Cats and birds

Yesterday afternoon we'd been invited to a celebration of the life of Son-in-law's younger brother. It was being held in St Elli's on the sea front on the outskirts of Llanelli. It was wild and windy when we got there but the restaurant was beautiful. And the food delicious.

His mum did a wonderful tribute to him; I don't know how she managed. And it was a fitting farewell.

Each guest received a beautiful little bag of mementoes.

The sky outside looked very dramatic, rather like a fierce cat I think.

And speaking of cats I've just finished reading The Cat Who Saved the Library by Sosuke Natsukawa. I've read a lot of Japanese books recently (in English of course!) and this, the latest, is quite different from the others. It's a fantastical, surreal story about the battle to save books from a power that would rid the world of dangerous books, all books, in fact, because of what they do to your imagination.

The force sometimes known as the Grey Man says, "Imagination is the worst evil of all. It is the ability to think about others, to put yourselves in their shoes. It is a terrifying force that can only destroy your true potential."

And, "I've seen how empathy and compassion render people helpless. Look at the successful people in the world. Not one of them has even a scrap of imagination. The thing they have in common is that they are determined to mow down other people without mercy."

At one point the Grey Man invents a machine that produces neo-books, books that are easily understandable and repetitive, and "most readers will be hooked." 

Art copying life or vice versa as we find bookshops full of celebrity authors and big names, and, especially in the run-up to Christmas those gimmicky books (yes, I've fallen for them too). 

Books as dangerous weapons that need censoring have featured before in 1984 and Fahrenheit 451, neither of which I have read. I shall order 1984 now.

6 7 not 67

Daughter tells me I have to make it clear that it's six seven not sixty seven. I would hate for you to be getting down with the kids and getting it wrong.

Computer died twice this morning. First time it restarted itself; second time I had to call in the expert i.e. Husband. He cleaned it up a bit but couldn't find anything major wrong, but if I disappear suddenly you'll know what it is.

I used the no-computer time to plant my two new roses, and change one of my front door tubs. I need a few more cyclamen to fill the other one.

In other news, an article on the BBC website headlined, "Willpower doesn't exist," attracted my attention. "Want to lose weight but think you don't have the willpower? It's not willpower you're lacking!"

Excellent, this is what I want: a good excuse that proves it isn't my fault.

Read on and discover what I need to do is to get organised. It didn't say what you're supposed to do if you don't have organisational skills either.

* * * * *

Hearing about the deteriorating condition of a friend's wife made me want to grab the moment. First I looked at last minute cruises, then at cottages in Wales, then I remembered that, over the next two months,  we have the roofers coming and Husband is waiting for a cataract operation appointment. Plus birthdays, Bob Dylan, and life.

We do have a week that is almost free of anything so I'm wondering about a staycation. If the weather is good we can take day trips but weather being good in mid-November is fairly unlikely. And trips that involve too much walking will hurt Husband's foot so my plan to visit the waterfalls may not happen.

Big sigh. I wonder, could we go away? In spite of Husband's 'oh it'll rain' forecast. Shall I be dynamic? Probably not but I'll think about it.

67 and Gunga Din

I forgot to mention that our options yesterday were limited by the weather, which was wet. Not that they would have opted for a jolly walk on the beach anyway!

I've been a bit apathetic today. That's the trouble when I don't have a schedule. But we've just been for a nice walk so that's made me feel better. Of course, my photos are playing up so I can't show the pretty trees. 

* * * * *

So dictionary.com has named 67 as its 2025 Word of the Year. You wouldn't get Mr Chambers suggesting that I'm sure.

I'd never heard of it until the other day. It originated in 2024 from a rapper's song about a 6'7" basketball player. Here's what dictionary.com says about it:

While the term is largely nonsensical, some argue it means “so-so,” or “maybe this, maybe that,” especially when paired with a hand gesture where both palms face up and move alternately up and down.

Because of its murky and shifting usage, it’s an example of brainrot slang and is intended to be nonsensical and playfully absurd.

And here's what it says about brainrot:

Brainrot, sometimes spelled brain rot, is a slang term used to describe the effects of being “perpetually online” and consuming large amounts of low-value internet content.

* * * * *

So from the ridiculous to the sublime, though sublime might not be an appropriate description. The phrase, "You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din," popped into my head today, as these things do. My gran used to say it but I never knew the origins. As I was considering using the sentence in my next article I thought I'd better check it out.

