Domestic Interlude

When I moved in with Max his mum sent me these cute post it note things with text like ‘Looking for this?’ and ‘It’s here!’ written on, with big green arrows. I forgot about them until the umpteenth time Max couldn’t find something that was right in front of his face. He sort of accuses me of moving things without really accusing me, even though I can plainly see what he’s looking for and it hasn’t moved from where he left it. Recently he lost his nail clippers. I hate the things so it’s not surprising he thought I might have ‘accidentally on purpose’ lost them. But I hadn’t. Days and days this went on, ‘I can’t find my nail clippers!’ Too bad, you’ll have to turn into Wolverine or use scissors like the rest of us. But not my sewing scissors!!

Anyway, I was tidying up the other day and I found the clippers. Not hidden anywhere, just sitting on the shelf under the coffee table, minding their own business, as they probably had been doing since the last time Max used them. And then I remembered the post its and this was the perfect time to use them. I stuck them on the mantelpiece like so:

I was really looking forward to the moment he saw them, and then I could laugh at how funny I am. I basically live for those moments. But then he came in and chatted to me and walked past the mantelpiece half a dozen times and he didn’t see them! Why I’m surprised given how this whole thing started I don’t know, but he was robbing me of my moment. So then I had to point out that I was waiting for him to notice something, which sort of defeats the point, and finally he got it. I count it as a victory, even though I wanted more.

And this is how we live, with point scoring and one-upmanship*. Isn’t that how all the great romances lasted?

*To be completely fair to Max, it is more how I live, and he just puts up with it. Because he’s a lovely patient man who lives with a lunatic.

Tags: life with Max, moving in

First There Was The Knitting

After my last post about the quilt I decided to change things around a little bit (also because I’d aligned the ‘bricks’ the wrong way, and so when I moved them it threw off the layout even more). It will now look like this when put together, with a cream line between each row:

I still think there are probably better ways for it to be arranged, but then I’d be stuck on this part of it forever and it’s time to move on to the actual sewing. I grouped my rows into nicely organised and numbered piles:

And I’ve spent quite a few happy evenings in front of the telly sewing them together. I’ve still got a couple of rows left to do, and then I can move on to adding the long strips that go between the rows. But there are worse ways to spend time than on a comfy sofa with tea (and biscuits) and a bit of sewing. Yeah yeah, I am an old lady, sue me.

Tags: crafty, quilt

The Quilt Continues. Slowly

I started my New Craft Project at the end of January, and although I am still very enthusiastic about it I haven’t got very far. I managed to cut out the ‘bricks’ without accidentally slicing through the fabric the wrong way, and I have added the right hand border to each one. I did make a mistake by buying a cheap rotary cutter which didn’t really cut at all and within about half an hour had, no lie, exploded into little pieces all over the kitchen. I bought another, better, one, and found it much easier and there was less swearing from me. And fewer heart attacks from projectile saw-like objects hurtling round the kitchen.

Anyway, here is a (really quite terrible quality picture) of my quilt so far. My iPhone doesn’t do a great job capturing it, but hopefully it gives you the idea.

I spent more time than I probably should have moving the bricks around to make it look the best it could possibly be. This was harder than I thought it would be. I kept getting too much purple in a corner, and I have a lot of blue, and it just didn’t look even. I thought I had it, but looking at the photo I still see clumps of yellow and blue, so will have another go with the arranging.

Once I’ve decided on the layout I can then even up the sides and sew the rows together, then it’s adding strips of the natural cotton in between the rows and sewing it all together. Then the hard part (ha!), quilting and backing and putting it altogether so it looks nice and feels mega comfy.

I am expecting lots to go wrong with this project, but that’s ok, it’s my first one. I’ll learn a lot and be proud of whatever I end up with when I’m done. I’m really enjoying working on it, no matter how slowly it’s going.

Tags: crafty, quilt

Too Many Books

This is my current To Read pile. From the bottom up we have:

Charlaine Harris, Deadlocked

Bought by me because I love the Sookie Stackhouse books, although I must admit that the latest ones are not as good as the earlier ones. I’ve started this one, and I’m afraid it’s pretty weak so far. There’s too much repetition and too much detail about Sookie’s (frankly rather mundane) life. I miss plots.

Alonso Cueto, The Blue Hour

This, the Mavis Cheek and the Caitlin Davies were sent to me by Random House. I think I said ok to the Davies, and then the other two followed. I am not sure when or if I will get round to reading them, but I’ll try and give them a go at least.

Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

For me to review for Fluttering Butterflies. This is a very strange looking book and I’m a bit worried I might have nightmares from reading it, but I’m very intrigued.

