Multimedia - my new pet, plus book recommendations

[mary_j_59]

Sevvie the fish
Originally uploaded by maryj59

Here's my new little betta, who is, of course, called Sevvie. He is very pretty, but is worrying me because he won't eat anything. I hope he makes it.

Otherwise - thanks to all your comments, I realized most of you didn't know the books I was talking about.

Here is a link to the first few pages of Michelle Paver's Wolf Brother My sister also did a podcast where you can hear Iam McKellan reading the first chapter - he has done all the audio for these books. You can download it either by looking for kiscocast on podomatic.com, or by going to www.torak.info and downloading it there.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30965518/ns/today-today_books/

The BBC filmed the first Green Knowe book, and there are a couple of clips on youtube. Here's the first one - makes you wonder where Rowling got some of her ideas!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdhiI8XmJQI

Enjoy!

Comments

[hope-24.livejournal.com]

Ooh... a Siamese Fighting Fish! I know that you can't keep him with another of the same species - but can they have any other companions?

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

Some can - but some fish will pick on them, and they will pick on others (anyone they can catch who happens to look like a male betta in any way). So, as I understand it, they do better alone in large bowls or small tanks. Sevvie is a successor to my sister's Rubeus, who lived for five years or so in this bowl - he was a great fish, and quite sociable. Sevvie doesn't seem as friendly - at least, not so far. Maybe it's the name!

[anne-arthur.livejournal.com]

Beautiful fish! And, as I've said elsewhere, I love the 'Green Knowe' clip!

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

Yes, isn't it great! The guy who put it up is actually offering DVDs, and I am going to try to purchase one - it seems he is willing to try to get it in NTSC format, for a price (25 pounds, to be precise). If you would like one, perhaps I could also order one in PALS format?

And Sevvie is quite beautiful, in spite of his ragged tail. He's settled down and is eating well now, so I am reassured. Bettas can be tricky little critters - cats are altogether simpler than fish. )

[seductivedark.livejournal.com]

How's the fish doing? I've had iffy luck with betas, but then, I've tried to breed them and found that it ain't all just letting nature take its course. If he seems to get into a slump, try showing him a mirror so he can flare out and strut his Alpha Beta Male stuff. Nothing gets the heart pumping like thinking there's another male on one's turf.

Take the mirror away relatively soon - don't want to over-tax the guy!

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

He began eating after two or three days and seems to be settling down pretty well. The mirror might be a good idea - he made a lovely little bubble nest after his first water change, but not after his second. But I think I'm out of the woods, if I keep up with the weekly water changes - we've actually found bettas easier to keep than goldfish.