The Way of the Wombat

When discussing stormwreath's all penguin AU Silmarillion I mentioned that there was also a butterfly AU for Buffy, (and a fairy Spike, if I remember rightly!). I said I thought fluttery, butterfly, elves might be a bit too much. Then I remembered a picture I took a little over a year ago...

I took this picture at an exhibition about theatre and film costume. It is actually a design for Oberon's costume in A Midsummer's Night Dream - circa 1900 or so I think.

But the main reason I took the photo is because, I fear, it does look a little like Orlando Bloom's Legolas... dressed as a butterfly and sucking a lemon!

Well - it's one post - but two contrasting themes. There are some fascinating (well I think so) church pictures from York - and some of the garden.

Both two weeks ago, when I was still in York, and today at home, the temperature is pleasantly warm and sunny. Probably about 20C, which I know sounds cold to friends in California - but it's a pleasant summer temperature for me. I mention this because D-d is in Buenos Aires where the temperature had dipped down to zero at night... She's having a lovely time though - a mix of museums, maté, and nights out.

I must share her description of maté - it is a bit like a herbal tea but looks, smells and probably tastes a lot like cat-nip.

Any way - the pictures. I have passed St Martin's church in York so many times - it is on one of the main shopping streets. This time I stopped to look properly. The church was called St Martin the Grand - now knowing that there are beautiful medieval churches on almost every corner in the old city of York, you might expect this to be a very impressive church indeed. It is - but not in the way it used to be. The oldest parts of the building date back to the eleventh century although much of it was a little more recent - being fifteenth century. But almost all of it was destroyed in one of the Baedecker air-raids in 1942 leaving only the fifteenth century Tower and the South aisle.

Some churches so badly damaged have been rebuilt, others were demolished. St Martin's was restored so that that tower and aisle became the entirety of the church.

( photos of this, and a few of the garden, are under here )

One thing that I promised myself I would do on the short visit to York to pick up D-d’s possessions was to visit the current exhibition at Barley Hall - Hamlet to Hollywood – a history of fashion from film.

D-d also wanted to see it – and so we went together on Monday and had plenty of time to look at everything with very few other people around.

I took a lot of pictures – if you are interested in history, film/TV, Colin Firth or costume generally (looking at gillo, kortirion and ningloreth amongst others) then do click for ( a rather heavy picture post )

Ha! Even more about our train trip - well it was a big event, and a long day!

Finally the train was able to start back south - we were so happy to get back into our seats - look at how happy I was...



And how welcome to see this -



Because by 8PM I was well ready for my

( dinner... )

Greetings from wet and windy York. I came over on Sunday, and brought D-d back after her half-term week at home, so I’ve had a couple of days to do some Christmas shopping, and hang out with my daughter, very restful.

Tomorrow, however, the excitement happens! I leave here on a train about 10.30 in the morning to go to London – arrive about 12.30 and go to a hotel just off Oxford Street, where I meet up with three colleagues from work – my ‘support team’! One of them, and I, plan a wander up and down Oxford Street, then I will toddle back to the hotel, have a wee rest, and then put on my glad-rags as it is the night of the Nursing Times Awards Dinner, at the Hilton on Park Lane.

I really don’t expect to win my class, but it will be quite an experience to go to the event. It is a dinner, the awards, and then dancing and ‘networking opportunities’ (Ugh!) till 1a.m. Then back to the hotel where we stay, grab a few hours sleep, and then the other three fly home on Thursday morning and I get a train back to York, back here to the Holiday Inn (only 500yards from D-d’s place) for another night, dinner with D-d, and then drive up to Heysham for the Friday afternoon boat home.

I really, really, hope the weather will have improved by then…

As for the posh-frock dinner… yes, there will be photos – I have even borrowed D-d’s camera as it fits into my small handbag better than mine does.

And I promise I’ll post to say how I got on.

I mentioned the other day an on-line committee meeting for WriterConUK - I am now the treasurer, but with a committee of three we all discuss everything - even how well Anthony Head is looking!

What is WriterConUK? Oddly it ISN'T exactly what it says on the tin.

It is a community on LJ writerconuk with a presence on DW and, now, also on FaceBook and Twitter.

It sprang from some UK people on LJ wishing they could get together like some of their friends did at WriterCon in the US - hence the name.

The main event organised each year is a weekend get-together, with some smaller get-togethers also organised under the WriterConUK banner.

It is not exclusively for writers... on no!

Anyone with an interest in fandom is very welcome - whether you are a writer, a beta, an artist, a vidder, a reader of fanfic - or even just someone who fancies spending a bit of time with people you've only ever met on LJ.

