vivdunstan: A picture of a cinema projector (films)
vivdunstan ([personal profile] vivdunstan) wrote2025-10-31 05:46 pm

Halloween viewing

Planning our Halloween viewing, possibly spread over a couple of nights. First up Hammer's movie The Vampire Lovers, based on Sheridan Le Fanu's novella Carmilla, which I recently read for my book club. Then bonkers supernatural comedy movie Hundreds of Beavers.
vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
vivdunstan ([personal profile] vivdunstan) wrote2025-10-31 03:14 pm
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“The Bovadium Fragments” by JRR Tolkien

Today’s arrival, a new book by JRR Tolkien. A satirical fantasy from the future looking back at the fragmentary remains of somewhere rather heavily inspired by Oxford.

I got me a signed copy (normal RRP) from Blackwells in Oxford. Signed by the head of the Bodleian, who wrote the accompanying essay in the book.

A hardback copy, resting on a red sofa, of “The Bovadium Fragments” by JRR Tolkien edited by Christopher Tolkien with a new accompanying essay by Richard Ovenden “The Origin of Bovadium”. Bovadium = Oxford. My copy is signed by Richard Ovenden.
andrewducker: (Dr Who)
andrewducker ([personal profile] andrewducker) wrote2025-10-30 05:45 pm

Life with two kids: Wednesday shoes

This morning Sophia announced, as we were about to leave the house, that she couldn't find her school shoes.

Her black school shoes.

The ones that are and integral part of her Wednesday costume. For the school Halloween disco. This evening.

Jane and I frantically tore the house apart for fifteen minutes and checked *everywhere*. Eventually we forced her, crying, to put on her trainers, promising her that if her shoes turned up we would bring them in to her.

Because we left fifteen minutes late we missed the bus. And so it was that we were halfway through the walk to school when Sophia quietly said "Oh."

And then told me that she'd just remembered that yesterday she'd come home from school in her welly boots, leaving her shoes at her peg.

You'll be delighted to hear that I didn't murder her.
vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
vivdunstan ([personal profile] vivdunstan) wrote2025-10-29 05:45 pm

Autumnal chills

It's that time of year when I change from my lighter wraparound robe (worn around my pyjamas) to my thicker long dressing gown. I have also this afternoon ordered me some new pairs of bed socks - machine washable, soft and fluffy, and the right length and size. I'm far too frozen in bed, despite an electric blanket and central heating. My nose is also currently cold which is just too much! To be fair I have a long-standing disease of the blood vessels, though it's usually more affecting the blood vessels in my brain, reducing the blood supply there. But peripheral chills can be a problem.
vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
vivdunstan ([personal profile] vivdunstan) wrote2025-10-29 02:18 pm

Shakespeare vs Cthulhu gamebook

Today's second arrival (very good day!): new paperback copy of the Kickstarter-funded "Shakespeare vs Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come" interactive fiction gamebook from Jonathan Green. Looks fantastic! Very happy to have this in my hands at last, and very much looking forward to playing it.

A paperback copy of the ACE GAMEBOOKS "Shakespeare vs Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come" book. The cover features the head and upper body of Shakespeare surrounded by a mass of tentacles. Sitting beside the gamebook on a red sofa are a matching bookmark and a number of postcards with old-style illustrations featuring Shakespearean scenes/things related to the gamebook.
vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
vivdunstan ([personal profile] vivdunstan) wrote2025-10-29 12:48 pm

Bunny

Something wonderful just arrived from Felted Friends. A hand felted White Rabbit from Disney's "Alice in Wonderland" film. A favourite literary character from one of my all-time favourite books. And so very well done.

