jaala

Yes it's cold, no I will not turn on the heat. Though naturally I didn't want to get up this morning because bed so toasty warm, thus fell asleep again and dreamed of trying to get home ('home' being some kind of Bedford place) in a snowstorm with Nora Jemisin and a friend of hers who were supposed to be staying with me.

However, up eventually and out to the BoM where I exchanged $21 in dimes and nickels for bills and a loonie, and also got a new card because they're phasing out the old ones. That's two things off the list of to-does, but I should have asked for more coin wrappers and didn't. So of course I came home with a dollar in dimes because the restaurant I got take out at didn't have change. Restaurant was the Middle Eastern halal place my friend A. goes to, the one with the ridiculously huge portions. Alas, shall not be going there in person again because their music is so loud as to start a headache in the ten minutes I was waiting for my order. But still really good food.

Then by the Spadina library because they have a Charles Lenox in hardcover and I want one for this long weekend and my ebook is still showing two weeks wait. And home, for a measly 5000 steps that felt like much more. I think I need to book another massage, but will see what stretching accomplishes. Obviously I didn't do enough after gardening yesterday.

kaberett

You know the way I just said -- I just said -- that I had worked out how to make wagamama's current menu yield something I was actively enthusiastic about eating?

WELL GUESS WHAT. THIRD TIME UNLUCKY.

I had really not expected the pad thai to vanish in a menu overhaul, okay, what on EARTH.

(So we came home and ate butternut squash & quince stew instead, and maybe by the next time it is Ritual Wagamama O'Clock I'll have resigned myself to eating something that isn't The Thing I Just Worked Out.)

ysabetwordsmith posting in

birdfeeding

Today is mostly sunny and mild.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 10/9/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 10/9/25 -- I spent a total of 1 1/2 to 2 hours gathering seeds at the Charleston Food Forest and Coles County Community Garden. I am sooo tired, but I got a great haul. \o/

EDIT 10/9/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

As it is now dark, I am done for the night.

.

Current Mood: busy

annathepiper

Welcome to my very first post ever for playing Enderal, the total conversion mod for Skyrim that transforms it into an entirely different game!

If you’ve never played Enderal before, suffice to say, this post will be full of spoilers, like any other playthrough post on my site.

And meet my character Siobhan, half-Nehrimese, half-Kiléan, who finds out right quick that maybe sneaking on board a boat to get to Enderal is maybe not the smartest thing she ever did….

Read the rest of this entry »

Read more on Anna Plays Skyrim.

flemmings

Got another bag filled with linden seedlings and English ivy, then put both bags out for pickup tomorrow. Given that it rained all yesterday, the seeds were oddly dry, for which I am grateful. Had to do my gardening without alcohol because system took exception to Black Russians with no carbs to absorb them. Very much the downside to no bread, because rice and potatoes don't have the same balancing effect.

We return to autumn temperatures for a spell. I may not have to use the A/C again as I did on Sunday and Monday night but this month will still be above average. There are rumours of us going to single digits tonight. However my house still holds the warmth: and in fact a high of 15 with sun is still too warm for a jacket. I shall just sleep with a heavier hoodie and will be fine in my newly plumped up down duvet. Really I should have had that thing cleaned a good ten years ago.

In yesterday's enforced idleness I finally finished Terra Nostra, which kindly fell apart in the last 200 pages so I needn't wonder whether to keep it or not. True, I had to take a break and read David Wishart's version of the emperor Tiberius to counteract Fuentes'. What I also didn't register 40-odd years ago was the very dated attitude that women exist for love and more especially sex and have no other motive for living except that. This, when you're talking about a version of Elizabeth of England, is so wrong-headed as to be laughable. But it seems a commonplace amongst all the (male) Hispanic writers I've come across.

In any case, that's done. I have the latest Flavia Alba on the tablet and may start that biography of Leonardo that's been sitting on the shelf since forever, as a grounding corrective to Fuentes.

ribirdnerd posting in

birdfeeding

10/8/25 A rainy morning had some Blue Jays and House Sparrows stopping but that's about it.

My bird cam picked up a pair of Northern Cardinals and White breasted Nuthatches.

kaberett

In My Ridiculous Pen Collection, I have a Lamy 2000 (largely inspired by Ant Newman of UKFountainPens waxing lyrical). I got it second hand, as with all but one of my pens; the one that showed up cheap came with an F nib.

( Read more... )

petra

There are now 8 days of limericks in the Kinktober 2025 series. The Blindfold poem is even more deliberately vague about the pairing than the others. I would love to know how people read it!

