CakeFail
Jan. 11th, 2026 23:38![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ludyToday I attempted to make (bake? I’m not sure if that’s the right verb) a cake in the pressure cooker. I’m intrigued by the concept but unsure what to expect the results to be like. How much will the texture be different to oven baking? Will it be more like a steamed sponge pudding? Will I like it?
I’m still really not sure because the cake failed for non-pressure-cooker reasons. I used a new-to-me-brand of almond extract and it is obviously considerably stronger than the brand the recipe-book writer uses. A teaspoon was way too much and I now have pretty much the cake-shaped version of those room scenting wax-chips rather than something you’d want to eat…
(It was at least a sweet almond extract rather than anything too cyanide-y)
I’m still really not sure because the cake failed for non-pressure-cooker reasons. I used a new-to-me-brand of almond extract and it is obviously considerably stronger than the brand the recipe-book writer uses. A teaspoon was way too much and I now have pretty much the cake-shaped version of those room scenting wax-chips rather than something you’d want to eat…
(It was at least a sweet almond extract rather than anything too cyanide-y)
(no subject)
Jan. 11th, 2026 18:44majuOn weekends I tend to do nothing much while the family life swirls around me; the girls come and go to sit with me in my basement (and use my phone), and I go upstairs for a while here and there. Today I used my rebounder for about 45 minutes; the girls were down here with me for some of that time looking at videos on my phone. After lunch all the girls went to Violet's Scout group meeting (taken by their father) to play kickball, so my daughter and I had some quiet time at home while they were gone. After they came back the older two went to a neighbour's to spend time with the two daughters who are about their age, while Aria watched Bluey, which I half watched while reading. Around 5 pm Aria went to her Scout meeting with her mother.
Now Violet and Eden are down here in the basement with me again, having a rollerskating party accompanied by Taylor Swift playing on my computer. If they haven't got bored and left before 7 pm, I will send them upstairs at that time as we have an agreement that 7 pm is the cutoff time for being down here with me. (After I wrote that their father came down to tell me he has to run to the store, and since my daughter and Aria aren't back yet I won't be able to send the girls upstairs if at 7 if neither of their parents is back yet.)
All three girls have had a habit of running across the room and flinging themselves onto my bed. I don't like it but I've been tolerating it, until this week. Suddenly the bed starting making a sort of clanking sound sometimes when I changed position while sitting on it or lying in it. I checked the slats as well as I could without dismantling the bed and they seemed fine, but yesterday evening it made an alarmingly loud noise so I got down onto the floor to peer under the bed and saw that there is a supporting leg right in the middle and it had somehow worked loose, was bent at an angle, and wasn't really supporting anything any more. I told my son in law, who came down with some tools and tried to tighten the bolt holding it in place, but it was so bent that the screw couldn't grip. He resorted to hammering the leg as straight as he could get it and tightening the bolt as much as he could and the bed is no longer making that clanking noise, but I don't entirely trust the leg to keep supporting the middle of the bed.
After I'd put the bed and bedding back together I had the idea to search online (on Amazon of course) for replacement supporting legs for beds and discovered that there are many types available. I found some that should work as extra support if we place one on each side of the existing damaged one, so I ordered a pair and they should be here tomorrow. I've been on beds before when they've collapsed and I don't really want to repeat the experience.
Now Violet and Eden are down here in the basement with me again, having a rollerskating party accompanied by Taylor Swift playing on my computer. If they haven't got bored and left before 7 pm, I will send them upstairs at that time as we have an agreement that 7 pm is the cutoff time for being down here with me. (After I wrote that their father came down to tell me he has to run to the store, and since my daughter and Aria aren't back yet I won't be able to send the girls upstairs if at 7 if neither of their parents is back yet.)
