We treated ourselves to a Filmflex last night - What We Do In The Shadows - had us laughing aloud all the way through. Wickedly funny!

During the week I finally found a Transformers: Monopoly game I could afford, the 30th anniversary retro reproduction version at Argos. Ordered it, and picked it up this afternoon.

The figures are tiny but very nicely done, and their supports are their faction brands! I played Starscream, of course, Ken OP and Kai Grimlock...

The game lasted several hours. It was gloriously bizarre. I managed to buy the two most expensive sites (Optimus Prime and Megaton) and build bases (and then repair centres) on them.

And poor Kai pulled the 'go directly to Optimus Prime' card, and ended up owing me all his money and having to mortgage half his properties to pay the extortionate rent. He even had to mortgage the sky!!

And then half an hour later, just as he was beginning to collect some funds again, poor Childe landed on Megatron and had to declare bankruptcy as he didn't have enough to pay the rent.

I ended up with just under 6,000 Cyberbucks in cash and property. It was embarrassing!

Great fun though. We need a rematch!

SO, upshot is I now have all three Tf games - chess, Risk and Monopoly. I am chuffed!

Labels: films, games, Transformers

Oh dear - nearly a week! It has been pretty hectic though...

Let's see. The usual shopping and gardening (lots of), swimming on Tuesday (6 lengths), Whitchurch Way walk on Wed, though we didn't get very far as Kai was feeling a little meeply, Thursday was more garden stuff (I've stripped, blanched and frozen the first of the sweetcorn) and despairing over the massive marrows now in the veg bed, far too much for us to eat, and yesterday we went to Severn Beach...

The last time we were here was Aug 19th last year, the week before Kai went into the BHOC for 'conditioning' in preparation for the transplant. This time the rain held off (actually, it was almost as though were in a little well of sunshine, with rain to the south, east and north of us and clouds over Wales) with a very pleasant cool breeze coming up the channel.

It was wonderful.

We walked out past the pipes, through the little wood to the path that runs alongside the road before turning back, and that was mostly because we didn't want to miss the train back to Bristol. They're only every two hours, so missing one is a pain. There's not an awful lot to do at Severn Beach, except walk along the shore or sit in the café.

There are murals at some of the smaller stops along the route: the one at Montpelier has this gorgeous fox!

Today is a pretty standard late-summer Saturday. I'm preparing some of the less perfect apples for freezing ready for apple crumble puddings over the winter, and I believe more of the sweetcorn is ready. We have plenty of blackberries too: I'll pick up some strawberries when I shop and we'll have fruit and ice-cream again for dessert. It became an instant favourite the first time I did it...

Rosa shed. First time in a couple of years (as opposed to Feather, who seems to shed after every other meal). She's quite a large spider, really.

And I transformed Dinobot. Youtube usually has the instructions!

Right - off to prepare apples...

Labels: busyness, days out, garden, Severn Beach, spiders

More stuff...

Lazerbeak and Dinobot

Starscream t-shirt.

G1 Soundwave, Laserbeak and Ravage

Close up of the pattern.

I'll probably not wear the Starscream one, as I don't wear white, but I really like the black one! The lines are silvery grey and slightly metallic -looking, very stylish.

And I was so tired last night I spelt Sumalee's name wrong [wince]. Now corrected.

Labels: Auto Assembly 2015, fun stuff

A.k.a Joules goes to Birmingham.

And gets lost.

Twice.

And is rescued by Jehovah's Witnesses.

So, just a perfectly ordinary Taylor family expedition then...

Look, it's not my fault Birmingham has no signposts! And all the people I asked for directions were strangers! It should have been easy to find the Hilton, it's supposed to be only a ten minute walk from the station, but everywhere was fenced off and I managed to walk around the back of the new Resort World they're building there instead. Stopped at the security desk and asked where on earth the Hilton was and the guy there took pity on me, ushered me into a works van, and drove me to the entrance! (Sometimes acting the slightly confused little old lady works wonders. The silver hair helps...)

Anyway... most of my photos failed, due to me not wanting to use the flash too much and the place being too dark for good non-flash photos, but here you go.

Registration...

Dealer tables.

Wheeljack and Lockdown (I think) cosplayers

Drift

Four transformers, remaining in disguise...

Barricade.

Prime

Swerve's Bar...

It was enormous fun, I met up with Musa (from the States, who I rp with on tumblr), her friend Qweety, PurrV and several others whose names I managed to forget (I blame exhaustion). I picked up a Beast Wars Dinobot figure, and a Bayverse little Laserbeak figure, got autographs from James Horan (Prime Wheeljack), James Roberts (IDW writer whose skill and talent leaves me awestruck) and Sumalee Montano (Prime Arcee, who is an absolute darling!) All in all a fabulous day.

But then I had to walk back to the train station to head home. And I got even more lost. So I asked the only people I could see if they knew where I was: they said they could give me a lift right to the station as they were heading that way. And then I found out they were Jehovah's Witnesses attending a convention in an adjoining hotel.

Honestly, this sort of thing could only happen to me...

Anyway, they were quite interested in Auto Assembly, and that Ken and I write, and it was all very good natured and exceptionally kind of them, because if I'd had to try to find my own way there I'd probably still be looking.

I am now absolutely exhausted and heading to bed as soon as my hair's dried. May add more tomorrow but wanted to tell that tale tonight!

