I'm quite possibly certifiable but I've taken the plunge and joined the Pervy Werewolf Lusty Month of May challenge. To whit (to woo! [snerk]) you have to post at least 500 words of Remus-centric lemon every day of the month. Don't know if I'll last the distance - forget drawing out a plot, can I sustain smut that long? - but I'll give it a go. Up to part 3 now... (Be warned, if you want to have a look at anything over there it's all Not Work Safe.)

A few days ago one of the cubs spent the evening wearing a Pringles cardboard tube over the end of his arm because he wanted to see what it would be like to lose his hand.
We (including his brother) had a bit of a discussion and I explained prosthetics to them. Both the cubs have decided that if they were unfortunate enough to lose a hand they'd want the 'cool looking' claw-type prosthetics. [rolls eyes] Whatever helps you cope, sweetheart...

Speaking of cubs. [grin] I was listening to Tom Waits God's Away on Business and they remarked - while falling about laughing - that it sounded like constipate on biscuits! It'd be very amusing if they've inherited both their father's and mine ability to mishear things but perhaps I should get their ears checked anyway. :)

Still speaking of the cubs... Tomorrow their school is having a 'media day' where the kids get to make short movies, radio commercials, and stop-motion cartoons. On the way to school today the cubs' asked me if I had any ideas for plots.
Well...
I suggested a scenario where the teachers' coffee is stolen and the kids have to get it back cos the teachers are all cranky now. But, in a cunning twist, when the burglars are unmasked they reveal they stole the coffee cos they know too much of it's bad for you, and so they did it for the teachers' own good!
I quite liked it, so did Mr Brown, apparently, and when the cubs' father heard the summary, and that the idea was mine, he grinned and remarked that that was why it sounded new and fresh, and not at all like something you'd see on telly. Hee, I love my imagination.

Seen a couple of interesting DVDs recently. The first was King Arthur, which wasn't bad but I think I would've enjoyed it more if it'd just been a story about the period. Trying to fit it to such well-known figures felt like too much of a stretch to be believable.
The other was Two Hands, an Aus movie about the crinimal underworld. This wasn't as immediately gripping as I'd anticipated but on reflection it was very funny with some finely drawn characters. In the opening scenes the symbol of yin-yan is mentioned, and how it can represent the little bit of good in the bad, and the little bit of bad in the good. The movie was peppered with some subtle examples of this philosophy, making it, I think, a little bit deeper than it first appeared. There's also a bizarre element of the super-natural in it which I remember vaguely some reviewers scoffing over. It worked for me, though, pushing the movie just slightly out of your standard gangster flick. I liked it enough to consider picking up a copy eventually.

Yesterday, when I got back from Queensland, there was a parcel from Joules waiting for me amongst all the chaos! It contained not only a copy of her Dream Decoder book but the The Mummy DVD; loads of chocolate [including a lemon mousse bar! Yum!]; a CD of her and GoodTwin's holiday pics (ottersottersotters! trainstrainstrains!) plus a slidey-pen style keyring from Stonehenge! Squee! My first bit of Henge-tat!
But wait there's more...
There were also a couple of particularly gross keyrings for the cubs [which they loved, thanks! :) ] and - ottersottersotters - bookmark, postcard, pin and card from the New Forest Otter, Owl and Wildlife Park! Eeee!
And last but not least there were also a couple of more offcuts of gorgeous green material and a postcard featuring a photo portrait of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. That photo there on Wiki, in fact... (Now what would Lutra - a noted luddite and anti-19th Century, er, person - be wanting with a photo of one of the era's most noted industrialists? In short, I'm not actually sure, but despite my antipathy to the Industrial Revolution and the rise of the bourgeoisie I've always been captivated by that pic. It's a stellar example of photo portraiture, very evocative.)
Thank you, Joules! That was a lovely pile of treasure to come home to!

So how was my holiday? It was great, thanks! Queensland (or rather, Noosa, the bit where I was) is beautiful but I wouldn't want to be there over Summer. In the fortnight I was there the temperature ranged from 24-29 degrees during the day, and between 16-18 at night. Not so bad but the humidity was a little uncomfortable. Nothing incapacitating - especially as we were down on the coast with the sea breezes - but I really don't like sweating for no good reason. :)
Did a lot of stuff...
Visited the ginger factory at Yandina. (Won't give you the url cos it involves disturbingly cheery music.) Took a train ride around the plantation plus went for a couple of spins on a 'tunnel of love' sort of ride where the boaty thing trundled around past animatronic dioramas of different countries. Very entertaining. No, really.
We travelled further North for a few days to Hervey Bay and Fraser Island, the 'world's third largest sand island'. Beautiful, beautiful spot. World heritage listed area, the interior only accesible by 4 wheel drives. No roads as such but Mad Mouse sand tracks that threw you about in a most jolly (read: bone jarring) manner. We only drove maybe 80 kms on the island but when you're travelling at an average of 15 km an hour while gathering bruises, it feels so much longer. Wonderful beaches, however. Endless skies. <happy sigh> I want to go back.

On our second last day Mum and I visited Underwater World in Mooloolaba. Lovely little place, not as big as Melbourne's aquarium but it has seals! And otters! Loved it. :)

As you might have expected, I've brought back a lot of tat, and, hm, I appear to be collecting pelican postcards. <eyebrow>
Photos... I took a lot of photos. Must be close to 1000. I'll put selected highlights up on flickr over the next couple of weeks. Wouldn't want to bombard anyone with the slideshow of DOOM. <g>
Anyway, had a great time but it's (mostly) good to be home. Missed my cubs, and my cat. Time to get back to work.

[Edit: D'oh, so excited about my new treasures I forgot to mention just how good Joules' new book looks! Not only in the 'this looks like a great read' sense but the layout, the graphics. All very cool!]

Right. Cos Joules is a genius I'm able to post again. Woohoo!
I've been in Queensland for a week already! Blimey. Weather that I would grizzle about back in Melbourne (warm and humid) is lovely here. <g> Probly cos I'm on holiday and not having to do all my usual chores. Heh.

The trip up was very boring. Mass transport is mass transport whether it's by road, rail or air. Sardines squished in a box. Fortunately it was only for a couple of hours so it was tolerable. Unfortunately, given that I was in an aisle seat in a row by a wing I was only able to see out of - at most - the top half of the 'window', but the few glimpses I did get were wonderful. Love being above the clouds...

Mum and I are staying with my brother; he lives about 5 minutes walk from the beach! Haven't spent a lot of time there - been busy doing other things - but I did go paddling for a bit the other evening. Odd, the water was warm. I'm used to getting into the sea and it being cold.

This coming weekend we're off to Fraser Island for a couple of days. Should be glorious. <g> No doubt I'll add substantially to the 600 photos I've already taken.

The other night my brother and his partner, Kirsty, went to see the Red Hot Chilli Peppers in Brisbane. Fabulous band, anyway, first he sent me a pic of them taken with his camera phone - that made me squee - then later he rang me while 'Under the Bridge' was being played! Oh, I squealed like a 12 year old, and sang along with it. I was in the shower at the time so I can't claim it was 'just like being there' but still... :)

Joules posting on Lutra's behalf.

The hassle with her yahoo! account being hijacked has left her unable to log in to blog. She's asked me to advise everyone on her behalf: she'll get back to normal as soon as possible.

(She seems to be having a great holiday so far!)

Grrrr... Looks like some bastard's hijacked my Yahoo account.
Pissed. Off.
I mean, I don't use it for anything really personal or important (except Flickr; and that right there is the main reason I'm resistant to this trend of linking accounts. If one's compromised then that puts the others at risk. Are you listening, Google/Blogger?) but, dammit, it's mine. <grump> Yahoo can apparently do something about it if I snailmail/fax account details plus my written permission for them to go delving. I'm going to do it, I think, cos I've had that account for ten sodding years and for sentimental reasons if nothing else I don't want to give it up. (Quite aside from the issue of Identity Theft. Bastards.)

Right. Just a wee bit stressed at the moment anyway. Mum and I are off to Queensland next Tuesday and I've been darting about getting ready for that. It's not just me I've got to get organised but the cubs and their father. And the cat. <sigh> Eh well, I'm mostly ready - I just need to pack my suitcase without packing the cat...

In more fun news... We won first prize in the school's Easter Raffle! Soooo much chocolate. Mwahahaha!



See that white blobby blur one of the cubs has a hold of? That's a huge plush rabbit - also part of the prize.

And finally a very belated response to Joules' sort-of challenge about people not posting pics of themselves. A photo of me that doesn't make me wince. <g> Taken by one of the cubs:



The lovely purple-patterned wrap I'm wearing was given to me by Soulsis. :)

On ICQ, leading directly on from a conversation about slimy dead frogs was this:

Lutra: <happy sigh> *finally* got a copy of Kate Bush's Suspended in Gaffa...

Joules:..... <blink> um - right.
whatever turns you on
(Is Gaffa some sort of bondage tape?)

loved the song since I was 12, or something...
it's the grey stuff they use to tape down wires
link

I thought that was geffer tape.
gaffer I mean

yes, that

so what the hell is Gaffa?
(Never heard the song, in case you hadn't gathered)

<g> I'll send you a copy if you like
gaffa/gaffer same thing

so it IS a song about bondage!
I think I have to hear it now

ROFL!
it's not! well, not in any obvious way... [link to lyrics]

uhuh.....

I can tell you don't believe me

<blink> and there's an advert for polythene bags on the page and you're STILL trying to tell me it's not about bondage?

this is the ad
Polythene Bags
Millions of bags in stock Call Nick Boyes 01277 626100
www.tetrasoc.com/Pages/polyt

link's not working

I'll have one of whatever she was on when she wrote it.
I have a suspicion it's a mishearing of 'Eyeless in Gaza', personally

LOLOL!
eh?

link doesn't matter - fact is the ad's still there!
Eyeless in Gaza

which is?
(<shakes head> I'm trying not to think too hard about polythene bags and their use in bondage)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyeless_in_Gaza
ROFLMAO!!!

incidentally, I also have a copy now of Venus in Furs

YAY!!!
love a copy when you've a spare minute or five

neato. I'll add it to the list
ooh, interesting book

never read it myself. been on the list for years

nevertheless, the song is called Suspended in Gaffa, and I've always had the impression it's about being held in pl-
<sigh>

<snicker>
<poke snicker poke>

<giggling slap> oh piss off : ) this is why I was never any good in debates

<smirk>

[Incidentally, in the course of transcribing that text, I inadvertantly discovered how to make text blink...]

Tch, Summer's dragging its heels this year. 37 today, 34 yesterday. <grumble> Problem's been that we've already started acclimatising to the recent spate of lower temps so when it gets hot again... Erk. Eh well, we've got a week of mid-twenties or lower to look forward to from tomorrow. I really hope this is the last of the stupidhot, not least because poor Badger's been getting blood noses...

So, it's only 119 days 'til the final Harry Potter book is released. I don't envy JKR - no matter what she's written she's going to cop flak from somewhere. I wonder if she's been keeping an eye on the fansites? I wonder if she's ever felt like she had to change the ending cos we're too damn close to what she had planned? <g>
I've reserved my copy and while I have to admit I'm interested to see how she's going to wrap up the series I'm not wildly hopeful of the results - unless she's a better writer, story teller, than I've given her credit for. (Gah. Grammar. Blame the heat...) I have my speculations, naturally. I think Snape's going to die, regardless of whether he's 'redeemed' or not. There'll be another consequential death, as well, one that'll push oor Harry in the direction he needs to go to do the thing he's got to do. Sirius' and Dumbledore's deaths (oh please, don't squeak about spoilers now. It's been almost two years since HBP was released...) were traumatic for our hero but those charas could be considered parental. It'll be the death of one of his friends that'll kick him into UberRighteousAnger.
Other ideas? The Hogwart's inter-house rivalry will be healed when they all join together at the end and Harry and Draco will have hot smex. (Ok, perhaps not that. Especially as JKR is apparently precious about her charas being slashed. Mwahahah : )
And it's only 111 days 'til the next HP movie's released. <g> Not sure which event I'm anticipating more, to be honest...

Heh, it's almost the end of term. Already. Only a couple of weeks to go.
And then I'm off to Queensland for several day! Woohoo! (I'm deliberately ignoring the niggling wee things about this holiday that've gone awry so far...)

<beaming> Yesterday, Niki and Soulsis hosted a fondue party for my birthday! Sooo much food! We started with a steam boat (was that what it's called, Niki?), more Chinese than Swiss, meat and vegies cooked in a ginger/garlic/lemongrass broth. Meat. Mmmm... Marinated pork, chicken and steak, and some rolled plain steak which - in my case - even made it into the soup before being scarfed.
Later, much later, we had a more traditional chocolate fondue. What can I say? The phrase 'chocolate bliss-out' just isn't adequate. We dipped fresh fruit, cake, lollies and <drooool> glacé cherries. Going to do that again, real soon, and I can cos I've now got a fondue set of my very own! Bright red! : )
I had a great time, thank you! And 12 hours later, I still don't feel hungry. <g>

Hehehehe. My poor cubs with their delicate sensibilities. "Don't look at the screen," I said, "I'm writing sex..." Never seen him move so fast. <snerk>
Yes, sex. I've just finished a short piece for the latest Pervy Werewolf Fanciers challenge. Did research and everything. I now know more about men's bottoms than I ever really wanted. :)

For my birthday I treated myself to a copy of Cleolinda Jones' Movies in fifteen minutes. Gods above it's so funny - though like a lot of parodies and spoofs I can't read more than one item at a time cos the humour dulls with close repetition.
But! Just thinking about her version of Attack of the Clones, or the LoTR trilogy, or Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Sorcerer's Philosopher's Stone makes me fall over laughing. I don't know that serious movie buffs would like this book - it takes the piss too well - but I love it .

And now some words of wisdom from 20 Sided: the DM of the Rings - a comic based on LotR as likely to be played by modern Dungeons and Dragons hack-slashers. Hee. The comic itself is very funny, but some of the DM's comments (at the bottom) are priceless. I've played with gamers like these, heck, to my shame I've been gamers like these. Though in my defence, I got better...

That which does not kill you was simply not permitted to do so for the purposes of the plot.

The DM will do a lot of talking, but if he’s not rolling the dice then what he’s saying is probably not important.

No matter how difficult or absurd you make a puzzle, your players will find an even more impossible and preposterous way of solving it.

Never provide a dungeon without treasure. The longer they search and find nothing, the more your players will be convinced that the treasure is bountiful and exceptionally well-hidden. If left unchecked, they will eventually dismantle and excavate the entire site in their search for loot.

No matter how epic the battle, once begun, the thing sounds more or less like a bingo game: People shout out numbers and other people get excited about them.

Players may blunder through dialog with shocking ineptitude, forget the name of the country they are in, or get confused about which side they are on, but once it comes time to roll for initiative they all turn into Sun Tzu.

... and finally:
Ask any fighter: A hammer is just a really heavy set of lockpicks.
Oh, so true. <smirk>

<eyes full of sparklies> I'm being well and truly being distracted by the Kylie Showgirl Princess program on the ABC at the moment. I'm envisioning a range of teddy bears modelling the gorgeous costumes... oooh, that could keep me amused for hours.

(Ok, I've grudgingly switched over to the new Blogger system. How the hell do you keep the font from reverting to the default while you're doing an update?)

(Oh hang on, it appears to be staying...)
(Nope, have to reset it everytime I come back from previewing the post. <grump>)

Right...
It's been such a long time since I've bothered with a post that there's now, naturally, far too much to say, so a quick summation, perhaps?
I'm on to chapter 4 of the new novel. Though it's taken a looong time to get there. Procrastinations'r'us... <g>
Um, spending a lot of time at the school library this term, (and probly for the rest of the year). The school's been given a grant for rebuilding the library catalogue. Mwahahaha! Lots and lots of books. And I've got library monitors! Four of them, including the cubs. :)

I've managed to shoehorn some more furniture into my house. I think I mentioned that some time ago... Anyway, it's here now (thank you, Soulsis, Niki, Leonie!) and it's meant the taming [sort of] of the chaos corner in the kitchen. Going to be even betterer when I get the bookcases into my bedroom. Hee.

<snerk> Cubs' father brought me this soap back from the Phillipines...


It's been a mostly hot and humid month. Very unpleasant, though, fingers crossed, we seem to be heading towards Autumnal temperatures now. There'll be at least one more flare of hot weather - over my birthday weekend, as always - but then we should be in the clear. Having said that:
Imagine a sultry night, and a woman lying naked atop the bedclothes. And now imagine her reaction when - having recently had an altercation with a huntsman spider - she feels the lightest, ticklingest touch on her hip...
Yep, shat myself. Startled the cat, too, cos of course it was KittenKong's wee paw grazing my skin as she went to climb over me to get to the window. Tch.

