It's our conviction sex is not the enemy

The case of the walkabout grave

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:38:46 GMT

We went up to the Cemetery today to see Dad (my grandfather), a sort of… saddening experience. Sitting on the edge of a grave isn’t even close to sitting on your grandfather grave. But still. It’s nice to visit sometimes. After that we went to find Poppy Godden, my great grandfather on my Fatherside side.

Nan said she knew where he was. I thought I did too.

I think his grave went walkabout! We couldn’t find him! We found my uncle, but not Poppy Godden.

…does this ever happen to anyone else?!

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Tree Swirls

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:35:13 GMT

A preview of the tree ornament I made, I haven’t had time to finish editing the rest of the pictures yet, but it’s not too bad.

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What’s your favourite?

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:57:42 GMT

In honour of it being still far enough from Christmas/the holidays to get some American’s knickers in a knot about people going on about Christmas before annual Turkey Sacrifice Day. In honour of sleeping in and nearly missing my post. In honour of finally finishing this ridiculous felt tree I’ve been making (pics tomorrow)…

What’s your favourite holiday song/Christmas Carol?

I think mine would be Happy Xmas (War is Over).

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A storm and an almost project.

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:35:32 GMT

It’s been crappy weather all around today, so I was going to do some sewing with my machine, but it still hates me. I was going to make a poppet, this doll by Ghilie of Craftster. I’ve had the pattern for about a year and a half, but I couldn’t find any material that was appropriate… but I realised I had some in my stash this morning so when the weather began to go south I decided to try it.

Sewing machine didn’t want to cooperate, though. So it’s a no go for now until I get another machine or feel up to handsewing it. :/ But, aren’t the poppets precious?

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So tired. Argh.

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:07:23 GMT

I was going to do stuff today, other than visiting Aunty Duck and going to the pool and doing chores, but to be honest. I’m stuffed. Four hours sleep isn’t enough, really. I can cope on it… but I need to go to bed soon I got some things to do tomorrow, though!

So have a flower. I’m off to snooze. <3 I love you all! Yes, even you the stranger lurking over the corner.

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Crafty Photos

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:56:03 GMT

Here we go, I promised and I keep my promises (most of the time). Follow the cut!

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Green & Gold

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:18:50 GMT

I should have some more photos up tomorrow of the ornaments I’ve been working on, a lot of paper lanterns, some origami pine trees that the kittens love to search and destroy.

For now, though. I leave you with a photo I took back in April, I believe. From a train. It’s not really a polaroid, I took it with my digital camera, but I like it. And it shows you how dry it gets here.

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Some Excerpts

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:24:36 GMT

To spare you guys some of the “HEE! DECORATIONS. TINSEL!” rambling, I’m going to give you some excerpts from ongoing fics/my random prose file (a file that only Jacky has seen, to date.)

Some of them are old, and most unedited. So forgive me? The worlds of the fanfis don’t belong to me, obviously. But the original stuff is mine, and either way don’t steal.

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Everything is fodder for crafters

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:40:14 GMT

Here are some of my ideas/things I liked for Christmas Ornaments:

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Handmade Christmas TREES? Help?

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:30:34 GMT

Okay, here’s the thing. I see Christmas pretty much as a tie to stress out (family issues. Rawr.) and decorate. The last bit is possibly the only reason why I like it at ALL anymore, actually.

But Mum refuses to put our tree up. At all. And I don’t have space for the family tree in my room, so I can’t put it up in here (plus, seriously, who wants to work out if red or green goes at the bottom?) and the only tree I’ve found downtown that I liked was a, $50 and b, still too big.

So I’m trying to work out a handmade version, but I’m honestly stumped. Does anyone have any ideas? Preferably ones I can move away from my cats reach? I wouldn’t mind something I could get away with making ornaments for all year… It’s soothing.

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Austrian Teddies & an Ornament

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:42:07 GMT

I come with photos! Whoo!These are some teddies my aunt brought back from Europe for us, I’m pretty sure Nan said she got them in Austria, but it could have been Germany. The one on the left is mine, I need a name for it. Any ideas?

