A Critiquer, the Yeti and Shameless

Bloggie friends!!

What’s up with the weather? I’m back wearing my clown jumper and my yeti boots cos I'm cold!



Anyway! :-)

I finally got my little story returned from my fabulous critique-r and lo and behold – he’s only marked one thing in red. Usually my stories are returned covered in red pen marks and suggestions in red ink and lots of phrases crossed out in red, but this time, there was just one tiny edited word.

So I guess it’s good to go to find a home! Wish me luck bloggie friends! Yay!

Charlie says: I still have no shame.


It's so nearly the weekend!!

A Very Important Distraction

Bloggie friends!!

I’ve just received another of my short stories back from my very unusual critique person – my line manager.

Yep, my boss reads my stories and tells me like it is!!

So as I peruse through his pencil marks and question marks and lots of smiley faces (when he likes something he draws a smiley face!), please be distracted by Larry – the most recent and most important new member of the Prime Minister’s cabinet at 10 Downing Street.



Or go here if this doesn't play or read the story here.

Charlie says: Larry gets my other Evil Eye


I hope to get to all your yummy blogs if not today then tomorrow!

Picture perfect

I found this pic, dear bloggie friends after reading a news article about how dogs are helping children to read. The news article is here with a brilliant snap of Batman the greyhound who continues to do just this.

The article also mentioned a scheme called Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D). It's run by an American non profit organization Intermountain Therapy Animals.

Their aim is to "work with children and adults who are physically, developmentally, or emotionally disabled, as well as others who can benefit from the unique qualities that interaction with an animal can provide."

This pic below is one found in the gallery page of their website.

Copyright (c) 1996-2009 by Intermountain Therapy Animals

What struck me about this photo is how intimate it is. How the boy and the dog seem lost in their own world - everything and everyone shut out.

I just love the way the child and dog mirror each other. I love how they seem to have finally found the one creature who understands.

Those lucky enough to have found such a soul-mate know. Those of us still searching recognise and hope.

Do you see all these too?

I really believe that we can never underestimate the effect a pet has with children nor with the inner child in all of us.

Charlie says: I'm not reading Iams Beef in Gravy pouch here.

Have a book filled, pet-filled weekend everyone!!

A small yay

I'm wallowing in the fact that I got 81% for my 40 line poetry for my course. Small Yay.

I'm only indulging in a little self-patting of back because I really, really, really struggled with this section of my writing course. I like how my tutor said that I was finally "thinking like a poet".

:-)

Things I am doing to ease my waiting for Charlie.

1) Reading

It's the best way I find that keeps my excited nervousness at bay. So, I'm catching up on my reading backlog! I won a book called The Deer and Other Stories by Susan Tepper a few weeks ago and am now on story no. 4. I'm thoroughly enjoying the stories so far. They are dark and full of edgy personalities but are above all incredibly human.

Patsy Collins had her story "Grandad's Cushion" published in this week's My Weekly (20 March issue). It's a really sweet story with a heart of gold and at only a page long! Amazing.

Also Simon Lewin of Spellmaking self-published an e-story, the Armagedon Machine. If you are really adventurous you can log onto amazon, download a Kindle application, buy an e-story!

I feel so 21st Century saying all that! Which brings me to....

2) Indulging

Here's a fun award from the lovely Sharon K Mayhew from Random Thoughts. It's for er... "venturing into the Twenty First Century". I shall keep schtum about the fact that I had to ask what a "crackberry" was recently...

Please beautiful bloggers and furry friends of blogword - I nominate all of you for this - because just by starting a blog you have embraced the 21st Century with open arms!

Ten maybe eleven hours to go...

I was going to invest in a simple-to-use-for-a-complete-novice-and- beginner digi camera that won't bring my bank manager knocking on my door, but I think I went into info overload so I still don't have one! Not to worry, I will be getting pics of the gorgeous Charlie somehow.

I'm going to get up super early to get everything ship-shape for my new feline friend.

I just hope he likes me!

The perfect cup of (costa) coffee = £2.55 (inc. VAT)

I love cappuccinos. I love a good cup of cappuccino. I love a good big cup of cappuccino made by someone else I pay.

I don't ask much of this world. I don't. I want the cat to live forever. I want to be able to compose this poetry for my homework = all 40 lines of it. I want to win at least one small competition for any of my short stories. I did win £50 once for a "flash" story piece - but the website where the competition was hosted has since disappeared...! I want my train service line to not shut down for eight weekends this month and the next, forcing me to take their special laid on buses to and from work adding an extra 4 hours total of journey time.

What makes a good cappuccino? Shots of strong just grounded good quality coffee and a further shot of milk so frothy and so light a hippo would float on it.

I know, I ought to just make my own. I know. But I don't have a cappuccino maker. We did have a really cheap one at work but I could never get the froth right. Or the coffee beans ground just so. That broke down soon after anyway.

I want a little treat. I want to be pampered a little. I work a full time job and have another part time one at the weekends. I'm living with a cat I saw born 17 years ago and who continues to cling with determined paws to her tenth life. I have fat calves. Shop people ask me for my ID when I buy alcohol.

I've tried Starbucks, Cafe Nero, the other one I can't remember and Costa. For a few weeks, there was this wonderful no-nonsense barista from this one Costa place I discovered who made cappuccino for the gods and goddesses. I would have gladly fought monsters and tamed dragons so she could be left in peace to take her time making my perfect cappuccino. Which she did every single time. Queues what queues?Then she disappeared. And so endeth my love affair.

Of course I stumble on really good cappuccino making baristas from Costa every so often. But stumbling upon these rarities are a lottery. Like the cat's progress, there are good days and bad days and terrible days. At least, I know I am not wasting my hard earned dosh on her.

Oh Costa, costa, costa: get thee behind me Costa!

p.s. just spoken to the vets. The cat's blood test results are better than expected - so onwards with the chemo sessions! Starting next Monday...! Hooray! Cat 1, Costa 0.