Happy Birthday, Joules!

(<blink> Whoa, that's bright...)

Have a great day! : )

Hot, tired and grumpy. Time for an update.
It was 37.C today, 35 yesterday. Though I can't complain, I spose, we've had a run of really soft Summer days recently; temperatures between 21 and 26. Quite acceptable. Should start winding down to Autumn now, though there's likely to be at least one more hot spell before then.

Grrr... Our caring sharing government - who fancies itself a benevolent dictatorship Pater Familias who only wants to gently guide its errant children in the right direction cos we've got such silly notions about Democracy and Free Thinking - is making noises about changes to the Office of Film and Literature Classification. The Censor, in other words.
The Government apparently wants to dismantle the independent body and make Censorship its own responsibility. It's been speculated that this is because of pressure from some right-wing 'family' groups wanting less rude things appearing in our cinemas.
I know I'd not welcome input from our 'Leaders' about what I can and can't watch. Especially when our 'Leaders' are being openly influenced by minority groups not known for their tolerance or open-mindedness. >:( Bloody cheek.

Just read an interesting wee book by Emma Thompson: her diary of the 65 days of filming for Sense & Sensibility. She didn't go into any great depth but it was amusing, if not as 'wickedly honest' as the blurb promised. There were a few giggles though, a couple of smirks, but no scandalous revelations about her co-stars (except for a mention of Hugh Grant's little problem in LA.)
But now I want to see the movie again, and reacquaint myself with Colonel Brandon. Hee.

Housemate had 'Gundam-something-or-other' on the telly last night. I don't pay it much attention, except to notice the occasional, soulful bish, however, last night's episode cracked me up.
To set the scene: one of the bad buys has been caught and he angsts on about how he killed one of the good guys cos <hand to forehead> 'he killed my brother'. Annoying (good-guy) female exclaims in disbelief:
'You knew Kira!!!!??' (Implied OMG!!! dramatics. <sigh> and I couldn't be arsed checking the character's name, anyway...) At which point I rewrote the script in my head.

Her: You knew Kira?!
Him: Only Biblically.
Her: ... what?
Him: <sigh> Nevermind...

<g>

I've joined Yaoi Daily. Oh dear, this place is a time sink if ever I've seen one. <evil smirk>
I tried to d/l some manga but Carli (my 'puter gremlin) chucked a mental and froze FireFox. Overwhelmed by smut, she was, poor thing. She's obviously a visual creature cos written smut poses no problem at all... : )

Hah! The (probably only first) tweaking of chapter 1 has garnered an extra 300 words. Hah! I might even crack 200k by the time I'm done. Long, long way to go, though I'm sure tweaking 37 chapters won't take as much time as it took to write them initially. Eh, we'll see. I'm giving myself a schedule of a.m's: SFSG - p.m's: anything else that catches my attention, including a tentative start on the next novel. Hee, could be fun...

I really like gum trees. Sometimes, when the sun's shining full on them, the leaves flash silver or gold, and I worked out why. The light shines through the leaves of Euro trees but tends to be reflected from Australian species. (Conservation of moisture, an' all that.) I love the dappled effect you get from some of the Euro trees in Summer but the sparkly gums...? Just beautiful...
And on the way to school the other day I noticed something else. Don't know the exact species of eucalypt but the bright yellow-green clusters of new gumnuts stood out amongst the darker green of the long, gracefully curved leaves, both contrasting nicely with the coral red of the branches' new growth. I pointed it out to the cubs but I'm not sure they have the same appreciation for colour and form that I do - though that can be learnt. I used to think Australian plants were ugly, dusty, scraggly things, until I returned to England for a short while and experienced Euro plants in their native habitat. Only then could I begin to appreciate the unique beauty of the Aus natives in their natural environment. Does that make sense?
Coincidentally, it was around that time I began to take an interest in conservation and the 'Green' movement. Though perhaps it was no coincidence at all.

(Nicked from Rakina, several days ago: )

Tame? Tame? Hmph.

L	Luxurious
U	Unnatural
T	Tame
R	Relaxing
A	Ambitious

Name / Username:

Name Acronym Generator
From Go-Quiz.com

(And Ambitious? Certainly, but not in the status-conscious house-car-job-money way. Neither do I want to rule the world - too much like hard work. Just so we're clear, mm'kay?)

