Fzzzzt!

Intense Solar Flare activity is having an adverse affect with my computer and internet connection today.

It’s also playing havoc with my typing, although Fingers, my Inner Typist disputes this. He says his tpying is fine.

My Inner Zombie has been quiet for a few days, which is unusual. However, this means that he will be making an appearance very soon… unless he’s hiding from the Solar Radiation.

The news report I read the other day said that the flares weren’t being sent out in the Earth’s direction, but today’s report has said that they are having an effect on communications.

Thomasina, my Inner Woman, is having a terrible time at present. I don’t know exactly what she’s doing, but I keep hearing strange sounds from the back of my mind. A mix between a hair-dryer and a lawn-mower. Very strange. Maybe she’s having the bad hair days since I had my hair cut very short the other week.

My Inner Weatherman is all excited due to the adverse weather we have been experiencing over the past couple of days as well. The South West of England have had snow. We in Cheshire have just had a lot of rain. This must be due to the flares. My Inner Weatherman always tries to find an alternative off-world answer for random weather events.

My Inner Politician (I have no idea where he came from!) and my Inner Leader of the Opposition are bickering about some issue or other to do with Europe. Well, Eurovision anyway. They’re about as political as I am, truth be told.

Tom the Geek, my Inner Geek, is loving all of this. He loves it when the computers don’t work as they should… when pages only half load, or even (gasp) don’t load at all. He’ll instantly reach for the refresh button, or try to reset the modem or router. I don’t think he actually knows what he’s doing – he confuses the heck out of me anyway – which isn’t really that difficult.

As I was typing this, a message box popped up saying I was experiencing very high CPU usage due to my printer settings. The printer isn’t even switched on. And I’m not trying to print anything either. Tom the Geek has advised I switch the printer on and off again for some reason. I’ll not, though, due to the Solar Flare activity, just in case.

An explosion from the back of my mind tells me that Thomasina has also been affected by the Solar Flare… the singeing smell tells me that she’s blown her hair-dryer. Hopefully, she’ll join my Inner Zombie and stay out of sight.

And Fingers, my Inner Typist has just returned to assist with the fnial praagraph of this post. He is feeling the effects of the Solar Flares after all, as he is usually in contact with the communication centre within my mind… only today he can’t get a connection. The lights are on, but there doesn’t appear to be anyone in.

I’ve a sneaky feeling my Inner Aspects may be having a party somewhere, and using the Solar Activity as a cover.

I shall have to activate my Inner Private Eye to investigate this further, but every time I try to do so, all I get is an odd fzzzzt sound.

All lines are engaged.

I shall have to try later.

Here’s hoping that you aren’t being as adversely affected as I am during this current Solar bombardment!

Songfest ‘13

Just back from Sweden, all worn out
Foot aching from tapping
Just noticed an ache in my hand
And realised it’s from all the clapping

Lightshows and lyrics and music galore
With no cheap sets-a-flapping
As wind machines blow, and fog machines fog
Highlighting dancers, who are, well, strapping… ahem.

It’s Eurovision time. The Eurosongfest. The Eurovision Song Contest.

A competition that has been running for the last million or so years, sporting winners such as Celine Dion, Katrina and the Waves, Abba, the Brotherhood of Man, Dana and Dana International.

The Mansion transported me, very kindly I must add, to a front row seat in the Malmö Opera House, somewhere in Sweden, and I watched, transfixed.

I’ve pressed a special stone in the Mansion wall to keep the gateway open, so I can see the second semi-final on Thursday… and the actual event on Saturday.

Some say one night is too long for this event.

Not me though. I’m not ‘some’. I’m different. I’m me.

I’d watch it every night if I could.

Remember Bonnie ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ Tyler? She’s representing the United Kingdom / Royaume-Uni on Saturday. I always support the locals, so good luck Bonnie… and Ireland… and Iceland… and the Netherlands… and… who else? Denmark! Good luck Denmark!

Who will win? Europe will decide. Possibly politically, fashionably, predictably or dreadfully. I won’t help though, as I won’t be voting. I’ll be sat in my front row seat, far too busy for such things.

Loving it, and feeling good.

Well… why not?

Inconsistency as an old art form

I like to think I’m quite good at a lot of things. I actually like to think that I’m extremely good at a lot of things. But, in reality, and if I’m being one hundred per cent honest, I know that I’m not.

Sometimes I’m better than others, sometimes worse. Sometimes I’m so terrible I wonder why I even bothered to start in the first place. And sometimes I wonder if it was me that had actually done what I’d done (for better or for worse, it works either way).

But what, I hear you ask in frustration, are these ‘things’ I’m rabbiting on about? Well, I shall tell you, in a roundabout* way.

Anything I do.

Everything I do.

