#realising your dream

[theretirementstory]

25/08/2024. Bonjour à tous, I can’t believe that we are hurtling towards the end of August! Where has that month gone? My son had booked his flights out to me towards the end of July and it seemed ages until he was arriving and now it’s just over a week😱. I am so excited, I am like that dog chasing it’s tail 😂.

This week saw 43 years since I passed my driving test 🙈 and I still drive as if I am on the test!

Oyez, oyez, oyez, announcement of the week! “The Trainee Solicitor” is due a name change as with effect from 23 August he has been admitted as a Solicitor. That’s one of your dreams realised now “Mr Solicitor”, it’s great news, 🥳 from a proud mum.

My grandchildren are with “The Photographer” this weekend, being a bank holiday on Monday they will be spending an extra day with him but then he goes back to work on Tuesday and Grandad will be on childminding duties. It’s been a busy week for “The Photographer” as he had a midweek journey to photograph the Scarborough AFC match at Chorley. Last weekend one of his photos was used by BBC Sport so the photos are “getting out there”. As he was leaving work on Friday evening, he was told by a police motorcyclist to wait at the junction and to his surprise heading along the road, flanked by more police motorcyclists was a Mercedes car which he was sure contained “The Queen”. Apparently she made a surprise visit to the Ebor Festival at York Racecourse on the third day (Friday). What a lovely surprise for him to tell his children.

“The Recovery Coordinator” has had “the week from hell!” Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong and as her employment is running short-staffed anyway it has been a nightmare. Fortunately she only has one and a half days at work this coming week then she breaks up for her holidays. I am hoping against hope that this lovely weather we are having continues into the first week of September and that she can enjoy some relaxation in the sun.

“The Jetsetter” has been to Maidenhead, for a friends wedding. I do hope it was a fantastic day and that it was a nice break.

Now it’s back to “The Solicitor” who yesterday lunchtime went out to celebrate his fantastic news with his partner, father, brother, niece and nephew. What a celebration. I do hope there are no “thick heads” this morning.

My “Personal Shopper” has returned from holiday, he has been put to good use since he got back, not only did he do my shopping yesterday, but on Thursday he also pressure washed my patio, gates and the top of the letterbox. He then went to order my prescription from the pharmacy.

Monique celebrates her birthday today and I cannot believe that it is two years since I was sitting in her garden playing with her twin grandchildren who were only 7 months old at the time.

Anie has been down to see me, she brought figs, vine peaches and an apple. I thought she might have to do my shopping for me yesterday, however the Personal Shopper agreed to do it. I was pleased she could have a normal Saturday, visit the market and then on a balmy afternoon she was going to visit her garden.

I was up with the larks yesterday as I wanted to walk to the sunflower field down the road to take some photos for the children. We had a video call and my grandson wanted to see my house so I wandered round showing him around, his sister kept saying, I was in there, and sure enough she had been when Daddy brought her over last year. I think my grandson liked my garden if only because it had an airer like Mummy’s. He liked upstairs best, maybe because downstairs is a “work in orogress”, while I am preparing for the visitors.

I was in Paris on Monday, blimey could that driver make the car move! We were doing 160k/hr on a 130 road 🙈. We got there in good time and would have been home quicker if someone at the hospital had phoned and given the taxi office a departure time. I only needed a platelet transfusion my haemoglobin had increased a bit from the previous Friday.

I was then at Troyes on Friday where the platelets had dropped again but not as low as they had been. The haemoglobin had increased yet again but the doctor said it was probably due to one of the injections I have once a week. He said that is better than requiring a transfusion though. To try and sort out my low blood pressure, dosage of my blood pressure tablet has been reduced by half. I now feel like a new woman!

The cleaner has been again and I am going to type a list of jobs to be done weekly/monthly.

I baked a cake yesterday afternoon I don’t know why but I don’t seem to be enjoying some of these foods at the moment.

