Thinking of getting degus

We're thinking of getting a pair of degus.

They're rodents that look something like rats with furry tails.

Kelly saw some in a pet shop in Hastings and fell in love with them. He's talked of nothing else since he saw them on Wednesday, LOL!

So, we looked up information about them, and both like the idea.

We've been reading stuff all over the internet, but mostly on www.degutopia.co.uk, which is a site I found while looking up their dietry requirements.

There are a lot of rules for their care, but they're not that difficult to deal with as long as you make sure they get plenty of exercise and stay away from fatty and sugary foods as a rule (some can be given as treats from time to time though). They essentially need high fibre vegan diets, with the least fatty nutts (like hazelnuts) and least sugary fruits (like apples) being OK as treats from time to time, but only as rare treats (like once a month or something). It'll be nice to have someone else in the house not eating meat, LOL! They have to have their weight monitored closer than mine though.

They're very social creatures who love getting attention.

They need sand baths a couple of times a week to keep their fur in good condition, and must NEVER be grabbed by the tail, because their tails will fall off, hurting them a lot in the process (it's a defence thing from in the wild).

Menu: May 29th 2013 - June 4th 2013 (FD)

Wednesday: Vegetarian pizza.

Thursday: Chips, cheese and gravy.

Friday: Mushroom stir fry.

Saturday: Bean burrito.

Sunday: Honey quorn, potato lattices and veg.

Monday: Pasta with cheese sauce.

Tuesday: Eggs, potato stars and beans.

Celebrating our anniversary and Kero's birthday 2013 (FD)

We had a great time celebrating our wedding anniversary and Kero's birthday!

We had some nice weather, so Kelly, Kero and I went for a couple of walks together. Though they had to be short ones, because I get tired and dizzy easily (if the hospital would hurry up, I wouldn't have these issues). Still, short walks are better than no walks, right?

We also watched the first two Tinkerbell movies together. They're really cute movies. I'd seen them before, but I didn't mind watching them again, especially since Kelly hadn't seen them and wanted to.

I helped Kelly put some of his figures together too. Well, I just put them on bases, but that's helping... Kelly says it counts! They're called tyranids. I think that's how you spell it, anyway. They're sort of rapter looking things.

Also, Kelly had pasta with tomato sauce and cheese with me without adding meat or anything, so we actually had the exact same dinner on our anniversary! Usually even if he has what I'm having he'll add some meat or fish, but not this time. This time he ate a fully vegetarian dinner with me!

We had some cheesecake too, though it took us until the following evening (Kero's birthday) to eat that.

Kero's World, book 2: Kero Celebrates His Birthday

To celebrate the 9th birthday of my West Highland White Terrier, who the books are based on, I published "Kero Celebrates His Birthday" yesterday, which is the second book in my "Kero's World" series.

Here's the description:
"It’s Kero’s birthday, and his humans are doing everything they can to make it a special day for him. What will Kero think of all the fuss and attention? And what exactly makes a birthday special for a dog anyway?"

The book is already available via Smashwords in all formats they offer, and is currently in the process of being published on Amazon. It will also become available via other retailers in the near future, such as Apple, Barnes And Noble, Diesel, Kobo, Sony, and WH Smith.

Menu: May 22nd 2013 - May 28th 2013 (FD)

Wednesday: Pasta with tomato sauce and cheese.

Thursday: Vegetable fingers, chips and beans.

Friday: Egg fried rice with sweet and sour sauce.

Saturday: Baked potato, asparagus and cheese.

Sunday: Lemon-ginger quorn, mashed potatoes and vegetables.

Monday: Pasta with cheese sauce.

Tuesday: Mushroom burger, potato wedges and beans.

10th wedding anniversary tomorrow!

I can't believe it, but it's true!

Tomorrow marks mine and Kelly's 10th wedding anniversary!

Where has the time gone?

I can't help wondering why he's put up with me this long. I'd have gotten sick of me years ago, LOL! I'm glad he has put up with me though!

Menu: May 15th 2013 - May 21st 2013 (FD)

Wednesday: Take-Away.

Thursday: Vegetable fingers, chips and beans.

Friday: Soup and bread.

Saturday: Cauliflower cheese grill, roast potatoes and peas.

