My 30th Birthday Party (by alaric)

Thankyou to everyone who came!

And to everyone who sent me presents and good wishes from afar 🙂

The photos and videos are winging their way back; we'll link to them as and when we can.

I had a lovely time - I hope you all did, too. I'm overwhelmed by how lovely you all were!

I’m Going to Be Box (by sarah)

I was abit worried about the Logian's Run theme as I know my body just isn't really in the sort of state where anyone wants to see it in a short bit of sheet tied up with string - plus I thought I might get cold!

So I decided to go as box - I made the mask from papier mache and made the wire springs and stuff - which was fun as I hadn't done any wire working for a long time.

I'm now hoping that the rest of the outfit will be ready for Saturday - and that people wont be scared off as I look awful! Jeany liked the mask before I added silver paper and springs - she now says its scary.

Hopefully I'll get round to blogging about how I made it over on Salaric Craft.

Allergy or Shingles (by sarah)

I had to go back to the dr - Saturday after the first aid course my arm broke out in a server rash - that didn't look like the impetigo which was clearing up nicely with the creme. The photo's were taken Monday as and I got to see the dr Wednesday morning - the dr who had been dealing with me has apparently left the surgery.

I got a bit flustered at the drs as he said he didn't know what it was and started asking questions about bites - we ascetianed it probably wasn't bites but was it an allergy?

It looks like shingles as its in a strip on one arm but I'm 'a bit young for that'. So I was prescriped another cream this time Betnovate RD cream which I think is just to stop me scratching my self to bits. I mentioned the itching but forgot to mention the burning or the fact I feel pooh.

Apparently shingles is from chickenpox when I was younger and just flares up if your run down etc... I am now waiting 2-4 weeks to see if its an allergy - if it gets worse I have to go back imediatly.

I considered mentioning my backs got a new 'sharp' pain in it but they get a bit upset with you adding things to the sessions that aren't related. On the plus side either way I'm not infectious which is good 🙂

Also I have Cassiopea or the wonky W as one of the spot patterns which is kind of cool 🙂

We had the last Scout meeting of the term last night and it was decided that I should take a break from it until mid May which to be quiet honest is a relief as I'm going to be submitting alot of course work then plus have presingtations and the like going on.

Of Games and Geeks (by sarah)

Last weekend my friends Ella and Oliver came up - first they stayed at Andrews place in Cheltenham were I joined them on Sunday. We eat the most fantastic meal that Andrew had prepared and organised with a walnut suace and pasta - mmmmmmm.

We did lots of chatting and catching up and they tried to get me to play a computer game with them and I explained that I get to addicted to things like that so best not plus there's the RSI issue and I don't want to take up my avaliable computer time on games - I would love to play games don't me wronge but I have made the sensible if boring decission on this one.

I then insulted Ella by given her a Christopher Pike book about Vampires that I thought might inspire/help her with her huge literary endevour.

I said I was happy to play a board game or something though so we played a game called munchkin (I think) the rules of which were a bit of mystery to me and hence I lost - though I did get to be an elf with a very long sword and have a chicken on my head (though apparently the chicken thing was a curse adn bad). The aim seemed to be to work as a team and stab your partners in the back.

Anyway I had a fun time loosing.

Then Monday we went out around Cheltenham and I scoured the charity shops for the next books in series's I need - in the end I found one of them in a discount book shop and so actaully bought a new copy! (I'm addicted to the Lemony Snicket series).

That night Andrew came around to our place and we played Lord of the Rings Monopoly which David got me and Al. I as always was legolas 🙂 I didn't win. Poor Al didn't get to join in as he had to work - Jean didn't want to stay with us and went and played in her room and then went to bed early - wow?!

Oliver spent an age going though the shoes box of magic the gathering cards I have (I don't know what to do with them but he sorted it out and handed me a starter game pack thing that was in their). The shoe box belonged to Al's Step brother Simon who decided he didn't want it anymore.

Al took Andrew home and me, Ella and Oliver played one of my oldest board games - Elixir though there was a bit of an issue over having not explained the rules to Ella.

Unsuprisingly I won this one.

Al had taken Andrew back at like 11:30 or something like that - Oliver was gearing up for another game as he eyed the Dangons and Dragons games. This was vetoed and instead we looked at the board for Anticipation - my second oldest board game that doesn't actually belong to me - it was our 'family' game when I was growing up and me and David played it for hours and hours.

Tuesday Al actually came for lunch with us and we wandered down to the Black Horse (the village pub known for excillent food). This pub is normally packed out - but it was empty - so empty I thought we'd wandered into a closed pub - but no apparently the pensioners who are all normally in there don't have any money as it all came from their investiments so the main clientelle untill the tourist season starts is gone 🙁

He was very sad about this 🙁 The food is still excillent though with silly big portions - Ella told me off for eating my cheese and chutney wrong :/

In the afternoon me and Ella went for a walk and got lost and midge bitten which was fun, we discuessed our futures in science and litrature and the nature of society and that sort of girly stuff

As always I felt sad when they had gone as I really miss geek talk. Andrew is also moving to Ammerica at the end of April as well 🙁

Earth Hour (by sarah)

On Saturday I find out via Twitter that this thing called Earth Hour was happening were everyone (hopefully) would be turning off their lights and such - I vaguelly feel that either Ella, Oliver or Andrew mentioned it too me last weekend.

Anyway I decided that we were going to take part (with half an hour to go) so wizzed around finding candles - Al got out the oil lamps and we light a fraction of what we have here!

Jean said the house was bueatifull - "Its a bueatiful night mummy" which was sweet.

I even cracked out a nice candle floating bowl that we were given for either a house warming or wedding 🙂

It was also the first time we got to use the bathroom candle I'd picked up in a charity shop - its got like glitter and shells in it and looks like a little lamp - I love it and yes I am perfectly awear that it is tacky 🙂

I'm afraid I did have to cheat and put on Jean's LED alphabet lights as I didn't want to keep her up until 9:30 and she wont sleep in the dark.

You all know my view on the global warming issue ie waste of resources is bad reguardless - as a geologist/earth scientist so I'm not going to go into that again. But one of the things I didcovered was that the oil lamps give out far more heat than the electric heater we have for when it gets nippy and we don't have time to light the fire.

Now they give out light aswell so I am wondering if it would not be more effiecent in winter to have lots of these lit around the house than lights and heater (when it snows the fire is no where near enough to keep the house warm).