The Platinum Ticket by David Beynon

The Platinum Ticket by David Beynon
Shortlisted for The Terry Pratchett Anywhere But Here, Anywhen But Now First Novel Prize

Wednesday 28 October 2009

Angry, Angry, Angry

I'm frustrated, disappointed but mostly angry.

I'm grinding my teeth angry at a few things this morning.

Why?

Let's see.  I came downstairs to the basement this morning to check on an e-mail message I've been waiting on to see the start-up screen on my laptop.  Vista had done yet another of its unprompted updates.  I growled as I started up, but wasn't too concerned.  I had a few word documents open but surely the auto-recover feature on Microsoft Word would have saved those files every ten minutes just as it's programed to do.  Surely.

My e-mail hadn't come in.  Damnit.  Oh, well - let's open Word and recover those files.

The Auto-Recovery task pane (pain) was not there.  Okayyyyy - where the hell is it?  I searched and searched and searched but there were no Auto-Recovery files to be found.  Anywhere.

I did a little internet search.  I checked for all of the different file extensions which could possibly be attached to my errant files.  Nothing.  Anywhere.

I was fuming!  I was totally pissed off at Microsoft Word for not dutifully saving my files like it is supposed to. I was angry at Vista for not waiting for my to okay the request to restart before going ahead and doing it itself.  But I'm mostly angry at myself for relying on a software company with a poor track record to protect my work.

By now, I should really know better.

So - for today - I'm off to the gym to work off some frustration - then home to see if I can rewrite my synopsis for The Edgeling and the work I had added to Gerry.

Tuesday 27 October 2009

Strange and wonderful...


It has been a week of strange and wonderful things.  I have been plodding ahead with a synopsis for The Edgeling and have been moving (slowly) forward on Gerry.

Something strange to begin with - it seems after twenty-two years good old Duffer (who lately has more than his fair share of "Bill the Cat" moments) has decided to stave off Alzheimer's by challenging himself with new skills.



He's decided to start with Beatrix Potter.  Good choice, Duff.

Now onto something wonderful.  My little time-consuming park project, BT Corner.  Most of the landscaping is done.  The wall is all but finished and the paving stones are in.  There are a few touches left for this autumn, but then I can take a break from the park (for the most part) until Spring when there will be planting and benches and information plaques to contend with.  Here's how the Corner looks today:



I especially love that red maple.

Something else wonderful - this:



Is that?  Could that be?  No....no one would ever-

Yes.  That's Nature's Perfect Food, right there.  Bacon, and lots of it.  That is a bacon, potato and cheddar tart, my friends.  I wish I could take credit for this flavour treat/ heart attack on a plate but that honour goes to PEI chef, Michael Smith.

Here's what it looks like inside:



Trust me - all you need with this is the salad (and maybe a defibrillator).

Now on to strange and wonderful.

I love my town.  We are blessed with hundreds of heritage homes built from local limestone by the skilled hands of masons long dead.  One of these buildings is our own Carnegie Library.  It is a stately building and last night, as I waited for my daughter to finish her piano lesson, I snapped this shot - just in time for Hallowe'en.



This really is the only way to light a building like this.

And speaking of lights...Remember Trixie, the albino black cat.  Well here she is, mounted and lit, just in time for Hallowe'en.