When my visitors have gone back home, I am going to sort out lots of stuff for the charity shop, decheterie (tip) and anything which could be useful to some of the refugee places.

I had a package arrive from Worcester which included a tea towel, a penguin pin for a coat or jacket and a small penguin “pebble” to keep in my pocket. The penguins have been around the city, lots of them, large and small, doing “The Waddle”.

Then I received a gift from the Îles d’Oleron which was a bag containing some salt, caramel chip biscuits, puffed rice coated in chocolate and caramel plus a lavender bag which smells divine. I have lots of these in wardrobes, drawers etc.

I read in the local newspaper that the fountain which was due to be installed in front of the Town Hall and up and running by July, had been slowed down due to the discovery of an air raid shelter! This work will now be completed during September. I guess that is when everyone is back from holidays.

I had messaged Nicolas (the gardener) to come and cut the lawn and hedges. He said he would try to come and mow on Friday but I guess he must be a busy man as he never came. As he passes my house on his way home he tends to do my jobs if he has finished jobs early and would otherwise go straight home.

I also messaged the roofer, I had phoned and left a message, sent a text message and then sent an email. With the lack of response I can only assume 🙄 that he is on holiday.

I also messaged the plumber who never responded. I don’t think he is on holiday as I have seen his van in the area. Will ring and speak to him I think next week.

Then, I had put off contacting the man to clean the outside walls of the house as I hate speaking on the phone. Anyway I sent a text, he replied saying he is on holiday but will contact me on Sunday. I guess 50% success rate isn’t too bad.

Although my life is still dictated by the hospital visits, I am happy to be dealing with other things I wanted to do. Having a walk is making me feel much better and not being out of breath or as wary, which I have to be but not to the extent that I am wrapped in cotton wool.

It’s difficult to think up songs that have meant something to me over the years. However, I just remembered this one, it’s Lady Love Me (One More Time) by George Benson which was released in 1983.

I can’t believe I haven’t had a song by this next singer, there are a few which I absolutely love but I have chosen this particular song as it reminds me of holidays, being on the night train from York to Bristol (Temple Meads) then a change onto the train to Penzance in Cornwall. It was in the days when trains had compartments (I loved those trains). It was the first time I had been to Cornwall but it was not to be the last time. My sister was coming up three years old and the only bit of the song she could (nearly) sing was “working all day, all day, all day”. The song is Matthew & Son by (as he was then) Cat Stevens and the year was 1967.

Have a good week until next week.

[somewhatsentientspellbook]

There's just something so fascinating about the way the Exandrian pantheon has decided to handle the Aeor Situation™ - by electing a few of their kind to be born as mortals in order to infiltrate the city.

The first to bring herself low was Ioun, and I can only imagine how lonely that must have been for her. To feel infinite wisdom creeping into her adolescent mind? To rise through Aeor's ranks knowing what they'd do to her if the authorities discovered the truth of her existence? Waiting, hoping, perhaps even praying that the other gods would follow through with the plan.

Sarenrae has a husband and children as Trist. I can't help but consider the parallels to Liliana Temult, with a 'higher calling' pulling a mother away from her family. The conversations in the temple suggest that she would have been aware of what she was by the time she started her family. Yet she loves them, cherishes them, even knowing that she might not see them again. Will Amaris, Haylie, and Topher learn that Trist is a goddess? Or will that only be discovered when they find their way to her realm in Elysium?

The Matron was once mortal, and she willingly returned to that form in order to help her newfound siblings dismantle the Aeorian threat. Her steward since childhood was Purvan, helping raise and guide her despite his old age. Imagine being a little girl, guarded by the Champion of Ravens himself and his wolven companion, completely unaware of your own divinity until later in life. Imagine the night she woke up, remembering her ascendency, seeing Purvan and recognising him.