As I was putting the rubbish out this evening I saw a cloud shaped like a hare running flat out. It made me laugh cos it was a 'Weeee! Look how fast I can go!' movement, rather than an 'Aaargh! Something's trying to eat me!' movement. <g>

I made a cheesecake yesterday, a proper baked one. Having never made one before I thought it was about time I made the attempt. It was mostly successful; it tastes right and the texture, while a teensy bit wet, isn't far off what I'd consider to be a 'good' cheesecake. A smidge less moisture next time should fix that. The cubs informed me it wasn't the best cheesecake they've tasted but it was still good, and they still scoffed three pieces each. <eyebrow> High praise, I'm sure.

<chuckling> Watching the news tonight I heard about a sprinter training for the upcoming Commonwealth Games being told by his coach to 'run as if you've stolen something'. : ) It worked; he won his heat.

Hee. Joules has uploaded her reworked site and there's three of my new Snucius ficlets (and a Snupin!) in the passworded, adult-rated section. Who'da thought? Harry Potter slash on Joules' site... <eg>
However, the first three chapters of SFSG have been beta'd (thanks, Joules!) now so I need to get back to work. : )

Yay! Joules has started beta'ing SFSG for me. Not surprisingly she's picked up a lot of inconsistencies, cliches and niggles, but that was expected. I wasn't going back and editing earlier chapters as I sorted out or firmed up some of the more nebulous ideas I had there at the beginning. It's good though, <nods>, very good - going to be a much better, tighter story for her efforts. : )

Hee. Been spending a fair bit of time here, in the Harry Potter Essays community. Some interesting points discussed and argued, with evidence from the books put forward as proof. <g> What it comes down to, I suppose, is that you can read what you want into the story and if you look hard enough you'll find canon to support your theory. Though, given the depth some of these contributors are going to I'm wondering if they're reading too much into the books, perhaps giving the author too much credit. I don't think JKR is a particularly skilled writer; great world-builder, but... I sometimes get the impression she's written herself into corners, or is looking out over gaping plot holes. How do I know? Cos there are times I experience the same wincing cringe I get when I cock-up in my own fics, when I've cobbled something together that should cover the discrepancies... as long as no one leans too heavily on the joins. <g>

Fanfic sniggers: 'Weeping man-meat'
Can't remember where I found that but to be fair, it was a satire. I'd be howling if I found it in a serious fic.

And I found this fabulous HP fan-artist! I've spotted some of Brevisse's work used in lj icons and been intrigued. Anyway, through a link of link I got to her site. It's mostly Snarry and some of it so, so funny! F'rinstance - "Fandom Snape v. Canon Snape" (Multiple panel comics; scroll down) has had me giggling like a lunatic for over a day now. And "Halloween costume" - which, to my shame took me a little time to understand at first - is giggleworthy, too. Oh, and "In Which..." is just lovely; sweet and poignant, straight from canon, sort of. (I really, really need a printer... and a spare bit of wall to stick things up on...)

Ack! Just over 3 weeks and we're at the end of this - very short - term!

And so it came to pass that the CrossDressing!Ron plot-bunny thundered down upon me like an enraged rhinoceros. I beheld it in all its spangled glory and saw that it was good...
... and I think I can make it plausible, too. Hee. : )

In my parents' house it was always 'Don't read at the table'. Here, it's 'Don't get food on the books'. <g>

I forgot to mention that a good proportion of the National Gallery's corridor floors are made out of glass. Tempered glass, I don't doubt, but it still made me nervous. Glass isn't for walking on. I stuck close to the edges and hung on to the rails so that if any of the panels cracked under my weight I wouldn't plunge to my death...
And of course Penny was wearing a skirt so the glass floors made her uncomfortable for a whole 'nother reason. True, the panels were mostly frosted but there were regularly spaced thumbnail size patches of clear glass as well. We could plainly see the tile pattern on the floor below, so chances were someone looking up would get an eyeful. Hn. Not the best design choice for flooring, I'd say...

<g> I recently got myself a set of poi and I've been playing about with them a little. It's harder work than I would've thought, I worked up a sweat today even though I only spent a few minutes practicing. And it's trickier than it looks, trying to keep the things twirling parallel. But fun! I need to get hold of some decent tutorials so I can learn to do some tricks without braining myself. Those tennis balls hurt when you whack yourself at speed. : )

Nicked from a friend of a friend:

Mmmm... pancakes...
('Date a Swede'? That' really, really funny after the dream I had the other night.)

