Picture This.
Sorry, I let LJ get away from me for a while there! First I was avoiding Lost spoilers, then FlashForward spoilers, then I was sad about both shows ending and didn't feel like being online. And then I was doing Important Craft Stuff (which I will post in another entry). So, here is an update in the guise of a picspam.
Here's a photo of Merlin and I on a fantastic walk in the Peak District, where we found...
Our first geocache! Merlin looks deceptively happy here, in truth he HATES geocaching because it is BORING and interferes with his walk. He was crying and moping so much whilst I tried to sign the logbook. Also, please note that I am wearing Ten's Converse, displayed here at a provocative angle.
I love this photo of Merlin, for some reason I was utterly convinced that he looked exactly like Sir Didymus from Labyrinth, but then I looked at a photo and realised I'd misremembered him! He does still remind me of a fox sometimes though, he's so slender. One of the last books I read was The Innkeeper's Song by Peter S. Beagle, there was a fox who could change into human form and when he was a fox his travelling companion kept him on a silver chain :). I recommended that book to an oldish guy in the library, forgetting it had a four in a bed romp and a woman, involved in said romp, who ended up actually being a man. Well...shit.
I like the idea of werefoxes though! There's this song I've been listening to called Reynardine, performed by Shirley Collins and Davy Graham. It's a traditional English ballad about a werefox, the "sly, bold, Reynardine" who attracts beautiful women to him so that he can take them away to his castle. I love it! I wanted to change my lj username to Reynardine, but someone already has it. Woe. Here's the song anyway!
♫ Reynardine - Shirley Collins & Davy Graham
Aww, he's such a cutie. Haha, I imagined I looked like Amber Lamps in those coloured tights. I even bought some huge headphones to wear. I keep meaning to take photos of them, they're truly awesome - you can customise them!
So, I never mentioned my puppyschool woes on here, but let's pretend I did, ok? Imagine I'd been moaning about it for months because believe me, in real life I actually was. All because Merlin hadn't been given a rosette in class! I don't even know, guys. I started writing a blog about it on at least five separate occasions, but never posted them because, let's face it, it's a fucking rosette and some of you are going through the toughest of times lately.
Anyway, he finally won it.
To quickly fill you in, every week the trainer would give out a rosette to the most improved dog. Now Merlin did me proud pretty much every week, but he was always overlooked. The trainer ended up giving the rosette to pups who did far less than him, dogs who weed on the floor, dogs who chewed their leads, dogs who just stood there. Merlin could sit, lie down, stay, leave, fetch, come when called...everything she'd asked for! There came a point when puppies who'd started the class after Merlin were getting the rosette and I started to think she'd forgotten about us, or that she thought we'd already received a rosette or that she just didn't like us. I found it so frustrating and upsetting (I know cry moar!). It was very hard to explain to people that it wasn't actually about the rosette (although I had already picked out a spot to hang it!), it was about the acknowledgement that I was doing OK. I'd tried so hard with his training and was so proud of him, but because I didn't have a rosette I just felt like a complete failure. I'm so insecure! Welcome to my life!
Anyway, there came a week when Merlin didn't put a foot wrong, he was spot on with everything and he finally received a rosette. I realise now that this was probably because the trainer has border collies herself and expected something more from him, she wanted a perfect run, rather than just an improvement. It wasn't very fair, but there we go. To be honest I don't really care because WE WON A ROSETTE! Wait, forget I said that. It wasn't about the rosette.
Merlin just would not pose for a photo with the rosette. He looks genuinely embarrassed. "Aww, Rebecca, do I have to?" Hahaha!
I, however, am happy to pose. I really liked this outfit so I took a photo. The conductor on the tram called me 'Miss' whilst I was wearing it :D. Also LOL at Merlin's bum. Honestly, we're hardly ever apart when I'm in the house. ♥ (This is not my room by the way!)