All three girls have had a habit of running across the room and flinging themselves onto my bed. I don't like it but I've been tolerating it, until this week. Suddenly the bed starting making a sort of clanking sound sometimes when I changed position while sitting on it or lying in it. I checked the slats as well as I could without dismantling the bed and they seemed fine, but yesterday evening it made an alarmingly loud noise so I got down onto the floor to peer under the bed and saw that there is a supporting leg right in the middle and it had somehow worked loose, was bent at an angle, and wasn't really supporting anything any more. I told my son in law, who came down with some tools and tried to tighten the bolt holding it in place, but it was so bent that the screw couldn't grip. He resorted to hammering the leg as straight as he could get it and tightening the bolt as much as he could and the bed is no longer making that clanking noise, but I don't entirely trust the leg to keep supporting the middle of the bed.
After I'd put the bed and bedding back together I had the idea to search online (on Amazon of course) for replacement supporting legs for beds and discovered that there are many types available. I found some that should work as extra support if we place one on each side of the existing damaged one, so I ordered a pair and they should be here tomorrow. I've been on beds before when they've collapsed and I don't really want to repeat the experience.
The Friday Five on a Sunday
Jan. 11th, 2026 22:18nanila- Do you have a favourite cause that you support?
I support multiple causes through charitable donations, but one of the most important to me is the Abortion Support Network, which does exactly what it says on the tin: It helps people in the UK and Europe to get abortions, particularly those who live in areas with restrictive laws. - If so, how do you support it?
I give them as much money per month as I can. When they have fundraising drives, I donate more. When they ask for comments they can use in their promotional materials, I provide as much detail as I can. - Have you been an active member of an organization (attending meetings, volunteering, etc)?
Yes. I was a school governor for a while, and I’ve also volunteered for Parkrun, as well as other charitable organisations. - Have you ever led any group?
No, I’ve never had the capacity with either full-time work or academic study to lead a volunteer group. - If so, how was your experience with it?
See above. I’m sure I’d find it very fulfilling, but it’ll have to wait until I retire (or go part-time).
New Year's Resolution
Jan. 11th, 2026 21:37hunninghamNew Year's Resolution - Read for fun!
I want to read for fun, for pleasure, to reread old favourites, to read fan-fiction and not to be waylaid by 'should read..' or 'best of...' I'm planning to visit brick-and-mortar bookshops and take my own sweet time browsing and selecting a book to read. I'm going to pick a book which I want to read right now this minute, not one which looks interesting and will just be added to the TBR pile.
Inspired by this Tom Gauld cartoon which I have printed out and stuck on to the fridge.
Write Every day 2026: January, Day 11
Jan. 11th, 2026 22:11trobadora- How is tomorrow Monday again already?! Someone stole my weekend!
- According to yesterday's poll, approximately 75% of respondents think about structure in some fashion while writing. POV sections, parallels and repetitions got the most votes.
As for me, I used to always pay attention to structure especially in terms of parallels and mirroring sections and such, even for very short pieces, but I lost that a little bit in recent years. I need to focus more on that again - I always felt it made things better! But for longer pieces, structure is still a basic part of how I conceive of a story.
One of the most obvious structuring elements is with multiple POVs, and I always try to have them alternate in a clear pattern. For example, my Yuletide fic this year has four chapters, structured by location, and the POV pattern was AAB-BBA:
Chapter 1 - POV A
Chapter 2 - POV A, POV B
Chapter 3 - POV B
Chapter 4 - POV B, POV A
The story is mostly written in close limited 3rd person, but I also started each chapter with a more distant/mythic omniscient POV and then zoomed in on the character. - 60% of respondents agree that no poll is complete without tickyboxes. My people! *g*
- I haven't been keeping up with Star Trek for ages, but I was curious about the upcoming Starfleet Academy show and looked into things a little. And video reviews aren't usually my thing, but I just watched most of this video, and it makes it sound very promising! Here's hoping.
Today's writing
Instead of working to finish anything, I've started something new. Why, brain, why?
WED Question of the Day
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 22
What POV do you like to write in?