And what of the families that gave birth to and raised the four Betrayer Gods? What of the halfling family who watched their precocious daughter scale a fence with far too much ease than it should be? The day the tortle's parents found him crying in pain and tearing at his skin to distract himself from a memory so distant and yet so real? Or Milo, who became a priest, not to follow in the light of the Dawnfather (like his parents may have thought), but to mock his brother even as a mortal?

These gods spent entire childhoods with families and friends, taking refuge from the skirmishes caused by their other siblings. Who, despite those similarities, have very different opinions of humanity, of Aeor, and themselves.

[mayhemspreadingguy]

@magnusbae you inspired me to experiment with the textures and brushes. Ngl it was very fun so thank you XD

[sailorfailures]

PGSM 20 Year Reunion Event!!

This is not a drill!! The five Sailor Guardians from Toei's 2003 live action adaptation of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon will be officially reuniting under the series's title for the show's 20-year anniversary on Christmas Day, 2023!

The five actresses - Miyuu Sawai (Moon), Rika Izumi (Mercury), Keiko Kitagawa (Mars), Mew Azama (Jupiter), and Ayaka Komatsu (Venus) - have each posted about the upcoming event on their social media, but the official Sailor Moon franchise website has posted this announcement:

2003年から2004年まで放送された、ドラマ『美少女戦士セーラームーン』。 その20周年を記念した特番「セーラー戦士 同窓会」の放送が決定しました！ドラマ『美少女戦士セーラームーン』を制作したCBCテレビ（愛知・岐阜・三重）で2023年12月25日（月）に放送予定です。 オーディションにおける裏話や中高生時代の5人が仲を深めるきっかけになった撮影秘話など、今だからこそ話せるお互いの関係性にまつわるエピソードが満載のトークバラエティ番組になっています。 放送情報などの詳細は後日発表いたします。続報をお楽しみに。 The TV drama "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon" aired from 2003 to 2004. To commemorate that 20 year anniversary, there will be a special program broadcast: "Sailor Guardian Alumni Reunion"! The program is scheduled to be broadcast on Monday, December 25, 2023 on the station which produced the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon drama series, CBC Television [Aichi | Gifu | Mie]. The episode is set to be a talk variety show covering behind-the-scenes conversations about the show's auditions, filming secrets about what sparked deeper friendships amongst the five then-middle and high-school-aged girls, and tales of their relationships that can only be talked about now. Broadcast details, etc will be announced at a later date. Stay tuned for more information.

[jamelalatise]

[somegrumpynerd]

@pigeonstab Oh this is fun to explore you're right

I tend to hc they don't know the story but they've picked up bits and pieces. Nightmare does not want to share, he'll avoid all attempts by others to ask about his past or what happened and he thinks he's done a fairly good job keeping them in the dark.

The problem is his boys are all Sanses. Classic Sans does not get his information by asking, he loves to read between the lines and make safe assumptions, and all his boys have a little bit of that still in them. So any time he's mentioned something off-hand or shown a bias towards one thing or another, they've been filing it away.

They don't know about his childhood (much) or what happened between him and Dream that caused all this, but they know he has a dubious past with mortals in some form and they assume it's to do with how he looks and that he feeds off negativity. They know he gets unnerved by large crowds and the sounds of apples crunching. They know he can't stand to see someone left alone in miserable circumstances.

But, alternatively, it would be really funny if he told them a fake story and they'd all been working off that the whole time

[martybaker]

Thinking about Dream cat behavior.

Especially retired Dream behavior I think would be very cat like.

Climbing into Hob’s lap as he’s sitting in his home office, trying to work, suddenly finding himself with a lapful of warm Dream. Pale arms wrapped around him, tucking his nose against Hob’s neck, purring, falling sleep. Well guess that’s all the work Hob’s gonna do today, he can’t move now. He’s not a monster.

Curling on Hob’s chest as he’s lying on the couch.

Getting impatient when Hob takes too long in the bathroom, and either joining him or complaining behind the door. “Hob,” he says, not whining at all.

Coming to inspect what snack Hob’s got at every crinkle of a packet.

