Oh what a beautiful morning. . . .
Oh what a beautiful day. Good grief, how did that happen? All the weather gods are still busy with poor old Texas* and can’t spare even a semi-demi apprentice weather god to go lightly drown Hampshire a little more? It’s been an absolutely perfect early autumn day: deliciously warm in the sun–yes, you read that right: the SUN–and chilly as soon as you’re in shade. . . . And I spent way too much of it indoors at my desk. Feh. And, indeed, literally at my desk, not the kitchen table at the mews. I realise there are, uh, as one might say deviant advantages to working at the mews: fewer distractions. Of course there’s the whole internet** as distraction, but it’s like that’s coming from a single direction and can be better defended against.*** My office is full of highly real, three dimensional piles† of STUFF, all of which beg for my attention in sad little voices.†† At the mews I probably would not have spent half an hour fighting with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds’ shop site††† not because I couldn’t but because I wouldn’t be reminded by its paper catalogue sliding off a risky pile and confronting me.‡ On the other hand, that’s one crack at Christmas out of the way.‡‡
I did escape the toils of career responsibility for a while this morning, however, by snatching up the car key and rushing out the door, calling ya boo sucks over my shoulder‡‡‡, and going to watch Jenny school Caprice over fences. After the Technicolor spectacular that was our hack last week, I was looking forward to this with perhaps slightly evil glee. Jenny was a trifle sardonic, and I said, no, no, I’m genuinely interested in watching schooling, especially rehab of older horses, the fact that in this case it’s Caprice is merely a bonus. But Caprice, after one or two of his standard jokes could be seen visibly to shake himself and mutter, oh, gods, it’s this one again, and settle down.§ And while I don’t think he’s going to make it to Hickstead§§ he did scramble over several little fences without doing even his dignity any harm–and to his credit after he knocked a pole down and discovered it was made out of Styrofoam and didn’t weigh anything he didn’t say oh, ho hum and knock them all down. It would be nice if this story had a happy ending–Liz takes a few riding lessons and her relationship with Caprice is transfigured–well, with Connie in my life I’m now in an English pony book, so why not give it a Monica Edwards chapter?
And then Jenny rode Connie, and Connie was at her most transcendent §§§ and I’m afraid after poor cobby Caprice she really did look like Horse of the Gods¤ and with all that clear golden sunlight and her long floating strides she was barely pressing the crude earth with her angelic hoofs. And a good thing too, since it’s still freaking sodden. But as I’m watching her doing her ten metre canter circles at a perfectly steady and perfectly even pace¤¤ I’m thinking, and when I ride her tomorrow and she keeps doing flying changes on me–she changes leg when you redistribute your weight, including when that’s not what you meant to be doing–we’ll know whose fault that is. Sigh. But we already know whose fault that is.
I might conceivably still have time tonight for a quick slash through my autumn plant order lists. I need to get the page count down a little.
* * *
* I hope the person who posted about relatives in Houston has now heard from them. Heard good news, I mean.
** Theoretically. At the moment I’m crashing so much I feel I ought to be able to write a tune out of it: Crash, crash, crashcrashcrash. CRASH. Crash, crash. Craaaaaaaash. Etc.
*** TAKE YOUR FINGER OFF THE ENTER KEY. NOW.
† High piles
†† The pile of homeopathic magazines I fear is about to do a Swamp Thing and stand up suddenly on two legs, dripping seminar flyers and smudgy marginal notes. In some previous era when I seemed to have more time^ I used to semi-index them, so when I wanted to know everything I could about a remedy or a condition I could look it up in one of my notebooks and find a list.^^ I’m not keeping up with this lately for some reason, and have the uneasy sensation that the sad little voice that particular pile addresses me with is getting deeper and testier.
^ Before the blog, for example
^^ Which is, aside from the information itself, indescribably satisfying to a control freak manqué like me.
††† http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/mall/departmentpage.cfm/rspb/76530/1/1/-/76530 But what I wanted is:
http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/mall/productpage.cfm/rspb/M-GNGVULTURE/86007
http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/mall/productpage.cfm/rspb/R0665/86007
Which are probably my two favourites, plus a few others, albatrosses, rare sheep, etc. The whole charity-gift thing swam into my view with Send a Cow^ about a decade ago and I think it’s totally brilliant. The whole ‘impossible-to-give-presents-to person’ vanishes without a trace. Well, no, it does leave traces. I continue, wistfully, to buy real stuff for Peter every year, hoping that something will make his face light up, as opposed to the rather more familiar hunted expression. Peter opening presents looks a lot like a hellhound threatened by a bowl of food.
