Perseids and posting and holidays and stuff
Okay, I am determined to hit Post on this today - I've been faffing with it for ages and getting nowhere, and I want to post to lj again! I will grant you that Job 2 and holidays abroad, on top of the 10+ hour working days made it a little tricky to find time that I didn't want to spend just collapsing somewhere, but really, this is getting silly.
So. *g* Random stuff first! Probably backwards...
- I remembered to go out last night in case the skies were clear enough to see the Perseids this year, and mostly they weren't (moon, herring clouds...), but there was also briefly a patch with just a few stars, and I saw five gorgeously bright, momentarily sparkling-trailed shooting stars!
- I have recently bought books and joined the "Library Xtra" scheme, where you get to use the library when it's closed, so I have a joyfulness of books to read in the next few days weeks. *g* I'm currently almost finished K.J. Charles' latest, Spectred Isle.
- It's the school holidays, which means I have to work with two girls both wanting attention at the same time, and without a break during A's nap
- It's the school holidays, and so my job involves finding nice places to hang out with two wee girls instead of staring at a computer for ten hours a day. *g*
- I have buggered up two weeks of the school holidays by needing a course of B12 injections. I imagined when they first mentioned them that it was one every few months - no, apparently three times a week for two weeks, then one every month. But maybe I'll get my energy properly back! (and my brain, such as it ever was...)
- Actually took some writing along to the SF/F/H writing group this month, which was quite well reviewed. I was told to get on and finish it. Maybe I really will, with the prospect of monthly feedback... *g*
- Job 2 seems to be properly finished [...and as I typed that I realised it wasn't, and that I'd forgotten to start the preparation for Job 2.2, so I went and did it, and now it's much later again. But I will post tonight!]
- Blimey, there must be much else that I can barely even remember, and it's been ages since I took photos for photo's sake, but I did take some when I went to Germany... *g*
I've not sorted them all yet, but let's see if I can manage to post my holiday as it happened, but a few weeks later. So - and you'll have heard about much of this elsewhere, but hey-ho! - let's start with the weekend I left bonny old England... *g*
It was a Friday, and I've already mentioned the whole getting-to-the-airport frenzy, followed by the your flight has been delayed anti-frenzy, so let's start up in the skies. *g*
Flying over England, and flying over Germany - such different views!
I love the jigsaw pieces of German towns and villages, among the forest.
My plane eventually made it, about two hours late, and bless milomaus for waiting all that time, and for everyone else who was disrupted by FlyBe's late arrival too. Did I mention that on the tail of all the Flybe planes is currently this slogan: Faster than rail or road? I mean - I'd really hope it was faster than road or rail, what with it being an airline and all, but on the other hand, my most recent experience has not been convincing!
German castles on the way from the airport (so familiar a view after just a couple of weeks last October), it felt a bit like coming home *g*), and on the way to the current CI5 hq - with impressive sunworks too. *g*
Sunshine at CI5 training camp hq! This was pretty much the only photo I managed to take on Friday night, having been awake since 3.30am to catch my flight!
Saturday was a different story, though! There was a fabric shop, where there might have been indulgent fabric-buying, and there was chatting and looking at Pros zines, and generally hanging out with this crowd... *g*
There was also a game of stories, involving a dartboard, some suggestive words (some very suggestive *g*) word prompts, and the writing of Pros fic based on the numbers/words you hit. Fab idea - and doing it outside under summer sunshine didn't hurt either!
A couple of additions to the agents gathered - what was Rainlet Bodie up to?
Ah, of course... *g*
And there was, of course, some ep watching - always fun with other people, even when we're all just being quiet and watching happily. *g* On Friday we watched Weekend in the Country and on Saturday we had a surprise Pros quiz from the ep (and I swear we usually see Bodie running up the stairs three at a time - but it wasn't on there! And I've not checked yet... job for tomorrow!) and then later we watched Takeaway. *happy sigh*
Sunday - and we started the same way as we did on Saturday, with what I think is an excellent German tradition - Frühstück! Okay, that's basically breakfast, but sitting down at a table, with food laid out and there to eat with friends - very nice! And did I mention very delicious breakfast? *g* I am also additionally chuffed to have had Frühstück, because of course that's what the Chalet School girls had in all the books! And oh for people visiting the Bäckerei for fresh bread rolls first thing in the morning - so delicious (and so much missed over here - bloody supermarkets...)
