Painswick Rococo Gardens
Mar. 20th, 2021 01:18 pmWe aren't far from Painswick, so we decided to enjoy our exercise there yesterday afternoon and see all their daffodils:
( Painswick Rococo Gardens )
( Painswick Rococo Gardens )
Stuff I Love Post 2
Feb. 3rd, 2021 06:37 pmI enjoy walking on the tracks around where we live. We're not far from the Gloucester to Sharpness Canal, and there are other tracks along the streams.
Last Saturday, however, walking wasn't quite as easy.
( By the stream )
Last Saturday, however, walking wasn't quite as easy.
( By the stream )
Not Snowflake but Wintry
Jan. 27th, 2021 06:18 pmI have taken part in very few of the Snowflake Challenges this year. So instead, have some photos.
( Wintry pics )
( Wintry pics )
Happy New Year
Jan. 1st, 2021 01:33 pmBest wishes to you all for 2021!
A new year, a new start, the same me. Not much more to be said, except that I will try to remain positive, not in ignoring the rubbish around (of which there is plenty) but in a determination to get over, under, round or through it all. Wear wellies, borrow Tigger Holmes sou'wester, put on thick gloves and let's tackle this together.
My Yuletide contribution this year was for Agatha Christie's Poirot: The Christmas Eve Mystery
And in return I received:
Ghosts of Christmas Present by croissantkatie, a glorious TV Ghosts fic, which I really enjoyed.
In Which Pooh and His Friends Celebrate Christmas by greerwatson, a charming Winnie-the-Pooh fic with a very sweet illustration
Bring Yourself by Missy, a Madness Winnie-the-Pooh drabble which sums up Christmas perfectly
It's![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
snowflake_challenge and as usual I shall dip in and out. So hello to anyone who's dropping by from there, I have added an extra sentence to my sticky post, otherwise feel free to browse the tags.
A new year, a new start, the same me. Not much more to be said, except that I will try to remain positive, not in ignoring the rubbish around (of which there is plenty) but in a determination to get over, under, round or through it all. Wear wellies, borrow Tigger Holmes sou'wester, put on thick gloves and let's tackle this together.
My Yuletide contribution this year was for Agatha Christie's Poirot: The Christmas Eve Mystery
And in return I received:
Ghosts of Christmas Present by croissantkatie, a glorious TV Ghosts fic, which I really enjoyed.
In Which Pooh and His Friends Celebrate Christmas by greerwatson, a charming Winnie-the-Pooh fic with a very sweet illustration
Bring Yourself by Missy, a Madness Winnie-the-Pooh drabble which sums up Christmas perfectly
It's
snowflake_challenge and as usual I shall dip in and out. So hello to anyone who's dropping by from there, I have added an extra sentence to my sticky post, otherwise feel free to browse the tags.Happy Christmas
Dec. 24th, 2020 07:10 pmIf I'm honest Christmas this year feels rather like our current weather, a bit bleak:
( Happy Christmas )
( Happy Christmas )
Theatre Roundup 2019/20
Oct. 20th, 2020 04:21 pmPossibly my saddest summary this year. Although, starting in November I did manage to see a number of plays - proof that it was definitely worth seeing everything possible while I could (even though I didn't realise that at the time).
Nov 2019 Wicked Victoria Apollo Theatre
Nov 2019 Mary Poppins Prince Edward Theatre
Dec 2019 The Red Shoes (Matthew Bourne) Sadler’s Wells
Dec 2019 A Christmas Carol (Antic Disposition) Middle Temple Hall
Jan 2020 Uncle Vanya Harold Pinter Theatre (Richard Armitage)
Jan 2020 Cyrano de Bergerac Playhouse Theatre (James McAvoy)
Feb 2020 The Marriage of Figaro Welsh Millennium Centre (WNO)
Feb 2020 Peter Pan Goes Wrong Belgrade Theatre, Coventry
Feb 2020 Uncle Vanya Harold Pinter Theatre (Richard Armitage)
Mar 2020 Leopoldstadt Wyndham’s Theatre
Mar 2020 Women Beware Women Sam Wanamaker Theatre, The Globe
Only 11 plays, but not too bad over a spread of five months. And no Shakespeare (I did have a play booked for September). And yes, I am including Uncle Vanya twice - the first time was a preview, and by the time I saw it a second time it had changed. Not to mention getting to see Richard Armitage on stage twice, which, considering what has happened since, was a definite plus.
