An interesting sort of day, with a lot of little things accomplished. One of which was moving Rosa to her new tank...
Which was actually surprisingly easy: we prepared the new tank a while back, and I've had the top of a clear plastic large coke bottle ready for ages. (That being said, and even with my being very used to her by now, lifting her from one tank to the other with nothing but plastic with cardboard over the bottom separating her from my hands still left me feeling a little shaky. She's a
big spider now. And I don't respond well to insect bites. But having done it once, next time will be easier...) The new tank is bigger, but not as tall, and Kai wanted a branch in it (a sterile plastic one from the Reptile House to avoid any problems with insects, mould or rot): it looks quite good, and Rosa seems... it's daft to say 'happy' of a tarantula, but having something more than just coir underfoot is more like her native environment. She's crawled over it a couple of times anyway, and doesn't seem perturbed.
Of course, it's never all smooth: she sulked and wouldn't come out of the bottle top to start with... Seems fine now though.
I repainted the stair rail too: it was patchy in places (comes of doing it in the dark first time around).
Quyn's had a bath (in preparation for Carol and Sue visiting tomorrow. Well, he was a very
smelly dog, bless him) - and the house is [gasp!] clean and tidy. [grin] I have far more interesting things to do than housework, but it had become a little
too messy, even for me. I was starting to use the Sherlock Holmes method of telling time by the thickness of dust...
And I read
Les Bijoux.
... oh...
Visually it's extraordinarily beautiful, absolutely
the most gorgeous, ethereal, androgynous bishies I've ever seen (and I've seen a lot, as you've probably noticed). It draws on mythologies and traditions from all over the world - one character uses a (hexagonal!) Tarot pack (and gives the wrong interpretations of the cards - but then, she was trying to persuade her companion that all would be well for him), the 'creator' resembles a Buddha, there's talk of both Hades and Paradise, and the backdrops range from a mediaeval European bakery to a desert palace to what looks like the inside of an ancient Egyptian tomb. There are cursed, shape-shifting once-humans,
near-immortal despots, unpleasant demons, and plain and downright ugly individuals as well as the beautiful ones. There is violence, yaoi and rape (not too graphic, those last two, but not exactly understated either). There are shades of
RG Veda and
Arslan Senki in the rich and very detailed world-frame and overall appearance (whether either manga influenced
Les Bijoux I don't know and really couldn't care less).
The characters are all strongly three-dimensional (it's impossible to hate the 'villains' once you get to know them) and believable (in context, of course). But it was the
story that grabbed me.
It's complex - I'll have to read it again to take it all in - and unfolds gradually. And the ending is... unexpected. But wonderful.
My only quibble is that it jumps around a little: it really needs just a banner or panel to note that there's a change of scene or time, or a flashback, instead of leaping straight into the next part of the story. After a while you get used to it, though, and it really doesn't detract that much from the enjoyment.
I had a feeling I was going to love it, and I was right - it's exceeded my hopes. An immediate favourite!
I'm taking tonight off. With a glass or three of wine. Starting my birthday a little early!
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Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor
pontificated this at 11:22 pm
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