This breakfast had added bacon - German style. Growing up in Australia, bacon was either streaky, or if mum and dad were splashing out, smoked back bacon. In the UK it's usually back bacon, and commonly excellent in sandwiches with tomato sauce. In Germany (at least this part!), it's more finely sliced, I think, and somehow even more tasty for it. Anyway - yum... (And yeah, I don't think I mentioned, but after many years of being vegetarian for the third time, I've gone back to eating meat again - though organic when possible. There's been a whole thing about low iron, and various low vitamins, and I figured eating meat again might be a relatively straightforward way of getting sorted...)
The trouble with Sunday was that of course it was the day everyone had to go home... :(
On the bright side, I was borrowing someone else's home for the rest of the week, so I drove with them on German roads - where people also have BD numberplates. *g*
Through woods and villages...
Until we got home, had lunch (Milomaus and her Mr Milomaus are good at that *g*), and then went out again, driving through more villages...
...to go for a walk in the continuing sunshine. Gorgeous, it was.
Wild strawberry!
The path we went down was an old railway line, and at the end there was an old station - now a cafe, where you could sit down and enjoy a glass of wine and the sunshine, and the idea of meandering gently back along the wooded path again... *g*
On the way back there was another castle... *g* How pretty is this?
It's flats now, but you can walk carefully through and read the signs about the 12th/13th century castle (well, if you can read German... *g*) and generally wonder what it would be like to live there now. It must have amazing views, if nothing else!
It always seems odd when people's cars are parked at castles, I think! *g*
And then home we went again...
Where one of my favourite dinners was quickly put together: Mr Milomaus' special potatoes, roast veg and tomato salad - all fresh and homemade and delicious! A very nice end to the weekend - and start to my holiday. *g*
Let's see if I can post about Monday tomorrow. On Monday. And not to be too depressed about it being Monday again... *g*
How're you all doing?
So. *g* Random stuff first! Probably backwards...
- I remembered to go out last night in case the skies were clear enough to see the Perseids this year, and mostly they weren't (moon, herring clouds...), but there was also briefly a patch with just a few stars, and I saw five gorgeously bright, momentarily sparkling-trailed shooting stars!
- I have recently bought books and joined the "Library Xtra" scheme, where you get to use the library when it's closed, so I have a joyfulness of books to read in the next few days weeks. *g* I'm currently almost finished K.J. Charles' latest, Spectred Isle.
- It's the school holidays, which means I have to work with two girls both wanting attention at the same time, and without a break during A's nap
- It's the school holidays, and so my job involves finding nice places to hang out with two wee girls instead of staring at a computer for ten hours a day. *g*
- I have buggered up two weeks of the school holidays by needing a course of B12 injections. I imagined when they first mentioned them that it was one every few months - no, apparently three times a week for two weeks, then one every month. But maybe I'll get my energy properly back! (and my brain, such as it ever was...)
- Actually took some writing along to the SF/F/H writing group this month, which was quite well reviewed. I was told to get on and finish it. Maybe I really will, with the prospect of monthly feedback... *g*
- Job 2 seems to be properly finished [...and as I typed that I realised it wasn't, and that I'd forgotten to start the preparation for Job 2.2, so I went and did it, and now it's much later again. But I will post tonight!]
- Blimey, there must be much else that I can barely even remember, and it's been ages since I took photos for photo's sake, but I did take some when I went to Germany... *g*
I've not sorted them all yet, but let's see if I can manage to post my holiday as it happened, but a few weeks later. So - and you'll have heard about much of this elsewhere, but hey-ho! - let's start with the weekend I left bonny old England... *g*
It was a Friday, and I've already mentioned the whole getting-to-the-airport frenzy, followed by the your flight has been delayed anti-frenzy, so let's start up in the skies. *g*
Flying over England, and flying over Germany - such different views!