Writing. Reading. Creating unique pieces of computer art. Communicating. Listening. Remembering. Sleeping. Dreaming. Sneezing.

Everything I do, I’ll do it differently the next time.

I write a good piece… I then write a terrible one (complete with speling errors!).
I read the first so many fabulous chapters of an un-put-downable book, and then forget that I’d even started it.
I flourish and embellish and exaggerate and colour-in some work of art which wouldn’t look out of place in trendy art galleries anywhere around the world, and when I next look at it, it’s as though, well, a strange computer virus has attacked my art software and distorted whatever I have done.
I’ve never been a great communicator, verbally, but sometimes I’m magnificent. I really, truly, deeply am.
I have one good ear and one not so good one (just the two!), so I miss a lot of what I’m being told… and sometimes make up my own words to try to catch up, thus getting other things wrong. Sometimes hilariously so (especially when I’m singing along to a song. Enya’s Orinoco Flow will always contain the line Save the Whale, Save the Whale, Save the Whale, as that is how I first heard it many centuries ago).
I remember that line as it was oh so wrong, but can I remember any others? Nope! The tune, yes… well, most of it. I even forget people who I sit next to at work occasionally. Sigh.
Sometimes, I sleep soundly. Other times, I wake about fifty times during the night. Sometimes, I sleep too heavily and feel dreadful, and other times I love waking and sleeping on and off all night long.
I love my dreams. I remember some, but not all. Sometimes I dream regularly, sometimes I don’t. Currently, I’m somewhat in the middle…
And sneezing… sometimes, I break the sound barrier as I sneeze that loudly… other times, I stifle a little achoo in a corner somewhere.

Completely inconsistent. But always me.

It’s the core that matters anyway, not the inconsistencies. Well, that’s how I feel about it. Most of the time.

***

This post has been written in response to Sideview’s Weekend Theme, which this week is Inconsistency… *I didn’t participate in last week’s theme, Swings and Roundabouts, so I added a little sideways mention at the beginning there. If you’d like to participate in Sideview’s weekly challenge pop along to her site, and have a look at some other posts written by other bloggers who may not be as inconsistent as me. I.

***

Incidentally, the words Inconsistent and Inconsistency were first used in a decade very close to my heart. Yes, that’s right. Between 1640 and 1650 the word came into existence.

Is it just by chance that I’m as inconsistent as I am, looking at that rather random coincidence of timing? Synchronicities are never far away… and I have found another link to my 1642 Quest… although its meaning is as allusive as with all of the other links I have found. Answers will be along soon, I’m sure of it. I just have to ask the right questions first of all!

I still feel good though, even with all the questions, answers and inconsistencies. And that, as a good core, is all that matters…

One Minute Ramble: The Invisible Magicians of the Universe

There’s a fine line between knowing what we want and what we don’t want, all things considered.

Universally speaking, they are all the same thing anyway… we attract what we are giving our attention to, whether we want it or not. Just saying I don’t want XXXX is just like saying I want XXXX, from the viewpoint of the Invisible Magicians of the Universe, who bring to us exactly what they think we are asking for… or rather what we are focussing on. They don’t bother with wants and don’t wants, and instead bother with the item our attention is pointing them towards.

So, my Inner Invisible Magician of the Universe is urging me to not even consider the things I don’t want… as soon as I say to myself I don’t want this – I have to immediately look towards something I do want instead… or something I like… or something I feel I need… or something I am grateful for… or something that would improve things for me… and everyone else – but how do I know what everyone else wants? If I knew that, I’d be Freshly Pressed every week, and have a gazillion blog visits a day. Which, is actually what I don’t want, and already I’ve come full circle! Sigh. It can be a bit of a task, this thinking clearly. I’m sure my Inner Invisible Magician of the Universe is rolling his eyes at me.

I’m a firm believer in the power of coincidence, and we can bring everything to us if we send the right signals out. I asked to see a multi-coloured feather the other day to see if the Universe was listening to me. Did you see Google’s Doodle the other day? Multi-coloured feathers. Not at all what I was expecting, but there it was. And I never asked Google to publish the doodle, nor did I state my request anywhere on line. In fact, I never spoke it aloud – I merely thought it. See… coincidence. Creative coincidence.

Think of one thing that you would love for your Inner Invisible Magician of the Universe to bring to you… and see how long it takes for it to turn up. You may be surprised.

Oh, and think whilst feeling good… it works better that way!

Look into my eyes…

“Is he looking at me?” Shadowcat ponders, before he meanders and wanders arind the Grinds, stopping to wonder, under skies that thunder, should he dash for cover or wait for food?

He returns for a while, sits, stares with his cat ‘smile’ and hypnotic eyes, looking and thoughtfully thinking, purposely purring, yet waiting in style… until the first raindrop makes him run a mile.

