tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380342639641659902023-11-16T10:58:26.617+00:00Overnight at Thistletonthwaite CastleMaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238034263964165990.post-31673410082514821262009-07-02T19:30:00.012+01:002009-09-22T12:45:29.546+01:00Boo-Hoo!Painting by Georges MoquayHave you heard of AudioBoo, the audio blogging app for the iPhone? Well, I found this a toy too great to resist. And if you go here, you can listen to “My First Boring Boo ;)”. I may live to regret this. It was written and recorded on a whim with zero pre-meditation. Which is sometimes how I like things. Grab that little idea by the scruff of the neck, twirl it around, Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238034263964165990.post-9389114233051451072009-05-24T19:40:00.009+01:002009-05-25T02:26:45.645+01:00A Postcard from HiatiThe weather is lovely!I have been quiet a little longer than planned. But the experiment has proven that, in the case of this novice novelist, less time online results in an increased production of fiction. In other words, the writing is going really, really well. At the moment, I’m busy with further ‘tweaks’ of the novel I now realise will never be ‘finished’ until it is a) published, or b) Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238034263964165990.post-23501421206046557602009-02-24T18:28:00.008+00:002009-02-24T19:36:04.811+00:00Until the next time...What first appeared as blog block has turned out to be something else. I suspected only a virus in my brain’s blogging mechanism and expected it soon to pass. But for the past week a debate has raged between my brain’s blogging nodes and the newly awakened single-minded centre. I’m not sure if I always had this, lying dormant, or whether it is recently grown. Anyway, the single-minded centre has Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238034263964165990.post-81586615746093035832009-02-16T20:06:00.015+00:002009-02-16T20:49:37.936+00:00Blog BlockTara Donovan, “Untitled” (Styrofoam Cups, Hot Glue) The title tells all. But for those two words to be a real title, a post must be written in this space. Therefore, I elaborate: I am stuck.I know that simply isn’t good enough. However, as this post is a struggle, I am resisting the urge to delete any words; including “I am stuck”.Having placed “I am stuck” within quotes makes me happy to have Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238034263964165990.post-17095299004213744492009-02-07T15:35:00.013+00:002009-02-07T17:23:25.668+00:00Black DogIn this amazing animation, “The Black Dog’s Progress” by small time inc., a series of flipbooks tell the sad story of the Black Dog. I adore this, and have watched it over and over again!*****Ironically, now I have more or less recovered from cold number two, which I worked through, I feel like acting like an ill person. I want to curl up and read. When I should be ploughing forward with the Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238034263964165990.post-58485303497864412052009-02-03T18:13:00.014+00:002009-02-03T19:32:00.228+00:00Another Week, Another Cold...The common cold may not be the most interesting subject for a blog post. But. I am suffering my second cold in less than two weeks. What livens up this misery is that the second cold is quite different than cold number one. This time it’s all about sneezing, irritable eyes, and a very runny nose. To keep things exciting, I road-tested an alternative remedy. Kaloba, used by Zulus for centuries, Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238034263964165990.post-21893612035216332032009-01-30T17:56:00.010+00:002009-02-02T17:19:52.240+00:00Leprechauns and VarnishThis week has completely run away with me! As though a troupe of leprechauns arrived with little rucksacks and sleeping bags, having decided to camp out on my floor. Such disruption! I have tripped over them in the dark, found their laundry heaped in the dishwasher, a bottle of Extra Old Cognac ... drained (yes, the little people do enjoy a drink), and two litres of pineapple juice have simply Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238034263964165990.post-82075926365434015532009-01-26T21:19:00.037+00:002009-02-04T20:09:35.696+00:00I So Don’t Do MysteriesHappy Lunar New Year! We are now in the Year of the Ox, and I sense a stabilising influence already. I have not researched the significance of the Year of the Ox; the influence of which I speak is only my interpretation of information received from the telepathic highways.A down to earth fact, however, is that Barrie Summy’s debut novel, I So Don’t Do Mysteries, is a totally fantastic read. From Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238034263964165990.post-89943984874061534542009-01-21T19:31:00.010+00:002009-01-21T20:01:36.783+00:00As