It comes, as many of you probably know, from the poem, Gunga Din, by Rudyard Kipling, and tells of a Hindu water carrier serving British troops in India. The man is subjected to all sorts of racist abuse before sacrificing his life to save a soldier. 

A sympathetic reading of the poem might suggest it's about the soldier's change of mindset but it's not a comfortable read.

* * * * *

And finally my phone and computer are talking.

As I've written before, when our children were young and we took them to Derby to visit grandparents, Grandma would tell them it was lucky to catch a leaf in October. I don't believe in luck but I still love the challenge of trying - and failing - to catch a leaf.

It's much harder than you might think.

Phone home, ETee!

Today it was the boys' turn. After much discussion, umm-ing and aah-ing, and indecisiveness, they elected to go to Bunkers, the indoor crazy golf place.

It was dark with flashing lights - aimed mainly I believe at 'young people' out on the town of an evening. I couldn't see what I was doing and I was sober so it must get pretty chaotic. At one point I said, "Daniel, come and find my ball for me: I can't see it." That was in the mirrored corridored hole. I thought I would never get out.

All the holes were based on tv shows, like Sons of Anarchtee, Harry Putter, ETee. Good fun though. I started off well and rapidly deteriorated.

This one's Breaking Bad but I can't remember the pun on it.

On some holes the balls followed very complicated routes disappearing into a sofa, or, as above, a caravan.

Followed by lunch in the nearby - okay, I've forgotten the name. Was it Carl Jnr's? A burger type place.

For the four of us the day cost nearly £100. That's fine as we're retired and have money but how do young families manage? Presumably by not going to these places. That said, they were lots of young families there. Or maybe I'm out of touch and that's a normal price.

Quiet day tomorrow. We shall turn off the lights and pretend to be out if any Trick or Treaters come our way. Few do. I have bought boxes of chocolates in the past, and we've ended up eating them ourselves. There aren't many children around here.

Maybe I should a box of Heroes, just in case though. What do you think?

Pirates and something else beginning with p

All the Halloween and Fall Autumn items in The Range were at half price so I bought some crafts GrandDaughter2 and I could do when she visited. Which she did today.

A very complicated pirate ghost ship. This involved painting bits, pressing them out, jamming them together, and tying knots in places too small for my fingers. Luckily GrandDaughter2 is good at tying knots.

What else? At bible study last night the word 'penis' was used twice. I think that's a first, at least using an anatomically correct word. Same man, two different reasons: drawn on his van, and sticking a tube up his. Our theme, incidentally, was 'Blessed are those who hunger for righteousness', so still trying to work out the relevance. 

Ice cream or fungus?

Theo is a big boy now, and having had his injections he's allowed out on walks. 

But I don't think he'll be having this for Christmas. It's for girl dogs after all!

Also available in smaller sizes and different colours for cats.

Ice cream cornet badge or fungus?

In which I have a bone to pick with Ralph McTell

Bev, my cleaner, came back today after her hip replacement. I was very pleased to see her but am also just as uncomfortable when she's here. Someone else cleaning my mess? It's unthinkable! But not totally.

So I did some weeding while she was here, and, for some reason, began singing Streets of London to myself. "So how can you tell me you're lonely, and say for you that the sun don't shine, let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of London, I'll show you something to make you change your mind."

And I thought, "Just a minute."

There's always going to be someone worse off than me/you/girl in the song. That doesn't invalidate my/your/her feelings. Yes, of course the grief of a person who's lost a child is worse than that of a person who's lost an animal, but at the time, in the grief, it doesn't matter. Who am I to say that your pain is trivial anyway?

So, if I ever see Ralph McTell I shall tell him. (Obviously I wouldn't; I'd be too star struck.)

* * * * *

Back to the -vert question. A couple of people expressed surprise that I would be an introvert, and I think that often happens. I wondered if ambivert would be more me, an ambivert being roughly equally extra and intro. So I took a test (!) and it concludes I am not just introverted but strongly introverted!

It doesn't make any difference to my life, it's just fun, but also interesting to see other people's opinions of me. I think it's because you read what I write not see me in action. I am very open and honest in my writing while mostly quiet in real life. Then again, though I get very nervous, I do enjoy the opportunity to speak to groups to share about either my writing or my Christian thoughts. Like most of us, a bit of mix.

* * * * *

There were some interesting mushrooms growing in one of my tubs.

I think they are two different ones. I downloaded a fungi identifier app, which suggests that the first one may be scurfy twiglet, but judging by the result of the second one, it's a rubbish app.