Did I mention that it is hot?

I may have overdone the sun yesterday, with the result that I am in constant search of air-conditioning. Internet cafes seem to be a good place to find coolness hence the blogging.

There is the usual extra challenge of finding where all the keys on the keyboard have gone, so if there are any z’s or y’s which appear to be the wrong waz round then zou will know what has happened.

Anyway, I am having a lovely trip, despite the excessive heat. Hope all is well wherever you are.

PS Mr F – do say hello to the kitties from me.

I’m off on my holidays for the next 10 days or so.

Blogging may or may not continue, depending on whether there is an internet cafe there.

A challenge to my fellow wibbers (not people I have already told): by the time I get back, leave a comment (based on your visited by country stats) suggesting where I might be. Or just have a guess. There will be honourable mentions for creative guesses based on information previously disclosed on the blog.

Have fun!

Persephone caught her first mouse today. Thankfully it was the one connected to the computer so there were no entrails to be dealt with.

Today has been a wonderful day. First of all there was Harry Potter to read, but that only took until 1.30 this afternoon. Then I opened the rest of my post and found the new copy of New Internationalist, so I took it along into town to read at the garage where the car passed its MOT with flying colours – no extra money needed whatsoever.

I then came home and fell asleep on the sofa with the kitties, who had spent the morning trying to distract me from reading and were consequentially rather knackered. They particularly enjoyed the fleece blanket I bought before my last camping weekend, although one of them thought it was to be eaten, not slept on.

The only slightly annoying thing is that, in my hurry to start reading this morning, I forgot to get the mince out of the freezer for dinner. Lasagne will have to wait until tomorrow.

I was quite impressed with HP7 by the way, although not with the epilogue.

Kittens sitting on lap and feet.
Can only just reach keyboard with one hand
Re-reading Harry Potter 6 and waiting for 7 to be delivered tomorrow.
Life is good

I’m doing a fair bit of babysitting at the moment for various people. Thankfully I usually get there when the babies are in bed so I am merely required to drink coffee and read/watch DVDs in someone else’s house rather than my own. I don’t take my own dvds with me, but rely on other people’s collections to broaden my mind.

Last week I watched a film I have been wanting to see for years: The Colditz Story. I had the books by Pat Reid and the one by Captain Eggers when I was little and read them over and over again, but I had never seen the film. I did enjoy it, but I can’t help feeling that I would have really loved it 20 years ago. It is a bit dated and plodding really.

Yesterday I watched Stranger Than Fiction with Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emma Thompson, Queen Latifah and Dustin Hoffman. I was expecting a pretty rubbish chick-flick/screwball comedy, but I was pleasantly surprised. The film (not wanting to give too much away because Mr F hasn’t seen it yet) is fantastic, going into the relationship between narrator and characters, the blurred boundary between fiction and reality, the effect of small things in life. Will Ferrell is surprisingly normal and makes for a sympathetic character. Emma Thompson is amazing as a completely neurotic author, making herself look surprisingly unattractive at times. Her voice, as ever, is beautifully nuanced and lovely to listen to. Watch it. I will happily watch it again.

One of the reasons I enjoyed Stranger Than Fiction so much is that this week I have been reading the new Jasper Fforde: First among Sequels. The latest in the Thursday Next series, it deals as usual with reality, book world, how books are made and policed and various other things. I’ve just been upgrading my edition to version 1.1 on Jasper’s website and reading the special features. The book is never the end with Fforde books – like a DVD it continues beyond the story which seems entirely natural given the universe it is set in.

The ideas he has are amazing both in their variety and ingenuity. They are the sort of books which leave you thinking that you wish you had that idea: Cheese smuggling, cruel and unusual punishment*, multiple personalities. Just too many good ideas.

So why should you read it? If you love books and have read a few of the classics you should read it for the literature references. If you love fantasy, then read it for the alternative universe/time-travel stuff. If you have read and loved the earlier books, then read it for some twists in the rules and some major character development.

Do you need to read the first 4 books in the series (starting with The Eyre Affair)? It won’t hurt, but I think there is enough back story given to allow you to jump straight into it.

*big spoiler this one, so I won’t say anything more than this is one of the most poignant things about the book

So placement is now finished. I’m really tired after a weekend away camping, but it was great fun and I’m glad I went.

This evening I will be mostly eating pie and then catching up on things Mr F has recorded for me (Thank you).

I am so glad I bought wellies for Greenbelt last year. They came in very, very useful this weekend, as did my waterproofs. The (borrowed) tent leaked slightly so it is a very good thing that my lilo has a waterproof bottom. Further reflections on placement will have to wait I think.

Good night.

It has been difficult to blog since I have been out on placement a lot and then when I am in, I have been playing with the kittens. Persephone and I have now come to an agreement: I will blog and she will sit on my lap and fall asleep. This is working well.

Here are a few edited highlights of life with the kittens.

There is a certain amount of scampering about to be completed every day.

This may or may not (but probably will) include time spent in the tunnel, often involving some fighting.

Although their attention span is not great, they will sometimes manage a lesson in acceptable kitten behaviour. Here they are becoming acquainted with their scratching post. This was some days ago – they both now like to sit on top of the post, knocking each other off as they do so.

All this playing takes it out of them and many naps are required.

Right, I must pack for my final weekend of placement.

See you Monday.

Well, today was tiring and feels rather like a Thursday, in that I have another day at work to go before my day off. I only had to be at 2 services today – I have a new-found respect for those vicars who have 3 or more services to manage each week.

Having had lots of visitors this afternoon, the kittens apparently spent the early evening flaked out on the sofa, too tired to do anything. How sweet. I have some great photos of them, but I haven’t uploaded them yet. When I get round to it, you will be among the first to see them.

I am off to watch the tennis highlights and then to bed. ‘Night all.

My sister is visiting and has helped us with operation lapcat by persuading Esme to fall asleep in her arms. Excellent progress, now all I have to do is stop them attacking the curtains that cover my wardrobe.

No further intruders have bothered us, I am pleased to report.

A very busy day today, including cooking a big cake for Sister’s birthday and making involtini. This was lovely, particularly since I made it with lamb mince instead of bulgar wheat.

Tomorrow is the big day at placement: preaching in the morning, leading in the evening. Your prayers for both would be appreciated.

You know that feeling when you are being watched?

I was just down in the kitchen putting the kittens away for the night when that creeping feeling that there was someone extra around came over me.

There was someone extra; an intruder was trying the door to see whether they could get in. When they found that the door was secured, they just stood there, watching. I stared back, neither of us saying a word. Then after a minute or two, I went to bang on the door and they fled into the night.

Are you alarmed? Do not worry. It was only a neighbourhood cat come round for their equivalent of reality tv: looking in through the catflap. The catflap is securely locked so they can’t get in.

Since the kittens arrived, our back garden has been under fairly constant surveillance by assorted other felines. I’m not sure how to discourage this.

In other kitten-related news, Persephone has discovered how to flatten her ears and make all her fur stand on end, hence becoming Evil-Persephone. Esme, on the other hand, has not and is terrified of her evil sister. I will stalk them with a camera until I can provide evidence.