Dreams

This is about two kinds of dreams.

Night before last, I had a dream that I was in the process of re-renting the house where I used to live in France. In it's own, crazy, dream-like way, it didn't make a lot of sense. The place was very different from when I lived there (in the dream), but I was very happy just to be there. It's probably the neatest place I've ever lived in. I really loved it there. It was just like Snow White's cottage in the Disney film, except that the roof was slate instead of thatch.

The second dream is one that I had ages ago, not too long after lotteries became legal. There was a really big prize (for then) and I planned a bouse I'd like to build on a rather large piece of property. The property would be big enough for some rather long driveways, which might be confused with roads, and which I would name. I haven't got names for all of the streets yet, but I do have at least one place name.

The house would be a large, rambling, Tudor style home. Yes, I know that Tudor homes didn't ramble, but this one would have a section that went out at an angle, and it would lead to a large garage. Because of my experience in France, I'd want a wall around the front yard, creating a large, mostly paved area where cars could be parked as well as garaged.

For anyone out there who doesn't know what a Tudor style house is, here is a kind of generic example. Some of the classic signs are the exposed timber framing with stucco filling in, steep roofs, doors with curved tops, etc.

The general layout I had in mind is more like this, only flopped, with the garage on the right, so that the house would be on the left as you entered the mews, with the garage straight ahead.

The kitchen and bedrooms on the first floor (which would probably only be mine) would have adjacent enclosed gardens. The kitchen garden would have a table and chairs or benches for dining outdoors, and there would be herbs being grown as well as plants that attract hummingbirds.

The living and dining rooms would be able to be opened between them so that the whole area could be used as a large dining hall so that I could host SCA events there. And, of course, the living room would have a large bay window to put a Christmas tree in, and a fireplace to hang stockings.

Oh, and there will be a library on the first floor, plus a room set aside for fiberarts in addition to the kitchen and great room, which would really be an area for living in.

Since then, I've thought that there might be another house on the other side of the mews so that Holly and Robin could live there or visit there or it could be used for guests. Of course, there would be enough room for them to live in the main house (which needs a name) with me, but I want them to have privacy if they want it. Oh, and there would be a workshop there for Robin or anyone else who wanted to use it.

The mews would, of course, be named Stable Mews, and the main house would be number 10, because 10 Stable Mews was John Steed's address.

There would also be an airstrip behind the house with a hangar for a light plane and a batch of ultralights. Here's a sample of what an ultralight looks like, for those who don't know.

And, of course, there would also be a batch of motorcycles for whoever wanted to ride, since there would be roads on the property, plus some good off-road riding places. One or two cafe racers, and at least four enduros for on/off road riding.

Oh and there would be a guest house modeled after the house I rented in France.

I currently have a lottery ticket that I haven't checked which has a top prize of $330 million dollars, which would be divided between me and five of my friends/relatives. I haven't checked it because I'm having so much fun with the dream.

I hope you have some great dreams, too, and a wonderful week coming up!

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Addition:

You really need to see this edition of the Drex files! And do follow the link to the other blog entry. The comments are fabulous!

Schedule Update

I talked to Holly on the phone Thursday night, & we went over our upcoming schedule (among other things). It was after 2 am when I talked to her, and I was pretty sleepy, so I'm posting my understanding of the schedule so that if I've made a mistake, we can fix it now and all be on the same page.

29 Aug--(today)--Holly is going to Baltimore. More on this coming up later in the post. The Maryland Renaissance Festival opens today, but we're not going this weekend.

5 Sep--Holly and I will be going out shopping and having fun together.

11 Sep--The local library will be holding a book sale, and I'll be attending.

12-13 Sep--Holly will be in Baltimore attending knitting classes.

19-20 Sep--Holly will be attending Renfairs in Michigan and Ohio.

26 Sep--Holly, Everett, Jeff, Ashton and I will be attending the Maryland Renaissance Festival.

3 Oct--We will be at the Fall Fiber Festival! This is not as wonderful as the Sheep & Wool Fest, but something to keep me from going into withdrawal before the next one. It's always fun! Except when there's bottomless mud.

17th or 24th Oct--We will be at the Maryland Renaissance Festival one of these two days. The first of these two weekends is pirate weekend, and the second is chivalry weekend. Holly can't decide which one she'd rather attend.

Here's the info I mentioned earlier--Holly signed up for three knitting classes at a yarn store in Baltimore: One for continental knitting, one for speed knitting, and one to knit a beaded scarf. Two of the classes will be on one weekend spread over Saturday and Sunday. She needs to pick up the beads so that she can string them before class, so she'll be going up there today, and staying to see the jellyfish exhibit at the aquarium. She's wanted to see the jellyfish exhibit ever since it was opened, and various things have happened to deflect her from this goal. She planned to go last weekend on Sunday, but woke up really sick. Before that, the car was having problems, and she couldn't go. So, today is the day, and it's beautiful and sunny, and a really nice summer day for traveling.

Last moment update: Holly just reported that she's picked up the beads, and will be presumably proceeding to see the jellyfish!

