curiouswombat: (notes from a small island)
curiouswombat ([personal profile] curiouswombat) wrote2010-11-21 10:38 pm

Sunday Pic Spam.

I've had a lovely weekend - busy, but really nice. Apart from the trolley-shopping yesterday, I sorted out a lot of my craft stuff and threw some stuff out, found and printed out words for the Advent candles in church because - meep! next Sunday is the first in Advent, then I put some of the children's work from Sunday School last week together into booklets for them, did some washing, cleaned the kitchen - all very domesticated.

Then, today, after church there was a quick trip to M&S, then to the garden centre (including a roast pork and apple bap for lunch), an afternoon making cards, reading, doing some beta-ing (a pleasure when it is well written and easy to read!), cooking stir fry turkey with veg and rice noodles... more reading.

I was just uploading the pictures for this post when D-d rang and we gossiped for over a hour (hence time of posting). One or two of you might recognise that the one thing not mentioned there is... writing. I am writing the current thing, slowly, just... not so far this weekend!

Under the cut for this week is a picture of a seat surely made for the Rohirrim, a rather softly pink sunset, and a picture of one of the things I have done over the weekend - for the pictures

Isn't this wonderful? It was at the Garden centre - I spotted it whilst eating in the Garden Centre conservatory;

Seat for Rohan

Now some pictures taken on Friday afternoon at Ballaugh Old Church - where I sat in the car and, using our new computerised notes and 3G technology, wrote up the notes of the patients I had just seen.

The high winds over much of the past week have brought down a number of branches -

Old Ballaugh Church 1

This is the 'back view' of the old church-

Old Ballaugh Church 2

As you can see it is very simply built of local stone. Here is a close-up of that weather vane, with the date on it -

Old Ballaugh Church 3

That isn't the year the church was built, though - 1717 was just the year it had major renovation work done and a new front porch added.... The sundial beside the stile into the churchyard is more modern -

Old Ballaugh Church 4

The inscription tells us that it is "The gift of Thos. Moughton, 1813".

Inside the church looks very like all our other small parish churches, to be honest -


Old Ballaugh Church 5

Complete with the almost obligatory thousand year old carved stone -

Old Ballaugh Church  6

This one tells us that "Thorlaf, the son of Thorjolf erected this cross to his son Olave." Possibly even more interesting, if you are getting blasé about ancient crosses, is what you can see behind it - that is a stone font set into the window sill, with a carved stone cover. I don't think I've ever seen another one quite like it.

By the time I got back outside the sun was setting with soft shades of pink -

Sunset from Ballaugh Old Church.


Sunset from Ballaugh Old Church

The last couple of pictures were taken late this afternoon, they show that I have got some of my Christmas cards made -and that they are quite simple this year (I remember saying that last year, too!), and that I was all nice and cosy as I didn't put the light on when I sat to drink my coffee and read the story I was beta-ing, but lit some candles just because I like them... the beauty of modern day on-screen reading - you can do it by very old fashioned lighting!

Cards


Candles

Now - perhaps I should write another scene...

[identity profile] clodia-metelli.livejournal.com 2010-11-21 10:41 pm (UTC)(link)
That's wonderful -- I love the bench, and the carved cross, and the sunset skies. Glad you had a good weekend!

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2010-11-21 11:04 pm (UTC)(link)
That bench is so neat. I was quite tempted - apart from not actually having anywhere to put it...

A good potion of this evening has actually been taken up with reading "Mirror on a Midnight House" - which was a wonderful distraction from the angsty elf who keep poking me to write about his tribulations!

[identity profile] clodia-metelli.livejournal.com 2010-11-21 11:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Really??? If I panic and stress how long ago I wrote that, will you think less of me? It's on my list of things to rewrite -- well, once I've written maybe half the things on the list of things TO write...

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2010-11-21 11:56 pm (UTC)(link)
I think it stands up pretty well. Although I find whenever I go back to something I wrote myself I always get the urge to unravel bits of it and re-knit them.

