvement in the ACB calls started.  It was nice sharing, but even nicer hearing others talk about their own stories, and how much it means to them to be part of the ACB community.  It made me very glad I'd offered to facilitate for Patty when she went to train with her new guide dog, and then continued to fill in for her when she was moving right afterwards.

~

 

If anyone wants to know more about the Zoom calls, or wants to join me and Patty on Fridays to talk about books (or anything else we feel like chatting about) - whether visually impaired or not - let me know, and I'll make sure you get the information you need.

NaNoWriMo 2013 - week two update

The second week of NaNoWriMo is over.

I've now finished writing both of the books in my "Degu Days Duo" series; a pair of books about my very own degu buddies. They now just need to be given a final edit before I set them up for pre-release. I already have covers for them, so I can pre-release them as soon as the final editing is done. I'm going to leave the final editing until after NaNoWriMo is over though.

I'm now starting work on a story called "Goodies For Grandmother" which is one I actually wrote several years ago when I was in a writing group (I've mentioned said writing group on here before). It's based on the story of "Little Red Riding Hood" but with not a single wolf in sight. I may have actually posted the story in its original form on here before... I can't remember and can't be bothered to check. I'm making some changes though and getting it ready for the final editing stage too. I'll have to wait to pre-release this one though as I don't have a cover for it yet.

An hour long chat with a 2 year old (PTMI)

"Tori ring back," said a little voice when I picked up the phone.

It was Emma, of course, and my Mam had been coaching her with what to say while waiting for me to answer the phone yesterday (I usually call back since my free time is for up to an hour any time of any day, but my Mam's is only evenings and weekends). Anyway, Emma had picked up the phone and said, "hello Tori," which is what she does when she wants Mam to call me for her. The result was an hour long conversation with a 2 year old (well, I talked to Mam a bit too).

When I asked her if she had fun in playschool, she enthusiastically replied with, "I ride bike," which I'm taking as a yes, since she sounded so pleased about it.

Mam had brought her a Hello Kitty t-shirt that's pink and blue, so - to get her to say it - I asked what she had. "It blue," she said. And that's all she'd say. She can say all the words she needed to (she knows several colours, pink and blue being among them, and can say Hello Kitty; though she does think we're saying hello to someone named Kitty, and when she sees Hello Kitty items usually calls them "Kitty,"... She does recognize that they're cats though; she loves cats and dogs and always has). But all she would say was that it was blue. She's quite obsessed with blue. I'm wondering if we have the beginnings of a favourite colour emerging?

Mam asked how Willow was, so Emma did too. She seemed rather confused when I said Willow was sleeping though. We think she misunderstood and thought I was saying I was sleeping, because Mam said she was looking at the phone as if wondering how she could be talking to me on it if I was sleeping. She soon lost interest in that and started in on the, "what's that?" thing though. Yes, she's in that phase; the one where you bearly get time to tell them what te first thing is before they're asking, "what's that?" again, possibly about something else, or maybe about the same thing.

We were getting her to say words, and I had her say "chipmunk" because I love how she says it. And Mam was messing about with how she enthasizes the "munk" part, and next thing we know Emma says, "monkey!" Guess she thought Mam was trying to prompt her with the start of the word? LOL!

When we got bored of the word game, she still hadn't, "do more," she said. "More words?" Mam asked. "Yes, do more," she replied. Guess she likes that game. I'm thinking that's a good thing; she seems to love things that help her learn new words or skills - like the game where you tell them to jump, hop, etc. I'm thinking that's got to be positive, and hoping she continues to be so enthusiastic about learning once she's in full time school; enthusiasm for education is definitely good!

Anyway, while we were on the phone, Louise (her Mother) sent Mam a text to ask how Emma was doing, so Mam asked her if she was OK. "Yep, OK," she replied. So that's what Mam told Louise; can't say fairer than that, can you? ;)

At another point - when I was talking to Mam herself for a few moments - Emma decided she wanted Mam's attention. After repeating, "Nana," and getting no response, she yelled, "Nana!" Turned out she was trying to get Mam to pay attention to her so she could sit on Mam's lap for a bit, but it didn't half make Mam jump, LOL!

She's started something cute, and nobody's entirely sure why. If you say, "love you," she says, "love you more." So when - as we usually do at the end of the call - Mam told me she loved me, and I said I loved her too, Emma announced, "love you more," after Mam spoke, and "love you more too," after I did.

She had some important news to tell me while she was on the phone; she no longer has a bottle or dummy (pacifier). Plus, she now uses the potty. On Sunday she just announced, "nappy off, go wee-wee," so they took it off, she sat on the potty, and used it. Ever since then she's only had a nappy at night and if they'll be out for a long time. There hasn't been a single accident, and she asks every time she needs to go. When I asked Emma about what she had to tell me, she proudly announced that she can now, "do wee-wee in there," while pointing to the potty. Mam told me she was pointing to the potty, obviously. She's really turning in to a proper little girl now though; no bottle or dummy, and using the potty!

Those are the highlights from my hour long conversation with a 2 year old; I thought I'd post them for anyone who might enjoy hearing about Emma. I hope they made you smile!

