tkirk

I found this phrase in an art magazine, as a prompt for a couple of artists to produce pictures. I thought it would make a good prompt for a short story. Anyone willing to take up the challenge?

I'm doing this with Paul in our office, with stories due 2 weeks from today. I'll post my attempt in two weeks time, anyone who wants to join in can post a link to their story in the comments here!

Once in a while I decide that the same old food over and over is boring and decide to try something different. Last night, I decided that I would make ratatouille. I'd never even heard of it before the Disney film, and I have always hated aubergine, so it was a bit risky. Every recipe I found had a different mix of vegetables, so I just found the ones most commonly used, mixed up a sauce that didn't contain too much tomato and mixed it all together.

I cooked it by dumping the whole lot into a casserole dish and putting it in the oven on a fairly low heat. While it was cooking I baked some potatoes alongside it. It smelled fantastic, even my carnivourous husband thought so. However, being a carnivore he wouldn't accept it as a meal unless it had meat, so I cooked a load of thin sausages to go with it.

It was a fantastic meal, and one I shall be repeating!

So, I've not been seriously on LiveJournal for ages, what have I missed?

Of the three famous people who died yesterday, only one of them truly affected me. I'm not a film buff, nor do I get attached to actors who play commercial characters. Arthur C. Clarke, on the other hand, did deeply affect me through his writing.

He was indirectly responsible for Star Trek, and predicted the technology that made mobile phones practical and popular. As a writer he has engaged my imagination and helped steer me towards science fiction in writing and television. So in a way he's responsible for my Trek obsession in that way too. I find I can get enjoyment simply from reading the titles on Howard's 'Clarke' shelf. He had a wonderful gift of evoking beautiful images with very few words.

In accordance with his stated wishes, I will not mourn (although I have shed some tears) but I will think instead of the rich legacy he left us in the books he wrote. I will leave you with his response from his birthday last year when asked how he would like to be remembered.

"I want to be remembered most as a writer. I want to entertain readers and hopefully stretch their imaginations as well. If I have given you delight in all that I have done, let me lie quiet in that night, which shall be yours anon."

And since people have started counting shopping days until xmas:

I present World of Warcraft inspired 12 days.

On the twelfth day of questing my teammate showed to me :

12 Mounts a-leaping
11 Night elves dancing
10 ghosts a-wailing
9 orcs a-grunting
8 wolves a-howling
7 murlocs swimming
6 gnolls a-raiding
5 ghoul fangs
4 zombie ribs
3 gnoll paws
2 goretusk snouts
and a Crossroads raiding par-ty

Of course this is about two years old, and from before the Burning Legion expansion so it may need updating...

Did I ever mention that I love Doctor Who? He's every kind of wonderful, and seeing two of my favourites together...

If you havent seen it yet, go here and watch it.

The bit near the end, where number ten tells his younger self "You were MY Doctor" made me squeak - Peter Davidson was MY Doctor too! I was 6 when he changed, it's Peter Davidson that I have my first clear Doctor memories of. It was Peter Davidson I begged Jim to Fix It for me to meet. It was Peter Davidson I spent hours making cut-outs of to go inside my specially designed TARDIS (That's two TARDIS shapes sellotaped into an envelope so the Doctor and his companions could be safely stored inside)

Right enough nostalgia, I'm going to watch it again.

For anyone who might be wondering where I am, I've been off LJ for a little while.

School started back, so I've had lots of school related jobs to do (ugh, sewing on name-labels for two children is NOT fun...)

My Step-mother died, so I was away for a few days at the funeral and staying a few extra days with my Father. It's still somewhat unreal, somehow I thought June would be around for ever. Ah well.

Mostly I've been around on Facebook. It's very easy to just update your status for anyone who might be watching! I've also fallen victim to the Facebook disease of adding random groups and wasting time doing things which are basically memes :p (Kirsten Tomlinson, in case anyone wants to add me as a Facebook friend.) I promise not to bother you with constant invitations to random Facebook apps;)

I have Front-Row tickets for the Manchester Opera House on the 30th October. The recording of one of my favourite radio shows "I'm Sorry, I Haven't a Clue" I'm very excited about that!

OK, so maybe it wasn't so brief. I'm going to finish my preparation for tomorrow's roast now.

Oh my god, kittens on china plates. That was the creeepiest thing ever. I am now going to go around my house and smash anything china that has a kitten on it. Scarred for life, that's what I am.

What? Were you expecting spoilers?

OK, places we visited:
( this is long... )

Packing at the last minute (literally!) and planning only finished last night, but we're off this morning to travel to Salisbury via Stonehenge today, and Portsmouth tomorrow (to see HMS Victory). Then Somerset to see my family, and down to a nice little farm cottage in Cornwall for a week on Saturday afternoon. Here's where we're staying : Treetops Cottage at Coombe Mill

Busy busy :)