Spooky Stories From Six-Year Olds

Very spooky costumes

And lots of children, scaring adults.

Mummys roaming the streets,

Pumpkins lit up everywhere.

Irish monsters everywhere,

Roaring monsters everywhere.

Eeek! A witch with a cat.

Halloween is spooky.

A ghost, eek!

Lots of ghosts,

Loads of skulls,

Ooh, a spider.

What? An eyeball on my toe?

Eek! A vampire

Eating goodies.

Nah Nah, that devil can't catch me.

Sky Watch Friday - Parade or Just Walking?

Another photo my grandson took when we were at the Harvestfest in Alexandria, PA. This was just people walking to get to the tents where some more crafts were but he wanted it to look like a parade coming down the street.

To see more participants of Sky Watch Friday go here: http://skyley.blogspot.com/

The Bortle Scale Is Coming!

In the middle of an ocean, where light pollution is entirely absent, you may experience the profound blackness that is Bortle 1 on the Bortle Dark-Sky Scale.

This scale was created by John E. Bortle in 1991 to help amateur astonomers compare the darkness of observing sites. It is a nine-level numeric scale that measures the brightness of the night sky and the stars within it at a particular location. It is, therefore, a way of quantifying the astronomical observability of things in the night sky and the interference caused by light pollution.

A rural sky would be at Bortle 3, a suburban sky at Bortle 5, a city sky at Bortle 8 and top of the scale, at Bortle 9, is the inner-city sky. In the inner-city you can see the Moon, and a few of the larger star clusters. That's it. And that's enough for me. I warm to the sodium glow that obliterates the stars. Bright lights, big city, cancel your subscription to Sky and Telescope magazine.

But back to the Bortles. Bortle 2 is as dark as it gets on dry land. There are only two Bortle 2 locations in the entire world (as ratified, it must be admitted, by the International Dark Sky Association). The first is in Natural Bridges, Utah and the second in Cherry Springs State Park, Pennyslvania.

But there is about to be a third.

And guess what. It's here. In Dumfries and Galloway. Glentrool in the Galloway Forest Park.

Be still my beating heart.

Lots to look forward to now!

Galloway Forest Park blogs here: http://gallowayforestpark.blogspot.com/

my take on a starry night

this is for Shazza's challenge:

I really enjoyed looking at the painting and then seeing what kind of ideas floated around in my head. Thanks for this it was really fun.

Hooray for Ray: Three Cheers for Mears!

It is a rare man
that seeks out your interest
not your attention.

It is a rare man
that provides for your comfort
before he seeks warmth.

It is a rare man
that disguises expertise
as mere competence.

It is a rare man
that can enjoy our nature
without conquering.



All of the above happen to be true of my husband, with the subtle difference that he prefers to hide his expertise as incompetence. Strange.

ABC Wed. - "O" - May I "Offer" You some Candy?

Frankenstein offering you some candy.

To see more ABC Wed. participants, go here: Mrs. Nesbitts Place

thickers giveaway!!!

ok so who doesnt love thickers-uh yep everyone does. SSSSoooooo why dont you go by and visit denise blog because she is giving some of her stash away--and boy does she have a stash--lol!! here is her link http://thisscrapperslife.blogspot.com/2009/10/thickers-giveaway.html

so go by and visit and tell everyone you know--be sure to let them know I sent you!!

TFE's Monday Challenge: What the TFE?

A brief pause whilst I reverie. Ray Mears. Boreal Forest. Ray Mears. I, who am not enamoured of the natural world, sink into quite another place when Ray is out there and telling me so gently about it. Love the man.

Anyway, to this week's challenge, undertaken after the sainted Ray had said "Goodbye" (better than Drambuie or ham sandwiches).

Basically it involved me sitting in agony (no lumbar improvement yet) listening to agony.

The agony was a ten-minute piece of music by Krzysztof Penderecki (nope, me neither) which you can hear here:

http://totalfeckineejit.blogspot.com/2009/10/bus-poetz-of-woild-unite.html

I followed the rules more or less to the letter. I wrote as I listened, and what I am posting is what I wrote. The words are unchanged; however I did rationalise the punctuation a little (not really polishing - more, well, buffing).

