Talisman
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Posts posted by Talisman
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The cats are home and we are delighted. When we got round to the house just after 5pm they were safely ensconced in their carriers and waiting for us patiently. One of them has a slight abscess on one of her teeth which may have to come out at some point, but other than that they are both very healthy, just a little timid. They will come around though once they have settled in with us. They are both hiding at the moment - one in a corner of the room behind one of our cabinets and the other behind the TV, but that is perfectly normal and to be expected. It has been a tough old day for them after all, being put in those carriers, taken from their home and looked at by the vet - having injections and worm tablets and flea powder rubbed on them and then arriving in a strange home with 2 people that they don't know all that well. They each have a bowl of fish though in their little hidey holes, a fresh bowl of water and a clean litter tray, so as long as they use all of these we are happy. It is just so lovely to have them home though. The neighbour who has been feeding them is going to really miss them - but we have said she is welcome to visit whenever she likes. I just know though that the 4 of us are going to be such good friends.
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I am sorry too to hear about all the family health concerns going on at the moment. Coran and I are going round to see the cats again in about half an hour to try and coax them into their boxes so the Vet can give them the once over. I hope it goes a bit better this time - we are taking some gloves with us just in case as the claws might be out!
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17 hours ago, Little Pixie said:
You'd be amazed how many people do that. The worst are the cold callers. It's a good excuse to get rid of them mind you and tell them they have the wrong number!
17 hours ago, Little Pixie said:Leak in my bathroom this afternoon, water cascading down through the ceiling into the diningroom - where my books are ! Aargghh ! Found a plumber after a couple of hours, and it`s semi-fixed. Thankfully Dad is really handy and turned the water off, ripped open wooden panelling and found the leak, stopped it himself. The plumber isolated it with, erm, better plumbing supplies ? Anyway, crisis averted. Maybe 20 books injured, 5 badly. And the diningroom will need new wallpaper on one wall, when it`s all dried out. Could`ve been worse, I suppose.
That sounds pretty nasty! Shame about the books - can they be replaced?
I have just been round to see the cats again. I have decided that the shy one isn't shy at all as she seems to love me. She was all over me again today, purring like crazy - I thought she was going to climb on my lap at one point, but she changed her mind and decided not to. She was letting me stroke her belly though which is one of the most vulnerable places for cats - when they do that you know they like you. Her sister in the meantime just sat there watching us and having a good groom. We are going to try again tomorrow to get them to the Vet - so it all goes well we could be bringing them home in a day or so.
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Is anyone else watching Handmaids Tale?
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Yes, I read about that - truly shocking. I know I criticise our Government but at least they don't do that.
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As long as you don't call me Jane I'll forgive you.
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16 hours ago, Little Pixie said:
Caron, fingers crossed for the cats and congrats.
Muggle, hope you feel better soon.
Thank you - but who's Caron?!
We went to see the cats yesterday afternoon and they seemed a lot more affectionate. This may have been because the daughter in law was there clearing out the house which meant that they had company. The shy one kept coming up to me and rubbing her nose against me which is the first time she has done that. Her sister got the hump I think as the other one was getting all the attention!
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On 14/06/2018 at 11:15 PM, muggle not said:
Latter part of May and this month has not been great. Lots of stuff going on that I could do without.
Sorry to hear that muggle.
Life is quite good for me in contrast - I am tired, but that's normal and partly due to the time of year anyway with the lighter mornings.
There is quite a lot going on at the moment though for both of us. It's Corans birthday tomorrow (her 65th) and mine on Thursday so we are going out for a nice lunch tomorrow to celebrate - tomorrow is also our 21st anniversary - I am not sure where the time has gone. Things have been busy at work as well - starting on Monday the cleaning team are pretty much off work for their summer holidays back to back. I made sure I got all the appraisals done then before that happened, which wasn't half as bad as I thought it would be.
