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Photography again
I have listened to your advice and gone with Flickr. It's a bit confusing, but easy to share more widely, I'll try and remember to put links here if I think you'll be interested.
This is my favourite photo of a cormorant from the other day when I saw a cormorant for the first time.
And this is the bulrushes which always give me an earworm when I go past:
And this is the song on my mind, My Old Mate the Coypu by The Doctor Spacetoad Experience.
This is my favourite photo of a cormorant from the other day when I saw a cormorant for the first time.
And this is the bulrushes which always give me an earworm when I go past:
And this is the song on my mind, My Old Mate the Coypu by The Doctor Spacetoad Experience.
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Sharing photos
One of the things I've been doing recently is learning photography. I'm getting the hang of a proper camera, and taking a lot of photos and hopefully improving. I've taken a couple of photos I'm really pleased with, and want to share further. Where's a good place for that?
This is what I've thought of: Facebook, but then Colin can't see. Tumblr, but I basically only use tumblr from my phone and that's a bit tricky. Just putting them on public galleries on Google, but I find the permissions hard to get right. Instagram, which seems to be a place for editing photos rather than showing off raw photos?
Any other ideas I didn't think of yet? Or is there a reason I'm just wrong about one of those?
This is what I've thought of: Facebook, but then Colin can't see. Tumblr, but I basically only use tumblr from my phone and that's a bit tricky. Just putting them on public galleries on Google, but I find the permissions hard to get right. Instagram, which seems to be a place for editing photos rather than showing off raw photos?
Any other ideas I didn't think of yet? Or is there a reason I'm just wrong about one of those?
Happy Tom day!
I first met Tom in 2001, and he appears to have spent much of the time since dedicated to making my life happier. He assures me this is not the case, and happiness is merely the natural consequence of spending time with him, but I suspect that's because of the myriad of things he does almost without noticing - tea when I'm overwhelmed, holding the baby so I can have a hot meal, switching attention to the toddler just before she got jealous, sharing his knowledge with us, finding exciting day trips.
Anyway, enough about me. The children spent some time thinking about why they love Tom, and came up with some brilliant answers; because he is funny, kind, caring, because he answers questions well, and understands what question you want to ask before you can find the words to ask it. Because he is imaginative, which means he both tells good stories and really understands people.
They landed, however, on what I think is the perfect description: we love him because he is full of love.
Thank you, darling. Here's to the next 40!
Anyway, enough about me. The children spent some time thinking about why they love Tom, and came up with some brilliant answers; because he is funny, kind, caring, because he answers questions well, and understands what question you want to ask before you can find the words to ask it. Because he is imaginative, which means he both tells good stories and really understands people.
They landed, however, on what I think is the perfect description: we love him because he is full of love.
Thank you, darling. Here's to the next 40!
Of shoes and ships and sealing wax
I've often wondered why my shoes seem to wear out more quickly than other people's, given that I don't wear them often and I don't walk very far. Only Tom said I walked more than other people so I went to find the statistics to prove him wrong and it turns out, he's right. So, I generally walk about 15000 steps a day, according to a few varieties of pedometer I've tried (10000 on sedentary days, 20000 on busy days) and according to the NHS an average person walks 3000-4000 steps a day. So no wonder my shoes wear out quicker!
I do feel like more walking would benefit me, though, I don't tend to do very well on 'moderate' exercise, I get sleepy and lethargic and sad.
Speaking of, I am seeing a response to the folic acid. I'm getting fewer pins and needles in my legs, and they're generally more comfortable. I'm still very tired a lot, though, and I still feel worse if I eat less meat.
Other stuff:
Reading: I just finished Oz Reimagined: New Tales from the Emerald City and Beyond, edited by John Joseph Adams, which is delightful and if you like Oz related stuff, worth reading
Watching: nothing yesterday, but I've been listening to LeVar Burton Reads, which is a podcast of short stories with an introduction and a few words at the end.
Playing: On the Underground, Colin and I drew! Child favourites at the moment are Hey! That's My Fish and Coup. I really like Coup, can take or leave the penguins.
Eating: orzo with a tomato, mushroom and mozzarella sauce for the adults and lamb chops for the carnivores.
I do feel like more walking would benefit me, though, I don't tend to do very well on 'moderate' exercise, I get sleepy and lethargic and sad.
Speaking of, I am seeing a response to the folic acid. I'm getting fewer pins and needles in my legs, and they're generally more comfortable. I'm still very tired a lot, though, and I still feel worse if I eat less meat.
Other stuff:
Reading: I just finished Oz Reimagined: New Tales from the Emerald City and Beyond, edited by John Joseph Adams, which is delightful and if you like Oz related stuff, worth reading
Watching: nothing yesterday, but I've been listening to LeVar Burton Reads, which is a podcast of short stories with an introduction and a few words at the end.
Playing: On the Underground, Colin and I drew! Child favourites at the moment are Hey! That's My Fish and Coup. I really like Coup, can take or leave the penguins.
