smallhobbit: (Default)
smallhobbit ([personal profile] smallhobbit) wrote2025-07-05 01:54 pm
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Bingo Card - Western

The second theme this month at [community profile] allbingo  is Western.

Here's my card:

ArmadilloSunbonnet
Chasing a DreamRattlesnake

smallhobbit: (sunshine revival 2025)
smallhobbit ([personal profile] smallhobbit) wrote2025-07-05 12:41 pm
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Sunshine Revival Challenge #2

Creative Prompt: Write a love poem to anyone or anything you like

Who or what do I love?
Let's go with cakes
There's my husband, of course
And the scones which he bakes
And the Daughter
To whom we send Christmas cake
Plus her sibling the Son
Who takes us out for cake
I have some good friends
And yes, we do discuss cake
Not to mention my church
With a variety of cake
Shakespeare wrote sonnets
And I eulogise cake!
 
musesfool: bodhi rook (honor the heart of faith)
i did it all for the robins ([personal profile] musesfool) wrote2025-07-03 08:16 pm
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and this guy right here

The Old Guard 2 aka 2 Old 2 Guard dropped yesterday. I enjoyed it for the most part. spoilers )

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smallhobbit: (Lucas 2)
smallhobbit ([personal profile] smallhobbit) wrote2025-07-03 03:55 pm
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Bingo card - Winterfest in July

This has to be one of my favourite [community profile] allbingo  challenges. This year I chose the Holidays theme to give me:


Winter SolsticeChristmas Day
New Years EveSt. Nikolaus Day

muccamukk: Close up of the barb on a wire fence, covered in frost, Background of blue fading to pink. (Misc: Bi-Wire)
Muccamukk ([personal profile] muccamukk) wrote2025-07-02 09:08 pm

Not a GREAT week when it comes to ending sexual violence.

The whole Diddy thing. It doesn't matter how much proof there is.

Brad Pitt, who is known to have struck his wife and his children then perpetuated lawfare on them for years to the point where several of his kids no longer want contact with him, has the number one movie right now. Best opening weekend of his career. Most of the coverage doesn't even mention the violence.

On the anniversary of Tortoise Media publishing allegations of rape and sexual assault against Neil Gaiman, Netflix is dropping season two of The Sandman. Meanwhile, Gaiman is forcing one of his victims into arbitration. Not because she's libling him, but because she broke an NDA. Everything's gone very quiet, which I assume is what he wanted.

Some thoughts from smarter people:

Rebecca Solnit: Cynicism Is the Enemy of Action.

Tarana Burke: Tarana Burke doesn’t define #MeToo’s success by society’s failure.
Some people want to judge the movement on specific outcomes, so when a case is overturned, Burke said, “people are like, ‘Oh the #MeToo movement has failed.’” Instead, she said, such outcomes are proof of the difficulty of the work.

“It’s not about the failure of the movement; it’s the failure of the systems,” Burke explained. “These systems are not designed to help survivors, they’re not designed to give us justice, they’re not designed to end sexual violence.”

“When we bind ourselves to the outcomes of these cases, we are constantly up and down with our disappointment, our highs and lows,” Burke continued. “What they tell us is just how much work we need to change the laws and the policies but most importantly, to change the culture that creates the people who commit, who perpetrate acts of harm.”
smallhobbit: (sunshine revival 2025)
smallhobbit ([personal profile] smallhobbit) wrote2025-07-02 03:18 pm

Sunshine Revival Challenge #1 & 25 Things in 2025: Third Quarter & Second Half

Sunshine Revival Challenge #1 - Journaling Prompt: Light up your journal with activity this month.
Talk about your goals for July or for the second half of 2025.

I'm working my way through 25 things in 2025, and have completed the first 14, as well as chosen 2 for April to September.  Which means it's time to choose the next 5, leaving 3 for the final quarter, plus Thing #1 which is simply to complete and write about the other 24 Things.

They are:

Quarter 3 - July to September

18 - Take part in the Big Butterfly Count
This runs from 18 July to 10 August and further details can be found here.  Part of my plan to support wildlife.

19 - Sort out my current papers/documents
They're all filed in an expanding file, so I can find everything, but it's time to move the oldest papers elsewhere, so they can be stored but I don't need them to hand.  Another of the 'I really should do this sometime' tasks, which should now get done.

20 - Sort Anchor threads
A few weeks ago I bought a box for storing my Anchor threads, so I can find the colours I want easily.  All I have to do now is get round to sorting them.  That is definitely a challenge, which is why I've added it here.

Half 2 - July to December

21 - Take part in the weekly Garden Bird Watch
I started this as part of 30 Days of Wildlife, and the intention is to keep going for six months, after which I will automatically continue or realise it's simply not working.

22 - Revise some German
I only have very basic German, which every so often I go back over.  As we shall be on holiday in Germany next April, it wouldn't hurt to go over it again.  We're on a tour, so it mostly won't be needed, but there's always buying cakes etc!

23 - Autumn Holiday
We haven't decided where we're going this year, but we'll be going somewhere, probably in early October, which is when we usually go, so I'm including this as one of my things I'm doing this year.