Velvet Goldmine is still my favourite movie... Le sigh... :)

"In the war's dying throes, it was discovered that Peter Pettigrew had taught the Animagus transformation to Voldemort's inner circle. Voldemort wanted loyal warriors who inspired fear.
[snip]
Harry and his friends, with the Order of the Phoenix, had fought through inferi and Dementors to the heart of Voldemort's lair of evil. There they found the arch-villain himself, protected by a goat, two chickens, a wildebeest, an armadillo, three snakes, and a rat..."

<falling over laughing>
That's a quote from Animals by Busaikko recently on Pervy Werewolf So funny! Busaikko is always good value. <g>

(<head->desk> Housemate is 'educating' the cubs in classic anime. They're watching Robotech. Bloody Min Mei - she's a MarySue, I swear. No wonder I loathe her; she gave anime girls a bad name for years. Still makes my teeth hurt. And lets not mention the generally execrable dialogue I can still hear over the headphones. I refuse to believe the original Japanese is any better...)

Hee, I've pre-ordered my copy of the next/last Harry Potter book. My descent into HP geekdom continues. Gods, I'll be writing Snermione next.
No! Nevah! Not het...!
<smirk>

<giggling> Spotted this in an op shop yesterday.


<still giggling>

Oh yes, something else about Xmen III. I was impressed with how Hank McCoy's agility and strength were portrayed in the fight scenes. Gave a really good idea of just how efficient he is in combat.

<snerk> One of the cubs' bits of homework concerned television programs. Badger (they've got nicknames now, remember? :) filled out his imaginary program schedule with gems like; Box Wrestling; 20 minutes of Toilets; the Lame 40 Minute show; the 3.52 news, and More Box Wrestling. We have cable telly, can you tell?

(And at the party last night the cubs were thrilled to bits that people recognised who they were sposed to be. I think - like me - they get tired of being around people who have no idea what they're on about and it's always exciting to discover you're not the lone loony in the wilderness of mundanity. <g>)

LOL! Went to log in to Flickr and on the front screen was a note that 'Flickr is having a massage'. Scheduled maintainance perhaps?

Feeling kind of shiftless. The cubs are out at a party with their dad...

Their costumes: Spy vs Spy.


First week back at school and on Friday night the cubs had taken themselves off to bed - and were asleep - by 10.30. Puir, wee tired things. <g>
So far so good, they're enjoying being year 6; they've got Prep buddies to look out for! They remember their own buddies very fondly, which helps.

Oh goody. We've actually got two wasp nests, one in the front, one in the back. Still waiting for the cubs' father to deal with them. :) (He'd better do it soon, he's off overseas for a fortnight in about a week.)

DVDs. Seen lots of DVDs recently.
Constantine was a bit of a romp. <g> And there's just enough of the Catholic schoolgirl left in me that parts of the movie made me twitch. Keanu isn't the world's best actor but he chooses roles which suit. I got the sense they were just skimming the top here, that there was a lot more could've been said, but as it's based on a comic book that's not surprising.
Finally got 'round to seeing Xmen III. That's another one where I felt I was only watching half the story, for the same reason. Good, though, enjoyed it - not enough of the winged-pretty, however.
Mrs Henderson Presents. Not as good as I thought it'd be but infinitely better than, oh, 98% of the main-stream US product available to rent. Judy Dench was wonderful. :)
(Um, there were more but I've lost interest. Heh.)

Woohoo, up to chapter 3 of the new fic. Once again I have no idea how long this is going to be. I'll just write it and see where it goes.

It's Australia Day. Go us. :)
Monty Python sums it up nicely, I think. (Quoting from memory so possibly not entirely accurate:)

Australia, Australia, Australia.
Here is the wattle, the symbol of our land.
You can stick it in a bottle, or hold it in your hand. Amen.

<g>

Well, the gardeners came back yesterday to tackle the backyard, but had to abandon the project when they disturbed a wasp nest. Oops. I rang the council to see about getting rid of it but they don't come out to private properties any more. The couple of quotes I got from professional pest control companies were all over $100, which we can't afford, so looks like we'll be dealing with it ourselves. The cubs' father has volunteered. Probly just as well. I don't have anything resembling protective clothing, not even boots.

Awww, my cubs are growing up. They started their first lay-by yesterday, with their own money and in their own name. :)

Heh, we've xmas candy canes all over the house at the moment, far more than there were during xmas. Why? They're so cheap right now as shops try to clear their xmas stock!

Hee! Last week's Shakespeare Revisited was Taming of the Shrew! Definitely the best of the series so far! A good, workable adaptation of characters and plot - though this Petruchio wasn't nearly so horrible to Katherine as the original was - and so funny!

He's going to taunt me with a week's worth of clean knickers, then throw them in the pool, isn't he?

<g> Definitely one for the library.

Squeee! I would love to have a tent like this...



(Snapped at last weekend's Medieval Festival in Launching Place.)

Some time late last year I mentioned that my neighbours had organised (and paid for) someone to come and tame the front garden for me. I also mentioned that they didn't consult with me first - cos they'd obviously had enough of it being a blight on the street and so decided to take matters into their own hands. Even though I was horribly intimidated I can admit it was a fair cop, honestly, I know I was never going to get 'round to doing anything consistent about it. So anyway, the gardening people were back again today (again without consultation) but I spoke to the woman in charge and - long story short - they'll be here regularly and I'll be paying for the service. Very reasonable rates, too. Once the backyard is under control (and at a suggested $50 that's much easier to stomach then the $200 I was quoted by someone else) it'll be $25 a fortnight for front and back. Manageable, and I won't feel like I have to skulk when I leave the house in order to avoid the neighbour. :)

On my list of 'Things I Need' is a new doona. I've had mine for 20 years, and while it's done sterling service it's getting a bit fragile. Coincidentally one of the shops in the local emporium is having a 25% off bedding this week! I've got a brand new doona on layby - and as all my sheets are getting a bit tatty - a 100% cotton bed sheet set as well. (They were a little bit pricey but I'm awfully fussy about my bedlinen. Poly/cotton is just not acceptable. <g> ) I could start thinking about new pillows, too...
As for my old doona, it won't be going in the bin. Oh no, I'm sure I could do something useful with the remains.

Cubs and I have just spent the weekend at Mum's, and it was better than I anticipated. To clarify, I was so cranky on Saturday - because of the gods-awful weather - I was thinking that being forced into close proximity with the cubs and my mother for 3 days would be a nightmare. <g> It wasn't - in fact it was kind of relaxing. Helps that the weather cooled right down, of course.
Didn't do much on Saturday, just a little shopping, but on Sunday we traipsed along to a Medieval Festival at the local archery park. Lots to see, lots to photograph (heh, 134 pics later...) The jousting was fun to watch, and, oooh! Pavilions! Now that's what I call camping in style! Yes, they're bulky and a pain in the arse to transport, but I want one!
Cubs had a ball. They loved looking at the weaponry and armour, were dead impressed with the jousters, and got to fire a crossbow! That was the highlight for them, I think. <g>
We stayed for a few hours then, as promised, I took the cubs swimming afterwards. I only stayed in for an hour - all the earlier walking combined with not-quite-warm water made my feet feel twitchy and pre-crampy - but the cubs kept splashing around for another hour at least. I really like the pool near mum's; it's not stupidly crowded like the ones around here, even on hot weekends, and the staff are not stingy about letting the patrons play with the centre's equipment.

Today, Monday, the cubs went swimming again while Nana was at her exercise class. I stayed out and kept an eye on them while I did some sewing, listened to music. After that we drove to a friend of Mum's to check out her furniture. She's moving from a smallish house to a miniscule unit and has to downsize: I've been given first pick of the loot. <g> I've earmarked a desk, table and benches, kitchen unit and bookshelves - all in varnished pine, my favourite. Mine, all mine, for free! Now I just have to organise transport. (Niki? In case you read this before I ring you... Do you still have the trailer? Oh, and thank you for the bread. :)

Normally, well recently, coming 'home' was always a bit of a downer. Perhaps it's the prospect of being able to clear some of the clutter soon, but for a change I was quite cheerful walking into the house this afternoon. Let's see if I can keep the positivity going long enough to get my teeth into cleaning and clearing the crap...