View Answers
first person
6 (27.3%)
second person
3 (13.6%)
third person omniscient
7 (31.8%)
third person limited
20 (90.9%)
other (see comments)
0 (0.0%)
What POV do you like to read in?
View Answers
first person
11 (50.0%)
second person
3 (13.6%)
third person omniscient
15 (68.2%)
third person limited
18 (81.8%)
other (see comments)
3 (13.6%)
My writing preferences for fanfic and original fic are ...
My reading preferences for fanfic and original fic are ...
I want a story from the POV of a tickybox
Tally
( Days 1-5 )
Day 6:
alightbuthappypen, badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, china_shop, cornerofmadness, goddess47, luzula, ofmonstrouswords, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, the_siobhan, trobadora, ysilmeDay 7:
badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, china_shop, cornerofmadness, goddess47, ofmonstrouswords, shadaras, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, trobadora Day 8:
badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, china_shop, cornerofmadness, goddess47, ofmonstrouswords, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, trobadoraDay 9:
badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, china_shop, cornerofmadness, goddess47, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, trobadoraDay 10:
badly_knitted, brithistorian, carenejeans, china_shop, cornerofmadness, goddess47, luzula, sanguinity, shadaras, sylvanwitch, trobadoraDay 11:
china_shop, trobadoraLet me know if I missed anyone! And remember you can drop in or out at any time. :)
watched: the residence
Jan. 11th, 2026 20:56tozka🎬 The Residence: Created by Paul William Davies. With Uzo Aduba, Giancarlo Esposito, Molly Griggs, Ken Marino. Inside the White House's staff residence and the lives which workers share with the First Family. 🔗
Binge rewatched The Residence today and I liked it much more this time around (tho I still think it's a bit too long).
In my first watch, I was too anxious to get to the solution and it became frustrating when they went on tangents. Knowing the solution and watching it again was much more fun. I enjoyed the humor more and caught some things about the murder motive that I missed the first time around.
I wish they'd do another season, or even a movie! I love the Cordelia Cupp character.
Binge rewatched The Residence today and I liked it much more this time around (tho I still think it's a bit too long).
In my first watch, I was too anxious to get to the solution and it became frustrating when they went on tangents. Knowing the solution and watching it again was much more fun. I enjoyed the humor more and caught some things about the murder motive that I missed the first time around.
I wish they'd do another season, or even a movie! I love the Cordelia Cupp character.
Recommendation: Too Late, Too Late - Hornblower amalgam
Jan. 11th, 2026 16:00petraI recommended the first story in this series when I read it in Yuletide, suspecting but not being sure at the time that it was by sanguinity.
I love William Bush's POV too:
Too Late, Too Late (2008 words) by sanguinity
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Hornblower (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: William Bush, Horatio Hornblower
Additional Tags: POV William Bush, Episode: e07 Loyalty (Hornblower), Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss
Series: Part 2 of The Worst Part of Waking Up
Summary:
sanguinity.I love William Bush's POV too:
Too Late, Too Late (2008 words) by sanguinity
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Hornblower (TV)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: William Bush, Horatio Hornblower
Additional Tags: POV William Bush, Episode: e07 Loyalty (Hornblower), Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss
Series: Part 2 of The Worst Part of Waking Up
Summary:
Bush is too late to the beach to stop the firing squad.
Bonus Bush point-of-view on the beach scene.
B5 color theorizing
Jan. 11th, 2026 11:46sholioI FOUND IT AGAIN. I read a post on Tumblr a while back on a particularly nicely done instance of color symbolism with Londo on B5, and I finally found it. (More beneath the cut.)
( Spoilers for the whole show )
( Spoilers for the whole show )
tree trunk library
Jan. 11th, 2026 13:13boxofdelightsWe were walking the dogs yesterday and I took a photo that got 405 favorites and 226 boosts on Mastodon:
( A little free library in a tree trunk, and the book I took from it )
Neighborhoods always feel better with Little Free Libraries.