The big news though is that it looks as if we may be adopting new cats. One of the ladies on our park died at the end of April, leaving her 2 cats (two sisters from the same litter) behind. Her son can't take them as he has a large dog, the neighbour who has been coming in to feed them can't either as she has 2 dogs. Coran and I have been to see them a few times and just fell in love with them both. They are 11 years old and one of them is very timid but the bolder one is very friendly and once her sister sees her getting to know us we hope this will encourage the other one. We have said that we will take them subject to the vet saying they are okay, and arranged to meet the daughter in law and neighbour at the house yesterday, but between the four of us we couldn't get them into their cat carriers, so we had to change the appointment to Wednesday instead. The neighbour is going to try and get them in one room when she feeds them on Wednesday which should hopefully make this a bit easier next time. In the meantime we have agreed that we will spend some time with them when they come through the cat flap to play in the garden and try and get to know them a bit better that way. We have bought them a little dangly mouse then to play with in the hopes that this might tempt them to come towards us a bit more and will visit them again on this afternoon.
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It has been a really weird sort of week for me when it felt like I got loads of stuff done but did nothing all at the same time! We are planning a relaxing weekend where we do as little as possible. Tonight though Coran and I are going to the annual talent show for the wonderful clients that I work with - they will be singing, dancing and offering all sorts of entertainment and you won't be able to get them off the stage! It will be a long night as there's 27 acts to get through and they have saved the best for last!
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Coran and I went to see the Game of Thrones Experience with Ramin Djawadi at Wembley last weekend - and very good it was too with some great effects. We have also just bought tickets tor Rick Wakeman's Piano Tour in November at our local theatre here in Dorking. Coran is a big Rick Wakeman fan and saw him all the way back in the 70's so it will be a good night for her! It will be great to see him at such a small venue and so close to home.
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It has been beautiful weather here this weekend with temperatures into the mid 20's. Coran and I have made the most of it by getting out and about. We managed to get all the grass cut yesterday and in the afternoon went to see Solo at the cinema. This morning we went out for an iced coffee and then this afternoon we went to Polesden Lacey to sit out in the sun and listen to the jazz, which started for the summer season. It was a trio of musicians this time - on guitar, saxophone and double bass respectively. We took a picnic with us and in my case a few cans of beer - which was a great way to spend the afternoon.
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I have completed a few more countries in the last month:
The Moon is Following Me by Cecil Browne for St Vincent
The Five Wonders of the Danube by Zoran zivkovic for Serbia
From Tajikstan to the Moon by Robert Frimtzis for Moldova
Beauty on Earth by Charles Ferdinand Ramuz for Switzerland
Next up is Macedonia.
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On 29/05/2018 at 4:37 PM, Madeleine said:
Sounds brilliant Talisman, the music is fabulous isn't it? Nice you were able to make a "short break" out of it too!
Yes it really is great music. It was brilliant to see it all live on the big screen and I am really glad we were able to go. The timing was brilliant with it being a Bank Holiday as it meant I didn't have to take extra days off from work.
6 hours ago, Nollaig said:I finally finished my Masters for the year (and perhaps forever, depending on how I feel in December!) It really was grueling, nowhere near as engaging or worthwhile as the cert before it. I was just aiming for passing grades by the end. Glad it's done, more time for me!
Went to see Derren Brown last night, think it's the first time he's been in Cork. Was fun to see him live, although I've seen all the tricks in the show (as it's a Best Of), before, so that took away from it a little. Still, he got me a couple of times, and it was fun to see stuff like the blindfolded mind reading in real life.
It's way too hot here for me now, over 20 (22-26 usually) degrees every day. I know that's not hot by most peoples' standards, but it's near 100% humidity all the time, doesn't go down below 15 degrees at night, so I basically just just have to turn my head and sweat pours out of every pore. On Monday I went to Smyth's with OH to pick up a new game, 45 mins total maybe in the sun, and I had a pounding headache for the rest of the day. Every time I took a damp cloth off my head there was an incredible pressure all along the surface of my head which felt like my brain trying to escape. Rotten. Hate heat and summer. Roll on Winter!
Congratulations on the Masters. I know what you mean about the heat. Anything more than 25 degrees is a bit too much for me too - it's not so bad on the continent but here the humidity is a real killer. Unluckily for me I work in an environment where almost everyone else is the other way around (i.e. they feel the cold) so the temperature is pretty much always uncomfortable for me. Having an active job where you sweat a lot doesn't help either. Wearing a bra is the real killer - I hate those things when its warm. When I was younger and things were a bit perkier
I could get away without wearing one, but it's more difficult now as everything is starting to droop!