Had an interesting dream while I was at Mum's. Joules came to visit! Which was fabulous as it was the first time we'd actually met but I'd forgot she was coming. So not only did she have to find my place by public transport instead of me picking her up from the airport, the house was completely unready (read: filthy) for visitors, plus I had to find somewhere comfortable for her to sleep! I was embarrassed, knowing I was letting myself down as a good host, and under the circumstances her bad temper was entirely reasonable. :)
(And the house itself was odd: a pastiche of the past 3 places I've lived with added bits from a couple of other houses I've visited in dreams. An awkward, uncomfortable place, but - I knew - with so much potential to be warmly quirky and welcoming, if I just put in a little effort.)
Strangely enough, this dream has the same feel about it as the other 'travelling' dreams I'd had recently, only this time it was someone travelling to me. But, there was the same debilitating sense of unpreparedness. I'm sure my subconscious is trying to tell me something...

[Edit: The Blogger spellcheck threw up coasters for jousters; Ares for arse (thinking of Xena, that's spot-on); travesty for traipsed; and pica for pics. Hee.)

Bleurgh. It's been hot and humid for a few days now. Don't like it at all; sweating when you're expending no energy whatsoever is unnatural. <grump> We've had some rain at least - which is good, it's desperately needed - but it only cooled things down a bit while increasing the humidity a lot.
Well, according the Bureau there's only one more day of ickyness before we get a break. <sigh> I'm really not wishing for Winter to get a move on - don't want to wish away half the year before it's even really started!

Speaking of which... Egad, the cubs go back to school in just over a week! Not fair! I've only just got into the swing of being on holiday!
My babies are going into Year 6... which means High School next year... which means - ah, crap - I'd better get cracking on sorting out some of the little niggling questions I've been managing to ignore for the past few years, like, where are we going to live? (Cos that'll determine which High School they go to.) And, I need to take their father and my mother into consideration as well. Ideally (for various reasons) we'd like we need to be close to both of them... <head->desk> Too hard. Right now, a cool, dark cave - with internet connection, 'puter and full bathing facilities - is sounding reeaaally nice.

(Right, can I find something to not whinge about? Let's see...)
While lying sleepless the other night (not a breath of wind to relieve the stifling heat.. oops, I wasn't going to whinge, was I? Hah!) I managed to firm and expand the basic plot for my next story - oh yes, I'm writing another book; set in the Dystopia Universe. What happened to the first book, you might ask? Well, you can ask, but I'll probly be skittish and evasive.
Dammit, got distracted again. Yes, started another book. Woohoo! I'll finish the Snupin one day, an' all.

Cubs and I spent the day at Soulsis' yesterday! Was hot (<growls warningly at self>) but fun. We left the boys playing video games for a wee space of time while Soulsis, girlie and I trawled some op-shops and a second-hand place for furniture. Didn't find any furniture but got loads of other good stuff. :)
Andandand I've now got a biiiig plush Hello Kitty courtesy of Soulsis! Thank you!

And I found this, too, in an op-shop a couple of days ago!


Neat, eh? It came with an appallingly cheerful yellow teapot. (Not pictured, cos the cosy didn't really fit it properly, so I used one of my other teapots to model. Tra la la.)

Right. Is it bedtime yet? More importantly - will I sleep?

Cubs went to a birthday party today, their first for the year. <g> It was hosted at the same 'indoor recreation centre' as the last one, so they had a ball playing laser tag and cruising in the go-karts again.
Party ended at 2.30 but we didn't leave there until gone 6! We hung around to watch the Robowars finals. Was more entertaining than I would've given it credit but half my enjoyment came from observing the engineering/mechanics geeks interact [the funky rainbow faux fur shorts were a winner in my eyes]. It was all very friendly, too, with good sportsmanship shown by everyone - winners and loser. There were some spectacular clashes. In one, a 'bot with a vertical blade was flipped and ended up gouging a big hole in the floor. That was exciting. Another 'bot used a CO2 fueled ram/flipper - some of its victims went a metre into the air. :) The sheet steel and polycarb enclosure took a fair amount of damage during the afternoon, too, not to mention the carnage inflicted on a defenceless vacuum cleaner (and old printer) in the 'demonstration' bouts. Heh, needless to say the cubs are terribly enthusiastic about it all now.

KittenKong is once again a happy cat. The cubs and I finished house-sitting yesterday and now I'm back home to pay full attention to her needs - as is only right and proper.
As a thank-you, Niki gave me a jar of delicious rhubarb chutney and a slab of the best smelling peppermint soap I've ever had the pleasure to snuffle! And as a thank-you for keeping an eye on an eBay auction for him, Richard gave me a beautifully tacky lobster fridge magnet. <g> Its feelers are on springs! They wobble!
It was good to get some time away from home, just the cubs and I. Gave me a chance to get some perspective on my current domestic arrangements...

Our ABC is currently showing a series of reworks of some Shakespeare plays. Last week was Macbeth, and while it was fabulously brooding and angsty, I'm not entirely convinced that setting it in the cut-throat world of top-class restaurants really worked all that well. It was a great adaptation but it seemed to be labouring in parts. Though having the 3 witches as garbage men was inspired! James MacAvoy was particularly good in the lead, and no wonder he was familiar - it wasn't just the incidental (numerous) UK telly productions I've seen him in, he was Mr Tumnus!
This week's offering was Much Ado About Nothing. This version was updated to a TV studio, and it seemed to have a more natural flow than Macbeth. A very good cast, which unfortunately, didn't do much to relieve my ambivalence about the story. This isn't one of my favourite Shakespeare's; much as I love the Benedick/Beatrice thread I always want to smack Hero & Claude (especially Claude) over the back of the head! Gods above he's so infuriatingly gullible!
Didn't catch what next week's production is, but I know Midsummer Nights Dream is on the list somewhere. :)

(Oh, and the cubs have decided they want nicknames. The S cub is now Rocket and the M cub, Badger. Yerrss.)

Le Frog: We leave immediately!
[strides off screen]
Henchfrog #1: What about supper?
Le Frog: [strides back on screen] We leave in five hours!

<rolling around laughing> That's a quote from Flushed Away - which the cubs and I went to see yesterday. It's been a long time since I've laughed so much during a movie. Oh, the frogs! Oh, the slugs! Oh, Ian McKellan the villain! <giggling>
It's an Aardman production - in conjunction with Dreamworks - and is peculiarly British. Which means toilet humour. Which is probly why it's not doing as well as it should, especially in comparison to the 'technically good but a trifle mechanical' Happy Feet.
Definitely one for the DVD list, even if we don't see it again at least once more at the cinema.

January! Calendars are on special! 75% off in one particular place. I treated myself to a 'manga art' (one I would've bought at full price but couldn't afford); a Van Gogh (with bonus fridge magnets!) and a very pretty Australian Birds diary. Oh, and the cubs got a calendar of Australian trams. All for $16. Bargain!

I saw on the news last night there's going to be another inquiry into Princess Di's preference for well-built poles er, tragic accident. Between my hearing and the noise the cubs were making I was sure I heard that the chief-person-in-charge-of-it-all's name was Lady Elizabeth Bucket Slops. <snerk> I was almost disappointed to find out her name was in fact Butler-Sloss...

You can keep your Xmas/New Year sales, it's the Back to School sales I look forward to.
Sure, I don't need that 3 kilos of stationary but, damn, it satisfies some deep-seated, primal urge. :)

(Nicked from Rakina)

Hee... I like daisies...

I am a Daisy What Flower Are You?

"You are just a sweet person. When a friend needs a shoulder to cry on, you are happy to offer yours with a box of tissues as well. Once in awhile, you wish you could be a little more dramatic but then sensibility sets back in and you know that you are perfect the way you are."

As I mentioned, I'm house-sitting for Niki. Niki has a lot of really interesting books lying around. Just read 'The Book, The Film, The T-Shirt' by Matt Beaumont. 'twas about the trials and tribulations of shooting a mega-expensive ad with big-name stars, and it's one of the funniest things I've read for a long time. Neat format, too: The story progesses through snippets from individuals rather than a continuous narrative. Of course, this means we're seeing events from several different - often conflicting - points of view. There's miscommunications, and frantic leaps to conclusions - hilarity ensues.
The only people we don't hear from are the two protagonists, which is intriguing cos you're never quite sure what's going on in their heads. It leaves several key factors in the comic-drama open to interpretation...