This next photo is utter vanity, but there's a reason for posting it. I've struggled with my skin since I was in my late teens, more so in my twenties. Last year I finally managed to convince the doctor that it was affecting my self esteem and I went on a course of 'last resort' treatment, having tried everything else. Six months later my skin was completely healed. Amazing. This is the first close-up photo that has really struck me, I didn't need to use Photoshop! I could cry. So that is why I am posting it.
:'-D
OK, some random landscape shots now.
This is the churchyard I walk Merlin through most nights. He loves it! It just looked especially pretty that evening, so I took a photo. The Church dates from 1200ish, you can hear the bells from my garden!
We went for a walk in some local woodland and saw these beautiful carvings in the trees.
I have a horrible feeling that that door might open at any moment and reveal the gentleman with the thistle-down hair.
There were so many beautiful carvings like this. I should have taken more photos.
This is the wonderfully spooky Sutton Scarsdale Hall which lies on the outskirts of my town.
We had a look around it. It's such a shame that it's fallen into ruin.
It must have been so beautiful.
The further away you get, the spookier it looks. I think it's the empty windows! We were actually following the path of a ghost walk I'd found in a book from the library. We've done loads of walks like this, but for some reason I hated this path. I had the oddest feeling. It felt like a battlefield, if you've ever visited one. No birds singing. having said that, there's a motorway very close by! But still, I didn't like it at all. OK, so I just typed in 'Sutton Scarsdale Hall' and ended up with this website. It has a couple of creepy videos taken in the cellar! D:
Across the motorway there's a ruined farm! There's a ghost story attached to that too, but it escapes me at the moment.
Oh wait! I remember, it's horrible!
Something about this guy going across the fields on a motorbike to visit his friends. He saw this old man at a gatepost wearing old fashioned leather leggings and said "hello" but received no reply. A little further on he passed another post and the same old man! With no possible way of arriving on foot before the motorbike! AHHHHHH!
So yes, this is what has happened over the past few weeks, sans Craft and TV.
I'm probably going to spam you now with a post about the Lost, FlashForward and Bones finales. In brief, obviously, as I am late to the party, but I don't want to let them pass without comment. Also, Jammie Dodgers going out this week to my three winners, sorry for the delay!
Here's a photo of Merlin and I on a fantastic walk in the Peak District, where we found...
Our first geocache! Merlin looks deceptively happy here, in truth he HATES geocaching because it is BORING and interferes with his walk. He was crying and moping so much whilst I tried to sign the logbook. Also, please note that I am wearing Ten's Converse, displayed here at a provocative angle.
I love this photo of Merlin, for some reason I was utterly convinced that he looked exactly like Sir Didymus from Labyrinth, but then I looked at a photo and realised I'd misremembered him! He does still remind me of a fox sometimes though, he's so slender. One of the last books I read was The Innkeeper's Song by Peter S. Beagle, there was a fox who could change into human form and when he was a fox his travelling companion kept him on a silver chain :). I recommended that book to an oldish guy in the library, forgetting it had a four in a bed romp and a woman, involved in said romp, who ended up actually being a man. Well...shit.
I like the idea of werefoxes though! There's this song I've been listening to called Reynardine, performed by Shirley Collins and Davy Graham. It's a traditional English ballad about a werefox, the "sly, bold, Reynardine" who attracts beautiful women to him so that he can take them away to his castle. I love it! I wanted to change my lj username to Reynardine, but someone already has it. Woe. Here's the song anyway!
♫ Reynardine - Shirley Collins & Davy Graham
Aww, he's such a cutie. Haha, I imagined I looked like Amber Lamps in those coloured tights. I even bought some huge headphones to wear. I keep meaning to take photos of them, they're truly awesome - you can customise them!
So, I never mentioned my puppyschool woes on here, but let's pretend I did, ok? Imagine I'd been moaning about it for months because believe me, in real life I actually was. All because Merlin hadn't been given a rosette in class! I don't even know, guys. I started writing a blog about it on at least five separate occasions, but never posted them because, let's face it, it's a fucking rosette and some of you are going through the toughest of times lately.
