Sharing My World 2018 Week 13

April 1, 2018 24 comments

Here is my post for Cee’s Share Your World.

share-your-world2

What is your favourite colour of hair? You can name your hair colour or a colour that you just like.
Wow, I had to add four letter “u’s” to that sentence to make all the red lines go away ๐Ÿ™‚

For myself, nondescript brown with grey bits is fine. Woman-wise, any sort of brown, natural blond, or any hair with cool colouring. Highlights, all bright red – it says something about the personality I think.

List at least 5 things that you are good at.
Huh. I’m not particularly good at anything. I’m acceptable at lots of things. Everything I do, I tend to reach “okay” level and get no further. It’s like my job title, which basically means “jack of all trades, master of none”.

What is your favourite animal or type of animal? (pets, dolphins, stuffed, wild cats, etc)
Anything that’s stuffed. In real life, widdle kittens and kitty cats. And bunnies ๐Ÿ™‚

What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week?
I appreciate having a week off this coming week. 10 days off in a row for the price of 4 leave days. Cheap at the price!

Categories: About draliman Tags:

FF – The Perfect Shot

March 28, 2018 78 comments

Here is my story for Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle. This week’s photo was contributed by Fatima Fakier Deria.

 

Hidden in his perch, he looked across at the chairs. Empty now, he knew that soon each would be occupied. He settled down to wait.

Hours past until at last he spied his quarry entering the garden. A clandestine meeting; it had cost much to determine the location.

Sighting carefully, he targeted the lead participant. A perfect shot.

A meeting of two Great Families. He smiled grimly as a dozen Kardashians and as many Baldwins took their seats.

He took the shot; then again, again, again.

Heh, he thought. Da tabloids is gonna pay big bucks for dese pics.

 

Pegman – Hunter and Prey

March 26, 2018 37 comments

Here is my story for What Pegman Saw which this week takes us to Yellowstone National Park in America.

Copyright Blake Everson for Google Maps

 

Samuel crept silently through the trees, rifle held loosely in his hands. He had eschewed the traditional brightly-coloured hunterโ€™s jacket for camouflage, blending in perfectly with his surroundings.

Carefully avoiding tourists and park rangers he moved silently through the caldera, at last spying signs of his prey. Footprints, small yet distinct – fresh. He peered through a bushโ€ฆ there! His quarry, resting in a clearing.

Raising the rifle to his eye, he sighted and gently, ever so gently, applied pressure to the trigger. A twang and he suddenly shot off the ground, caught in a net, his shot going hopelessly wide! Another of his quarries ran past and the pair disappeared, laughing, into the trees.

Finally he arrived home, having spent hours sawing through the net.

โ€œAny luck, dear?โ€

โ€œGrr. No. Itโ€™s true what they say. He is smarter than the av-er-age bear.โ€

 

Sorry, did you say Yellowstone Park? Oops.

 

[Note: I was going to pop a picture at the end but didn’t want to spoil the punchline, so if there’s anyone who didn’t get the reference, you can click here ๐Ÿ™‚ ]

 

Last Week’s Snow

March 25, 2018 28 comments

Here are some pictures I took last Sunday. It is very rare here to get snowflakes large enough to show up on camera.

I messed about with the first one in Lightroom. I don’t know what I’m doing but it’s fun pushing the sliders around to see what will happen ๐Ÿ™‚

I shrank them all a bit to make the file size smaller.

No processing

Lightroomed!

Categories: Photos Tags: ,

Sharing My World 2018 Week 12

March 25, 2018 32 comments

Here is my post for Cee’s Share Your World.

share-your-world2

What is your earliest memory?
I have a very vague memory of my brother’s birthday, which was announced on the TV on a little segment called Gus Honeybun’s Magic Birthdays. Gus, a puppet, would do a handstand or whatever was asked of him. I was about four or so at the time I guess.

Which way does the toilet paper roll go? Over or under?
Over! Over, I say. Here, once again, is the original patent for the toilet roll holder. Note, “over”.

Picture via cnet.com, but since it’s a patent I’m assuming it’s public domain

What makes you feel grounded?
Being out for a walk in nature, I suppose. I spend most of my life either at work or lost in TV/vide game/book-induced fantasy. Reality is overrated, I find.

What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week?
My friends’ oldest, who has a birthday next week, named me as being someone he wants at his birthday tea ๐Ÿ™‚

Categories: About draliman Tags:

FF – You Too Can Make a Difference

March 21, 2018 78 comments

Here is my little story for Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle. This week’s photo was contributed byย Bjรถrn Rudberg.

 

Copyrightย Bjรถrn Rudberg

 

Nigel glares at the sign. He canโ€™t understand. Others with disabilities pass with no problem. All races, creeds, colours and sexual orientation, all are welcomed with open arms.