[identity profile] clodia-metelli.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 12:06 am (UTC)(link)
That's reassuring, thank you! I get that for most things written more than a couple of years ago; but that story especially, because I know there's a lot that needs doing to it. It's only up because someone else asked for it after I'd posted Dea ex Arce.

[identity profile] azalaisdep.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 12:48 am (UTC)(link)
But we loves angsty elves, preciousss, we doessss...

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 08:33 am (UTC)(link)
I wrote 2 paragraphs... and worked out, in my head, the next few...

[identity profile] azalaisdep.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 01:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Sometimes when it isn't flowing a paragraph or two is all that will come, isn't it? I do find though, like you, that if I can't get it down word-for-word, just roughing out what I want to happen, or want to say, is a start...

[identity profile] petzipellepingo.livejournal.com 2010-11-21 10:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Under the cut for this week is a picture of a seat surely made for the Rohirrim, a rather softly pink sunset, and a picture of one of the things I have done over the weekend - for the pictures

Isn't this wonderful? It was at the Garden centre - I spotted it whilst eating in the Garden Centre conservatory;

That must have taken an enormous amount of time to create anything that lovely.

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2010-11-21 11:06 pm (UTC)(link)
It's lovely isn't it? It was made by a local woodcarver who also does owls and things to sit around in the garden - but the bench is wonderful.

[identity profile] nutmeg3.livejournal.com 2010-11-21 10:56 pm (UTC)(link)
I want that bench, and I'm not kidding. If I could afford to ship it here (well, and buy it, of course), I would. Gorgeous sunset, too. And...what is an apple bap? Or is a roast pork and apple bap all one thing?

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2010-11-21 11:08 pm (UTC)(link)
I was quite tempted by the bench - but then I wouldn't have anywhere to put it...

Lunch was a bap (soft bread bun) filled with slices of roast pork and apple sauce. It is a speciality of the Garden Centre caterers and one of my very favourite lunches-out.

[identity profile] nutmeg3.livejournal.com 2010-11-21 11:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Oooh, that sounds yummy! No pork in the house, but maybe I'll have some apple sauce with whatever (Lean Cuisine) I decide to make for dinner.

[identity profile] slaymesoftly.livejournal.com 2010-11-21 11:01 pm (UTC)(link)
As usual, lovely and interesting pics. :)

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2010-11-21 11:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you - it is a pleasure to share them.
shirebound: (Default)

[personal profile] shirebound 2010-11-21 11:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Beautiful cards. And that is definitely a Rohirric bench!

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2010-11-21 11:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you - and I just expected Éowyn to come out and sit on the bench even as I looked out of the window.

[identity profile] azalaisdep.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 12:47 am (UTC)(link)
What a gorgeous Celtic cross. And I love the idea of you beta-ing by candlelight! :-)

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 08:38 am (UTC)(link)
We have quite a lot of carved crosses from the tenth and eleventh century - and they are, on the whole, in the parish churches not in the museums. When I was younger many of them were still outdoors, but they are now, quite sensibly, indoors.

And I love the idea of you beta-ing by candlelight!

It's the only way... :~)

[identity profile] zanthinegirl.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 12:58 am (UTC)(link)
I love the carved crosses; I refuse to become blaise about them! They fascinate me; particularly thinking that descendants of Thorlaf (et al) might still worship at that same parish church. It's a connection that keeps going, and I'm intrigued!

And your dinner sounds wonderful. I'm just warming up some leftover enchiladas.

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 08:44 am (UTC)(link)
The crosses fascinate me, too. And yes, it is very possible that Thorlaf's descendants are still living in the parish. The Celtic way of putting 'mac' in front of a name to show descendancy was used here - so Thorlaf's descendants might have become MacThorlaf. Here the Mac was quickly reduced to just C -and 'CTh' is awkward, so the 'Th' was lost - so Corlaf - and pronunciations change over hundreds of years... there are a lot of Corletts in that area.