Mostly London, one trip to Cardiff (the Welsh Millennium Centre was a new venue for me) and one to Coventry. The other new venue was Middle Temple Hall, which was a magical place to watch a play.
It's particularly difficult to choose favourites this year, especially since there's sadness in looking back, but apart from Uncle Vanya, I would say Leopoldstadt, a very poignant play by Tom Stoppard; A Christmas Carol, with its perfect location; The Red Shoes, because Matthew Bourne production at Saddler's Wells is always great, especially at Christmas; and Mary Poppins which was such fun and a real feel good production.
Tintern Abbey
Oct. 10th, 2020 12:46 pmWe should be away at the moment, celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary. Instead we are at home, but still intending to celebrate, albeit slightly differently.
Our first day out, using our CADW membership was to Tintern Abbey, we'd been a few years ago (the guidebook is somewhere) but it was the ideal opportunity to have another visit. Tintern Abbey is by the River Wye, and was built by Cistercian monks. It was originally founded in 1131 with wooden buildings, and the stone buildings were begun in 1269.
( Tintern Abbey )
After this we had an excellent lunch of fish and chips in the Anchor Inn, just across the small road from the Abbey.
Our first day out, using our CADW membership was to Tintern Abbey, we'd been a few years ago (the guidebook is somewhere) but it was the ideal opportunity to have another visit. Tintern Abbey is by the River Wye, and was built by Cistercian monks. It was originally founded in 1131 with wooden buildings, and the stone buildings were begun in 1269.
( Tintern Abbey )
After this we had an excellent lunch of fish and chips in the Anchor Inn, just across the small road from the Abbey.
Something New - Month Five
Sep. 20th, 2020 01:00 pmThis really does feel like a month of 'same old, same old', which is sad, because September is the start of autumn which for me is a time for looking at new things. And the whole point of new things is not to get in a rut, but with life as it is at the moment this seems rather inevitable. But it shall not grasp me in its sticky claws, for I shall fight back and slay it with my trusty sword of innovation.
I have used this month'sstory_works Take A Leap challenge to create space for something new. I'm not yet entirely satisfied with the result (thoughts here) but I am making progress. Certainly I am cutting back on writing, so that what I do write is more satisifying to me (regardless of readership appeal), so when I wrote for ficlet_zone for their Moody Blues challenge, I was able to use an album I loved: Days of Future Passed to write a Lucas fic which I enjoyed. I could still do with more time for knitting, but there's a balance between that and playing solitaire/doing online jigsaws which I use to de-stress, and there seems to be quite a lot of that recently.
Anyway, back to what I have done. There may be a couple of things to report later this month (or maybe not) but they will have their own posts.
Otherwise, I have completed two FutureLearn courses:
Cultural Diversity & the City by the European University Institute. Half interesting, although, as the title makes clear, the emphasis is all about the city, with no indication of how that is fed into from surrounding areas, or indeed how the city depletes the surrounds of its culture and diversity.
Poetry: How to Read a Poem by the University of York. One day I will realise that these sort of courses really don't help me much. It said that by learning how to read a poem one could improve one's own poetry, which appealled. However, the level of analysis that seemed to be required to read a poem was so big that it seemed to practically destroy the poem. Apart from appreciating form and rhythm (which makes sense) there was a need to understand the poet's background (which might deepen one's understanding but if the poem doesn't draw the reader in they're unlikely to go there) and also to pick up on all the other references the poet makes, such as a poem on tulips may be referring to another poem on tulips written a couple of hundred years before. Too much of the 'you can't understand the poem if you don't know all this' rather than 'the more you learn the greater your appreciation is likely to be'.
