Robin McKinley's Blog, page 160

Possibly Papua New Guinea

 

This has been one of your Almost Total Sod weeks when everything that can go wrong does, and everything that can't possibly go wrong does anyway.  Plus I have an Apocalypse in my pocket.*  I keep reminding myself that one of the reasons I have an iPhone rather than some other instrument of technological torture is because they're so intuitive.  I know this because this is what everyone tells me.  GAAAAAAAAH.  I was at the tears-of-rage-with-blood-pressure-headache stage** with Pooka...

Ringing from the trenches, guest post by southdowner

 

It all started so well. Sunday ringing, service ringing, is what bell ringing is FOR. It is the reason that bells were attached to ropes and we (well, I can't take the credit here, but I am a member, if the least, of generations of campanophiles) began to work out mathematically organised knitting   (Robin's shown you the lines, and I know some of you knitters out there have taken to making socks out of them, which sort of proves the point…) umm, I mean the patterns which grown up ringers...

Vote vote vote vote vote!!!!

 

(How did it get this LATE?!?  I have a blog post to create out of a pumpkin and several confused mice.  I swear I've only just got in from tower practise.  The passage of the last four and a half hours is an illusion.  It's not even nine thirty yet.  Really.  And the hellhounds are settling down to stare at their dinner. . . . ) 

You're right.  There isn't anything in it for anyone but the forty-four people with eligible recipes*, but there should still be at least forty four votes, plus...

Life with the Apocalypse

 

The problem with going to bed with a small pink hellhound* is that you lay her down on her shelf next to your glasses, you turn the light off, you roll over and snuggle down in your pillows, and all in the same motion you continue rolling till you're facing the frelling shelf again and utterly without motive force or direction your hand reaches out, plucks her small pinkness neatly out from under your glasses and—because by this time your other arm is free too—you flick the nice pink case...

The Cluelessness of Writers

 

 One of the minor ratbaggeries of writing a second book—note I am resisting calling it a sequel:  as I keep saying, over and over and over*, it's the second part of the same story, there's no 'sequel' about it—that takes up where a first book left off, is that I can't post snippets of it without giving too much of the show away.  But I was reading through some of the earlier bits of PEG II** with some of the stuff I've been writing about writing lately still rustling around in the back of...

Hellhound birthday!!!!

 [Note:  four exclamation marks because they're four years old.]

The humans are having champagne.*

            I had been foolishly and light-headedly planning to post a photo of hellhounds eating, as a dramatic contrast to their birthday last year.  They do now mostly eat, most of the time, and we seem to be in a goodish** patch right now.  I was aware that I was being imprudent, not to say positively rash, to assume that this scheme could be brought off successfully. 

            And then it l...

VOTE

 

IT'S THE HELLHOUNDS' BIRTHDAY and what better way to COMMEMORATE OUR CELEBRATION than something to do with food, the hellhounds being SO NOTED for their HEARTY APPETITES?*

So . . . here we go.  The latest and most thrilling** contest for a signed copy of the new golden glittery SUNSHINE!***  VOTE for your favourite recipe from the previous contest! 

As soon as I hang this post a golden glittery mod will hang a thread in the forum specifically for your voting pleasure## and delectation!  And...

More Ask Robins (also more bell ringing)

 

I'm just back from ringing at South Desuetude.  I seem to be ringing six times this week—having warmed up for this Iditarod by ringing twice yesterday.  Hmm.  I'm not sure how this happened.*  Despite the fact that I'm now being egged on by the likes of Southdowner and B_twin and Ajlr, I try to keep it down to three times a week.  Four at the outside.  Oh, well, arithmetic was never my strong point, and six is really a lot like three, right?  It has a lot in common with three.  They're like ...

SUNSHINE contest II winners

 

Ajlr writes: 

After a truly amazing outpouring of culinary talent and ideas over this last week, the winners – yes, two winners* -  of a signed copy of the new and beautiful golden edition of SUNSHINE is cgbookcat1 for Chocolate Basilisk Balls with Kiss of Life sauce and  DrRo for Berry Crumble Butter Cake.  I can imagine happily eating the products from any cafe run by either of these forum members.**

If the winner(s) will PM me on the forum – soon*** – with the details of where their copy...

Pink etc

 

Last night's blog was over 1500 words . . . plus the links.  So I thought tonight I'd give everyone a break and hang some photos.

            Which I think I had better number, given Wordpress' villainous ways with photos.  Siiiiiigh.  How many updates have we had?  How many times have they done nothing about this?

            So, please meet Apocalypse, my third hellhound. (1)  The small demure-looking one.*  Who finally has her case.** What an epic that has proved to be.***   However, she...