( A little free library in a tree trunk, and the book I took from it )
Neighborhoods always feel better with Little Free Libraries.
In completely different news
Jan. 11th, 2026 22:41roga...........see I made that previous post and now now I finally feel like I can make a post about normal! life! stuff! and fandom!!! this is exciting.
I will just say that I am, as one would expect, WELL on the Heated Rivalry train. After finishing the show and the main youtube-reaction-podcasts/videos, I needed more so I went ahead and read the books the show was based on, and then immediately read the other books in the series, and my MAIN loves are Ilya and Shane, my close second favorites are EVERY SINGLE OTHER SHIP IN THAT SERIES, I am so far gone my god. I'm now debating whether I need a break from hockey novels (to be clear, a break means moving on to fics), or whether I should continue to Rachel Reid's standalone hockey novels, despite the fact that her books make me, well, very distracted when I should be working, which is not ideal. I think maybe it would be smarter to hold off for the weekend.
For now, I have written zero words of HR fics but have many ideas, so if anyone has any idea of how to get writing without a yuletide deadline forcing me to, please let me know! Also: if there are any HR fic exchanges I am happy to hear about them. I'm not in any HR-dedicated discords and do not think I will stumble upon such an exchange independently.
Other than that, more fandom yays:
-The Pitt season 2 \o/
-Stranger Things final season! That one is less of a \o/ lol, but I still enjoyed watching it, criticisms and all. I love those kids.
-A Thousand Blows is back for the second half of its season! I haven't watched it yet but I loved the first half and can't wait for more.
-New Josh Charles show aka Best Medicine! Okay, it's not great yet, but I'm giving it a chance.
-Avengers Doomsday trailers! I have them but I love them ugh Marvel are truly assholes for doing this to me.
-Over on AO3, spqr has been posting Masters of the Air fics which have been so great they have sucked me right into that fandom.
-(Interspersed, of course, by HR fics, naturally)
And on the local theater front: I went to the new production of The Caucasian Chalk Circle yesterday, at Habima theater. Other than being one of my favorite plays, and absolutely timeless in message, it was such a gorgeous production. Beautiful set design, including a constantly shifting backdrop of sand art that was sculpted live by the actors on stage; beautiful compositions and singing; great acting, and a great translation. It was maybe a little more immersive than Brecht would have liked, but sorry dude, if you don't want me getting emotionally invested in your characters you should have stopped writing emotionally investing stories!)
I couldn't find a trailer for the production, but if you have any interest in what it looked like, there are snippets of the stage and cast here.
I will just say that I am, as one would expect, WELL on the Heated Rivalry train. After finishing the show and the main youtube-reaction-podcasts/videos, I needed more so I went ahead and read the books the show was based on, and then immediately read the other books in the series, and my MAIN loves are Ilya and Shane, my close second favorites are EVERY SINGLE OTHER SHIP IN THAT SERIES, I am so far gone my god. I'm now debating whether I need a break from hockey novels (to be clear, a break means moving on to fics), or whether I should continue to Rachel Reid's standalone hockey novels, despite the fact that her books make me, well, very distracted when I should be working, which is not ideal. I think maybe it would be smarter to hold off for the weekend.
For now, I have written zero words of HR fics but have many ideas, so if anyone has any idea of how to get writing without a yuletide deadline forcing me to, please let me know! Also: if there are any HR fic exchanges I am happy to hear about them. I'm not in any HR-dedicated discords and do not think I will stumble upon such an exchange independently.
Other than that, more fandom yays:
-The Pitt season 2 \o/
-Stranger Things final season! That one is less of a \o/ lol, but I still enjoyed watching it, criticisms and all. I love those kids.
-A Thousand Blows is back for the second half of its season! I haven't watched it yet but I loved the first half and can't wait for more.
-New Josh Charles show aka Best Medicine! Okay, it's not great yet, but I'm giving it a chance.
