Karohemd's World

Update 14/11/25
It's now been confirmed that the necessary repairs to my flat will be done without cost to me but it's going to be a while. Contractors are going to look at what needs doing on the 3rd next month and then hopefully start soon after.

Further, in two weeks' time from today, I have an appointment with a support person who are going to help me with going through the process of applying for benefits (Universal Credit and PIP). Especially PIP is going to be a huge one as I won't be able to live on UC alone. With PIP, I'll be fine and able to slowly pay off some debts.

Update 10/11/25
Big news: Last Wednesday AIRE Centre submitted the EUSS application on my behalf after I managed to beat the ID app into submission. On Friday morning, I received an email from the Home Office confirming my settled status/indefinite leave to remain. This is a huge relief as I can now move on to the next procedures for which I needed to have that status, most importantly applying for benefits (Universal Credit and PIP).
This will of course more time meaning I am still without income for several more weeks if not months so the appeal for donations remains a necessity unfortunately so I can afford food and other expenses like payments to the housing association and standing charges for utilities.

Folks, there's no easy way to say this, I need help.
I've been struggling with mental health problems for a number of years now, mainly a mix of complete lack of executive function and anxiety. This led to all kinds of problems I kept ignoring and culminated in losing my job because I couldn't cope with stressful situations. When my savings ran out last year, it looked really bad but I was rescued and after a lengthy hospital stay, friends put me up at their house. I recovered a bit financially after a generous donation from my parents but that buffer only meant I kept ignoring the new problems arising from the battle with the benefits and other systems and I did nothing for several months. There are still legal issues preventing me from applying for benefits that are slowly being worked on with the help of a social worker from the local council, a process I could easily have started last year but was refused by my brain.
Now it won't be long until my money runs out again so I've finally jumped over my own shadow and am asking for help.

If you are able to help me with a donation (one-off or monthly, any amount welcome) towards my monthly outgoings (fees/charges for my flat, utilities and basic food), I would be eternally grateful. Currently, I have two options:

Paypal: https://paypal.me/karohemd
Please declare the payment as gift and make it out in GBP/£.
or
Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/karohemd

From the UK another alternative would be a direct bank transfer. Please contact me on karohemd at gmail dot com if you would prefer that option. Please also let me know if you know of any other "send me money" websites/apps. I've done some searching but it's all rather complicated and the easy ones are all US-only.

If you think you know people who might be able to donate as well, please pass on this post or just the links as you see fit on socials, discords etc.

I have always been bad at asking for help so this post is hopefully a step towards overcoming that hurdle.
I also know that many people are struggling financially in the current climate so please don't feel bad if you can't help. Thank you!

Update on 31/08/25: It's been a while and things have been moving forward but still very slowly.
I am receiving legal help with applying for the EU Settlement Scheme from the AIRE Centre. I finally managed to get all the evidence needed so they can start the application at the Home Office on my behalf. Once that is successful, I'll be able to apply for benefits.
I'm also going to renew my passport in London this week, with the fees being taken care of by a charity grant. This can however take up to 8 weeks.

Update 30/09/25:
I have my new passport so I can at least prove my identity reliably.
There was some delay and another piece of red tape was missing but the AIRE Centre now hopefully have all the info they need for the ESS application. Unfortunately, they estimate the process taking until the end of the year.
We've also made considerable progress in getting my flat ready for repairs and cleaning but it all depends on securing funding. The social worker helping me is applying to various charities but even if they agree, the actual amounts offered are pitifully small.

Update 30/10/25:
- my housing association has agreed to help finance the repairs to my flat. Fingers crossed they pull through and it happens.
- We will hopefully finally be able to submit my EUSS application next week.

However, I am still in dire need of funds as I have no income so if you can help, any amount donated to the above links will be appreciated greatly. I am frustrated that I need to keep asking for financial help but there is currently nothing I can do.