Martyn Bedford, Flip

Another for Fluttering Butterflies.

Caitlin Davies, The Ghost of Lily Painter

Mavis Cheek, The Lovers of Pound Hill

Christos Tsiolkas, The Slap

I got this through Read It, Swap It, an online book swapping site.

Veronica Roth, Insurgent (not pictured: Divergent, which I will read again before starting this one). Bought by me.

C.J. Skuse, Pretty Bad Things

Joe Schreiber, Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick

These last two are for Fluttering Butterflies as well. I couldn’t resist the Schreiber title.

I love having lots of books to read, but it does mean I wish I could take a month off and just sit somewhere quietly and read them. Now I get the tube to work and I’m not sitting on a bus for 40 minutes I’ve lost some of my reading time. I’ve also lost the ability to read on a bus without feeling sick. Not helpful.

Chaos Walking Trilogy

I don’t think I can do a proper review of these books. a) I’ve left it too late since I read them and b) I just enjoyed them so much, I’d rather not dissect them. I don’t think they are perfect, but they are very good. Mostly I wanted to post about them so I’d remember, and to encourage everyone else to pick them up. The books are set on another planet, where all men can hear each others’ ‘Noise’, or thoughts. Women can hear thoughts, but don’t project them, and even animals ‘speak’, though with limited vocabulary.

The Knife of Never Letting Go

Todd Hewitt is about to become a man. He’s the last boy in Prentisstown, a place with no women as they were all killed, so Todd has been told, by a war with the indigenous species, The Spackle. One day Todd comes across a hole in the Noise that doesn’t make sense, and he is forced to flee Prentisstown, followed by the Mayor and a growing army. The strange hole in the noise turns out to be Viola Eade, a young girl who has crash landed on the planet in a scout ship, and more settlers are coming. Todd and Viola team up in the hopes of getting to the town of Haven, to warn them of the coming army, and to contact Viola’s ships.

This book is told solely from Todd’s point of view. Some of my favourite bits of the story involve Manchee, Todd’s dog, who irritates Todd no end, but who is a wonderful source of humour.

The Ask and the Answer

Todd and Viola are separated, and the Mayor has named himself President of New World. Todd is forced to work among the Spackle, as their jailer, while Viola recuperates in a house of healing, under the watch of Mistress Coyle. As the Mayor takes over, he separates the women and keeps them locked up, and the town doesn’t fight back. The women, led by Mistress Coyle, escape, with Viola among them, and begin a bombing campaign against the town. Todd grows closer to the Mayor, and begins learning to control his own Noise, and use it as a weapon. In the end, it’s not just the Mayor they have to worry about, as an entire Spackle army is on approach.

I enjoyed this even more than the first one, although it is especially harrowing at times. My heart was breaking. I just loved Todd and Viola, even though they weren’t together very much. The only problem I had with this one, and the books in general, is the Mayor. Why is he like he is? Is he just insane and power mad? Does he just want war? I don’t really get his motives other than there needs to be a bad guy. Also, how many times did I want them to just shoot him? They have so many opportunities but end up just standing around arguing. It felt a little long in that regard, like they were having the same conversation over and over. But, that’s my only issue. It’s an extremely fast, enjoyable read. This one is written from the point of view of both Todd and Viola, and I loved being able to get inside her head as well.

Monsters of Men

Todd and Viola are separated again as they prepare for battle on three fronts. There’s the Mayor who wants complete control, the Answer who want to defeat the Mayor (and both want to be in control when the settlers arrive), and the Spackle. Todd and Viola are in the middle, especially Viola, who wants to stop Mistress Coyle from ruining any chance of peace with the Spackle, but who also has Todd’s welfare to think of. And there’s Todd, who is changing by being around the Mayor…

Those are just snapshots of the main plots of the books, there’s so much more going on. The series has some heavy themes, and there’s loss and redemption, the cost of war – on both a personal and global level – and of course there is love. Todd and Viola’s love for each other is what keeps them going, even when apart for long stretches, and the belief they have in each other, of their inherent goodness. It is this that will lead to a change on New World.

Tags: chaos walking trilogy

Goals

Lately I feel like I’m regressing when it comes to roller derby. I feel like I should be further ahead than I am, especially considering I’ve been playing for over a year now. I know everyone moves at their own pace, and when I look back on where I was when I started I have achieved so much…but I want more. The only person who can sort that out is me, and as with many things I am my own worst enemy. Because I say I want it, but do I want to work for it, or do I just want to wake up tomorrow an amazing skater, an amazing derby player? I know which one I’d choose, even if I’m not all that proud of it. I like the easy way, and I don’t think there is an easy way in derby. There’s the blood, sweat and tears way.

