vivdunstan

Until Christmas I was blogging here once a week through the complete Sherlock Holmes short stories and the audio adventures of Doctor Who spinoff series Bernice Summerfield. I paused them over Christmas, and then since the start of the year have been totally felled neurologically, and for the last week extra ill with a cold probably picked up at the V&A Dundee the Friday before. Though testing negative for flu and Covid. And I'm glad I'm not much iller. But that on top of the neurological illness flare is just too much to cope with.

I'm hoping to get back to both the Sherlock Holmes and Benny (Bernice Summerfield) marathons soon. I am really enjoying rereading the Sherlock Holmes stories and writing up my thoughts after. And similarly listening to the Benny audios, many for the first time for me though not all, and writing up thoughts after. Setting myself the weekly challenge of reading/listening to these and blogging about them turned out to be huge fun, and helped me keep going, and engage with them more deeply. I am keen to resume. But will only do so when I'm stronger. But hopefully not too far off ...

Ordering my belated festive batch of magazines from my favourite postal newsagent in Whitstable. And just realised that the latest issue of British Archaeology Magazine from the Council for British Archaeology has articles about both The Detectorists TV series and Innerpeffray Library in Perthshire. Ok, got to buy that one!

This is going to be full of spoilers, so I recommend only reading after you've seen the episode, or if you're sure you won't be watching it. ( spoilers ... )

Have now reached the completely confused what day of the week it is stage of festive holidays. Last night I thought it was Saturday. This morning I just thought it was Saturday too! I wouldn't be surprised if I think tomorrow is Saturday 😜

Sending early Christmas and Happy New Year wishes to our friends and family. We will be having a very quiet and restful holiday period. Martin is on holiday for two weeks after today, and will be mainly resting. Hope you have a good time too. The picture is "The Shortening Winter's Day is near a Close" painted by Joseph Farquharson. We have had a large framed print of this since the late 1990s, bought from a glazier in Bonnygate, Cupar. It is currently up on our main wall in the sitting room, and very much enjoyed.

Pondering what Christmas book or books to read shortly. And though I've read it before, several times, I think "The Dark is Rising" by Susan Cooper has to go on the list. A festive delight of old magic, good versus evil, and adventures across time. Definitely worth another look this festive season.

Just signed myself up for a reduced year of National Theatre at Home subscription (I will need to cancel before the end to stop it auto renewing). I'd been considering asking for it for a Christmas present. But just spotted they have a 20% discount on the annual rate running to this Sunday only. So snapped it up. There are quite a few of their plays that I'm keen to watch online. I'm also hoping they'll in due course get Ncuti Gatwa's current one online too. Anyway yes, 20% discount (with a code on the site) until Sunday only. https://www.ntathome.com

Back to the Urban Crow deck, and as usual my 3-card past/present/future spread.

Play / Anomaly / Anticipation.

There could be lots of interpretations of these cards. But looking at them I'm immediately reminded that I'm in a brief phase of slightly better health at the moment, and about to go very very downhill again in a few weeks time. So I've been having fun, and trying to make the most of it. Albeit hampered by my failed experimental immunosuppression dose change from May. Which still needs a few weeks to resolve itself since the dose went back in September (it takes up to 12 weeks to show the full effects).

Admittedly I've had post Covid vaccine flares so many times (9/9, with my 10th Covid vaccine due in a couple of weeks) that it's hardly an "anomaly" in my life! But it is still phenomenally disrupting each time, very distressing, leaving me extra incapacitated with devastating increased neurological symptoms for 3 long months at a time. It's a never-ending rollercoaster. But not one I'm willing to get off. I want my vaccine protection too much, and severely immunosuppressed me really needs it to get through Covid ok. Which we keep catching.

On plus I've got Christmas looming in the next few months, and that's what the last card today shouts out to me. I am not religious - was brought up vaguely Church of Scotland, but I've been agnostic for many years. I take after my Dad re this. However I love the mid winter festival that is Christmas, and the sense of snuggling down, in the warmth, with good food, and celebrations. So that's something to look forward to. Even if I will still be neurologically flaring very badly then.

This year we can also look forward to our annual pre-Christmas rewatch of 1984's TV Box of Delights being the new next month Blu-ray remastered version. So that will be a treat to carry us through to Christmas too.

OMG! The 1984 BBC version of "The Box of Delights" is coming out on Blu-ray in November! Including new special features, such as "Time And Tide – Making The Box of Delights". We rewatch this series every year in the run up to Christmas!

Enjoying some yum yums for supper - a Scottish delicacy. Rather like Spanish churros, but bigger. Just checked the nutritional numbers, and now gobsmacked that there’s apparently only half the sugar in a single yum yum that you get in a single Mr Kipling mince pie. I knew the latter amount off by heart, because it was an ongoing bone of contention trying to stop my diabetic dad eating loads of them!

One of the Glasgow Worldcon panels that I watched on catchup was "Scot-ish: The Influence of Scotland on Fantasy Worldbuilding". Its wide ranging discussions mentioned lots of Scottish foodstuffs, including shortbread, porridge, haggis, Irn Bru, deep fried Mars Bar, and butteries. Though not the yum yum. Which probably has Dutch origins, but got its current name when it was welcomed in Scotland.