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It was lovely weather for sure but of course that has all changed today. Coran and I had a quiet Saturday doing various things around the house but on Sunday afternoon we went up to Wembley to see the Game of Thrones Experience at the Arena. We stayed overnight as getting home at that time of night when you live out in the sticks like we do is not the best - and of course being a Bank Holiday made it easier as it meant I didn't have to take an additional day off work for the privilege. The Arena was packed and it was a brilliant show with a live orchestra and choir - the violinist in particular was superb. The female solo singer was also very good and reminded me a bit of Lisa Gerard who did the Gladiator soundtrack (among other things). They showed scenes from the show up on the big screens during the performance with a few special effects as well - at one point they had what looked like flames shooting from the stage - you could feel the heat even where we were sitting at the far end.
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I use the multiple window option when I need to do this sort of thing and it works well for me.
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No, it doesn't but copying and scanning is still not a good idea. There are restrictions on fair use as well that need to be borne in mind.
The book I have on copyright says the following in brief:
That fair use extends to research and private study and that is permissible to take notes from books. Fair use also extends to review, criticism and reporting of current events, in which case acknowledgement of course is required.
Guidelines from the Society of Authors and Publishers Association state:
A single prose extract should not contain more than 600 words
A series of prose extracts should not contain more than 300 words per extract and no more than 800 words in total
Poetry should be not more than 40 lines or one quarter of the entire poem
With regard to other forms of writing (not prose or poetry) there have been cases where the use of 600 words from a 200 page book was regarded as infringement. While there is no legal definition as to how many words (or percentage of a text) constitute fair use short extracts of less than 300 words are usually okay, as long as they are acknowledged.
When my partner published her book and used short quotes from a TV series she had to get written permission from the script publishers. I did the same with my book. Its good practise and it means that you are covered in case anything goes wrong. You are also honouring the creator of that work.
There are exceptions to the copying rule for computational analysis and a few other things but I don't believe this extends to what our friend above wants to do.
Further information on copyright and fair use can be found here:
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If you read the copyright page in most books it will state something like this (I have copied the text from my own book here):
"June Austin has asserted her right under the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the authors written consent. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors rights. Purchase only authorised editions."
These words are as CB rightly points out there for a reason - to protect the rights of the author, who as she also rightly points out has a right to benefit from their work. While I appreciate your problem, scanning the text is still in violation of that copyright as you are effectively storing that material and copying it without the authors consent, even if it is only for your own use. While it is true that they are not likely to find out that is not the point - you are still on shaky ground!
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I have never seen a piebald squirrel although the white ones seem to be quite common around where I live.
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2 hours ago, Virginia said:
Hello, HELLOOOOOO? Anybody home?????!!!!
Hey y'all!
It's been quiet as a graveyard up in here. Where IS everyone?! Is everyone recouping from the weekend thingy that happened? I'm not sure, I think there was some kind of wedding or something? Something to do with a prince and an American divorcee? I don't know, thought I heard something. I could be wrong.
Not much going on today. Hubby was called in to work this morning. It's his day off but he was supposed to come in for a shop meeting but then they called and asked if he could work. As the meeting has to do with a new General Manager starting today and being introduced to the crew, it was a good move. Anyway, since he's working I'm at loose ends. I may haunt Barnes and Noble. Don't know. Not sure if he's working a full shift or not. I have the truck so I will have to pick him up. I will be going to Virginia tomorrow to pick up my grand divas. The two oldest have been there with my mom since 4 May and its time to pick them up now that the house is in place and their beds are set up. I had planned to get them this weekend but I really have no desire to travel during a national holiday weekend (Memorial Day). So, I'll do it tomorrow and be back tomorrow night.
What's up with y'all?
No, you weren't wrong there was indeed a wedding.
I watched most of it on TV as I suspect a lot of other people did. Bride and groom both looked very happy, as they usually do on such occasions! It made me remember my own wedding day almost 4 years ago.
I had a quiet Saturday on my own also as Coran had to take her friend to Tunbridge Wells to get fitted for some new crutches to help her get around more easily. Most of it was spent watching the aforementioned wedding and reading a rather good book. After Coran got home we cut the grass which was beginning to resemble a jungle.
