Of Tea, Cake and Other Matters of Importance

Edinburgh was excellent. Lots of walking around, too much to explore in the few days I had there, and I'm left with a real desire to return. The hotel was lovely, spotlessly clean, and their breakfasts top notch. Of course the city has umpteen places to dine without torturing the budget too heavily. The train journey there and home again went without a hitch. I got surrounded by an Irish family, an older teen and her mother, plus the grandmother, and they were simply lovely. I'd never met them before and I'll most likely never meet them again, but they automatically included me in their conversation as if this was the most natural thing in the world.

When returning home after being away, everything looked dusty and smaller yet comforting. This brilliant spring sunshine is merciless to those of us who can think of far more interesting things to do than wielding polish and cloth, and so the obvious task had to be faced. I must send some of this bric-a-brac to the nearest charity shop. Yes, I know I only recently posted about me not being willing to part with any of it, but tastes do change, and cheap 'n' cheerful no longer brings me the joy it once did. Am I turning into a Marie Kondo? Rest assured this will never happen. Remember her announcing that everyone should have no more than six books in their house, or something like that? I have more than twice that stacked up on my nightstand.

I really enjoyed reading the collection of short horror and dark fantasy story anthology, Black Magick. The reason I bought my copy is that it features a story by Adele Cosgrove-Bray, who's one of my favourites. The last novel in her Artisan-Sorcerer series is supposed to be due out some time this year. Has anyone read these? Think magical realism, urban fantasy, with strong characters. Treat yourself!

I'm slowly working my way through the Horrible History boxed set, which is a bit of fun. I've also started reading a book about sleep paralysis which brings the sensation of an invisible being sitting on or by you while draining your energy. This one's by Louis Proud, an Aussie writer who I've not heard of before. There are also a few needlecrafts books which I picked up second-hand while up in Scotland, which I've not started yet but going from the photos they look interesting.

There are some new faces at my place of work. Staff turnover seems high. That usually indicates a problem in the workplace, but the manager's reasonable and it's a decent enough firm to be employed by. No job's ever perfect. There's always some aspect of it you don't like, (apart from actually having to be there!). The pay's a weak spot. It's okay for someone like me, whose mortgage is long paid off and who is a few short years off retirement and so can't be bothered changing jobs to do the corporate ladder-climbing thing, but for a young adult it's a dead end job. Most figure that out after a while. I wait until I've known them for a while, and then I'll ask how they'd like their life to be in ten years time. To the young, ten years sounds like a lifetime off, but it's upon a person soon enough, and if steps aren't taken they'll still be slogging away in the same, or a similar, job. I point out that one day, maybe not this year but soon, they'll want their own home, driving lessons and a car, holidays, etc., and that these things cost a lot of money, and that this job will never provide that. I like to think of it as offering a benign kick in the pants from an older, and hopefully a tad wiser, person. I only have this conversation with them once, and once only, then I'll leave it up to them totally. Plant a seed, and leave it. And, as a result several have gone back into education to better their chances in the long term.

I guess everyone's forgotten me, it's so long since I updated this thing. That's okay. I've probably forgotten you, too.

I've quickly read through the last few entries. My "new" job is now my ex-job, and has been for a long time. I now have another new job, and I've been there quite some time already so it's not really new at all.  It can be challenging sometimes, but also fun. I'd retire tomorrow if I could afford that, but wouldn't everyone. To be fair, I suspect that when I do eventually retire in a few years time that I'll genuinely miss my job role, and it really can be fun sometimes. I have a new colleague who's over-enthusiastic and full of bright ideas, which is all a bit exhausting. And irritating. Hopefully she'll calm down as the weeks tick by and she gradually learns that nobody gets promoted from this role so she might as well cool it with the career climbing. Jump through all the hoops you want, there's nowhere better to land, not in this role and in this place of employment.

I also re-read my previous scepticism about the (then unscreened) TV series of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. I've now seen Season One - I had to import it on DVD from America - and loved it. I'm looking forward to Season Two when it's finally available.

I've not added much to my AO3 site. One day, perhaps. Would anyone want to read that old stuff, though? Time has moved on.

Has anyone watched The Strain? While it sticks closely to familiar vampire tropes in many ways, it's entirely contemporary, and I like the new-style monsters. Their forked tongues, being so huge, would have surely distort their human hosts necks though. I mean, just where are they hiding those things when they're not flinging them towards their victims?  Hogwarts' caretaker as the van Helsing-type character is wonderfully grouchy.

The Ship is interesting, too. Illness has annihilated most people, and those who survive are either ill or desperately trying to survive. Meanwhile, one lone American navy ship gives itself the task of saving the world - of course. It's macho patriotic nonsense, but fun.

My love affair with YouTube continues unabated. I love that anyone can have a go at being a film maker, even using amateur kit. I've a few channels that I enjoy. I still enjoy the cottage core fantasy, but figure that most of it's faked, and that those who have bought land and live in remote and rural idylls are also loaded in order to afford their banks of solar panels, 4-wheel drives, their endless supply of quality DIY tools and lumber for their various building projects, food, health care, good outdoor clothing, new boots etc. The list goes on. It has to, as every video demands a new adventure of one sort or another.

Right now I'm re-reading Poppy Z Brite's Lost Souls. I've not read it for many years. It reminds me of being a teenager. Sure the plot has holes, but it's an engaging read. Before this book I read Crime and Punishment, not the classic of that title but a saga about a family of London gangsters. I've already forgotten the author's name. It's not one I'll read again but it was okay, if a bit long-winded sometimes.

I arrived at work early, ready to hand in the third set of course papers and to wear an intelligent expression through that morning's proposed fourth (in-person) course, only to learn that the tutor had phoned-in sick. So the course papers are now slowly getting grubbier inside my locker, and it meant I was free to go home earlier than usual. Suits me.

So what exciting things did I do with my, in effect, free half-afternoon? Having weeded the garden, I started re-reading Rowan, which is one of the Artisan-Sorcerer novels. Rowan reminds me of Armand, in a way, except that he's not a vampire. He's young and difficult, gorgeous of course, and gets drawn into the glamorous magicians' world, which completely changes his life. Whether that's for good or ill is something for debate. Have you read this series?

Clothes shopping - I've never been an enthusiastic shopper, one of those people who genuinely enjoy trailing my fingers over rail after rail of clothes designed to fit 6-foot tall anorexics. Newspaper headlines are forever moaning about low high street sales, blaming the economy and the internet etc. How about the obvious fact that trying to find something nice - not for teenagers but not for beige-clad geriatrics either - which actually fits a normal human shape is so bloody difficult!

Anyway, despite my Victor Meldrew-esque moaning, I came home with a rather lovely minty green jumper, which had an embroidered geometric trim around the hem and cuffs. The irony of this is that I found it in the Edinburgh Wool Mill, which is geriatric heaven.

I've been toying with buying a laptop. This PC is nearly five years old, and a bit rubbish anyway, and I could do with having a backup in case it dies. It's still on Windows 7, which is my fault for not downloading the free Windows 10 when it was on offer, but so many people said not to bother. Now, though, I'm finding some bits of websites won't work with mine. I've had this before, with my previous PC when it limped into its ninth year of life before - literally - fizzling out. (It really did make a fizzle sound, a whine, a gurgle, then it died).