Eating: orzo with a tomato, mushroom and mozzarella sauce for the adults and lamb chops for the carnivores.
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Bobcat in a box
I've been getting parcels from Bobcat in a box for about 6 months now, and they're still making me smile. There have been a few misses recenty, which make me wonder whether it's time to take a break. Like I'd do better doing a search occasionally myself on my keywords and choosing a thing. But I do like the surprise element. For now, I've turned down the amount of money I give it/the amount of stuff it buys.
That's always the thing that attracts me to these surprise boxes, and the thing that makes me give up. For the children, who had first a periodic art box and then a periodic science box once we'd had all the art boxes they do, I pick something from their wishlist about once a month and send it to them.
I sort of want a thing where I set a budget and then someone buys a random thing from my wishlist for that much or averaging to that much or something, so that I can get both the surprise and the little things that I would probably buy if my little thing budget didn't go to bobcat. That's not a thing that would work, is it?
That's always the thing that attracts me to these surprise boxes, and the thing that makes me give up. For the children, who had first a periodic art box and then a periodic science box once we'd had all the art boxes they do, I pick something from their wishlist about once a month and send it to them.
I sort of want a thing where I set a budget and then someone buys a random thing from my wishlist for that much or averaging to that much or something, so that I can get both the surprise and the little things that I would probably buy if my little thing budget didn't go to bobcat. That's not a thing that would work, is it?
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We're back
Two weeks of roses and playparks, museums and public art, wide open avenues, petunias and rolling hills. Two weeks of Tom and he has failed to notice that I am fundamentally unlikable. He, of course, is perfectly delightful.
We spent one week in Almaty and one week in Astana, with a day in Bishkek and a train journey across Kazakhstan. It was every bit as wonderful as I could have imagined, and we had an amazing time. The people are so lovely and the cities so beautiful.
We spent one week in Almaty and one week in Astana, with a day in Bishkek and a train journey across Kazakhstan. It was every bit as wonderful as I could have imagined, and we had an amazing time. The people are so lovely and the cities so beautiful.
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Good morning!
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I've woken to happy news this morning, or at least, much happier than I'd have imagined when I went to bed last night, I hope it pleases you too.
Today's prompt is 'a song you remember from your childhood'. I remember watching this video on Top of the Pops and it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I loved Carlisle's voice, and how happy she looked, and she herself is so very beautiful.
Heaven is a Place on Earth by Belinda Carlisle:
I've woken to happy news this morning, or at least, much happier than I'd have imagined when I went to bed last night, I hope it pleases you too.
Today's prompt is 'a song you remember from your childhood'. I remember watching this video on Top of the Pops and it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I loved Carlisle's voice, and how happy she looked, and she herself is so very beautiful.
Heaven is a Place on Earth by Belinda Carlisle:
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(no subject)
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Today is polling day in the UK - this is my reminder to you to vote. If you're not sure where your polling station is, you can check here and if you're in a place with Uber Access, they're offering a free ride to the polling station for wheelchair users. Not the first time they've done get out the vote - they offer free transport to women during Saudi elections.
Anyway, on with the song. I noticed that most of my songs are things I've been listening to for about 20 years, so I'm choosing something a bit newer. I heard this singer at Ramblin'Man 2 years ago, just by chance on my way past the blues tent, and was hooked. She's young and from Birmingham.
Going Home by Joanne Shaw Taylor
Today is polling day in the UK - this is my reminder to you to vote. If you're not sure where your polling station is, you can check here and if you're in a place with Uber Access, they're offering a free ride to the polling station for wheelchair users. Not the first time they've done get out the vote - they offer free transport to women during Saudi elections.
Anyway, on with the song. I noticed that most of my songs are things I've been listening to for about 20 years, so I'm choosing something a bit newer. I heard this singer at Ramblin'Man 2 years ago, just by chance on my way past the blues tent, and was hooked. She's young and from Birmingham.
Going Home by Joanne Shaw Taylor
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I'll take your breath away, and after all, wipe away your tears.
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I love Sarah McLachlan's voice, and her songs are so full of emotion. This is 'a song that breaks your heart'.
Good Enough by Sarah McLachlan.
I love Sarah McLachlan's voice, and her songs are so full of emotion. This is 'a song that breaks your heart'.
Good Enough by Sarah McLachlan.
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I don't want to fall in love
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Today's prompt is 'a song that makes you want to fall in love'. I don't remember ever having that feeling. I never even looked for a relationship until a couple of years ago, and I certainly wasn't looking for the serious relationships I found.
So I thought about posting a song about what the happy bits of falling in love feel like; something like Like A Prayer maybe.
Then I expanded my thoughts to nonromantic love and I realised that, while I'm lucky enough to have people who feel like this about me and I feel like this about them, from both my family of birth and family of choice, if I didn't, I would want that.
I'll Stand By You by the Pretenders.
Today's prompt is 'a song that makes you want to fall in love'. I don't remember ever having that feeling. I never even looked for a relationship until a couple of years ago, and I certainly wasn't looking for the serious relationships I found.
