A Comedy of Error 404

Bloggie friends! My blog is suffering the

The webpage cannot be found......HTTP 404

Everytime I try to click on your fabulous blogs or links within your blogs or even try and join any blogs, I get the above.

So maybe Blogger is trying to tell me something.

Charlie says: Yep, time to go offline and get on with your re-writes - after you get me more treats. Thank you.


We will try again later today and tomorrow to pop over to y'all!

We would also like to send tons and tons of hugs and purrs to sweet Inigo of Rumblebum and lovely Tortie of The Chair Speaks. Please get better, furfriends!

Have a thoughtful Thursday everyone!

Let's get Physics

Ok bloggie friends, I’ve done it again. I’ve just waved goodbye to another very short story and given it to a competition.

This time I even paid to enter. I know I won’t win so I’m also saying bye bye to the entrance fee.

The worst of it is that the monies came out of my er.. "pair of shoes money". Sigh.

That brings me to a conundrum.

Why if I am a dainty size 5 when wearing heels do I need to go a size and a half bigger when I am wearing flats?

To the right is my gorgeous size 5 Steve Maddens. To the left is my cute red pair of flats, size 6 and ½. It’s just not physics is it?


Charlie says: So long as my treats and nip money are safe.


Have a wah-hey Wednesday everyone!

We are sending tons of purrs and hugs to sweet Stella of Amy and the House of Cats! Please get better little one!

It's the thought that counts

Bloggie friends you are the best! Thank you for your stirring words of comfort for yesterday! I now stand ten feet tall (in heels)!

Oh but I have a confession for today!

I baked a batch of chocolate Chelsea buns for work…

…then ate the lot.

So here is evidence that I did sort of think if my work colleagues – even went as far as placing the buns in a Tupperware ready to be transported.

Charlie says: They never made it. The End.

Have a tantalising Tuesday, everyone!

Hobbit in heels

Utterly fabulous bloggie friends!

Two forms of rejection guaranteed to make me feel even smaller than my 5 feet and 1 inch frame.

(Think hobbit but without the big feet – mine are dainty and not at all hairy thank you very much!)

1) A nice publisher’s rejection for one of my stories:

We receive many well-written, compelling, stories,
but can only take a very limited number due to constraints of space and style. We wish you the best of luck in placing your story elsewhere.

2) A certain cat’s rejection of the many freshly filled water bowls I have dotted in the house for rain water gathered on the base of an upturned bucket.


Charlie says: Hmmm 2010 is a good vintage year for vin blanc de slurrpy.

Have a magnificent Monday everyone!

If it ain't busted why fix it?

Dearest Blogger,

I love you for introducing me to the wonderful world of blogging and for giving me a free template with nobs on to personalise my blog.

But what’s all this “new editor" about then?

I tried scheduling a post in advance but instead blogger just published it and to add insult to injury, published with the scheduled date and time on it.

It also refuses to preview my post.

I have since reverted to the old editor option but I understand you are about to remove this in place of this horrid new editor.

But If it ain’t busted why fix it?

Charlie says: I hope your next letter will be to Father Christmas. I want more treats. I've been a good kitty alllllll year.



Me and Charlie are sending purrs and hugs to lovely Perry of Noir's Nook. Perry is Tommy's special gift from her dad. Perry also gave Tommy ringworm!That's love for ya! :-)

Have a terrific weekend everyone!

By the light of the silvery moon

Bloggie friends the 23rd September 2010 saw the full moon on the same night as the fall equinox!

And this phenomenon won’t be seen again until 2029!!!!

What does it all mean?

I have no idea! LOL!

But it just sounds ever so mysterious and grand!! And slightly spooky.

Here is my attempt at showing you this same full moon outside my home:

Charlie says: It means bath time!

And here is a link that may shed some light on this phenomenon.

Have a fortunate Friday everyone!

How it should be done

Never work with children or animals.

This could also be tweaked as “ never have children or animals in your so called novel if you can’t handle them”!

At the moment I have 2 ten year olds and a dog running around amok and causing untold damage to my manuscript! None of them are listening to me. Aaaaaargh!

Oh but look at this bloggie friends – even if you don’t like the music just enjoy these beautiful dogs (all from rescue centres and now with loving and forever homes) showing me how working with them should be done:

Charlie says: Bet they can’t do this!

Have a terrific Thursday everyone!

Thank you for all your tales of mistaken payment identity yesterday! I'm glad I'm not alone! :-)

Chemistry

Bloggie friends, thank you for your kind reassurances and words for yesterday’s post. I feel most comforted, thank you!

Still reeling from that guess what I did today? I go to the chemist to collect my repeat prescriptions. And this is what happens next.

Chemist man: How do you pay for your prescriptions?
Me: With this.
Chemist man: Your library card?

Yes bloggie friends, I am holding out my brand spanking new library card from Hertfordshire libraries because it feels and looks like my credit card.

Yes it does.

Charlie says: You crazy, me cat.

Have a wispy Wednesday, everyone!