Current Mood: accomplished

ysabetwordsmith posting in

birdfeeding

Today is partly sunny and mild.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches. I heard a bluejay screaming but didn't see it.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 10/8/25 -- I did some work around the patio.

I saw a male cardinal in the forest garden.

EDIT 10/8/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 10/8/25 -- I gathered sunflower seeds and wild senna seeds from the gardens.

EDIT 10/8/25 -- I watered the irises, telephone pole garden and savanna seedlings, new picnic table, and old picnic table.

As it is almost suppertime, I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

kaberett

This morning I had Physio at The Hospital Up The Road, which is a really good way to get me to actually go to the allotment (which is round the back of the hospital site, so the way this usually goes is I cycle to the allotment, drop my bike off, and then cut through to the opposite side of the site where Physio Happens, thereby not needing to faff about with bike locks).

Upon my return from physio (which was not... great; I got probably-a-cold two and a half weeks ago and my cardiovascular-respiratory situation is still Distinctly Not Happy) I actually paid slightly closer attention to my saffron bed -- the last couple of trips I've been all "ugh, nothing doing, I should really weed but UGH clearly the saffron has all DIED yes I KNOW that this is the traditional time of year for me to be convinced that The Saffron Has Died only to discover--" and indeed not only were there multiple clumps of saffron, most of them have flowers that are clearly going to happen Any Moment Now.

So today I have come home with six saffron strands, and am expecting A Bunch More, and have reinspected the saffron containers on the patio and established that one of those has them starting to come up as well -- and so now, obviously, I need to work out what to do with the RIDICULOUS RICHES represented by... maybe like two dozen strands of saffron. (Yes I also have a stash of shop-bought.)

Saffron & bay custard tarts with sticky blackberries? More saffron and cardamom panettone pudding (which we know we like)? Saffron rice pudding? All the saffron recipes from Sweet, which is possibly going to be my next cook-(almost)-all-the-way-through project? Lebovitz's saffron ice cream, to go with the planned quince sorbet? Saffron buns? Literally any of the obvious savoury options??? SO MUCH CHOICE.

ysabetwordsmith posting in

birdfeeding

Today is cloudy and mild.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 10/7/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 10/7/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 10/7/25 -- I picked up some flowerpots that got knocked over.

EDIT 10/7/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

As it is almost suppertime, I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

reeby10 posting in

dw_community_promo

Link: Round 19 Sign Ups | Round 19 Themes

Description:

characters20in20 is a 20in20 community dedicated to making icons of characters from movies and tv shows. You have 20 days to make 20 icons about a character of your choice, based on a set of themes for the round.

Schedule: Round 19 sign ups are open NOW. Icons are due October 27, 2025.

flemmings

Nothing weekend spent entirely indoors drinking Black Russians and doom-scrolling. Did order in yesterday from Middle Eastern place. I usually tip 20% in the app to provide incentive to pick my order, and then add cash at the door so as not to max my credit card too soon. And because 20% of a low ball order isn't a lot. Didn't have the usual five dollar bill so had to give guy an envelope of coins. Then he sent me a text saying 'thank you for the tip, it really made my day.' Which maybe he says to everyone who tips him, but it certainly made my day.

It continues to be summer with high 20sC, pushing 80F. This will end tonight in rain and storms. Must get out and sweep up more leaves and seedlings for Thursday's garden waste pickup but am not really moved to.

ysabetwordsmith posting in

birdfeeding

Today is mostly sunny and hot.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 10/6/25 -- I did a bit of work around the yard.

EDIT 10/6/25 -- I watered the septic garden and the new picnic table garden.

I picked a few groundcherries.

EDIT 10/6/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 10/6/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 10/6/25 -- I watered the irises and the patio plants.

EDIT 10/6/25 -- I watered the new picnic table, telephone pole garden, and savanna seedlings.

EDIT 10/6/25 -- I did a bit of work around the yard.

I bagged up the last of the Ginger Gold apple seeds to cold-stratify in the fridge.

As it is almost suppertime, I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

kitarella_imagines

My third update of the year.

Just a reminder:

The Maiden or Goddess season is January, February, March.
The Mother or Nurturer season is April, May, June.
The Wild or Queen season is July, August, September.
The Wise or Crone season is October, November, December.

Oh dear! Only one story this season! I have been busy with work, mother, legal stuff etc. But my fic is a doozy. VERY popular because it's about a popular Formula 1 RPF couple. It's got the most bookmarks ever and gets kudos every day. It was something I wrote quite quickly so not something heartfelt but still, it is cute and funny.