Excitement, adventure... I can be doing without any of that, thanks.
Long story short: the cubs and I are housesitting for Niki (yay! Air-conditioning!) but when we got back this afternoon from feeding my cat and shopping, I couldn't find the key! Eeek! Fortunately we found it in the first place we looked - the supermarket, where it must've been turfed out of my bag as I was rummaging around for my purse. Phew.
(<shifty> Uh, Niki? Best p'raps if you overlook this bit, eh...?)

The Snupin Lurve Secret Santa has been finalised and the authors have been revealed!
Here's my contribution - Iron Snupin written for Electromoon. It's a bit of a laugh, a crossover 'tween HP and The Iron Chef. I got a fair few happy comments about it, too, which was pleasing.
[A warning though: if slash (m/m) smut isn't your bag, baby, this may not be the best thing for you to read <g>]
Big huggles to Joules for the beta and Britlish. Thanks!
(Here's the master list for this year's exchange. There were some excellent fics posted. I spent probly more time there reading than I should've. Hee, gotta love that Snupin.)

And, thank you, onna! Your parcel arrived quicker than you anticipated. <g> The potholders will clash with everything, they'll be perfect!

It's too hot to sleep so I'm skulking about online, in front of the fan...

So, 2007, eh? I'm a bit ambivalent about it, to be honest. I've written a list of things to start/finish/get/do etc. I'll check it at the end of the year and probably laugh. Though, I do solemnly resolve not to let this coming year go to waste as well. Cos let's face it, I did a lot of farting around last year.

Just spent a couple of uncomfortable days up at Mum's. Uncomfortable cos of the heat, and sleeping on the sofa.
Had an odd dream last night. I was trying to get myself ready to fly to China but was coming up against all sorts of delays. Not being able to find things I needed, or get online to sort my finances before I left. And - this made me giggle - the promised police escort to get me to the airport on time almost fell through but I was offered the services of another policeman. But, at the last I couldn't go anyway cos I'd forgot to renew my passport. D'oh.
Actually, I think I was also going to China in the last dream like this I had recently. (Gah, grammar. Sorry...) What could my subconscious be trying to tell me? That though I would really really like to do something exotic and outside my comfort zone I have to be better prepared? Or just not try getting to China cos it's just not going to happen...

Went to see Happy Feet with the cubs, their father, Soulsis et al.
What a shnookums of a movie, I enjoyed it. Can't fault the animation but the 'messages' couldn't have been less subtle if they'd been applied with a brick! I didn't get into it as much as I expected but it was still money well spent. (The Latino penguins were the best! <g> )

Mum and I took the cubs to Hedgend Maze in Healesville. That was loads of fun, though it was really too hot, and one of the cubs was having problems with claustrophobia by the end. :)
We didn't attempt the mini-golf, or the frisbee-golf - maybe next time. It's not cheap to visit but the entrance price includes access to everything.
(There's a few pics up at my Flickr page, too.)

... Tch. Drifting. Am I tired enough to sleep? Time to find out...

Eeeee! A snowdome kit! Thank you, Soulsis! <huggle>



The cubs' and their father gave me a copy of Pixar's Cars DVD, and mum made me a cushion:



Flamingos! I like flamingos... :)

We had xmas dinner at a pub/restaurant this year - Terminus Hotel in Healesville. This was my dessert. Tiramisu mousse and a chocolate butterfly. Mmmm...



The rest of the meal was delicious, as well, and it was lovely not having to cook and wash up. Mind you, we did that all on Boxing Day anyway when we met Soulsis and her chicks at Mum's.
Been a busy few days, driving hither and yon, I'm ready for a rest now. <g>

Egad, xmas is 2 days away! I do believe I'm almost ready, while the cubs are almost manic with anticipation. They know they're getting Hornby model railway bits but their father refuses to be tricked by their subtle <snort> questions and won't tell them what. <g> They'll just have to wait...

Eep! My phone's headphones broke! I checked though and it's all still under warranty so today I nipped in to the shops - nice and early, before the last-minute chaos really got started - and got another set. For free! Happy now.

I was trying to quantify exactly why it is I've never much liked the Top Twenty sort of music. With a few notable exceptions over the years, I've found that listening to the mainstream stuff (or 'hits and memories', which is old Top Twenty anyway) is like drowning in beige. Really really uninteresting. Give me Indie any day, at least that sounds alive.

Speaking of shudder worthy, Joules found this site a wee while ago... Worst Album Covers of All Time. Go and look - it'll make your eyeballs bleed, I promise! The most disturbing one for me is 'Julie's 16th Birthday'. I dunno, looks like there's some unsavoury coercion going on there...

Can't remember where I found this, but, ye gods!
"...He growled in a venimous whisper..."
Bwahahahahahah! Would a venimous have larger than normal fangs for a rodent? <snerk>

And finally - tee hee hee. My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is:
Her Most Serene Highness Lady Lutra the Lackadaisical of Walk On Water. That's quite lyrically appropriate, methinks.
(There was a thingy on the Smart Bitches site a couple of days ago. The above was my second attempt as the first wasn't terribly inspiring.)

Anyway, chances of me doing another update in the next day or so is remote, (far more likely to put photos up at Flickr. Link at the top of the page...) so Happy Solstice! Happy Holidays! Eat well, stay safe and remember to say 'thank you' even if you don't like what you got. <g>

<blink> The S cub told me tonight that for next year's xmas list he's going to wish for super powers. He was serious.
(I should mention that both the cubs still firmly believe in Santa Claus - despite my gentle hints to the contrary.)

"Fashion" spotted today at the shopping centre: short, filmy shift things belted over black leggings. <rolls eyes> Let's party like it's 1986...

Heh, in the second last week of their second last year, the cubs finally have the proper sports uniform. That must be some sort of record.

It's taken me 6 years but I've finally realised that school concerts are not for the enjoyment of the audience, they're for the children. The kids have a great time... the rest of us just have to smile and clap like it's the best thing we've ever seen.
And this year's xmas concert was made even more special for me because I got an effing huge cramp in my leg. My own fault, I'd been sitting on the ground for a couple of hours without moving and I'd let my legs get cold.
It was agony - the muscles in my calf and my shin were cramping, as well as the ones across the top of my foot threatening to join in for good measure. It didn't matter how I stretched my leg something seized. Fortunately the cubs' father was there and he knows how to deal with cramps. He got my leg straightened out enough that I could stand, and from there it was just a matter of slowly working the muscles back under control.
I would've been embarrassed - writhing and moaning on the ground, making a spectacle of myself - if I hadn't been in so much pain. I swear, it was like childbirth: the awful inevitability of pain and knowing you can do nothing but ride it out. <g> It feels like I pulled a muscle in my calf; that'll take a little while to heal. Let that be a lesson to me! Take my slippers next time if it's going to be cold!

<suspicious> And how long will it be 'til I have to sign in to Blogger through Google...?

I got home this morning, from dropping the cubs at school, to find our front lawn being mowed by a professionally equipped person. It transpires that one of our house-proud neighbours organised the service - probly cos he finally got fed up with my laissé faire attitude to gardening. <sigh> I'm sort of used to the neighbours tackling the lawn for us themselves, but this... this was unsettling, and it took me most of the day to work out why. I have no problem accepting acts of kindness from friends and family. They're there for me, I'm there for them, it's reciprocal, it's what kin does. When non-kin are kind I get nervous cos I don't know what's expected of me. Probly paranoid, but, I like to have some idea of what the reckoning will be - and I don't believe for an instant that there won't be a reckoning of some sort. Even if this time it's just me being guilted into taking care of the garden myself. Heh, it'll be less traumatic if all I have to do is pay the bill.

Only two weeks 'til the end of the school year. Tch. I swear it was October only 3 days ago.

Sometimes, I just can't resist the lure of the merchandise...

