Eyeballs and Death!

Eyeballs in a Jar!

Last night we attended our friends annual 'Hallowe'en Open House and Rude Food Party' and, as usual, it was a blast! The house was decorated with all the nasty, creepy, crawly, shiver making decorations. The food was excellent and well thought out, it covered a whole range of yakky things from savoury brain dip to cheesy eyeballs, from meatloaf man and woman to bats wings. There were floating hands in the punch and eyeballs in a jar, which was our contribution to the party food.

Eyeballs in a Jar:

These are simply lychee's stuffed with red or green grapes, put into a spaghetti jar and topped up with the syrupy juice from the lychee's! They were very effective and you could only get them out by using a kebab stick which glided through the flesh of the lychee and nicely popped the grape, just like an eyeball. The two tastes worked really well together! :)

As for the costumes, well there was some really good ones...this is 'Death and his wife Mrs De'ath'! Or should I say hubby and I...lol ;)



If you are friends with me on Facebook, I will shortly be putting up a new album of this years party, come on over and take a peek!

No matter how you spend this special day, either at a Hallowe'en party or raising a horn to the ancestors at a Samhain ritual, I wish you and yours a wonderful time.

Enjoy! :)

Loony Luna Day #30

Headline Fail!
Author unknown.

Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter
This one I caught in the SGV Tribune the other day and called the Editorial Room and asked who wrote this. It took two or three readings before the editor realized that what he was reading was impossible!!! They put in a correction the next day.

Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
No crap, really? Ya think?

Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
Now that's taking things a bit far!

Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over
What a guy!

Miners Refuse to Work after Death
No-good-for-nothing' lazy so-and-so's!

Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
See if that works any better than a fair trial!

War Dims Hope for Peace
I can see where it might have that effect!

If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile
Ya think?!

Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures
Who would have thought!

Enfield ( London ) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide
They may be on to something!

Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges
You mean there's something stronger than duct tape?

Man Struck By Lightning: Faces Battery Charge
He probably IS the battery charge!

New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group
Weren't they fat enough?!

Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft
That's what he gets for eating those beans!

Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
Do they taste like chicken?

Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
Chainsaw Massacre all over again!

Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors
Boy, are they tall!

And the winner is....

Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead
Did I read that right?

Enjoy! :)

Can it!

Just found out something disturbing and worrying about canning over at my friends' blog:

The Big Red Barn

If you are canning your own produce or use tinned goods you need to read this!

*shakes her head in disgust*

Filming History

During my time as the department head of the Reprographics Section, at an archives in England, I was fortunate enough to microfilm, via a archival camera, many rare and fascinating works from six miles of shelving. (I also scanned glass negatives but that is a whole different story.)

I filmed everything from church scrolls to illuminated manuscripts, from Victorian newspapers to very rare books in a Cathedral Library. Can you tell I loved this aspect of the job?

Just for you history buffs out there, here is a sample of the rare items I filmed...

Church Visitations 1347

Honeywell's notebook (approx 1600)

William Bryd’s compositions (approx 1550-162o)

Tyrconnels bibliographical catalogue 1670

Henry Bond “The Longitude Found” 1673

Francis Hall “Explicatio Horologii” 1676

Pope Nicolas II tax book 1293

Ms 15 Randulfus Niger De Re Militari 1200

Useful Books For Homesteading #3

A few more books for those of you who, like me, are interested in self-sufficiency...

Enjoy! :)

The Tenth Month

This is my favourite month of the year, all the others have their importance and meaning but to me, October is the best.

Why? You may ask.

October is the month of the final harvest, agriculturally and spiritually. It is a time of reaping the seeds you have sewn, of hoping you have sewn them deep enough to bear what you required from the planting.

For me, this time of year means a warmth of colours in the beautiful trees (if you don't know about the leaf changes in eastern Canada, think New England) and the wealth of vegetables like the picture above. The fresh market stalls are covered with the vivid colours of pumpkins, squashes, courgettes and root vegetables. The streets are littered with natures fallen beauty, with leaves, berries and apples. The days are bright blue and sunny, with a hint of crispness in the air.

If I were in England now there would be a galleons of golden homemade cider, some clear and some cloudy, being sold in farm shops.

The build up to Samhain or Hallow'een (depending on your point of view) is always magical to me. It is the only time, every year, that many people openly acknowledge the magical and the spiritual, whether in jest or sincerity. Really, there is nothing like October for a sense of dramatic excitement and wonder.

I ask that you all enjoy this month for it's gifts, colours, tastes, smells and the huge change in the life force of the growing seasons.

I raise a glass of cider to you all! :)

Loony Luna Day #29

Dear Dad (author unknown)

A father passing by his son’s bedroom was astonished to see the bed was nicely made, and everything was picked up.

Then, he saw an envelope, propped up prominently on the pillow.

It was addressed, ‘Dad.’

With the worst premonition, he opened the envelope and, with trembling hands, read the letter…

‘Dear Dad,
It is with great regret and sorrow that I’m writing you.
I had to elope with my new girlfriend, because I wanted to avoid a scene with Mum and you.
I’ve been finding real passion with Stacy, and she is so nice, but I knew you would not approve of her, because of all her piercings, tattoos, her tight Motorcycle clothes, and because she is so much older than I am.
But it’s not only the passion, Dad. She’s pregnant.
Stacy said that we will be very happy.
She owns a trailer in the woods, and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter.
We share a dream of having many more children.
Stacy has opened my eyes to the fact that marijuana doesn’t really hurt anyone.
We’ll be growing it for ourselves, and trading it with the other people in the commune for all the cocaine and ecstasy we want.
In the meantime, we’ll pray that science will find a cure for AIDS, so Stacy can get better. She sure deserves it!
Don’t worry Dad, I’m 15, and I know how to take care of myself.
Someday, I’m sure we’ll be back to visit, so you can get to know your many grandchildren.

Love, your son, Joshua

PS. Dad, none of the above is true. I’m over at Jason’s house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than the school report that’s on the kitchen table. Call me when it is safe for me to come home.

Enjoy! :)

S.O.S.

If you have been with me online over the years, whether on this blog or on Facebook or wherever, you will know about my love for tree's.

You will know that my favourite character in Lord of the Rings is Treebeard the Ent, you will know that where ever we live I have to see at least one tree out of my window, you will know that when writing, I gaze into that tree as I collect my thoughts. You will also know that I love being in woods, that my eBook publishing house (Wyrdwood Publications) plants trees in deforested areas and, yes, it's true...I have hugged several trees. :)

Why am I telling you all this?

Simple. A short while ago I came across The Prince's Rainforests Project, I joined up and started spreading the word on some of the social networking sites I belong too and I thought it was time I posted something on it here.

Please watch the video below, visit the website, join up and send your own S.O.S. message to the world!

Back on Track!

Hull - Wakefield Steam Train

Well, it has been an interesting and fun filled couple of weeks with my family but now they have returned safely to the UK and I am back online full time and writing again.

Over the next couple of days I will be catching up with emails, tweets, followers and new requests for friendship and numerous other things. If you are about on Facebook, MySpace or Twitter pop in and say 'hello' and tell me how your last two weeks have been without me...quiet I suspect! lol

Anyhoo, I am back in the saddle and would love to hear from all you lovely folks! :)