My full list can be found here

musesfool: a loaf of bread (staff of life)
i did it all for the robins ([personal profile] musesfool) wrote2025-07-01 10:15 pm
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a loaded god complex, cock it and pull it

Last night I watched a cute movie on Netflix called Nonnas about that restaurant on Staten Island that hires grandmas as chefs. Lorraine Bracco, Brenda Vaccaro, Talia Shire, and Susan Sarandon play the nonnas, and Vince Vaughn plays the guy opening the restaurant. It's kind of a nice mellow detox from The Bear in terms of a bunch of Italian-Americans yelling at each other in a restaurant kitchen. *g* Plus a really horrifying rendition of capuzelle, which is a roasted (or baked?) sheep's head, which is one of those dishes I try to forget knowing about. Anyway, the restaurant still exists, and now it has grandmas from all different backgrounds who cook there (a review of the real restaurant).

Today was my Monday, and tomorrow is my Friday at work. I could get used to a 2 day work week!

*
musesfool: ROBIN (never enough robin)
i did it all for the robins ([personal profile] musesfool) wrote2025-06-30 06:24 pm
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waiting for the moment to turn

Recs update ahoy:

[personal profile] unfitforsociety has been updated for June 2025 with 15 recs in 3 fandoms:

13 Batfamily
2 Percy Jackson crossovers



I'm not sure why I went looking for PJO crossovers but I'm kind of glad I did?

Anyway, I took today and Thursday off and I'm looking forward to this 2 day work week. *g*

smallhobbit: (Gloucestershire Peregrine)
smallhobbit ([personal profile] smallhobbit) wrote2025-06-30 06:05 pm

30 Days Wild - Week Four & End of Month Summary (also 25 Days in 2025 - Thing #16)

Week 4 had a creative theme, so I wrote a tanka:

Counting garden birds
Filling up the water bowls
Walking through the woods
Small steps to gentle progress
Building a lifetime's habit

And I downloaded a knitting pattern from the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, to knit a bittern - a 'knittern' for making later.

In addition, I downloaded 14 spotter sheets for use during different seasons (and therefore encouraging me to go out), plus masks and colouring sheets for our after school club.

Finally, I made a bumblebee felt craft brooch from a kit I'd myself a while ago.




Looking back on the 30 Days Wild challenge, it's been fun and hopefully will encourage me to do more - I always feel it would be a good idea, but finding the necessary motivation is important.  I've become a member of the British Trust for Ornithology (it's not very expensive) and have submitted two weeks' worth of garden bird sightings.  And I'm currently watching the house martins flying around catching flies.


musesfool: orange slices (orange you glad)
i did it all for the robins ([personal profile] musesfool) wrote2025-06-29 02:56 pm
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still a lot of catching up to do

So I watched season 4 of The Bear. spoilers )

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smallhobbit: (Book pile)
smallhobbit ([personal profile] smallhobbit) wrote2025-06-29 04:41 pm
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Books - June 2025

7 books read this month, so 38 for the year and I'm on target!

A Frightfully Fatal Affair by Hannah Hendy
I normally listen to these on audiobook, but for a change I borrowed it from the library.  The next in the Dinner Lady Detectives series.  Entertaining, slightly implausible, but the two dinner ladies are appealing characters, so I enjoyed reading it.

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
A look at how Mr Rochester might have found his 'mad' wife in Jane Eyre.  Worth reading, but I didn't feel for Antoinette (Bertha) as I had expected to.

The Dead Witness edited by Michael Sims
A collection of short detection stories for the nineteenth century.  Very few of the stories appealed, and I was left grateful for Sherlock Holmes!

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells
The next Murderbot story, which was fun and continued to prove that Murderbot was far better equipped to deal with most things than anyone else.

The Rose Apple Tree Mystery by Ovidia Yu
The next in the Su Lin series (which was the Crown Colony series, although the name is no longer accurate), this one is set not in Singapore but in the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia.  As always, it's an interesting look at the region in 1947 and I enjoyed the mystery.  I had guessed part of it, but I imagine the reader was supposed to have their suspicions.  

Cyanide in the Sun edited by Martin Edwards
Another of the British Library Crime Classics short story collections.  Not as good as previous books, it may be that the pool of such stories is being drained.

CWA Anthology of Short Stories: Mystery Tour edited by Martin Edwards
Another short story collection, but this time modern short stories.  I enjoyed the majority - in any collection there are going to be some which I don't like, for various reasons, but it was a good batch.


Also, I had a go at the Goodreads Seasonal Challenge for May and June and achieved 5 of the 7 categories:



And here is my book bingo card - I may even finish it next month!



smallhobbit: (writing)
smallhobbit ([personal profile] smallhobbit) wrote2025-06-28 10:09 pm
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Writing - June 2025

Word count for the month 11,500, bringing my total for the half year to just over 62K, so marginally ahead of my goal so far - always good to have a few words in hand!