‡ Sneaky beggar. I hope this doesn’t give the rest of them ideas.
‡‡ Board-games shop next. Hmmm.
‡‡‡ The hellhounds sigh deeply, and go back to sleep
§ I was telling an American friend, who is herself a professional horse person, about Jenny and Caprice. Jenny, who has been doing this for thirty years, says the problem with rehab schooling is that the horse too often learns to behave for a specific rider–ie the trainer–and then reverts on contact with the owner. My friend said, yes, this is why I prefer to school riders.
§§ http://www.hickstead.co.uk/
§§§ And no, I didn’t bring the camera
¤ Some nice gods. Not the weather gods. Goddesses, then.
¤¤ I can do like a slightly lumpy fifteen metre circle on a good day
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****** the problem with rehab schooling is that the horse too often learns to behave for a specific rider
It’s the same with dogs so I tear my hair out when people send dogs away for a “quick fix” – usually the family are the problem, and no one’s fixed them… altho sometimes I’d like to (stomps off, muttering darkly)
****** I can do like a slightly lumpy fifteen metre circle on a good day
like the difference between porridge & silk – yes, now how do I know this? :)
Hi there again anon :)
usually the family are the problem, and no one’s fixed them
************ Slightly hollow LOL
like the difference between porridge & silk – yes, now how do I know this?
************ VERY LOL.
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****** I can do like a slightly lumpy fifteen metre circle on a good day
like the difference between porridge & silk – yes, now how do I know this? :)
This is southdowner – (whispers – I think I’ve sorted the name problem now)
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(whispers – I think I’ve sorted the name problem now
********** whispers back: uh huh. :)
**usually the family are the problem, and no one’s fixed them… **
Yeah. Sounds like the parents of some of the kids around here. *sigh*
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We had a typical spring day yesterday. Sun. Showers. Hail. Wind. And now the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing and the grass is green.
My office is full of highly real, three dimensional piles† of STUFF, all of which beg for my attention in sad little voices.
Oh. Yours too? ::sigh::
There are these *things* called filing cabinets. I *know* I should be better acquainted with mine. But. Oh wait… I’m reading blogs…. feeding lambs….
They’re *my* excuses and I’m sticking to them. ;)
I *used* to have filing cabinets. . . .
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I *used* to have filing cabinets. . . .
Piles are kind of like filing cabinets. I always know *which pile* things are in. ;) hehe
Saw this sign at someone’s work station quite a few years ago: “If a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, what is an empty desk the sign of?” This is my excuse. :) I refer to piles as the flat-surface method of filing, and I have to say I use that method quite a lot.
LOL!!!! Thank you! (Flat-surface filing! YESSSS!)
****** I refer to piles as the flat-surface method of filing,
I’ve also heard it called the volcano filing method, where necessary items stay at the furnace of activity (centre) while unnecessary items slowly slide off the desk into oblivion. A system I’ve had no reason to change in years lol
ROTFL!!!!!!
There’s also the Avalanche Method. This involves faith in karma. Then you just pick up the thing at your feet and do it. :)
I think some collective photographs of piles is necessitated here. As soon as I have a moment (probably over the weekend) I will commence. This will ensure nobody else can possibly be embarrassed. I will stake the macho claim: mine are bigger and more than anybody else’s. No I will not photograph the basement storeroom. Even I will not expose myself to that.
LOL! What a brilliant idea! Okay, future blog post will be of Dangerous Piles. . . . (I admit that the alternate definition of ‘piles’ is trying to, ahem, butt into the conversation, but we will IGNORE IT.)
You’ve just reminded me of a wonderful fridge magnet one of my friends has – ” organised people are just too lazy to look for things” – I’m planning on adopting this as a motto…;-)
OH GODS. I WANT ONE OF THOSE. Find out where she got it . . . pleeeeeeeease. :)
This is suggestive of the lazy-susan method of bill-paying, immortalized a half century ago (!) on I Love Lucy.
Sorry, what are we talking about? The Avalanche Method?
The sign over my desk says “If I was organised I’d be dangerous”
The one next to it has a rabbit, with his head in his paws, saying “How much more of this can I take?”
I want one of those signs too. :)
****Sorry, what are we talking about? The Avalanche Method?****
Yes, this is what called the lazy-susan bill-paying method to mind.
