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It's going to be Christmas soon
1 min read
Christmas has really snuck up on me this year, somewhat inexplicably. Anyway, I wish you all a merry Christmas, if you're celebrating it, and happy holidays if you aren't. I'm hoping to do some Christmas writing but verbal constipation/writers' block has taken hold and I have yet to shake it off!
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Remembrance Sunday
1 min read
Age shall not weary them,
Nor the years condemn,
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
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A list of non-rhetorical questions...
12 min read
...which I have answered, as that is what you do with non-rhetorical questions.
1. What does your DA name mean and why?
It's just a name which I picked for myself. Sadly, CounterCanter was taken (which is what I initially planned to use) so I added Photos, but since I've started drawing more, it doesn't really make much sense!
2.What fandom were you obsessed with then and what are you into now?
I don't think I knew what fandoms were back then. Even now, I'm not really obsessed with them, but I do like Sherlock, Doctor Who and Welcome To Night Vale, all a bit weird and wonderfully entertaining!
3. How many watchers do you have now?
Twenty-seven in total, a mixture of friends and acquaintances and people who are following me for reasons I can't fathom.
4. Name three of your favourite artists here on DA.
Um... Louvan, who does lovely pictures of horses (most, if not all, are in Julip form, too, I believe), oingy-boingy, whose pictures of her characters are always beautiful and entertaining, and ElreniaGreenleaf, who draws exquisite pictures, especially of horses!
5. Do you comment, fave or both?
It depends, really. I don't really look at a lot of art, and if I'm feeling lazy, I just fave it, but often I comment too.
6. Do you participate in clubs here on DA?
Well, I'm a member of numerous clubs but the only one I really participate in is the Six Word Story club. Even then, I only do the Weekly Spontaneity; nothing else, really.
7. What is your most popular submission?
It took me a while to discover how I could find this out, but Peachy has the most favourites and Hunting Pinks has the most views.
8. What are your favourite non-anime shows?
I don't really like anime, but I'm rather fond of QI, Sherlock and Doctor Who.
9. What are the things you wish you could draw better?
People in particular, there are lots of things I wish I could draw better but now my horses have improved a bit, I really wish I could draw people.
10. Summer or winter?
Winter, even though I like the balmy evenings and greenery in summer, the horseflies really ruin it for me, as does the heat. I'd much rather wrap up warmly!
11. Rain or sun?
Sun, but only if it's not too hot. I really can't bear the heat, but at least riding in the sun means I don't have to clean my tack afterwards!
12. What's your favourite type of music?
Jazz, blues, and classical. I sing in the Big Band, and love that style of music, but I also play in the orchestra (first violin!) and adore that too. I can't stand modern pop trash, particular rap.
13. PC or MAC?
PC, I don't understand Macs! (Anyway, I always think of waterproof jackets...)
14. Anime or manga?
Neither. I don't really like either of them, it's just too unrealistic for me.
15. Coke or Pepsi?
Again, neither. I don't do well with caffeine, it gives me headaches, and I just don't like the taste. Good old fashioned water for me, please!
16. Read or TV?
Reading - I like creating a world myself, rather than having it in front of me, but that's not to say I don't like TV, just not rubbish gossip programmes.
17. How many hours a day do you spend on DA?
One at the most, I think. And even then, it's not always looking at pictures. Often it's just talking or reading.
18. Name a talent.
One of mine? Singing, then, I'm a classical and jazz singer and it makes me happy.
19. Flash or traditional cartoons?
I like Scooby Doo. I have done since I was little and it's still great, especially the oldest episodes. And I would have gotten away with it if it weren't for those meddling kids.
20. What is your favourite fast food restaurant?
I don't eat fast food, the closest I get is pizza and even then it's decent pizza rather than fast food pizza.
21. What are your top three favourite books?
'My Own Story' by Emmeline Pankhurst is excellent, and free to download on Kindle! I loved it, it gives a very full picture of the suffrage movement, 'The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness' by Michelle Paver, which is an amazing series of six books set in the early days of man, just before farming, and 'My Animals and Other Family' by Clare Balding. It' her autobiography and it's lovely!
22. Wii or Playstation?
I'm not really a gamer, even slightly, so neither. I'm also rather useless at technology, so I don't know how to use either of them!
23. Name 3 of your favourite bands/singers.
Caro Emerald, a jazz singer who is really rather excellent, Queen (eternally brilliant) and the Port Isaac Fishermen's Friends, who sing sea shanties.
24. Are you a fast slow or medium typist?
Fast! I learnt to touch-type quite young and it has been very useful to me.
25. Do you like Denny's?
What's Denny's?
