Maniac Mountain Clan, Version 3.0, **Official Social Thread**

[Corellia's Dream]

You know, I swear there's a time delay on this forum. I check on here every day, yet I've only just seen the last post, dated nearly a week ago. I'm sure it wasn't here last time I looked !

Anyway, my care plan has all been passed. We're sorting out how the payments will be made from the council to me, and I've signed documents. It's proceeding pretty smoothly so far and I guess I'll be starting with the new care company in a month or so.

Of course, while complaining about having to write up this support plan and make decisions, I know I'm very lucky to live somewhere where this kind of help is available. As I'm on a low income (sickness benefits), I get the help for free. I get three and half hours a week, helping with domestic work: washing up, vacuuming, emptying the bins and changing the bed. I don't take it for granted.

In other news, when I was in the supermarket yesterday, I was suckered into buying a set with a little Lego TIE Interceptor, a TIE pilot minifig and a little plastic Death Star. Now I need to find room for them on my desk, among the other pilots and spaceships.

[Lady_WinterCelchu]

supermarket? can't imagine my local tesco selling anything so cool. In other news i finally got a new Job Wahoo!!!!! whoop whoop!! just need my boss to give me a good reference get occy health cleared and away i go

[Corellia's Dream]

Well done on the new job ! What will you be doing ?

[Lady_WinterCelchu]

PICU nurse, yay!!! and the training they are offering is amazing

This post has been edited by Lady_WinterCelchu on Mar 23 2012, 04:42 AM

[Corellia's Dream]

*looks up what a PICU nurse does*

Ooh, congratulations. That looks like a very worthwhile and rewarding job.

We're having lovely weather here at the moment. It really doesn't seem like the end of March - it's more like May. It was a very mild winter (unlike last year), so many plants are already popping up and turning green. Some of my lily-of-the-valley are already up and I'm sure they are about a month early. I'm hoping we still have good weather at the very end of April/early May, as I should be on holiday then. Here's hoping.

[Lady_WinterCelchu]

sorry the circles are small in my world so i forget not to abbreviate. it's going to be fantastic and i start soon so yay.

Isn;t that true, two weeks od sunshine, my daffodils are thriving and my rhodedendrum looks fab. A holiday? cool! where are you off to?

[Corellia's Dream]

I'm going to the Cotswolds with my friend, Gary. We're going to stay with another friend of mine, Carey, who's house-sitting for some friends of hers who live there. They are away for a few months so Carey's keeping the place occupied. She invited her Sheffield friends to come and stay, so I took her up on it. She's never actually met Gary - we've been on holiday together before but when I asked Carey about visiting her, she asked if Gary was coming too, even before I mentioned him. Carey's just a naturally warm and generous person - very likable.

I've not been to the Cotswolds before, but it's a famously pretty part of the country. All green and rolling, with pretty market towns and masses of historic places to visit.

The lovely weather has vanished. It snowed last night - not too heavily here - but the rain is now washing it away. I can cheer myself up though, by listening to Denis Lawson singing 'Spread A Little Happiness'. It's from a cast recording of Mr Cinders, a musical he starred in back in 1983. He has a lovely baritone voice and when he's singing something romantic, it makes me go kind of melty inside. There's also a cast recording of 'Pal Joey' from 1980 that he played the lead in. That has some fabulous songs on it.

[Lady_WinterCelchu]

The Cotswalds are amazing, ive been a few times before, you'll definately enjoy it.

[Durell]

I miss the good old days...

[Corellia's Dream]

Me too. Nice to see you about anyway. How are you, dear ?

[Durell]

sadly very busy, but soon it is christmas and time to relax!

Nice to see you around, too, would be nice to have more activity around here, but I'm guilty as the next person

[Corellia's Dream]

Are you still studying ?

Can you believe it was 2007 when you came to visit ? That's 5 years ago !

I've been writing. I had another western accepted in November - 'Darrow's Gamble' is the fourth of the Darrow stories and my first western in a couple of years, so I'm pleased it's finally done.
Right now I'm working on something rather exciting. I've been a fan of the sci-fi series Blakes 7 since it was first aired (1978-81) and some of the first things I ver wrote was Blakes 7 fanfic. The character of Sheriff Darrow, and his deputy in the westerns, are based on characers from Blakes 7. Well, a company now has the licence to publish Blakes 7 stories, and I've been commisioned to write a novella for them. It will appear with 2 other stories in an anthology, due out next November.

I'm really thrilled to be writing pro sci-fi, and delighted that it's Blakes 7. After being a fan for so long, I'm actually going to be producing official material. I can't wait to see the book, with my name on the cover.