Fortunately I think I can get a bigger memory chip thingy for my phone. 256 mb really isn't enough, not when I've joined 3's music club which means I can d/l items for $1.50 each instead of $3. That's cheaper than itunes! Excited? Oh yes... :) It's fun to browse the music lists - the new stuff is kind of patchy (considering I pretty much only listen to/am interested in indie) - but there's some really interesting older stuff lurking about.
Like tonight I checked what they had for Adam & the Ants, just cos, and - blimey! - not just the 'hits' I expected but the B-sides of those singles and tracks from the Dirk Wears White Sox album. See? I need space so I can nab all this good stuff.
[Currently listening to Beat My Guest which was the B-side of Stand and Deliver. (Shame on me I had to look that up. Tch, call myself an Antperson? Heh, not for a good few years, though I still think the logo would make a cool tattoo... I did remember all on my own however that another song I nabbed - Physical - was the B-side for Dog Eat Dog. {and poking around for the lyrics I find that Nine Inch Nails covered it! Neat, have to track that down as well. Bet it's a real sleazy version. Hee})]
In the past couple of days I've also grabbed copies of Kate Bush's Sensual World single (gorgeous!); Starlight - Superman Lovers; Rip it Up - Jet; Belleville Rendezvous from the soundtrack; Dear God - XTC and Chris Rea's Let's Dance. That'll do to go on with, don't want to blow out my phone budget. <g>

December 1st we put the xmas tree up and now KittenKong has something else to threaten to get my attention. <shakes head> Little madam.

Eeep. The Snupin Lurve Secret Santa has started. The entries are apparently being drawn from a hat and posted at random so I have no idea when my piece will go up.

And I finally got to watch 2001: a space odyssey. Wow. My gods, the detail - it really deserves to be seen on a big screen. (preferably as a double with Alien. <g> The fantasy and the - likely - reality of space travel.)
The ending didn't make a lot of sense but, from memory, neither did the book, and I was surprised at how visually dated it wasn't. Well, dated, but only on a very superficial level. There was a lot of tech that's familiar now. Need to see it again...

Last night one of the cubs had scared himself sleepless with thoughts of 'what if' (what if the house burnt down? etc). His brother cheered him up by reading him some of their favourite Thomas stories. I think he was embellishing them with funny voices and rude noises. That would explain the shrieks of laughter... :)

Night before last I dreamt I was getting ready to travel to America. I only had a short time to prepare so I was charging around digging out clothes and things, always conscious of the time ticking away. In the midst of the chaos an old acquaintance wandered in to the dream, someone I haven't spoken to for years. We caught up, briefly, and I was pleased to hear he had a partner and was looking towards the future. (I suspect my subconscious gave him a happy ending out of guilt for not keeping in touch. Because, yes, that's the way my mind works.)
I woke up from that dream frazzled and not at all rested, funnily enough.

Mum's dysphasia manifests in a few ways. Most common - and the most frustrating for her - is not being able to remember the word she wants at all. Next most likely is using the wrong word, but being aware she's made a mistake. Least common is where she uses the wrong word but doesn't realise it's wrong. Chatting with Mum is always an adventure now, never know what she's going to come out with. <g> For instance she was talking about getting a new 'fridge and mentioned she only needed one with a 'small giraffe'. <giggling> Oh, we laughed...

I was lurking on HP Essays recently where someone was discussing threesomes in fanfic. In amongst the fic recommendations (and there were some happy hours of reading there, let me tell you! Wasted loads of time...) the author dropped the comment about 'where in canon does it say that Draco is attractive'? She has a point, the only physical description we get of the Slytherin Prince is 'pale and pointy'. But then, considering the series is written from the viewpoint of a young/teenage boy (whose author is on public record about her dislike of slash) Harry would be unlikely to notice any potential male phwoarness anyway. <pats him> That's all right, the fangirls make up for that blind spot.
[Edited after spell-checking: Bwahahahaha! Blogger suggested 'threshings instead of 'threesomes'...]

Hee, and still rabbiting on about HP... Can't remember the fic but this struck me as a particularly odd use of 'ameliorate'.
"Silver and gold dust combed liberally across the lush foliage that ameliorated the halls..."
True, the word means 'to make better; to improve' but, um... <scratches head> I don't think it's in quite the right context here.

(And my latest Snupiney thing has been posted in The Zone. Thanks, Joules!)

Awwwww!
Usually KittenKong wakes up long before I get this close...

Hehehe. Xmas cake makes me fart...

Oh, whacko, it's State Election day tomorrow.
... I did have something to say about that but for the life of me I can't remember. Eh well.

Been a pretty full-on kind of week - I've spent roughly 11 hours in the car, driving Mum to and from hospital appointments. But it's all coming on nicely - her therapists are very pleased with her progress. Next week shouldn't be so hectic, though, with only one day of appointments.

Stone fruits are back in season, at last! Still hideously expensive and likely to remain so cos there was a freak frost not long ago that destroyed a large proportion of the crop. This follows on from the cyclone that wiped out the banana crop earlier in the year. Not that I eat a lot of fruit anyway - prefer veggies - but they're more of a special treat now than chocolate. <g>

Haven't done much of anything these past several weeks - probably not surprising given the disruptions - but I have finished another installment of the Snupin plot arc. Well, more SnOMC, really - Snape/Original Male Character.
Hah! And I just remembered what it was I had to say about the election!
Our next door neighbours have a Family First placard in their front garden. I doubt they'd be impressed to know they're living next to an avid reader/writer of queer smut. Hee. Good thing I don't advertise my predilections.
Speaking of queer - I finally got to see Brokeback Mountain. Waaah! So sad. I'm glad I didn't catch it at the cinema after all, even though it means I missed the opportunity to immerse myself in the scenery. (That's real scenery, mountains and such, not bishieish ambulatory 'scenery'.) Bawling one's eyes out should be done in private. :)

International Buy Nothing Day. Dem good idea, and surprisingly hard to do. Spending - even on the small incidentals - is insidious.

Gah. Tired. Not sure how much sense this is going to make...
Mum's home at last and I've just got back from spending 5 days with her, helping her settle in and - frankly - seeing how she copes. Cubs came with me (cos it was too much effort to try and organise something with their father) but they had no objection at all to missing a few days of school. Little buggers. :) But they were very well behaved, I have to say, and Soulsis (thankyouthankyouthankyou!) had them for a sleep-over on Saturday night.

I think Mum's going to be all right; she'll never be the same as she was but it could've been so much worse. She's not happy, especially without her car, and with the ongoing outpatient appointments at the rehab hospital she says she doesn't feel like her life is her own yet. It's going to take time, and I'll probly have to keep reminding her of that fact.
It was encouraging to see her putter about the unit. She had no problems using microwave/washing machine etc. (I won't mention the green tea made for me with sugar and milk <g>) She has problems with numeracy now, unfortunately, which is going to make shopping interesting, but if I can't be there to help then one of her friends will.
Meals-on-Wheels has been arranged for her. The service delivers one main meal a day - and Mum's quite happy cos she's never been that keen on cooking. :)
We've made a start on decluttering her unit, but only a start. It's a big task. But now the microwave is within easy reach, the table and kitchen unit have been (mostly) cleared and I went through one of the cupboards and got rid of a lot of old, old food - the earliest use-by date I found was 1997! <shakes head> - and culled some of the surplus canned goods she tends to hoard. Neither of us are anticipating with any pleasure the fuge stack of craft/quilting magazines that need to be cleaned out.

The best thing for Mum about being home is that she's got her cat back. He was very, very pleased to have her back. So pleased that for the first couple of days he was actually quite nice. Didn't take him long to get back to normal however - Mum and I both have scratches...

The thing I like most about Mum's car is that when you drop in $10 of petrol it makes a significant difference. Unlike the big old Ford we had, which, much as I loved her, $10 went nowhere, even with the slightly lower prices at the time.

I was a little late picking Mum up yesterday and when I eventually hurried into her room she said she was worried that something had happened with the car.
Hah! So that's where I get it from! If someone's late meeting me then they've obviously had an accident and they're dead. <rolls eyes> I can blame my mother for that slightly less than optimistic personality trait anyway. One night, many many year ago when I was about 14, Dad was at work and Mum had taken my brother to ballet. I was home alone, supposedly doing my homework but in reality trying not to twitch at every noise, but that was fine cos I knew Mum would be home soon...
I started getting worried when she wasn't back half an hour after she was due; by the time she and my brother rocked up - two hours later - I was frantic. Oh, everything was fine, she'd stopped off for a cup of tea with a friend...
That was the first time, I think, I ever told my mother off. Yes, I was worried, she should've let me know she was going to be late! <g> Of course, the shoe was on the other foot a few years later when she was berating me for staying out late and not letting her know.
Lessons learnt? Probably not. I look forward to similar exchanges with the cubs in the future.

