byslantedlight | Entries tagged with 366 project2016

Another walk in the local preserve...

...and some flowers on the way back.

Well, this is it - a photo (at least one!) taken every day for a whole year (a leap year, at that!) and posted for people to see. It's been quite fun - thank you for bearing with me! Here are the pictures for the 31st December 2016. Glastonbury and Wells...

...and then I came home, and there was little tree (there's always a Little Tree somewhere *g*)

I really wanted to find a way to post the pics all together as thumbnails or something, and got partway through doing it via lj - but there was too much code to fit in a single post! I tried to find some programme that'd do it, but erk... and I started to make 366 of them into a vid, but I forgot I'd need somewhere to post it to, so that's not finished either! Ah well - they're all under my 366 tag. *g*

( And that was 2016 - look, a bellybutton! )

( Alright, so 2017... )

I've enjoyed posting every day (well, most days) this year with the photo project - it's been nice to be regularly online and see people around here. I'm wondering if I should make a sort of commitment to post regularly again, cos it's easy to let it slide. Maybe I'll try posting every day, but not about anything in particular. Except... maybe I'll commit to posting about Pros once a week. Maybe we should make that a challenge for anyone who still loves the lads - a regular post, whether it's weekly, or monthly (daily...? *g*) or quarterly, or whatever fits in. *g*

I dunno - what d'you reckon? What should I do to keep my corner of lj alive? What would anyone be interested in reading about/seeing? Or perhaps utter quietness is what you're hoping for after this year's efforts! *g*

It's a fresh, shiny new year - what shall we do?! *g*

Shame the pics today are slightly underwhelming! As has the day been somehow - what happened to all my relaxing and yet accomplishing things that I was going to do? The reading, the writing, the crafting? *sighs* Well, I have done things, but I don't seem to have finished many of them - and my fic is still nowhere near, so it looks like I'll spend 2/3 of my last holidays working on that. Which should be a good thing, but... humph! Ignore me, I'm just feeling humph-y. I'm not in end-of-the-year spirit somehow, and I want to be, cos I do like a good fresh start!

Woke up to slightly frosty weather, and bits of blue sky which was rather nice. Here's a frosty spiderweb on my weather station, and frost on some wild violets that crept into my garden from somewhere (there's clusters off them in corners of the stable yard actually, and I was really pleased to see some in one of my pots in the autumn - but I was very surprised to see them apparently flourishing away and multiplying in the wintry weather!)

About an hour after that though, the world was pretty much blotted out by fog...

So, I like writing, right? I do, I'm sure I do! So why is it completely, utterly awful and the words have to be dragged kicking and screaming to get anywhere near paper (or screen *g*)? Just... gaaargh!

See, I had this brilliant idea when days needed filling at Dialj, that I would take another date, like various other people had, and I'd use it to post a story I've been working on since... 2007, I think. Possibly 2006, but probably 2007. I got a fair bit done to start with, as you do when you're inspired to write the story, and then amongst other things I left Alaska, and then years later I picked it up again and kept going for a fair bit more, and then I left that part of life too... It occurs to me, reading what I'm typing, that it's been around ten years since I started this story. It really needs finishing. There's over 32,000 words of it. Sixty-seven .doc pages, 12 font. There are pictures, somewhere (though not with the lads in). I've had all day, dedicated to this story. So, having re-read the 67 pages, and done some editing, how much more have I written today? Less than 400 words. Aaaaargh! I tell myself I had to catch up to where it was, and work out the plot again, and mull the rest of the plot and how it comes together and all, and it's true, but still... I wouldn't mind, but I've not really done anything else, either... *sighs* What happens to days like today?

I am gonna do this, though...!

Less whingingly - I can hear an owl outside as I type this. And the Bronte family film, To Walk Invisible was very good, I thought. And I'm optimistic that the low-grade headache I've had for the past couple of days might go away tomorrow. And the fairy lights on my Christmas tree are still pretty.

I hope you've had productive, satisfying days - someone should!

ETA - after I wrote this I put the pile o' papers back together, flicking through them, and as I did that I thought a-ha!, and started jotting down some more notes (but new, fresh ones *g*) and I think I know what I need to write for the end much better now. So thank you for letting me whinge - it helped! *g*

Wanted to stay in and write today, but the sun came out and I couldn't resist nipping off myself. My original plan was to go down to the levels and go for a walk, but I got distracted in Glastonbury - including by a dragon!

Gorgeous sunset tonight too - the colours! These pics don't do the rosy-apricot glow justice at all.