Me and Kero - March 2012, + toddler photos

I just thought I'd share a couple of photos of me and Kero that Kelly took the other day.




If you want to see some baby/toddler photos, go over to my Mam's blog; over the past couple of days she's posted photos of Harrison and Emma. She also has a little bit about how things went during Emma's day in nursery/play group/cylch meithrin (or is it meithryn? *shrugs*)... Just pick one... As well as a photo of her taken while she was there (we assume by her Nanny Jane when she went to pick her up).

Emma-Jane is 2 years old! (FD)

Emma was 2 yesterday.

Can you believe it? Where has the time gone? Where has that little baby gone?

I wanted to write a post about all the things she does now; how she dances to music (and will likely be put in dance classes in a year or so), how she loves the song "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" (she's a better dancer than singer, by the way, lol) and loves star shapes. How her favourite fruit is a kiwi, though she also loves grapes. And she can already say words like "chipmunk" and "gorgeous" more clearly than some 4 year olds I've known. But to list all of it would take too long.

So, instead I'll just say that I hope her life is full of love and laughter, and that she remembers what a wonderfully special little girl she is.

She starts "Cylch Meithryn" today (I think I spelled it right; it's not something I've needed to write for several years). That basically translates to "play group" (though that's not the literal translation; I believe that would be "infant circle"). But, anyway, today's her first day; the first step out in to the big wide world!

Getting caught up: Sky, night out, roleplaying, and anything else that pops in to my head (LBE & FD)

I figured I'd get caught up properly on things before 2009 actually ends. Just one warning... This is a VERY LONG post. And, I'm not kidding! So, if you have something you need to be doing soon, or if you think you may need to eat soon, or whatever, then you may want to get those things done first. Seriously... Last chance people!

Ready? You sure? OK!

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, we've spent most of December with my parents in a trial run to see how things go with us all living under the same roof. I know a few weeks isn't really enough to get a proper idea, but it's enough to give us a rough idea, and to make us think we're definately right that it's the best option. So after the new year we'll begin moving up there properly. In fact, we'll be up there most of the time. Anyway, back to my point...

I had Sky TV turned on up there, because we're all missing the channels Sky gives us. Freeview might be a lot cheaper, but it just isn't the same. I had considered leaving installing it until after the new year, but they had an offer on that I wanted to take advantage of, and the offer ended on December 28th. It was installation for quarter of the price, and a free Sky+ HD box. So, I had to pay just £15 ($30) for installation, and £49 ($98) for the extra box to have in our bedroom, at a total of £64 ($128). Had I waited and let the offer run out, I would havve had to pay £60 ($120) for installation, and had to pay another £49 ($98) for the downstairs box, as well as the £49 for the box for our room, at a total of £158 ($316). So, I'm sure you can see why I got it early... It was less than half the price it normally would be! Besides, if I hadn't gotten it when I did, I'd have missed out on all the movies I reviewed for you throughout December. Yep, that's how I was watching them... Sky movies! And Mam used the Sky+ box to record another movie I wanted to watch, since it was on over the weekend, and I couldn't be up there to watch it. We stopped the Sky subscription originally - I think it was about two years ago - because we wanted to get Freeview since it was cheaper, but we've since decided it's worth the monthly bill to have all the channels. More to the point, to actually have some sort of choice of programmes to watch. Plus, there's the movies.

No, the Sky wasn't why I wasn't online much while we were up there. The reason for that was a combination of Christmas preporations, not feeling like blogging, and the fact we haven't had a chance to arrange a wire to go in to our bedroom for my laptop to access the internet yet, which means I have to be in the computer room with everyone else. That might not sound like something that would make me not be online as much, but it is. Why? Because when there are up to three other computers making noise, hearing Jaws is next to impossible, which means wearing headphones. And I don't like wearing headphones for long. They make my ears itchy. Seriously! They really do! That's why I'll be having a wire going in to our room for the laptop to go online in there. No, not because headphones make my ears itchy, LOL! I mean because of the fact the other computers making noise makes it difficult to hear Jaws. Dad has cleared me a spot for the laptop in the computer room for now, and I'm happy to use it... For now. But eventually I'd like to have the peace and quiet to hear Jaws properly, and to not have to wear headphones. So, eventually I'll have internet access put in to our bedroom.

We - Mam, Dad, Kelly and I - have a few projects planned for the house next year. But either Mam or I will tell you about those as and when they happen. Who knows? You may even be lucky enough to get to see photos of finished projects. We'll see though.

So, yeah... It's been a funny sort of year, 2009 has. I can't really say it's been a good year, can't really say it's been a bad year. It's definately been an eventful year though, that's for sure! I did consider doing a "highs and lows of 2009" post, but I decided against it. Partly due to not wanting to remember a couple of the lows, and partly just because I couldn't be bothered with it. Besides, you've got enough to read today with just this post. LOL!

Anyway...

Mam and I did most of our Christmas shopping together, which was nice. It was even nicer that this year we had a car. Last year we had to rely on busses and taxis, because Mam hadn't passed her driving test. This meant managing heavy bags all around town, plus having to manage them on the busses most of the time, because taxis to and from Swansea - where most of the big shops are - would cost WAY too much. Of course, then we also had to make more trips in, because we could only carry so much. This year though we had the car, and were very greatful for it.

