Two Steps

Good morning!

This post will be necessarily brief (and sorry it's late. Computer is being a dink again). You see, I had planned to take the day off from writing, but I was listening to epic music on my way into work today, specifically Two Steps From Hell, specifically this song:

And images and ideas exploded in my head, and I have to get them down before I forget them. Bye then!

Isabelline

A pale brownish-yellow colour; from Isabelle, a princess of this name.

- Charles Annandale's Dictionary of the English Language, 1897

The archduke Albertus, who had married the infanta Isabella, daughter Philip II, King of Spain, . . . determined to lay siege to Ostend [Belgium], then in the possession of the heretics. His pious princess, who attended him in that expedition, made a vow that till it was taken she would never change her clothes.

- Joseph Taylor's Antiquitates Curiosae, 1819

Contrary to expectation, it was three years before the place was reduced, in which time the linen of her highness had acquired a hue which . . . was much admired and adopted by the court fashionables under the name of "Isabella color." It is a whitish yellow, or soiled buff - better imagined than described.

- Frank Stauffer's THe Queer, the Quaint, the Quizzical, 1882.

Checking in After a Long Weekend

Good morning everyone!

It is still morning, correct? *checks computer clock.

Yup, still morning. Though this computer is so slow it wouldn't surprise me if it was afternoon by the time it decided to load this page.

So, the Labour Day long weekend went by much too quickly. In it, I achieved very little. I managed, in one marathon sitting, to finish watching season 2 of Rush (an Australian cop drama that happily replaces Blue Heelers). It's a great show, and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes cop dramas.

Also, I might be slightly in love with the character Lawson Blake. Just sayin'.

I also managed to clean house a little bit this weekend. That was nice. The house feels 1 000 times better now. However, while cleaning, I neglected the cat (Persephone) who desperately wanted cuddles and was, therefore, in disfavour when I did finish cleaning. So much in disfavour was I, that she spent the whole night in the living room where usually she cuddles up to me while I sleep. Le sigh.

Some exciting news - I've signed up for violin lessons! Finally! I think I've told the story of always wanting to learn only, the very year I was old enough to learn, the only string violin teacher in the town upped and moved away. I was very disappointed.

Well, fairly recently, I'd been given a violin and I swore I'd learn. Only, every time I went to pay for lessons some sort of financial crisis occurred. It was vexing. Well, this last pay, I took the plunge (I hope there will not be any financial emergencies coming up, or I'm screwed) and lessons begin this Friday. Eep! I'm very excited. I just adore music.

Writing wise, I'm so far behind target I don't even want to think about it. I have to write 8 000 words today to catch up. Obviously it's not going to happen. Worse still, I neglected to factor the long weekend into my estimated word count, so to keep from falling further behind, I'll have to write Friday. Looks like I'll be writing for a few Friday's actually - just to catch up.

I'll already well behind schedule for the day, as well, so I'll leave you alone now. I hope you all had a marvellous long weekend!

Flutter the Dovecots

To cause mild excitement in society. Shakespeare, Coriolanus.

- Albert Hyamson's Dictionary of English Phrases, 1922

So...

I had a post all planned out in my head this morning. I don't know where it went, so here's some music instead.

Have a great Tuesday all!

Metheglin

A fermented liquor made of honeyed water, obtained by thoroughly washing the 'comb,' when drained of the honey; in a high class brew the 'comb' is sometimes washed in a little 'fresh beer' to hasten fermentation; but the strength of the liquor is dependen upon the quantity of honey it contains. Metheglin, when well made, and refined and matured by age, is a 'cordial' of no mean order - a homely 'liqueur' of potent quality.

- Georgina Jackson's Shropshire Word-Book, 1879

(What's with all the quotation marks?)

A spiced or medicated variety of mead, originally peculiar to Wales.

- Sir James Murray's New English Dictionary, 1908