-Avengers Doomsday trailers! I have them but I love them ugh Marvel are truly assholes for doing this to me.
-Over on AO3, spqr has been posting Masters of the Air fics which have been so great they have sucked me right into that fandom.
-(Interspersed, of course, by HR fics, naturally)
And on the local theater front: I went to the new production of The Caucasian Chalk Circle yesterday, at Habima theater. Other than being one of my favorite plays, and absolutely timeless in message, it was such a gorgeous production. Beautiful set design, including a constantly shifting backdrop of sand art that was sculpted live by the actors on stage; beautiful compositions and singing; great acting, and a great translation. It was maybe a little more immersive than Brecht would have liked, but sorry dude, if you don't want me getting emotionally invested in your characters you should have stopped writing emotionally investing stories!)
I couldn't find a trailer for the production, but if you have any interest in what it looked like, there are snippets of the stage and cast here.
Meadowville
Jan. 11th, 2026 14:49moon_custaferI’m trying to get back to my ongoing writing, but I’ve also finally decided to start posting Meadowville in weekly installments on Ao3, as it’s more-or-less complete and I’ve long since given up on the idea of trying to publish professionally. First couple of chapters are up:
Welcome to Meadowville (6791 words) by moon_custafer
Chapters: 2/?
Fandom: Original Work
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Additional Tags: Original Fiction, 1950s, Fantasy, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Amnesia, Domestic Fluff, Period Typical Attitudes, though not always
Summary: Long Island, 1950. The Healys—Walt, Hanna, and their daughter Livia—aren’t quite the stereotypical American nuclear family they might appear to be at first glance, but they’re happy.
Then a mysterious mushroom ring appears around the neighborhood, and Walt begins to question his identity and childhood amnesia.
Welcome to Meadowville (6791 words) by moon_custafer
Chapters: 2/?
Fandom: Original Work
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Additional Tags: Original Fiction, 1950s, Fantasy, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Amnesia, Domestic Fluff, Period Typical Attitudes, though not always
Summary: Long Island, 1950. The Healys—Walt, Hanna, and their daughter Livia—aren’t quite the stereotypical American nuclear family they might appear to be at first glance, but they’re happy.
Then a mysterious mushroom ring appears around the neighborhood, and Walt begins to question his identity and childhood amnesia.
Six o'clock after the war
Jan. 11th, 2026 21:08rogaI wrote this on the week of October 13th – maybe one or two days later – and never finished the post, so never posted the post, and here I am stuck in this limbo of how do you post about anything when I still haven’t addressed That. So I will just was that now and take it from there.
( flashback to October musings )
( flashback to October musings )
Done This Week
Jan. 11th, 2026 11:34scrubjayspeaksI! Am sick! Again!
Again-again!
Motherfucker?!
Starting Monday, I had what I think was a horrible delayed reaction to the multiple meds they put me on for the ear infections. Antibiotics tend to upset the digestive biome, but this was in another class. So I spent the first half of the week in agony.
On Thursday, I got the final shot in the series for HPV. (When I was growing up, it wasn’t a thing yet, and then I was under the impression that I was already too old to get it. When I found out I was still eligible, I started the process.) Now here’s the thing: I spent two hours at the clinic, waiting to get this shot. I had an appointment, to be clear. Nonetheless, they actually closed up the place around me, while I waited in a windowless room, to get this thirty-second jab. They had to usher me out a back door, because the main entrance had been locked up already, and they couldn’t have me pay because there was no longer anyone in the building to do that.
Waking up Friday morning to a sore throat did not improve my opinion of the experience. Did I get exposed to something at the clinic? Is this a reaction to the vaccine? Who can say? All I know is that I no longer have a sore throat--instead, I have a sinus infection.
Or something. At this point, identifying what exactly is wrong with me seems quaint. I have all the illnesses. They are queuing up to have their wicked way with my immune system.
I would really like to get back to posting for the Snowflake Challenge. But right now, my brain cells are limited.