A cardboard box with wrapping paper and bubble wrap. Inside it stands a cute felted White Rabbit figure, in red coat, yellow shirt, burgundy bow tie, blue trousers, and a white watch with a yellow chain clutched in his left paw. He has white fluffy bits beside his cheek and his pink in white ears stand up tall. Beside him is a leaflet for the shop Felted Friends, www.feltedfriends.shop, also on Facebook and Instagram.
vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
vivdunstan ([personal profile] vivdunstan) wrote2025-10-28 11:44 am
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Prunella Scales

Very sad to hear that Prunella Scales has died. A wonderful actress, but most of all Martin and I enjoyed her charming canal trip programmes with husband Timothy West. I'm downloading (on demand in the UK) some of her past canal trips to rewatch, including the Leeds & Liverpool canal and Venice.
vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
vivdunstan ([personal profile] vivdunstan) wrote2025-10-27 09:23 pm
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Current reading, late October 2025 edition

Took an earlier screenshot of this than planned as I was just checking my new USB-C to USB-C cable works with my Kindle + OpenMTP for data transfer. So much more convenient to have direct USB-C to USB-C than the provided USB-C to USB-A cable then needing a USB-A to USB-C dongle to plug it into my USB-C Mac laptop port ...

vivdunstan: Photo of my 72 bass accordion (accordion)
vivdunstan ([personal profile] vivdunstan) wrote2025-10-27 11:30 am
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Windmills of Your Mind

Pleased managed more accordion practice despite my worsening neuro illness. Not too light headed just now, though my usually automatic bellows control was a bit challenged! Focused on 5 tunes (*), including Windmills of Your Mind. Which on my 72 bass box required jumping from the top of the bass side to the bottom and back! Though, amazingly, that wasn't as tricky as expected. Here is a recording of Windmills of Your Mind.

* The other tunes were Pirates of the Caribbean "He's a Pirate" music (so piratey!), Speechless from live-action Disney Aladdin, Thank You For The Music by ABBA and a My Fair Lady medley.

Oh and Martin had a teleconference going on in the next door study while I played in the lounge. I tried to play a bit quieter than I might have. He said afterwards it was fine 😜
andrewducker: (Join Darth)
andrewducker ([personal profile] andrewducker) wrote2025-10-26 08:07 pm
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Life with two kids: Very wet test subjects

There's research that if you leave people in a room with an electro-shock shock device long enough to get bored they will deliberately shock themselves.

In other news I took Sophia's phone away from the kids while they were in the bath and now they're repeatedly pouring cold water over themselves while shrieking like baboons.
andrewducker: (Default)
andrewducker ([personal profile] andrewducker) wrote2025-10-26 01:45 pm
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mark: A photo of Mark kneeling on top of the Taal Volcano in the Philippines. It was a long hike. (Default)
Mark Smith ([staff profile] mark) wrote in [site community profile] dw_maintenance2025-10-25 08:42 am

Database maintenance

Good morning, afternoon, and evening!

We're doing some database and other light server maintenance this weekend (upgrading the version of MySQL we use in particular, but also probably doing some CDN work.)

I expect all of this to be pretty invisible except for some small "couple of minute" blips as we switch between machines, but there's a chance you will notice something untoward. I'll keep an eye on comments as per usual.

Ta for now!

andrewducker: (Default)
andrewducker ([personal profile] andrewducker) wrote2025-10-25 10:29 am
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Photo cross-post


One of these children won at Ticket To Ride: First Journey, the other...did not.
Original is here on Pixelfed.scot.

vivdunstan: Photo of little me in a red mac at Hawick (hawick)
vivdunstan ([personal profile] vivdunstan) wrote2025-10-25 03:09 pm

"High heid yin"

Advance reading something, and passed the words "high heid yin". One of my all time favourite Scots expressions, especially when used in the plural, that I still say regularly, including just a week ago when talking to Martin about something in our kitchen. I've also deployed it when asking an audience question 20+ years ago at a history research seminar at Dundee University, though I then felt the need to translate it for the visiting Welsh prof! For non-Scots friends it means someone in authority, a leader.

Checking back here I have mentioned this expression in a friends-locked post before, but it's well worth repeating!