Labels: Auto Assembly 2015, days out, strangeness and charm, Transformers

Kai had his 12 month bone marrow aspirate, last one for a year, blood review and BMT clinic yesterday. A female doctor - one he's had before - did the biopsy, which was much quicker and less painful than the last one, to both our relief. It went well, the samples looked good to me, and although the wound is still painful it's healing quite quickly. His counts are fine, and Prof Marks says he no longer needs pentamidine! Very happy about that. So everything is going well, he's on course to get to fresher's week on the 21st Sept (although he does need his final chimerism blood test on the 24th, at 9 am, but the BHOC is just around the corner from the university so he can go on afterwards), and then classes start on the 28th.

It feels like coming out of a long dark tunnel into daylight.

Auto Assembly on Sat!

Labels: Kai, medical matters, Transformers

Hm. OK, so the inflammation easing and being out of pain does not necessarily mean the problem is solved: the tendon's slipped four times this morning (it feels like something dislocates and I can't take any weight on my left leg. I can snap it back into place by sitting on my chair/the garden bench/the cubicle bench at the pool, but that's not a lot of help if none of those are nearby...)

However, swimming was great - managed six lengths today. Wondering if I can go on Thursday or Friday as well...

Labels: medical matters, swimming

Just quickly...

So far, so fine. Went up to the doctor with Kai for his second (meningitis) inoculation, went shopping when we got back. The only pain was a slight dull ache from walking, but that's all. And that disappears when I sit and rest!

This is great! Looks like it works...

Labels: medical matters

... ohhh kaaay... After an uncomfortable night, and a Sunday shopping trip that caused considerable pain (though somehow different from normal), and an afternoon where the occasional sudden move sent nasty stabbing needles through my hip, suddenly I can sit without pain, stand up without pain, and go up and down stairs normally (not one step at a time and hauling myself up using the banister and railing) which I haven't been able to do in months...

[g] It's quite magical. Fingers crossed it's the same tomorrow!

Oh, and Sat night we watched Big Hero 6 on Filmflex. It's adorable and brilliant and charming and highly recommended! Make sure you watch the end credits, and the scene that comes after them. Though the thought of the combination of those two franchises is a little... scary...

Labels: films, medical matters

So, steroid injection.

... OW...

I'm told it'll all be a little more painful for a couple of days, then on the third day - Tuesday - the pain should be gone. And should stay gone for six months. If it does come back I can have another injection: apparently this condition is pretty common, and steroid injections are the usual treatment. However, if I can keep up the exercise and lose a bit more weight, I may be able to fix it on my own, and once I'm out of pain I can get back to the miles of walking we used to do. Fingers croxxed!

Fluffy pink hibiscus...

Pretty blue hibiscus...

Cucumbers gone wild!

I've been told to take it easy for the rest of the day, so probably going to settle with Age of Extinction while K&K go out for a walk. Nightingale Valley is the current choice.

Labels: garden, medical matters

My swim was lovely - only five other people there, two of whom left while I was in the pool (no, these events weren't related!) I expected to barely be able to do one length, having not swum for about twenty years; I managed four! (Stopped there as I didn't want to push it.) I might have time again later in the week before Kai's next blood review and appt. We'll see how tired I am tomorrow.

Then this afternoon I had a call from the BRI - they've had a cancellation and could I go in for my steroid injection on Saturday morning? Damn right I could!! [g] So, with a bit of luck, the pain will be gone by Auto Assembly (next Saturday).

All in all, a fine Tuesday...

Labels: exercise, medical matters

Hot. Hothothot. The washing is drying as it's hung out, and the first two loads are already done and back in. The great thing is it's not humid! Actually really pleasant, for once.

Unless, like me, you had to do two lots of shopping. Oh joy.

Anyway - Kai's ECG went fine yesterday - appt was at 9 am and we were home again by 9.30. Then he and I bussed up to Broadwalk, where he traded in his old Encore bass guitar for a 5-string Ibanez at Cash Generator, and bought a webcam from Wilko so he can chat on skype to his German friend. (And presumably to the ones in South America too.) After lunch: -

(Food porn for Lutra! Tomatoes, salad leaves, cucumbers and chives all home-grown.)

- he and Ken went to Goblin Combe, and walked the whole distance, about five miles. They had a wonderful time, but are a bit tired today.

I dug up the tigridias and potted them, and they seem to have survived: this one was flowering today. Fingers crossed for a really nice display next year!

Cucumbers in the greenhouse. Doing much better this year!

I've picked the third marrow, now, with several more coming, and I do believe there will be some sweetcorn ready to eat very soon...

Labels: busyness, days out, garden, medical matters, shopping, weather

Quick catchup...

Kai's had his first inoculation - DTP/P. One down, six to go... He's aching and headachey and his arms hurt. The good news is he can have his MMR end October, so as long as he's careful between now and then he should (fingers tightly crossed) be OK.

Slogged up Talbot Hill to the pool at 8 this morning (that's a morning's exercise in itself!) - only to find they'd had an accident earlier and the pool was shut for draining and refilling. [grump] Not sure now whether to try again tomorrow, when I have other things to get done, or leave it til next week. Maybe see how tired I am.

Yesterday was the day of adorable fluffy clouds...

... and my first blue hibiscus flowers.

Up to ep 54 of Jupiter Moon. Only another 96 eps to go...

Labels: British drama, garden, Kai, medical matters