Do You Have Birdbrain In Red Leather?

No idea if anyone’s still out there (let’s face it - I’m barely clinging on!!), but just in case, the lovely Mr Cornwell has linked to this on his website.

Also, in case anyone’s missed it, Mr C is currently writing what will probably be his last (full-blown, at least) Sharpe novel, entitled Sharpe’s Assassin. It carries on just after Waterloo, and will hopefully be published on the 30th September....

Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!

ETA - OK, for some reason I don’t seem to be able to get any links to work. If you go to Mr C’s website, click on the “news” menu, and scroll down a little way, you’ll find a little article about something interesting being produced by the Folio Society...to be followed by more interesting things, one assumes...

I expect this has already been pointed out at the AoS comms, but just in case, for those who would be interested:

Documentary: Nelson In His Own Words
BBC2, Friday March 6th, 9 p.m.

(Why, yes - I am still alive ... just about!!!)

ETA Blurb from the Radio Times:

Britain's naval hero was famous for his dash-and-glory deeds, but his prolific letter writing reveals what a complex man he was. He had a desperate hunger for admiration and recognition, something his lover Emma Hamilton provided amply and ardently, while he was also sly and manipulative, using PR to advance his career and hinder the progress of his rivals.
Experts flesh out the background to his writings while actor Jonathon Slinger, reading from his letters, portrays Nelson as an ambitious social climber in love with the idea of himself as a hero, yet insecure about his status and his passionate relationship with Emma.

...is anyone watching The Musketeers? If so, any thoughts/opinions?

I'm enjoying it. Won't claim it's brilliant TV, but I think it's fun and doesn't require the old braincells to be terribly active! Also, pretty men in leather brandishing their weaponry all over the place...not that I'm shallow or nuffink!

There's been some whinging in places over on LJ about the fact that it's not keeping to Dumas' storyline. Surely if that's what you want, you watch the Richard Lester fillums with Ollie Reed and Richard Chamberlain?!

I've just lost Aero, my beautiful boy. He had a massive fit and/or seizure about an hour ago, and was gone by the time I got him to the vet's. So, it's just me and his sister, Willow now.

I may just have to give in and upgrade my LJ back to a paid account. The wretched ads seem to be getting more and more lurid and intrusive. I just resent giving such a dubious company my dosh, however piffling an amount! :(

EDIT: sharpiefan has very kindly pointed out that I'm a dimwit (not her word choice, but she wouldn't be blamed for thinking it!) and all the nasty ads are now gone without any negative effect on my bank balance whatsoever - Yay!

My TV has died. It's not even a year old, wretched thing; though at least that means it's still under warranty, but what a blooming faff having to take it back.

Got home tonight, plugged it in, switched it on and nowt happened: not even a hint of a glimmer from the little red standby light. Tried changing the fuse, but no joy.

Worst thing is, one of my rental discs is now stuck irretrievably inside the built-in DVD player.

Ugh. :(

It's very jolly having a bloke-free place of my own now, with the ability to put up a guest if and when I want. My sister came to stay with me for three nights last week. She lives way down in the south of France, and over the last twenty years or so, I've seen her for maybe a day at a time max, and only once or twice a year if I'm lucky. More often, not. Shame it was too bloomin' hot to go out and do much, though we did drive up to Solihull to see our aunt and uncle one day, and took a slow dawdle into Horsham another. She finally got to see my shop! I've only had it four years! (And worked there another fourteen on top!) Anyhow, she's back in French-France now, where it's even hotter, poor sods. Can we ban summer? Winter too. I'm fine just swapping between spring and autumn, ta muchly!

Had to make 50% of my two-woman workforce redundant last month :( If my accountant had his way, Rebecca would be out the door, too, but he can jolly-well get stuffed. Sod going it alone. We'll keep struggling onwards. Recession? Pah!

Looking on the bright side, the shop did so badly last year that I won't have to pay any personal tax next year, AND I got a rebate on last year's, which has paid off my credit card and most of what I'd had to borrow from the business in the course of buying my flat. Yay! *winces*

Since I moved into my new place, I've actually been doing some reading. I discovered a snippet from Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series,via the Jane Austen site I lurk around, and as a result have whizzed through "The Eyre Affair", "Lost in a Good Book", and "The Well of Lost Plots" - great fun to read - and am now taking a break from him with "Nelson's Purse" by Martyn Downer, which has been sitting unread on my bookcase for I dunno how many years, poor thing. Interesting stuff.

And I think I've finally worked out what I'm going to do to fix "General". Now, if the temperature would just drop enough for my brain to engage properly...

Hope all's well with my flist, and you're not all melting into icky-sticky pools of goo!!

*smooches*

Whilst flipping through the above-mentioned volume for no damn reason, since it has no bearing on what I'm supposed to be writing, I spotted the following in the chapter on field sports:

'A Silver Cup for Mules'

1 - Paymaster Gibbs' "Money-Bag"
2 - Lieutenant Minchin's "Pat"
3 - Lieutenant Frederick's "Beau"
4 - Captain Keyt's "Nimble Dick"

'A hard race and showed much sport.'

Ok, so the last three are a given, but anyone want to speculate on the identity of Money-Bag?!?!?!

Finally got around to a second Hobbit viewing yesterday. Love it. Think I could quite happily watch it on a loop all day! Not that that seems like a hard choice when compared to being at the shop!

I've been getting back into reading the appendices to LotR, as well as Christopher T's Histories, which I haven't done for a few years, and which are always fun, especially when it involves speculating on what PJ will do with parts 2 & 3...

Thankfully, I've not been hit by any wayward bunnies (or Rhosgobel rabbits!) yet - a good thing, based on my WIP's list, methinks!

Oh, I am the Guv. Well, that's all right then!

Was surfing the 'net looking for sommat work-related (no, really!) when I tripped over this:

King's Shilling Anyone?!

Why's there no army alternative? Seems odd to me that it's specifically aimed at Navy "recruits", but whatever.