The Bank Holiday round up

 

Well today is officially a Bank Holiday over here although in practice many things such as shops are operating as normal so I'll be out playing for a bit so long as any rain and wind holds off

Molly the brownie dolly is downstairs on a shelf and amazingly the grump has laid a rug that is at least four years old down that had been brought by Mom and then left behind the dining room television which is as well as the old one was frayed with duct tape at the edges.

Last week there was some fun and games at Fur Affinity, the Furry related arts site some of us have an account at where an individual had hacked two X (previously known as Twitter) accounts and redirected the main site itself for a good two and a bit days to various alt-right/anti furry,anti lgtq+ sites which was frustrating as I had a few posts to make there where were time critical just when I was going to be out.

It appears the groups this person placed redirects to were not very happy at all being "played" for this stunt as much as they have issues with us.

In the end a holding page came to say it everything was being prepared to restore the site to normal and inviting us to join their Discord accounts that were carrying updates on progress and actions regarding investigating what had gone on.

This I end up not for the first time via the Furry establishment with something else on the social media front  this  time with a discord account not that I do much chatting as between my paw joint issues, migraines and dizzy spells I don't spend all day online and someday's it's less than an hour across several.

I don't care for the interface to be blunt but it's okay as back up and "What is happening guys?" thing.

The simpliest of things just happen...

 After last weeks look into the great unknown we're away from anything spinning this week although last Friday was rather more like this, crashed out part way talking with your BFF who also did cos we tend to run out of spoons rather quickly.

That said sometimes with the old Windows Laptop that's a bit temperamental having a tendency to switch off suddenly at ten minutes on mains but running fine off batteries until the Battery % amount gets critical  but it does charge the battery up when plugged in to the mains adaptor to 100%.

But when you feel flat there always stuff that really perks you up.

A soft touch dolly in 1970's brownies uniform but don't ask where the knitted hat ended up as I have no idea you can hug and cuddle up to and in the front room there's a more regular 8 inch (20cm) posable dolly on on the shelf looking out.

One LG seems to have a struggle to understand another at their website can indeed live in that mindset, sometimes the odd person has questioned it with me but honestly for some of us it's the most natural thing to the point you're not playing the mind games others around seem to be.

We just don't feel that way.

Classics that were forgotten

 Catching up with things that arrived at Chez Jo's while away.

Hjalmar Borgstrom  the Norwegian composer has been well on the way to being rediscovered since the beginning of the new millenium. 

Some composers do long disappear from public consciousness over time and he is one of his most important works were performed in his native Norway until the Second World War.

No one seems to know just why that was.

 Until his death in 1925, he had also played an important role as a critic too.

With the premiere of his two operas and above all the rediscovery of his extraordinarily picturesque symphonic tone poems, a new page in this story of finding acceptance.

A contemporary of Richard Strauss who studied with Johan Severin Svendsen and Carl Reinecke among others, proves to be a legitimate descendant of Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner; it is difficult to escape the captivating boldness of his programmatic concepts and their unconventionally beautiful realization.

I found these works on regular cd from WDR radio recordings encouraged by a favourable Presto review highly enjoyable.

Summer Camp 2024

 Yes I did indeed manage to get away last week to something that is very much like a summer camp but for adults (in law) doing things that you loved back then as if by magic you'd gone back in time and where there's nothing remotely "adult" going on.

I past years I've written more chronological journal entries but I think it may work better to look more at  themes to which the start point was Jennifer and Katie took a minor detour to drop by picking me up in person before setting out to the Lakes stopping at some photogenic points such as by the grounds of Stonyhurst College (and St Mary's Pre-Prep and Prep school), near the Ribble Valley overhead viaduct along the Settle-Carlisle Line and Whalley Abbey for a spot of lunch.

That proved interesting as it didn't accept Money as in traditional notes and coins of the realm so one of two available credit cards stepped in.

Bring back money, I say!

I did get out, seeing our postman and in the shoppe very much as me (or at least another presentation of me as I can and do Tom Boy as well as not a few girls actually are like) and having partaken of a chicken with salad and tasty vegetable rice, Katie generously shared.
 

We did two Jigsaws or more accurately completed one and were about three quarters through another between us plus a number completed a lego set.

We played rounders one afternoon in teams batting and fielding which was rather fun and a tradition mixed events sports day with bean bag target, egg & spoon race and water relay race amongst other things set in two teams Blue and Red.

I had a green top and white skort on which works for me.

There were a few "makes" such as baking cakes of various sorts such as Carrot, Cheesy Scones, Cup Cakes and chocolate chip cookies which Alice and I made which were shared after extra decorating.

We also made houses out of cardboard tape or gluing precut sections before fitting such things as doors and windows, a patio and in one instance even its very own helipad.

They came out quite well really.

There was a story time but with a difference which was we were given three (I think) introductory paragraphs giving us the people, the situation and an outcome but we had to write and say it out in turns in real time!

Jillian run a general knowledge and name the famous actress quiz which our team The, Staffordshire Three, came second. 

We did have a Charades session on Thursday before getting back for the next day.

Food was interesting in that we had hand made Devon Pasties a 5kg Gammon that provided two and  bit days of ham after a good boiling with salad and a variety of baps/buns and slice breads.

For one evening we held a diy b-bq with farm beef burgers,  sausages and some cheesy thing that can be heated but as a non cheese person I can't say much about how that turned out and on another we submitted and two persons kindly collected a fish and chips order (with the odd variation) which I can as the cod I had was delicious.

Getting back proved something of an ordeal as after relatively minor traffic issues, all hell broke loose between junctions 24 and 21a around South west Lancs when things stalled for what seemed like ages and the attempt to get off to drop me of had a bizarre series of roadworks that near enough two essential towns off  and further along yet more issues with accidents and lord knows what.

You know you're but a few miles off and yet you just can't get there.

Thanks to Iris and Mary for organizing things and everyone who held an event or did things to make this fun, safe event highly enjoyable.