Sunday: Tomatoes, eggs, toast and beans.

Monday: Pasta with cheese sauce.

Tuesday: Mushroom burger, potato wedges and vegetables.

May 12th 2013 healthy eating update (FD)

We're almost a week in to our new healthy eating plan, and not doing too badly.

True, right now I'm eating some chocolate, which isn't the healthiest of things to be eating, but I've mostly been snacking on fruit. Mainly strawberries and peaches the past few days.

The reason I say we're not doing too badly is because we haven't had take-away since Wednesday, which is our pre-approved take-away day. We had been having take-away almost every night, so no take-away for four days is a good start!

Plus, as I said, I've mostly been snacking on just fruit. So has Kelly.

I'm trying to find some different vegetarian recipes for myself to keep variety in my meals. I have several, but you can never have too much variety in your meals in my opinion. Anyway, I haven't really found anything new yet, though I am liking the sound of pasta with asparagus, mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes, served with garlic bread, which someone said they were eating the other day. I'm assuming there was some kind of pasta sauce involved too, though none was actually mentioned.

Menu: May 8th 2013 - May 14th 2013 (FD)

Wednesday: Take-Away.

Thursday: Vegetable fingers, chips and beans.

Friday: Vegetarian Chinese wraps (spring onions, cucumber and hoi sin sauce in wraps).

Saturday: Mushroom burger, mashed potatoes and vegetables.

Sunday: Soup and bread.

Monday: Cauliflower cheese grill, roast potatoes and peas.

Tuesday: Veggie grill, hash browns, eggs and beans.

Kero's World, book 1: Kero Goes Walkies

"If there’s one thing Kero loves more than going for a walk, then it has to be going for a walk that takes him to more than one place. Today his walk will take him both to the park and to the beach. What will he find there? Who will he see? And what will a little dog like him think of it all?"

ISBN: 9781301045556

Available in all formats from Smashwords already, and available via other retailers soon!

7th bloggerversary

Today is the 7th anniversary of when I started blogging.

My blog has been private now for several months. I wonder how many of my followers are missing my posts?

Sometimes I wonder about making my blog public again, but I haven't done so because I feel like having my blog available for everyone to read then means I have to be able to follow the blogs of those who are reading mine, which then means I spend more time online than I want to. When that happens my time with Kero and Kelly suffers, and I don't get the things I need to do each day done (including household chores).

I do miss knowing what others thing of what I have to say though.

Mind you, most of my followers never bothered to comment anyway.

And most of those I thought were friends wouldn't even answer my e-mails when I stopped blogging.

Ah well, at least some people still keep in touch.

Anyway...

Happy 7th birthday to my blog!

Kelly's birthday and dietry evaluations (FD)

There's something about birthdays that makes you evaluate things in your life. Kelly's birthday is no exception it seems.

It's Kelly's birthday today, and the topic of conversation is breaking the bad habits we've gotten in to when it comes to our diets since I got so ill with my anemia.

We're both heavier than we want to be (by several stone) and know we've not been eating right lately.

It's a shame it's so much easier to get bad habits than to get rid of them.

We're going to try though.

We're going to stop buying take away so much, stop drinking so much pop, and stop earting so muchin the way of junk food in general (such as chocolate, chrisps, cake, etc).

Our health will benefit from it, I'm sure!

30 books in 30 days challenge

There's a challenge on one of the groups I'm on over on Goodreads to clear a certain number of books off your to read list before the end of June. Since I read so much someone challenged me to read 30 this month (bearing in mind the official highest target is 15+, so 16 or more). I accepted, so here are the books I read for it:

