His DarkLordship is feeling better

Specifically, His DarkLordship has had breakfast and is sitting on the desk here, in his Happy Place under the lamp, viz between the keyboard and the screen. Oh, for transparent cats...

He was washing, only then he was distracted by the sudden Vanishing of his Tail beneath the keyboard. Obviously, that had to be scrabbled for and urgently recovered. Then we did Playing with the Tail until it Vanished again. And had to be scrabbled for again, with additional Thrusting the Nose beneath the keyboard. Which tilts! And slides! And falls off the desk if you only Thrust hard enough! Who knew...?

This could get wearing.

Curry: an aside

I may have mentioned it before, my habit of cooking curries sequentially: yesterday the core, the mutton curry; today the dhal, with leftovers; tomorrow the vegetable curry, with leftovers of leftovers. It's a sort of crop-rotation system: I could feed the same guest every day and he'd never quite have the same meal twice.

Today, the dhal. I like dhal. I have tried many recipes, and liked most of them; and my spectacular disorganisation sense of adventure means that pretty much every time I make it, I'm trying yet one more.

Today's recipe? Has prunes in it. Prunes. I'm presuming that the original demanded obscure dried Afghani plums, but this version wants prunes.

O-kay. I'll try anything. Once...

Avoidance is another kind of problem-solving

He might have left the doctor, who was no kind of sailor; he might have left the girl. He took them both, because

That's where I left it, when I went down to have lunch. Why did I stop there? Because I have no idea why he took them with him. I know why I want them there, but that's a whole different issue. He has no observable reason to trouble himself with them on this trip.

But he must. Therefore he shall. Therefore there will be a reason, I only have to dig it out from somewhere in his murky subconscious. Damn pesky characters, with their obscure motivations; why can't people be clear and straightforward, like me?

Just for now, though, I shall leave that sentence hanging and do something else. Lunch wasn't enough; it needs more time, for something foul to rise to the surface. Or simply something logical. He's a practical man. It needs to seem logical to him anyway, so it might as well be so. Hmph.

I think I'm going to review this batch of unfinished stories I came home with, while this festers.

Or maybe I'll just go for a walk. Look, sunshine! The cats have snared it on their windowsills, but there's plenty left outside for me.

Lhude sing cucu

Coo golly, it's warm out there. Warm. With added sunshine. Shepherd's pie peppered with actual shepherd. Anyone might think it might be summer...

(Yes, yes, I did have to go out; I had to buy a papaya, remember? See if I can save the mutton curry. It may, of course, be too late. It may, in fact, spoil everything - for it has to be said, the mutton curry was very nice without it. Still, I shall make the endeavour, because I'm like that.)

Wonderlands

So. There is this thing called Wonderlands, which is a new internet community for anyone interested in fantasy: think of it as a permanent con, an endless late-night bar conversation between readers, writers, critics, artists, editors and all sorts else.

Come, look, sign up! It's free, it's new; it'll be all the more interesting if you-all get involved from the ground up. It is, um, not entirely unconnected with us at The Write Fantastic, but it's not actually a TWF project; there have been others involved from the get-go. It could be good - hell, it could be fabulous! - but it needs people. This means you...

My own page is here; friend me, talk to me, be nice. Be rude. Be there...

The Lost Ingredient, part two

I know damn well that there is a bottle of mustard oil in this house. Which is why I did not buy mustard oil this morning, when I bought urad dhal and other necessaries; similarly why I did not buy mustard oil when I bought a papaya this afternoon.

However? I am having doubts about my damn fine knowledge. I cannot find the mustard oil, tho' I have searched everywhere and many times. It is not actually impossible that I used it all, to make a pickle. I am profligate that way.

Anyway: the dhal that needs it cannot have it, as I am not going out again today. I will get a bottle tomorrow, and add a little to the leftovers to see what a difference it makes. For reference: the addition of papaya to the mutton curry? Sensational. It was good before; now it is fabulous. I may have to make another one, though, as I still have half a papaya.