Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Tomkins in curious mode.

This is Tomkins yesterday - he loves sitting on the kitchen table and directing everyone who goes in the room! (grin)
My hand was a bit shaky, as he's had us laughing non-stop this last few day, so the pic is a bit wobbly - when I've got some more batteries for my camera, I'm going to try and get a pic of him when he's in chase mode, as he loves chasing a pheasant feather around the place - it's hysterical to watch, and he's tireless in the pursuit of it. I wish I could bottle his energy - I'd make a fortune! lol
Has anyone noticed that, no matter how much you spend on toys, a cat will love nothing more than chasing a feather or piece of string around, rather than the toy you've spent good money on? (smile)

Friday, December 21, 2007

Puss is renamed!

Well, we didn't continue with the name Dylan for long!
Within a day, we had started calling our newest family member either Tomkins, or Pusskins - and Tomkins seems to have stuck!
I don't know why the name Dylan didn't suit him - but it didn't, - so we are going with what feels more comfortable now. The funny thing is, our daughter had said to us to wait a week or so before deciding on a final name, as he would show us what his name was to be - and she was totally right - so, a week later, Tomkins it is! (grin)
As far as Tomkins is concerned, he has settled beautifully into our home, although he's still growling at the dogs every time they come into the house - much to their disgust! lol
But we are hoping that time will mellow him towards the dogs, so that we can let him roam freely while the dogs are about - at the moment, we are having to put him into his sleeping cage whenever the dogs are in the house, which he has become quite resigned to, but which we hate to do but, as our dogs won't tolerate an aggresive cat, we felt it was safer all round, until Tomkins adjusts to the presence of the dogs. :~/
Trust us to have animals that do things the wrong way around!

By-the-by, I recieved a letter from the O U yesterday, acknowledging my grade 2 pass for A210 - so it's totally official now - Yay! lol

Talk to you again soon - and I hope you all enjoy your holidays! (smile)

Thursday, December 13, 2007

I got my results!

I checked up on my student page yesterday and, to my utter delight, the results of my A210 exam were there - I got a Grade 2 pass! Yippee!!!!!!!
I am so chuffed about it, as I had fully expected to barely scrape a pass with the state my health was in when I took the exam.
It has also given me a real confidence boost, as this is the first 'proper' exam I've taken since I left school - I don't include the AZX103 exam, as it wasn't taken under the usual exam strictures and, although a valid pass, it didn't feel the same as this one did when I took it.
Of the three questions, Q1, which dealt with plays, was my weakest point, and equivalent to a grade 3 - and it was here that I lost the points that would have given me a distinction. Q2, which dealt with literature, was a high grade 2 equivalent, which has pleased me no end, considering the work I put in on The Color Purple. Q3, which dealt with poetry, was my grade 1 mark, and I got an 'excellent' for all five points that we were marked for.
It showed me what didn't really surprise me - that poetry is my strongest point, followed on by literature, then drama lagging in last. The only thing I would have liked, would have been to get my actual exam paper, so that I could have seen where I had gone wrong or not - it would have helped me to focus more on what I need to strengthen up for next time!
But, all-in-all, I am amazingly happy with my results, and can now go forward with my next 10-pointer in February with a lot more confidence than I had been feeling!
That's two down, four more to go, on the road to my BA!

Sunday, December 09, 2007

A new member of the family!


I had to tell everyone about the latest member of our family - his name is Dylan, and he's nearly 6 months old, and he's coming to live with us next friday, the 14th.
It's been a couple of years since our last cat died, and it's taken us all this time to get over her, and to decide whether to have another one or not - but I fell in love with Dylan when my daughter showed me his photo and, as he belonged to her best friend, who also has his two brothers and mum, I have been allowed to adopt him - Yay! lol
I have spent the last couple of days drooling over cat-stuff - from bedding to toys, and even litter trays! My daughter says I've got it bad, and I have to agree with her (grin)
Because I spend so much time bed-bound, it's going to be fantasic to have my own little companion while my husband is out with the dogs and, as they were brought up with our Thomasina letting them know who's boss, it won't take long for Dylan to be ruling the roost either!
I decided on Dylan as a name, as the poor wee thing had been called Meg - with his previous owners not realising he was a boy - and Dylan has a lot of associations for us. I had really wanted to call him Greebo, after Terry Pratchett's cat from the Discworld series but, on seeing him, Dylan is much more suitable. (smile)
By-the-by, I finished off last month with a word total for my Nano book, of over 60,000 words!
I started this month, having signed on for the National Novel Finishing Month, doing quite well, but have unfortunately hit a slump with my health, and frequent dizzy spells are making it impossible for me to do much writing - so I don't know whether I will actually get to finish the novel - but I will keep on trying! lol
Talk to you again soon, as I give you an update on Dylan and my novel!