1. The Warrior's Way (Pre-Aztec Series, #3) by Zoe Saadia ~ marked as to read on February 12th 2013, read on April 1st 2013.
2. Unicorn On Speed Dial by Jeanette Cottrell ~ marked as to read on March 9th 2013, read on April 2nd 2013.
3. Looking For Alaska by John Green ~ Marked as to read on March 31st 2013, read on April 3rd 2013.
4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte ~ marked as to read on December 30th 2012, read on April 4th 2013.
5. Ice Country (Country Saga, #2) by David Estes ~ marked as to read on January 15th 2013, read on April 5th 2013.
6. Blue Hearts Of Mars by Nicole Grotepas ~ marked as to read on March 31st 2013, read on April 6th 2013.
7. The Lord Of The Rings (The Lord Of The Rings, #1-3) by J.R.R. Tolkien ~ marked as to read on June 15th 2012, read on April 10th 2013.
8. Family: An Apocalyptic Tale by James D. R. Scott ~ marked as to read on February 22nd 2013, read on April 11th 2013.
9. Soul Music (Discworld, #16) by Terry Pratchett ~ marked as to read on December 30th 2012, read on April 11th 2013.
10. Maskerade (Discworld, #18) by Terry Pratchett ~ marked as to read on December 30th 2012, read on April 12th 2013.
11. Life Descending (The Cry Of Havoc, #1) by John Hennessy ~ marked as to read on January 11th 2013, read on April 12th 2013.
12. Every Which Way But Dead (The Hollows, #3) by Kim Harrison ~ marked as to read on December 30th 2012, read on April 13th 2013.
13. Ever Fire (A Dark Faerie Tale, #2) by Alexia Purdy ~ marked as to read on January 7th 2013, read on April 14th 2013.
14. Ever Winter (A Dark Faerie Tale, #3) by Alexia Purdy ~ marked as to read on January 7th 2013, read on April 14th 2013.
15. The Golden Compass or Northern Lights (His Dark Materials, #1) by Philip Pullman ~ marked as to read on November 2nd 2012, read on April 15th 2013.
16. Small Gods (Discworld, #13) by Terry Pratchett ~ marked as to read on December 30th 2012, read on April 16th 2013.
17. Lords And Ladies (Discworld, #14) by Terry Pratchett ~ marked as to read on December 30th 2012, read on April 17th 2013.
18. The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials, #2) by Philip Pullman ~ marked as to read on January 2nd 2013, read on April 18th 2013.
19. The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, #3) by Philip Pullman ~ marked as to read on January 2nd 2013, read on April 19th 2013.
20. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens ~ marked as to read on January 7th 2013, read on April 20th 2013.
21. Nikki Powergloves – A Hero Is Born (Nikki Powergloves, #1) by David Estes ~ marked as to read on December 30th 2012, read on April 21st 2013.
22. Nikki Powergloves And The Power Council (Nikki Powergloves, #2) by David Estes ~ marked as to read on December 30th 2012, read on April 22nd 2013.
23. Nikki Powergloves And The Power Trappers (Nikki Powergloves, #3) by David Estes ~ marked as to read on December 30th 2012, read on April 23rd 2013.
24. Nikki Powergloves And The Great Adventure (Nikki Powergloves, #4) by David Estes ~ marked as to read on December 30th 2012, read on April 24th 2013.
25. Lichgates (The Grrimoire Saga, #1) by S.M. Boyce ~ marked as to read on February 25th 2013, read on April 25th 2013.
26. Interesting Times (Discworld, #17) by Terry Pratchett ~ marked as to read on December 30th 2012, read on April 26th 2013.
27. Jingo (Discworld, #21) by Terry Pratchett ~ marked as to read on December 30th 2012, read on April 27th 2013.
28. Treason (The Grrimoire Saga, #2) by S.M. Boyce ~ marked as to read on February 25th 2013, read on April 28th 2013.
29. A Class Apart (Class Heroes, #1) by Stephen Henning ~ Marked as to read on February 6th 2013, read on April 29th 2013.
30. What Happened In Witches Wood (Class Heroes, #2) by Stephen Henning ~ Marked as to read on February 6th 2013, read on April 30th 2013.

R.I.P. Willow

Rest in peace Willow Moonshadow

November 28th 2004 - April 26th 2013

***

Willow got diabetes. It was really bad and Mam wasn't managing to control it, so she decided to put Willow to sleep. It's a shame, but better for Willow than having her suffer.

Featured by Chris

I was Chris The Story Reading Ape's featured author today (15th April 2013).

You can see the post at http://thestoryreadingapeblog.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/victoria-zigler/ if you want.