“I’ll be back!” I sense him think, as all I can see is a tail, long and black, vanish out back. But I wonder… did his stare put me under … or did I hear him think?

Hiding in Plain Sight!

I write occasionally, yet on many occasions, about the Spirit of the Tree.

The faces that appear within the leaves, through the leaves, or created by the patterns of the leaves, is what I call, or class as, the manifestation of the Spirit of the Tree.

He / she / it / they are always visible when looking at either photographs of trees and bushes, or actually looking at the trees and bushes themselves. Sometimes it takes a while for the faces or figures to appear, and at other times they literally leap out, they are so clear.

One of my recent posts about the Spirit of the Tree showed the clear manifestation of a dog’s face, and another Spirit image leaning on the railings. Click here to have a look at that post.

This photo, once again taken using the nifty Google Streetview thingy, actually shows the Spirit walking or floating by:

Can’t see it?

Here’s a close up:

Still no? Here’s the first image again, this time I’ve highlighted where the Spirit is:

The thing is, as soon as you notice the Spirit’s eye, the rest of his figure instantly becomes visible. A ghost-like figure caught twinkling in the sunlight as he meanders by…

Can you see any other faces in this image? The last time I posted about the Spirit, the photo was overflowing with faces! Let me know!

Caitlin’s Diary

10^th August 1911.
Dear Diary,
I’m so excited for the next year. My brother is getting married to Geraldine, and I’m going to be a bridesmaid. They won’t wed until June 15^th, which is ages away, but still. A wedding. In my family. We’ve not had one for years.

2^nd September 1911.
Dear Diary,
Geraldine is lovely. She’s a sister I’ve never had. She’s inspired me to go into the services. She works as a maid at a hotel in London, but she has given me the address to write to for a position that is far more exciting than what I currently have.

19^th September 1911.
Dear Caitlin,
Mr James would like you to attend a meeting on 21^st September, in London, regarding your recent request to join our Premier Service attendants in a brand new enterprise.
Dear Diary,
I had to write that from the letter I received yesterday. Oh, I’m excited. Short notice, I know, but this is how they work, according to Geraldine. Stephen tells me I’m being silly, and should stay with the Co-op, but I have so much more to offer. Geraldine says that with my nature, I’d be ahead in no time.

25^th September 1911.
Dear Diary,
I’m so excited. Stephen and Geraldine have congratulated me on me gaining my new job. I can’t believe it myself. I’m confident enough with people who I know, but not with a lot of strangers. Mr James told me that I’d won him over with my smile… which is odd as I never do when I’m nervous. But he must have seen it.

5^th October 1911.
Dear Diary,
I’ve not heard from Mr James for a while. Stephen says it’s my fault for taking things to heart, Geraldine says it’s Mr James’ fault as he’s very busy. I think I’m to blame because I’m too nervous.

15^th October 1911.
Dear Diary,
Still no news from Mr James. Geraldine has said that she will speak to Mr James’ associate, to see what is happening. Stephen has told me I was rash to leave the Co-op, but I had to.

11^th November 1911.
Dear Diary,
I’m so excited. My new uniform has arrived: a lovely white pinafore, black dress, shirt, and lovely hat. I need to buy some new shoes, my current ones are worn.

2^nd December 1911.
Dear Diary,
Stephen and Geraldine have bought my new shoes. I’m eternally grateful. I can’t wait to serve them proudly at their wedding… in fact, I’m going to give them the best wedding ever (if I can).

5^th December 1911.
Dear Diary,
Stephen has told me Geraldine is very ill with flu. She can hardly breathe. I hope she gets better… I know it’s a few months off her wedding, but we have so much to talk about. I want to do her proud.

15^th December 1911.
Dear Diary,
Geraldine just called around with Christmas cards. She’s looking so much better I can’t believe it. Mrs Colmthorpe from round the circle has had the flu for weeks. Doctor Simmons has been out to her twice. Geraldine’s simply magical.

24^th December 1911.
Dear Diary,
Stephen has brought the Christmas decorations around. They look lovely. Wreaths and holly, ivy, streamers and berries. He spent four hours decorating the parlour. It feels so Christmassy.

25^th December 1911.
Dear Diary,
Geraldine has bought me a good luck trinket. A bracelet to wear – secretly – for when I start my new job. She says we all need something secret when we start something new, to help us along. There’s a place in the trinket for a small photo graph of whomever I want. I may take Stephen and Geraldine with me.

1^st January 1912.
Dear Diary,
Oh my goodness. Happy new year.
I’ve met the most incredible person ever. Even Stephen likes him. He’s just started at the Co-op where I used to work, and he’s marvellous. He’s a butcher, but he says he is destined for other things.