A slightly crappy picture (sorry) of a mini-wreath ornament I made from leather, hemp, wooden beads and bells. It’s nice to hold, weighted but not too much so. It was time consuming to make, though. Like it?

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One down… lots to go.

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:37:17 GMT

I need to find my camera cord before I can show you, but I finished my first ornament of the year, it’s a mini-wreath made out of leather, hemp cord, wooden beads and a few bells. My aunt said it’s nice, so did Mum, but lets be honest. Family is biased, so I’ll let you see tomorrow.

If I find my god damned cord.

I’m also making a few of these. They’re very easy felt baubles that look a bit like those paper pompom things, I think they’re called? Only I managed to sew the seam wrong. It’s a little crooked, so it won’t be perfect, but it’s only for me so it doesn’t matter so much.

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Handmade Holiday Ornaments

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:44:01 GMT

So all this talk of Christmas is a, making me mildly nauseas and b, making me want to craft. Given that I am Pagan and in Australia, it’s really closer to Midsummer than it’ll ever be to Yule when Christmas comes around, so I have sort of bi-polar holiday decorating sprees. My mind sort of goes like this: Midsummer! Suns, war, flowers, fey! Christmas, Winter, snowflakes, snowmen, tinsel!

Despite the very obvious fact that I have never seen a white Christmas outside of movies and pictures.

And if I live here all my days, I probably never will see one. So the winter theme is marvellously ironic. Whoo! (Who else sees the hilarity in singing “White Christmas” in Australia, in December, in 30+°^C heat?)

Anyway, as most of my family is probably likely to look at me like a loon if I try to explain to them why Midsummer would be a more fitting holiday (some Catholics have no sense of humour) and I make most of my holiday ornaments, I propose a compromise. Which no one but me will suspect. Make Christmas/Midsummer ornaments! Sunny themes amongst the wintery ones.

Does anyone else make their own ornaments? Would anyone be interested in seeing what I come up with/tutorials I find helpful?

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My Father Loves me!

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:20:02 GMT

Which makes me happy to stupidly ridiculous levels. Beause there were a few years when we never spoke and I rang him about a month ago and we talked and now he’s rung back.

But I have a small problem. I want to make him something for Christmas (that I can mail, he lives in Queensland) and I don’t know what to make. And he says he’s colour blind, which sort of makes my normally colourful things sort of moot. Any ideas? He likes red.

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Rememberence Day

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:35:14 GMT

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, we will remember them.

Lest We forget.

FOR THE FALLEN

Laurence Binyon

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children
England mourns for her dead across the sea,
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
There is music in the midst of desolation
And glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow,
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again,
They sit no more at familiar tables of home,
They have no lot in our labour of the daytime,
They sleep beyond England’s foam.

But where our desires and hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the night.

As the stars shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
As the stars that are stary in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

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Busy is as busy does

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:43:03 GMT

I was planning to go to bed by 2 am last night, which, for me, is early, but as it turns out. I didn’t. Which means I missed Cath, like, completely. Argh. it’s awful missing rp partners with busy as hell schedules. D: It really doesn’t help that she’s in the UK, either.

Anyway, I didn’t go to bed last night when I wanted too not because I did the usual and got distracted, but because my little sister got sick. Poor doll, she was still sick today – though I think she’s getting better. Mum thinks it might have been the heat, we’re getting weather near 40°C at the moment, which is something like 105°F, I think. Or, in translation: REALLY. FUCKING. HOT.

Amen.

Dear heat, please go pick on somewhere else.

No Love, the winter lover.

P.S. If you are like this right through February again, I might seriously consider penguin hunting.

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I quit

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:19:11 GMT

As much as I love NaNoWriMo, in theory, I just. No.

It’s not that the story isn’t there to be written, it is. NaNoWriMo just ends up making me feel crap because I fall behind, inevitably, often because I have things to do. A mother and sister to look after. Christmas things to make, and honestly I’d like to go to bed this Christmas Eve rather than stay up till four am stabbing my fingers to finish gifts. It’s not as though I don’t write all year, because I do. I write fics and stories and poems and ridiculous little drabbles.

I just… ugh.