You Should Date A Swede!

You're a romantic, albeit an understated and practical one. It's more about a steady partnership for you, not unrestrained falling Your Swede will give you the unwavering love you crave While making up some mean pancakes and meatballs on the side!

Which Foreign Guy Should You Date?

And a recently discovered comic. Two Lumps. Whoever writes this knows cats. <g> (Link is to the most recent strip but go back to the beginning, it's a lot of fun. : )

I saw a fridge magnet that said:

"I am the pink flamingo on the great lawn of life..."

<g> I quite like that...

Well. For someone who wasn't going to be writing any HP fanfic I've not done too badly these past few weeks. Aside from that first, original, Snupin I wrote for the Master and The Wolf challenge thingy at the end of last year there's now 3 more ficlets ready to go up at The Zone when the new site's running. Hee. : ) Another Snupin and two parts of a three-part Snucius. Naturally, there's a third part of that to follow - and another longish Snupin planned, and a shortish one. (And possibly another ficlet that doesn't star anybody in particular but is the follow-on thought from something I saw on a HP community.) Then we'll see what happens, see if I'll have managed to burn out the (mild) obsession.
But then, someone made a comment on their lj that there wasn't enough CrossDressing!Ron stories. I quite agree, and I await the plot bunny with interest.

I've just finished reading Half Blood Prince for only the second time since it was released. Of course, I'm more favorably disposed towards the fandom now but even so it's better the second time 'round - not quite so many "Oh...what?!" moments. <g> The plot seems to hang together a little better now, and there's some very interesting snippets I've garnered about some of the characters. Stuff I missed the first time I galloped through the book. Yerrsss... interesting indeed.

I think I've got the beginnings of a sequel to SFSG. Oddly enough it came to me in a dream. : ) There's not a lot to go on at the moment but there were a few ideas that [ping]ed during the development for SFSG that weren't used. They'd fit quite nicely into the sequel though. Something to make notes on and ponder for a bit.
Heh, and the next novel I'd planned is stirring in the primordial sludge of my imagination. From a very basic outline it's expanding into something, hopefully, kinda interesting.
And I'll get to dip again into the huge list of typos I've been collecting. Some of those pseudo words make the best alien names...

Penny and I traipsed into the city yesterday to have a browse around the National Gallery. (No link; too tired to look it up.) That place is huge! I think we only got to see half but that's fine, by the end of the day I was culcha'd out, and it means we can happily go back another time to have a look at the rest. I'm taking a sketchpad next time - there's a wonderful Flemish altar screen from the 16th century and it's loaded with costume details!

Oh yes, really tired now. I'm yawning hard enough to put my jaw out. Again.

(Quoted from Onna in the previous post's comments:)

"Wonderful news about the first draft completion! It is a BIG load off your mind, yeh?"

Thank you! But actually, no, not as much as I would've thought. It's great to finally reach the end of the story but now it's a case of: right, right - that was fun but now I have to work. <g> I haven't finished with it yet anyway, not really, not until after the rewrite/s, and even then... It's quite exciting really. : )

I've been observing high-school boys cos my cubs will be there in a couple of years and I'd like some idea of what I'm in for. In a word - shaggy. Or shaggy combined with hair gel for that fashionably tousled look. <shakes head> They never would've got away with that in my day.
And my goodness some of these boys are tall! It's like walking through a forest of uniforms.

Good gods, I do believe I've actually finished SFSG!
37 chapters and just over 180K words. <shakes head> I'd never have believed it possible a year ago - not only finishing something this big but that it'd be this big at all. <fuge g>
It's taken just over 11 months, and would have certainly taken longer without Joules' encouragement (and nagging, when it was warranted <g> ). So now I'm having a little drinkie to celebrate - even though it's still only early afternoon - but I'll probly have some more tonight after the cubs are in bed.
And then? And then I'm going to play about with some frivolous Snupins and Snucius' while Joules (gently) rips this first draft to shreds in preparation for the rewrite. : )
I really should get on with the timeline soon though, I think I'm going to need it...

I made some peach chutney! Even 'raw' (ie: freshly made) it tastes very yum. Sort of peachy, and vinegary and caramelly gingery. Mmmm... Going to be even better in a month or two. : ) I think I shall have roast pork to celebrate the opening of the first jar.