Matchmakers

Gabriel Bortoleto/Nico Hülkenberg and the other 5 rookies of 2025

Tags: Oblivious Nico, Bad Matchmaking, Awkward Flirting, Matchmaking Rookies, 5+1 Things, Romance, Humor, Age Difference

Summary:

5 times Nico admired Gabi from afar and 1 time he didn’t.

Or: 6 times the rookies tried matchmaking.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/67686681

Current Mood: amused

the_siobhan

Weekend was less productive than hoped, or at least less productive at the specific things I wanted to finish. Daughter ended up only being able to come on Thursday and I got stuck in a meeting until late. There's always stuff for her to pick away at, but the This-Needs-More-Than-Two-Hands jobs only got a couple of hours of dedicated time.

That was enough time to take off the old light fixtures and find out that the new ones I bought fit perfectly into the short narrow spaces available. Unfortunately the base of the new lights is a couple of centimetres smaller than that of the old ones - and the original installation was done by cutting holes in the walls that were of a size just barely able to be covered by the old fixtures. So once again I am fixing holes in plaster because apparently this is my life now.

This is mostly annoying because I have to turn the power off to the room because I'm working around dangling wires. So I'm plastering & painting with one hand and holding my phone up for light with the other. Somewhere around here I know I have some flashlights that are small enough I can hold it in my mouth so I can use both hands - but you think I can find them?

Then I looked at the bathroom and decided it looked really patchy so I slapped another layer of paint on it. Looks much better. The only thing left to paint is the doors.

To Do List: Tomorrow I will follow up with the engineer (AGAIN), and hit the hardware store. (Maybe I'll see if they have one of those headlamp deals.)

I should also call an electrician to install the two exterior lights, one was missed completely and the second was set up with an interior box instead of an outdoor one. I might also call the guy who installed the storm door for the kitchen and see if he can get one on the basement door because I am tired of flies and mosquitos coming in every time I open the door. It's a weird size, but he might be able to special order something.

And then I have a cancer screen that's way overdue, and my doctor sent me the name of a therapist she recommends that I should follow up on, and I started cleaning out my closet this weekend so I can start going through the stacks of boxes out of the top floor and finding homes for things. (So far I found two big bags of Darrell's old clothing and a whole-ass guitar I didn't know about.)

Current Mood: sisyphus

kaberett

Reading. So many things. Or at least it feels that way. Unsure if actually So Many.

( Melzack & Wall, McRobbie, McGuire, Duncan, Stock )

( Cookbooks )

And I am now TWO months behind on Dreamwidth. TWO. Ahahahaha.

Playing. Several more rounds of Fluxx.

Tukoni: Prologue, "a point-and-click puzzle adventure" featuring beautiful botanical art. Very very much enjoyed this tiny snippet (a mushroom! that makes it rain! when you pat it!) and am mildly dismayed at the five-year gap between the release of this prologue and the subsequent demo of what will theoretically be a full game...

Cooking. ALSO SO MANY THINGS.

another recipe from East: chilli tofu
green beans in tomato sauce with fennel seeds, feta, and toast, loosely inspired by a thing out of the latest Ottolenghi cookbook (in the sense that I went looking for confirmation of my sense that the thing I was thinking of doing would work, found it, and promptly carried on with my intentions rather than the recipe I was distinctly less into)
smitten kitchen's vegetarian cassoulet, with the addition of Dubious Protein Chunks
a quince cake, which I made a lot of modifications to, and of which I am dubious, probably because of those modifications (but A seems to like it, so that's a win)
hazelnut and treacle Welsh cakes, leaving us with two remaining recipes of any interest in the tourist-tat Welsh cakes cookbook (cranberry + white chocolate is a no, as are the two recipes containing bacon; double choc chip is a maybe, and I'm willing to consider that Caerphilly + leek might have merits but A is distinctly more dubious)
soda bread! notable because (i) not sourdough, (ii) using the buttermilk culture I have successfully kept alive this time around (and have now refreshed), and (iii) I ignored all of the instructions about Handling It As Little As Possible and as a result it achieved Structural Integrity, which I usually do... not manage

Eating. I have successfully worked out how to make Wagamama's current menu provide me with food I will actually look forward to, which is A Great Victory. Located the last of last year's seasonal Dark Chocolate With Raspberry and have been gently nibbling it. QUINCE. And another variety of apple from an abandoned neighbouring plot at the allotment; this one is Very Crunchy and Very Red but not particularly flavours.

