It's Official!

I'm my neighbourhood's designated "Cat Lady"!!!

My lovely neighbours gave me a Christmas card that said "To Cat Lady". LOL! Awwww

Charlie and Gumtree ask: Is Santa here yet?

Wishing all my bloggie pals a wonderful Christmas and Holiday Season! 

See you all in the New Year! 

A fake debut

Bloggie pals! 

I put my tree up over the weekend!

And here it is in all its pink fakery!

LOL!! It’s two feet tall and hopefully out of the reach of curious Gumtree paws...

Ten days to Christmas bloggie pals! Are we a teensy weensy bit excited? 

Charlie and Gumtree say: Yes!! Can't you tell? :-)

Have a great week y’all!

Wishing on a star lists!

While Gumtree looks out for Santa, Charlie completes their Santa wish list!

 Bloggie pals!! 

Surprisingly, I'm actually creating a New Year's resolutions list for myself. I don't know what it is but I'm feeling totally optimistic and braver as this year closes and I'd like to achieve concrete things this time next year! And it feels good!

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Waiting...

Bloggie pals!

While Charlie keeps a very early look-out for Santa's arrival...

Here's a pic of some MASSIVE Christmas baubles that greet me on my way to work!

Yay for the festive season! Wishing y'all a peaceful week!

Worst poem yet!

Tis time to bring out your winter coats

As the temperature drops a couple of degrees

But Charlie and Gumtree want to know

“Do our bums look big in these?”

Wishing all my US bloggie pals a peaceful Thanksgiving! 

Have a great week y'all! Only 28 days to Christmas....!!!!

Appeals, auction, animals!

Bloggie pals!

Gorgeous Catdownunder has alerted me to this fabulous global auction  "Authors for the Philippines" where you may bid for online writing courses, mentoring, signed copies of books, critiques from literary agents etc etc! 

All proceeds to go to the British Red Cross to help those affected by typhoon Haiyan. 

Hurry, the auction ends on the 20th November!

There is also of course the Humane Society International  for the poor animals affected too.

Charlie says: I bid successfully for this chair.

Have a lovely week y'all!

Stop daydreaming!

Bloggie pals!

Loving these top 10 writerly tips from the utterly fabulous PD James 

(93 years young and still going strong, bless her), especially her one at no. 5:

"Write, read and don't daydream".  

As in don't daydream how successful you'll be without doing the hard work of actual writing! Yikes! LOL!

Now remember those hanging plants of last week's post? Well here is where I found them:

A construction site! How amazing is that!?!

Charlie and Gumtree say:  We dream of a tidy bed.

Have a peaceful week y'all. Wishing everyone a reflective Remembrance/Veteran's Day.

On another sombre note: my heart goes out to those caught in typhoon Haiyan's path.  Very sad.

A hanging mystery and a Summer reveal!

Bloggie pals!

On my way to work on Sunday morning, I came across these hanging bags:

On closer inspection I read this:

Awwww! 

Betcha you can't guess where these are hanging from... will reveal all next week.. if they're still there that is!! LOL!

Speaking of revealing things ....

... here is gorgeous Summer Ross's  (writing as Decadent Kane) brand spanking new book !

"An old family secret draws Ribbon into an Elven world while Draven is forced to find a way to drag her back home to save Christmas magic." 

All sorts of Decadent info may be found here.

Available from 13th December.

Have a great week y'all! Have a fun, happy and safe Bonfire/Guy Fawkes Night!

Keep Calm and Write a Halloween Haiku!

Bloggie pals!!

We here in the south of the UK are on "amber alert" weather wise! There  are dire predictions of a really really REALLY bad storm on its way tonight and tomorrow. Yikes!

So while me and Charlie and the Gumster hunker down, why not celebrate Halloween by writing a suitably creepy haiku and a chance of a £20 (or equivalent - so open to all) prize?

Just leave your  halloween haiku here. I've got my one there already! Good luck!

Gumtree says: I stay in my basket until the bad weather goes away!

Please please be safe, y'all!

Brainiacs

Bloggie pals!