Well, Nanny McPhee was better than I expected - after I schooled myself to ignore the Victoriana. Terribly predictable, awfully maudlin in places but engaging none the less. The leads, including the children, were quite capable but it was the performances of the support cast that I enjoyed the most. Definitely more laughs there than from the slapstick. There was one character who was deeply horrible and I could only stare in appalled fascination at her pink cottage with its pink and floral and PINK interior. <g>
The cubs had fun but have no desire to see it again; there was no steam train, you see...
BUT, in the previews:
Oh, dear gods above. They've remade Lassie.
<head->desk> Why?!

Nicked from all over the place (and because I'm procrastinating writing what is ultimately a very important chapter):

Your Inner Child Is Surprised

You see many things through the eyes of a child. Meaning, you're rarely cynical or jaded. You cherish all of the details in life. Easily fascinated, you enjoy experiencing new things.

How Is Your Inner Child?

Yep, absolutely. : )

Your Hair Should Be Purple

Intense, thoughtful, and unconventional. You're always philosophizing and inspiring others with your insights.

What's Your Funky Inner Hair Color?

And I'd agree with this, too.

You Are Rain

You can be warm and sexy. Or cold and unwelcoming. Either way, you slowly bring out the beauty around you. You are best known for: your touch Your dominant state: changing

What Type of Weather Are You?

Speaking of rain, it's been raining gently off and on all day. The cubs and I dawdled on the way home so we could play leaf-racing in the run-off in the gutters. That was so much fun! We were absolutely soaked by the time we got inside.

And lastly...

You Should Get A Butterfly Tattoo

Girly and funky For you, tattoos are a thing of beauty - not toughness

What Tattoo Should You Get?

Nah, not a butterfly. I like the idea of an SPQR, or a barcode. But a barcode of what? My favourite book perhaps? Favourite CD/DVD? Favourite biscuit? Alcohol? A particularly bizarre sex-toy?
I couldn't just make up a barcode, no, it'd have to mean something...

Heh, well, the first part of the epilogue is now chapter 36 and I'll continue on with the actual epilogue next. Tch, shouldn't be surprised though, should I? Not given how this thing has mushroomed as I've been writing. <g>
Fifteen chapters and 50k words. Hah!

Cubs and I dragged ourselves into school this morning so I could sort out their booklist. We've left the bulk of the stuff at school but brought home the pens and pencils etc; so I could label them. Wot fun. But, it's done now, plus I've got some ham for sandwiches tomorrow. All I have to do now is dig out their lunchboxes and sort out their uniforms. Cor, I'm approaching organised (from a distance, cautiously...)
What was disturbing though was going into the school grounds and immediately being beset by a dragging sense of ennui. Cripes, the school year hasn't even properly started yet and I'm bored with it.

The cubs asked if they could have fish'n'chips for dinner tonight, and I said certainly, but we wouldn't be able to go and see a movie after school tomorrow. They deliberated for a while and decided they'd like to see the movie instead. So, all being well we'll be trotting off to see Nanny McPHee. (Narnia was the preference but the only session we could get to was at 6 p.m. Far too late for a weeknight.)

Fanfic snickers from two different sources:

"Bullocks!" Ron swore..."

Moo! and...

"[She had]... eyes like honey..."

Is that crystalised honey, or the runny stuff? Either way it's going to drip down her face and make a horrible mess. <snerk>

Very odd dream while I was napping this afternoon. There were spiders, huntsmen, gathering on a window at night. About 11 of the things, all different sizes. I watched them cautiously and realised there was sort of a spidery-standoff happening. Then one of the biggest ones, a female, snatched up a piece of black fabric - the cloak from a Star Wars action figure - and dashed off. Carnage ensued, though I didn't see much of it, just got the impression of all the critters converging and racing. <shudder> Got distracted by something else in the dream and when I got back to the spider there were 3 left, 2 injured ones doggedly trailing the original female, determined to get the scrap. I could only assume it was wanted it for nesting.
... unless it was a symbol of spider royalty and would allow the wearer to claim dominion over the world of Arachnia!
No, that's just silly.

Chapter 36 is moving along; going to be longer than I'd first thought but, meh, that seems to be standard for SFSG.
And yesterday I had a solid [ping] about another idea that's been simmering in the background. Looks like that might be ready to start soon. Convenient, eh?

[pissing self laughing] And I don't even like pirates! Well, OK, pirate chic is good. Especially on Johnny Depp. Or Adam Ant. But not pirates per se.

Pirate ninjas now - that's different. Arrrh Soh...

