The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

Swollen And Bloody
15:08 Jul 14 2006
Times Read: 720

Yesterday, when he was trying to decide what to make for dinner, David broke a piece of ice off the freezer and handed it to me. In one of my stupid moments I put it in my mouth. Unfortunately it was quite big and the kind of ice to which your tongue sticks. Both my lips got stuck and it was very painful trying to pry them loose. David offered to boil the kettle and throw the water in my face but I declined.

Eventually I pulled my lips free but by that stage there was quite a bit of blood and I was missing skin. Today my lips are swollen and slightly scarred so I won't be doing that again. However, it did give me an idea for a summer treat. Blood icecubes... ;)

Trapped In My Own Horror Film
17:39 Jul 13 2006
Times Read: 721

I'm spooked right now. After I finished on here earlier I went downstairs, had lunch and opened the back door for a game of "Musical Cats" (which isn't actually a game; it's just when my cats decide to go in and out lots of times over a short period of time.)



The back door has a normal lock as well as a 'snib' and requires the turning of a handle to open or close it. After all the cats had finished going in and out I shut the door firmly and the handle went back to its normal position. I remember hearing the door click into place.



After grabbing a plastic bag I went into the dining room where I've spent the last week sorting through old belongings that I intend to recycle/sell/give away. I have a CD player in there for entertainment and a selection of CDs. Rather than putting a new one in I decided to listen to the one I had in last night. It had played fine and I've never had any problems with it but today it would not play at all. It just kept making a weird clicking noise. Eventually I persuaded it to play but only the second half of the CD. I should note here that I did try cleaning it and that there isn't as much as a scratch on it.



About ten minutes into the CD (ironically a recording of music from horror films) I needed another plastic bag so I headed for the kitchen. I'd just stepped into the room when there was a click. It sounded like the handle moving down and the door opening so, since I live with other people, I moved to see who was coming in from outside. Then I remembered that no one else was home. (We have gates on either side of the house so you have to come in the front door unless you're already round the back of the house.)



I went and closed the door again, putting it on the snib this time, and then tried to convince myself that there was a logical explanation.



OPTIONS

1) It might have been the wind.

2) Maybe I didn't shut the door properly.

3) My dog opened it.

4) One of my cats opened it.

5) Someone came home and opened it and then left very quickly.

6) It was a ghost.



Well let's take these one at a time.



1) There is no wind today and it can't have been a freak gust because we have wind chimes hanging next to the back door on the outside of the house and they hadn't even moved never mind made a noise.



2) It's always possible that I didn't shut the door poperly but I remember hearing the click of it closing properly.



3) I have a Border Collie/Springer Spaniel cross called Max. When he's outside he can push the door open but only if it hasn't been closed right over and I'm sure that it was. It's a strong door and if someone weighing in at fifteen stone can't open it by merely leaning against it (we tried that once before - I don't know why) then a dog weighing about a fifth of that is hardly going to be able to do it. The final argument against this option is that he was fast asleep on the sofa and had been for quite some time.



4) One of my cats opened it. I do have a cat who can open doors and one who tries two but both of them were sleeping when this happened. None of the other six, only two of whom were out, have ever showed any inclination to try.



5) As I said, we have gates on either side of the house. There are only two keys - one for each gate - and both of them were in their places: one with my keys and the other on a separate keyring. There were literally only seconds between the click and me turning to look at the door opening and there was no one outside. Besides, two of the inhabitants were at work and the other was making his way to a friend's house quite a few miles away.



6) It was a ghost. This one is pretty simple. We live in a house close to a century old in a city that has seen more than its fair share of deaths. Unexplained things happen here a lot so maybe there is a spirit, or something at any rate, that's hanging around. As an aside, for a period of a few weeks the door of the dining room where I had been opened by itself almost every day and then stopped doing it. It had never happened before and hasn't happened since then.



So is there a logical explanation? Was it pyschosymatic? Did the fact that I was listening to music from horror films trigger a response to an average occurence? Maybe I didn't shut the door properly. Maybe there was a strong, freak and very localised gust of wind. Maybe I have a super strong cat or I have developing telekenetic powers. Whatever the reason, the door has never opened by itself before.