During one of our trips to Swansea I treated Mam to cocoa, a sandwich and some cake in Starbucks. We don't go there often - it costs too much to go there often - but every so oftten we'll go there for some cocoa and a bit of food. The stuff there is fantastic though. I don't remember what Mam's sandwich was, but I know we both had cocoa, we both had some ginger cake, and my sandwich was a cheese and onion one. I remember because of how good it tasted! I swear that's the best cheese and onion sandwich I've ever eaten! I kinda wish Starbucks was cheaper so we could afford to go there more often. But - on the other hand - I'm glad we don't go there often, because it means we appreciate and enjoy the stuff all the more.

Saying about the fact we had no car last year reminds me of something else I was going to say.

My Mam passed her driving test almost a year ago, so the last time we had snow she was advised not to drive, since she'd literally only just passed her test. That meant that the snow we had recently was the first snow my Mam ever drove in. In fact, she hadn't really had experience with icy roads before even. She did really well for her first time driving in snow. Especially when you consider that our cars don't generally get equipped with snow tires in Winter, because snow falls are so few and far between that nobody really considers it worth bothering with. So, she had those icy and snow covered roads to deal with while using ordinary, every day tires. OK, it was only a tiny bit of snow. But it was a LOT of ice! Besides, for someone not used to it even a sprinkling of snow is going to probably make them a bit nervous. So, yeah, I think she did well. Especially for not being an experienced driver really.

Anyway...

We had hoped to go to the pictures to watch either the new version of "A Christmas Carol" or "Up" or one of the other movies we really want to see. We had that other free ticket and everything. But we didn't end up going. I think partly because the movies we wanted to see were on at times we couldn't really be there to see them. Ah well, never mind. It can't be helped. Besides, I'm sure we'll get another chance to see those movies. Especially now that we have Sky back on again. And - with the Sky+ box and the fact we have multi room - we can technically watch three movies that are on at the same time. How? Well, because you can either tape two things at once, or tape one while watching another on the Sky+ box, and you can watch a different movie or TV show upstairs on the other box. So, we could - if we wanted to - tape two different things on the Sky+ box downstairs, then go upstairs and watch something else. We probably wouldn't need to do that much - if at all - though, since most movies have at least two showings on the Sky movies channels.

OK, moving on...

On my Mam's birthday (December 19th) Mam, Wayne and I went out for a drink. We went to the pub that's literally around the corner from my parents' place. And I do mean literally... The garden of the pub backs on to the side wall of their back garden. Anyway, we went around there and had a couple of drinks. I was only drinking cola though. It works out great, actually. Mam usually has Baccardi and coke, but only usually uses half a can, so, I just have the other half of her can each time. Anyway, we stayed around there for a couple of hours, then went back home. It was lucky really that we didn't have far to go, because it was that Saturday the snow came, and when the sun set it quickly became ice. It was still mostly snow when we went around to the pub, but by the time we were going home the pavements were like skating rinks. We got back safely though, then decided we were hungry - despite it being past 10:00 pm - so Mam ended up cooking food for everyone, since when one person mentioned food everyone else decided they wanted some too.

I was later than normal sending out Christmas cards and presents, so half the stuff only just made it in time, and the rest of the stuff didn't make it on time. So, if I told you something was in the post and you haven't gotten it yet, please just be patient... It shouldn't be too much longer. Also... Sorry!

Let's see, what else...

Boxing day afternoon Faye came to ask if we'd keep hold of the keys for Eleri, because Eleri was going out and didn't want to take them with her. They wondered if - since we're almost never early to bed - we'd keep hold of the keys until she got home so she could let herself in without having to try and get Faye up. Those of you with teenagers - or who have grown-up kids now - will understand why. For the rest of you... Well, let's just say that it's tough getting teenagers to bed a lot of the time, but it's even tougher getting them up! Anyway, we said, "OK," since we're usually up late anyway, and she went off with whatever friends she was going out with. She got home around 1:00 am ish - the time she said she would - and... Well, I think she had a good time. Put it this way, her cab driver had to basically hold her up. LOL! Man did she pay for that the next day! Still, as I said to her, what matters is that she enjoyed herself. Besides, it probably did her some good. No, not so much the consuming large amounts of alcahol part. I mean the going out with friends and having a really good time. Everyone needs to do that from time to time... Whether they come back sober or not is up to them. But everyone needs to go out and have a laugh with their mates for a bit from time to time.

So... Anyway...

All roleplaying sessions are technically cancelled until the new year, but - because Carl is here for a visit, and he doesn't visit often - some special gaming sessions were arranged. The guys had a full day at the new building where the gaming sessions are now held. That happened on Sunday (December 27th) and they had a buffet there and everything, and there have been roleplaying sessions here for the past few evenings. I'm glad, actually, because it gave Carl - and the others - a chance to give me a few hints before roleplaying sessions start back up again, since I'm rather rusty on roleplaying skills. Not the whole getting in to character and reacting to what's going on part. No, I'm talking about the whole "what dice do I role for what? And how do I figure out if it worked?" part of it. I mean, I haven't done much roleplaying for about 15 years, and hadn't had a lot of experience when I did play (I played between the ages of about 8 and about 10). So, yeah, I'm quite rusty on how things work, and quite glad of any tips and such at this point. I'm even more glad of the dice rolling programme Carl uses, which he downloaded on to my laptop for me, because it means I can now read my own dice scores. I have to have my laptop on hand for roleplaying sessions anyway, because my character sheets are on it. It just means skipping between the dice rolling programme (GMA dice, found on www.gmagames.com) and the word processor I use for my character sheets.