So I thought about posting a song about what the happy bits of falling in love feel like; something like Like A Prayer maybe.
Then I expanded my thoughts to nonromantic love and I realised that, while I'm lucky enough to have people who feel like this about me and I feel like this about them, from both my family of birth and family of choice, if I didn't, I would want that.
I'll Stand By You by the Pretenders.
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A song by an artist no longer living.
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A song by an artist no longer living. Gregg Allman died on the 27th May. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
Desdemona by the Allman brothers.
A song by an artist no longer living. Gregg Allman died on the 27th May. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
Desdemona by the Allman brothers.
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Other things
Also, I have stopped panicking about Kazakhstan and relaxed into excitement instead, and furthermore I think that Tom and I have answered the important question of what duet to sing at karaoke, and it's Especially For You.
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Looking like a true survivor
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I don't really believe in things everyone should do - we're all different and all have different needs and tastes. So I'm going with a song with a message.
The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus are part choir, part community outreach, part activist, and they've been such ever since their founding in 1978. Their first public performance was at the memorial for Harvey Milk (where they sang Herr Gott, du bist unsre Zuflucht by Mendelssohn).
Their motto is 'I sing for two' as they lost so many members to AIDS. May they rest in peace and rise in glory.
So the message they give today (or rather, on the night of an important equal marriage victory):
I'm Still Standing, by the SFGMC
I don't really believe in things everyone should do - we're all different and all have different needs and tastes. So I'm going with a song with a message.
The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus are part choir, part community outreach, part activist, and they've been such ever since their founding in 1978. Their first public performance was at the memorial for Harvey Milk (where they sang Herr Gott, du bist unsre Zuflucht by Mendelssohn).
Their motto is 'I sing for two' as they lost so many members to AIDS. May they rest in peace and rise in glory.
So the message they give today (or rather, on the night of an important equal marriage victory):
I'm Still Standing, by the SFGMC
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This one's not really a song.
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This one isn't a song, but it's the only one that isn't. It's the piece we had for the entrance at our wedding, and it's the piece that goes through my mind when I need encouragement to put one foot in front of another.
Brahms Hungarian Dance no5, played by Hungarian Symphony Orchestra Budapest.
This one isn't a song, but it's the only one that isn't. It's the piece we had for the entrance at our wedding, and it's the piece that goes through my mind when I need encouragement to put one foot in front of another.
Brahms Hungarian Dance no5, played by Hungarian Symphony Orchestra Budapest.
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21.A favourite song with a person's name in the title
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This one has to actually be one I like! I have liked all the others (exception of Things Can Only Get Better) but that's not a given. Not only like, the cue uses the word 'favourite'.
Well, 19 years ago, I was sitting in a room with some friends who were trying to persuade![[personal profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ceb that she wanted to go to a Blue Öyster Cult gig, and playing the most persuasive songs. They started with this, and I was hooked. I'd never heard anything like it before and desperately wanted to hear more.
I give you Joan Crawford by Blue Öyster Cult.
This one has to actually be one I like! I have liked all the others (exception of Things Can Only Get Better) but that's not a given. Not only like, the cue uses the word 'favourite'.
Well, 19 years ago, I was sitting in a room with some friends who were trying to persuade
ceb that she wanted to go to a Blue Öyster Cult gig, and playing the most persuasive songs. They started with this, and I was hooked. I'd never heard anything like it before and desperately wanted to hear more.I give you Joan Crawford by Blue Öyster Cult.
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And I might as well post the next straight away.
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Because the last song and this are completely different, because I have to double up one more time in order to fit all the songs in before I go away, and because I forgot to whine about how I didn't get enough sleep last night - woke up in the middle of the night (at the same time as Judith did, she came in for a cuddle briefly) and had to go outside for a bit before I eventually managed to get back to sleep.
This is a folk song which I played on the euph when I was wee, only to learn that my great-grandfather had sung it to my Grandma when she was little, so she really loved it, and I've sung it to my own children a ton as well. It was written by Irish poet Thomas 'Anacreon' Moore for his wife after she had smallpox and was refusing to let anyone see her as she felt too ugly; apparently it worked, and she recovered her confidence.
Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms, sung by Joni James
Because the last song and this are completely different, because I have to double up one more time in order to fit all the songs in before I go away, and because I forgot to whine about how I didn't get enough sleep last night - woke up in the middle of the night (at the same time as Judith did, she came in for a cuddle briefly) and had to go outside for a bit before I eventually managed to get back to sleep.
This is a folk song which I played on the euph when I was wee, only to learn that my great-grandfather had sung it to my Grandma when she was little, so she really loved it, and I've sung it to my own children a ton as well. It was written by Irish poet Thomas 'Anacreon' Moore for his wife after she had smallpox and was refusing to let anyone see her as she felt too ugly; apparently it worked, and she recovered her confidence.
Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms, sung by Joni James