My pirate name is:

Mad Morty Read

Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. Even through many pirates have a reputation for not being the brightest souls on earth, you defy the sterotypes. You've got taste and education. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.

Chapter 35 is finished - on to the epilogue, now. Hee. Current wordage is 175k, that's 10k more than Half-blood Prince. (I checked, just so I could get some idea of the size...)

Regarding air-conditioning, Onna, I've only lived in one rental house that had any, and it was expensive to run. My Mum has a/c in her unit now, but there's no shade there and she can't cope with the heat anymore. a/c is becoming the standard here down South but it wasn't for many, many years and I'm still leary about saying it's an essential. (Vicious cycle: a/c uses a lot of electricity, the production of which contributes to global warming and higher temperatures, necessitating more a/c). With better designed houses - with proper insulation and building to suit the climate - it shouldn't be needed.

Nicked from Rakina:

My pirate name is:

Black Jack Bonney

Like anyone confronted with the harshness of robbery on the high seas, you can be pessimistic at times. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.

I liked the Hamlet question - this answer particularly:

"Yes, but it was only a small flaw in an otherwise brilliant work of... err.. that is... ARR!

<giggling>

Oh good, a cool change...
It reached 43 today - second hottest January day on record, or something. It was 36 inside and the ambient heat meant that everything was hot to the touch - it made trying to find somewhere cool to lounge a bit difficult. And of course the heat brings the huntsman inside. I spotted a moderately sized one lurking around the piggle's cage last night. These things always appear in pairs, so I was on guard for the other one. Sure enough, in the toilet this morning, I tugged on the paper and an effing huntsman shot out from inside the roll! Ack! This one was too big even for my newfound bravery with spiders to cope with, so I called in reinforcements. Housemate was quite happy to catch the thing and spirit it away for me. (And later in the afternoon the original, smaller one appeared when I moved the piggle cage - but I caught that one on my own.) But now I'm twitchy, expecting more spiders to appear, jumping at sudden movements in my peripheral vision...
But, the change has come through and its only 24 inside now. Hoorah. Should be able to sleep well enough anyway.

A few months ago Alarice introduced me to A2 milk which she said contained a particular type of protein and was more beneficial. I was skeptical, but, I've been trying it for the past few weeks and I see what she means. I can even drink the full-cream version without getting a runny nose and a gluey chest, and when I've had to use 'normal' milk the change is noticeable. It does taste different to regular milk, but not in a bad way. The only quibble I have is that it's not certified organic, but I can live with that.

This 'HP obsessed' quiz was nicked from Rakina. (Sorry about the extraneous information that came with it - too brain-fried to trim.)

Harry & Ron You scored 70% knowledge and 55% obsession!

"Now, if you two don't mind, I'm going to bed, before either of you come up with another clever idea to get us killed. Or worse, expelled!" "She needs to sort out her priorities." You are neither obsessed nor oblivious about the magical world, but your knowledge is obviously higher than average. You have a healthy interest in all things Potter, but it's nothing to worry about. Your keen intellect and natural curiosity make you a force to be reckoned with. You can't be expected to pay attention in Binns' class every lesson when you have Quidditch matches and girls on your mind! Just be forewarned - Hermione won't always be able to finish your essays for you. She has enough going through that frizzy head of hers!

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 33% on knowledge You scored higher than 0% on obsession

Link: The Harry Potter Obsessed Test written by ack_attack on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

A fair summation, I think...

One of my new year determinations was to not whinge about stuff I couldn't change, like the weather. Even so...
Blinkin' heck it's hot!
Mid-thirties today, mid-thirties yesterday, and low-forties forecast for tomorrow - all this in a house with a metal roof, no insulation and no air-conditioning. <whimper> I'm watching news reports of blizzards in Moscow and feeling quite envious.
Sun's gone down now and the temperature's dropped a little, but the cicadas have started up and they're matching the decibel level of my housemate; ie: loud enough to drown out the telly.
Last night wasn't too bad, there was a moderate cool change with showers and thunderstorms, and a good stiff breeze to blow through the house. Air's barely moving tonight though - not looking forward to trying to sleep.
The piggle, bless her, has finally got the hang of the bottle of frozen water. I caught her this afternoon, reclining over the thing, using it like a pillow. <g> Very cute.

Sat down with the cubs this afternoon and watched Big Trouble in Little China, one of my favourite movies. Cubs got right into it, gasping and laughing in the right places, and not needing to ask many questions about what was going on. <g> I thank anime for their knowledge of demons/spirits and supernatural doings.

(Just checked my weather pixie at The Zone... 29.C. I don't think it's going to get much cooler tonight.
Hm, 'puter's running a bit hot too - better keep an eye on that...)

Picking away at the theoretically penultimate chapter of SFSG. It ain't 'alf dragging its heels. I've roughed it out in long-hand but as I'm tweaking as I transcribe its taking about as much time as it would for me to write from scratch. Heh, no matter, I've got my 'holy heck I've finished!' bottle of alcohol tucked away ready for when I do actually finish the thing.

(Cubs have just told me they thought they saw some lightning earlier. Figures. Oh well, as long as the temperature drops I don't really care...)

<blink> No idea why but my bookmarks have disappeared. Very annoying.

Chinese New Year is approaching so Box Hill is awash in red and gold plastic. Hee! I was very restrained - I only bought two things. I love Asian tat.

The cubs' father is studying Japanese calligraphy. He wants to do a banner that reads 'Sex; Death; other people's money' (long story) but is having trouble with the kanji. Any suggestions?

Rakina tagged me for a meme. Evil cow. : )

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they're any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying now. Post these instructions in yourLiveJournal along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they're listening to.

... I don't think I know seven people...
So anyway, no specific tags, but feel free to play if you wish.

1: Wonderwall - Oasis. (I regularly sing myself hoarse with this one. I do so like a band who plays in my key...)
2: Go with the Flow - Queens of the Stone Age.
3: Gimme danger - Iggy Pop. (I listen to this version cos the one I really, really want - Kurt Wild from Velvet Goldmine - isn't available. It's still a great, emotive track, though.)
4: We're much preferred customers - Disassociatives. (Dreamy, trippy, just bloody wonderful.)
5: God put a smile on your face - Coldplay.
6: Ibelin - Kingdom of Heaven soundtrack.
7: Cloud Age Symphony - Last Exile; opening track.

Hn. Interesting. I would've thought my playlist was generally harder. Eh, catch me on another day and it'll be different.

I was pondering slash fic and wondering how long it's been a convention to mush a pairing's name together? (ie: Harry/Snape = Snarry, Spike/Buffy = Spuffy etc. [<snerk> Thanks, Mags...] ) I assume it's more prevalent in fandoms where the names are a bit more ordinary, I mean, Qui Gon/Obiwan = Goniwan? : ) I think it's fairly recent, too; I can't see it having being applied to one of the original (television) pairings. Spirk? Kock? <titter>

Back from a few days at Mum's. Heh, I actually feel like I've had a break this time. We were busy, but no one got too gribbly (and I don't mean just the cubs) and we had fun. Mum drove down and picked us up then I drove us out to the Healesville trolley ride. <g> Not overly crowded today, nor wet or too hot. A lovely, pleasant trip, and cos I wasn't sitting jammed up next to someone I wasn't forced to interact and so was able to spend twenty or so blissful minutes alone in my mind, contemplating Snupin smut.
While we were there the cubs spent most of their tooth money on quite nice pull-back models of (guess what?) steam trains. Happy cubs, followed by a quiet afternoon watching Fruits Basket - which Mum didn't get at all. <g>

Monday morning, while Mum was in her exercise class, I took the cubs swimming; or rather, I watched them splash about in the water while I roughed out a short fic. Then we trekked out to the Trestle bridge - a longer journey than I remembered - and after the cubs had frolicked about up there for a little while we were all ready for lunch. Stopped in at the only shop in Powell Town, a milk-bar/general store/pub, where I had a really nummy burger sandwich. (It was sposed to be a steak sandwich but they'd run out of steak. Eh, didn't matter, I just wanted red meat.) After we got home I napped while the cubs watched I, Robot, and then it was time for dinner...

Tuesday was a full day. Up early, ready and out the door before 9.30 a.m. - something of a miracle. We drove out to Coal Creek Heritage Village, somewhere the cubs wanted to go cos there was an old steam engine they could explore. I've never been to the place and it's been years since Mum was last there - and her navigational skills are on a par with my own. I found myself driving along a very long, very straight dirt road. "I don't remember this..." said Mum, helpfully. Fortunately that detour only took us a little bit out of our way and we still got to the Village in under an hour and a half.
Coal Creek is a construct. As the mining towns in the district closed down and died, notable buildings were rescued and brought to the present site: a courthouse, railway station, Masonic hall, Mechanic's Institute hall, doctor's residence/surgery, smithy, bank, school house, shops, studios, miners' and farm dwellings. Restoration is ongoing and while it's nowhere near as flash or big as something like Sovereign Hill, or as pricey, but it still makes for a fascinating visit. Mum refused to come with us into the short - and very damp - exhibition mine tunnel, but alas that was my only brush with the comfortable underground. The mine tour's been closed for a while.
The cubs loved the engine, a 'K' class 2-8-0 (hah! I know what that means, now!) and had a great time clambering all over the cab. I had fun poking around the carriages and Mum quite happily spent half an hour talking to the volunteer guide.
There was a dearth of tourist tatt which was probly just as well cos I was running out of money by then, but I did splash out and buy a bottle of peppermint cordial. Very interesting. All you can really taste is the sugar syrup base but it leaves your tongue tingly and cool, and there's a lovely, lingering minty aroma. Mmmm...
Finally, after 4 hours, we prised the cubs out of there with promises of food. We ended up taking another completely different route home - that still had little to do with the actual route planned on the map - but at least there was no dirt road this time and we still made it home in less than an hour and a half.

So that was yesterday.
Oh, and I forgot to mention the cubs managed to lock themselves in Nana's bathroom. <rolls eyes> She has a sliding door; it was slammed shut too vigorously and came off its runners. Cue cubs wailing about being left in there to die!! Oh, teh drama. I didn't bother telling them that, as I was bursting to go to the loo I certainly wasn't going to let a jammed door get in my way for very long. However, the cubs were very prettily grateful when we all worked together and they were liberated. <sigh> Dramaqueens - no idea where they get that from...

Snaffled from Rakina:

Hee, and I wasn't even trying to skew the results...

Only have a little patience and all that you desire will find its way to eBay...
Late in 2004 I saw a calendar of patchwork craft which had a gorgeous Autumn leaf quilt inside. I wasn't going to pay full price ($15) for one pattern however, so I waited for it to be marked down, like most calendars are in the new year. Two months in and it still hadn't been discounted, and then it - and all the other remaining calendars - disappeared. I was miffed, but philosophical.
I was recently browsing eBay and found a back-issue of a patchwork magazine which had that exact same quilt featured on the cover. <g> So I finally have the pattern - and some other neat stuff besides - at about a quarter of the original price. Happy? Oh yes...
(I've also got a user-friendly book of doll-making which has a nice, simple calico doll with a moderately shaped face. <beg> Balian and Snape plushies are one step closer.)
(I also had an idea today that a jellyfish mobile would be neat. If I make them out of light and floaty material they'll drift in the air quite nicely.)

Chapter 34 is finished and I've got notes ready for 35. <bounce>
I'm a little bit over my ideal schedule but not by much.

The cubs were out with their father this afternoon so I decided to listen to some of my music, for a change. I dragged out the Oasis: Morning Glory CD, which, for various reasons I haven't listened to for ages. MG was something I played a lot while I was writing Pros fiction and it was giving me the strangest emotional flashbacks. <g> It's not made me any more likely to dip into the fandom again, but it was an interesting experience.

And when I'd finished with that I put on my Jimmy Sommerville's Greatest Hits and started rockin' 'round the lounge room to some gay pride/angst. The cubs came home soon after and asked, incredulous, what was I listening too? One cub declared he didn't like wee Jimmy's voice at all, which I took to be an unsubtle hint for me to stop playing the CD. I smiled sweetly and replied that it was a perfect opportunity, then, for him to go and play in his room, wasn't it? He went. <eg> The other cub hung around, but he had his nose buried in the latest Horrible Science and didn't make a sound.
To their credit, the cubs don't get pouty anymore when I occasionally insist on watching/listening to something they're not particularly interested in. Heh, they're growing up, I guess.
Speaking of growing up... I've decided that as we're going to Nana's for a few days, it'd be nice for the cubs to have their own money instead of begging from me. They haven't managed to earn any pocket money yet but I've inadvertently stockpiled all their baby teeth for the past year or so cos I'm never organised enough to put just one or two teeth out for the tooth fairy. Anyway, there's a glass of water on the bench tonight, holding seventeen teeth. <g> That's a big load for a little fairy. Might need a squadron to deal with 'em - or just one tooth ogre.