There were five of us who were involved in all three sessions... Carl, Dad, Kelly and myself, plus a family friend named Gareth. Another two family friends were meant to be involved, but Ian only made it to Monday's session, and nobody knows what happened to Julian. He said he was coming, but he didn't show up. Luckily we decided to start without him, with plans to brief him when he showed up on what had happened, otherwise we'd have been sat there all night waiting for him and not getting any gaming done.

Anyway...

Monday's session was a sampler of the Star Wars campaigne that Gareth will be running a little in to next year. It didn't go too badly, especially when you consider the fact that it was Gareth's first time being a GM (games master, for those who don't know). There were a few things that needed ironing out, but I think it went really well for a first session with Gareth as GM. Especially when you consider that Gareth hasn't had a whole lot of roleplaying experience, really, and the only person who's had any experience with the rules to any Star Wars roleplaying game is Carl. And, of course, the version Carl has been playing with his mates in Norwich is 3rd edition, and we're using 2nd edition, because that's the one we had a rulebook for, and many of the roleplaying rulebooks are quite expensive, so why buy the 3rd edition rules when we haven't even tried the 2nd edition yet? Anyway - for the benifit of anyone not familiar with roleplaying systems - the different editions sometimes have basically the same rules, but other times the rules are very different. And, guess what? Star Wars is one of the ones where the rules are quite a bit different in 3rd edition to how they are in 2nd edition.

Anyway, I play a Wookie named "Cascca" in Star Wars. A Wookie scoundrel, to be exact. For those who have seen Star Wars... Imagine Hans Solo as a Wookie, make it female, and you basically have my character. Only - since she can't have a bocaster (sp?) yet, she has a gun like Hans Solos, and a vibro axe. Axe wielding Wookie... Now that's dangerous! Mind you, it would have been more dangerous if I didn't keep failing my intimidate checks, because a Wookie ambling towards you growling menacingly and wielding an axe is - I'm sure you'll agree - much more scary than one sort of stumbling in your direction holding an axe. I failed the intimidation check so badly one time that we decided I must have tripped or something, and the person I was meant to be intimidating probably just stood there laughing at me. Yeah, dice rolls were not working in my favour. I hope they do - at least sometimes - when the campaigne starts up properly!

Tuesday's game was a Dark Heracy session, with Carl as GM. Carl is more experienced with GMing than Gareth. Carl has been roleplaying since he was about 8 - actually, it was probably him doing it that got me started - and roleplays about twice a week with his mates up in Norwich. This was my first time sitting in on a session he was GMing though. The session went quite well, though took longer than planned, and Carl wanted to complete the adventure, so we ended up sort of condensing the ending to get it done before it got any later. As it was the session went on until about 1:00 am. Needless to say, everyone was getting rather tired by the end of the session. But it was fun, and by the end I was even managing to remember the dice I needed to roll, and what I needed to get, for myself, so YAY! LOL! ;)

My character for that one was one that was pregenerated. He was cool though. His name was "Mir" and he was an Imperial Guard soldier, with pretty good stats, and an axe that can do some serious damage... If I can get decent dice rolls. I almost ended up dead not far in to the session though, because I failed a strength test when climbing down a rope, then failed to get my balance back, and the character who tried to grab me failed the strength test so couldn't hold on to me. If it hadn't been for the fate points you get in the game, I would have fallen down a VERY big hole, and been just watching for the rest of the session. This character sort of reminds me of Torak from the Chronicles Of Ancient Darkness book series. Dark hair, grey eyes, clan tattoos, reminders of past adventures sewn on to his uniform - OK, for Torak it would be "jerkin" not uniform as such - and an apparent liking for getting in to danger, but somehow scraping through. It's like Torak, only with guns and spaceships! LOL!

On Wednesday we had a Dungeons And Dragons session, and Dad was DM (it's called "dungeon master" instead for Dungeons And Dragons games). Dad's had a lot of experience being a GM or DM, since he's been roleplaying since before Carl and I were born, and Carl - the oldest of the two of us - is now 26. I'd say that gives him a bit of experience, wouldn't you? LOL! I'm not sure what edition it was. I think it may have been 3rd edition, but don't quote me on that. Anyway, the session went well, though ran much later than we planned, so by the end everyone was getting tired and irritable. We really wanted to finish the adventure though, despite the fact it meant not finishing up until about 2:00 am.