Stress = Steffi getting her second grey hair before she’s 19.

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Young Hearts, Run Free

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:55:31 GMT

It’s a good day when one goes swimming for an hour or a two. My new swimmers are wonderful, though if I stand near the vents in the pool my top sort of blows up to make my boobs look bigger. Not sure if this is a good thing or not. I clearly didn’t manage to drown or swallow so much pool water as to get chlorine poisoning, though.

On the slightly less physically exhausting front, the vampire I’ve been playing with (Katie Dee) becomes clearer and clearer to me the more I play her, though she is confused just a little at her reactions to some of the humans that I have been exposing to her (via the lovely The Dressing Room) and despite some mild concerns about her going hungry, I don’t think that’s going to become an issue, as she has found a willing victim (normally she wouldn’t care about someone’s willingness, but tdr is special and most people never get hurt there, which is what blood loss would be considered) in Fred. A slightly warped version of Fred Weasley.

I sort of feel bad for letting her bite him. The poor doll. But he likes it, so. Er. I’m excused?

She rather likes him, actually, which surprised me as Katie isn’t big on the interpersonal relationships that are bigger in scale than acquaintances. She keeps to herself most of the time, even though she can appear to be quite sociable it’s only to give people a false sense of security or to keep them from bugging her too much. Figures she’d pick someone submissive to like, though. If she can’t have someone who’ll keep her safe, she can know at least that while she plays with him she’s more than safe.

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November is…

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:18:52 GMT

Extremely counter productive. Especially when I keep getting sick. Woe.

On the plus side, I’ve started working on small parts of peoples Christmas presents, and I watched the Scream Awards, which are possibly the most awesome awards show, ever. I’ve also been working on expanding a few of my characters and verses, not just the one related to NaNo.

I’m considering making magnets (marble and a few other types) maybe custom stationary/stamps, lavender sachets for drawers, nice little things as I’m making most if it by hand and a lot of people in my family keep telling me they have too much stuff. Maybe decorated candle holders? I don’t know. Ugh.

I hope everyone’s going strong!

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Decorations!

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:43:29 GMT

And not the seasonal sort, thank you kindly. Though there’s plenty of it to go up soon enough.

I have managed to find my self bunches of sort of awesome fabric at St. Vinnie’s today, including a large sheet size piece of fabric with ornate pots, watering cans, seats, urns and the like on it. I’ve never seen anything quite like it and I think it’s polyester, I’ll take a photo and see if anyone knows what it is tomorrow.

I also managed to get a fully in tact mosquito net style med canopy today, it’s lacy, sort of awesome, only cost me five dollars and saves me having to make one from scratch for the moment… but just one small thing. Does anyone know how to put screws in really tough ceilings?

I’m going to go try and work this out now. And possibly make some fabric butterflies. Or something. Maybe ravens.

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Doubts and an Excerpt

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:48:22 GMT

In continuing of my ability to fail NaNoWriMo, after shopping in Parkes with Mum and my Aunt today I feel so tired I could die a little and only wrote about 100 or so words but I have an except from Chapter One for you guys to enjoy (please bear in mind it hasn’t been edited/revised):

Their moment of distraction, of care cost them though and Uthers large, calloused hands closed around the pale flesh of Morgana’s throat. She clawed at his hands in surprise, forgetting to use her magic. He had been speaking to them and they had been deaf to his words. He growled an inch away from his step-daughters face. ‘If I did not love your mother I would have exterminated you years ago before you grew up to rival the whore of Babylon herself, the Priests are right, you are nothing but power hungry, devil worshipping scum that…’

‘Me, Uther? Me? what evil deeds have I done? Helped the sick, healed the injured, helped with the other Priestesses to raise the crops when the Gods you swore to honour and betrayed instead thought your Kingdom should suffer for your folly, I have given you every chance possible to redeem yourself, to help your Kingdom. But you do not listen to me because you hate me like you hated my Father for having something you wanted but didn’t have. Except you will not gain anything if you kill me, just a flock of happy Christian Priests who know no better than to hate me and those like me. Who will surely urge you to do it again and again and in turn betray what it is their God supposedly stands for. Because I have power that you will never, ever be allowed to hold in any true way. What do you have? Merlin? Me? There is so much more. I have never been your enemy, even though I have hated you! I am not Mercia and I am not the Saxons, both pose more threat to the Kingdom than any of my kind, including me!’ her angry words chocked out around his grip on her throat sparked and urged on his urge for physical violence, to hurt her in some way and without thinking it through he shoved her back against the wall in as Nicca watched horrified and too stunned to do anything, as Uther undoubtedly saw the magic swirling in her eyes – a danger he could not divert from himself if he let her get far enough to use it.