It is not a poem. I'm not really sure what it is, but hey, them's the challenges.

And I'm off to find out about the music, and see if anyone else did this piece of madness, or went with the eminently more sensible (in hindsight) Plan B.

On A Piece of Music

Psycho! Psycho!
Mother is here,
and she is sharp.

She rips and pierces,
wide eyes,
so many knives,
whilst blood swirls
down,
and down,
and down.

She has brought Africa,
with drums
and more knives
that dervish dance:
drums and knives
knives and drums
swirling, piercing, knives and drums.

But a whale hints peace
and the deep sea calms them
so they sink quiet to the seabed.

Threats return through the deep sea.
Eyeless crawling things
have come to the seabed;
creep, crawl, congress,
and they have many keen arms
that swirl and hold many knives.

Whales!
Faint whales, calm them.
Please.
For horror things are here, with me,
beneath the deep sea
that cover me with arms and knives
and slice me so. I am pieces.

Now I am in a dead place of noise
and noise is pain,
where bones ring wrong and sink down.
I can hear faint whales far away.
They do not come to save me.

My bones are still.

The arms take knives,
the bones start
their danse macabre,
slow, jerk, slow, jerk, quick, jerk
quick, quick, quick.
I am surrounded by jerking bones and knives.

The crawling things bite my ears
and pierce me deep
whilst I shake and cry
with the seagulls above
and quiver
with the sea snails below.

I have no shell and am boneless,
for my bones have left
to join the dance.

Then silence and agony.
Save me whales, for I am dead,
and though dead, I need your calm.

Health And Safety and Other Grandpa Stuff

The boys' treehouse in the grandparents' garden.

Grandpa not risk averse.

Update: added some more Grandpa stuff, as the garden is a box of strange delights. Below is not the half of it, and slight apologies for the picture quality but the boys were practising with the camera.

The totem pole (top of)

The Armadillo hedgehog shelter

The insect shelter

The swing!

Camera Critters - Trying to Find a Dry Spot

Trying to find a dry spot on the porch last weekend was a bit difficult. We had about three inches of snow. My grandson even got to make a snowman out of it. I got a photo. It was interesting to take photos of the fall leaves with the snow on the ground. Too early for snow here right now but it did. This weekend it is raining really hard.

To see more participants of Camera Critters hosted by Misty, go here: http://camera-critters.blogspot.com/

Pet Pride post is on my other blog here: Barb's blog

For crafts and giveaways check out my Craft it Wednesday blog here: Craft it Wednesday

Royal Visitor

Aargh! In adjectival agony at the moment, as I reached out at the same time as bending over at a ludicrous angle yesterday whilst carrying unfeasible amounts of shopping (this was not just shopping: this was Marks and Spencer's shopping). Can't bend over at the moment, and sitting not too comfortable either. Wouldn't have mentioned it, but it is relevant to the rest of my witterings.

And my witterings are somewhat akin to Eryl's infamous "squeaking jacket" post, here:
http://thekitchenbitchponders.blogspot.com/2009/07/bat-pits.html

So. Being a creature of habit, very late last night (2am-ish) I was outside observing the sky and having my final cigarette and glass of milk before bed. Then, as usual, I went into the downstairs bathroom to brush my teeth. Which I had to do standing up, not bent over (see above). This change in position let me perceive, in my peripheral vision, a dark shape in the toilet, which is always a little unsettling.
After a small jump (not good for the back), I turned the light on and lo and behold, my prince had come.


However, I was tired, in pain and not in any kissing mood whatsoever. Couldn't have bent over to do it anyway. So I shut the lid, left a note on it for the reliable journeyman husband - Frog inside: Please deal - who was still at work, and hobbled to bed.

No sign of my golden ball this morning, and back still agony.

Sky Watch Friday - A Different View of the Maze

My grandson, age 6, giving us a different view of the corn maze at J.B. Tree Farm in Huntingdon County.

To see more participants of Sky Watch Friday go here: http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Civilisation: still crumbling part 2

This will, I realise, mean nothing to those who are not based in the UK, but I just had to watch the most talked-about Question Time for quite a while.