Sunday was a beautiful day here so we went off to Polesden Lacey for the day. We had a lovely lunch and then sat out on the lawn for the afternoon reading. After we got home I went online and booked the busses for my summer holiday. I am visiting all three of the former Soviet Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia - flying into Vilnius and then bussing from there to Riga and Tallinn before flying home from Tallinn. July is high season in that part of Europe and the busses do get booked up so I thought it best to get it done so I can let my accommodation know what time I will be arriving. I also booked an air ticket to Budapest in October and managed to get £40 off by using up most of my Avios.
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Thank you Rebecca - it's good to get people thinking differently.
Self publishing is really no different to running your own business - in fact it is a business. Just like with any other business there are lots of things that you have to do in addition to the actual writing - editing and proof reading, designing a good cover, registering your ISBN, dealing with the legal side with library deposits and so on, finding a distributor and establishing a relationship with them, managing all the sales and marketing - contacting and dealing with the press, retailers, radio stations and so on, writing press releases, designing and updating your website, managing your email list with all the data protection protocols that go along with that, and then of course there is the financial side. I paid a self publishing company to take care of a lot of that for me but I had to do all the marketing and finance side myself - while working four days a week. That's what I mean when I say it's bloody hard work and that's why I take issue with anyone who tells me I am not a published author. I am and I have a box of books underneath my desk to prove it.
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Our bedroom is also in the front of the house and at this time of year I find myself waking up around 4am as soon as it starts to get light. I try and get back to sleep but often don't succeed until just before the alarm clock goes off at 6.10am! Its alright for Coran as she works from home and can set her own hours, but I am quite frequently knackered by lunchtime because of this. We should really get proper blackout curtains but just haven't got around to it.
Because of where we live (the village of Box Hill in Surrey) we get a lot of wildlife. Foxes and badgers are frequent sightings - hedgehogs less so. There are about 200 deer (not sure which type) living around the hill which we occasionally also see. I was driving down the Zigzag one morning on my way to work when we first moved here and saw one standing on the bank right near the bottom of the road - a beautiful sight. It's scary mind you driving home in the dark at night if one walks out in front of you and quite eerie seeing all those eyes glowing in the dark.
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Sounds about right. How many books are sold at full price these days anyway - hardly any. There is nearly always some sort of discount involved - BOGOF, BOGOHP or whatever other acronym you want to use. Its like I said, we know the price of everything and the value of nothing.
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It certainly is. It's little wonder that self publishing is increasingly becoming the norm. That though has its own set of problems, as it's bloody hard work and despite the advent of Kindle which has made it considerably easier and cheaper, there is still a stigma attached to it. There are still a lot of people who see self publishing as a failure rather than the mark of an entrepreneur, which really it is, as it's running your own business. There are a lot of different things you have to do - proof reading, editing, marketing, dealing with the press, radio, book stores etc, public speaking, and of course the financial side. It's damned hard work - I speak from experience there!
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Currently halfway through my 40th (book that is, not year!)
What's Up in June? - 2018
in General Chat
Posted
The cats are a little unsettled as it is all new to them, but they will get there. The boldest of the two, Billie, has been exploring the house and sniffing everything. She is a very loving cat and was on both of our laps this morning having a good purr and sniff. The shyest of the two, Becky in the meantime gave us a bit of a fright. We heard one of them come into our bedroom in the night meowing but couldn't see any eyes so thought they were probably just exploring, but when we woke up we couldn't find Becky anywhere. Eventually we found her hiding under the bed. We have one of those beds that can be raised, so when Coran raised her half during the night Becky crawled underneath - that must have been the meowing we heard.
I of cause had to go to work but Coran was at home today and she tells me that Becky found her way out by late morning. At the moment she is hiding under the settee but she seems quite content there so we are not worried. Neither of them have eaten or used the litter box but again that's normal and to be expected. I got them both a cat igloo on the way home tonight which should help them by providing a safe place to retreat to as they start to get bolder. We are going to shut the bedroom door tonight though just in case! If they still don't eat tomorrow we will get some cat milk from Sainsburys as apparently they like that and it contains a lot of vitamins and things that they need.