I have now completed 50 FutureLearn courses, have learnt some things I've really enjoyed, and don't regret taking any of them, even if they'd not turned out to be particularly instructive.
I have used this month's
story_works Take A Leap challenge to create space for something new. I'm not yet entirely satisfied with the result (thoughts here) but I am making progress. Certainly I am cutting back on writing, so that what I do write is more satisifying to me (regardless of readership appeal), so when I wrote for ficlet_zone for their Moody Blues challenge, I was able to use an album I loved: Days of Future Passed to write a Lucas fic which I enjoyed. I could still do with more time for knitting, but there's a balance between that and playing solitaire/doing online jigsaws which I use to de-stress, and there seems to be quite a lot of that recently.Anyway, back to what I have done. There may be a couple of things to report later this month (or maybe not) but they will have their own posts.
Otherwise, I have completed two FutureLearn courses:
Cultural Diversity & the City by the European University Institute. Half interesting, although, as the title makes clear, the emphasis is all about the city, with no indication of how that is fed into from surrounding areas, or indeed how the city depletes the surrounds of its culture and diversity.
Poetry: How to Read a Poem by the University of York. One day I will realise that these sort of courses really don't help me much. It said that by learning how to read a poem one could improve one's own poetry, which appealled. However, the level of analysis that seemed to be required to read a poem was so big that it seemed to practically destroy the poem. Apart from appreciating form and rhythm (which makes sense) there was a need to understand the poet's background (which might deepen one's understanding but if the poem doesn't draw the reader in they're unlikely to go there) and also to pick up on all the other references the poet makes, such as a poem on tulips may be referring to another poem on tulips written a couple of hundred years before. Too much of the 'you can't understand the poem if you don't know all this' rather than 'the more you learn the greater your appreciation is likely to be'.
I have now completed 50 FutureLearn courses, have learnt some things I've really enjoyed, and don't regret taking any of them, even if they'd not turned out to be particularly instructive.
Raglan Castle
Sep. 12th, 2020 01:00 pmAfter our visit to Chepstow Castle a three weeks ago I decided to join CADW (the Welsh Government's historic environment service), who this year, due to Covid are offering half price membership, and with travel restricted it seemed the ideal opportunity for visiting some Welsh castles etc. Then ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
annofowlshire mentioned in her blog about Raglan Castle and I realised it's only about an hour away from us, so yesterday we took advantage of our membership and went to take a look.
Raglan Castle isn't as old as Chepstow, having been begun in the 1460s, although there was some form of building in place before. The castle reached its greatest point in the Elizabethan period, until it was partially destroyed in 1646 during the Civil War.
( Raglan castle )
annofowlshire mentioned in her blog about Raglan Castle and I realised it's only about an hour away from us, so yesterday we took advantage of our membership and went to take a look.Raglan Castle isn't as old as Chepstow, having been begun in the 1460s, although there was some form of building in place before. The castle reached its greatest point in the Elizabethan period, until it was partially destroyed in 1646 during the Civil War.
( Raglan castle )
Swan Update
Sep. 6th, 2020 04:12 pmJust some more photos to show that in the three weeks from my last swan post, the cygnets have grown to me almost as big as their parents. They are also, as can be seen from one of the photos, getting their adult feathers.
( Swans )
( Swans )
A Brownie Update
Sep. 4th, 2020 05:06 pmGirlguiding HQ said, about a month ago, that outdoor meetings could go ahead, so long as a very long risk assessment was completed. Since this was during the school summer holidays we decided against it. Not only that, but while it would be suitable for those with nice areas to meet in, the space we use for outdoor games isn't away from the general public at all, which makes running activities safely quite difficult, when the girls need to socially distance. Before, with games they'd all be close together which was easier, but even then we'd had to rethink the week the fair was set up nearby.
However, we've now been told we should be receiving guidelines as to running indoor meetings - hooray! Although how complicated that will be is another matter, so potentially we can start back, possibly with a smaller group at the beginning of October.