My D and D character is a Halfling mage named "Poppy Bramblerose" that I created myself... Well, with a bit of help from Kelly. OK, a lot of help, happy? LOL! Anyway, she doesn't have much armour, but - if I can get decent dice rolls - she can do some pretty good damage. Especially since she has an ability called "Wizard's Fury" that allows her to use one of her spells as a minor action, allowing her to have two attack attempts in each of her turns. Admittedly that ability can only be used during one encounter per gaming day, but it would be rare for more than one encounter - fight, basically - per game day anyway. I mean, I think we played for what worked out as the equivllant of almost a week in game time (the DM or GM tells us what time has passed) and in that time we had two encounters. One of them the huge one at the end, where there were LOADS of monsters - many of them level 2 and up - against 5 level 1 characters. We didn't lose a single player though, and killed every last monster. So, yay us!

Don't worry if you didn't understand most of that roleplaying section of the post. If you do, then great. If you want to, then feel free to ask questions... I'll do my best to answer them (even if I have to ask Kelly what the answers are, lol). If you don't know, and don't care... Well, that's up to you, and that's fine too. Nobody will be knocking on your door with the intention of holding a gun to your head and insisting you learn to understand how roleplaying games work... Honest! And, if someone does do that... They wouldn't have been sent by me, so don't blame me for it! ;)

Let me think, what else...

I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I ended up stopping going to the social group I went to in September. Why? Because it wasn't really what I was looking for. I was looking for a group of people who may have some understanding of my sight loss, that I could talk with... Perhaps make friends with... At the very least, swap stories with. But that group seemed more interested in arranging trips out to political meetings, and inviting important sounding people to speak to them. How can you call your group a "social group" when you don't do much socializing? *Shrugs* So, it wasn't what I was looking to be a part of. I mean, I'm all for outings, but to places of interest to me, and I have no interest in politics, so I have no intention of wasting my time going all the way up to London to sit in on less important political meetings. And if I'm going to spend an afternoon listening to someone talking about something, I'd like it to be something I'm interested in... And two hours talking about label readers doesn't appeal to me. Now, if the talks were followed by a bit of proper socializing... Actually sitting and talking to each other about whatever we want to chat about, then perhaps I'd be a bit more interested in going. But since they seem to basically listen to those talks then go home... Nah! I think I'll give it a miss. If I want to listen to things like that for hours, I can do it at home by going to the website and having Jaws read it out to me. Or turrning on one of the local radio stations or TV stations. There's also the option of having the talking newspaper sent to me. Or, of just letting my Nan read the stuff that she considers important to me from the actual newspaper (which is what I generally do, unless I go for the radio station option).

OK, enough on that, I think!

Do you remember me mentioning Pia - a friend from childhood - a couple of months ago? Well, Pia's little sister, Louise (no, not the one who posts on the blogs sometimes, another Louise) is having a baby in March. I'm not going tto tell you more than that it's due in March, and I'm to be an honorary auntie though. Mam may tell you more soon - like the baby's sex, what it's to be called, and exactly when it's due - but if she doesn't then I'll tell you about it when the baby is born. I can't remember the actual due date anyway. Besides, leaving it for her to tell you about might encourage her to do another post, since she hasn't done a update type post in a while. ;)

I think that just about covers everything. So... Enjoy whatever's left of your day, stay safe, stay warm... And enjoy whatever you're doing to see in the new year! :)

Tori

P.S. Did you know it's already 2010 in some parts of the world? For example, New Zealand and Australia.

September 2009 craft update: Dragons and more

It's time for September 2009's craft update! As you can see from the photos included in this post, I've finished the dragon candle holder. It's not been painted yet, but Kelly will be helping me to do that soon. Kelly will also be helping me to paint the ducks I made recently. I'll get more photos when they're done. I've also finished the gloves I was making, but I didn't take a photo of those yet. I should have one to share for next month though. They weren't as complicated as I'd expected them to be, but they were definately one of the harder projects I've attempted. I'm not even going to pretend I did as good a job as the people who make them to sell in shops and such, but I don't think I've done too bad of a job. Like I said, I'll get a photo for you for next month's craft update. I now have several projects on the go. I'm making a blanket for Kero for Christmas (I figured it would be cheaper than buying him a new one). I've made a start on the items for the handmade giveaway thing. And I've promised to make a few Christmasy themed items out of clay for a fair type thing the bsg is planning to run shortly before Christmas (money from which will go towards paying for transport for us to go on outings). I also have a couple of other Christmas presents I'm working on for people. Plus, I promised to make something for a family friend. So I'm spending a lot of time with either a pair of knitting needles or some clay in my hands. And, yes, I'm enjoying every minute of it. :) Actually, that's why I'm sometimes slow replying to comments, or leaving comments of my own. I spend little to no time on the laptop on the weekends, and - with my new routine - my totally free time is limited through the week already. I think it will be like this until Christmas now. After that things will calm down, because I wont have so many projects on the go at once (or such a short deadline for completing most of them by). All I should have left to finish by Christmas is anything I haven't managed to finish for the handmade giveaway thing... Although, I'm hoping that wont be much, since I'd like to avoid keeping you all waiting for too long for your gifts. :) OK, this about does it for this month's craft update. Enjoy whatever's left of your day! :) Tori

Gym, diets, outings and more (LBE & FD)

Other than the stuff about my head, I don't seem to have done an update post lately. And I know there are a few things I neglected to mention before. Or, at least, I don't think I mentioned them. If I end up repeating a couple of things then I'm sorry. But I know some of you - like myself - enjoy reading about what your fellow blogger buddies get up to when they're not on the blogs. So, for those of you who are curious, here's a catch up post from my part of the planet. :)

Got your cuppa and snack ready? Excellent! Sitting comfortably? Fantastic! Then I'll begin, shall I? OK!