(The tree that got planted so as to encroach on my plot is some kind of cooker, unsure which, because my usual approach to cooking apples is James Grieve from my mother's garden...)

Making & mending. I think that, inspired by some helpful answers on reddit, I have got my clicky fountain pen clicking reliably again? It was doing a thing where it wouldn't lock, and it was pointed out to me that probably the issue was going to be located in the knock not at the trap door, so I... wrote the pen dry, rinsed out the ACCUMULATED DUST OF THE YEARS (THANKS DADFORD ROAD), and since then it's been behaving beautifully. Long may it continue.

Growing. There are still tomatoes? Also kohlrabi. I only managed a single flying visit to the plot this week; at some point soonish I'm going to need to get A to take me over with the car so I can retrieve from the greenhouse the various peppers I'm hoping to overwinter. I do not appear to have been issued with a Non-Cultivation Order in this round of inspections, which is a very welcome surprise!

Observing. A has seen the bat! I have not seen the bat because I have been Preoccupied with Other Things (misc). But the bat has not yet put itself to bed for the winter. <3

ysabetwordsmith posting in

birdfeeding

Today is mostly sunny and hot.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 10/5/25 -- I did a bit of work around the yard.

I picked a handful of groundcherries.

EDIT 10/5/25 -- I watered the patio plants.

I picked another handful of groundcherries.

I've heard a bluejay screaming but haven't seen it.

EDIT 10/5/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 10/5/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 10/5/25 -- I watered the new picnic table garden.

I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

brithistorian

Today's quote of the day is actually three quotes, all on the practice of writing history, come from Bruce W. Dearstyne's "The Progressive President and the AHA: Theodore Roosevelt and the Historical Discipline," published in the September 2025 issue of Perspectives on History from the American Historical Association.

The first two are from early 20th century historian Allan Nevins[^1] (1890-1971):

"The world at large will sooner forgive lack of scientific solidity than lack of literary charm. The great preservative in history, as in all else, is style." — from his 1938 book *The Gateway to History

"With the demise of the romantic, unscientific, and eloquent school of writers, our history ceased to be literature." — from his 1959 AHA presidential address

Dearstyne shows that these issues are still relevant by following these quotes with a quote from contemporary historian Jacqueline Jones:

By making stories about the past available to all sorts of publics, scholars seek to counter mythmaking and contribute to a broader educational enterprise — one that is essential to the future of history and, indeed, democracy itself." — from her 2021 AHA presidential address

While I agree with these quotes as to the necessity of making history entertaining so that people will want to read it, I don't think that this has to come at the cost of accuracy. If fact, I think it must not come at the cost of accuracy. If only Jones had deleted the words "stories about" when writing this sentence — thus making it clear that accuracy is required when writing history — then I could agree with it wholeheartedly.

[^1] I found it interesting to note that Nevins had only an MA in history, the same as me, and yet he was able to become president of the AHA in 1959, whereas today an MA in history is (in my experience) basically useless.

kitarella_imagines

So after the highs of last weekend, now poor Marc was involved in a crash on track in Indonesia. The other rider was clumsy enough to look suspicious, and now Marc has injured his already smashed up shoulder and won't be racing til next year now.

It is the last thing he needed but at least he will be safe at home among his loved ones and not on track racing for the next few months.

*sigh*

EDIT!

I'm happy to say that the injuries weren't as bad as feared, he doesn't even need surgery! He will miss a couple of races and see how it goes.

Quote from Marc Marquez: “Fortunately, the injury isn’t severe, but it’s important to respect the recovery timeline. My goal is to be back before the end of the season, but without rushing things beyond the doctors’ recommendations. Both my personal and the team’s main goals have been achieved, so now the priority is to recover properly and return at 100%.”

From here:
https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2025/10/06/marc-marquez-to-miss-australian-and-malaysian-grands-prix/760716

Current Mood: cynical

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[food] ... cursed

Birdfeeding

In Which Siobhan Has a Very Bad Ocean Journey

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Rainy morning

[stationery] contemplating a self-indulgence

Kinktober 2025: Limericks of Jedi gettin' it on - update

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[growth] SAFFRON

Birdfeeding

characters20in20 Round 19

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Birdfeeding

Seasonal update 2025 #3 Wild/Queen Season

That Didn't Go As Planned: Title of my biography

vital functions

Birdfeeding

QOTD: On historiography

The rollercoaster goes down as well as up

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