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I finished knitting the very last of Kyle's socks late last night. I still have some ends to darn in on the last three socks, but I am otherwise finished. I need to write a little note to enclose about how to wash them, and consult with Holly about packaging. She said she has some stuff to send to Kyle, and that I should give her the socks and she'll send them. Holly said Kyle already called her to ask when she was going to get the socks, and she's really excited about it. They're my comfy socks pattern, and I'll have the free pattern up here real soon now.

And there is the ending of the entrelac section on the Quant to do, and the other tie. Almost done!

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Sorry about not posting yesterday. I intended to, but I suspect that I have/had the same thing that Holly had last week. I have just been coughing nonstop for the past week. I can see signs today that it's beginning to let up, so even though I'm not OK, it's at least encouraging. It's just a cold or something, but it's been doing a great job of making me totally miserable lately.

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I read on Twitter that starting in September, BBC in America will be having daytime marathons of shows similar to what SyFy does. The shows they'll be running marathons on include Doctor Who and Torchwood! I'm excited!

There's a new Being Human on BBC in America tonight!

Have a great weekend!

Catch-Up Thursday

Christopher Gorham found another Fairy Door in Ann Arbor at the Jefferson Market and Cakery and published this photo via Twitter. You can follow him here.

You can read a long and complicated story about the fairy doors at Jefferson Market here. Check it out. It's really worth the read. And when you think you've read it all, keep scrolling down to the bottom. It looks like it ends, but there's more.

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There's a review up for the Steve Canyon series in French! You can read an English translation of it here! It's actually gone through a translation process, and some of it is quite amusing after being dragged into English.

The good part about this for many people will be the listings of which planes appear in each episode. This is particularly interesting to me because I was in the Air Force right after the series was on TV, and we had many of the planes that appear in the series right on base where I got to see them up close, sometimes too close.

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Today is a kind of "finish up projects" day. I have ends to darn in on Kyle's socks, and a Quant to finish.

This is where I am at the moment. The photo does not show the nuances and subtleties of the beautiful yarn from Knit Fit Knitting. There is some black and very dark brown, along with a bit of tan, but there are touches of a rich lavender through it, too.

I plan to have the knitting finished sometime today, and then I'll have overnight to block it, and it will need blocking. Each one of those entrelac squares wants to curl up! But it's turning out to be really beautiful! This is a pattern that you really have to pay attention to what you're doing, but it doesn't strike me as particularly difficult. I would have started the entrelac IN entrelac instead of in stockinet stitch with set-up triangles, but that's just me. It's a sample, and needs to be knit according to a free pattern on the internet, so I have to knit it according to the pattern, not "improve" it like I usually do to patterns that other people write.

Some people get a pattern and follow it to the letter, whereas I think of it more as a "suggestion."

Here's a photo of where I am on the very last sock for Kyle:

Probably about half way to the heel, and possibly finished by this weekend!

So, I'm going to sit and watch the last two episodes of Royal Pains that are on during the day today and finish up the Quant and darn in ends. If you've been watching it, the season finale will be on tonight.

Have a great day!

Quick Post!

There is more information and follow-up news on the previously reported yarnstorm. Find out more about it here and here!

There's a new Warehouse 13 tonight!

I have stuff I have to do today that I should have started a half hour ago, so this is all you get for now.

Have a great day!

Yarnstorm!

When I was a child, I remember reading a poem in a book of fairytales or something. It went like this:

"Oranges and lemons" said the bells of St. Clements.

"You owe me five farthings" said the bells of St Martin's.

"When will you pay me?" said the Bells of Old Bailey.

"When I grow rich." said the bells of Shoreditch.

"When will that be?" said the bells of Stepney.

"I do not know." said the great bells of Bow.

This live London yarnstorm was brought to you by the Knit the City. Mischief managed. Off to pub.

I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did!

This was a series of posts on Twitter from knitthecity. A person's name is not given for this twitterer, and I suspect that it's actually used by a group of people. See more about knitthecity here.

I can tell you about yarnstorming, graffiti knitting, yarnbombing, gritting (contraction of graffiti knitting) etc. Actually, the name "graffiti knitting" explains it all.

I was going to put another example of gritting in here, but Blogger won't let me upload another photo. At least I got all of them from the sequence in here. I'll post the other photo another time.

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I hope you haven't missed Harry Potter weekend on ABC Family. It'll be continuing today. And Eragon will be on right before it, so check it out!

Later tonight, there will be a special treat on for all the fans of Dead Like Me! The SyFy Channel will be showing Dead Like Me: Life After Death at 9 pm here. Check local listings.

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I have just a few more rounds to go on the sixth sock for Kyle. Only two more for a total of four pair! I have to take a break and knit the hat I said I would do before the end of the month.

Have a great weekend!

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Addition:

There will be two more episodes of Merlin on tonight, and this really will be the season finale! Don't miss them!

The second episode shown last week was really good.

OK, I know it featured a unicorn, but it was a very medieval type of story, depending on Arthur behaving in a noble manner to fix the problems he got into by behaving badly. There's so much about this that has nothing to do with the Arthur saga, but if you ignore that (and I know it's hard to do), it does have it's moments!

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Another Addition:

This was actually written on Sunday and the posting was postponed to give the folks at Knit the City a chance to get their posting up first.

Happy Thursday!

Not a whole lot is happening around here (I'm on the 6th sock for Kyle), and I don't have a lot of time to blog at the moment, but I thought you might enjoy this:

Have a great evening!