In other news, ack for everyone having lj-issues. My comments are being a bit glitchy, which I hope isn't a sign of badness to come - they're still taking a long time between me hitting post and actually loading. Uploading pics isn't instantaneous any more either, so I wonder if it was something to do with that which has caused problems... I had an email from lj this morning, extending my paid account for two weeks as an apology, bless 'em... Interesting checking out the support pages too - some people perfectly polite requests for help, other people complaining and demanding things be fixed! Yeah, that's gonna make people want to help you! Wonder how many of the rude ones have free accounts, too...! Lj support is based on volunteers offering replies too, and I bet there aren't nearly as many of them as there once were, considering how few of us there are now too - even once they do know what's going on themselves...

And on top of that, my internet's been glitchy too. Found out one part of it though - someone moved the router on Landlord's windowsill, which crashed me down to one bar rather than two or three - ack!

Anyway. Tomorrow is definitely writing. I've been watching Pros eps, and reading Prosfic too. Choosing by Kate McLean this morning, and actually just read Two Go Adventuring Again, cos I wanted to remind myself where the lads had got to with their pub and all, and was quite chuffed with it actually - I rather enjoyed it, and I was Doyle and giggled at a couple of my own jokes (well, Bodie's!) *g* Mind you, I could see bits of sticky-tape in the plot that I should have fixed, and remembered it was where I'd gone from this-is-what-happens to oh-no-that-doesn't-work-I'll-change-that, which then mucked up a later bit or two, so that I kind of did a double-take... oops. Not hugely badly, but... sorry about the double-take moment, anyone who read it and noticed! That's why it's better to leave time between finishing writing and finalising - you don't spot stuff when you're rushing and still in the same headspace both times.

And now I'm just rambling. Can't believe it's Wednesday already - I haven't even caught up with Dialj yet! I have fic to read there, too, but I've not printed it out yet... tomorrow! In between writing. *g* Okay, I am shutting up and going to bed!

Today's sunset - for George Michael and Liz Smith yesterday, and for Richard Adams and Carrie Fisher today. There's only four days to go, and 2016 continues to leave me gobsmacked and sad... I know there have been some good things too (because in a whole year there must be some, somewhere), but....

The trouble with this relaxing lark, is that I'm getting behind..! I did manage a quick hack-track mile around sunset on Boxing Day.

The last two sunset pics? I hope you can see the Somerset starling murmuration! I was so glad to have looked up at just the right moment, to see the biggest flock I've seen in real life passing over! Not quite as dramatic as the various famous photos, but they're there! I was at the other end of the fields, naturally, when they swooped in, and they were gone in a minute or so, but how fab!

Well posting comments may be really slow at the moment, but posting pictures is virtually instantaneous - wow!

Christmas day started here with grey skies and rain, which was okay cos I contributed to the death of the planet by putting on all the pretty fairylights I have (bad, bad, bad...) and then the sun came out, and it was glorious and even warm.

Of course about an hour ago I heard a very odd roaring sound outside, and when I went to look, I was all but slapped in the face by rain and wind (which didn't at all sound like rain and wind!), but that's also okay, cos I have my flannel (sorry, brushed cotton) sheets on the bed, and my hot water bottle. Not that it's cold, actually, just blustery.

Anyway - it's been a nice wee day. I nipped around to Landlord to take them some fudge, so I even got to speak out loud to real people, and then there were lots more people on lj than I'd been expecting (hurrah!) and I was busy with the Christmas day posts and making Christmas dinner (delish Christmas nut roast from Riverford - I was worried they'd changed the recipe from last year, but they hadn't), and opening what turned out to be lots of dvds and a quilting book, and coffee (that's me sorted *g*) and then watching all the telly. I even watched Frozen (well, most of it)!

Oh! Doctor Who! *g* I liked it! I usually do, I'm pretty uncritical when it comes to the Doctor generally having a good time, and now that wossername is gone, it's all good. I had a brief frown when it turned out he was mourning a loved one - but of course that was River Song, cos that's the last time we saw the Doctor! Anyway, jolly good. *g* Anyone else watch?

Hope you all had a lovely day - I can't believe that's Christmas for another year!

Happy Christmas Eve! Today was the annual making-of-fudge - and I actually got it right this year, after two years where it was too soft.

Hope your world is cheerful and bright...

My word lj was just like lightening as it uploaded my pics! If that's what they've been working on, then jolly good! Now if I could just see the like things on my lj, I'd be a happy girl! (I like comments best, cos I can't see who the likes are from, though it's always nice to read of course, but I do get email notifications that someone liked the post, so I don't feel as if I have to go down the garden and eat worms... *g*) Anyway - I may be a little giddy cos I've finally finished work for Christmas - for ten whole days! Actually it may be nine, but it might also be ten (can't remember if I booked the Bank Holiday Monday off - hope I did), but it's definitely nine. Hurrah!

It's been dark grey and a bit blustery here today, though not really much rain - a few slaps on the window this evening. The tail end of Barbara for us down here, I suppose.

