Monkey's Blog - with a little help from Alice

Back to Normal?                         [UPDATED TUESDAY 16th JANUARY **]

This MIGHT look interesting, or even pretty. But it's a representation of a flu virus. Of course, it's really a very teeny, weeny little blob that finds its way inside you. Take a look at the video on this site to see its insidious progress.

Did you know that the name is from a Latin word meaning slimy liquid or poison? Yuk.

And we're not exactly back to normal, because poor old Alice has been suffering for a couple of miserable weeks from an attack by this nasty infection.

I told her weeks themselves can't be miserable, as they're an abstract noun. I shouldn't have said that, not in her current depleted state, as she burst out  - in full English Teacher mode - I know. I was using a Transferred Epithet, you stupid little monkey! Oh dear. We both shed a few tears, then made it up again.

The diagram [click on it] shows mostly how horrible she's been feeling, just minus (with great relief) the gastric bit. But thanks be to The Stars or to Fate or even to the friend who recommended taking some Vitamin B, she's now well enough, if not yet 100%, to tackle the task of catching up on our neglected blog once again. Hurrah!

A long way back, before Christmas was upon us, we mentioned looking forward to seeing the much publicised Star Wars: the Last Jedi. [No spoilers here, if you've still not seen it.]

Then what with the cards and the presents and the food, we never got round to telling you what a simply brilliant film it was!

Yes, of course, there were lots of noisy fights and battles, in space, on land, with weapons fired from ships, or more individual ones fought with sci-fi style guns or (of course) with the amazing light sabres. One in particular.

But we also had the return of my favourite droid, BB8, and an intriguing new plot development concerning our understanding of The Force, through both our heroine, Rey, and the principal villain, the rather handsome Kylo Ren.

In addition, there was the greatly anticipated return of Mark Hamill playing an elderly Luke Skywalker.

Alice enjoyed it all so much, she saw it twice, with the excuse she'd missed a few details the first time.

While she's been ill, she hasn't been able to get out to see any new films for quite a bit. But at least she's had her Game of Thrones Box Sets, and has been watching the whole thing all over again from the beginning. We're going to have a very long wait for Season VIII, so it's also a way of refreshing our memory.

The series is deservedly very popular, and we discovered recently that the Post Office, that great British Institution no less, is quite soon to release a set of stamps with images of the characters. You can pre-order them here before the 23rd January. But I can't see the point in having the actual stamps, as they're so small! [You only need watch the first part of this clip. And the next one is more fun.]

Alice played about with the images on the first link (plus a hunt for a larger Royal Mail logo, and making the wording fit) and created this square version - which I prefer, even though the Lannisters aren't all on one line . . .

But now to other, more recent events. Although this isn't a good time of year for flowers in general, we found these miniature daffodils in the supermarket before Christmas, and two of the buds had bloomed shortly after New Year.

You must know how Ba loves to have a touch of naure in the house. Well, there was only one nasturtium flower left, and it dropped a petal onto Ba as she climbed into the pot for the photo-shoot. Aaah.

We had no choice but to have a belated Twelfth Night, due to the flu in the household. Taking the decorations off the tree always makes us feel a bit sad.

It was soon all packed up and almost ready to go back in the top cupboard for another year. That's a ladder job, but with Alice's increasing age, she wants help this time round, and we're too small. Sigh. She'll invite her tallest friend round soon.

**P.S. Alice was staring at her ladder, when she had a revelation: it was more a question of logistics than balance. She then managed to put the box into the high cupboard! Phew. And the tall friend is invited, anyway.

And now Ba wants cheering up after this brutal un-decorating. So we went to commune with the flowers again.

The miniature daffs produced three more blooms, but they were falling over with their own weight, and had to be consigned to a vase instead.

But aren't they pretty!

A night-time shot with flash neatly got rid of any distracting views from the window this time.

That's a lovely calming note to end on.
Bye for now.