We've also been told that the money we will need to pay to HQ as the annual subscription will still be due in full, despite being unable to meet for a whole term. This is a major issue for us, because unlike some units in more affluent areas, who continued with online meetings and charged subs for the summer term, and those who asked for donations, we haven't taken any money in. Annual subscription to HQ per girl is almost exactly the same as our unit termly subscription, so it's clear this is a problem. Though we're no longer deemed to be a deprived area, many of the families will have had reduced income due to Covid, so it would have been unrealistic for us to ask for support.
Which means I am about to try applying for grants for our unit to see if we can get some external support. We shall be getting up and running in some way, but it would be nice to think we didn't have to worry about whether we can afford any activities.
However, we've now been told we should be receiving guidelines as to running indoor meetings - hooray! Although how complicated that will be is another matter, so potentially we can start back, possibly with a smaller group at the beginning of October.
We've also been told that the money we will need to pay to HQ as the annual subscription will still be due in full, despite being unable to meet for a whole term. This is a major issue for us, because unlike some units in more affluent areas, who continued with online meetings and charged subs for the summer term, and those who asked for donations, we haven't taken any money in. Annual subscription to HQ per girl is almost exactly the same as our unit termly subscription, so it's clear this is a problem. Though we're no longer deemed to be a deprived area, many of the families will have had reduced income due to Covid, so it would have been unrealistic for us to ask for support.
Which means I am about to try applying for grants for our unit to see if we can get some external support. We shall be getting up and running in some way, but it would be nice to think we didn't have to worry about whether we can afford any activities.
A New Perspective
Aug. 15th, 2020 12:27 pmThis month's challenge for story_works is to find a new perspective on something. Since I've been trying this in various ways, I decided it merited its own post.
First of all, I believe all lives matter and therefore this means BlackLivesMatter, which is why, as I wrote in yesterday's book review, I've just read Why I'm No Longer Talking To White People About Race.
Secondly, as we come to an end of the initial reaction to Covid-19 and realise that we're facing a much longer term problem, which will mean making amendments to the way we've always done things, for me this specifically applies to the church. There is a tendency to look back and want to simply tweak what we were doing, but I believe it's time to look for new approaches. Which means, when I was speaking about the Good Shepherd the other week, I was emphasising being led into new pastures rather than going back to the ones which had been fully grazed already.
Another way of finding a new perspective is one I used when asked to write a short reflection on Jesus walking on the water. Instead of looking from the outside and condemning the disciples' lack of faith, try to imagine yourself as actually there and see how it feels and discover there's rather more to the story.
My third way of finding a new perspective has been on writing. One of my current FutureLearn courses is on fairy tales, and last week we were encouraged to look at an alternative to Red Riding Hood. My Tigger Holmes series tends to do just that, so I wrote Tigger Holmes and the Case of the Missing Grandmother. In addition, there's an interesting story in the book of Joshua in the Old Testament about Caleb's daughter, so forfan_flashworks 'Safe' challenge I decided to expand it a little: Caleb's Daughter
story_works is to find a new perspective on something. Since I've been trying this in various ways, I decided it merited its own post.First of all, I believe all lives matter and therefore this means BlackLivesMatter, which is why, as I wrote in yesterday's book review, I've just read Why I'm No Longer Talking To White People About Race.
Secondly, as we come to an end of the initial reaction to Covid-19 and realise that we're facing a much longer term problem, which will mean making amendments to the way we've always done things, for me this specifically applies to the church. There is a tendency to look back and want to simply tweak what we were doing, but I believe it's time to look for new approaches. Which means, when I was speaking about the Good Shepherd the other week, I was emphasising being led into new pastures rather than going back to the ones which had been fully grazed already.
Another way of finding a new perspective is one I used when asked to write a short reflection on Jesus walking on the water. Instead of looking from the outside and condemning the disciples' lack of faith, try to imagine yourself as actually there and see how it feels and discover there's rather more to the story.
