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21 May 2012

it used to be that i could rely on thehobbit for blog photos.  not only does he have a good eye (here), he is rarely without his camera (unlike his mama).  in fact, now that he has an itouch he is never without a camera. 

so if he is never without his camera; & has not yet had his good eye poked out in a duel with zorro; why am i saying that he can no longer be relied upon for blog photos?  do you not see the above photo?  does it look katish to you?  it does not.  in fact, i imagine you thought you'd landed on the wrong blog when you saw it. 

the fact of the matter is this: my sweet hobbity one is now only interested in photographing cars.  sure, he'll get a wild hair, & snap a few photos of some fabulous random thing, or his freakycute little brother.  mostly though?  cars.  this one was taken for his his orange-loving uncle. 

i suppose it is time for me to literally dust off my camera, & take my own photos.  i feel like an edwardian countess whose staff has just been greatly depleted by the onset of ww1.  what?  i must put on my own shoes?  pour my own tea?  take my own digital photos?why cannot things just stay the same?! 

i am with you, imaginary edwardian lady, i am with you. 

in theory, i am thrilled that thehobbit has discovered a passion - in reality, not so much.  i want him to be forever my dragon-loving, faery-hunting, hogwarty boy.  cars are just not my thing.  he broke the rules.  he was supposed to never get angsty, never to stop loving the things that i love, & never to become interested in things that bore me.  broken, broken, & broken.  dreadful boy. 

08 May 2012

just as thehobbit's medieval studies class comes to an end, i discover my own bit of medievalness (real word) - i managed to trace one line of my mother's family back to some muckity-mucks the middle ages!  yes, about six months ago, i joined the ranks of amateur genealogists, & began researching my family.  in fact, that research is one of the things that has kept me from blogging on a regular basis.  that, & a certain pesky toddler. 

so!  the short of what is a very long story: tinker(who has been addicted to genealogy vastly longer than i) thinks she may have found one of my ancestors on the bayeux tapestry.  let me interrupt myself here to say that the more i learn about my the places & players in my family history, the more i am convinced that we are drawn to what is in our blood.  if that makes no sense, i apologize.  i'll explain what i mean more fully another day.  back to the topic at hand - this morning i showed the bayeux tapestry to thehobbit, which led us to some fun.  enjoy! 

firstly, for those who may not have heard of the bayeux tapestry read this. 

some activities at britain's bayeux tapestry.  our favorite is the interactive create your own tapestry link. ( note :: this is not the original tapestry, but a victorian reproduction, that is housed in england.) 

& now watch this wonderful animation, created by students at goldsmiths college. 

07 May 2012

are you angry at me for being such a wretched excuse of a blogger?  i hadn't intended on staying away, in fact, i have written many a post to you since last we chatted.  of course, they were all in my head.  that counts, right?  no?  fine.  then please forgive me, pour yourself some tea, & be prepared to be amazed that i can babble on & on by my literary genius. 

have we chatted about my love of the alice books?  it wasn't one of those love affairs that hit me passionately; instead i just woke one day & noticed that there seemed to be a lot of alicey type things cluttering thebelfry.  i cannot tell you what exactly draws me to the stories, but i imagine the nonsensical nature has a lot to do with it. 

isn't that photo darling?  i found it on pinterest when i was creating my alice board.  on pinterest i have found alicey: illustrations, photographs, books, jewelry, clothing, & even the most insanely wonderful tattoos. 

my personal collection consists of the following:

* a ring of the characters holding hands.  it is as if they were teeny paper cut-outs, going around the finger.  i haven't worn it for decades, but cannot seem to part with it. 

* three films: the disney cartoon (which i must admit to not liking much), the tim burton version (because a) it's tim burton & 2) it's johnny depp), & my most favorite of them all this! 

* this stunningly gorgeous (i knew alice had black hair like mine) illustration, printed tiny from the computer, & taped to my bedroom wall. ( one day i will buy a real one, i promise.) 

* a tattered script from a junior high (aka middle school) production, & another from a college production (hatter & alice, respectively). 

* a stuffed white rabbit, complete with pocket watch - though i have not seen him in many years.  either he is in one of the eleventy billion garage bins, has been lost in one of our moves, or got bored with me so popped back down the rabbit hole. 

* books!!!!  which brings us to why i am babbling about alicey things.  it all comes back to books, doesn't it?  in the world of book collectors, my four copies could hardly be called a collection, but to me they are a perfectly respectable beginning.  here are my lovelies:

- the latest edition to my collection of alice books, courtesy of an impromptu thrifting expedition earlier in the week, alice's adventures in wonderland.  this copy is the largest of those i own, & the only one not illustrated by the fabulous john tenniel.  i feel as though i am cheating on mr.  tenniel when i say this, but i do love helen oxenbury's nearly as much.  watch an interview with ms.  oxenbury here. 

& now that you know the extent of my madness, i am off.  enjoy your day, do!