Why is he any different? Why is he singled out?

The sign is clear. He turns and walks back the way he has come.

 

Have you been affected by Nigelโ€™s story? Maybe, like Nigel, you were born with a single huge hand, or know someone who was. If so, please take to Twitter, using the hashtag โ€œ#iwasbornwithsinglehugehandsyndromeandfeelostracisedasaresultโ€. If you have any characters left, leave a message.

You too can make a difference.

 

Sharing My World 2018 Week 11

March 18, 2018 26 comments

Here is my post for Cee’s Share Your World.

share-your-world2

If a distant uncle dies and you were always his favourite and leaves you $50,000 (any currency) in his will, what would you do?
Wow, over the past couple of years I’ve lost an awful lot of distant relatives hereabouts, and they’re all leaving me money!

I’d start by paying off a chunk or my mortgage, I guess. Because 50 grand off a mortgage is a lot more than 50 grand once they recalculate the interest.

What sound or sounds do you love?
Trickling water in a bubbling brook. Also the swish of the waves on the sand. Water-related things.

St. Nectan’s Glen, Cornwall

Whatโ€™s your middle name? Why?
Francis. Why? That’s the one my parents gave me ๐Ÿ™‚

What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week?
Nothing springs to mind ๐Ÿ˜ฆ Just very busy at work.

Categories: About draliman Tags:

FF – The Watchers

March 14, 2018 86 comments

Here is my story for Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle. The photo was contributed by Ted Strutz.

Copyright Ted Strutz

 

The camera sat forlornly on the hilltop, still pointed skywards. A small hamper and flask of hot soup sat nearby on a blanket, laid out in an attempt to afford the user some measure of protection against the damp grass. A book on astronomy lay open, pages fluttering in the breeze.

Molly trudged up the hill. โ€œHarold? Harold? Where could he be, the old fool?โ€

Concentrating on the flask, the book, the camera, she didnโ€™t notice the still-smoking pile of ash…

 

There are things. Up there. In the stars. And they donโ€™t like being watched.

 

Pegman – The Future of Love

March 12, 2018 52 comments

Here is my story for What Pegman Saw. This week we are visiting the Bahamas.

Copyright Slayde Kerner for Google Maps

 

โ€œOh, darling, it seems just yesterday that we walked hand in hand along the pristine beaches, so in loveโ€ฆโ€

โ€œIt was just yesterday.โ€

โ€œโ€ฆ our hearts swelling swe..swe.. meep meep meepโ€ฆโ€

โ€œOh, terrific.โ€

dial dial dial

โ€œHello. Is that Robo Inc? My wifeโ€™s broken down.โ€

โ€œNo problem, Sir!โ€

โ€œButโ€ฆ Iโ€™m in the Bahamas. Miles from any engineer!โ€

โ€ฆ meep meep in love in love yesterday day day fzzztโ€ฆ

โ€œDonโ€™t worry, Sir. With our new InstaBoot Remoteโ„ข service, weโ€™ll have her up in a jiffy. Just 2000 dollareuropounds plus tax per month.โ€

โ€œWhat amazing value! Sign me up!โ€

โ€œOf course, Sir. One moment, please.โ€

โ€ฆ hand in hand meep BZZZZZZโ€ฆ

โ€œโ€ฆ BEEP! hello, my darling, why donโ€™t we walk along the beach and make love in the waves?โ€

โ€œHooray! Thanks, Robo Inc!โ€

 

TRIAL InstaBoot Remoteโ„ข NOW!*
Robo Inc โ€“ Supplying, upgrading and rebooting your significant others since 2078.

*3 minutes free, minimum 20yr contract

 

Categories: Fiction Tags:

Sharing My World 2018 Week 10

March 11, 2018 21 comments

Here is my post for Cee’s Share Your World.

share-your-world2

What did or did you not like about the first place you lived without your parents?
Well, it was a room in university halls. About half men, half women and half first years, half final years. Fourteen rooms on my floor, sharing a kitchen. So it was what it was. Noisy but not lonely. A nice sense of community.

What is your most favourite smell/scent?
Mmm, bacon. Nom nom nom.

Would you prefer snowy winters, or not, and why?
It’s a wonderful magical sight to look outside and see everything white and still and quiet. However, I have to drive to work and my whole area is very hilly. The other week I couldn’t get off my drive until I cleared it let alone up the hill. The gritted road was 100 metres away and I couldn’t reach it.

So while I have to drive to work then no, I would not prefer snowy winters.

What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week?
We had a nice birthday tea for Mum on Friday out at a local pub. It was a good evening.

Categories: About draliman Tags: