What I Love About Castles

The way that the towers stretch to the sky...

The dizzying drops...

and the scale that dwarfs

the mad angles...

secret passages...

and arches within arches

but I did not like the oubliette...

Half term means castles. Today we visited Kidwelly's. Find out more here

Winter Moon...

...is actually the name of the yarn but it is such a pretty one that I wanted it for the title of my post. It is a blend of merino and cashmere from Posh Yarn. My regular port of call for yarn porn.

I don't knit anymore but gosh, this is making me wish I did.

Cats and Dogs

V and I have a funeral to go to tomorrow. I cannot think how many funerals that brings us to this year...too many for certain.
The last four funerals I have been to, someone's mobile has gone off - one went off right in the middle of the eulogy of all things.

It is going to be a particularly odd occasion tomorrow too. I don't know the family at all well but half of them are not speaking to the other half. Quite a few are on probation and the rest are alcoholics/drug addicts either recovering or practising and the wake is taking place in one of the roughest pubs in town, which for my town is really saying something.

And I believe it is going to hammer down raining tomorrow too.

It never rains but it pours

One deep breath - Conquered.

A long fight and a bad one
Breathless, I admit defeat -
Christ, I'm lonely...

The haiku prompt that I used to do regularly. I might take it up again.

In Praise of E bay...

Armani Trousers for ten quid. I kid thee not. They are second hand of course but hey, it is green to recycle clothes. But that was not the reason why I got these. Freaking Armani Man!!



There are shedloads of other designer stuff for a snip of the original price. I haven't bought new clothes in ages. I think that will be remedied shortly.

Growing Stuff

Curled up on the sofa the other night, reading and I start laughing at something in the story. Apparently I have a particularly dirty laugh that is unique to me when I am reading/thinking something particularly smutty. I didn't know this but V has known it for years and has added it to his arsenal of wife reading skills.

Me: *sniggering like an eight year old*
V: What?
Me: Nothing
V: C'mon...you laughing like that. I know it's rude. Tell me.
Me: It's childish
V: *rolling his eyes* Duh. You're laughing like that - I know it is childish too.
Me: Well, these two teenage boys are arguing and one has just told the other to grow a pair. *sniggers some more* I've never heard that expression before
V: *confused* Grow a pear? Why would he want to grow a pear?

Sniggers escalate to full blown hysteria culminating in asthma attack.

Really, I love laughing that hard.

Favourites

Here are the rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. They don't have to be the greatest books you've ever read, just the ones that stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.

1. To Kill a Mockingbird - the best book ever written. No contest
   
2. A Hat Full of Sky - the ending is so high on life that it makes me feel woosy just thinking about it
   
3. Twilight - Repeat *The Cullens are not real* but Oh how I wish they were.
   
4. The Time Traveller's Wife - Cry!! Did I?!!!! Awash, baby, awash.
   
5. Sun Horse, Moon Horse - My first historical fic. I was hooked aged 8
   
6. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis, Aslan... nuff said.
   
7. The Brother's Lionheart - First fantasy novel. I think I was 7
   
8. Jane Eyre - A classic. Romance, a sturdy heroine and Timothy Dalton showing Mr "fancypants" Darcy how it's done.
   
9. The Bloodaxe Book of Contemporary Women Poets - You mean there are other women poets apart from Sylvia Plath?
   
10. The Moon in the Water - My second historical fic and read so many times I can't think straight.
    
11. The Sunne in Splendour - Edward the Fourth, wot a bastard.
    
12. Clan of the Cave Bear series - Sheer bloody awesomeness.
    
13. Rape of the Fair Country - Incitement to racial hatred, probably. But it should be required reading in Welsh schools.
    
14. Duncton Wood - Moles in an allegory of Christianity. You have to read it to get it.
    
15. The Fionavar Chronicles - A more readable and infinitely sexier rendition of LOTR. Okay, it doesn't have Boromir or Aragorn but a little mental substitution goes a long way.
    

Astonishingly heavy on fantasy novels with a smidge of historical fiction. One poetry book...only one *hangs head in shame* but Paradise Lost and Dante refuse to stay with me even though I love them so...

I Dont Know...

I have had a bad ish sort of day. Not as bad as some mind you, but bad enough. The cat, dear darling Zac died today after a minor op. He was okay coming out of the anasthetic and then he had a heart attack and died. Gone.

I want to be sad, but the thing that puts it in perspective for me is that a good friend of mine lost his son last night. Twenty six years old, built like a bull and now he is dead. I have no words at all because I know if anything happened to my kids I would go instantly and totally insane. What on earth can you say to someone whose child had died? Really...what?

So then I go over my blog because I was looking for photos and I find that I am remembering all sorts of things tonight.

Archers Kiss

I have a beautiful bruise on my left fore arm. It is special cos it has a name - the archers kiss. Yup, I got it from the bow string as I held V's bow incorrectly. Not pretty. If I had the camera I would take a pic but there we are. So I have made a brace out of some sheep leather and I did it in record time too.

As I said, the crafting has dropped off dramatically due to the amount of reading I am doing just lately. I need to get some audio books really and then things might balance out more. I can't spend all my spare time reading...the girls need new winter dresses. The problem with audio books is that sometimes the narrator's accent is so annoying that it detracts from the text. I would love to record one myself but I really don't think that I have the time to give over to it. I think I will just have to put up with it and buy Twilight spoken in an annoying southern twang.

Twilight is my saga of choice these days. I am seriously addicted to it...one of the reasons for this being that the leading man is just so very beautiful.

Here's One

I have given up crafting! I am so shocked...really I am. For the first time in nearly three years (maybe four) I have not spun, knitted, potched about with anything for an entire month.

I have been reading instead and seriously, seriously thinking about getting back to writing as in writing with a focus that I lost with Rose's birth.

The problem with that is...writing does tend to screw with my head rather. I become so open to thoughts and ideas that I become mentally unrecognisable ... and the people watching hits new highs of weirdness. I haven't got there yet but if I do decide that I really, really want to write again then it is going to be a freaky old time.

Poor V. Poor, poor V...

Eastnor Castle

Bank Holiday weekend found us at Eastnor - for some reason I always want to call it Southden - a pretty little jewel of a castle in the Borders. It is not medieval at all, in fact it was built in the early 1800's but it is crammed full of treasures - armour, tapestries, four poster bed and weird curiosities like stuffed cheetahs.

It also became temporary home to a smallish party of re-enactors who enjoyed themselves very much on a teeny little patch of flat ground in all the rolling parkland.

We had cooked breakfasts, pottage, a battle and gunfire - very loud this, courtesy of the Kings Ordinance group. Not my favourite thing loud bangs...

I also had my first archery lesson (and got a bulls eye on my first shot!) The bow belonged to Jane, a girl from the Levy Archers, so it wasn't too heavy but it still made my arms ache! However, this is something that needs further investigation I think, particularly as V was placed second in the archery competition and he has only had three goes ever - so proud of my fab husband. I am only sorry that I did not get to see him compete as Lily came down with a weird virus thing so I mostly stayed close to camp to keep an eye on her. She perked up towards the end though, enough to trot around in the park and play under the trees.

Ludlow Castle next weekend and I am looking forward to it already!

Sewing

Today I am off to Birdies quilting group. It is a lot of fun. The thing is that I rarely take my patchwork, referring to do some other emergency sewing of soft kit. Today I am going to say nuts to it and get started on the Welsh quilt top. Just a little light sewing for fun.

Or perhaps I will take my wheel and spin linen. I have just thought of that...
Mmmmn. Spinning

Home

I always loved this blog. I was so proud of it when I started, I felt so brave figuring things out on the computer, working out how blogger put things together, changing stuff, playing.

I hated it when blogging became an obligation - when I felt I had to write and write in a particular way for other peoples entertainment rather than my own. I'd catch myself looking at events and wonder what kind of post I would write with that. Bleh.

So I am back here after a break away and I don't think anyone knows where I am and this is a good thing I think.

So, no obligation, no expectations, just back to spinning that song of sixpence
:o)

I Am Back... Again

I like this blog too much to leave it go and when it was just a private blog I didn't write anything on it. I realise now that I liked this blog best when it was out in the ether but before anyone started commenting on it. So I have put it out there once more kind of safe in the knowledge that no one will ever come to it. So I am back at the beginning. Which is a very good place to start.

So 2009 - What will you become? I hae made a good start on it I think and I haven't even been to Ffald-y-Brenin yet. The house is getting there slowly, there is still a lot to be done. I have neglected it for a long time but bit by bit I will get there. Rather a lot of glory holes still to be excavated but a few less than there were this time last month.
We will have to see how it goes.

On the crafting front there is patchwork, drop spinning and rather a lot of sewing still. I need to make Lily an new dress for reenacting and I also need to get a length of red wool to make their St Davids Day costumes.

So lots lined up

Not well

The children have not been well. Not well at all and they keep waking me up and I can't get back to sleep.

Eden is the only one to have escaped so far. They have all coped with it like angels but I am so tired that I could cry!

It is getting closer to Christmas. You can feel it in the light, a still kind of iron grey light that speaks of snow and icy wind. Wrap up well

All Good Things

There is no doubt that my life has changed just lately. My dear V, who has a talent for this sort of thing, said at the start of this year that this would be a year of endings and beginnings .
And here I am at both.

I started this blog to keep a record of my spinning/ craft activities and gradually it evolved to be a record of all sorts of things. Which was great, but just lately it has felt rather more of an obligation than it should.

So, I am drawing this little adventure to a close. But I have made quite a few friendships that I would not ordinarily have made - crafters, artists and writers all - and I do not want to let you go. So I have made a new place, a place I can go without all the daft restrictions I have placed upon myself. There may be crafting, there maybe not - who knows? I am venturing off the beaten path once more. You are very welcome to come along for the ride...

Here be Dragons

What to Do?

So the kidlings have been back in school for almost a week, I have tidied my house back to its usual background level of clutter rather than the chaos the Summer holidays had turned it into. But here's the thing..I have no desire to do anything crafty what so ever.

Nothing.
Not beads, not silk painting, not dying, sewing, embroidery not even spinning. I have no idea why. And what is worse, I have no desire to try something new. Paper making, enamelling, pottery for instance. It is rather unnerving, this is just not me. Perhaps I need a day trip to a really good craft suppliers. Or attend a workshop somewhere. I am mystified.
So, all you crafters and artists out there - What do you do when the mojo has gone?

but wait - here is something to cheer me up

The Sheriff has awarded me this, which is just so cool and I get to pass it on too. Here are the rules...
The rules are
1: Post the award on your blog.
2: Add a link to the person who award you.
3: Nominate at least 4 others.
4: Leave a comment on their blog so they can pass it on.

• Kati at Dragonfly's Musings. Ever wondered what it must be like to live in the Arctic? And what is more, to grow your own veg in a place that has permafrost? Here's the girl to tell you.

• The Ginger Darlings, three cats over in Pembrokeshire take you into their world of magic and poetry

• Alice at The Magpie Files. Alice has had to take a break from blogging just lately but you can still go over and browse.
  

• Matt and John with their peculiar but amusing cow obsession at Life is Mootiful. Pop over and visit their shop. Everybody needs a mug with Cownan the Barbarian on it.

• Jasfoup at Diary of a Demon. This is a work of fiction in progress and I find the daily adventures of "a rising star in the underworld" thoroughly engrossing.

Hope you have fun investigating that little lot. I will probably be off line for a few days. See you soon m'dears.

Sarah Who?

Politics do not interest me, liars and worthless creatures to a ...creature is I think the politest way of putting it. A necessary evil however seeing as the alternative is anarchy. I vote because men and women died to give us the choice but otherwise I think voting for politicians just encourages the little blighters. With that in mind I have noticed a fair amount of chat on the blogs about a certain Sarah Palin. I had to google her but it turns out that she is the republican nod to the girl vote although she sounds alarming enough to make Thatcher* pee herself.

To say I am unmoved by the American presidential shennanigins would be understating the case (unless it was to say that it might be nice to not have Mr Obama's Blair-like grin in every supplement that the Times produces) but I can appreciate a creative insult as much as the next Brit. And this site Sarah Palin - Little known Facts is crammed full of the most well turned one liners I have heard since Saki. Do check it out, but if you don't then here are just a few of my favourites.

• As head of Alaska’s Nat’l Guard, Sarah Palin taught troops in a training exercise to scare a grenade into not exploding.

• Sarah Palin believes in change, too. She takes it from your pockets after striking you dead.

• Jesus has a bracelet that says, “WWSPD?”

• Sarah Palin’s finishing move in the VP debate will be pulling Biden’s still beating heart from his chest & taking a bite.

and my favourite of all

• Sarah Palin doesn’t need a gun to hunt. She has been known to throw a bullet through an adult bull elk.

Fun or wot? Perhaps they are a little heavy handed but there are more subtle ones there too.

While I am on the subject - If political pugilism is your cup of tea then I direct you to the exchanges between Winston Churchill and Aneurin Bevan. Alas Churchill always seemed to win these as Bevan's Welsh temper got frazzled far too easily and too many of his shots went wide. Neu did manage to get a few good punches in though but I suppose if Winnie was not scared of Hitler then not even a Valleys Man would have fazed him.

*Don't get me started on Thatcher. I can wax very lyrical on Thatcher - suffice to say she was a demon sent from Hell to destroy this country and you will have about the mildest thing I have to say about her.

Slipping Through My Fingers

It is funny, I am writing this just about smothered in sleeping daughters. We are all stuffed into my bed and there is hardly any room for me to move my arm so that I can tap the key board. I am missing V so badly I am starting to annoy myself. And now that that window of the mind is opened, I find I am missing all sorts of people that I have lost touch with. I am missing Steph, I miss Tom, I miss Jo, but the weirdest thing of all is that I find I am missing Rose. She is zonked out right beside me! She goes back to school in a few days, her sisters are going full time too for the first time. I may be an unnatural mother but I will be glad for the break, so why am I sad too? It seems that my life has been a succession of learning to love things and then letting them go. It stinks sometimes.

Anyway, that's just me being low. September always does me in like that, Autumn in general really. I just don't like to see the leaves dying. It makes me feel morbid.

So... I think I will go and pop Brief Encounter on the DVD and snag some chocolate. A good howl will probably do me the world of good and everything will be better in the morning.

Sleep well m'dears

Colours

I haven't done a quiz here for ages. Lets see - what colour are you?

you are blueviolet #8A2BE2

Your dominant hues are blue and magenta. You're the one who goes to all the parties but doesn't quite fit in at every one... you know what you want, but are afraid of what the world might think of it. You're a little different and that's okay with them, and if you're smart it's okay with you too. Your saturation level is higher than average - You know what you want, but sometimes know not to tell everyone. You value accomplishments and know you can get the job done, so don't be afraid to run out and make things happen. Your outlook on life is bright. You see good things in situations where others may not be able to, and it frustrates you to see them get down on everything.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

Weird - I would never have said that purple was my colour. I'm an orange kind of girl. Hmmnn... not today obviously. Perhaps I'll try it tomorrow and see if it is different.