My third way of finding a new perspective has been on writing. One of my current FutureLearn courses is on fairy tales, and last week we were encouraged to look at an alternative to Red Riding Hood. My Tigger Holmes series tends to do just that, so I wrote Tigger Holmes and the Case of the Missing Grandmother. In addition, there's an interesting story in the book of Joshua in the Old Testament about Caleb's daughter, so for
fan_flashworks 'Safe' challenge I decided to expand it a little: Caleb's DaughterGrowing Cygnets
Aug. 9th, 2020 12:55 pmThere are a pair of swans in the canal close to us and this year I've been following their progress with their family of seven cygnets. The quality of the photos depend on where we saw them, but here are ten weeks of growing cygnets.
( swans )
( swans )
Epney and Stonehouse
Aug. 8th, 2020 01:27 pmAs I said in my post yesterday, I have been on leave this past week and so we felt we should do some things to make up for not being away.
So on Tuesday afternoon I visited a friend and we spent all afternoon chatting in her garden. In the evening SM and I went for Pie Night at a local independent pub. It happens that at the moment in the UK in order to boost the restaurant/pub trade there is an offer on meals at the beginning of the week. We wouldn't have deliberately gone out to take advantage of the offer, but since we were thinking of it anyway we weren't going to refuse.
( Epney and Stonehouse )
So on Tuesday afternoon I visited a friend and we spent all afternoon chatting in her garden. In the evening SM and I went for Pie Night at a local independent pub. It happens that at the moment in the UK in order to boost the restaurant/pub trade there is an offer on meals at the beginning of the week. We wouldn't have deliberately gone out to take advantage of the offer, but since we were thinking of it anyway we weren't going to refuse.
( Epney and Stonehouse )
Dewstow Gardens
Aug. 7th, 2020 06:18 pmI have been off work this week. By rights we should have been away touring WWI battlefields learning about the many poets of the time. As it is we haven't. So instead we've been doing a few things and I've generally been lazing around at home.
Yesterday we had a trip out to Dewstow Gardens. These gardens are in Monmouthshire (not far from Newport) and were originally created in the late 19th century, and on into the early 20th. When the gardens were sold they were filled in and either buried or destroyed, but in 2000 the land was purchased by the Harris family, who discovered what was a listed landscape garden together with underground grottoes.
I'd not heard of them untilvix_spes retweeted an article from the Guardian about hidden gardens to visit, and this one, being less than an hour's drive away looked like a perfect outing for this week. They are absolutely beautiful, with so much to see. The weather was overcast and raining at times, so my photos (of which I took masses) are not the best. But here is a selection to give you some idea:
( Dewstow Gardens )
Yesterday we had a trip out to Dewstow Gardens. These gardens are in Monmouthshire (not far from Newport) and were originally created in the late 19th century, and on into the early 20th. When the gardens were sold they were filled in and either buried or destroyed, but in 2000 the land was purchased by the Harris family, who discovered what was a listed landscape garden together with underground grottoes.
I'd not heard of them until
vix_spes retweeted an article from the Guardian about hidden gardens to visit, and this one, being less than an hour's drive away looked like a perfect outing for this week. They are absolutely beautiful, with so much to see. The weather was overcast and raining at times, so my photos (of which I took masses) are not the best. But here is a selection to give you some idea:( Dewstow Gardens )
Book Review Year 6 No 5
Jul. 11th, 2020 11:23 amThe good news is that from next Monday we should be able to order books from our county library system. Even better, despite my initial fears, my local library is one of two in the whole of Gloucester from which books can be collected, at a pre-arranged time slot. English libraries have been permitted to do this for the last month, and for the last week have been permitted to open. I understand that, with all the procedures which need to be gone through, they might not be able to do so immediately, but I do find the 'look we're doing amazing things' somewhat annoying.
Anyway, back to the book review!
A Quiet Life in the Country by T E Kinsey
I think this was recommended byaome and is a murder mystery set in 1908 in Gloucestershire. For some reason this didn't work for me. Maybe it was because it was set too close to home - the town and village names have been changed, but are still recognisable: Chipping Sodbury has become Chipping Bevington and the village where the main characters now live, Littleton Cotterell, is a combination of Littleton-upon-Severn and Frampton Cotterell. I also found the considerable references to past events a distraction. The mystery is interesting, but the book style is not one which appealled to me.