I love the jigsaw pieces of German towns and villages, among the forest.
My plane eventually made it, about two hours late, and bless milomaus for waiting all that time, and for everyone else who was disrupted by FlyBe's late arrival too. Did I mention that on the tail of all the Flybe planes is currently this slogan: Faster than rail or road? I mean - I'd really hope it was faster than road or rail, what with it being an airline and all, but on the other hand, my most recent experience has not been convincing!
German castles on the way from the airport (so familiar a view after just a couple of weeks last October), it felt a bit like coming home *g*), and on the way to the current CI5 hq - with impressive sunworks too. *g*
Sunshine at CI5 training camp hq! This was pretty much the only photo I managed to take on Friday night, having been awake since 3.30am to catch my flight!
Saturday was a different story, though! There was a fabric shop, where there might have been indulgent fabric-buying, and there was chatting and looking at Pros zines, and generally hanging out with this crowd... *g*
There was also a game of stories, involving a dartboard, some suggestive words (some very suggestive *g*) word prompts, and the writing of Pros fic based on the numbers/words you hit. Fab idea - and doing it outside under summer sunshine didn't hurt either!
A couple of additions to the agents gathered - what was Rainlet Bodie up to?
Ah, of course... *g*
And there was, of course, some ep watching - always fun with other people, even when we're all just being quiet and watching happily. *g* On Friday we watched Weekend in the Country and on Saturday we had a surprise Pros quiz from the ep (and I swear we usually see Bodie running up the stairs three at a time - but it wasn't on there! And I've not checked yet... job for tomorrow!) and then later we watched Takeaway. *happy sigh*
Sunday - and we started the same way as we did on Saturday, with what I think is an excellent German tradition - Frühstück! Okay, that's basically breakfast, but sitting down at a table, with food laid out and there to eat with friends - very nice! And did I mention very delicious breakfast? *g* I am also additionally chuffed to have had Frühstück, because of course that's what the Chalet School girls had in all the books! And oh for people visiting the Bäckerei for fresh bread rolls first thing in the morning - so delicious (and so much missed over here - bloody supermarkets...)
This breakfast had added bacon - German style. Growing up in Australia, bacon was either streaky, or if mum and dad were splashing out, smoked back bacon. In the UK it's usually back bacon, and commonly excellent in sandwiches with tomato sauce. In Germany (at least this part!), it's more finely sliced, I think, and somehow even more tasty for it. Anyway - yum... (And yeah, I don't think I mentioned, but after many years of being vegetarian for the third time, I've gone back to eating meat again - though organic when possible. There's been a whole thing about low iron, and various low vitamins, and I figured eating meat again might be a relatively straightforward way of getting sorted...)
The trouble with Sunday was that of course it was the day everyone had to go home... :(
On the bright side, I was borrowing someone else's home for the rest of the week, so I drove with them on German roads - where people also have BD numberplates. *g*
Through woods and villages...
Until we got home, had lunch (Milomaus and her Mr Milomaus are good at that *g*), and then went out again, driving through more villages...
...to go for a walk in the continuing sunshine. Gorgeous, it was.
Wild strawberry!
The path we went down was an old railway line, and at the end there was an old station - now a cafe, where you could sit down and enjoy a glass of wine and the sunshine, and the idea of meandering gently back along the wooded path again... *g*
On the way back there was another castle... *g* How pretty is this?
It's flats now, but you can walk carefully through and read the signs about the 12th/13th century castle (well, if you can read German... *g*) and generally wonder what it would be like to live there now. It must have amazing views, if nothing else!
It always seems odd when people's cars are parked at castles, I think! *g*
And then home we went again...
Where one of my favourite dinners was quickly put together: Mr Milomaus' special potatoes, roast veg and tomato salad - all fresh and homemade and delicious! A very nice end to the weekend - and start to my holiday. *g*
Let's see if I can post about Monday tomorrow. On Monday. And not to be too depressed about it being Monday again... *g*
How're you all doing?