The Bonz sends his Yuletide greetings to all the cats out there who read his ramblings and Izzy is busy (Yes, I know Bizzy Izzy) sorting the menu for today.
It took me nearly two hours to get home tonight (8 miles) due to the snow. It looks like the ridgeway hill between Weymouth and Dorchester is blocked, so I had to do a detour on ungritted roads - not nice, nearly ran into a ditch at one point. I also seem to have done something to my ABS and have a warning light staying on, although the brakes still work, not that I use them much in snow if I can help it.
I hear various people saying that kudos or kudoses or kudi or whatever they are in the plural, are no signifier of a good writer or anything else, which might question why we have them.
For those of you who unaware of my short story, Easy As Falling Off a Bike, according to my archivist (sounds posh dunnit) the figure above is the number of words my ramblings under one title have produced.
I think some thanks are in order (of seniority) to Erin, for allowing me to fill up her servers with my nonsense, and for providing this unique resource to the community.
To my archivists and summarisers; Holly, Ben and PS with thanks to Erin for her assistance in setting it up.
According to the radio, December the first is the first day of winter - and what a way to show it. We had arctic winds all day yesterday followed by a few inches of snow which made the roads treacherous under foot and wheel.
Somehow, my short story is approaching 1,200 episodes, so it's time I asked if readers want me to continue it for a bit longer - the last time was two hundred episodes ago. This is of course assuming our gracious landlady will permit accommodation for a bit longer - maybe we could all give a little more towards the rent, I know she struggles with it.
I'm still working on a Hatbox story, but it's very slow, plus I have a Gabysode in progress and I know someone would like another Bonkers for her Christmas present, plus I get asked about Snafu and Charlotte fairly regularly.
Christmas is coming
And Bonzi’s getting fat
He stole a piece of chicken;
He’s good at doing that.
He’s teaching to that Izzy
The tricks he’s learned to do.
And she is keeping busy
Learning things anew.
Keeping cats at Christmas
A right old pair of thieves,
They’ll steal the milk from porridge
Without a by your leaves.
I wouldn’t be without them,
The pesky rotten pair
Keep me warm in winter
Perhaps they really care.
I'm grateful to Julie O for highlighting this report from the BBC in one of her stories. It's perhaps expected in a country where there are very poor and vulnerable people that some are exploited sexually, add it to a culture which is so constipated about treating women as equals to men, and a general backwardness and this happens.
I'm delighted when people write to me and say that reading Bike has inspired them to have a go at writing themselves. It's nice to think it's an inspiration, although as Bonzi pointed out, it might also mean that Bike is so badly written, they all think they can do better. He could be right.
This was the person who was pushed under the tube train last week and quite honestly, they were very active as a migration and human rights lawyer, involved with transsexual rights as well as other cases. Anyone who can get the Home Secretary found guilty of contempt of court has to be pretty clever. Such a loss to minority communities everywhere. Do read it and see.
A tabloid's dream, the accused of killing a transgender lawyer, is herself trangendered and wanting a sex change. Not the cleverest thing to do then, shoving someone under a train.
To me this shows the baser side of human nature, where we see things and want to possess them and of course it's so much better to have something stuck on your wall than have it roaming free to do what nature made it for. Or is that what humans are for, destroying the beauty of the world in their selfish pursuits? I'm sure I came to the wrong frigging planet, next time I want to go to one with intelligent life forms on it.
Sorry to disappoint my regulars, but I left home at 8.00am to go dormousing - the last of the season, and thence to my ex's house, where she had some jobs for me to do, and to take her shopping to places she can't easily go - she has no car.
We were late back to her house and were scolded by our daughter for our lack of punctuality. We then went off to a carvery for dinner, which ran late so I didn't leave to come home until after 9.00pm facing a two hour or more drive in the dark.
It was The Sun what broke it - the story that is. It happened in Mexico apparently, or so the tranny 'model/prostitute' claims, it's being denied by the footballer of course. Decide for yourself, and picture of the alleged model - very feminine looking.