Attack of the Clones

Bloggie friends, I’ve been cloned.

In India.

What am I talking about?

Start from the beginning like a good story teller shouId!

I open my email account and nearly fall off my chair because there’s one from my ex.

We parted ways over 2 and a half years ago and apart from exchanges of cards for birthdays and x-mas we’ve not spoken really so imagine my eyes widening and my jaw dropping when I see his email address in my inbox.

Anyway apparently the fraud dept of my bank left him 4 messages for me to contact them.

So I did only for them to say that my card has been cloned and transactions were made and declined in India.

So now I’ve cut up my debit card and await a new one.

I’ve just written to my ex to thank him profusely. I hope that’s the end of that though. Memories should stay in the past and should never be resurrected. Damn those fraudsters for stirring things up again! :-(

The moral of the story bloggie friends: be very careful with your card details and personal info.

I only ever use my debit card to pay for shopping and the vets. I don’t and have never used it for online purchases.

But I do use cash machines so who knows?!?!?

Please be careful out there!

Charlie says: This is what I think of the cloners!

Have a fraud-free Tuesday everyone! Phew!
p.s I did update all my bank contact details when I moved out so goodness knows why the bank rang my ex!!

A Way to a man's heart is through his stomach

Bloggie friends, I collect recipes in the same way I collect.. er… viruses! LOL!

None are safe from my beady amateur cook’s eyes whether the recipes are in magazines, food packets/tins, books and oh, the internet.

So imagine my delight at discovering this gem of a recipe from The First Book of Boys’ Cooking by Beim, Jerrold (1957):

LOL!

I am indebted to this site: Awful Library Books for bringing this yummy treat to my attention! And this is just a taster! Excuse the pun. The link will not only bigify the recipe but have more extras from the book!

The site is set up by a couple of lovely librarians from Michigan and the books are actual stock that they may weed out from their collection.

Now do you see why I love libraries and some librarians and their able assistants so much?!?!

Charlie says: Raw Carrots! Yuck!

Have a healthy Monday everyone!

The Day for Living Dangerously

Bloggie friends I am fearless!

Or foolhardy! LOL!

I ate a tin of sweetcorn with a best before end date of…… July 2010!!!!

Along with a jar of baby asparagus with a best before end date of.. . August 2010!!!

All topped with cheese that had gone yellowy crusty at the edges.

But I was hungry bloggie friends and this was my first proper meal since the influenza knocked me back for six!

Not to worry – said sweetcorn was poured on a pizza base I made from scratch because apart from the above my larder was down to a bag of plain flour, a sachet of yeast and a bottle of cooking oil.

No more tins of soup for me. I've ran out! LOL!

Today I shall drag my carcass to the shops to stock up. Even poor Charlie is down to his last sachet of Beef in Gravy.

Charlie says: I shall be ringing the RSPCA anon. Or maybe just go next door. First I must roll around on this drainage cover here.

Thank you kind and adorable bloggie friends for all your wishes for me to be all well!! It worked!! Thank you!! Please have this resilient little sunflower!!

Have a spiffing weekend everyone!

Don't forget 19 Sept deadline for story submissions to 50Stories for Pakistan, proceeds to go to the Red Cross, thank you.

The Influence of Influenza

Bloggie friends!

When I wake up drowning in a pool of my sweat and feel as if I'm stuck under a concrete block that's been dropped on me from a great height, my mind turned to mush, muscles immobile, insides simultaneously hot and chilled - I think it's fair to say that I have influenza.

So 6 days later I find myself still alive, if barely.

And whao but do I have such a lot to catch up on!

Charlie says: Me too.



Have a healthy rest of the week everyone! And thank you for helping with my mystery plant!! LOL!

Monday's Mystery

Yes bloggie friends, it’s Old Kitty’s Mystery Plant Monday! LOL!

Or “What the heck is that?!”

As always I’ve lost the label as this was a bulb I planted two years ago and this year it’s turned out to be this weird and ever so wonderful creature!

What say you fab bloggie friends?

Charlie says: I like how you use pics of me or your silly plants when you run out of interesting things to say in your blog.

Have a manic Monday everyone!

Weekend wonders

Charlie says: I am most impressed with your manuscript. Honest I am.

Ever so creative Bloggie Friends!! Remember the 100 Stories for Haiti anthology?

It raised £4000 for the Red Cross so now the guy behind this endeavour - Greg McQueen - is gonna be doing the same again to raise funds for the flood relief for Pakistan.

This time he is putting together an anthology of 50 stories.

If you have a 500 word max story inside of you that you would like to donate, please go here for details. I will certainly try to write and send too.

There is no guarantee that mine will be accepted again this time round cos I've not had much luck with my stories lately.

But I try, bloggie friends, I try!

Thanks to womagwriter and Patsy Collins for the info.

Have a winsome weekend everyone!

The Great Escape

It's Friday bloggie friends! The weekend beckons!

Now doesn't that just make everything bright and breezy and fine??