You may or may not know this but I work for a university and came across these marvellous PhD research subjects in the field of chemistry!

 *************************

Photocatalysis with Enzymes for Future Energy Technologies

Self-Assembled Cellulose Structures for Sustainable Photonic Technologies

Artificial Photosynthetic Systems for Solar Energy Conversion

 *************************

No, I haven’t a clue what any of these entail but don't they just sound ever so fascinating?

 Charlie and Gumtree say: E=MC2, or Eating equals Munchies and Chicken for Two.

Have a great week everyone!

Perfect evening

Bloggie pals!

This is my idea of a perfect evening! 

Charlie and Gumtree sharing a truce while I watch Inspector Morse! 

Washed down with a rather nice pint of real ale!

:-)

Hope you all have perfect evenings too!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian bloggie pals!

Have a great week!

World Smile Day!

Bloggie pals! 

Did you know that last Friday was "World Smile Day"? 

So I hope y'all had a good day's play!

Spread a little kindness, made someone a bouquet

Enjoyed your evening, chillaxing and eating souffle!

Gumtree says: A frown is but an upside down smile!

Have a fabulous week everyone! 

Living on the edge!

Bloggie pals! 

There's this place I really want to work for but it's one of those institutions where jobs are scarce to come by or they hardly advertise BUT after FIVE years of clicking on their website and vacancies page, FINALLY an opportunity arose. 

It is now midnight, Sunday. The deadline is Monday 12 noon. I've just emailed them my CV and cover letter...

LOL! 

Talk about living on the edge...

Gumtree says: I stay well away from any edge!

Wish me luck bloggie pals! Doubts are already setting in:

1) I am too old for the job.

2) There are probably a million and one applicants younger and more experienced than me.

3) I am too old for the job. LOL!

Not to worry bloggie pals - I may have doubts but I know to pull up my big girl pants, big myself up, jut my chin out and treat myself to a large cappuccino with extra sprinkle of chocolate!

Have a great week, y'all!

An Equinox and a Dangled Carat

Charlie basks in the autumn Equinox

With its equal halves of day and night

Heralding the end of summer light

And beginning the hunt for his Christmas socks!

:-)

The above pic taken 22 September 2013.

And here is a very succinct explanation of an equinox!

Bloggie pals!! I shall be on a 2 day training course at work (Monday - Tuesday)  – so forgive me if I'm late visiting your blogs!

p.s. a big big SHOUT OUT to the unbelievably stunningly beautiful  (seriously - she's HOT!) Hilary Grossman and her published memoir, Dangled Carat, the story of how she  got her commitment-phobic man to put a ring on it! Yay!

Happy Autumn!

A CassaStorm in a teacup

Bloggie pals!

It's cold outdoors!! Winds are howling, rain is pouring, trees are swaying and there be muddy pawprints where muddy pawprints should never appear! 

How else will Charlie and Gumtree  keep warm?

With the help of Cap'n Ninja and his transparent underpants! 

*sound of Old Kitty swooning and hitting the kitchen floor, hard*.

Cap'n Ninja aka Alex J Cavanaugh and the third book of his space epic (published 17th Sept) guarantees to whip up a heated frenzy!

Surely a great way to cuddle up and keep one's innards burning!

Cap'n Ninja says: yes and don't call me Shirley!

For more details of CassaStorm please go here (Amazon link) and here (trailer)

Win utterly fabulous Cassa goodies by visiting the gorgeous Cap'n's blog here.

Off Old Kitty goes to swoon on somewhere else nice and soft....

Have a great week y'all

Telly addicts

There I was asking my lovely work colleague – who is in her 50’s – if she saw this programme on the telly the other night only for her to inform me that she’s not owned a television for 29 years.

Of course my next question was “But what do you do instead?”

To which she replied, “Other things”.

Gumtree says: I watch Charlie all the time!

Have a great week y’all and please step away from the Christmas stuff already out in the supermarkets! LOL! 

Sizzling September Stationery!

Bloggie pals!

Didn't August just whizz along nicely? 

To ease us into September with its shorter days and longer nights, Christmas things in shops and imminent return to school/college/university, here's a really easy chance to win some stationery!