Lewisia: no new pieces written, I’m going to take my yearly break from writing this month, instead of doing it next month when the posts themselves are on break
Day job: 42.5 hours, all of which should have been spent in bed instead
Gardening: garden club post
Reading: The Complete SiP (Strangers in Paradise) Kids (the alternate universe kid version of the cast, cute and silly, this is the sort of AU/beach day cozy interlude that I wish all series did, I love when creators are basically doing fanfic of their OCs alongside us)
Watching: Revolutionary Girl Utena episodes 18 through 23 (progress! joy! ...confusion, because this is a very strange series!)
Listening: One More Saturday Night by The Halluci Nation (formerly known as A Tribe Called Red, which is part of why I lost track of them and missed getting this actual album until now, it’s so damn good?!, hits much the same spot for me as FOUR FISTS with the hiphop and spoken word elements)
Playing: fuck it, Animal Crossing: New Horizons completionist play--I’m coming for you, rare fish!
Clock Mouse: 96 minutes of planning work
Other: helped mum upgrade the software on her insulin pump
Again-again!
Motherfucker?!
Starting Monday, I had what I think was a horrible delayed reaction to the multiple meds they put me on for the ear infections. Antibiotics tend to upset the digestive biome, but this was in another class. So I spent the first half of the week in agony.
On Thursday, I got the final shot in the series for HPV. (When I was growing up, it wasn’t a thing yet, and then I was under the impression that I was already too old to get it. When I found out I was still eligible, I started the process.) Now here’s the thing: I spent two hours at the clinic, waiting to get this shot. I had an appointment, to be clear. Nonetheless, they actually closed up the place around me, while I waited in a windowless room, to get this thirty-second jab. They had to usher me out a back door, because the main entrance had been locked up already, and they couldn’t have me pay because there was no longer anyone in the building to do that.
Waking up Friday morning to a sore throat did not improve my opinion of the experience. Did I get exposed to something at the clinic? Is this a reaction to the vaccine? Who can say? All I know is that I no longer have a sore throat--instead, I have a sinus infection.
Or something. At this point, identifying what exactly is wrong with me seems quaint. I have all the illnesses. They are queuing up to have their wicked way with my immune system.
I would really like to get back to posting for the Snowflake Challenge. But right now, my brain cells are limited.
Lewisia: no new pieces written, I’m going to take my yearly break from writing this month, instead of doing it next month when the posts themselves are on break
Day job: 42.5 hours, all of which should have been spent in bed instead
Gardening: garden club post
Reading: The Complete SiP (Strangers in Paradise) Kids (the alternate universe kid version of the cast, cute and silly, this is the sort of AU/beach day cozy interlude that I wish all series did, I love when creators are basically doing fanfic of their OCs alongside us)
Watching: Revolutionary Girl Utena episodes 18 through 23 (progress! joy! ...confusion, because this is a very strange series!)
Listening: One More Saturday Night by The Halluci Nation (formerly known as A Tribe Called Red, which is part of why I lost track of them and missed getting this actual album until now, it’s so damn good?!, hits much the same spot for me as FOUR FISTS with the hiphop and spoken word elements)
Playing: fuck it, Animal Crossing: New Horizons completionist play--I’m coming for you, rare fish!
Clock Mouse: 96 minutes of planning work
Other: helped mum upgrade the software on her insulin pump
A Prayer for the Crown Shy, by Becky Chambers
Jan. 11th, 2026 11:13rachelmanija
Mosscap and Dex's adventures continue from where they left off. They visit human places, including Dex's large and confusing family. Mosscap has a brush with mortality. Dex does not return to being a tea monk, their vocation still up in the air.
I enjoyed this novella for much the same reasons I enjoyed the first one, though I missed the tea service, which was my favorite part of the first book. Mosscap does turn out to be fallible and learns from Dex as much as Dex learns from it, which was nice. My favorite part of this book was the glimpses of the world, which still seems like an extremely nice place to live in.
