June!

The weather is warming up and the humidity is getting worse… Jerry has been in cuddle mode and is currently curled into a ball on Don, after leaving me a few minutes ago so I could type!  He’s been trying to persuade everyone that he’s a starving, neglected puppy who is unloved by all… Don is all caught up on his many games, and true crime documentaries, so he’s trying to work through my shows and about to get into a lot of trouble if he continues!  He’s been very good, and went to get his eyes checked yesterday, and had the most remarkable act of kindness shown to him at the garage on Friday.  I’m therefore encouraging everyone in Ottawa to visit Scotty’s Garage for wonderful service!!

I had a few days where my blood pressure was ridiculously low; it was averaging 82/50, which is scarily bad.  It meant that I felt weak, shaky, breathless and no appetite.  I could barely walk from the bedroom to the bathroom, let alone anywhere else; as for eating, it was a chore and even Ensure was hard to swallow.  It was much easier for me to spend time in bed, and I slept a lot over the past couple of days, hence no posts since my ‘kidnapping.’  This morning, for no discernible reason, my blood pressure was a bit higher, and my weakness/shakiness/breathlessness were lower.  I honestly have no idea why this happened, nor what to do to prevent it from recurring.  I’ve also learned that there aren’t any real treatments for low blood pressure — at least, according to sites that are among the more reputable of medical ones.  We’ll definitely have to address this!  Many thanks to my friend P who brought over some barbecue from RibFest, which is on this weekend, but out of my walking range…

I mentioned telling you about some of my preferred fantasy series, so I’ll do that today, and end the suspense (which I’m certain was driving you nuts 😂)  Again, in no particular order… and I define fantasy as including swords and sorcery and magical creatures.  I specifically exclude vampires as I find that entire genre disgusting.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien.  What can I say?  This is easily the gold standard for fantasy novels, along with The Hobbit and The Silmarillion.  I’ve reread this so often that I fall into quoting text when I’m involved in it.  

The Narnia Chronicles by C.S. Lewis.  Geared for children and young adults, but so eminently readable!  I went from this to Lewis’ theological books seamlessly, and count a range of his works among my favourite.  Another one where I can quote extensively and know all the characters.

The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan.  I was hooked by chapter 3 of book 1 (the first 2 were a bit dull) and have all of the 14 books of the main series, the “bestiary”; the explanatory book which covers the various mythologies incorporated into the series and am in search of the graphic novels, which are close to impossible to find!

The Once and Future King by T.H. White, which is a retelling of the Arthurian legend of La Morte d’Artur — the 15th century book by Mallory — which I’ve also read several times both in translation and French.  This was used as the basis for several movies, including my beloved Camelot. Merlin has always been one of my favourites, as the wizard who lived backwards…I also enjoyed Crystal Cave (Merlin trilogy) as it’s all part of the same theme!

1001 Nights — Who could overlook these classic tales of Sinbad annd assorted genies?  It’s disgracefully misogynistic as the Caliph kills his wives after one night until Scheherazad enthralls him for 1001 nights.  Although not part of this original collection, I also love the tales of Aladdin and Ali Baba

I’m going to do a group selection of other books, which include Watership Down; A Wrinkle in Time; Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass; Pern series; Mistborn and Redwall.  

There you go… a selection of my favourite fantasies.  I’d also include some classics that don’t exactly fit the description, but kind of do if you squint a bit, including The Iliad, The Odyssey; The Mahabharata and The Ramayana.  I do recommend getting a good translation of these and preparing to lose a few days of your time.  Sadly, I can’t read any of them in their original languages, but translations can be excellent.  

OK, that’s enough for tonight.  I can ramble endlessly about books if I get started, so I’ll stop now.  I’m going to take my meds and then I’ll probably take a nap.  Good night!