| 234567 | > |
Hi all!
This week has been busy again with a lot of real-world stuff to be done. Driving the girls around to look at sewing machines and overlockers. Grrrrrr.
It meant that I STILL did not get around to writing a chapter on Playing Solitaire. Lucky, I have some chapters in hand and can bring you the next one in line.
I did manage to get chapter 5 of the next story out to the editors and then found that it was a little “off”. There were details missing that would have you guys lift eyebrows and send me emails to point out the omission. I had to rewrite half of the chapter and send it back to the editors. So, it meant that although I was with the laptop, I was marking time and did not advance that new story one bit.
The new story is very intense and complicated as I need to balance certain real-world facts with the story line and timeline. At the time of the story there were quiet a few things happening in the world and on the geopolitical front that will somehow impact the plot eventually.
Fear not! I got it all together!
BTW: Anyone of the readers out there that speaks Mandarin? Drop me an email, please.
Here is Chapter 14 of “Playing Solitaire.” Enjoy!
All the best and God bless!
Bye 4 now!
Jody.
(2026-10-12, 06:46 SAST) (04:46 ZULU)
Hi all!
Things are going okay. Everything is starting to normalize, and I am starting to multi-task. Yip, you heard correctly. Multi-tasking by writing the final chapters of “Playing Solitaire” and starting a new project that now has a title.
Don’t worry. Playing Solitaire will at least have 19 chapters. Still six weeks of instalments left. (Maybe if I start to publish twice a week than it will be like three weeks of Playing Solitaire. It all depends on how fast I can render the pictures, unless you say: “Skip the Pictures.”
I gave my editors the choice of a few titles on the new story after I gave them chapter 001 and the outline of the plot and sub-plots. I’m still waiting on one editor to return his choice. But all indications are that the title might be something like; “The Dragon and the Serpent.”
All I can say is that the new story is nothing in line with my other stories and the readers that got a little tired of the law-enforcement and aviation themes might like this one. There is NO aircraft and NO law-enforcement involved.
Well, if you consider a bounty hunter a sort of “law-enforcement agent”, then that is your side of the story. LOL!!!! I say no more... Sue me if you want, but remember... I still have the Angels on my side... (Evil Laugh)
Here is Chapter 13 of “Playing Solitaire.” Enjoy!
All the best and God bless!
Bye 4 now!
Jody.
(2026-10-05, 06:48 SAST) (04:48 ZULU)
Hi all!
Right, the excitement of the week is over. Cape Town and back in two days! But flying SAA is not all what it was. Both ways with Airbus A320 aircraft. And I hate their seats. It looks like camping seats and not the ones I am used to. You can’t even set the recline function on the seats! I was sure to book the extra seat on our way back. No big fat Annie condensing me into the middle seat like on the flight out to CT! No, Sir! I made sure I had all three seats booked. The Red Head got the window seat, and I took the aisle seat, sticking my legs under the middle seat in front of me. Yes, I even got in a little snooze.
I wish the SAA brings back the Boeing aircraft. At least the seats were better than this stupid Airbus plastic camping chairs! Grrrrrr!
The pilot in command was a woman, and she had no illusion about flying. She took off on time and when I thought she was still climbing to FL320, she announced, “Cabin Crew, Flight level 20000.” And there she sat until descending to runway 3L at ORT, landing us 20 minutes early! I thought: “Okay Sweetness... you are burning fuel, but who cares...” Maybe she wanted to get home too...
The flight out was just that. A flight. No problem. But the flight back I had a scrap with the airport security. I had my pipe, scraper, Zippo lighter and a standby cheap gas lighter with me. No, I can’t take my Zippo or my scraper. HELL! What is the difference between a Gas lighter and a Zippo lighter? And how the hell am I going to hi-jack an aircraft with a pipe tobacco scraper?
I used just four words: “Where’s your supervisor? Now!” (I did not add: “Idiot”...)
Needless to say, three minutes later I was boarding flight SA372 to Johannesburg WITH my Zippo and scraper! I think the Supervisor did manage to realize through the fog in his 3 Brain Cell brain that I came to CT with the lighters and scraper and that if I was allowed to bring it, I was allowed to leave with it. Afterwords I realized that lucky this was not TWA in the USA. LOL!!!! (I believe they, TWA, are several levels below “Idiots”.)
Here is Chapter 12 of “Playing Solitaire.” Enjoy!
All the best and God bless!
Bye 4 now!
Jody.
(2026-09-28, 06:48 SAST) (04:48 ZULU)
Hi all!
Good afternoon! It is Sunday 20 September 2026, 15:13 SAST (14:13 ZULU) as I write this. Due to that I would not be available tomorrow to upload chapter 11, I am doing it now. I hope you don’t mind me being a little out of schedule, but I believe a little early would be no problem for you.
The rest of the week is going to hectic, but I will be on par again by Saturday next week and the normal schedule will continue.
Thank you for understanding.
Here is Chapter 11 of “Playing Solitaire.” Enjoy!
All the best and God bless!
Bye 4 now!
Jody.
Hi all!
And so the week went to pieces before I could say “SouthernHemisphereUnionOfPotatoGrowersAssociation”!!! Just like that. One moment all was fine and I was getting chapter 10 ready for publishing on Thursday past. But it was not to be.
And it all started with an invitation to an Official Farewell Function for the retirement of an Officer. My redhead just put her foot down with the words: “You have to go! No excuses!”
Oh goody! I get to wear my ceremonial togs again. Medals and all! LOL! Lucky the ceremonial sword is not part of the step-outs anymore. I just don’t know how I would have got that past airport security.
And so started the rat race of getting airline tickets, booking a rental car, find and secure accommodation in... (I’m not allowed to say as it is a surprise for the retiring Officer. He reads Jody Daniel stories too. (LOL!!!) Securing kenneling for the two cats. Secure an UBER to the airport and back. Just for two days! Phew! I wish I still had my Cessna 210. Then I could have flown the way in 5 or 6 hours, including a fuel stop halfway to the destination. And it would be cheaper than South African Airways anyway.
So, the bad news is that I will miss another Thursday posting, but the good news is that the Monday postings will go ahead as per schedule. I hope you guys and girls will forgive me for that.
Here is Chapter 10 of “Playing Solitaire.” Enjoy!
All the best and God bless!
Bye 4 now!
Jody.
(2026-09-14, 06:42 SAST) (04:42 ZULU)
| 234567 | > |