26. What is your favourite smiley?
I use XD a lot, but can I answer for punctuation? I like the semi-colon, and try to get at least one into every piece of writing I do. A lot of people don't understand them; think that's a shame because they are a most satisfying piece of punctuation!
27. What is your favourite type of pie?
Lemon meringue pie is delicious, I really like it. I like lemons and meringues, so it really is a perfect combination!
28. Have you ever stayed up for 24 hours?
No, I sleep like a log, so I can't go for that long without sleep. I think the longest I've stayed awake is eighteen hours.
29. Do you go on YouTube a lot?
Not really, although I use it constructively, rather than just watching silly videos which aren't really funny. I did watch Edwardian Farm, Turn Back Time and Stephen Fry's Who Do You Think You Are, so YouTube time well spent, I think!
30. Are you a member on any other sites besides DA?
A couple of model horse forums, and then of course there's the whirlwind of madness that is Tumblr. I have a serious horse blog and then one just for my own entertainment.
31. Do you cosplay?
I dressed up as a suffragette with my friend for a photo for an article I wrote, does that count?
32. Fruits or sweets?
It depends what form they're in.
33. Buttered, plain or salted popcorn?
I can't bear buttered popcorn, it makes me feel sick. I do like salted and sweet, and I'm happy with plain.
34. Have you skipped school?
Never, and I don't ever intend to.
35. Have you been on a plane?
Yes, many times, although not for more than four hours at a time. I'm actually going to learn to fly light aircraft and gliders later this year.
36. Have you swum in an ocean?
In the sea and the Mediterranean, it was October, but it was very warm and there were tiny fish swimming around us, even though we were just in the shallows. I also saw a jellyfish in the English Channel, which was a bit of a surprise!
37. Have you been ice skating?
Yes, once, and it was awful! I dragged myself round on the outside barrier for an hour (it was a friend's party) and it was dreadful.
38. What is your favourite vacation spot?
Somewhere where I speak the language (I speak English, French and German) with decent food and a temperate climate. Apart from that, I'm happy.
39. Ever been on TV?
Not that I know of, never. I don't plan on it either.
40. Favourite salad and dressing?
I don't like salad.
41. What do you do to relax?
Ride! It's a very relaxing activity, unless my horse is very spooky, which happens sometimes (rocks and bin liners are the scariest thing at the moment).
42. What is the last film you saw in the theatre?
I went earlier today, I saw Despicable Me 2, which was really rather good.
43. Favourite sandwich?
Tuna mayo or egg mayo on white bread. Delicious!
44. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
I love Austria, it's a beautiful country and I'd love to spend more time there. I also love Berlin and have family ties there, making it quite personal for me.
45. Favourite time of the day?
Early evening, at around five or six o'clock, in the autumn, when the world is glowing golden and beautiful.
46. What did you want to be when you were little?
A vet, right up until our first donkey had to be put to sleep. Now I realise I couldn't handle that, and I'm also fairly bad at maths and chemistry!
47. What do you want to be now?
A journalist or a writer of some kind, particularly an equine journalist. I love both horses and writing and want to make my life out of them.
48. If you could eat with one person who would it be?
Stephen Fry or Clare Balding, I think they're both very interesting people and I'd like to converse with them.
49. What character would you hate to be stuck in a room with?
Oh goodness, any from Twilight, I can't bear it!
50. When is your birthday?
September, my favourite time of year.
51. Favourite type of ice-cream?
Vanilla, with marshmallows! Fairly specific, I know, but it's truly lovely.
52. Last book you read?
'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' by Arthur Conan Doyle. I read a few of the stories a few years ago, but now I thought I'd revisit them and they are just as good as I remember!
53. Which store would you max out a credit card at?
The saddlery. I could spend hours and lots of money there.
54. Do you buy sell both on e-bay?
This question doesn't make sense! I buy, I've not sold yet. I've bought a couple of Julips and a dress.
55. What is the most annoying thing people ask you?
'Why are you a feminist?' The answer is always the same - 'why aren't you a feminist?' Anyone who believes in equal rights and opportunities for women as men is a feminist.
56. Favourite all time movie?
I don't know, there are a few I like such as The Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Trek and such.
57. What was your favourite show when you were a kid?
Postman Pat. I believe it's still on, just far more modern than it was! I always loved Jess the cat.
58. What are you listening to right now?
The sound of silence... No, not the Simon and Garfunkel song, I really am listening to silence.
59. What is the last thing you ate?
Millionaire's shortbread - it was lovely!
60. If you were a crayon what colour would you be?
What a bizarre question! Probably dark purple or rich turquoise. I just like those colours.
61. What is the first thing you notice about the opposite sex?
That they are not the same gender as me. Isn't that what everyone notices?