A Dwarven Merchant for a Witcher game, lovingly illustrated by Gina Allnatt

I thought I would revive this blog with the odd post on gaming.
One of my recent acquisitions has been Pugmire by Eddy Web, published by Onyx Path Publishing.
Pugmire is essentially Dungeons and Dragons with dogs. It uses a variant of the 5th edition rules, somewhat simplified and less voluminous with different names for the character features. The PCs are “uplifted” dogs, anthropomorphic dogs that walk upright and have evolved to use tools and language in a world a long time after the Age of Man has ended. There are classes called Callings (spellcasters, thieves, fighters etc.) and Breeds, rough groups of dog breeds like Companions (pugs, chihuahas), Runners (greyhounds, lurchers) and so on.
The world centres around the city of Pugmire, a typical medieval town, inhabited not only by dogs but also other uplifted animals like cats and rats. Further out, badgers (usually bandits) and lizards (travelling merchants from across the sea) can be found. There are mountains in the North, a huge forest in the East (beyond which is the land of the cats, the Monarchies of Mau), and a sea beyond Waterdog Port on the Southern coast. Most of the setting information in the book is about the city of Pugmire while the rest of the world has not been fleshed out in detail. For the crafty GM (or in the case of Pugmire, the Guide) this is a perfect opportunity to put their own stamp on the setting.
A separate complete game called Monarchies of Mau on cats is forthcoming. It has already been funded on Kickstarter, is currently being written and should be out in about a year or so.
I absolutely love the setting and have already run a few one-shots locally. I also started a proper campaign online using roll20.
You can buy Pugmire as PDF via DriveThruRPG. The physical book is available in the US via Studio 2 (and Indie Press Revolution soon), I've not seen it on the Esdevium Games releases list but Eddy says they should be able to order it from Studio 2.
Which brings me to an offer: I am looking for another player or two so if you're interested, comment below. We don't have a regular schedule but Sunday afternoons (UK time) are usually the preferred option.

I'm resurrecting this blog for a post that wouldn't fit into my wp one.
Last week a friend tweeted a link to This Northern Boy, an artist who mainly does line art SciFi illustrations. He had a sketch for sale I really liked and I ordered it. It arrived today.

There was no context, no name, or any indication who or what the ship was so I had a bit of a brainstorm and came up with a tiny story:

The small spacecraft dropped out of hyperspace a few clicks from a massive asteroid field. As it approached slowly on thruster power, its compact shape extended to reveal a cockpit with a large, lens-shaped window. A solar array and various sensors and aerials deployed and clicked into place as it drifted into the field and began a search pattern.
Inside the cockpit, the sole pilot worked the controls, multiple legs prodding and adjusting dials, multi-faceted eyes checking visual readouts, feelers searching for vibration patterns, antennae sensing the olfactory outputs. Every now and then, a small transmitter was jettisoned from a chute at the bottom of the craft and buried itself in one of the asteroids.
Its search pattern complete and its supply of transmitters exhausted, the surveyor retracted its sensors and returned to its travel configuration. When it had cleared the asteroid field, space folded around it and it was gone.
Just another day working for the Krktk mining corporation.

As Fitzbillies opened for dinner again after a summer break, they introduced a "feasting" menu (see bottom of the dinner menu), available to groups of four and above and consisting of a starter (from the current menu, and the whole group has to agree on one), a main which is usually a whole cut of roasted meat to be carved at the table or a "dish of birds" and a dessert (selection as with starter). When I read this, I immediately knew this would be good fun so after a few weeks of herding catsfriends, we had decided on a date and a menu.









All the courses were served on sharing platters.

It was a really fun evening and I highly recommend it for a family celebration or just a reason to bring friends together. With a few bottles of wine, coffee and service, this feasting came to 50 pounds a head.