However, even if you aren't tempted to meet people face to face you may still find things in the Community to interest you. Because there are a good few artists as well as writers, readers, etc. there is an annual 'Banner Grab - here are this years banners - that is only the first page under that tag - click on the back button at the bottom!

Writers - do look and see if anything there temps you to write a story for it. Ther is beautiful art-work for a number of different fandoms, admittedly still a bit Buffy heavy as the origins of the community were within that fandom, but some lovely things for lots of fandoms. If you are inspired, please join the community so that you can then post a link to any story you write to go with the banner.

Also - we are building up a file of pictures to inspire stories - most certainly a multi-fandom resource - for example I wrote this Tolkien based story and brutti_ma_buoni wrote this Buffy one based on the same photo.

There will be at least one more challenge during the year...

So - the more people, with the widest possible fannish interests, we have as members the better - you can use the comm even if you are outside the UK (quite a few members are), or live in Europe or Britain but don't expect to come to the get-together.

And the annual Meeting is brilliant if you do get to it!



In other news - I am about to go off-island for a week. I am taking at least one computer, possibly two, and should get online some of the time. I go on the boat tomorrow (state of the sea = 'moderate'), drive to York, see D-d, go to a Kate Rusby concert with her (oh, and also go to afternoon tea at the York City Mansion House as part of the food-festival). Then on to stay with my friend D from Skye - aka dougalsservant in a cottage in North Yorkshire for a few days.

Picspam might be a bit late this week....

I really do think this is the last of the York picspam! I am hoping it all makes sense - you can blame typos etc on the fact that D-d and I just shared a bottle of wine over dinner! Hic!

There are a couple of pictures from the North Yorks Moors Railway, one is simply of a couple of gentlemen, taken from the station bridge in Pickering, who look like characters from Thomas the Tank Engine

( look! )

And one of the historical metal advertising sign that caught our eyes - especially S2C and D-d, who both burst out laughing before I even noticed it -

( You WILL eat your cereal... )

Also - as you may know - York Minster is one of the greatest gothic cathedrals in the world. (With one of the world's best archbishops, IMHO!) This year some of the worn or broken carvings at the roof level are to be replaced by new carvings, as part of a conservation project, which includes training new craftsmen.

The new figures are currently on display before they are put into place - after which it is unlikely that many people will ever see them again.

In keeping with the original figures, these new ones represent illnesses and tribulations of medieval life - ( Look! )

The plague doctor seems a fitting place to finish - I will spend most of tomorrow gowned up and out in the community taking swabs from people suspected of having the Swine Flu...

A few odd images from my week in York are under the cut.

One shows another of the Museum Gardens squirrels - this one fancied himself as a strongman, another is of Clifford's Tower. On the night of their Graduation Ball, D-d and some of her friends went from the ball to climb up the motte and watch the sunrise beside the keep itself (Clifford's Tower), with champagne.

The third shows suitable drinks for elves and dwarves...

( click for the pics )

I have some photos of a medieval building that reminded me of Rohan, some to show ningloreth that I am collecting stuff as research for stories, and a few others including a threatening poster for breakfast cereal!

So there will likely be a few more picture posts yet.

So - we are holidaying in York, rather than dashing here and back as a luggage delivery service!

We decided to stay in a self-catering apartment rather than a hotel - I like being able to spread out, don't mind doing the odd bit of cooking, and an upmarket apartment is actually still cheaper than a budget hotel!

The apartment is withing four or five minutes walk of the city centre, and is very,very nice - so ( here be pics )

All in all, a rather nice place to spend a week. We only have two problems - the door handles are so stiff that S2C got stuck in the toilet and was almost at 'hammering on the door' stage, and D-d managed to shut herself out last night when she had been out with friends, and had to wake us up by ringing the door bell. Secondly S2C reckons the bed is too firm - pity, because I am sleeping really well in it! Apart from those little things, I would thoroughly recommend it for a holiday home.

This is just a proud parent squee!

Daughter-dear has an unconditional offer to study post-grad Law next year at the College of Law in York - exactly what and where she wanted.

She comments that Permission to fuck up all the rest of my exams has been granted I guess!
But knowing her I don't think she is likely to start slacking... Well I hope not!

She was actually home on a flying visit at the weekend, to attend a couple of important birthday celebrations, and to say goodbye to her 'best friend since playgroup' who is going travelling for a year or two. They went out for afternoon tea, and D-d was wearing a skirt that I really love, so when she got home I took her photograph.

The only thing is that she had been walking close to the sea, and also crying at saying goodbye to Jenny, and so, when I looked properly at the picture, her beautiful skirt is all blotchy!

( Look under this cut to see what I mean. )