What a wasted opportunity! Instead of submitting Nick Griffin to intelligent, rational debate the programme was more akin to a point-scoring witch-hunt. It did not expose the man's, and his party's, odious views in the proper manner, and he was not afforded the courtesy usually extended to other guests on the programme. Every question asked had obviously been selected to shed light on some aspect of BNP policy, and was thus quite unlike what usually happens on this programme - no individual guest is singled out so. It was a sledgehammer to crack a nut, and will attract sympathy for the man amongst those who have already chosen to vote for his party.

Four, plus an audience, against one, and Mr Dimbleby was not a fair referee.

I found it distasteful and very badly managed.

Rant over.

Our Civilisation Is Crumbling Around Me

Bit snowed under with work and life at the moment, but in the passing another key indicator for the demise of our civilisation has occurred. It's in my fridge at the moment.

I do not like chocolate very much, can't eat chocolate cake and only occasionally resort to a Cadbury's Fruit and Nut in the service station if I'm on a long drive and in need of calories.

But it has been my habit since time immemorial to have one Bendicks Bittermint with my coffee each evening after dinner.

Horror. The sophisticated white, green and gold packaging has been changed. Worse, I suspect the recipe itself has been jiggery-poked with, and the famous Bittermint is now a little ... sweeter.

It could be my imagination, but having just had my second from the box (research purposes), I don't think so.

The new. Ugh!

And I thought the end had come when they changed Marathon to Snickers ...

ABC Wed. -"N" = Nooks and Cranny's

ABC Wed. and the letter "N" for "Nooks" and cranny's. This carver was at the Arts and Crafts show in Alexandria, PA, which is about an hour from Bellefonte.

To see more ABC Wed. participants, go here: Mrs. Nesbitts Place

I posted a couple of quick Halloween treats on my other blog if you want to see them, go here: Barb's other blog

deco

Ok so here are a few pics of my halloween decorations. I know it doesnt look scary during the day although the birds do still freak us out when we first walk out--I forget we put them out there--haha. I still have alot of decorations to put up but some i cant do til that day--like the black light, strobe light and the fogger. It will look scary that night and I will be sure to take some pics then.

Well I finally took my buddies advice (txrnc) to try picasa when I upload my scrap pages---ok ok it does make a world of difference when you go to upload them--finally the color is going to look like it does irl. I had been putting this off but now I see the error of my ways. I am not promising that I will do it ALL the time but I know when I can I will use it.

Today I did really good and got up and did my workout which btw after not working out for like 3 days kicked my butt. My legs are a little sore but nothing like before. I am going to give myself another week of 2 miles and then try to bump it up to 3--we will see I am not pushing myself to fast because I want to stick with it and I know myself if I think I am defeated then I wont continue but I am stoked because I am going on 3 weeks of consecutive working out!!! Just gotta keep it up now.

I have a really good schedule this week I only work on thru and fri--they are 12's but it shouldn't be too bad.

What else oh yeah I got some really cute pics of alyssa today but I need to get them printed out and also I am going to take the kids this weekend to the pumpkin patch--we do this every year it is funny looking back at those old pics--Gosh they grow up sooo fast. I was just thinking about when ralphie was a baby wow he is 19 now!! time flies.

Well I think thats it --oh yeah someone I won't say names reminded me that I needed to keep my blog up and yet she is slacking!!!! tsk tsk!!

Camera Critters - Reindeer Going

Well, I was going to show you the front of the reindeer but I can't get it to post right now. So, I will add it later. You can see another reindeer in the background and if you enlarge the photo, you can see it.
Here's the reindeer going...

They have these reindeer at J.B. Tree Farm in Huntingdon county, which is about a hour drive from Bellefonte.

To see more participants of Camera Critters hosted by Misty, go here: http://camera-critters.blogspot.com/

The TFE Challenge: Like a Moth to a Flame ....

Unfeasibly early I know, but we’re off on a quick Glasgow culture trip to catch up with the big kids and entertain the small ones.

Now, the two-week Challenge was all well and good, but it took me most of that to source the film. Not forgetting TFE’s warning that it was “very, very sad”.
It arrived on Friday, and like a moth to a flame …

So I watched it, wished perhaps I hadn’t, though it is a very beautiful, acutely observed film. Not terribly safe for me to take off from this one right now, so I stuck with the film for my poem. Which probably has more words in it than the dialogue of the entire 81 minutes of “garage”. You have been warned.