As mentioned in Kero's post yesterday, we've been doing a lot more since the start of Septtember. I hadn't done all that much - other than things like shopping and hospital trips - since before my operation last year, but we all agreed it was high time we put a stop to that. So, we held a sort of family conference, and we decided we were going to start doing more as a family, and going to some of the places we keep saying we'd like to go to, but never get around to going. On top of that, Kelly, Mam and I joined the local gym, and Kelly and Dad got their gaming club back up and running (for more on that, see Kelly's latest blog post). Now it's only really Sunday that neither of us goes anywhere. The rest of the week at least one of us goes somewhere.

Monday, Kelly goes to the gym with Mam in the morning, and I have a mobility lesson in the afternoon. Tuesday, I go to the gym with Mam in the morning, then we go shopping after we're done there. Wednesday, the three of us go to the gym in the morning, and Dad puppy sits. Thursday, we arrange some kind of family outing. Friday, Kelly goes to the gym in the morning, and has role playing. Saturday, Kelly goes to the gaming club at my parents' place.

Also, the "blind person social group" thing is on the third Wednesday afternoon of each month. I went to it for the first time this past Wednesday. They seem like a nice group of people. You can tell they're only just starting the group up yet, because there are still several things to work out. But the general idea of it is for a group of blind and partially sighted people who live locally - and any family or friends they want to bring along - to meet up, have a cuppa and a chat, and sometimes to go on outings together. They're also hoping to have people come in from places that may be of help to some of us. This week, forr example, they managed to get the people who run the "Talking news" service. Which is a sort of local newspaper, only they dropped the word "paper" because they didn't think it was appropriate since they provide the news on CD or cassette. Anyway, it seems like a nice group, so I'm planning to go again when they have their next meeting (October 21st, I think... Third Wednesday in October, anyway).

The gym trips are going quite well. My knee - the one I tore the tendons on a couple of months ago - is protesting a bit, but that doesn't surprise me. I'm sure it will get used to it. We haven't had proper sessions this week though, because Mam's not well, and I was semi-doped up on pain killers until Tuesday evening. But - now that my head is better - I'll be able to go back to nicely burning those calories. ;)

I did originally consider just buying gym equipment for use at home. But then I thought about it, and I changed my mind. For one thing, the trip to the gym gives me extra outings. For another thing, each piece of equipment would cost a couple of hundred pounds. Now, I pay about £30 ($60) per month to have unlimited use of all the machines, the other exercise equipment, and the pool. Plus free admission to any exercise or swimming classes I want to go to. And don't then have the problem of trying to find somewhere to put the equipment at home where I wont fall over it. So, on reflection, I decided I'd go to the gym.

The gym trips combined with the diet - for lack of a better word - I'm now on, have meant that I've lost about 4 lbs this month. And the month isn't even over! It's weight I really do need to get off too... Weight I put on between my first and last ops last year. I'm now only a couple of lbs off weighing what I did when I went in for the first of the ops, so that's a good start. Once I get down to what I was when I went in for that first op, I can see about getting down to what I was at before my sight actually went (which means losing about 14 lbs more than I've lost so far). After that I can see about getting off the weight I was trying to get off before all this happened.

As regards the "diet" I mentioned...

At the start of this year, Kelly and I agreed to exchange microwave meals and take-away meals for proper homemade dinners. We also agreed to cut back on snack foods and fizzy drinks. For the most part this went well, but we did end up using the chipper a bit too often. Because of this, the chipper is soon going to a new home. The only problem we had with the homemade meal thing was my "meat issue" as we called it at first.

You see, ever since I learned where meat came from, I've had periods where I've had "meat issues" and either refused to - or been unable to - eat meat that was given to me. I never seemed to have issues with the processed meats, but give me a piece of "proper meat" as my Mam calls it, and at least half of it will end up in the dog. So, I decided not to bother dishing up the meat for myself, and - after a couple of months of this - decided I might as well make it official. So, I've been officially saying I'm a vegetarian since about May or June. And, funnily enough, I've actually been eating more of a variety of things since I stopped eating meat (or anything containing animal products). It does make food shopping take longer, because we need to check labels on things that may or may not contain animal products. Some yoghurts, for example, contain animal fats to thicken them. I did try the soy based alternatives, but they are disgusting. So, I just get someone to check the labels, and if it's not "suitable" then I don't have it. I haven't been as ill since I started eating a vegetarian diet. I'vve had the odd bit of a cough and bit of the sniffles, but nothing like I had been having. I think it's because I'm eating healthier. Also, I'm not eating as many "treats" as I was. And sweets and chocolates are now actually treats instead of daily snacks.