Now I've read the rules and nowhere does it state that you have to be of a certain age to enter! LOL!

Charlie says: I take the high road.

Gumtree says: I take two strings and a kong!

Have a fabulous start to the new month! And Happy Labor Day to all my American bloggie pals!

Long words and lie-ins

Bloggie pals!

Not only is today a Bank Holiday in the UK (hoorah!) but it’s also National Dog Day too! Awwww!

Charlie says:  I make the bed

So while I have a totally lazy day today, here’s a fabulous word to mull upon:

Osseocarnisanguineoviscericartilaginonervomedullary – means "having the structure of the human body".

Apparently the word itself  is a compound adjective – a string of words stuck together!

I found out about this reading my saturday newspaper - in a section called "Ask a grown up". The question was "Does my cat, Oscar know he's a cat?" and the lovely answer is here with the above word as part of it!

Have a great week everyone!

AWOL and Random First Lines..

Bloggie pals!!

Gumtree asks: Where's Charlie?

Charlie asks: Where's Gumtree?

Old Kitty asks: Where was I last week?

Nevermind! We're back and we missed you all!

For you writerly folk, here's a fun online help -  Random First Line Generator

it generates random first lines, random plots etc to inspire your writing! Enjoy!

Have a great week y'all!

Time Lord!

Bloggie pals!! 

Please indulge me as my inner sci-fi nerdy child goes "squeeeeeeee"!!!!

The new Doctor Who has been unveiled as none other than the fabulously glorious Peter Capaldi! 

55 years young and totally gorgeous in all his scrummy Scottishness! 

Gumtree says:  I see your squee and raise you a Squeeeeeeeeee - with bits! Ahem!

Have a great week everyone!

And to Abby, Uncle MaxMaxx, Socks and GJ - we love you all so much, you've been with us through thick and thin from when we started blogging. You are all in our hearts and thoughts.

Perspective

Hasn’t time flown by

As we say goodbye to July

But fret ye not oh beautiful bloggie pals

For tis only 148 days to Yul-e-tide!

LOL!

Charlie says: This space is occupied.

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Not a cookbook!

Bloggie pals!

Beautiful and super talented Niamh Boyce of Words a Day blog debuts her wonderful book The Herbalist (published by Penguin) this year and I've read it and all I can say is "WOW"!

Imagine a literary equivalent of a Douglas Sirk film with gritty realism and plenty of heart!

Bestest of all she’s visiting me to answer my silly questions:

1) What is your favourite herb (s)? I love the scent of lemon thyme.

2) How could you do that to Carmel?! And Eliza* LOL!

I know! But it wasn’t me honestly - the characters in this book did as they pleased, all I could do was watch and weep...

*Eliza is a much loved pig.... and Carmel is my favourite character in the book!

Thank you lovely Niamh! And all the best with your guaranteed bestseller!

Thank you Old Kitty, it’s a pleasure to be here, and thank you for your kind words.

****************************************************

The Herbalist:

Set in 1930’s small town Ireland, a seemingly exotic Herbalist appears in the market square and mesmerises a headstrong and precocious 17 year old Emily. But why do the other women of the town seek his expertise so surreptitiously?

Some more fab reviews for The Herbalist here!

A gazillion trillion super stars from me and paws up from the Gumster and Charlie!

Meet n greet!

Bloggie pals!!!

Oh it was so good to unplug for a whole week!!  We thoroughly recommend it!!

And yet we totally missed you gorgeous guys and gals and furry pals! 

We hope to catch up with y'all soon!

Charlie says: You are NOT Gumtree!

p.s. introducing Demon - my new next door neighbours' kitty!

A little dramatic interlude

Bloggie pals!

A had a little kitty drama over the weekend! 

This little beauty appeared out of nowhere!

And what did Gumtree do?

Gumtree says: I am not hiding I am just quality checking this shopping bag!

Luckily Charlie was off on his adventures or he'd have gone for this sweetheart! He's SO territorial! 

Anyway bloggie pals! I won't have a blog post up on Monday, the 15th July, so see you all soon in a couple of weeks!

