Fri, 31 December 2010 bye bye 2010
I snapped this sunset over a week ago when Ireland was tucked up under a blanket of snow and ice. The extreme weather brought with it a couple of problems for us and other people we knew, but we pulled through and were luckier than many.
Overall I had a quiet, enjoyable holiday with my husband [...]
Tue, 21 December 2010 swivelling on the year’s axis
I purchased this candle-holder and holiday decoration this winter. It’s a star entirely made of beads, and it’s been hanging in my dining room window for a couple of weeks. Today I lit a votive candle, placed it inside the star and took pictures of it illuminated by the Solstice sun.
It’s quite a special day [...]
Sun, 12 December 2010 off to old blighty
I’m off to London tomorrow, and I’ll be back on Thursday. Apparently there’s a severe weather alert for the end of this week with a potential Europe-clogging snow and ice storm arriving in time for Christmas. Hopefully I’ll skim back in before it hits.
I guess the bookies aren’t taking bets for a white Christmas any [...]
Sun, 05 December 2010 Mise en abyme
This is a set of Matryoshka dolls, or Russian nesting dolls, I bought recently at the craft fair in Galway (they are from Minsk). I’ve always wanted at least one set, because there is something about the self-similarity aspect of the dolls that appeal to me a great deal.
I was introduced to the concept of [...]
Fri, 12 November 2010 accumulating words
I took the above photo over a month ago, when we still had lush grass, and rainfall was gentle, not violent.
We had a bad storm yesterday, which has left me with poor Internet access and no television reception (I get it from satellite, and the dish appears to have become mis-aligned from the winds). My [...]
Tue, 02 November 2010 day of the dead
It’s Día de los Muertos in parts of the world today. I like the holiday with its emphasis on visiting graves, and being cosy with the dead.
The picture on the right is one I drew a few years ago in my moleskine notebook. I love the calavera tradition of decorated skulls.
Venerating the skull, as the [...]
Wed, 27 October 2010 contribution by women in recent horror anthologies
On the Black Static web site today regular columnist Peter Tennant has analysed the contribution by women to horror anthologies over the past year.
I thought it might be instructive to look at how women writers are represented in the current crop of anthologies, using the thirteen anthologies I reviewed in #19, Lovecraft Unbound [...]
Sat, 23 October 2010 first frost
These are leaves coated in the first frost of autumn.
Every year I’m struck by the fact that frost and/or ice can transform the ordinary into something beautiful while also causing us bother.
At least it contains the potential for joy, even if it makes us curse.
Thu, 21 October 2010 getting up
I woke up this morning out of unpleasant dreams with a headache. The house was chilly as the heating had only kicked on. I didn’t feel well, and the bed was warm. I lingered a little longer than usual under the cosy covers until Minnie the dog starting shuffling about nosily in her “where’s my [...]
Wed, 20 October 2010 back in the woods
This morning we had the first frost of autumn. My car was a icicle (or a carcicle as I call it), and my dog Minnie waited impatiently for me to defrost the windows before we drove to the woods.
It was blindingly sunny. The azure skies were scrubbed of clouds. A low mist clung to [...]