We've also agreed to introduce "portion control" again. I had started using this before, and it does work. Basically, we have smaller meals with healthy snacks in between if needed. We're finding we don't really need those though, so we usually have one of the items meant for snacks as a supper. I, for example, usually havve some cereal or toast for breakfast, a sandwich or wrap of some sort for lunch, some kind of veggie meal for dinner - perhaps a salad, some soup, or a pasta dish - and a bit of fruit and a small yoghurt for supper if I find I'm hungry enough to want a supper, which I'm often not.

In Kelly's case it's basically portion control and eating healthier meals rather than fried things. He had this nasty habbit of only wanting fried chicken, sausage and chips/fries, pizza, or cheese burgers. Now he's eating proper meals like chicken with potatoes and vegetables, chicken and rice, and that kind of thing. He's not as willing as me to try new fruits and vegetables - or new vegetable dishes - though. But he'll eat broccoli, carrots, peas and corn OK, and a few others too. And at least he's now having homemade healthier meals rather than take-aways, microwave meals, and other meals that are processed or full of fat.


Plus, we're both drinking fruit juices and flavoured water most of the time. Well, when we're not drinking tea or coffee (tea in my case, coffee in Kelly's case). We take lemon water with us when we go to the gym, and keep a supply of it at home. And I even had plain water rather than a bottle of Cola or Fanta the other day. Which - for those who don't know what I'm like - is a big deal, because I don't like plain water. Why? Because it has no flavour to it. That's why I tend to go for flavoured water, ffruit juice, or tea... With the occasional fizzy drink thrown in as a treat. And a milkshake or smoothie if I decide I want one (which I don't very often, to be honest).

Staying on the subject of food for a moment...

Because of our attempts at eating healthier, we've agreed to take packed lunches with us on our outings rather than actually eating out. We figure that way itt will be cheaper, and also easier to avoid eating the foods we don't want to be (like pizza, chips/fries, etc). So, I got us all special lunch bags with matching drinks bottles. This is my one:

Mine is kitten themed, Kelly's is a Top Gear one, Dad has Star Wars, and Mam has Hannah Montannah (I think that's how you spell that).

This week was our first "proper" outing. Two weeks ago we went to Swansea for the day, and all broughtt ourselves a little something (that was the day I got my "Torak" book). And we've all agreed to just spend some time together in one or the other of our houses on the week where we tend to be short on money (which was last week) so we spent last Thursday playing Scattergories then looking through leaflets we'd picked up to look for more options on places to go. But this past Thursday we had a lovely day out. We went to Pendine - which I'll be telling you more about in coming days (complete with photos) - and we went to "Pemberton's Chocolate Farm" before coming home.

Most of the day was very enjoyable, but we were disappointed by the chocolate farm. The only thing they offer - other than a shop full of sweets - is a factory tour. This is fine, but we'd just missed the 3:00 pm tour, and they said, "the last tour is at 3:00 pm, but if you want to hang around until after 4:00 pm and see if anyone else shows up we will do another tour." Which made no sense, because if the last tour is at 3:00 pm, why does it matter if more people show up? There's either another tour just after 4:00 pm, or there isn't. Anyway, we decided not to bother waiting around when it was only a "maybe" so we got a couple of things from the shop and left. We wont be bothering to go back. And - had we realised we'd only be going there to buy a couple of treats - we would have stayed at Pendine for a while longer, then just gone home. Still, it's a place to cross off the "places we'd like to visit" list.


The photos from Pendine will be posted throughout the coming week. Iggy very kindly sorted them and labeled them for me yesterday... Thank you, Iggy! *Hugs*... So it's just a matter of me sorting the posts and adding the photos.

We do have a tidy sized list of places we want to go. They include theme parks, nature walks, cave explorations, boat rides for nature observation, places we can go to do crafts together, and a few other things. Also, Mam and I are hoping to go and see movies together from time to time. Plus, we would like to find some places to take Kero and Willow. That way they get nice outings too. :)

When I'm not out somewhere - be it on an outing, at the gym, walking Kero, or whatever - and I don't have blog posts I want to catch up on, I'm generally working on craft projects. I'll post about the craft projects nearer the end of the month though. It's already September 19th, so you only have about a week and a half before September ends anyway, and since I've taken to doing monthly craft updates near the end of the month, I'm sure you can wait that little bit. ;)

Let's see, what else? Oh yes!


We've been having beautiful weather! There has been the odd short rain shower, but for the most part the last couple of weeks have been lovely. Beautiful and sunny, and nice and warm. But not actually hot. The kinds of days where it's warm enough for Summer clothing, but still cool enough so you feel like doing things and can enjoy your day. Basically, the kinds of days that often show up in September here. Give a couple more weeks (if that) and I bet the rain and storms will be back though. They don't tend to stay away long in Wales! ;)


I've not really been playing my Valhalla game, because I've been so busy with outings, household chores, blogs, walks with Kero, and crafts, that I just havven't had the time for it. Well, there have been a few times I could have played. But I tend to choose crafts and making my walks with Kero last a bit longer instead. Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying the game, but I think it's better to be outside in the fresh air - especially while we have this nice weather - or doing something productive, like making Christmas presents, or the items for that handmade giveaway thing.


Besides, while I work on the crafts and do the household chores I listen to audiobooks. I'm now a little over half way through the third one of the books I got from the library about a week and a half ago, and I have a couple of others to listen to that actually belong to me. Plus, I should be getting that potato peel pie book from the library at the end of the month, and will probably pick up a couple of other books while I'm there getting that one, and giving back the ones I got last time.