Seen from SpaceThough I wasn’t in Washington yesterday, shivering in the open air -- and just as I was coming to terms with how ridiculously healthy I must be, seemingly immune to the bugs and flu that, in recent weeks, have plagued almost everyone I know -- I’ve caught a nasty, stinking cold.As a result, I’ve spent too much time today clicking through vast swathes of coverage of the inauguration of the 44th Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238034263964165990.post-12818729397387208922009-01-16T20:49:00.009+00:002009-01-17T19:25:22.503+00:00Like fizzy water gone flat...Was exactly how I felt earlier this week, when I began to get very uncomfortable with the new sense of warm, fuzzy calm that had engulfed me since the start of the year. At first I enjoyed it. It was new and strange and nice. And I almost convinced myself that it was good, that I had turned some kind of corner and this was how life would be from now on. Perhaps I had matured. (Oh, no!) Or Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238034263964165990.post-8546707679830046792009-01-13T19:58:00.005+00:002009-01-14T16:51:16.887+00:00The Graveyard BookAt the weekend, I finished reading The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I spent ages with this book! When that happens, when I seem to be in the process of reading a book forever and ever... it is because it is good, good, good!!! I am enjoying the world, the characters, the story, and the writing so much that I want to stay there as long as possible. (And I do have a penchant for restricted Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238034263964165990.post-45767619588448824252009-01-09T18:27:00.013+00:002009-01-09T18:57:36.213+00:00Personality and FontI saw this fabulous quiz on Janet Reid’s blog, and of course gave in to temptation.Despite answering one question with: "I would ride the rollercoaster until I feel very unwell" (paraphrased), my result, nonetheless...You are Times New RomanSome call you timeless—others call you a snob. Either way, you’re a class act all around. Just don’t take yourself too seriously.An interesting result! ;)WhatMaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238034263964165990.post-26650579339289845352009-01-07T19:33:00.014+00:002009-01-10T16:11:54.033+00:00SevenThe talented Natalie L. Sin tagged me with this meme:Share seven facts about yourselfHere goes!1) I was born at home with no midwife in attendance, though that wasn’t the plan. My father, certain I would die, baptised me. At my christening, the priest omitted splashing water on my head because, from what my father had said, he believed I was already baptised. To this day, my dad is not fully Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238034263964165990.post-47576486480506774342009-01-06T17:46:00.007+00:002009-01-10T16:12:44.138+00:00Post No. 100To celebrate this, blog post number one-oh-oh, I thought of writing a list of one hundred wonderful things. A list that would include everything but the kitchen sink: from Appleby Horse Fair to Handmade Dolls to Awido.com.Then I remembered: I kicked the list-writing habit back in oh-eight. (Self-induced stress: be gone!) It is so much easier to write a lovely, long to-do list than it is to Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238034263964165990.post-92076523548460996882009-01-03T14:56:00.007+00:002009-01-04T13:36:08.072+00:00A Bright and Shiny New YearThere is nothing more optimistic than a bright and shiny new year; that wonderful sense that a page has been turned, that the future has arrived. A new year is fresh and clean. We don’t know how it might turn out -- but it presents an opportunity to achieve our goals, to get things right.A new year is ready to be created. It is up to us how we mark it, how we shape it, how we choose to use our Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238034263964165990.post-20578471440112981752008-12-29T20:10:00.007+00:002008-12-29T21:16:37.075+00:00The Best Books I Read in 20082008 was a bumper year for reading. I read so much great stuff! None of my top three could overtake each other to reach the number one slot, as I love them all equally but for entirely different reasons. Therefore, we shall proceed alphabetically by author. I won’t say too much about each title; these books speak for themselves!Little Brother by Cory DoctorowExciting, inspiring, and entirely of Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238034263964165990.post-73480977534002575542008-12-24T14:32:00.006+00:002008-12-24T15:30:10.136+00:00Happy Christmas!Because it is Christmas (and because who doesn’t love special effects?) below is a bonus photo in which my little tree appears to be on fire. A roaring fire and a Christmas tree rolled into one!Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238034263964165990.post-85197659152763811422008-12-22T20:50:00.009+00:002008-12-23T21:28:54.314+00:00Oh Crikey, It’s Nearly...No sooner am I released from prison ;) than the shops start opening until midnight. Christmas is well and truly upon us, overpowering us, seizing our minds, our money and our time.I have very mixed feelings about Christmas. I love the ideal: snow, sleigh bells, twinkling lights, crisp air, carol singers, roaring fires, games of charades, tidings of comfort and joy. But the reality (aside from my Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238034263964165990.post-59161741140373778872008-12-08T20:24:00.003+00:002008-12-12T17:32:32.735+00:00Message in a BottleMy two-week blog break turned into a three-week blog break, and now... that three-week blog break looks set to become a prolonged hiatus. I am so entangled in the imaginary worlds of both fashion and fiction it seems I will be imprisoned here for some time. Things could be worse. Much worse. I am not incarcerated in a cold, dark cell. My sentence is not indefinite. The guards are kind; they even Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238034263964165990.post-3970845748405152752008-11-18T19:10:00.010+00:002008-11-18T21:17:08.693+00:00StreethorsingTbilisi, Georgia by Martha CamarilloI'm taking a two-week blog break. I have a design deadline approaching and want, if possible, to maintain some writing momentum (not to be confused with momentous writing ;)) amidst the craziness of completing the project.Back in December!Until then...Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club Documentary by Martha Camarillo“In the heart of downtown Philadelphia, among Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238034263964165990.post-14780717982950418582008-11-13T22:48:00.007+00:002008-11-14T17:46:14.214+00:00Hard Work and InspirationMy serious phase continues apace -- to the point that I might be embracing the ethic a little too wholeheartedly. For example, I have not allowed myself to stop and eat dinner until after 10 pm. And last night, I found myself propped up in bed writing elevator pitches for my no-longer-finished novel and my wonderful WIP. At 4 am! Needless to say, I drank gallons of coffee this morning.Back to Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238034263964165990.post-79407771847723291712008-11-10T19:51:00.006+00:002008-11-14T18:05:25.515+00:00BoundariesIn the last two-and-a-half weeks, life has gone topsy-turvy. Not in a dramatic way (though you wouldn’t guess it from the picture), but more that it has become too amorphous in shape, too flowing in form.Flow is good in the sense it is vital to the creative process. But if flow means one’s life is more like a flooded pond seeping down a partially blocked drain than a powerful running river, then Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238034263964165990.post-38303380936669400342008-11-05T20:03:00.031+00:002008-11-06T00:14:46.581+00:00Gunpowder, Treason and PlotIf you do not love fireworks, look away now!Tonight is Bonfire Night. However, in tune with the popular idea that everything is better at the weekend, my town held its public firework show on Saturday, November 1st. So... we had ghosts, ghouls and skeletons on Friday, followed by an inferno on Saturday.My apartment is perfectly situated for this display. Quite a treat! And it made chez Mary a Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238034263964165990.post-89976825472740935502008-10-31T20:51:00.008+00:002008-11-06T17:43:44.215+00:00Trick or Treat?Photograph by Ralph Eugene MeatyardIt’s been an eventful week. What with the blogaversary on Tuesday, Halloween today, and Wednesday and Thursday spent in legal dispute. I wish I could say more about that, but I can’t...What I will say is that my solicitor is quite an inspiring character. The case was challenging and the time frame tight. There was a wonderful moment when this ordinarily composedMaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-238034263964165990.post-8894232249316636862008-10-28T17:56:00.006+00:002008-10-28T19:24:11.914+00:00Hip-Hip, Hooray!Overnight at Thistletonthwaite Castle is one year old today!Which means... I have been blogging for a year.And... (here comes a cliché) what a wonderful year it’s been!When I first started this blog, I felt a little bit self-conscious and shy. But now, as I sit here looking out at a pink and hyacinth sky, I wonder why, oh why?With blogging, as with most things in life, it is best to relax and be Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10442346154131507824noreply@blogger.com9