think happy thoughts

Soft Mikka

histrel — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:33:51 +0000

We have a cat, well we have two actually, but Mikka is the subject of this post.

He’s a 5 yr old oriental grey male and extremeley snuggly. He loves to cuddle close at night or sit on a knee during the day. If he can’t get where he wants you receive a mournful stare and often a loud miaow.

Kitty Bunny Boiler

histrel — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 19:40:10 +0000

After the sad and untimely death of our beloved Neo almost a year ago we didn’t want another cat for a while. however we realised that Kira-cat was lonely so in January ‘rescued’ an oriental male named Mikka.

Now Mikka is an affectionate putty-tat who settled in well with the human part of the household. Kira was a different matter entirely. There was some quite unladylike language for a while which has since settled down into an uneasy tolerance on the part of Mikka. However, Kira wants to cuddle up and be friends now which has resulted in some fun behaviour.

Mikka will settle down somewhere, get comfy and go to sleep. Meanwhile Kira will decide that she wants to snuggle but is never quite sure how well her attentions will be received so she tentatively approaches Mikka and sits as close as she dares. Mikka then stirs, warily eyes Kira and eventually gets fed up and moves. At which point Kira will settle down in the warm spot he left and got to sleep.

We reckon she’s really just biding her time…

Ice Cream

histrel — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 17:19:00 +0000

Strawberry, vanilla, mint-choc-chip

Traditional kind or new soft whip

So many flavours from which to pick

You make your choice then take a lick.

Icy cold against your lips

As down your fingers run the drips

Sticky cheeks, sticky chin

There’s nothing like an ice cream grin.

A chocolate flake makes a 99

Just as a treat, not all the time.

Crunch the cornet, eat the crumbs

Sucking clean your fingers and thumbs.

Wait all tomorrow to hear once more

The ice cream chimes outside your door.

Big Sony Wins

histrel — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:03:00 +0000

Last year Sony brought out Playstation Plus – like XBox Gold – and I hummed over whether to try it. I don’t get as much Playstation time as I would like so thought it might be a waste of money.

Anyway, after Christmas I had a spare bit of money so I took up a 3 month subscription offer they had going. Having read the small print I immediately went to manage my account and turned off the auto-renew. Or so I thought. Imagine my surprise when I received an email saying thanks for renewing (at a cost of £11.99). I immediately tried to find an email to query this but in the end went on Twitter where I was given an email addy to write to.

I got a response asking me to call a number and give a reference which I did and then yesterday I received a phone call regarding my problem. The upshot was that I had turned off the wrong auto-renew which is why the subscription had renewed. OK, that’s my bad. So I asked if, seeing as it was a genuine mistake, wheteher I could have a refund. No I couldn’t. Not even as a goodwill gesture.

Sony could not afford to give a loyal customer who has spent a fortune on their products over the years a measley £11.99 refund over a genuine error.

I have a problem with that yes, that’s £11.99 less I have to spend on stuff in the Playstation Store that I actually want. My main problem however is the way the auto-renew happened. There was no warning, no email saying “your subscription will renew in x days”, no message through the PS3. I think that’s a courtesy to their customers that Sony should consider implementing.

Well, now that’s off my chest I suppose I had better go onto Playstation Store and see how I can make the best of Plus and what (little) credit I have left. Hope you enjoy your £11.99 Sony, please spend it wisely.

Review : Shades of War

histrel — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 17:33:00 +0000

Anyone who knows me or who has read my review of Thief will already realise I am a big fan of Sarah-Jane Lehoux. I was therefore eagerly anticipating the release of her second novel Shades of War. Believe me, it wasn’t a disappointment.

Starting off in familiar territory Sevy finds herself on a reluctant quest that leads her into the unexpected, meeting up with old friends and finding new enemies. Mind you, Sevy collects enemies like a stray dog collects fleas.

The plot snakes throughout the book ensnaring your imagination. Complex tales are told and the character’s pasts are revealed through the layers of shed words. Prey and predator are taken on a sinuous journey culminating at a destination of pain intermingled with joy.

Shades of War is no less than a fabulous follow up to Thief. Follow @sarahjanelehoux on Twitter and tell her to hurry up and finish her third book Masquerade as this world needs more Sevy!

Buy Shades of War (and Thief) at Mundania Press, Amazon or Waterstones to mention a few places.