Kelly brought me "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville (I think I spelled his name right) because I've never actually gotten around to reading it. I know, I know! But I will this time!

Also, a very good friend sent me a package containing a couple of audiobooks. I'm afraid I don't remember their titles and authors right now - and they haven't been labelled yet, so I can't check them - but they sound interesting, and I look forward to giving them a listen. Thank you, Iggy! *Hugs*

Right, well, I think that covers everything for now. Like I said, I've got some posts with photos in them from Thursday, which I'll post soon. And I should have some book reviews for you again soon. This does appear to be about it for now though. ;)

Oh, before I close this though... For anyone wondering...

My head is basically back to normal. Well, normal for me, I mean. ;)

Enjoy your day! :)

Tori

Mobility

I wasn't sure whether or not to post this. I mean, it took me longer than it should have to admit I needed to call her anyway. Not because I didn't want to do it as such, but because I didn't want to admit that I needed to. I always managed to get along without any more than the bit I was taught while still in school after all. But I'd had enough of alternating between feeling like a prisoner in my own home, and feeling like a little kid who has to be babysat all the time. I needed some freedom. I needed to breathe. I needed to accept that I couldn't do this particular thing on my own.

I'm talking - as you may have figured out from the title - about mobility. For the benifit of those not familiar with the workings of such things (which is probably at least most of you) I'll explain.

Mobility - or "rehabilitation" as it's now called - is when a person with a disability is given help to learn how to do something that's difficult for them to do because of said disability. In my case this refers to getting out and about without being atatched to someone's arm. In other words... Cane use.

For the benifit of anyone who doesn't know and is interested, there used to be three types of cane, but I think there are only two now. There are still three ways of using them though. And, unfortunately, the way I was originally taught doesn't work for me now that circumstances have changed.

The first cane is the symbol cane, which sort of speaks for itself. It's there to be held more as a symbol to others that you may need a bit of assistance due to poor sight than anything.

The second is the guide cane, and this is the one that doesn't seem to be available any more. People seem to just be given a long cane instead, since there's not much difference in them. Anyway, this one is for when you just need assistance with judging distance to obsticles, judging heights of steps, etc. It's sort of an aid to your sight, kind of like a walking stick is an aid to someone who needs a bit of help with walking. Like I said though, there's not a lot of difference between this one and the long cane, it's just the way it's used that differs for the most part.

The long cane, which is the one I have, is the standard cane that blind people generally use. However, there are two ways to use it. The first is in the way I described with the guide cane, the second is as a tool to find obsticles, find landmarks, etc. And there are several types of tips available depending on how you use the cane, and whether you prefer to keep contact with the ground or not.

Anyway, I was taught to use my long cane like a guide cane. At the time it was all I needed since I had decent-ish eyesight. This was fine right up until last year. When I still had light perception I could just about manage using the cane in this way, and was even able to get myself to town without help. But then I had my other eye out last July and things changed. Without the light perception I couldn't use the shadows things cast to help me with the cane use, and the only attempt I've made at going further than along the path by the river where I walk Kero on my own was a disaster. I never managed to get up the courage to try again.

Then, as I said, I was starting to feel like a prisoner and like a little kid who needed to be babysat. Eventually I had enough, and I decided it was time to admit that I needed help. So, I contacted the rehabilitation officer that had been assigned to me a few years back (OK, at the time I didn't know it would be the same one) and arranged for her to come and see me. She came two weeks ago.

At first I wasn't sure I was happy about it. I knew I needed to do it, because I need to be able to get out on my own, but it was only the thought of the end result that stopped me cancelling. It was better than I thought though, and when last week's lesson was cancelled due to fear of drrowning I was actually really disappointed. I know, I know, I didn't even want the lessons in the first place, and now I'm saying I was disappointed my lesson got cancelled. LOL!

We managed to have this week's lesson though, but the next one probably wont be until the first Monday in September, because she's not sure what's happening with her kids during the school holidays. If she finds herself free though she'll be calling to see if I'm free for a lesson.

She gave me a new tip for my cane. It glides over the ground better because of being bigger. Plus, the extra inch in size between it and my old tip gives me the extra inch of cane length I could have done with (which I couldn't have because the next cane size up is too long for me... It's one of the problems with being short, and with the way they do cane measurements now).

And in September (I think she said September 14th) she's taking me to go and meet a group of people who also have eyesight issues. It sounds like a nice group. They go on outings together sometimes, and have guest speakers come in sometimes, and I think she said they sometimes do crafts and such too. Most of them are a fair few years older than me, but I know at least one of them is around my sort of age bracket, and she'll be new to the group in September too.

All we did today was practice a bit of the walk to town. I'm not sure how much of it I really remember though. But it's OK, because we'll just keep practicing it until we get to the point where she's just following me, then I'll try it on my own. It's not so much knowing the route that's my problem, it's finding the few landmarks available to find with my cane that's the tricky part. Partly because it's not the easiest of tasks anyway, partly because I'm not used to doing it.

So, that's what I did today. What Did you do?

Tori