In between finishing work, I read Suitable Gravity by DVS, because I was in the mood for completely blissful SF lads, and just now watched Saving Mr Banks on t'telly. I can't stand Tom Hanks, but I do like Emma Thompson, and I really really enjoyed this. And I had no idea that P.L. Travers was Australian! I must read the original. And possibly watch the film. *g* It's one of those films which surely I must have seen a dozen times - except that I can't entirely remember seeing it through even once...

I also nipped to Yeovil to return the SureSignal which doesn't just plug into a socket - grrrrr - and a couple of M&S things. It was a quick trip, but I found lots more of Yeovil (its got a Monsoon - who'd a thunk it?!) and it was nice to see everyone out, all festive. And it really might be time to upgrade my phone next year, though I don't really want to. I'm eyeing up the Huawei phones, which get good reviews - anyone got one, or want to recommend their brand of smartphone? I'd like a decent camera on the phone, but otherwise fast and smooth and good at picking up phone and internet and wireless signals are what I'd like!

On the way home I caught the end of Chris Rea on the radio, Driving Home for Christmas, and got all nostalgic for our MS's version - well okay, not his exactly, but he dances in it. *g*

And then it turned out that

cloudless_9193 had posted the most gorgeous Pros version, which I'm going to re-post tomorrow so that I never lose it. *g* And I'm going to read Pros stories from

discoveredinalj, and catch up on the recs I've missed at

ci5hq, and read and possibly knit and sew, and it's going to be lush. *g* Hope everyone's having a nice time!

There's just one more work-day to go before it's Chriiiiistmas! Can't wait - a whole week, to potter around in. I know, I'll be bored by boxing day, but right now - I can't wait!

As for today - look! The sun really is coming back! *g*

Stuck my head around the door of the sometimes-sheepshed where the postie occasionally leaves things, just in case, and found some country life - Landlord's Christmas dinner, perhaps? (under a cut, for townies who prefer their country life to come from Waitrose *g* I like the pics, though, and they are quite English country winter...think Larton, if it helps!)

( Country larder )

My Christmas dinner, on the other hand, arrived today from Riverford... *g*

I'm also feeling just about done and ready too - things safely in the post, or decorated, or sitting in the fridge. In celebration I watched Tripod and the Dragon before the Christmas QI, because it always makes me smile. Also, forgot to say the other day, but when I've use my dvd player I remember - I finally ha cked it to region-free, so that I can watch Ladder of Swords and Leaving Normal on my bigger telly-screen, not just my little laptop screen, and my birthday present from my brother (which turned out to be Region 4), The Man from Snowy River. Hurrah! And I don't feel the least bit guilty, cos I've paid for these products over and over again, never mind paying again to match what some big group of corporations decided was another good way to get money out of us, and then forgot about when their next toy came along...

Anyway - that was today... If there's anyone out there, I hope yours was good!

...and after tonight, the days get longer. Happy 21st December! *g*

I got my days-counted mixed up somewhere - *headdesk* But I think this is right now. Tuesday's pictures...

The first one is the view from my office for the day, where I had another perfectly reasonable document, hurrah. Got it finished, and had fine plans for finishing the story I wanted to post for my Dialj day, but then instead of nipping around for mulled wine before dinner, nice neighbours nipped around after they'd had dinner, and so we spent a very nice few hours chatting and drinking mulled wine and eating various chilli cheeses (the latter courtesy of my brother sending me another surprise-groceries present for Christmas! *g*) and chestnut biscuits (courtesy of the tins of chestnut spread from France with

firefly1311 and

dragonfly1311 which were also delicious!), and a fine selection of German treats! Trouble was my writing time dwindled to not-very-long-after-all, and turned out to be not-long-enough-to-get-it-properly-sorted... So long story is going to have to wait until January after all - gaah! It will be done! I'm determined! (Or maybe I'll finish it and just post it to my lj, or

the_safehouse, of course). I do have posts for tomorrow (okay, now today since I'm posting this a timey-wimey day late), but it would have been nice to post that one. Hey-ho!

Anyway - that was Tuesday! Hope you had a good one...

Hurrah for academics who know what they're talking about (even if they don't know where the verb to be goes) - it makes life so much easier! I sat on my bed and was good and got my work done, and I was only briefly distracted by this chap. And I had no idea that robins really were quite so round, either! I thought that was mostly just a cute-Christmas-card effect, but look at him!

And the best bit of getting my work done on time was that then I went to see this film, and it was ace! Mostly the characters were all excellent, full of character, no one really unexpected, but they worked for me. And the writers didn't cop out at the end, which wasn't what I expected at all, and was also excellent. And the effects of course, were... you know. Excellent. *g* I want to go and watch it again now (on an even bigger screen *g*) At the very least it's made me feel science-fiction-y again. I might re-read The Cook and the Warehouseman next - although I should wait until nearer

helenraven's sequel is out if I'm good... Maybe I can find Bronze Metal Lover on my shelf, I remember enjoying that one too... and there's Suitable Gravity of course, and... well, and I even have some non-Pros SF on my shelves that I could read, too... *g*

Oh, and there was a character called Bodie. Alright, I think he may have spelled it differently, but still. *g*

Friday 16th December
Friday was ordinary - there was a sunset...