I received notification in the mail yesterday about a change in a payment schedule for one of the bills. I thought it was for the gas and I was outraged! A hike from $20 a fortnight to $72! How was that justified?! Then I read the letter again and realised it was for the electricity and that it was, in fact, a slight decrease. <head->desk> Then I calmed down.

This morning, while routinely deleting the spam that'd wriggled through the filters, I noticed one that had the subject line - [SPAM] Dear friend.... Truth in advertising? I approve of that.

Another oddish sort of dream recently. Only remembered the tail end as I was waking up. Myself and nebulous others (sometimes the cubs, sometimes 'dream friends' ie: not known in r/l) were on a trip somewhere foreign, hot and dusty. We bought tickets for a famous local attraction, a ride of some sort. We hurried on to that to find it was like someone's cluttered lounge room filled with shabby but comfortable sofas all lined up neatly. Before the ride began - and I still have no idea what it was actually sposed to be - a frantic woman stood up and asked us if anyone had seen something important that she'd lost. People obliged by standing up and looking under their seats etc, and I spotted a collection of objects off to one side. I pointed it out to a friend who relayed the info to the woman. The thing that'd been lost was there but obscured by the other stuff. So, though it was me who was sort of responsible for finding the location, my friend got the kudos.
<eyebrow> I'm sure I've got no idea what that could mean.

I thought at first that I was feeling like crap cos of the stress, but no, I have actually come down with something, a mild respiratory viral thingy the cubs brought home from school. Of course, the reason I haven't been able to shake it off is cos I'm stressed. Heh.

So how's it all going, eh? Mum had her surgery on Friday morning and that went well. She's recovering quickly and it looks like she'll be going back to the rehab centre on Monday for, hopefully, just a short while before going home. When she's home, though, that's when life will really get interesting. The half hour trip to and from the various hospitals isn't so bad and I can visit her every day, more or less. The hour long trip there and back to her home is something else entirely. I'm fighting the feeling that I have an obligation to see her just as often but the reality is that I can't. First, I do actually have a life of my own and frequent two/three hour chunks out of that will lead to nothing but resentment on my part. Second, dear gods the petrol.
Eh, we'll work out something mutually agreeable, I'm sure. Mum has friends up there who're willing to drive her around and if I can see her at least once a week that should mitigate the guilt. :)

Now, the cleaning for the rental inspection. Haven't done as much as I feel is necessary but the house is better than it was a week ago. My bed is clear! Yes, fine, the garden's still a jungle, the cubs' room is dangerous to navigate, but my bed's clear!

Hee, I was chatting with the After School Care coordinator the other day and she was telling me about the study she's been doing for the job. She was expressing amazement that she'd managed to finish a 750 word essay about Piaget's Theory. I had to physically stop myself saying: '750 words? That's nothing!'. I used to be daunted by 500 word projects. I wonder how I'd go now that I've got some word-smithing experience? Hmm...
[Edit: the Blogger spell check suggested 'smiting' instead of 'smithing' <snerk> True, sometimes you do have to beat those words into submission...]

Odd dream last night. There was a (bear with me, this is going to be sketchy) sort of Hollywood actors competition where groups were formed around different themes and they had to do... something. Can't remember. Anyway, I looked over the groups, trying to decide where I'd fit best but didn't much like the look of most of them. There was one group, however, that looked eclectic (and more interesting than the Barbie wannabes) and I thought they'll do. But then I indulged in some pathetic passive/aggressive behaviour. Instead of marching up and asking if I could join I performed so badly in the audition that no one else would take me. I was completely unimpressed with myself, but I got what I wanted.
Let's see if I can remember who was in the group. A middle-aged Japanese actress; a handful of older negro actors/actresses; a really gnarled Caucasian actor, and me. And I think they were in Deadwood style costumes. By far the most interesting bunch, but not at all popular and unlikely to win anything.

Moly: Fabulous herb with white flowers and black root, endowed with magic properties; [Oxford concise; 1974]
No reason, I just thought it was interesting...

Oops, been a while...

Well, Mum's scheduled for surgery this coming Friday. She's understandably apprehensive but determinedly not thinking about it. Still not sure how long she'll be in hospital. The plan was, initially, that she'd be going home at the end of October but apparently her therapists are making noises about keeping her in rehab for another couple of weeks beyond the surgery. The not knowing, not being able to make plans is very annoying for my organised mother. :)

She was allowed another day outing last weekend so the cubs and I picked her up and drove her home. She picked up some more bits and bobs, and met up with a couple of friends, then we trooped up to the Patchwork Teahouse for a coffee. Amazingly, I didn't buy anything! I did take a couple of photos though, and they'll be up at flickr soonish.
Had to have a nap when I got home - sooo much driving... Half-hour to the hospital; hour up to Mum's; another half-hour there and back to the Teahouse. Repeat in reverse. <shakes head>
The previous weekend's outing to the shopping centre was exhausting as well, but that was mostly cos of the crowds, I think. And then of course the cubs were clamouring to go to the Meccano Club Exhibition afterwards - which was half an hour away in the opposite direction from home. No wonder I was knackered.

On top of all this to'ing and fro'ing for Mum, I've got a rental inspection due. That's been tough. I generally choose to ignore housework - and it is a choice - but that choice is swinging 'round to bite me on the bum. <shrugs> I'll ride it out, I always do, but I'm not very pleasant to be around at the moment. Eh, at least my house will be thoroughly clean, for a little while.

Cubs' school had its official opening this morning, with dignitaries in attendance an' all. It kicked off at 8 a.m. which meant getting up at stupid'o'clock. Very, very glad we had the car. Would've been a nightmare getting down there on time by bus.
So anyway, speeches speeches blah blah, including a particularly simpering example from Federal Treasurer Peter Costello.
I overheard the person next to me say: 'He plays the audience like a violin.' Yes, but any idiot can pick up the instrument, doesn't mean it sounds any good. I've never much liked violins anyway...
I took a lot of pics but as my woodgie camera wasn't able to get decent shots of anything happening more than 10' in front of me I took a lot of shots of shoes, and shadows. <g> Had to disable the 'boing' sound effect on the camera; it was very loud.
Mercifully, the 'official' part didn't go for too long then we were able to stampede to the free food. Oh yes, the event was catered. We were each given a carry-bag of breakfast type comestibles. A plastic bowl and spoon; a carton of low-fat yoghurt; mini pack of cereal - Special K or Sultana Bran; small container of low-fat milk, and a muffin, which was probly low-fat/high GI/low sugar (I gave mine to the cubs). There was fruit, too, in baskets on the tables. Lots and lots of fresh fruit. Disgustingly healthy start to the day - I should probly do it more often.

Sue found this badfic reference!
I think my fav has to be:

"Remus allows Sirius to pick their new flat. If you're against slash assume it's for financial reasons..."

Against slash for financial reasons? <choking>
Or this little beauty:

"Draco 'ruins' Hermione's reputation by seeing her in her underclothing while a ferret and is forced to marry her."

Wait, what? Hermione turns into ferret as well? Or can her underwear metamorphose? <snerk>
Thanks, Sue!

Our ABC has started showing a documentary series - Life at One - where a group of children are followed from birth (from conception in a couple of cases!) until their first birthday. It's an attempt to define how our personalities develop, and what sorts of things influence them. The tagline of the program is 'Show me a child at 1 and I'll tell you what sort of adult they'll be'. Okay, I might be paraphrasing that but it outlines the essence of the doco.
My cubs at 1 were pretty laid-back, new situations and changes to their routine didn't seem to bother them, and they never seemed to experience the separation anxiety that other, singleton, children did. I think, according to them, as long as their brother was there all was well. <g>
Laid-back they may have been but if there was something they wanted they could be extremely determined and inventive - and they worked in tandem. Little buggers! :) Not much has changed, really.