Village School by Miss Read
I had said I wouldn't buy any new books, but work my way through some of my TBR pile, but when I was shopping online for some birthday presents on a charity website I spotted this, which was on my library list, so decided to buy a copy. Set in a fictitious village school in the 1950s in rural England (and written in 1955) I found it a lovely look at life in a village school, with some very accurate character observations. It was very easy to read - it took me three days - and I really enjoyed it. Definitely feel good, but not ignoring the problems of the times.
Spinsters in Jeopardy by Ngaio Marsh
Continuing my read through of the Roderick Alleyn mysteries. This one is set in the south of France, and I enjoyed the ideas behind it. I'm now reading the next in the series. Co-incidentally I discovered Drama were broadcasting some of the 1993/94 series with Patrick Malahide as Alleyn, so we've been watching them, which we've enjoyed.
Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer
Anotherushobwri suggestion, this time from necessarian who described the book as a horror story with an ecological twist. It was a very interesting idea, but not something I would generally read. This is the first book in a trilogy - I'm not likely to read the others, but I wouldn't definitely not read them. For someone who the premise appeals then I'd recommend it to them.
The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown by Vaseem Khan
Second in the Baby Ganesh Agency books and set in Mumbai. An interesting mystery, which touches on the result of colonialism, but also features a young elephant (Ganesh). I enjoyed it and the next in the series will be on my reserve list as soon as the library opens its portal.
Aunt Dimity & the Village Witch by Nancy Atherton
Continuing my series read of cozy mysteries. Although set in Finch, my preferred location, this didn't appeal as much as some have. The plot was an interesting one, but somehow it failed to grab me as much as some have. Anyway, I have ordered the next one via Ebay. One point of interest is that the copy I read came from Harris County Public Library, Houston, Texas.
Cop Hater by Ed McBain
Also aushobwri recommendation by badly_knitted . This is the first of the 87th Precinct novels. Slighty to my surprise, I did enjoy it - and even had to skip forward a few pages at the end just to see what happened. There's plot and procedure. It's written in 1958 and therefore reflective of the times and the attitudes towards women, but I could accept that. I might read more of the series at some point, although I wouldn't work my way through as I do with some other series.
I now have only two books left from theushobwri suggestions I received last November. One is on the library 'order as soon as its open' list and the other I'm waiting for the price of a secondhand copy to come down a bit.
And my book bingo card:
( Book bingo card )
Anyway, back to the book review!
A Quiet Life in the Country by T E Kinsey
I think this was recommended by
aome and is a murder mystery set in 1908 in Gloucestershire. For some reason this didn't work for me. Maybe it was because it was set too close to home - the town and village names have been changed, but are still recognisable: Chipping Sodbury has become Chipping Bevington and the village where the main characters now live, Littleton Cotterell, is a combination of Littleton-upon-Severn and Frampton Cotterell. I also found the considerable references to past events a distraction. The mystery is interesting, but the book style is not one which appealled to me.Village School by Miss Read
I had said I wouldn't buy any new books, but work my way through some of my TBR pile, but when I was shopping online for some birthday presents on a charity website I spotted this, which was on my library list, so decided to buy a copy. Set in a fictitious village school in the 1950s in rural England (and written in 1955) I found it a lovely look at life in a village school, with some very accurate character observations. It was very easy to read - it took me three days - and I really enjoyed it. Definitely feel good, but not ignoring the problems of the times.
Spinsters in Jeopardy by Ngaio Marsh
Continuing my read through of the Roderick Alleyn mysteries. This one is set in the south of France, and I enjoyed the ideas behind it. I'm now reading the next in the series. Co-incidentally I discovered Drama were broadcasting some of the 1993/94 series with Patrick Malahide as Alleyn, so we've been watching them, which we've enjoyed.
Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer
Another
ushobwri suggestion, this time from necessarian who described the book as a horror story with an ecological twist. It was a very interesting idea, but not something I would generally read. This is the first book in a trilogy - I'm not likely to read the others, but I wouldn't definitely not read them. For someone who the premise appeals then I'd recommend it to them.The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown by Vaseem Khan
Second in the Baby Ganesh Agency books and set in Mumbai. An interesting mystery, which touches on the result of colonialism, but also features a young elephant (Ganesh). I enjoyed it and the next in the series will be on my reserve list as soon as the library opens its portal.
Aunt Dimity & the Village Witch by Nancy Atherton
Continuing my series read of cozy mysteries. Although set in Finch, my preferred location, this didn't appeal as much as some have. The plot was an interesting one, but somehow it failed to grab me as much as some have. Anyway, I have ordered the next one via Ebay. One point of interest is that the copy I read came from Harris County Public Library, Houston, Texas.
Cop Hater by Ed McBain
Also a
ushobwri recommendation by badly_knitted . This is the first of the 87th Precinct novels. Slighty to my surprise, I did enjoy it - and even had to skip forward a few pages at the end just to see what happened. There's plot and procedure. It's written in 1958 and therefore reflective of the times and the attitudes towards women, but I could accept that. I might read more of the series at some point, although I wouldn't work my way through as I do with some other series.I now have only two books left from the
ushobwri suggestions I received last November. One is on the library 'order as soon as its open' list and the other I'm waiting for the price of a secondhand copy to come down a bit.And my book bingo card:
( Book bingo card )
Sunshine Challenge Post #1
Jul. 4th, 2020 02:54 pmI'm not sure about this, but we'll see how it goes:
Three things which are red:
1. Iconic London buses
Which sadly I won't be seeing this summer, as I'm not spending my regular few days in London going to the theatre, museums and other activities. I am sad because it was something I always looked forward to. I have a refund for the accommodation, my ticket for Singing in the Rain at Sadler's Wells has been transferred to next year, and I have a ticket voucher rather than a refund for Hello Dolly (that was my choice, the theatre can hang onto my money for the moment).
2. Blood
A vital constituent of our bodies, and also tends to appear in a lot of my writing - both casefic and hurt/comfort. There it's more of a bi-product, I'm not a fan of graphic violence but it cannot be ignored.
3. SM's car
Currently off the road because we don't need two vehicles while he's on furlough and I'm working from home.
Fanfics I've written with red:
Four for the Red Dragon - Francis Dolarhyde
Four based on A A Milne's The Red House Mystery
Red or White a rewrite of Romeo & Juliet in the time of Henry VI
Any Colour but Red in which Lucas North doesn't like red
Three things which are red:
1. Iconic London buses
Which sadly I won't be seeing this summer, as I'm not spending my regular few days in London going to the theatre, museums and other activities. I am sad because it was something I always looked forward to. I have a refund for the accommodation, my ticket for Singing in the Rain at Sadler's Wells has been transferred to next year, and I have a ticket voucher rather than a refund for Hello Dolly (that was my choice, the theatre can hang onto my money for the moment).
2. Blood
A vital constituent of our bodies, and also tends to appear in a lot of my writing - both casefic and hurt/comfort. There it's more of a bi-product, I'm not a fan of graphic violence but it cannot be ignored.
3. SM's car
Currently off the road because we don't need two vehicles while he's on furlough and I'm working from home.
Fanfics I've written with red:
Four for the Red Dragon - Francis Dolarhyde
Four based on A A Milne's The Red House Mystery
Red or White a rewrite of Romeo & Juliet in the time of Henry VI
Any Colour but Red in which Lucas North doesn't like red
More About Badges
Jun. 19th, 2020 02:33 pmA couple of weeks ago Doodles ordered the holiday badges some of the Brownies had been working for. In the end, 11 did the Easter badge and 8 did the Eid badge, which I was pleased about. And for one-third of the pack to have done at least one badge is good, given all the other stresses families are under at the moment. Hopefully having something a bit different to do, with a badge as well, is helping in some way.
