October 2004

…or thereabouts… A death, or is it a kidnapping, has occurred. There is a new sense of loss now. The pieces are flung high into the air, and where they will fall is anyone’s (and by anyone I mean reader’s)…

[drinking | vana tallinn – the amber nectar] LJ really ought to have a currently drinking option on its post settings. I’m currently drinking a wee glass of Vana Tallinn, the delicious amber coloured Estonian liqueur, and the drink that…

( alfs, dwarves, land-wights, and huldfolk )

Elves are mythical creatures of Germanic mythology that have survived in northern European folklore. Originally a race of minor gods of nature and fertility, they are often pictured as small, youthful-seeming men and women of great beauty living in forests…

It may not be the greatest 401 words that I have ever written, but sometimes when writing your novel, you have to write your way through the bad to reach again, the good. And so it is that I have…

Today I intended to devote to writing many many words of Blood & Fire. It is now ten minutes to seven, and I have: cut the grass cut back the budlea cleared out the bean plants weeded the garden front…

Maybe? Maybe not? Spurred on by yesterday’s swimming, today I weighed myself. 14 stone – apparently. Yay, I’ve lost one! I get off, and on again, to double check. Two stone more. Off, and on. A shade under 15, and…

A hopeless tale but a hauntingly, beautiful, powerful and moving film. I am ashamed to say that I know little of Ted Hughes and even less of Sylvia Plath. I have just finished watching the film, Sylvia – I would…

Trying to remember the pre-scything exercise at the orchard in Hungary last summer, and the similar pre-footpath construction halfway up a mountain in Iceland of two years ago, I attempted to do a few stretching exercises in the shallow end…

Tonight, we were back with the female nude of our first lesson, and this foot is, I think, one of my greatest achievments of this week. There were considerably less of us here this week – and I’m not sure…

Went swimming after work today. Got a stitch after 8 lengths again! I think I’m going to have to do some form of warm up exercises? Any suggestions? Despite this, I still managed to swim 40 lengths in 40 minutes…

for the lovers of truly inspirational photographs – click here – (thank you stelpa)

I was talking with a colleague in the pub on Friday evening about weblogs and the merits of one blogging service against the other. Apparently he chose blogspot because he dislikes the idea that livejournal users can form friendgroups and…

( haymaking in hungary ) Attila #8: ‘It’s Very Flexible’ Day 7. 24 July 2004 Saturday. I sleep well but for far too short a time. We stagger out tired and zombie-like to the tractor – and thence to the…

Satisfied and regenerated. Yesterday I drove south to Abingdon and took to the waters: 42 lengths in 50 minutes, and emerged pleasently achey because of it – I think it’s done me some good. Then I shopped for food and…

Further to an email discussion in the last week or so about about found images, veeb today brought my attention to a strangely related thing… http://www.engadget.com/entry/6325545908932866/ “Most Sony digital cameras start saving photos with the following name “DSC00001.JPG” and a…