The Eleventh Night, Orangefest, Missing Cats And Chinese Food
13:14 Jul 13 2006
Times Read: 727

Yesterday was the 12th of July. If anyone is reading this, you're probably going, "Dear Lord, she knows that date." Well firstly, I have a lot of trouble remembering what date/day it is. It just doesn't feature at the top of my Important-Things-To-Remember list. Secondly, the 12th of July is more than just a day where I live. It's a holiday when the whole country dies.



Okay the country doesn't literally die but, other than the odd corner shop and some food places along the parade routes, everything closes. People even stock up on bread and milk because some places may close for as much as *gasp* two days.



Parades, yes I did say parades. This year they attempted to inject a carnival atmostphere (apparently) but this isn't the kind that's headed by a giant dragon or a float that looks like a swan. Okay, there were batton twirlers and musicians and open lorries holding people in period costume. Some people came from the US, Canada and Australia to take part in what has been renamed "Orangefest" in Belfast. That's right, I'm talking about the Orangemen's traditional July 12th march.







The previous evening heralded the lighting of dozens of bonfires around the country. Yet another tradition. Quite odd when you think about it. A place that by law allows the burning of huge bonfires one night each year. Though saying that, I wouldn't want to attempt to stop them doing it. I like my knee caps. Besides, bonfires burn on the mainland for the 5th of November.



According to a sign hung on one of the bonfires "Carleberg don't do bonfires but if they did, they would be the best bonfires in the world." Nice to see someone has a sense of humour.

It's a Protestant occassion these days but apparently it wasn't always so. Everyone used to go to the bonfires, irrespective of race colour or creed. But the Troubles raged here for three decades and people have long memories. Hundreds missing. Hundreds dead. Including my own grandfather who was shot in his own home. Both sides suffered and the irony is because they divide themselves in Protestants and Roman Catholics when religion has nothing to do with this. It's all about power.



You may ask which side I belong to. The answer is neither. I am not a Christian so I refuse to be divided into Christian denominations. The question then becomes, where did I spend the last two day and, truth be told, I did watch the bonfires but only because it is mesmerizing to watch things burn. Standing up in the hills, looking down at the city, it is like an apocalyptic landscape. Fires dot the land and black smoke fills the air. The full moon was large and low, stained red as though with the blood of those who died. At one point black clouds covered it so perfectly it was as though someone had taken scissors to the bottom quarter.



Now that I've finished on the the beauty of fire, I must turn my attention to the destruction of our planet. I'm sure that the hole in the ozone is now that little bit larger and that we've added to the possibility that the film 'The Day After Tomorrow' could become reality in some shape or form. They say we need to reduce carbon emissions and I dread to think how much carbon sailed into the atmosphere two nights ago.



Now for a combination of hubris and doom and gloom. My display picture is my Aunt's two year cat, Katie. On the tenth she didn't come home and my Aunt spent hours searching for her. Then I looked for her for ages on the eleventh with no success. That evening my Aunt walked the neighbourhood asking people to check the garages. Not a good day to have to do this because many people holiday over the 12th. Thankfully she is now home safely. She was locked in a garage belonging to people who are normally away but this year chose to stay. She was starving but otherwise none the worse for wear.



So what are my plans now a major holiday has passed? Well, collect my parcel that the postman didn't bother to put through the letter box and then hopefully get the Chinese that I've been craving for days.

Ollie
16:24 Jul 06 2006
Times Read: 730

I just found out that one of my cats has FIV (the feline equivalent of HIV.) He's been sick for a while now but hopefully he'll feel better soon since they now know what's wrong.



Ollie is a stray to came to us during the summer of 2001. He's a marmalade-ginger cat with a sweet personality. He has a loud purr and can say "ham." One of my other cats taught him that trick and he asks for it whenever anyone is in the kitchen, especially if they open the fridge.



This is Ollie: