Various ramblings by the small hobbit

Week Three had Learning About Wildlife as its theme.  I wasn't attracted to any of the possibilities, but the BTO website has lots of information I've been dipping into. I did get out and about a bit - less than I'd hoped, but it was HOT so not ideal for anyone.

However, I spotted a blackbird on two separate occasions (one male, one female), so I was able to submit my observations.

And yesterday, although not actually in the garden, I saw the house martins flying around, catching flies.  And also the house roofs at one point had a whole row of starlings, shouting about something - probably the threat of rain.  This is the tree they flew off to.



And my Week 3 badge:

As I said in a recent post I'm planning on keeping a photo journal, so here are Week 1's photos:

( 30 Days Wild - Week One )

I have completed my poetry challenge, and my try 12 new things in a year challenge.

April Poems

1 - Henry & Abe Morgan (Forever): Haiku Classics Lover
2 - Tigger Holmes: Call & Response scfrankles 
3 - After Easter (ACD Holmes): Cinquain Okapi
4 - Tudor Kings & Queens (Historical RPF): English Sonnet dariaw 
5 - Richard III (Greg Hicks) to Buckingham: Rime Royale grondfic 
6 - Harry Potter to Severus Snape: Limerick alisanne 
7 - In praise of Laura Hobson (Lewis): Italian Sonnet ComplexLight
8 - Mrs Hudson in 221B: Rondeau Debriswoman
9 - The Colour of the Ferret's Fur: Colour Poem Okapi
10 - Richard III (Toby Manley) to Lady Anne: Rime Royale grondfic 
11 - Goat: Limerick bunn 
12 - Lucas North to Adam Carter (Spooks): Limerick dariaw 
13 - Lucas North to Adam Carter: Love Poem dariaw 
14: Mouselet in 221B: Rondeau Debriswoman
15: Thorin to Bilbo, via Raven: Haiku moth2fic 

This month's challenge, as some of you may be aware, is to write different forms of poetry.  It turns out to be American Poetry Month as well, so perhaps an appropriate month for the challenge.

I shall be aiming to post one poem a day, although, since there are two sonnets requested, this may not be possible.  The first, a Forever haiku for Classics Lover is now posted. I will not be posting to either LJ or DW on a daily basis, but will post a final summary at the end of the month.  If you wish to follow on a day-by-day basis then you may like to subscribe to the work: April Poems

So far, with alternatives, I have 15 prompts, so there are still spaces if anyone else has a request.

For my final challenge in the year of challenges, I shall be looking for help from my flist.

moth2fic  wrote in my original challenge post "You enjoy writing and trying new formats etc. Have you tried poetry? Not everyone is the next Wordsworth (thank goodness) but something like haiku could be interesting to investigate - either as totally original reactions to the nature you see in your photographs, or as short responses to things in the lives of e.g. Mouselet."

So, flist, now's the chance.  Please prompt me with poetic form (and if you chose something very complicated you may well be disappointed, or I shall revert to doggerel) plus a subject, be it fandom, pairing, prompt words, or any combination.

The first verse will go up at the beginning of April and I'll see how far through the month I get.

Just a quick summary to record where I'm at with this year's goals:

Goal 1 - Write all the things

Having written almost 185,000 words last year, I'm settling back to my aim of 150,000 this year.  So far I've written 17,000 plus some for the Lewis casefic which I'll total at the end of the month, when hopefully it will be finished, which means I'm about on track.

My Grantchester SmallFandom Bang is written, although I need to do the editing following Okapi's helpful beta.  I wrote four Chocolate Box ficlets this time - assignment, pinch hit and two treats.  I'm continuing with whatif_au  which is definitely a challenge, plus story_works  which again takes me outside my usual writing sphere.  And I've started writing for Harry Potter drabble communities, again as a change.

I don't feel as driven to write at the moment, but am enjoying the variety and therefore can claim to still be writing 'all the things'.


Goal 2 - Write a monthly pastoral assistant post

I will continue to write these for the rest of this year (ie the last one will be in April), after which I think it's unlikely I will continue.  I've had less involvement over the last couple of months, due to personal commitments, but also I know I'm putting myself forward less.  At the moment I'm not inclined to push to do more, and we'll see what transpires over the coming months.


Goal 3 - Try twelve new things

This has been amazingly successful.  I shall be writing about my current challenge later this month.  It's not one suggested by my flist, but something I chose as easier to achieve at the moment.

In the meantime, my cross stitch continues to grow:

( cross stitch )


Future Goals

In a couple of months time, when I finish my current year I shall be looking at goals for the next one.  Goal No 1 will remain - I find keeping track of how much and what variety of writing I do very helpful.  Goal No 2 will change.  And Goal No 3 will be complete, as I shall have tried twelve new things.  I'm thinking next year's goals should build on what I've achieved this year, with a continuation of something to do with craft - which I've thoroughly enjoyed - and also making more of art since I've scarcely done anything with my new pastels.

This was a challenge suggested by Okapi and I finally got round to trying it out yesterday.  I'm right-handed, so I attempted to do things with my left hand, with varying degress of success.  I can brush my hair left-handed, but the tangles seem more resistant.  I can clean my teeth left-handed, but I went over them again with my right hand.  Some things it just depends which hand is available - carrying stuff downstairs, drinking tea (probably unsurprisingly I can use a mug in either hand - nothing is going to keep me from my tea).

I ate my porridge with a spoon in my left hand.  I slowly buttered bread with my left hand.  I used the normal hands for eating dinner, because swapping knife and fork would have been too much for my brain.  I washed up with my left hand.  I tried to pour tea with my left hand, but the teapot handle was hot so I reverted to the right for the sake of safety.

Some things are clearly easier to do if your dominant hand is your right hand.  I touch type so writing fic was no different.  I use a mouse with my right hand by preference, but I forced myself to use the left hand for one simple game.

It was an interesting challenge and quite a fun one.  Just remembering to use the other hand was at times a challenge of itself.

( crochet )

One of my flist suggested I try crochet, as their friend crocheted film characters, but I can't find who it was.  If it was you, please wave!

I bought myself a set of crochet needles:

( crochet )

Meanwhile, I have finished my sewing craft.  I was very pleased with the end result and my grateful thanks to Debriswoman once again for providing the kit.

( sewing )

Lastly, SM bought me a small Christmas sewing kit, so, although not technically one of this year's challenges, here's how it's going:

( stocking )

Well, it is if the year begins in April, which is when I set my current goals.  So how are they going?

Goal No 1 - Write all the things

Wordage for 2017 is now at 130,000 which remains ahead of both last year, and my target to date.  I wrote less over the last couple of months, but I'm still pleased with where I'm at.  There's been a drop in the things I write regularly, which has partially accounted for the fall in words, but I've taken part in ACDHolmesfest, Stage of Fools, and Spook Me.  (All of which I have to thank Okapi for beta-ing for me).  This year I've signed up for Holmestice, and I've just got my Yuletide assignment, which I'm happy with.

I've also achieved four more Fan Flashworks badges, including my 200 posted works, which can't be bad.

         


Goal No 2 - Write a monthly pastoral assistant post

This is continuing, although interesting I doubt I will be continuing to post as regularly next year.


Goal No 3 - Try twelve new things

I visited the Sky Garden in London back in August, and last month I began a sewing craft, which is still ongoing.  I've also started something else, of which there will be more next week.  In the meantime here are some more of my craft photos, beginning with the final quilting, to which I added some chain stitch because it seemed to be missing something:

( Craft photos )

This was complicatedlight  second suggestion of something different to do in London.
( Sky Garden )