A Shiny Rhymey for July!

Bloggie Pals!

My favourite month is July!

And let me tell you why!

Charlie turns 10 and I get to be

A year older than previously!

:-)

Gumtree says:  Welcome shiny Charlie! Please to wipe your paws!

Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian bloggie pals!

Happy Fourth of July to all my American bloggie pals!

Happy July to the rest of you! LOL!

Charlie says: Nominate your fave self-pub authors!

Bloggie pals!

Here's something for you fans of self-published authors! 

Nominate your fave self-pubbed author and the Guardian newspaper will interview them and highlight their novels! Go here for it all to make sense! 

Gumtree says: I heart Charlie!

Have a great week y'all!

Write with Neil Gaiman and Gumtree is ONE!

Bloggie pals!

Gumtree is one year old in June

Charlie would like to send him to the moon!

Gumtree is suddenly all grown up

Charlie would have preferred a  teacup!

Oh just saw this in the Guardian’s website! 

Write a story with Neil Gaiman! 

He starts a story with an opening line and all you have to do is finish it!  

Apparently he’ll pick the best ones!  Go here! Yay!!

Charlie says:  I turn 10 in July!

Have a great week y'all!

Identity crisis!

Bloggie friends!

Charlie says:  I do not believe my eyes 

(and please ignore the big boots and smelly socks behind me!). 

The silly Gumster....

... thinks he is a meerkat!

Gumtree says: I am many wonderful things!

Have a great week everyone!

Not one but two excuses!

Bloggie pals!! Here are two great excuses for writerly procrastination!

:-)

Charlie says: I make a handsome screensaver!

Happy June everyone!! Summer seems to have finally arrived here in the UK so I hope you are all having a wonderful start to this month!

Surprises galore!

Bloggie pals!!

 

My annual "team building" session for work is looming but this year, my employers have surpassed themselves with this invite! It almost makes the event bearable! LOL! Well, no it doesn't but look at the lovely invite!!

 

And the good Cap'n Alex J. Cavanaugh  surprised me with this fabulous accolade!!! Awwwww! I am BLUSHING!!  And that's not only because of his invisible underwear. Ahem.

Thank you Cap'n Ninja! You ROCK the best!!

 

 

Charlie says: I surprise the silly Gumster with my mighty leap!

 

 

Have a lovely week y'all!

Names! Nerds!

Bloggie pals!!

Gumtree says: I look for Charlie.

Star Trek: Into Darkness was utterly utterly fabulous. I give it a gazillion stars and then some! If you are going to see it I promise you, you won't be disappointed! It made this trekker nerd very happy indeed!

And you know what else made me happy? A footballer called "Fitz Hall" is know as "One Size" to his fans. 

Yes. As in  "one size fits... "

Have a great week y'all! :-)

p.s. I didn't make up Mr Hall's nickname, I read about it here!

Boldly going with camels!

Bloggie friends!

I am soooooooooooo excited I can barely contain myself!!

Today (Monday) I shall be ensconced in a lovely imax cinema watching Star Trek: Into Darkness in glorious 3D and imax!!!!!!!

*Squeals with girlish delight*!!!!!!

So while I am away, here is a pic of two beautiful Bactrian camels outside my office window taken a couple of weeks back.

The School of African and Oriental Studies held a Camel Conference (I kid you NOT) and these two beauties were there to highlight just how important these creatures are to the livelihoods of so many! 

And I repeat, they were right outside my window at work!!!!!

Me and Charlie and The Gumster promise to visit y'all eventually but first we must boldly go where no-one has gone before! :-)

Have  a great week!!

Stripes, spots, pots and surveys!

Bloggie pals! Finally, I got my potted plants to bloom again! If you remember, this was one task I set myself to do a couple of months back! 

Et voila!

Gumtree says: I show off my stripes!

Charlie says: I show off my spot!

And lastly, today (6th May)  is the first ever National Cat Watch Day! 

This survey asks cat owners to observe their chosen cat and complete a questionnaire.  The aim is to understand how cats "use their home and garden and to spot where improvements can be made to their world." Details, here.

Have a great week, y'all!