It's clear we won't be going back this term, so I suggested to Doodles I might produce another badge challenge. This time we're looking at 'I've been creative'. I'm suggesting eight different ways of being creative, of which the Brownies choose four. Once again it's been a case of finding things which are easily available in the home, or are an extension of things which they may already be doing.
The categories are:
It's clear we won't be going back this term, so I suggested to Doodles I might produce another badge challenge. This time we're looking at 'I've been creative'. I'm suggesting eight different ways of being creative, of which the Brownies choose four. Once again it's been a case of finding things which are easily available in the home, or are an extension of things which they may already be doing.
The categories are:
- make a bookmark for your Brownie badge book, decorated with badges
- try some origami (suggestion attached if required)
- make a Thank You card
- do some mindfulness colouring (suggestion attached)
- write a story or poem, and decorate if you like
- make cakes or decorate biscuits
- do some sewing, knitting or crochet
- learn a new song, or play a new tune on an instrument
Local walks (Part 6)
May. 24th, 2020 05:12 pmToday's photos come from a slightly different viewpoint - same canal just slightly spots:
( Canal, swans and fish )
( Canal, swans and fish )
Adventures Online
May. 22nd, 2020 01:51 pmI told the vicar last week, when he phoned for a catch up, that the next person who asked me how I was using all my new time would be throttled. I'm lucky, I don't have children at home and my job isn't essential to the country, but I am still working from home. (And my job is essential to the few employees we have because I do the wages!)
Which means that with the plethora of new things online I have to be selective. At the beginning I tried to watch lots of things, but rapidly realised that this was adding stress to my life which was frankly ridiculous. So I cut back and, in some cases slightly reluctantly, deleted a lot of emails because it's still true that you just can't do everything!
The following I have enjoyed:
On Twitter Matthew Bourne posts an Uplifting Clip for Hermits most days - dance in some form, much of it taken from the musicals. I've discovered I prefer Fred Astaire to Gene Kelly although I'll happily watch both. Some days I don't get to watch, other days I'll enjoy two or three in succession.
Similarly I've been watching some of the videos put out by Bourne's company New Adventures, under the Reel Adventures banner. These range from information about past productions, fun things for kids to an online dance class for professional dancers.
SM and I watched Andrew Scott perform Sea Wall, which is on Youtube and free to stream until May 25. I'd have liked to see him do this live, but half an hour's theatre wasn't worth travelling all the way to London for.
And this morning, because it's Friday and I don't work Fridays, I watched a Curator Tour of the V&A exhibition of Kimono to Catwalk which I saw the last time I was in London, shortly before lockdown. Having seen the exhibition I found it really interesting, but I would recommend it for anyone who wants to see some gorgeous kimonos, both historic and modern.
Which means that with the plethora of new things online I have to be selective. At the beginning I tried to watch lots of things, but rapidly realised that this was adding stress to my life which was frankly ridiculous. So I cut back and, in some cases slightly reluctantly, deleted a lot of emails because it's still true that you just can't do everything!
The following I have enjoyed:
On Twitter Matthew Bourne posts an Uplifting Clip for Hermits most days - dance in some form, much of it taken from the musicals. I've discovered I prefer Fred Astaire to Gene Kelly although I'll happily watch both. Some days I don't get to watch, other days I'll enjoy two or three in succession.
Similarly I've been watching some of the videos put out by Bourne's company New Adventures, under the Reel Adventures banner. These range from information about past productions, fun things for kids to an online dance class for professional dancers.
SM and I watched Andrew Scott perform Sea Wall, which is on Youtube and free to stream until May 25. I'd have liked to see him do this live, but half an hour's theatre wasn't worth travelling all the way to London for.
And this morning, because it's Friday and I don't work Fridays, I watched a Curator Tour of the V&A exhibition of Kimono to Catwalk which I saw the last time I was in London, shortly before lockdown. Having seen the exhibition I found it really interesting, but I would recommend it for anyone who wants to see some gorgeous kimonos, both historic and modern.