Anyway, he finally won it.
To quickly fill you in, every week the trainer would give out a rosette to the most improved dog. Now Merlin did me proud pretty much every week, but he was always overlooked. The trainer ended up giving the rosette to pups who did far less than him, dogs who weed on the floor, dogs who chewed their leads, dogs who just stood there. Merlin could sit, lie down, stay, leave, fetch, come when called...everything she'd asked for! There came a point when puppies who'd started the class after Merlin were getting the rosette and I started to think she'd forgotten about us, or that she thought we'd already received a rosette or that she just didn't like us. I found it so frustrating and upsetting (I know cry moar!). It was very hard to explain to people that it wasn't actually about the rosette (although I had already picked out a spot to hang it!), it was about the acknowledgement that I was doing OK. I'd tried so hard with his training and was so proud of him, but because I didn't have a rosette I just felt like a complete failure. I'm so insecure! Welcome to my life!
Anyway, there came a week when Merlin didn't put a foot wrong, he was spot on with everything and he finally received a rosette. I realise now that this was probably because the trainer has border collies herself and expected something more from him, she wanted a perfect run, rather than just an improvement. It wasn't very fair, but there we go. To be honest I don't really care because WE WON A ROSETTE! Wait, forget I said that. It wasn't about the rosette.
Merlin just would not pose for a photo with the rosette. He looks genuinely embarrassed. "Aww, Rebecca, do I have to?" Hahaha!
I, however, am happy to pose. I really liked this outfit so I took a photo. The conductor on the tram called me 'Miss' whilst I was wearing it :D. Also LOL at Merlin's bum. Honestly, we're hardly ever apart when I'm in the house. ♥ (This is not my room by the way!)
This next photo is utter vanity, but there's a reason for posting it. I've struggled with my skin since I was in my late teens, more so in my twenties. Last year I finally managed to convince the doctor that it was affecting my self esteem and I went on a course of 'last resort' treatment, having tried everything else. Six months later my skin was completely healed. Amazing. This is the first close-up photo that has really struck me, I didn't need to use Photoshop! I could cry. So that is why I am posting it.
:'-D
OK, some random landscape shots now.
This is the churchyard I walk Merlin through most nights. He loves it! It just looked especially pretty that evening, so I took a photo. The Church dates from 1200ish, you can hear the bells from my garden!
We went for a walk in some local woodland and saw these beautiful carvings in the trees.
I have a horrible feeling that that door might open at any moment and reveal the gentleman with the thistle-down hair.
There were so many beautiful carvings like this. I should have taken more photos.
This is the wonderfully spooky Sutton Scarsdale Hall which lies on the outskirts of my town.
We had a look around it. It's such a shame that it's fallen into ruin.
It must have been so beautiful.
The further away you get, the spookier it looks. I think it's the empty windows! We were actually following the path of a ghost walk I'd found in a book from the library. We've done loads of walks like this, but for some reason I hated this path. I had the oddest feeling. It felt like a battlefield, if you've ever visited one. No birds singing. having said that, there's a motorway very close by! But still, I didn't like it at all. OK, so I just typed in 'Sutton Scarsdale Hall' and ended up with this website. It has a couple of creepy videos taken in the cellar! D:
Across the motorway there's a ruined farm! There's a ghost story attached to that too, but it escapes me at the moment.
Oh wait! I remember, it's horrible!
Something about this guy going across the fields on a motorbike to visit his friends. He saw this old man at a gatepost wearing old fashioned leather leggings and said "hello" but received no reply. A little further on he passed another post and the same old man! With no possible way of arriving on foot before the motorbike! AHHHHHH!
So yes, this is what has happened over the past few weeks, sans Craft and TV.
I'm probably going to spam you now with a post about the Lost, FlashForward and Bones finales. In brief, obviously, as I am late to the party, but I don't want to let them pass without comment. Also, Jammie Dodgers going out this week to my three winners, sorry for the delay!