The Hanged Man

At the end of the world there is a garage,
beyond the garage is a skewbald angel heavy horse,
the kind gypsies keep: more valuable, so.
Inside, outside, throughout the garage is a man
indentured, pleasing fool who needs no holy water
to sanctify himself; idiot Parsifal, he is pure in heart.

He touches no one save the skewbald angel heavy horse,
whose two colours divide man’s two states so:
alive, or dead. Yet he walks between, this man,
reaching out for life like the Christ for water
to taste only vinegar on the sponge on the spear in his heart.
He sits down again, waits, alone at the garage.

Everything he sees foretells his death, and so
the skies are vast, the road empty, a man
drowns six disciple puppies in running water
as they cry for their dam; by the lake an old man’s heavy heart
cries for his dog whore. Still no one comes to the garage.
He climbs the gate to meet the waiting skewbald angel heavy horse.

When the devil comes sly he has the shape of a man
who drives a Leyland Daf back from the world across the water,
tempts the idiot, the pleasing idiot who is good at heart,
with old technology and naked women. Death enters the garage
in a VHS format, whilst the skewbald angel heavy horse
dreams of apples and knowledge and of man’s becoming so.

For man has maybe friend, and has broken bread, shared water,
beer and chocolate biscuits with him, made a small room in his heart
for the first person who thinks him sound. Later, at the garage,
in the dark, chooses one colour of the skewbald angel heavy horse
by sharing what men, he thinks, share; in doing so
mistakes the age and is lost to communion; a hanging man.

Judas lips Chinese whisper, guards come, he is taken and the heart
that beats to keep open the garage, the world’s end garage,
stutters, ready to die. The skewbald angel heavy horse
lifts his head, jerks his rope and as he does so
finds a little give. There is no give for the man,
who is wrong, having done no wrong; in a hot room, in hotter water.

After a no sleep night he leaves the garage
to free the skewbald angel heavy horse.
Church bells ring, the Magdalene has bleached her hair, so
she will burn his feet as she falls drunk to wash them. The man
who took shit with a smile all his life is shame. He walks to the water
carefully removes his socks and shoes, and gives up his heart.

The horse? The gypsy horse?
He walks, he stops; he looks to you.

Halloween

Yeah my fav time of year is here--I know alot of people dont like halloween but I DO!! I got my decorations out and started putting them out, of course gil and ralphie had to help me because honestly I think if I went on the roof I would fall--hehe anyway so far about 70% of my stuff is up and my idea about the birds is looking pretty good. Once everything is up i will take some pics and share them here. I also have been doing the decorations in the house too---cant wait for you to see my body in spider web----ooooooh scaaarrryyy--haha love it. I havent had a chance to scrap lately just been reorganizing my little scrappy area. I bought a new little plastic drawer holder thing at walmart so I had to move things around a bit. I have accumulated sooooo much stuff lately but I have been doing good and not buying anything especially since veronica told me not to go to big lots because she is getting me goodies for my birthday---so I havent but hopefully tomorrow I plan on going my michaels who knows maybe I will find some deals but I dont ever hold my breath if it is meant to be it will happen. That is how God's plan works and I leave it up to him to do as he sees fit!

Hmmm what else gosh have you ever noticed how after it has rained for several days and the weather is starting to change how many ants there are in the yard--ugh! we put medicine on like ant hills today--poor kids they couldnt go play in the backyard because of this also my poor bongo I dont want him getting bitten.

oh yeah wanted to give a big shout out to my hubby today because he was doing our yard and noticed our new neighbors were working on theirs too but they didnt have a weed eater and the very much needed to have some edging done sooooo gil being awesome as he is he asked me should I go over and ask them if they want me to edge for them? I told him don't ask just go and do it for them I am sure they would appreciate it--so he did --wasn't that nice?? yep I know its a good thing.
Still hanging in there working out and trying to not stop hoping to get more days in this coming week my schedule at work was very weird it was like work 1 then off then work 2 then off then work 1--not a very fun schedule. Anyway thats it for now--Hope everyone is doing good.