Enjoying Hob’s scratches and pets with a blissed out expression on his face.

Having moments of frantic energy highs when he snoops through Hob’s stuff, roaming from room to room, until he finds something that piques his curiosity and sates his agitation.

Doing nothing but sprawling on bed the whole day.

Launching himself at Hob from behind and nuzzling against his back as he’s scrubbing the dishes, scaring him shitless.

Leaving scratches on Hob.

Perching on every surface possible, counters, desks, tables, the back of the sofa, the windowsill.

Hissing at appliances when they don’t cooperate with him.

Biting.

Demanding attention when he’s left alone for too long.

Waking Hob up at ass o’clock in the mornings, because while sleep and dreams are important so is cuddling your Dream close and Dream’s been awake for some time already so he needs attention now.

Hating getting wet. Rain is evil.

Birds are fascinating.

Licking.

Nuzzling against Hob’s legs, chest, back, face, anything.

Seeking warm spots in the house.

anyways that’s all I have for Dream’s a cat agenda for now 🐈‍⬛

[neptunym]

ms paint doodles for @post-it-notes7 's fic series, heart and soul. i highly recommend it to anyone that either likes the kirby anime or meta knight bc it's a delight to read :]

[lunarharp]

figured i'd do this again..bit early i guess..

[coockie8]

i once had an anti tell me to stop sexualizing their trauma on a story i wrote that was a word for word retelling of my own actual trauma but with names changed and its been 2 years and i still cant stop thinking about that

Ah, yeah... Unfortunately a non-insignificant number of antishippers seem to genuinely believe they own the concept of trauma, so any story they read that they believe to be portrayed in a romanticized or sexualized light therefore must be romanticizing/sexualizing their trauma specifically.

I couldn't tell you the amount of times I've gotten the "stop sexualizing my trauma!!!!!!" or adjacent comments from antishippers that universally garner a response that basically boils down to

Like, bitch! I'm talking about my trauma! I literally did not even know you existed until you fucking commented!

[bonksoundeffect]

The born in Eastern Europe curse of knowing you were doomed from the start

[dizzybevvie]

WHO DYA THINK YOURE KIDDING. HES THE EARTH AND HEAVEN TO YOU TRY TO KEEP IT HIDDEN HONEY WE CAN SEE RIGHT THROUGH YOU

[bfdifan26]

i can help you!!

[brooklynislandgirl]

[deductordemigod]

It's winter. You ask me about love and I tell you about violence. I'm sorry. I thought that's what love was. It's all the same anyway. Love is never what you want it to be. It can be better, but it can be worse. It doesn't always have to hurt but it always hurts me. The devotion to pain, to something bigger than myself. Love is something big and loud, and god left a long time ago, and took the tenderness with him. So if you're going to feel anything, why not make it hurt. I used to be a hole in the ground, now I am just a hole in myself.

Saudi Arabia GP [Jeddah] (2022) // unknown // Azerbaijan GP [Baku] (2019) // Azerbaijan GP [Baku] (2023) // 'Translations' by Brian Friel [Act 2 Scene 2] (1980) // unknown // Belgian GP [Spa] (2004) // German GP [Hockenheim] (2018) // Singapore GP [Marina Bay Street Circuit] (2023) // 'Translations' by Brian Friel [Act 3] (1980)// unknown // Bahrain GP [Bahrain International Circuit] (2022) // 'Translations' by Brian Friel [Act 3] (1980) // British GP [Silverstone] (2022) // 'Translations' by Brian Friel [Act 3] (1980) // unknown // Spanish GP [Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya] (2022) // French GP [Circuit Paul Ricard] (2022)

so i'm studying the play 'Translations' in my english literature class, and i couldn't help but find some of the quotes relatable to charles. i then found this poem online (unfortunately no source to be found no matter how hard i look), and the rest is history so to speak.

[mukuberry]

yumeyume 0909 is killing me a lil actually