Yes. I don’t remember the Lucy version but I can guess. :)
But the filing cabinets won’t open, because of the stacks in front of them.
The fire marshal, who seems to feel that books & papers should be banned from offices, has made Threatening Noises. But perhaps she will be caught in an avalanche….
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“Oh what a beautiful day. ”
So happy for you. And you seem to have filled it to capacity too!
The pile of homeopathic magazines I fear is about to do a Swamp Thing and stand up suddenly on two legs, dripping seminar flyers and smudgy marginal notes.
And in a deep, groaning voice it would bellow ARNICCAAAAAAA….. ARNICCAAAAAAAAA……. :)
Hooting, wailing, and ROTFL!!
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all of which beg for my attention in sad little voices.
Oooh… you might want to get that checked out. ;)
Sounds like a lovely day. I’m sorry you missed it! At least you had the horses.
Oooh… you might want to get that checked out. ;)
********** I’d love to check it OUT. I need a SECRETARY. :)
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********** I’d love to check it OUT. I need a SECRETARY. :)
Or you need to cultivate a librarian. I compulsively organize my friends. And cataloging catalogs? I’d be in heaven…all those glossies in tidy little princeton files–labeled and annotated.
You’d think I could organize myself, but that’s a non-starter and I *do* live in a small house…
And cataloging catalogs? I’d be in heaven…
********* And you live where–? :)
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LOL.
Philadelphia. You’d have to MAIL me boxes of stuff to sort through. ;)
Ah, well, worth a try. :)
And cataloging catalogs? I’d be in heaven…
********* And you live where–? :)
Ooh Librarian–if you’re in the States then I dibs you first! :)
ARM WRESTLE YOU FOR HER. :)
Flat filing is all too familiar here, too. I’m closest to Lusty Librarian – I’m in Philadelphia, too! (Three way arm wrestle coming up? Dealing with collapsing flat files is good practice for that!)
Well, you win then. NO GLOATING. :)
Black Bear, I’m think I’m still in the wrong neck of the woods for you. Or is it just my imagination that I think you’re western.
But still, organizing other peoples stuff would be a nice break from teaching computer skills to folks that are afraid of mouses.
Move to England and you can do BOTH in Hampshire. :)
I love these early autumn days. I am in northern Utah, not NM, and though the weather is still warm the mountain side is beginning to flame.
My copy of Chalice shipped today! Hooray!
Emily in NM
****** I continue, wistfully, to buy real stuff for Peter every year, hoping that something will make his face light up, as opposed to the rather more familiar hunted expression.
If it’s not rude to ask, why does Peter get a hunted expression when faced with presents?
HOW DO I KNOW? YOU’RE THE BRIT. *YOU* TELL *ME*.
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****** HOW DO I KNOW? YOU’RE THE BRIT. *YOU* TELL *ME*.
Aarrgghh! Sorry!
I LOVE presents – CHALICE in the post is my birthday present :) :) :) YIPPEEEEEEE!!! so not sure why Peter is feeling hunted…
Perhaps the pressure of having to look suitably ecstatic when being given gifts like hand knitted socks designed from a Tom Baker/Dr Who scarf pattern by an elderly colour blind aunt might account for it?
CHALICE in the post is my birthday present
******** Oh good. :) In Peter’s defense he is a GREAT booster of McKinley books. :)
speaking of Christmas shopping…
i know it’s a bit late, but i wanted to thank you enormously for those board games posts last week. and for reminding me today to go back and actually buy them (inspired by your own shopping) while i still have my mind on it. i now have all my gifts worked out (and with a large family, that’s quite a feat!) due to Iron Dragon and Kill Dr. Lucky.
i never thought of my family as board games mad…mostly just games, period. for instance, all five of us kids (and we’re under 25, so we count as kids) know how to play bridge, and we have speed-Monopoly marathons every Christmas. i can just see these new ones pushing us over the edge into real craziness. it sounds like a lovely holiday already.
best!
LOL!
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one last thought, now that i’ve been back and read all of the comments on the games posts.
By Jove is an greek mythological take on monopoly with a few twists…one of the few museum-bought games that we really took to. may not be in print anymore, but it was fun!
also, i = so jealous that others in america already have their copies of Chalice…
“I hope the person who posted about relatives in Houston has now heard from them. Heard good news, I mean.”
That would be me.