Today we say goodbye to Hazel, my aunt and godmother. It's going to be tough on me, so I don't know what sort of state I shall be in later and therefore can't comment on whether or not I'll be able to do the next episode of Bike.
Apologies for last night, but I went to pay my personal respects and it took quite a lot out of me. Today, I am next of kin and presumably leading the mourning. I'm presenting a celebration of Hazel's life which I hope won't be too depressing, after all she had a wicked sense of humour and very dirty laugh. I shall try and remember both in the days ahead.
...Is what happens in between making plans and realising them. Mine has been rather fraught since my aunt, who has lived with me since 1987, was taken ill during the Gabycon and gave extra stress - I ran on adrenalin for a few days.
She still isn't right and being elderly, this could become a chronic thing or worse, something life threatening. Meanwhile I'm trying to work full time, do the household chores and some writing when I have time.
It's all time consuming and stressful, so if Bike doesn't appear, it's because either something has worsened or I'm too cream crackered to write.
The headline just about says it all. The weather gods were mostly beneficent, except I got ice cream in my hair walking across Lulworth Cove thanks to the breeze. The pictures on Maddy's site show the area in which I'm privileged to live, so I hope you have a look at them.
Plus there's the continuation of the race Drew began in the previous episode - it's a corker!
For those too lazy to find the site, here's a link:
Owing to simple logistics, I can't promise to be able to have time to write Bike while helping with the Gabycon, so I'm warning/apologising in advance.
I am half way through a new Gaby short story, for the event which I expect will be posted here eventually. As well as this, scribbling Bike and running about, working full time, having my house knocked about and being a paw-maiden to two cats - I have plenty of time.
Maddy has posted a new episode and there is news of the 2010 Gabycon here in Dorchester.
There's still spaces for people to come - it should be fun, with new material from Maddy and myself, age is no barrier from 9-99years will be welcome, especially if they bring their bicycles.
At last I've been able to get back on my bike and do a little ride - only 27 miles with no real hills, so I feel a lot better. My wound is still weeping, which exercise has probably increased, but it did wonders for the rest of me. Anyway, it's on the mend and I feel much better about it.
Every woman who cycles experiences abuse from male motorists and pedestrians, I've been happy slapped and shouted at, but I'd never have had the nerve to do what Dawn Foster did - she started blogging about it on a website called - you'll love this - 101 wankers.
See the link to the story on the Guardian's web site.
For those of you who enjoy my scribbles, it might please you to know that our practice nurse thinks I'll live a bit longer, after she checked my leg. It still bloody hurts, especially when standing up from sitting or sitting from standing. Which means I'm on sick leave for the next day or two. Dunno which is worse the boredom from inaction, or the pain when I try to move.
Sitting at a computer probably doesn't help especially when I try to get up afterwards.
I suppose using such a story title for so long was tempting providence - so today, I did just that, fell off my bike. I have two rather painful knees, but at least I've stopped the bleeding now.
As the time goes on I'm finding some new bruises and aches and pains, including my left wrist and thumb - both of which I've injured before.
The concern of motorists is breathtaking, they just drove past while I'm standing at the roadside dripping blood everywhere. Thankfully, I was out with friends, so managed to get home and do some first aid to myself.
Apart from the fact this character sounds totally unsavoury, his name is Brown, and there is a delightful line which starts, 'Brown is black...' as in Afro-caribbean.
I try to keep the cycling element of Bike as fairly realistic as I can, and although Cathy gets into scrapes, she's so far pulled through. Cycling is not without risk, even for the experienced rider.
One of our club, a very fit 76 yr old, died on Sunday morning doing a time trial when he ran into the back of an abandoned car - always a risk when you're racing, especially time trialling. It's just difficult to believe I was talking to him the day before.
The only consolation is that he died doing something he loved, maybe he's the lucky one.
Checks can be made out & sent to:
Joyce Melton
1001 Third St.
Space 80
Calimesa, CA 92320
USA
Note: $6000 is the operating, maintenance and upgrade budget. Amounts received in excess of the $6000 will be applied to long term debt accrued over the last 19 years.
