Happy Midsummer with a free book!

Happy Midsummer's Day everyone! And a freebie:

I've just finished reading the Touchstone trilogy and loved it. Book One is free for the Kindle, so although this is only the first third of the story it gives you the chance to decide if it's worth spending the £5.92 to read the whole story. (Hint: it is.)

Cass walks through a wormhole and finds herself in another world, one which is similar to Earth in many ways but with disturbing differences. She has to find a way to survive long enough to find a way home.

It's hard to do justice to this story because it's huge in scope, with so many interesting characters and settings. Luckily book one has a glossary! I was completely engrossed in this other world and felt like I was living with Cass through the events she describes. Some reviewers have complained that the story is slow in parts but I enjoyed the rest periods when things were going well for Cass. Given that the whole of the first third of the story is free, you get a real chance to decide if it's for you.

Happy reading or whatever else you're doing today!

Cats

Here is Rufus auditioning unsuccessfully for the role of Ceiling Cat.

(This is Ceiling Cat.)

Here is Rufus playing Hide and Seek.

It's quite a shock when you're on your own in the kitchen making yourself a quiet cup of tea and there is suddenly a noise above your head and there's a cat staring down at you. But cats sleep wherever they want to.

This is Bonnie. At least she is civilised.

Story Competition

Can you write a story about time travel in less than two weeks? Would you like an amazon gift voucher? Then you need to go to Indie Writers Monthly Blogspot for details of their competition.

The competition closes on 15th June. Good luck if you go in for it!

Just another Manic Monday?

Bank Holiday Monday in England surpassed itself. Whirlochre wrote about the "Torrential Rain Fest of Biblical Proportions" and he was right. My Beloved and I went to Surrey County Show and the mud reached the top of my thighs. (Splattered up to there, I mean. We weren't actually swimming in the stuff although a bit more rain and that might have been an option.)

While I was in the portaloo a set of dentures flew under the partition to land in the mud at my feet. This came as a bit of a surprise as it was the first time that had happened to me. I called out, "I'm a bit busy at the moment but I'll pick them up for you as soon as I can." The woman who'd lost them was grateful to get them back; she admitted that a muddy portaloo was perhaps not the best place to try to dislodge a tomato pip from under her top plate. She was rinsing them under the tap when I left but I didn't stay to see what she did with them next. I had the feeling that I really didn't want to know.

Web Designers Start Here

According to my extensive research on the T-Mobile website, these are the rules for web design:

• Do not under any circumstances provide obvious links
• Any coloured text must NOT be a link
• Pictures must NOT be used as links
• Hide all links in menus that only appear when clicked
• Make menus as unobtrusive as possible (bonus points if no users at all are able to find them)
• Insist that your users contact your help service for any and all details rather than allowing them to browse for themselves online
• Make it pretty

Any rules that you would want to add?

Dressing Up?

You go Eddie!

I can so relate to this because when I was a girl trousers were really meant for men. I wore ski pants and had short hair and so I got called "son" occasionally. Girls were really meant to wear dresses and have long hair, which I quite liked some of the time but dresses are rubbish for climbing trees.

And now women can wear trousers but men are not supposed to wear skirts. Unless they're kilts. The logic of this is, well actually there is no logic in it.

The article where I found this talks about "non-cisgendered men" wearing dresses but I don't see why anyone has to be labelled according to the clothes they sometimes like to wear. When I was a girl I didn't want to wear trousers because I wanted to be a man, I wore trousers (and still do) because I like trousers. In the same way, why on earth can't men wear skirts and dresses and sparklies without being labelled? Maybe they just like them. Sometimes I like wearing them too.

A Guide to Devon Dialect Terms for Cyclists

My Beloved and I went to Devon last weekend and took our bikes; we were aiming to cycle parts of the Tarka Trail and we also cycled along by Woolacombe Bay. It's absolutely beautiful there but if you're on a bike you need to watch out for the local dialect when asking advice on where to cycle.

It's flat. Translation: various ups and downs but nothing a novice cyclist can't manage with a bit of effort.
There's a slight incline but nothing to worry about. Translation: it's a hill. Demanding cycling but you won't need to get off and push. Probably.
It's not far, just up the hill. Translation: get your pitons out. Mountain goats would be proud to manage this ascent.

Oh, and the phrase "a country mile"? We reckon that comes from Devon too.

Sunstruck

Polenth has published a book that I really enjoyed. It's a paranormal story, a cop buddy story, and a mystery story all rolled into one but somehow she's made it more than any of those. She's taken the legend of Bigfoot (which I would never have guessed could be interesting) and created a culture for them that that I found intriguing and convincing. It read to me like good science fiction where we see ourselves through the eyes (and in this case nose) of an alien, although in this case it's a terrestrial alien.

I liked the really quirky characters a lot and I enjoyed the exchanges between Ari (the Bigfoot) and her OCD human partner Ben. There is a plot but for me this was the least important aspect of the book. I just thoroughly enjoyed stepping into Ari and Ben's world and I can't wait for the next book to come out so I can join them there again. I think you might like it too.

Hey, that's mine!

 

This newly finished shawl was just set out to dry after a wash to soften it up when Rufus decided to come and groom himself on it. After all, the ground was wet and muddy out and he needed somewhere clean where he could get the dirt off his paws.

Did I say it was a shawl? That was what Sarah, who wrote the pattern, called it but she was wrong. Clearly it's a cat blanket. Rufus has decreed it!

Now We Are 60

I started the day with a bran tub* from my sister. Anyone else remember bran tubs? It smelt heavenly as I dived into it.

This is how we started the party. I'd decided to go for the subtle look.

Sadly, Neil didn't get the chance to play during the party.  The guitars were authentic decor though - I seem to remember a guitar in every student bedroom when I was young!

Here is my lovely friend Alex. You can see she got my memo about being subtle.

The music started and we were off! I haven't had so much fun dancing in years.

My sons. The best-looking young men in the world. No, I'm not at all biased. I'm surprised you'd even ask!

I don't know why I was looking at his feet.

Some dear friends with my daughter-in-law

And here are both lovely daughters-in-law, with a friend and my older son.

Some mad friends who write a novel every November. Yes, I do too. No, I don't know why.

The end of the party and still fresh as a daisy. Ish.


If you want to hear some of the music we danced to there's a playlist on YouTube.


*(In Britain) a tub containing bran** in which small wrapped gifts are hidden, used at parties, fairs, etc.
** except that the "bran" was always sawdust.