Music!
I'm a very happy Lutra at the moment. After a couple of weeks I finally caught the name of a track I've been hearing on the radio so I was able to scamper over to iTunes and buy it! Wolf Like Me - TV on the Radio. This wasn't one of those songs that grows on you, I loved it from the opening bars, the very first time. And once I had a copy I was able to decipher the lyrics... Bonus, it's a werewolf song! I've never understood the sexiness of vampires - that whole 'undead immortal' thing just doesn't do it for me - but werewolves? Now that's something else entirely...
I've generally been having fun frolicking through iTunes, d/l'ing all sorts of stuff. Coldplay, Body Rockers, Eskimo Joe, Foo Fighters (with my other favouritist song ever - Everlong), Placebo, Pony Up, Kasabian, White Stripes. I'm working through my extensive list of must buy/replace tracks. :) A lot of what I listen to is very primal, bit hard, bit fast. There's not a lot of esoterica that makes an impression and sod all of the 'hits and memories' genre. (Gah, I sneered at that stuff first time 'round, there's no comfort in listening to it now, let alone the new commercial pap. <shudder> Gods, even the 'raunchy' stuff is so bland it makes my brain seize...)
So yes, I like being able to pick and choose tracks rather than having to buy entire albums - and while iTunes might only let me burn audio CDs, Winamp will let me rip mp3s from audio, which means new music on my phone! Woohoo! As I said, I'm a happy Lutra.

Lucky Mum, today she had me and my cubs visiting at the same time as Soulsis and her horde. <g> Probably fortunately the 4 boys took themselves off to explore the hospital grounds - it was getting awfully crowded in the room.
Soulsis brought some lovely home-made soft cakey things for mum, and some colourful eclectica for me. :) A big plastic paperweight filled with bright beads; five cute bamboo styled chopstick rests, and a hippo shaped wafer biscuit thing.

I'm taking Mum on an excursion tomorrow, a shopping trip. She's really looking forward to it, but then I remember what it was like being stuck in hospital for weeks, and just how exciting the prospect of getting out was, even for a little while. :)

<wilting> 37 degrees today. Hottest October day in 90 years. I'm not ready for Summer...

Really bizarre mix in my dream last night. The M cub was with me. An old style diesel engine pulled up. My cub knew what model it was, and that something was wrong with the 'uptake'... something. I told him not to speak too loudly cos he'd ruin the plot for the people who hadn't worked out what was going to happen. Yes, we were in a movie, along with that Jack(?)someone - the Brit actor who appeared in loads of old war movies. (Or was it Kenneth More? Tch.)
Scene change to the cubs' father industriously cleaning the house we were in the process of moving out of. (This bit, I suspect, is complete wish-fulfillment on several levels.) I half-heartedly had a go at wiping something but got distracted by a box of interesting ephemeral stuff that either had been, or should've been mine.
In amongst this Soulsis appeared, either asking for a pic of - or telling me about - a particular style of koi. It was a 'crescent' koi, basically a more or less solid colour with only a contrasting 'crescent' moon shape on it's back. Beautiful. There were letters associated with them as well (as I found out when I googled [in the dream]) - KKR? QKR? something like that.
And finally, the last thing I was looking at before I woke up was a photo or postcard of a brunette, viewed from behind. She was standing in beach shallows, looking out to sea. I get the impression of a filmy, short, belted white tunic, and I think she was holding something long in her right hand. She was accompanied by 7 thin hounds - Afghans, is the closest I can get - standing or sitting to her left, all attentively following her gaze. It was a glorious pic, beautiful composition, taken somewhere in the Greek Isles I presumed, judging by the stunning colour of sea and sky. It felt like a modern interpretation of an ancient Goddess, an impression heightened by not seeing her face.
Needless to say, it took me a little while to integrate with the 'real' world this morning.

Mum news. :)
I drove her to an appointment with a vascular surgeon this morning.
Lovely woman, clear and concise, and patient. Upshot is that mum's going to have surgery to clear out the obstruction in her carotid artery. There's a small risk that the surgery may trigger another stroke, but there's a greater risk if nothing's done. Mum was philosophical.
She was less philosophical when she found out how much longer they're planning to keep her in rehab, however. <g> Until the end of October, most likely. All going to plan she'll have her surgery during that time so she doesn't have to come back in to hospital after she's gone home.
And as I was ferrying her around I had empirical evidence of why stroke victims aren't allowed to drive for at least 3 months. After asserting strongly that she could get back behind the wheel without any problems at all, Mum then proceeded to misinterpret all the visual cues of the traffic, and lights, and signposts. After some time of me (gently) correcting her - ('We're slowing down because the car in front has stopped, Mum') - she admitted that perhaps she wasn't quite ready to drive just yet... <rueful>

I keep having dreams about living in places that have no proper toilets...

Penny and I were chatting this morning about our respective weekends. I told her about the cubs pretending to be daleks (using an old fashioned plunger as a prop). She told me about the trials of kneading 4kgs of white fondant icing for a wedding cake she's decorating. I suggested that an old Kenwood mixer would've been handy for that - then I went off on a tangential reminiscence about how much I used to love pinching the dough hook* from my mum's mixer so I could play 'pirate'. Penny laughed and said she could see the similarities between my boys and I... :)

Mum's doing well, even if she thinks her recovery isn't happening fast enough. She's having occupational therapy, physio and speech therapy every day, and later this week she'll be seeing a vascular surgeon about potentially removing the block in her artery. It's also going to be at least 3 months before she can drive - which means I'll have use of her car for that time, but I'll feel obliged to drive her around to her doctors' appointments, I suppose. <g>

And I've a new Snupin bunny to chase so I'm happy again.

(* That's not a Kenwood hook, but it's the closest I could find with a cursory search.)

Okay, some good news, finally. Mum's been moved to a rehab hospital which means she's not considered to be 'at risk' any more. Phew. I spoke to her doctor today as well and discovered it wasn't a mild stroke at all, but as it only affected a fairly small area it didn't seem that bad. One of her carotid arteries is occluded 69-70% and she may need surgery to clear the blockage. There's risks associated with that, naturally, but the doctor seemed confident it could be successful.
All being well Mum could be back home with her cat in 5-7 days. We'll have to wait and see if she'll be allowed to drive though.


Kittenkong 'helping' one of the cubs with his homework.
(I was appalled, however! One of the words on his spelling list was 'center'! I shall have to have words with his teacher...)

Speaking of spelling, I was having a hunt around for a copy of the Chronicles of Riddick DVD. Couldn't see it anywhere on the shelves - they must've sold out.
Then it dawned on me: c-H-r. <shakes head> Sometimes the blonde goes all the way to the bone...
(And yes, it was there under the correct spelling. Tch.)

I've just finished an angst-on-a-stick Snupin ficlet (only 3 pages). It's the - <counts on fingers> - fifth part of this particular plot arc and will probly be up at The Zone shortlyish. Two more fics should see it through to the end, I think.

Well, I'm certainly a little stress-bunny at the moment; I've had a niggling headache that's ebbed and flowed - mostly flowed - for four days now. In fact what I'm feeling right now is recognisably akin to the sort of stress induced by rental inspections or moving house. Which is odd, really cos I wouldn't have thought it was quite as bad as all that. Perhaps it's cos there's multiple small stresses ganging up on me instead of one huge mofo. Hm.
So what's going on?
Mum's still in hospital. She's not improved but neither has she got worse. She's capable of looking after herself but the hospital doesn't seem to be in any hurry to release her. She's waiting to see the specialist - tomorrow, I think - and then we'll hopefully have some concrete indications about her future. I know we'll both feel better once we have something definite to plan for.
I've still got Mum's car and that's a whole 'nother load of niggles, not least of which is that other drivers are so stupid, and dangerous. Sheesh - you can't trust any of them to do as expected! Being on high-alert everytime I get behind the wheel is very wearing. (Yes, I could just not use it but it saves a lot of time, especially getting out to visit Mum. 25 minutes as opposed to an hour and a half...)
Plus it was the first day back at school today and already there's a list of bitty crap piling up that I have to wade through. Gods above, why is nothing ever simple there? And is it possible to find yet another way of screwing money out of us? It all feels really sly and underhand, as well, along the lines of 'Look what's happening here! Isn't it great? Oh, by the way we need you to pay for this, and this, and this...' So irritating. Though to be fair, that perception could just be my cyclical paranoia. I'm sure I'll be all sunshine and fluff again in a few days. <grump> (The dream I had last night hasn't helped, either. I discovered that in the undersea world we were operating in, both my cubs and Penny's daughter were being deliberately held back, physically, emotionally and academically. I woke up angry - never a good way to start the day.)

<sigh> I'll survive, no doubt, I have in the past, but currently I feel I'm approaching a 'Cannot cope, off to Mordor' moment. Eh, could be worse, I spose, though I'm not going to speculate on how it could be worse cos I don't quite trust my luck at the moment...