5^th January 1912.
Dear Diary,
Harold called around again. He’s lovely, I want to be with him all of the time, but I can’t. I have my walk to learn. My talk. My shoulders need to be in the right place.

1^st February 1912.
Dear Diary,
I’m so excited. Harold wants me to go to the Spring Dance. I’ve never been asked to any dance before… I blush thinking about it. Stephen and Geraldine goad me. But now I start to wonder if I should continue to see Harold.

22^nd February 1912.
Dear Diary,
I don’t know what to do. Harold has discovered my birth date, and now knows that I’m not as old as I said I was. Only a couple of years, but a lie is a lie. But it was Geraldine’s idea, so was I very wrong in saying it in the first place? Harold isn’t very happy.

4^th March 1912.
Dear Diary,
Geraldine has fallen out with me. She says she never told me to tell Harold my incorrect age, although she did. Stephen hasn’t said anything about that, but looks at me as though I’ve done something wrong. He told me yesterday that Harold is the next in line to become a supervisor at the Co-op and I could have got my job back if I hadn’t have lied. But Diary, I never lied. I just never said.

8^th March 1912.
Dear Diary,
Harold dropped a birthday card off for Geraldine, without speaking to me, although he handed it to me with a slight smile. The postman dropped a letter off for me as well. I’m so excited I can’t write anymore!

10^th March 1912.
Dear Diary,
It’s been a couple of days – hectic days. Harold has said that he understands why I caused confusion with my age, as I do look younger than I am anyway. Geraldine has started talking to me again after I apologised for saying that she’d told me to lie about my age. And Stephen has asked if I want to work with Harold at the Co-op. But I can’t. But I can’t say anything either.

20^th March 1912.
Dear Caitlin,
You are to report to Southampton on 8^th April to ensure you are fully conversant with the current company protocols.
Dear Diary,
I’m so excited. I’m going to be conversant with protocols, whatever that means! I had to tell Geraldine about the letter, and she sat dumbfounded. She couldn’t believe that I’d actually been accepted, although she said that she knew that I would. She told me that she wouldn’t tell Stephen.

30^th March 1912.
Dear Diary,
I’m so apprehensive. Have I made the right choice in taking this on? I’ve never worked in services before… and I have to travel miles away to a different town to do it.

31^st March 1912.
Dear Diary,
I’m so excited. I’ve thrown my apprehensions away, and I’m going to do it! I need to have some money to get Stephen and Geraldine a lovely present for their wedding – they’ve made me Chief Bridesmaid now. And Stephen has asked Harold to be Best Man.

6^th April 1912.
Dear Diary,
I have to go to London again tomorrow so I can start to learn how to do my new job. Harold, Geraldine and Stephen threw a rather nice party for me last night, to send me off. I’m excited, dear Diary, but apprehensive.

9^th April 1912.
Dear Diary,
I’m VERY apprehensive. I’ve learned how to do the servicing job, and I’ve learned the correct manner in which to speak to people – I was a natural, the teacher said – but it’s two months off Stephen and Geraldine’s wedding, and I want to be back for it. I don’t want to let them down.

10^th April 1912.
Dear Diary,
There are lots of us here, I’m so excited! We all look so good in our new uniforms. I’ve made a new friend in Betty and we both hope we can share a cabin together. Betty’s lovely. She asked to see the photos in the secret trinket that Geraldine gave me, and she said that Geraldine reminded her of her sister. When we get back in a few weeks, I’ll ask Geraldine if Betty can come to the wedding, to see if they are related. Well, stranger things have happened. This ship we’re serving on looks fabulous. Even the name sends shivers down our spines… ‘The Titanic’. Betty’s so excited! She says this is her pathway to a great future! I’ve told her this is just the start of her journey, but now is the important bit. A new adventure. We don’t know where we’re going to end up, but if we continue to feel as good as we do now, we’ll always feel good. We’re both so excited!

***

On 15th April 1912 the Titanic collided with an iceberg, and sank on her maiden voyage, claiming over 1500 lives.

I first posted this on Christmas Day, after Caitlin, the character who recorded her thoughts in her diary, came to mind on Christmas Eve and wouldn’t leave me alone until I wrote what she wanted me to. This is also the reason why I recently posted about characters steering situations their way, to give Caitlin one more chance to shine.

Caitlin may be one of those characters who never returns again, but characters being as they are can crop up when least expected. Who knows, maybe she had a few other diaries in which she recorded her thoughts… 

It’s been a hundred and one years since the unsinkable vessel sank, and many a tale has been told which keeps the memory of the day, and those whose lives ended, with us.

This was my attempt to tell a slightly different version of events, not focussing on the disaster itself, but rather one of the lives involved. Caitlin is a character, this story is complete fiction, but the events after Caitlin’s last diary entry were frighteningly real.