Yes, I’ve heard from the nearest and dearest… my father and three grandmothers still don’t have water or electricity. It’s a complete disaster, but no one I know has property damage, thank deities. Houston’s playing it pretty cool, considering they just today got ANY federal relief and it will take weeks to get all of the millions of people in the area power and running water. No looting so far. The streetlights are all off, and many of the streets are blocked by falling trees; lines for what fuel is available go on literally as far as the eye can see. But you were right to worry about Galveston…it’s unlivable. They’re not letting anyone back in, and no one who left even knows if their house is still standing.
Sorry to be kind of a downer after such a light-hearted post—the weather here in Austin has actually been great too!
Sorry to be kind of a downer after such a light-hearted post
********* Not at all. I seem to have more or less unconsciously chosen to stay with the lighthearted and goofy–getting all solemn and earnest and caring seems (to or anyway from me) mostly pretty pretentious outside either your own circle or practical efforts like money for the Red Cross–that doesn’t mean I’m not THINKING about the other stuff, and would like to know. (Or, for example, that I’m *not* in despair at the prospect of four years of Sarah Palin.)
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****(Or, for example, that I’m *not* in despair at the prospect of four years of Sarah Palin.)****
I would say that words fail me, except that I could go on for a LONG TIME (and do, talking at the radio). Where do they find these women?? It appalls me to think that anyone who supported Hillary could support Palin just because she is female.
YES! YES! YES! YES! –howl of despair–
****The whole charity-gift thing swam into my view with Send a Cow^ about a decade ago and I think it’s totally brilliant.****
We’ve been doing this for some years now amongst family and friends, and you’re right, it IS brilliant. All of us have plenty of stuff, so are much happier supporting favorite causes. And from the selfish standpoint, it makes Christmas shopping a snap.
****I continue, wistfully, to buy real stuff for Peter every year****
My husband is TERRIBLE to shop for. I sympathize with the wistfulness.
****It’s been an absolutely perfect early autumn day****
Yes, same here, after a couple of days of very welcome rain. The sumac is turning and I noticed a few changing leaves on my red maple. (I will take some pictures–hopefully will be here when the red maple is at its best–and remind you of New England autumns.) And there is a glorious full moon tonight. Equinox just around the corner . . .
Today has been HORRIBLE and GREY. Drizzly without the drizzle.
I’m glad there are a few other husbands out there like Peter. I’d've been seriously embarrassed if ALL of you just sort of LOOKED at me. :) In my acquaintance the impossible to buy for husband is not unusual.
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Heh. I was thinking about this after your blog post and wondering if I should start a Gifts for Difficult Husbands site.
LOL! Do it!
*****Connie was at her most transcendent and I’m afraid after poor cobby Caprice she really did look like Horse of the Gods and with all that clear golden sunlight and her long floating strides she was barely pressing the crude earth with her angelic hoofs. And a good thing too, since it’s still freaking sodden.*****
The contrast between those two sentences tickled me to death. ROTFL. :-)
*****I continue, wistfully, to buy real stuff for Peter every year, hoping that something will make his face light up, as opposed to the rather more familiar hunted expression.*****
Sigh. I married one of those too. Actually, he liked the opening of the presents, but never liked what he found inside. I finally gave up and decided that we wouldn’t do presents at all anymore. Now he misses it. I consider it the greatest thing I ever did for myself; holidays are totally carefree — no shopping, no cooking, no decorating — just a dinner out (at his insistence; I could do without that too) and enjoying all the colored lights.
Judith
LOL! No, we struggle on. Peter is not quite as hard a case as your husband, evidently: occasionally his face DOES light up and I get all excited . . . :)
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Enjoy your sun — and I hope you have a wonderful ride with Connie.
I stopped into the bookstore today just to make sure Chalice was ordered and on its way. They said yes. They had several coming. (!!!! This is backwater Australia!!!)
:)
Backwaters are good places for reading. :)
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Yay for Send-a-Cow; my sister-in-law and her husband have been seriously involved with this, and have made several visits to Malawi and places like that to see where their cows have gone!
The Weather Gods are still busy with poor old Texas
Hah. not all of it, actually. I’m in austin and we are having, quite suddenly, gorgeous early fall weather. I suspect we will have to pay for this later, when one of the Lords of Karma notices what we’re getting away with and sends us a month of grey-drippiness weather to balance it out, but at the moment they’re distracted by houston so we’re living it up. ;)
First–drat! Now I want a baby vulture! Them’s adorable, them is. Daaawww.