I’m going to keep trying with NaNoWriMo, but it’s about time I start making Christmas Gifts, too. Which is slightly more important to my sanity.

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His eyes said it all, I started to fall.

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:37:39 GMT

Well I actually didn’t write any NaNo since I felt so awful last night and today that I went to bed and hardly wanted to move. Sickness isn’t conductive to NaNoing, as it turns out. And tomorrow I’m going shopping for swimmers in the next town. :/ I can eat a bit now, though. Which is more than I can say for this morning :/

I confess, though, I did a little light rping today… though not light in subject matter, my modern incarnation of BBC’s Morgana (from the show Merlin) was having a few issues with keeping her emotions in check because she doesn’t want to upset Merlin or especially Arthur… so she goes and has a little fight with Merlin anyway. Honestly, sometimes I think her emotions are so tied up that she can’t even begin to understand them… She’s left for her parents house for a night. She’s gotten pissed off at herself for being pissed off… oh how logic fails.

<3 Going now. Try to write something before early bed. (for me.)

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And on the third day…

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:33:58 GMT

Steph still felt like crap, but her wordcount was slowly and surely getting better!

Still need to catch up on today’s wc as I spent a great deal of the day asleep and having quiet dreams about not much at all, well that and roleplaying over at tdr. I swear that place is like crack and it’s not even proper rping. Well at the very least it is not what I would call proper roleplaying, which to me is third person, past tense and several paragraphs of dialogue and action, among other things.

Also I was just watching True Blood and I sort of love Godric. I can has?

Off to make some pizza, if I can get the kittens off me. Then writing.

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NaNoWriMo ate my Soul

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:19:02 GMT

No, really. Also, feeling like someone has been pounding on you from the inside out so you don’t want to move? Sucks.

I need to get back to my floundering wordcount. How can I be doomed on day two? I don’t know, either. Plus side is I got cookie dough ice cream for when I hit the daily quota

Also, LJ peeps: I’ll try and comment more, but I can’t promise.

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Steady As She Goes

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:16:17 GMT

So, NaNoWriMo started today, and I added myself to the NaNoBloMo blogroll, too. So that means one blog post and at minimum 1667 words every day, all month.

I know. I’m insane. But, hey. I’m not doing too bad. I’m at 2,105 words for the moment in my WriMo effort, most of which was written last night after midnight struck (and after confusing Sammy, she forgot I’m in Australia, apparently! ) To all the other WriMos looking at this, good luck and GET TOO IT! Like me, I’m probably going to add some more words soon.

But first, I didn’t explain what it is my NaNoWriMo novel is about, I don’t think.

It’s set around the same sort of idea as The Buried Moon was, that is, it is set in Arthurian Britain with an alternate universe type of Premise, and this time it is a, not an rpg and b, set mostly from the POV of the common folk and outsiders, though the more I write into it the more I realise there will be the occasional chapter from the traditionally main characters POV (such as Arthur or Morgana, Knights, etc). It starts three months before the Death of Uther Pendragon and the return of Arthur.It’s sort of a braided novel, like stories woven together into one hopefully cohesive piece and showing several aspects of the Camelot in the story and it’s people, royalty included.

Oh I also believe I promised someone this, it’s a little clip of me singing (badly) it’s an MP4, I believe:

Memo – Singing

Kind of wish I could add this to my word count. Ha. Anyway, tomorrow loves! (also, this is post #70. Whoo!)

P.S. I may or may not have set Morgana on fire. In the first chapter. Oh Goddess, I’m mean to her! D:

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