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So much for intending to be more present in August... oops.

At the start of September my friends and I managed to enjoy our rescheduled staycation (postponed from June). It may be biased to say the Scottish Highlands are very pretty but they definitely are. 😁

Cottage we stayed at had a gorgeous location next to one of the very pretty lochs in the area, we saw lots of pretty birds and the odd highland cow or two during our travels. Visited Culloden, John o' Groats, Inverness and did the obligatory cruise on Loch Ness.

Spent the rest of the month catching up at work but a price I am willing to pay for the fun we had.

Hope everyone is doing well.

I have never seen Game of Thrones, I have never particularly wanted to... though I must admit the pictures of the Dire Wolves always looked good.

Having said that, I have now bought the Dalwhinnie and Oban whiskies that are part of the Game of Thrones range of single malts.

Wacky whisky purchase for the easing of lockdown. 😁

Good grief, I am reading too much fanfic.

Must re-enter the real world soon.

Had a sparrow hawk swoop for a young starling in the garden yesterday afternoon. I know it is nature's balance but I was 50/50 all yesterday evening hoping that the little bird somehow escaped but also that the hawk got food to feed itself and any baby hawks that were waiting in a next somewhere.

I am now up to episode 5 of Royal Sister Returns/The Princess is Back. It still makes not much sense but the lead female character is not annoying me too much and ZYL remains adorable and funny.

I am also up to episode #44 of The Untamed because I just can't seem to stop watching it.

Currently the only other thing I watch religiously each week is The Repair Shop on BBC1. It is relaxing viewing and the talents of the craftspeople who do the restorations are engrossing to see.

Well, that is the last 3 episodes of Guardian finished again.

I do love re-watching this show, it is delightfully dramatic, angsty, definitely OTT and so full of the romangst (yes, I know it is not a real word 😁) of the two main characters.

This show got me interacting with new fannish people for the first time in years instead of sticking to the IRL fiendships that inevitably formed over a solid 15 years attending the same conventions for older shows that are now not as popular. We eventually all ended up moving on to other fandoms, they stuck with more mainstream shows and I lingered in the wilderness a bit. The friendships have outlasted fandom so I am okay with that.

I also watched episode 1 of The Princess is Back / Royal Sister Returns via YouTube, solely because of seeing yantantether mentioning Zhu Yilong doing comedy. It shows up with two completely different English name on YouTube and I don't know why. He definitely wears the pastel blue suit as mentioned in their introduction to the show.

Definitely seems a bit wacky but I will give another few episodes a go before I make up my mind if I will complete watching it.

Okay, I went through a brief period of ordering various The Untamed related things. Some have been kept, some have been sent out to the lovely ladies that introduced me to the show.

I still have some random postcards etc left. Some are show specific, others are the two leads actors. I need to post stuff (probably Saturday) which I will combine with a shopping trip for some essentials.

If anybody wants a postcard or two, DM me your address. Seems like a good time to share some fandom prettiness.

Taking a break from work and doing a belated update (as I forgot to do it last night).

Guardian re-watch: I have continued zooming through the eps, Kunlun has been explained, crazy scientist dude went crazy again, things have happened to Lin Jing and I am ready to start episode 38. I figured that was a good place to stop for a bit.

The King's Avatar is still shiny, slightly goofy and has a smidge of angst now and then. Re-watch paused ready to start episode 15.

The Untamed is next for a batch of viewing.

Hope everyone is doing okay.

My employer is being really rather brilliant about working from home. The teams that make up my department (3 teams across the country) have been told to work from home since Wednesday. Plan is potentially for 12 weeks. If the situation allows it we'll be back in stages before that but we have been told to plan accordingly. Those with underlying health conditions will be last back. I have asthma so I am more or less expecting up to 12 weeks at home.

It is the end of day 2 and I miss walking about. Furthest I have been is a five minute walk outside.

I am planning on a lot of Netflix, Amazon Prime and Spotify.

I fear boredom and growing stir crazy, I worry about family and friends getting this sodding virus and I am fervently hoping for the best.

Stay safe, everyone. 💛

Well, I quickly forgot about keeping a list of books that I have read this year. I am honestly woefully bad at doing this. I start out with good intentions and then fall by the wayside quickly.

I have just finished book eight of Glynn Stewart's Starship's Mage series. Space opera is one of my guilty pleasures and I am inordinately fond of this series. I have my Mum hooked on it as well. If you're a fan of the genre and stuck in the house because the world is currently a bit out of control you could do worse than trying the first one.

I will probably re-read this and a few other favourite series over the course of the next few weeks.

I do also plan on giving the Guardian story a go now that the translation is finished.

Can anyone point me in the direction of the link for The Untamed translation too?