A Magical Storm

The Magical Chapters Trilogy, Book 3: A Magical Storm

Genre: Fairy Tales And Fables/Young Adult Fantasy

"There’s something about birthdays that make you think about the past, and now that she’s celebrating her 10th birthday, that’s just what
Paige is doing. But nothing could bring those memories so clearly to the surface better than an uninvited party guest from her past who wont even meet
her gaze. Now Paige’s anger and frustration are threatening to over-power the control she has over her magic; can she learn to control her temper before
it’s too late?"

Published: 7th April 2013.

Available in all formats via Smashwords, and soon via other retailers.

A-Z book title challenge

There's an A-Z book title challenge going on over on Goodreads, so I joined in. There's officially the entire year to do it, but I've now finished, so here's the list of the books I read for it:

A - Anne Of Green Gables by Lucy M. Montgomery (read in February 2013)
B - The Butterfly Lion by Michael Morpurgo (read in January 2013)
C - Chains Of Freedom by Jess Mountifield (read in January 2013)
D - The Dragonfly Pool by Eva Ibbotson (read in January 2013)
E - Echo by Tempest C. Avery (read in January 2013)
F - Freeblood by Marny Copal (read in January 2013)
G - Grizzly Tales: Gruesome Grown-ups by Jamie Rix (read in January 2013)
H - Horrid Henry Meets The Queen by FrancescaSimon (read in January 2013)
I - In The High Valley by Susan Cooidge (read in January 2013)
J - Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne (read in January 2013)
K - Kensuke's Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo (read in January 2013)
L - Little Joe And The Monster In His Closet by Jesus Garcia Moreno (read in March 2013)
M - Masro Fhin: Homecoming by Robert C. Mason (read in January 2013)
N - Norbert's Nose by Stephan Schaffrath (read in March 2013)
O - Outgrowth Of The Brain by James Field (read in March 2013)
P - Pirated by Jinn Nelson (read in January 2013)
Q - Queen Rider by Alan Davidson (read in March 2013)
R - Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett (read in January 2013)
S - Suffer The Little Children by Jon Le Riche (read in March 2013)
T - The Troll Trap by Rosen Trevithick (read in March 2013)
U - Unicorn On Speed Dial by Jeanette Cottrell (read in April 2013)
V - Value Of Jade by Daniel J Williams (read in February 2013)
W - War And Peace by Leo Tolstoy (read in February 2013)
X - X-Men by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (read in March 2013)
Y - The Young Jaguar by Zoe Saadia (read in March 2013)
Z - Zachary Zombie and the Lost Boy by John H. Carroll (read in January 2013)

Goodreads 2013 reading challenge

Goodreads does a reading challenge each year for you to challenge yourself to read a certain number of books in the year.

I originally said 100, but Kelly said that would be too easy for me, and - since I agreed - I changed it to 200. My Mam and Dad think that was for the best too, especially since I read a little over 160 last year according to Goodreads.

I'm thinking I should change it again though, because I'm almost at 100 already, and we're only just at the end of March.

OK, I admit many of the books were short children's books and some were short stories, but there's no rule saying what length of book, and Goodreads themselves are adding to my total each time I read a book. If they say they count, I say so too!

Emma-Jane is 3 today!

Emma turned 3 today!

Hard to believe it, but it's true!

She starts full time school next week, I think they said. Personally I think 3 is way too young, but she's not mine so it's not my choice. She's bright enough to do OK though; she's a really smart kid, so that's some comfort.

Still hard to believe she's 3 years old and starting full time school though!

Thoughts on yesterday's snowfall

We had a fantastic snowfall yesterday!

Kero and I played in it on and off, coming in for warm drinks when we needed to.

Eventually it got so deep that Kero couldn't wade through it, so Kelly had to shovel it to the side so he could get outside when he needed to.

Funny thing is, then Kero promptly dove in to the pile and started rolling about in it, snuffling and snorting as he rolled about and ended up with snow in his fur and up his nose.

It was so funny to hear him!

Wish I could have seen him... I miss being able to watch him play like that.

The Light Of Dawn And Other Poems

Genre: Poetry

"A collection of poems of different lengths and styles – some with a hint of humour, others of a more serious nature – about animals, nature,
magic, emotions, and the world around us."

Published: 3rd March 2013.

Available in all formats via Smashwords, and soon also via other retailers.