Being incredibly behind the times the first time I heard (of) The Coal Porters was when they played a sesson on Bob Harris' Country Show on BBC2 a few months ago. Their version of "alternative bluegrass" music is fun(ny) and engaging, the muscianship is superb and they play in the traditional setup without amplification (except fiddle but that might have been because of the cramped stage) around a communal microphone. As each musician takes a solo or sings they step towards the microphone and then back again.
The Green Note in Camden is a tiny venue, an oblong room with the tiny stage in a front corner, tables along each long side and the bar at the end. Luckily I was early so managed to grab the small table directly in front of the stage. While there was a reasonable amount of light for such a venue, it was mostly red, the bane of all photographers because it washes out all skin tones so I had to convert them to black and white and crank up the contrast to get a reasonable result. A few impressions below, many more on flickr.

crocodilewings mentioned recently he needed a new avatar and yesterday we happened to be in the same area so we met up at a pub and took a few photos:

The Cambridge Brew House opened today in the former premises of the Bun Shop and its various incarnations in King Street. What used to be two rather cramped spaces is now one large open one with diner-style booth seating along the window front to the right of the door with tables and chairs filling the rest of this area with table service. Opposite the door is the bar with quite a wide selection of beers, including currently two house brand ones and a few other locals as well as a few well known beers. In the back to the left of the bar is the onsite brewery bit behind glass. This is not operational yet, their own beer is currently brewed off site until it's all set up. This is also a bit more casual area with a wild mix of seats (chairs, armchairs, bar stools and even a wooden vaulting horse) with low and high tables. I'm not sure if there is seating upstairs as well as it was quite busy and a grabbed one of the last seats on one of the bar tables before ordering a King's Parade and a chicken and mushroom pie. There were lots interesting things on the menu including home smoked and cured meats/fish but I thought a pie would be a good dish to get an idea of their cooking.
The King's Parade is an excellent bitter and one that actually deserves that name, really fully flavoured. I was just about to dig into my pie when Caroline found me and took me to her table. They had already had starters ("British Tapas") which they had enjoyed so I tucked into my pie while they waited for their mains. My portion was a quarter of a bigger pie, rather thick with excellent, crunchy pastry. The filling consisted of large chunks of well cooked, i.e. still nicely moist meat and mushrooms, not as liquid as you often get which also helped keep the pastry crispy. There was also a pile of fluffy chips and a little copper pan with gravy. I only realised now that there was no veg or salad but I didn't really miss it. I really liked it.
I'm looking forward to reading what Heidi thought of her excellent looking pork belly.
The second beer I had was the Misty River, a pale ale that wasn't quite to my taste but I prefer a darker beer, anyway. Heidi didn't fancy the bitter so it's definitely a matter of taste.
I also wanted to try a dessert but there wasn't that much exciting (chocolate/orange torte, "winter berry" Eton mess, and toffee pudding as well as ice creams and a cheese board with three or six cheeses). I'm not a fan of either orange with chocolate nor toffee so I picked the Eton mess which was not bad, not too sweet but with strawberries and blueberries it went a bit against their claim of using local and seasonal ingredients.
We agreed that the desserts needed some work but were rather happy with everything else. Considering it was rather busy indeed and their first day, I couldn't really find fault with the service, either.

The Cambridge Brew House is going to serve food all day, from 12 noon to 9:30 in the evening which makes it ideal for both early and late-ish dinners, lunch or an afternoon snack. I am definitely looking forward to returning soon.

Oh, and they are still offering 50% off on food today (Thursday) so you really can't go wrong.

On Friday evening Jo Kruczynska aka The Afternoon Tease, cake baker extraordinaire and regular club host held a special night of boozy baked goods and cake inspired cocktails at Hot Numbers in Gwydir Street. Despite her only initial advertising being her blog and twitter, the tickets were already sold by the time it was advertised in Cambridge Edition.















The evening was also accompanied by live music, James Brotherston on the piano and Phil who occasionally sang as well.



The atmosphere was jovial and fun. I think pretty much everyone asked when the next one is going to be and rumour has it there will be one in a couple of months' time so keep your eyes open.

Here are a few more photos:



Still more photos on flickr. You can read about the evening from Jo's perspective on her blog.