[Durell]

Oh wow, congratulations. That's great news. I really enjoyed the book you gave me and I'm sure you will do great with the other fandom.

Well, no, I'm working since over a year in a travel company and developing travel packages for regions in Germany. That's why I barely have time to write. But yeah, have been writing a bit lately and hoping that 2013 will be less stressfull.

5 years ago already? Time flies by so fast.

[Corellia's Dream]

I've been busy recently, what with Xmas coming up, so haven't had time to read your story updates. I'll need to go back and re-read parts of the stories to remind myself what was happening. I am looking forward to reading them.

[Durell]

It's ok. I like readers of course, but this wasn't as much as i subtle hint to read, but relief I finally got around to post some more. I guess you are writing pro fiction the moment? I'm just missing the activity on the forum. Long discussions and fics posted weekly...But I guess I'm as guilty as anyone.

[Corellia's Dream]

Hi 'rell

We might actually be online at the same time


This post has been edited by Corellia's Dream on Dec 20 2012, 02:40 PM

[Durell]

Uh, sorry. Yeah, we were. I'm trying to book last minute and it's annoying as hell and I should be in bed already...arghhh!!!!

[Corellia's Dream]

Where were you trying to book to ?

I'm off to Norfolk on Sunday, to spend Xmas with my parents. It's a longish drive, which I'm not looking forward to, especially as it's likely to be very wet. Trains involve less effort, but tend to be very overcrowded at Xmas. Reserving a seat is no guarantee you'll be able to sit in it, and even if you get a seat, there's even less luggage space. You might end up sitting in the middle of the carriage, with your luggage out of sight at the end of the carriage, amongst a crowd of people, with dozens getting on and off at each stop.
It'll be nice to see the family again, but not especially looking forward to the journey, though the anticipation is usually worse than the reality.

[Durell]

I booked to Amsterdam in the end. Very nice, boheme city.

Now, I just bought the new Star Wars comic with Wedge in it. Long lives the digital age. I will post how good or bad it was.

[Corellia's Dream]

I've heard some good things about the comic, especially the description of Luke that says that as a pilot 'he's second only to Wedge Antilles'. How cool is that ? I guess I'll have to get it for myself.

I've been busy writing my Blakes 7 story and haven't had time for any SW lately. Writing B7 is odd, because it feels like I'm writing fanfic, but this story is actually going to be properly published. In spite of signing contracts, I still haven't quite got my head around it and won't really until the book is actually published.

[Durell]

But that's pretty exciting, isn't it? I'm happy for you. How far along are you?

[Astronut]

It's...it's...it's alive!

Congratulations on the profic contract, CD! That's awesome!

The comic was nice. I've missed having a steady supply of inspiration. 'Rell, you should do the post. I'd be curious if anyone else thought there was something delibrately off with Wedge.

[Corellia's Dream]

Nice to see you here again, 'Nut.

I've got about 13k words done of B7 story so fae. The whole thing is to be between 20-30k, so I recon I'm pretty much on target, given how much of the story outline is left. The next scene is space combat, with the Liberator taking on two pursuit ships in an asteroid belt. They've already destroyed one pursuit ship; I've got to work out how they're going to deal with the other two. I should get started on that tomorrow.

My central heating has been cranky over the last week, and Friday night it stopped working altogether. Funnily enough, the emergency phone lines for repairs are really busy during this cold spell, so I can't get through. someone's coming Wed, which was arranged when the problem was only one radiator not working properly, so it was less urgent.
I'd loaned a plug-in halogen heater to a friend, but she's lost it (how ?). She's sent me the money for another, and I went out this afternoon to get one, and did a little food shopping while I was out. So this evening, I've been relying on one heater, blankets and a hot water bottle to keep warm. All this during the coldest spell of the winter so far. I'm thinking enviously of you in Florida, 'Nut.
How much snow have you got, 'Rell ?

[Astronut]

Yeah, we're 10-15 deg F above normal. Although yesterday it was finally cool enough for me to turn off the air. Feel free to send some white stuff this way. Run heavy on the blankets, tea, and hot showers.

[Corellia's Dream]

Alas on the last one - there's no running hot water either. Not that I have a shower anyway.

I tried the helplines again today, but they seem to be just as busy. It might be eqsier just to wait until Wed. I'm out most of tonight, and Tues night too. Next door invited me to come round and share their warm if necessary, so I might do that on Mon afternoon. At least we've not had more snow since yesterday morning. Life is chilly, rather than perishing cold, and not too bad while I'm in an armchair, under a blanket with the heater on and a hot water bottle on my lap.