Good night have sweet dreams and a blessed day! praise god and be thankful for all his blessings!

Useless Weather Fact

First frost of the season last night. Blige.


Jack's coming again tonight, I fear.

Sky Watch Friday - Fall Scene

A normal fall scene in PA. I took this photo when we were at the J.B. Tree Farm trying to get through a maze. The fall colors should be coming out more in a week or two.

To see more participants of Sky Watch Friday go here: http://skyley.blogspot.com/

A Cartoon and A Query

I had to post this cartoon (stolen from Kathryn of Virginia Kate Sagas, here http://tendergraces.blogspot.com/2009/10/saturday-funnies.html - who has stolen it herself from the US "Saturday funnies") as it raised an issue in our home.

The concept of the revenge of the pinata made me laugh a lot. My husband did not understand the joke, and wondered why the "colourful donkey" was beating children.

I thought the pinata was now so ubiquitous in the UK that this joke could cross both the Channel and the Atlantic, but of course I am the one who has to trawl through the party accessory catalogues each June for our double big day. In the party catalogues, pinatas are big, probably because they are so expensive. So, is the pinata known over here yet?

We end up, as usual, with the Thunderbirds napkins.

Secondly, when did Hannibal Lecter take up cricket?

This is Marcus Trescothick. Who has just flown home. I think that surname may count as excess baggage.

down time

well work the last two days have sucked!! it was soooo busy and ugh anyway tomorrow i'm off so plan is to scrap scrap scrap--hehe if I can I am sure that it wont go that easy but we will see. Lets see whats been going on well not sore anymore and I did work thru it going to work out again tomorrow oh yeah I went to have my annual exam at work and yeah I lost weight from the last time I was there. also we are getting a treadmill so yeah more incentive to keep working out --gotta keep it up especially if we do decide to have another baby. Not sure if I mentioned it here or not but gil wants to have another baby I am still not 100% sure yes or no but I agreed to pray on it and discuss it after the new year. My thinking about the working out is well first of all I need to get healthier and second if we do decide to have another baby I need to lose some weight prior to because I am always diabetic during my pregnancies. Anyway we will see when time passess.

What else is going on--oh yeah so for anyone who doesnt know please go check out my friend txrnc's blog because she is published. http://www.blogger.com/profile/08752602899782702924 go check her out. I am glad that I dropped out of so many challenges it is a relief to not worry about leaving love. I am really enjoying joining the football related threads--that is really alot of fun. I am having fun with the fantasy football league I am in with some scrappy friends. I have been doing really good about not shopping--I really need to use up all the stuff I already have. I honestly think scrappy stuff is like rabbits it just keeps multiplying?? how does that happen--hehe I guess all the good deals been getting lately. I am trying not to purchase too much but if it is a good deal well how can you pass it up--but to keep up with that I really need to use alot of it up.

well I think that is it for now-- I am sure I am forgetting alot of things I wanted to share on here but truth is I am sleep and tired so going to get off for now. Have a good night everyone!! Sweet dreams!

ABC Wed. - "M" = "Many" Leaves

Today is ABC Wed. with the letter "M" for "many" leaves. The leaves are coming down and the fall colors are starting to come out. My grandson, age 6, took this photo. He got down a little farther to the ground and snaped this.

To see more ABC Wed. participants, go here: Mrs. Nesbitts Place

I have some pumpkins that were decorated when we went to the arts & crafts show that are on my other blog and there could be an "M" in there somewhere. If you want to check them out, go here: Craft it Wednesday

Autumn at The Crichton

Thought I'd better do an autumn colour post.























I had the great good fortune to have a work meeting up at The Crichton last week. Although it went on longer than I anticipated, I still had the chance for a wander before the boys needed picked up from school. And even though it was a dreich day, the grounds were beautiful.

The Crichton is an enormous site in Dumfries that began its formal life as a lunatic asylum.

In the early nineteenth century Dr James Crichton, a trader and physician who made his fortune in India and China, retired to the Dumfries area. He died in 1823, leaving a sizeable fortune to be used for "charitable purposes". His particular wish was that the bulk of the money be used to found a college of university status in Dumfries. Despite the best efforts of his widow, Mrs Elizabeth Crichton, the plans to found a university were refused.