( ...and horsies )

Saturday 17th December
Saturday was a busy-day, but at the end of it, I decided to nip to Montacute House to see the Lanterns of Light Christmas house. And it was rather cool!

( Too many pictures of lights )

Sunday 18th December
Today turned out to be another busy-day, and I was very good and went out to someone's Christmas-drinks do, and it was fine, and then went back to friend's place for a cup of tea, and then came home *g* It's very foggy out there tonight - I took the rubbish out, and could barely see five paces in front of me!

And I am too sleepy to write anything about the pictures, and determined to turn out my light before 1am today (maybe even before half-twelve!) G'night!

Done! I am done with the awful assignment that took twice as long as it should have! Done, I tell you! *g* Admittedly, I would have finished before 1am if I hadn't nipped out in between to a local Christmas market evening. And had pizza. *g*

You might recognise the ~~Dragon~~Swan, enjoying the Christmas lights on the horsepond. *g* And it occurs to me that I've posted pics of and old and a new tradition of dancers, too - how very symmetrical of me. *g*

Mostly though, it occurs to me that I need to go to bed! It would be very nice of tomorrow's work was straightforward, and I finished in time to decorate my lovely new tree - cross fingers!

Well, today just kicked my bottom, and tomorrow's not going to be any better. I have a serious bugger of a job on, that I wish I'd never accepted, only I've sent back so many recently because they've just not been of a level to be proofread yet, and the start of it looked okay... *sighs* On the bright side for today - clouds. *g*

I have got to get a new gig!

Nipped to Wells and couldn't resist this gorgeously Christmas-card building.

Then nipped into a particular farm on the way home, and... now my wee annexe smells gorgeously of Christmas. *g*

On the other hand, the replacement oven turned out to be broken, so chappy had to take them both away, and my new filling is aching a bit, which it really shouldn't do... *headdesk* Also, my current work project is really really poor, and is taking me forever so far... argh!

But - tree. *g*

Blimey, just twenty days left to go...

On the bright side, it might be the end of a long day, but landlord is sorting my oven tomorrow (in fact he's replacing it), my filling is fixed (until next time), I caught up and finished my work to deadline, I got to the post office, I did laundry, and on top of all that? Arranged to go see Rogue One next Monday. Yeay! So actually a much better day than I was expecting.

How're you doing? *g*

The third thing (left over from yesterday's electricity and lost filling) is that my oven isn't working any more! Which I presume is related to the electricity... Just in time for Christmas!

Stayed in doing busy-things today (and catching up a bit on work), and when I glanced up around sunset there was blue sky with pink-ish clouds over the stables, so I thought I'd nip out and have a look - and this is what I found!

They'll look better if you see them big, cos - mist! Creeping over and swallowing the fields, and trees - but above, blue skies and pink sunset clouds! It was lovely - apparently the mist had been up and down all day (I assumed it was just always down, from where I sit, but no!)

I'm still not caught up mind - and so much for thinking I might get myself a Christmas tree early this year, tomorrow's the 12th already!

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Palelyloitering

Hold Your Breath, Sunshine

A ship is safe in the harbour - but that's not what ships are for.

~o~

I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night. (Sarah Williams)

~o~

Could've.
Should've.
Would've.
Didn't. Didn't. Didn't.

~o~

Page generated Tuesday, 24 June 2025 01:06 am

By Slanted Light

Hold Tight and Pretend it's a Plan.

Entries tagged with 366 project2016

Photo-a-Day 13th September - Thursday

366 Photos - 366/366 - ...and a Happy New Year!

366 Photos - 365/366 - the penultimate post

366 Photos - 364 - Two...

366 Photos - 363 - Wednesday... minus three and counting...!

366 Photos - 362 - Tuesday Sunset

366 Photos - 361 - Boxing Day - 26th December

366 Photos - 360 - That was Christmas Day.

366 Photos - 359 - Christmas Eve day

366 Photos - 358 - and it's the holidays! *g**

366 Photos - 357

366 Photos - 356 - Happy Solstice!

366 Photos - 355 - Tuesday

366 Photos - 354 - Monday

366 Photos - 351, 352, 353

366 Photos - 350 - Seventeen...

366 Photos - 349 - Eighteen...

366 Photos - 348 - Nineteen...

366 Photos - 347 - Twenty...

366 Photos - 345 - Sunday

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Hold Your Breath, Sunshine