Yes it does!!! :-)

Charlie says: I am attempting a Steve McQueen. Yes another one.

Have a fellowship of the ring Friday everyone!!

Sorry about the short post - I'm still achey and very tired!

All Pooped Out

Ok.

My lovely nails are torn, my flabby bits have turned to muscle, my feet are developing blisters, I have paper cuts from goodness knows where, I’ve not stopped sneezing since I returned home and I am so exhausted my eyes have sunk deep into my skull.

And we have 4 more days (thankfully scattered throughout September) of this move to do before all is complete.

Bloggie friends I am pooped.

I’ve got a lot of catching up with y’all but first sleep, sleep perchance to snore!

Charlie says: I’m already one step ahead of you, lady! But I will leave the snoring to you.


Have a titter ye not Thursday everyone!

The Great Unwashed

Bloggie friends I am sad.

I’ll be offline most of today.

We are having a mega move at work and my cry of “I’m an artist, damn it”! won’t be cutting any ice with the powers that be.

Nor would “what about my nails?!?!”

Or “this is so not in my contract”!

So please spare a thought for my inner diva as I don my baggy t-shirt, unwashed jeans, big trainers and protective gloves and lug crates and boxes and push trollies laden with things here there and everywhere.

It’s called cost-cutting.

I hope to visit you all very soon! Probably not today though. :-(

Charlie says: I've sprinkled some of my furs on your jeans too. They add authenticity.

Have a wistful Wednesday everyone!

A Yeasty Nirvana

One of the most fabulous things I love about blogging is the amount of sublime information from equally fabulous bloggers that enriches my life and takes my spiritual soul to a higher level of nirvana.

I am talking of course of Marmite Spaghetti.

+

Melt some margarine with marmite, add a splash of water, throw in some cooked spag or pasta et voila: a dish made for heavenly creatures!

Thank you, thank you, thank you wonderful Lacer’s Life – my dinners are never the same again

Charlie says: It's not too late for me to run next door.

Have a twirly Tuesday everyone!

Pustules of plot holes

Bloggie friends I am silly again!! Yes, always!!

There I was in my bathroom thinking I was dabbing TCP (a very mild liquid antiseptic) onto the hormonal pustules (or spots!) that have decided to break out all over my face when realisation strikes.

Instead of the stinky, stingy antiseptic that actually works in getting rid of my zits - what was I using?

Nail polish remover.

Charlie asks: does it work on ants too?

In my defence I wasn't wearing my glasses and this was after trying and failing to get through my chapter 16. I've created a mega plot hole because I'm changing the tone of one of my characters. Now nothing makes sense! LOL!

Have a macarena Monday everyone and HAPPY LABOR/LABOUR Day to my aromatic American bloggie AND cute Canadian friends!!! :-)

Empire of the Ants

There I was doing some evening gardening by the light of the silvery moon – snipping here, pruning there watering everywhere - when I came across this and SCREAMED.

Oh ok I went “EW!!” and ran inside the house.

This - bootilycious bloggie friends - is one of my mini rose bushes and the whole plant has been converted into a deluxe apartment for ants.

On closer inspection, I decide to leave the plant for them.

Well they’re quiet, neat, keep themselves to themselves and they’re no trouble at all. Besides, the plant looks ok doesn’t it?!?!

Charlie says: Hmmm. I hope you’re charging rent per ant.

On another amazing note: the lovely KarenG is hosting a BBQ blogging party all weekend so feel free to pop over with a veggie sausage or three!

Hello to those who came over from the BBQ! Me and Charlie are so happy to meet you!

Have a whing-a-ding-ding weekend everyone!

Pale and interesting

Thank you so much bloggie friends for all your support for my writing glitch yesterday.

You are all super-duper sparkly stars!



I’m afraid I’ll be like this periodically until I am through with my re-write – so more bad poetry on the way!

Or shoes. LOL!

Charlie says: I'm trying to look pale and interesting for next door.

Have a fortune cookie Friday everyone!

Read em and weep

The Lament

Will I ever finish my re-write?
Or instead am I forever doomed
To do battle with my writing demons
You know, the ones that make me weep?

There are so many things wrong with my story
There are no eurekas or cries of glory
There are only points of view shifts
And plenty of narrative blips
I think I will just lay down and sleep.

Charlie says: I second that.

Thank you all so much for my blogbirthday wishes yesterday and especially for your lovely comments on Charlie’s pic!!

Have a tickety boo Thursday everyone!

Floral flops

Now beautiful bloggie friends - today my blog is 8 months old!

And what better way to celebrate??

By nabbing these to enjoy September's early indian summer!!!!!!

The prettiest pair of flip flops I ever did see!

And the best thing about these beautiful pair apart from their floral gorgeousness?!?!

They were...... £3.99 (SALE price) and soooooo Dunlop

(who make tyres and trainers I think! LOL!)

Yay!

Charlie says: You get floral flops, I get green green grass of lawn.

Have a whirlygig Wednesday everyone!