Secondly, RE: games
This is the very long post on games I like and I’m hoping the third time is the charm in posting. I’m sure I keep leaving things out and I put things more stupidly every time I try writing it again.
I am not a fan of games of strategy—my mind doesn’t work that way and during slow times (most of the game, really) I find myself thinking, “You know, I could be READING right now.” Settlers of Cattan, for example, swept through my friends with the force of a thousand tornados. When made to participate, I tended to do things like trade everything for sheep cards and create in my mind a town entirely populated by an all-sheep dance troupe. I was usually overrun and never won. They stopped making me after awhile.
I prefer games that require random knowledge of trivia or understanding of the psyche and personality of my fellow players. I kick butt at those games and they move much more quickly. Games like Trivial Pursuit, Balderdash, Taboo, etc. I like interaction. (I also REALLY like to win, but that’s neither here nor there…mostly).
Here are a couple of my all-time favs:
-Cranium: combines trivia and charades (for you!) and word play and the loosest artistic ability. It’s brilliant and because there’s a wild option, I can win by breezing through the wordplay category. And because one plays with teams (two or more), I can foist the bits I’m not as good at on other people who are. Everybody wins!
-Loaded Questions: Fascinating game. Often falls under the category “ice breaker” but I prefer playing it with people I know fairly well. One person asks one of the six questions on each card (“If you had to kill one person in the world, who would it be?” “What do you not eat enough of?” “Name the best quality of the person on your right?”) and then has to guess who answered what. And the idea is not so much for the you to guess right (although you get points for that), but for the person to guess your answer correctly. If they pick your answer as yours, you get to move up. You can win without ever guessing correctly yourself. (This is a very confusing explanation).
Two other games I find weirdly addicting are dominoes (which I only learned to play two years ago) and Pass the Pigs (the only game I never, ever win–not being a gambler–but still enjoy). Which you’ll find here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pass_the_Pigs
Man, I hope this works.
Alrighty, so I’ve been one of those mousy little readers of your blog that you probably see in those little hit numbers but not on the comments page.
Not any more! Yes, that’s right, I’ve screwed up my courage and I’m writing. To you. Possibly my favorite(est) writer since ever (whom I’m read since I was old enough to wrap my chubby fingers around a library card. Mind, this isn’t saying much as I’m only 17, but still.)
At any rate, I just wanted to say that I’m SOOO exceited that Chalice has come out! WHEEE! Yes, absolute next best thing to Sunshine 2 (hint-hintedy-hint-hint)
And, I have to say, I have this strange and terrible desire to meet some bells.
Sunshine 2 (hint-hintedy-hint-hint)
******** I’m sorry, but if you’ve been paying attention, you should know this is not a good joke.
But I applaud your desire to meet bells. :)
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You know what? Forget it. WordPress hates me.
Yesterday I tried one. more. time. to post about games. Same post every time (well, I had to recreate it, so not the SAMEsame, but you know). I even started by cooing excitedly over the adorable baby vultures.
Aaaaand, nothin’. Apparently wordpress hates my games. Fine. Whatever. *pout*
“By Jove” sounds cool, though. And in case my other post from last night doesn’t come through either, I like the new website. Is pretty.
Email me. And *I’ll* post the beggar.
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>>Email me. And *I’ll* post the beggar.
Great minds, and all that…I emailed you the games post early yesterday in one last attempt to share. (For your own edification [heh], though feel free to publish it if you think it has merit). If it didn’t come through, let me know. It’s entirely possible that, even though I switched hotmail to the plain text version, it still wonked something up and it was automatically deleted.
Though honestly, it wasn’t THAT important or interesting. Just alternatives to strategic society building, war having games is all.
Yep. Got it. Next couple of days are kind of hairy, but I’ll post it soon. . . . thanks!
I just wanted to say that I had an orange and cranberry muffin from breakfast this morning from a local family owned bakery in honor finishing my fifth re-reading of “Sunshine”. Couldn’t you write a book about someone who steams vegetables for a living instead? Or better yet, why don’t I take up sword fighting or horse riding instead of muffin eating? (Answer: Swords, teachers, and horses don’t cost $1.50.) The muffin was phenomenal. I’m glad to hear Hampshire has finally become sunny!
Snork! I’ll work on the vegetable-steaming scenario. . . .
The sun didn’t last. Sigh.
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