Culinary
Jan. 11th, 2026 19:09oursinLast week's bread held out for most of the week.
Friday night supper: ven pongal (South Indian khichchari).
Saturday breakfast rolls: Tassajarra method, 50:50% wholemeal/strong white flour, maple syprup, dried cranberries, turned out nicely.
Today's lunch: game crumble - the game mix (partridge, pheasant and venison) casseroled in red wine with onion, garlic, bay leaf, juniper berries, coriander seed, 5-pepper blend and salt, before putting the crumble topping (mixture of approx 2:1:1 wholemeal flour/strong white flour/pinhead oatmeal) on for the final half-hour; served with tenderstem broccoli tips which I cooked thusly - sizzled some chopped ginger and cumin seeds in oilve oil, turned the broccoli in this, added some water and steamed for half an hour, turned out rather well although I think the original recipe said fennel seeds....; and stirfried tat soi.
2026 Three Sentence Ficathon
Jan. 11th, 2026 14:14rthstewartit's [almost] heeeeeeeeerrrre
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
threesentenceficathon begins 17 January.
Schedule is here.
Dust off those prompts!
threesentenceficathon begins 17 January.Schedule is here.
Dust off those prompts!
wychwoodFriday morning we had about 8-10cm of snow and public transport wasn't running, so I worked from home. All the main roads around me were clear pretty much throughout, but side roads etc didn't get clear - and then everything half-melted and refroze so anywhere that still had snow got pretty miserable. The pavements on my way to church yesterday had about 3-4cm of lumpy ice, and it was not a fun time, although it also didn't feel particularly dangerous as long as I walked carefully.
At ten minutes before Mass we had six people in the building including me, the priest, and one other altar server. As we went in we'd hit about twenty, and by the end of the homily we were up to 45, which is a bit under half the usual number (although there were a lot of unfamiliar faces, possibly coming to a closer church than they would usually attend?). I was very surprised by the number of latecomers; I left home half an hour earlier than usual, to be sure of getting there OK, and it's not like anyone didn't know there was ice everywhere. I can understand not coming in those conditions, but just, idk, leaving at the usual time? that seems weird to me!
Anyway, it's warmed up a lot today and has been raining for a couple of hours; remnants of the packed ice will no doubt hang around for a while, but hopefully most of the pavements will be more-or-less clear tomorrow morning when I leave for work.
Dad's off to France again this week, so I'm back over there next Monday for the week. My chances of ever catching up with the laundry are receding into the distance and I'm starting to feel stressed about the weekend after, since I'll be there until Sunday morning, then into a double choir rehearsal, then back in the office on the Monday. Probably it will be fine but I need to do a lot of thinking about food planning etc at some point this week. I was having such a nice relaxing time too!!!
At ten minutes before Mass we had six people in the building including me, the priest, and one other altar server. As we went in we'd hit about twenty, and by the end of the homily we were up to 45, which is a bit under half the usual number (although there were a lot of unfamiliar faces, possibly coming to a closer church than they would usually attend?). I was very surprised by the number of latecomers; I left home half an hour earlier than usual, to be sure of getting there OK, and it's not like anyone didn't know there was ice everywhere. I can understand not coming in those conditions, but just, idk, leaving at the usual time? that seems weird to me!
Anyway, it's warmed up a lot today and has been raining for a couple of hours; remnants of the packed ice will no doubt hang around for a while, but hopefully most of the pavements will be more-or-less clear tomorrow morning when I leave for work.
Dad's off to France again this week, so I'm back over there next Monday for the week. My chances of ever catching up with the laundry are receding into the distance and I'm starting to feel stressed about the weekend after, since I'll be there until Sunday morning, then into a double choir rehearsal, then back in the office on the Monday. Probably it will be fine but I need to do a lot of thinking about food planning etc at some point this week. I was having such a nice relaxing time too!!!