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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nFortunately, this was not a real-life situation, but rather a dream that lurched across several tangents. The wasp element involved me outside at what initially was the World Cup Final, held in a large stadium in Latin America, and involving Croatia and Romania. The game ended 30-0 to Croatia, an absurdly high scoreline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The setting then involved a cafe or restaurant, where a wasp was irritatingly persistent in pursuing me. It seemed to chase me everywhere, and it was driving me nuts. In the wake of this, the dream then shifted again, to some sort of weird underground vegetation world, which may or may not have been associated with a holodeck from Star Trek<\/em>, and the strangely still alive head of Nebula from the Guardians of the Galaxy<\/em> films, set up to grow as a vegetable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Try unpacking that<\/strong>, Sigmund Freud!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Weather Winds Down<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the early days of this Muse, the weather definitely took a turn. Whereas a generally warm environment had persisted throughout September and into early October, eventually autumn get its claws in, and would not relinquish. Rain, cloudy skies, and cooler temperatures became the norm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Given this meerkat’s preference for summer conditions (albeit certainly not to the intense degrees we had this summer), I consider the weather to be on a downward turn. I know some people much prefer the colder climate, but I am not one of them. There is the looming prospect of a wet winter, which does not thrill me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Nocturnal Journey<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Following a day spent sorting out the garden (urgh, I really hate gardening), I ended up having a fitful sleep thanks to the cat deciding to join my wife and I in bed. His awkward positioning led to awkward positioning for the rest of us, but during moments of sleep, I dreamt of aiming to get home from somewhere somewhat nondescript. My journey included strange, badly designed subways, bus rides where I had to remind myself not to go in the wrong direction, and finally a stroll along a beautiful river, surrounded by flowers and old buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once again Freud, over to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shattered<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n In the wake of spending half the day sorting out the garden, the following day was even longer. My daughter had an appointment in London regarding her iodine treatment (which should be the final step in completely dealing with the medical stuff we’ve been dealing with), and as this was in the afternoon, we figured we’d make a day of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If I am being honest, there were several stages to this experience I could have sorely done without, especially given how tired I was from the day and night before. We were here, there and everywhere, including a jaunt around the Science Museum for some kind of Pokemon event, which was not worth it, not to me at least. It all added up to a late dinner and then getting home late, which with work early in the morning, was not ideal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, these are the sacrifices one makes for the sake of the family!<\/p>\n\n\n\n As to my daughter’s treatment, the iodine medication will be administered very soon, at the end of October, which will mean further disruption to her college experience, but it’s better to clear it and get it done in the earlier stages. It will involve a week-long stage in hospital, as she will be radioactive! I happen to have the week booked off already, so in theory will gown and stay in London too, though only one parent can actually stay at the hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We now need to find someone to look after the cat. If we can’t, then plans may be torpedoed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My daughter has absorbed a lot of stress this year. From GCSE exams to starting college, with this awful thyroid business occupying virtually every other moment, she has certainly endured more than anyone of her age should have to, but she has come through it, with bravery and resolve. As I have said before, I doubt I would have been so composed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dreams of Times Gone By<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s always a poignant moment when I dream about my dear Nan. She was such a lovely, wonderful human being, and whilst she has been gone some 14 years now, she will never be forgotten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bots of Twitter<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n Recently, Ukraine’s military forces struck a data centre in Russia. In that moment, supporters of Russian aggression, pro-Trump Twitter accounts, Reform lovers, and other hard-right accounts, went offline. I think that speaks volumes, no?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, they reappeared soon enough, and have been as vocal as ever on Twitter. If you happen to be on that particular platform, you cannot breathe out without metaphorically bumping into a radicalised MAGA fan who is almost certainly a bot, expressing their hatred for Ukrainian president Zelenskyy. Of course, there could be people who genuinely and blindly accept Trump’s pro-Putin position, but let’s hope they are few and far between.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a slight aside, I find it very interesting that of the pro-Trump blogs I visit, I have not yet seen a single one offer even the slightest<\/strong> criticism of Trump for bowing to Putin. I guess the Dear Leader is not be questioned, under any circumstances…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trying to Unwind<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Various recent events have left me feeling quite drained. The trips into London have been exhausting, and the prospect of more of this to come, particularly with my daughter being stuck in hospital for a week, does not fill me with glee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It doesn’t help that work is providing near-ceaseless irritation. What is it with parents not controlling their spawn?! On Saturday one child was running around non-stop with a toy dinosaur, stomping about without a care in the world. His mother appeared not to care either. It’s not much to ask parents to keep their kids in check, surely?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scraping<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n It seems that someone has put together another version of Meerkat Musings, having scraped my site. They claim to want to be of help, but they want thousands of dollars from me for their unsolicited efforts. I can’t even view their work unless I respond to their email, which I am reluctant to do. The whole thing smells of a scam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you happen upon a version of Meerkat Musings that is not www.meerkatmusings.co.uk, yet utilises my material and even my images and pictures, please let me know. Also be aware that I do not endorse any such masquerades, and they do not represent me or my views, in any way shape or form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Spooky House<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet another dream-related tale here, and it certainly ranks among the strangest! My wife and I were spending the night in an old house, in the middle of the country. It was quite a nice house, but it was a little creaky in places. As bedtime approached, we settled under the covers, only for my phone’s screen to light up, forcing me to get up and disable it. Next, a seemingly old-fashioned clock, mounted to the wall above the bed, lit up, in an array of pretty colours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We were also joined in bed by our cat, who kept climbing all over us and purring very loudly. This part may have been real; normally Castiel goes out at night, but owing to damp conditions I had mercy on him. He might have joined us on the bed, with his purrs translating into the dream. Indeed, such was his probable influence that in the dream there were two<\/strong> cats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, at one stage I was checking a room upstairs after hearing strange noises, and my wife ended up in a room with some weird reflections. It was shortly thereafter that the dream was punctured by the grim reality of Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Who is Right?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes work throws up situations where you end up sort of agreeing with both the customer and the company. One such situation presented itself on Monday. A customer had bought a brown wood-finished unit, but the draw fronts and the sides of the unit did appear to be different shades. Now, both could<\/strong> be considered brown wood, but they were clearly different to one another. The customer was quite rightly not thrilled at the difference and had emailed the showroom to query this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The response from our technical team was equally relatable. Natural products can come up different, and getting new drawers is not guaranteed to solve the issue. It may be that the next set of fronts would be a better match, but there’s no promise of that. Also, the unit had been fitted, which in the company’s eyes classes as acceptance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The customer had me call customer services whilst he was stood in the shop, but customer services agreed with the technical team. However, as luck would have it, the regional manager had popped in, and he had a workaround. We’ll get a unit to store marked as showroom stock, swap out the drawers, and see if they’re a better match. It’s bending the rules, but it may get the customer out of a bind and keep them happy. It does leave us with a unit to return to the warehouse, and getting items collected has been something of a nightmare of late, so who knows how long we’ll be left with yet another bulky box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What made this interesting is that the regional is of the opinion the unit is not wood, but rather finished with a wood-effect wrap. It can still be argued that the finishes will come up different each time, and there’s only so many times we can pull this trick. The customer may have to accept the first option, so to speak, as it’s not practical to keep getting units into the showroom!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether they do accept this is another matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Getting Prepared<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As this Muse comes to a close, the next one will see my daughter’s iodine treatment take place. How she will react to this, and how we’ll all cope with her being confined to hospital for a week, is anyone’s guess. You shall find out, as we all will!<\/p>\n\n\n\n What I’ve had to do – which to be honest would have happened anyway – is prepare, and this includes making sure my customers at work are updated and their quotes are updated. Appointments may need rescheduling, and stuff like that. It all feels a bit surreal, but let’s take it one day at a time, eh?<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, with that, I bid you farewell for the time being, at least from Muse land. How might the next two weeks go? Well, stress is a certainty!<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/meerkatmusings.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-3-1024x944.png\")
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