Catchup...

Yesterday was very nice - quiet and relaxed, with lots of Transformers, both films and figures.

Mix 'n' match Starscream - he comes apart and you can swap his various limbs with other tfs in the same series. Which I won't be doing, as I don't like any of them, but it's an interesting idea.

And I now have Masterpiece Starscream, the Emperor of Destruction, from the 1984 film. (Alas, in that, thirty seconds after being crowned he was terminated. But only his frame. Starscream, as we know, has an immortal, indestructible spark...)

I call him Mothscream.

The design is beautiful - even his fingers are articulated! Mind you, at that price it should be. He's the most expensive one so far, even on e-bay.

The only problem now is that I have all the Starscreams. Unless new ones are created, or someone actually produces the TransTech version, I now have no more to collect.

That's... rather sad...

Today was fun. Kim drove us, first, to the B&Q at Cribbs Causeway (I need a large pot to transplant one of my large plants), then to Almondsbury Garden Centre, who - horror of horrors - no longer keep crickets and frozen rats in stock: you have to order in advance and collect. So we went to the Reptile Emporium at Westbury-on-Trym and bought them there (Feather is now on small rats: large rat weaners aren't enough for her).

Tomorrow GoodTwin and Sue come to visit... [g]

Labels: birthdays, garden centres

Into BHOC for Kai to have a tacrolimus level review (the Prof increased the dose last time we were in) - and then walked up to Clifton, across the suspension bridge, and around the first part of the Downs. Of course I forgot my camera... Wonderful though, fabulous views, beautiful sunny day, and now I'm completely shattered and just want an early night.

Hoping to do it again - with camera this time - the next appt next month!

Labels: medical matters, walks

British weather...

Woke up to brilliant sunshine. Half an hour later it absolutely pissed down - then we had heavy hail. Then sun with gusty wind, then it snowed for half an hour, big soft fluffy flakes that failed to settle. Then it rained again, then it was sunny again, then it hailed so hard I thought it was going to chip the greenhouse glass. And we just had a peal of thunder that rattled the windows (but no rain). We had all the weather in a single day.

This is why we talk about it so much.

Labels: weather

There was a heron on the roof when we went shopping...

Then the seagulls spotted it and drove it away...

The usual manic Sunday...

Labels: birds

It's been a busy few days. Yesterday we went for the longest walk yet, to and around Whitchurch and back. The village is small and not particularly pretty, but it has a couple of streams running through it, which is nice.

Legs and back really aching today though, so haven't done much. Little bit of shopping at Sainsbury's (<- this was in the car park)

and then Kai helped me in the garden. We want to clear the space behind Wendy's hazels and turn it into a little bowl, with lots of moss and ramsons, and later maybe a seat.

Crocuses at the top:

Irises in the rockery:

Labels: garden, Transformers, walks

Can you hear the shouting and cheering and bouncing up and down?

BMT clinic today. Blood results were very good, and Prof Marks says OK, time for Kai to come off the omeprazole (he'll start cutting down on the aciclovir at the next appt in two months!! but he'll need to keep taking the tacrolimus for another nine months) and start getting back into normal life. He can now associate with people again (unless they're obviously ill) and GO OUT ON BUSES!!

(Oh, the trips we have planned...)

He's very pleased indeed, says everything is going splendidly, and he has every hope for the continued success and (fingers tightly crossed) no recurrence. Kai has come through this much faster and better than anyone expected.

Tomorrow we tell the Uni to expect him in October. Today, we went down to check out the fog bridge before his pentamidine, to celebrate.

(Lots of large photos coming up...)

From the Centre...

Not easy to get photos on the bridge as too many people, and there was a bit of a breeze wafting the cloud away. It was delightfully cold and damp though.

Great fun! I hope we have more art installations throughout Bristol's Green Capital year - I'll try to get to as many as I can.

So - time to start trying to get my own work done again...

Labels: Art, Bristol life, Kai, medical matters, YAY

Aiming to get into town to see this next week...

Watched The Maze Runner on Filmflex last night. Predictable, and too much indistinct dark/night action, but it was good enough that I want to see the sequel. Oddly, it reminded me of Lord of the Flies...

Going to try to pick up Dracula Untold later, to watch tonight.

Labels: films, strangeness and charm

Meeting this morning to decide the fate of the BCP website (the organisation doesn't actually exist anymore, but our BCC liaison wants to keep the site going under a new banner - the Greater Brislington Neighbourhood Partnership, which exists but doesn't have a website, and covers the whole ward). We met at the café in Arno's Vale Cemetery (pot of green tea and a slice of very nice lemon and poppy seed cake for me!) a very pleasant location. Should know the decision soon.

My second favourite scarf has a slightly annoying manufacturer's tag on it. I was going to cut it off - until I took a closer look and read the inscription...

Faith and Robot?! [g] Actually, I believe it translates as Faith and Work (or Drudgery or Servitude, depending on which language you choose to take it from), but Robots will do for me. Needless to say the tag is staying.

Sounds like Kai is finally awake. Better start thinking brunch...

Labels: BCP, clothes, meetings

Apparently it's a foxy day today...

Finally sewed the foxes and finished Kai's advent calender:

The foxes aren't perfect but Kai seems happy with them.

And our outdoor foxes bought us a pair of socks.

Yes, a pair. In good nick too - I think they may have pinched them off someone's line!

Not sure what they're suggesting. 'Here's a pressie - please feed us tonight?' (I put out a bowl of dogfood when the temp is below freezing, but it hasn't been the last two nights and I really don't want them becoming dependent on us. I think they missed it...) 'Here mum, we know your feet are cold, have these on us?' (my machine really chucks out a lot of cold air...) Cute, at any rate!

We're watching the next BatB shortly.

Labels: Beauty and the Beast, foxes

Catch up, again. I really need to get back into the habit of updating every day...

The weekend was busy as usual: Kai started getting a sore throat, which is not unusual, but by Tuesday it was worse, and when I took a look his throat was red and his uvula enlarged, so I rang for advice and took him in to the day unit, where they took blood for virology and throat swabs, and he was prescribed a short course of anti-bios. By yesterday, his uvula was so big it was resting on the back of his tongue and making him gag, so we're currently on lots of cold water and spoonfuls of honey (and hot honey and lemon drinks) to try to combat it. The advice is to not worry unless it affects his breathing: the condition is very common, it seems. He hates it, and I'm letting him sleep as long as he wants so he doesn't have to put up with it any more than he has to.

T&M were offering Forest Pansy at half price, so we treated ourself to one as a long-term anniversary present (thanks Wendy!) It was going to go in the front garden, as I thought it grew to around 10 ft high - but I misread and it's actually 10 metres, which is too tall for the front. It'll be planted at the back, up at the top, where the roots won't damage anything. Looking forward to seeing how it does!

In other garden news, all the bulbs I've planted (except for the fritillarias, alas) are all coming up: there are some irises already in flower in the rockery. I'll post some photos once I have more to show.

We've finished Sky and Kai and I are now watching Beauty and the Beast - from the beginning, so I won't be posting any ep summaries for a few weeks. But there are almost no ep summaries for any of the Unicron Trilogy, so I'm now rewatching Transformers: Armada (all 52 eps of it), enjoying the action and cringing at the dreadful dialogue. The IMDb haven't actually posted any yet, but they can sometimes take several days...

Better go wake childe, it's nearly time for afternoon meds. Then I have some client stuff to do...

Labels: Beauty and the Beast, catch-up, client sites, garden, medical matters