So I made a list of things to focus on. There are many more things I could add but it’s probably best to start with these, to try and get to grips with them and maybe feel a little better about my progress. Because at least I’m trying.

1. Jump/step more

I am not nimble, I am not agile. For the most part I skate like I have bricks strapped to my feet. Jumping scares me. Hell, skating fast scares me, let alone leaping through the air at speed. But, as they say, there’s no real point playing derby if you are afraid. You don’t want to get hurt? Don’t play. If you’re going to play, give it your all.

2. Focus on positional blocking

There is no point me going for the big hits, I am just no good at them. More often than not I am going to fall myself when doing them, which isn’t helping anyone. I need to remember to positional block instead. Sit on that other player, lean and push them where I want them to go. Try to remember to create ‘friendly sides’ for the jammer. I am forever getting in the jammer’s way, and as someone who does jam a fair bit, I know how annoying that is. You want your blockers to read your mind and make the holes where you want to go, or open up that little gap you see.

3. Work on offence

As above with the being a big scaredy cat: Stop it, and work on your hits, woman!

4. Really push myself in every jam

And again with the ‘own worst enemy’, I don’t always try my hardest in every jam. I’ll hang back as a jammer when I should be pushing through. I have no excuse.

5. Get lower!

The oft repeated refrain heard from my very first practice and yet still, I don’t get as low as I should.

6. Focus

Pick one tactic/thing to work on well in each jam, that’s what scrimmage is for, to try things and learn. So in one jam do the jumping/stepping, in another just positional blocking, in another not cutting the damn track, etc.

7. Communicate

I am getting better at this, I am finding my voice, but I can still do more.

8. Read the rules

Again. And again and again. Stop being a numpty and forgetting things I should know by now. (Saturday was the many penalties we gained because I forgot about reforming the pack. Der.) If I could stop losing my head completely during the jams that would be great.

And that’ll do, pig, that’ll do. For now.

Tags: roller derby

Bloodtide

 

Bloodtide by Melvin Burgess bases its story on that of the Icelandic Volsunga Saga. Set in a London of the future that has been ravaged by gang warfare and abandoned to those seeking power, it focuses mainly on one of the warring families, the Volsons. The key characters are twins Signy and Siggy. At the beginning of the book their father Val is working on a treaty with Conor, the rival gang lord, hoping it will lead to them working together to leave London and take over the rest of the country. London has been walled off, and beyond the wall is the half-man lands, filled with creatures created in artificial wombs, mixtures of human, machine and animal. Val wants to destroy the half-men and move on through the land, and to rule it. But he needs Conor and a united London to do so.

Part of the treaty involves betrothing his daughter Signy to Conor and uniting the families. Signy is of course initially outraged by this, rightly saying that her brothers would never be expected to do something similar. She wants to be treated as their equal, she wants to fight, but her wants are dismissed. The wedding goes ahead and Signy has to leave the comforts of her home and her brother Siggy and travel to Conor’s territory. Things don’t quite go as Val planned and the Volsons’ power crumbles. Signy and Siggy are separated for many years as they both fight their own battles, one for power, one for freedom.

Interwoven amongst all this are the gods, specifically Odin and mentions of Loki. Odin steps in early on at a banquet, stabbing his knife into stone and saying whoever can remove it is its rightful owner. Everyone can sense the power of the knife, and Conor especially desires it, but it is not for him. The gods meddle every now and then, though I didn’t quite get the motivation for it, other than that, I assume, they are in the original stories, and it helped move the plot along.

I’m afraid I’d never heard of the Volsunga Saga or its characters so I couldn’t see what the author had used as his inspiration and where he’d taken more poetic licence. I’m aware of Odin and the knife/hammer (depending on whether you’re watching Thor or not), and Loki, but that’s about it, so I didn’t have much idea where it was going.

It’s hard to describe how I felt about this book. I didn’t enjoy it. It is brutal and hard to read at times, and it’s very difficult to like or really care about anyone in it. But I was definitely hooked by it and I wanted to keep reading to see what happened. I was continually shocked by the tone of it, and how explicit it is, with death and sex, given its intended audience. But I think that’s a good thing, at no point does it talk down to anyone or sugar coat anything. These people do bad things and have bad things done to them, they are selfish and vindictive and happily play with other people’s lives. I wasn’t that keen on the ending, it seemed to fade out rather than go with a bang, but the majority of the book was a gripping read. Having said that, I’m in no hurry to pick up the second book. I guess the easiest way to describe it is conflicted, which is better
than bored or unmoved.