I've written two squares for [community profile] whatif_au Bingo: for Air Travel You Don't Have To Be Nuts to Work Here which is Hamlet/The Hobbit and a follow up to the last time I wrote for the air travel theme, Thank You for Flying Elsinore Airways and the second for the High/Low fantasy square, which is written but needs another readthrough before posting.  

The major word production went for my [community profile] caseficexchange story, which won't be revealed until next month.

My other major achievement this month was to complete my 11 year streak for [community profile] fan_flashworks with Support Your Local Baby Bank , a Spooks (MI5) ficlet.

FanFlashworks badge: The Outstanding.


smallhobbit: (Tenby bandstand)
smallhobbit ([personal profile] smallhobbit) wrote2025-06-27 03:44 pm
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Crafts - June 2025

I've been spending quite a lot of time on crafting this month.

IJune crafts )
musesfool: a baseball and bat on the grass (the crack of ash on horsehide)
i did it all for the robins ([personal profile] musesfool) wrote2025-06-26 10:30 pm

half an hour earlier tomorrow

Todd Zeile: Pete's been chasing breaking balls
My brain: don't go chasing breaking balls, stick to the sliders and the fastballs you're used to
*facepalm*

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muccamukk: Stained glass image of a lighthouse, lots of bright colours. (Lights: Stained Glass)
Muccamukk ([personal profile] muccamukk) wrote2025-06-26 02:58 pm
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smallhobbit: (Default)
smallhobbit ([personal profile] smallhobbit) wrote2025-06-26 12:04 pm
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25 Things in 2025 - Thing #10

Obtain refund on our Oyster cards

Not yet completed, but I have done what I can to this point. Transport for London issue Oyster cards, so, I followed the instructions on their website, since our cards are too old to apply that way, and phoned the number quoted.  A very pleasant told me to email and gave me the email address.  I emailed and got an acknowledgement, followed by a response requesting further details so they could identify me.  I replied with the details two weeks ago, and have heard nothing since.  I've now sent a further email asking for details and offering to send the cards to them.

ETA: 30 June - following two more phone calls and another email, the refund has been arranged.

I have been successful!
musesfool: Jason Toddler shows off his new costume to Dick (everybody starts somewhere)
i did it all for the robins ([personal profile] musesfool) wrote2025-06-25 05:15 pm

what the mama saw, it was against the law

In addition to various Spider-Man and Captain America-themed items, I ordered a Batman shirt and a Robin shirt for Baby Miss L and then I was like, but does she know who Batman and Robin even are??? So I went looking for toddler-friendly Bat-stuff, and lo and behold, there is a show called Batwheels on Cartoon Network (and HBO Max) about the Batmobile and other Bat vehicles (the Redbird, Batgirl's bike) coming to life like the toys in Toy Story! With DUKE as ROBIN and CASS as BATGIRL!!! I love this!!! (mainly because I was afraid it was going to be Damian as Robin and Babs as Batgirl and that's just weird.) I don't know if any of the other kids exist, but there is a Batplane they call Wing, so maybe Nightwing is around? I didn't watch it, just read the wiki, but I mentioned it to my niece, so maybe Baby Miss L can get started early on loving Robin, and she can enjoy Tiny Titans when she's a little bit older. (I am still sad and bitter that Tiny Titans was cancelled so unceremoniously because it was the best.)

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musesfool: the ocean (your ocean refuses no river)
i did it all for the robins ([personal profile] musesfool) wrote2025-06-24 09:10 pm
Entry tags:

too many large crooked numbers

So this morning I updated the board chair on expected attendance at today's board meeting, and she replied, should we just switch the meeting to zoom entirely, due to the weather? So that is what we did! And as much as I would have liked to have had dinner with Friend L this evening, I was much happier not having to schlep into the city in 101°F heat. The meeting went well, and now I can relax for a few weeks.

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musesfool: "You think you know Nightwing. You don't know Dick." (you don't know dick)
i did it all for the robins ([personal profile] musesfool) wrote2025-06-23 05:37 pm

i will lay me down

Mets just signed a guy named Dicky Lovelady! I am not making this up! Apparently he asked to be called Dicky instead of Richard. I am here for it! (Unless he's a truly terrible pitcher.)

In work news, after a while where I thought I might have to spend tonight baking cupcakes to bring to my board meeting tomorrow, I do not. Whew. I would have done it! But luckily someone else was like, "lol no, I'm buying a cake!" so whew. 😅 But this is the kind of last minute, half-assed nonsense our C suite does. If they had told me last week, I could have added a cake to our catering order, but nope! (Meanwhile, my boss: "Now I'm disappointed we don't get your cupcakes!" Me: "maybe next time I come to the office...")

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smallhobbit: (Default)
smallhobbit ([personal profile] smallhobbit) wrote2025-06-23 04:12 pm
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25 Things in 2025 - Thing #13

Frame Cross Stitch

I finally got around to buying some picture frames.  And since it wasn't just my cross stitch projects that needed framing, but my two latest production posters from New Adventures dance performances, I did those two:

   

And here are Klimt's Sunflowers and Klimt's The Kiss