[identity profile] empresspatti.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 01:41 am (UTC)(link)
Your weekend sounds lovely - and you know I love your Sunday picspam.

Are you making all your Christmas cards?

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 08:46 am (UTC)(link)
It was a nice weekend. As for the cards, I don't make all of them, but a good few.
jerusha: (Default)

[personal profile] jerusha 2010-11-22 02:26 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, that sky! It's beautiful!

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 08:49 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you. I really like our soft pink sunsets at this time of year.

[identity profile] bogwitch.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 08:45 am (UTC)(link)
It's a good thing that bench is so big because I think I need it. It won't fit in my flat though.,,

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 08:50 am (UTC)(link)
I was very taken with it - but it wouldn't really fit into either our wee terrace house of the equally wee back yard...

[identity profile] ozma914.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 08:55 am (UTC)(link)
I have to say, at this point I'd love to have a weekend that's nice *without* being busy! But still -- what a beautiful, um, horse chair!

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 01:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Lazy weekends are the very best sort of all...

The horse bench is so neat - I was quite tempted!

[identity profile] bojojoti.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 09:26 am (UTC)(link)
I admire that you make your cards. Once again, we are opting (me grudgingly) to forego Christmas decorating again this year. The big tree and all the ornaments will be missed. I told my husband that when I'm denied my tree, I expect a vacation, as he set the precedent last year! That's not to be this year though. Instead, we are still working with my MIL's things. There will be an auction next week. There's lots of stuff but very little of any value, now that the family has all had their pick through. I'll be glad to have that done with. I still have boxes and boxes of paperwork and photos to go through, but I have those stored in the basement, and I may just die before I get around to that task, except that I hate to leave all that for the children.

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 05:19 pm (UTC)(link)
we are opting (me grudgingly) to forego Christmas decorating

Oh no - I know how much you love decorating; I hope you have your house back to yourselves by next Christmas.

I actually enjoy making the cards - but I do buy some, too.

[identity profile] lindahoyland.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 09:41 am (UTC)(link)
Love the sunsets and the horse bench. Your cards are very pretty.

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 05:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you. I like the soft pink sunsets - the summer orange ones can be spectacular, but the pink is prettier.

[identity profile] wormwood-7.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 10:43 am (UTC)(link)
I love that cross with its Norse names. And I like the thought of reading from the screen in candle-light. Must try it.
Thanks for sharing :)

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 05:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Tolkien fanfic by candle-light works very well, I find! I do love our stone crosses - they are a lovely link to the past.

[identity profile] inzilbeth-liz.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 12:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Your photos are very hauntingly beautiful this week though my favourite has to be the horse bench!

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 05:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Perhaps I should drop the carver a note suggesting he makes more and exports them!

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 05:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you. That horse bench is so unusual, isn't it? I'd never seen anything quite like it.

[identity profile] spikereader.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 05:03 pm (UTC)(link)
The horse bench is marvellous, and the sunset beautiful. I love all your lighted candles too, very pretty candleholders.

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 05:27 pm (UTC)(link)
That bench is just the thing for the garden of little girls who are into horses, I thought. I really like those glass and mirror candle holders on either side of the clock - and they actually do give off quite a bit of light.

[identity profile] estelcontar1.livejournal.com 2010-11-22 08:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Lovely pictures. Gorgeous sunset. And I just loved that carved stone.

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2010-11-23 08:24 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you. We have a lot of ancient stone crosses here on our island and the way that they have survived for a thousand years or more always fascinates me.

[identity profile] cairistiona7.livejournal.com 2010-11-23 02:35 am (UTC)(link)
Beautiful as always... and I wants that bench, preciousssssss!!

[identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com 2010-11-23 08:26 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you. The bench is wonderful - I had never seen anything quite like it before.