10 Things I Love In September

1. Rose Hip Tea. I drink that stuff by the gallon for I love the slightly sour flavour and the dark red colour. And wild roses. It’s way better than the tap water here, at last.
   
2. Warmer Blankets. When it came to September this year I noticed that I needed some. At some days during the last weeks I was really tempted to turn on the heating. The Scoundrel was so nice to bring one of his woolen blankets here (when he stays over he wanted one of his own), so I don’t have to be cold anymore.
   
3. Chilly Air. Even though it demands thicker bedding and woolen pullover and socks, I love the weather here at the moment. The air is filled with that certain scent of falling leaves and cold water from the river and the fog rises in the streets in the evening…
   
4. Our New Spice Shelf. First I wanted to build one myself, but when I went though some of the old stuff in our attic I stumbled across one and now our spices don’t have to crowd the working surface in the kitchen anymore.
   
5. The Instrumental Parts of Black 47′s Funky Céilí. I’m having a folk phase again at the moment. Ignore the text, ignore the weird hair of the singer, just mind the instrumental parts. Did I mention that I want uilleann pipes? No? I want uillean pipes.
   
6. Henna. I dyed my hair back, of more precisely, Teli did. Finally, I’m a redhead again! The henna is incredibly great for hair care, I even had my hair tips cut before and the hairdresser was baffled how strong and healthy my hair was after two years of no cutting at all.
   
7. Velvet. I definitely have to extend the velvet bodice part of my closet. The heavy fabric is just so lovely when the weather gets colder!
   
8. Beatrix Potter. I read through my copy of Peter Rabbit again at the beginning of the month, as the Scoundrel didn’t know it yet. I love the way Beatrix Potter illustrated her world, it’s just so full of details but not too brimming over. There is a quite new biographical film about her, too. I think I should watch it some day.
   
9. The Fabric For My New Curtains. They are to be sewn yet, but the fabric is covering my door at the moment where I hung it to dry.
   
10. Cover Buttons. Isn’t it nice to have buttons that match your clothing? I made some for the planned Honoria costume and think about using some more in upcoming projects of mine.
    

10 Pleasures in April

1. Tear Shaped Glass Beads. My stock of white glass beads went low so I went to get some new and found that terrific beautiful ones that remind me of pixie tears or frog spawn…
   
2. Visits. Jules came over again for some days at the end of March. Sadly we all had our papers to write and were not that useful during the days after that so we couldn’t keep up with our plans, but I really enjoyed the fact of having a guest to care for. I’ll make amends next time, I promise!
   
3. Cinema Seats. When I went to see Sherlock Holmes with Bambi some weeks ago I re-recognized how comfy and luxurious those velvet arm chairs actually are. I’m definitely going to go to the movies more often now, next time will be How to tame Your Dragon.
   
4. Planning Festivals. Summer is a very special time of the year, in this case for the weekends filled with the smell of bonfires and turf, the taste of mead and butter-and-honey bread eaten in front of a tent, the touch of combat boot lacing and new badges from the merchandise stand, the view of thousands of stars in the sky outside your tent when everybody has gone to sleep and of course the music that I love. I’ve decided to go to two festivals this year, excluding the Festival Mediaval as the date collides with the Steampunk Con. Mookychick is featuring an article about festival fashion at the moment, maybe some of you might find it helpful, too.
   
5. Ravioli. The typical student food, but they can be really delicious when refined with fresh herbs like basil or parsley, spices or tomatoes.
   
6. Moss Daughter. A title I found at Rima’s blog in a poem of hers. I liked it instantly as it reminds me of my well in the swamplands, of small beds of green, fluffy plants, of treasure-hunts in the wood and the tree where I could lie down like a panther and watch the toads hopping by.
   
7. A Capella. I’ve always liked barber shop quartets. :)
   
8. Yet Another Fantasy Gamer Comic. When Bambi told me about it, I thought “Goth, not another web comic, as if I had nothing better to do!” and half an hour later I found myself pretty much addicted, browsing through the strips instead of writing my assignment. My favourite character is Cadugan the woodland elf, even though I like Arachne and Gren and Bob quite well, too.
   
9. The Producers. It’s all Simon’s fault. He made me watch the 2005 remake first and I fell for this film. The over-the-top happiness and parody of the musical business is simply magnificent. Well, I’ve seen it thrice so far and my favourite song from is definitely Betrayed. And I think John Barrowman should have kept that light blonde hair. Suited him.
   
10. Dreamcatchers. I used to have some when I was a child, made of willow twigs and embroidery yarn and I’m thinking about making one for my bedroom in my fairy tale town, too. I could use some of my beloved yarn and raw wool as well as the feathers I tend to find on my strolls…