From his legacy, about £85,000 was used to found the Crichton Royal Hospital. A fortune, then.

No expense was spared as Elizabeth was determined to build the best asylum in Europe. Of grandiose design, it included a cathedral-like church, a farm of over 900 acres, and an artesian well.

A rock garden was built, and plant specimens were obtained from as far away as Darjeeling.

A number of patients were admitted free of charge.

For 15 shillings a year, a private "sleeping room," iron bed, and "animal" soup were provided.

Those who paid £17.50 a year were given a parlour, bathroom, meals with wine and dessert every day, and grouse in season. Each patient had one "keeper" and the use of a carriage or horse every day.

The Crichton was at the forefront of psychiatric care, both nationally and internationally.

A detailed history-taking schedule was adopted, and a wide range of social and educational activities provided the initial focus for treatment.

The Department of Clinical Research was first active under Professor Mayer-Gross. He had come from the University of Heidelberg and was a follower of Kraepelin but also acquainted with Freud and Jung. His department in Heidelberg had been greatly influenced by the work of Jaspers, creating the science of psychopathology, and he brought this with him to Dumfries.

Professor Mayer-Gross, together with Drs. Roth and Slater, wrote the leading British psychiatric text of its time whilst at the Crichton.

An EEG department opened in 1948, Scotland’s first residential children’s unit opened in 1951, and an old-age unit opened in 1958. A social therapist was appointed, and specific learning disability units opened in the 1980s. However, with improvements at other British psychiatric hospitals, referral of adults from outside the region, previously common, diminished.

Tom Pow's book, Dear Alice: Narratives of Madness which won the poetry category in this year's Scottish Book Awards, is based on his sifting through detailed case histories still retained by the Crichton Archives.

From The Times review by Hugh Lupton:

" ... tensions between asylum containment and open fields, between delusion and reason, run through Tom Pow's extraordinary new book of poems, Dear Alice: Narratives of Madness. The collection circles around the Crichton Asylum in Dumfries - now part of Glasgow University. Founded in the 1830s, the asylum was initially part of the same humane impulse as Samuel Tuke's “Moral Treatment”. Its 150-year existence charted a shifting and evolving understanding of mental illness and the permeability of identity. This social history is at the root of the book. "

Tom Pow taught until very recently at the University of Glasgow, Crichton Campus.

New health policies in the 1980s meant that large psychiatric institutions were no longer required. This heralded a very major change in the way the site was used.

Since 1995 the Crichton Development Company has been working to turn what was, effectively. a redundant and deteriorating former psychiatric hospital into one of the most significant regeneration projects in Scotland. The project has been progressed (they say) applying the very highest conservation and economic regeneration principles.

Basically, on what really does feel like a unified site, where old hospital buildings have been converted to new uses and new buildings seem to have been kept to a minimum, you have:

The Crichton University Campus, which houses the University of Glasgow (off-shoot), the University of the West of Scotland, Dumfries and Galloway College and the Scottish Agricultural College (offshoot, I think).

The Crichton Business Park, which describes itself as "quality office accommodation with high speed fibre optic communications." Coo!

The Easterbrook Hall and the Aston Hotel. The first is a very large conference and events centre with exceptionally nice toilet facilities and fierce air hand-dryers. The Aston is its accompanying luxury hotel (the new section of which is a bit of a bastard blue, which is one of the very few wrong steps taken, in my opinion).

100 acres of "Public Realm" plus a 9-hole golf-course.

And these grounds are beautiful. All the photographs in this post are of one teeny-tiny section by the Crichton Memorial Church.

There are still two wards (possibly three, can't remember) left of the Psychiatric Hospital, and the Health Board seems to occupy some of the top end of the site (it is right next door to the Dumfries and Galloway Infirmary).

Dumfries, which seems determined to get so little of its heritage right, has actually made a fair go of The Crichton. If you are ever in the area, it's worth a walkabout - and both the coffee and the deluxe bacon rolls at The Aston Hotel are rather good.

Happy Autumn.