62. Favourite sport to play?
Lacrosse is really good fun, even though it's rather violent!n we have to wear goggles as well as gum shields now, and I got a yellow card once, and my friend dislocated her finger.
63. Favourite day of the year?
Christmas Day! I do love Christmas, it's so much fun.
64. Hugs or kisses?
Hugs, but neither from people I'm not close to.
65. Vanilla or chocolate?
Both. Can I choose both? Unless it's dark chocolate, which I really can't abide.
66. Favourite board game?
Does Scrabble count? I like any game involving words, so Scrabble suits me rather well (although I have been told my language can be archaic). I also like Monopoly, or rather, a permutation of Monopoly called Horseopoly, and Cluedo.
67. Favourite smells?
Sweaty horse is the very best smell in the world, that coupled with hay is rather wonderful indeed.
68. What inspires you?
Arbitrary things in the world around me, as well as history lessons. They inspire me beyond measure, if I have writers' block (or as I call it, verbal constipation), a history lesson can give me fresh ideas.
69. Do you have any piercings?
No, and I don't plan on getting any, not even earlobes. The thought of putting holes in yourself repels me, although my friend has her helix pierced.
70. How many siblings do you have?
One, a sister, who can be a frightful irritation at times, and a wonderful friend at others!
71. Bacon bites or croutons?
I've never even heard of bacon bites (sheltered life I live!) so I'll have to say croutons.
72. Favourite day of the week?
It depends utterly on my timetable, although I love the evening music activities I do, so Tuesday, Thursday or Friday. And of course, the weekend, because it means I have time to ride!
73. Favourite phrase?
Well, I use, 'Oh goodness,' a lot, and currently can't think of any that I specifically like, although no doubt one will spring to mind later.
74. Favourite restaurant?
Any Italian restaurant which serves nice pizza, I'm not picky on that front, and will quite happily tuck into any decent pizza!
75. Favourite animal?
Donkeys, we have two, called Tiggy and Arthur, and they're both wonderful, but the donkey species as a whole is superb.
76. Favourite thing to do outside?
Ride, of course! There's nothing like a gentle hack on a lovely day, and that certainly can't be done inside!
77. Favourite thing to do when it's raining?
Write, normally, either journalistically or fiction, I love them both, and there is nothing more frustrating than being desperate to write and having verbal constipation!
78. Favourite Disney character?
Scat Cat from The Aristocats, he's very cool and sings 'Everybody Wants To Be A Cat' - who couldn't love that?
79. Do you like coffee? If so, what is your favourite brand?
Not hugely, only if it's sweetened, and I can't drink caffeine because it gives me headaches. I don't really like hot drinks at all, even on cold days.
And a random fact about me:
I like having stuff in my right pocket. Even if it's just a penny or a ticket, I like having ithere. Now that I have a watch, that sits in my pocket and I nearly always have something there by default!
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Thirteen Words
1 min read
A cure for the common cold? If only there was such a thing.
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Hello, all, I'm not sure who actually finds this interesting AT ALL, but I've got some pointless chat to share with you and I haven't written a journal in a while.
Firstly, it appears I have fixed/found a way around my uploading problems! My computer is still being a real pain, but if I email stuff to myself, and then save them separately (doesn't work if I save directly from my camera for some reason), it works. It's a bit of a long-winded process, mind, but at least I can share photos with you!
The weather here is changeable. One minute, it's blazingly hot, and the next, it's pouring with rain and that's rather irritating because I can't bear the heat and I'd rather not go out riding and get my saddle soaked. I don't mind about myself; I don't have to be dried and polished to avoid going blotchy! I did go out riding yesterday, though, for two hours, which was lovely. Merls continues to be my nice, dependable lad, although we had a spook at, I kid you not, a butterfly flying off a bush the other day. The other horses are all well too, Sweepie's laminitis has pretty much gone now, and Vento actually has a mane now! It looks great and I hope it gets longer. Jols is pretty, as usual, but needs a good groom. A job for later today, I think.
I've recently started watching Sherlock. I don't know why this concerns you, I really don't. But I am enjoying it greatly!
Also, I've started drawing again and I currently like it a fair deal. oingy-boingy suggested I try GIMP because I was struggling rather with Photoshop (it's great for processing photos, but I find it difficult to draw with) and I seem to be getting the hang of it. I've drawn a person! Yes, a person, those things that I find insanely difficult to draw and especially when they actually have to look a specific way. But this one has turned out decently; I am particularly happy with the nose.
The magazine editing is going well, although I've been in a fiction writing mood rather than writing the articles and information I know I should be!
That's about it for now. I've fed the horses and now I'm going to get some lunch.
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