cosmic_llin | Entries tagged with travel

August has contained many things. Among them a trip to Cornwall (sunny! Scone-ful!), picnics (delicious! Croquet-tastic!), a weekend in Edinburgh (fringe-alicious!) and various other delights. Plus

carawj are moving house on Sunday! We're not going far, just up the road, but we'll have lots more storage space, and a little garden!

The summer has been so busy that I'm getting a bit worn out, and so I really want to try and have a quieter September. As part of this, I've decided to make September my month of reading. I haven't read much at all lately - admittedly partly to do with short attention span due to sadness - but I'm getting back into a reading sort of mood and I want to really try to read a lot in September. Anyone is welcome to join me!

Semi-relatedly, on the train back from Edinburgh on Monday (having been inspired by a Neil Gaiman talk at the book festival, and some good chats with Manda) I finished the first draft of my YA fantasy novel. I'm now starting the second draft, wheee. Fun times.

Current Mood: exhausted

Got back last night, in work already today. Fleh.

On the plus side, it's

carawj's birthday!

Kitezh was fascinating and lovely as ever, I had a great time (briefly) catching up with

aerialsky in Moscow, and St Petersburg was great. Very weird to go back as a tourist after having lived there almost five years ago.

Anyway, detailed account of my travels to follow. I can't possibly catch up on the whole internet, so, tell me flist: what's going on? What's in the news? What ridiculous viral video have I missed? What fic do I need to read, like, now? Who's done something cool? Who needs a hug? Tell me your stuff!

Current Mood: sleepy
Current Music: Hang Out the Washing on the Siegfried Line - Vera Lynn

It's only quarter to ten and I'm more-or-less packed! This is astounding!

My internet connection in rural Russia will be shaky at best, so I'll probably be able to reply to emails now and then, but this is goodbye to LJ, at least until mid-July!

Have a terrific month, everyone!

Current Mood: rushed

Off to Russia again early on Wednesday morning. I am now in the excited/panicky/ambivalent stage of preparation. Excited because I love it there, panicky because there's too much to do before I leave, ambivalent because I'll miss

carawj.

( Rambling )

Current Mood: excited

So, I have reached that great and magical milestone. Quarter of a century. One box up when I next fill in a survey. I am twenty-five years old.

( Ramblings about my life, ahoy! )

Also, just to say, there are several things I intend to reply to, but they're all in tabs on my laptop, and my power supply is broken. New one should be arriving soon, and in the meantime, I'll try to remember what I was going to comment on!

Current Mood: contemplative

( Boats! Pizza! Padlocks! Ruins! More Pizza! )

So, it's been another busy couple of weeks - but that'll have to wait for another time, this is just to let y'all know that I'm off to Italy for a week tomorrow, hooray!

I'm quite ridiculously excited, this is the first proper holiday I've been on probably since Oz in the summer of 2007(?) - not that I don't love going to Russia, but it's more like a working holiday and doesn't exactly count.

We're doing it all on a tiny budget, but we're going to Amalfi and Pompeii, and I've never been to Italy before so I'm super-psyched!

Have a lovely week, everyone! See you on the flipside!

Still seems very peculiar to reach September and not be going back to school. A lot of people I know are either still in education or going back this year, and it’s a funny feeling to still be doing the same things I always do while they’re dealing with starting new courses and getting their reading lists and all that fun stuff.

Still appreciating the September-y feeling, though. If nothing else it means I can break out my winter wardrobe again. The sundresses and shorts and things have been fun, but I’m always a bit more comfortable in thick tights and wool skirts and sweaters.

It’s been a good summer, too. Probably one of the best of my life. I did all the proper summer things – I picnicked, went to music festivals (Cambridge Folk Fest – The Burns Unit are amazing!), went to the Edinburgh Fringe, and to Cornwall where I surfed (ish) and ate pasties. I played croquet and went to a sci-fi convention and the Pride parade and outdoor theatre and barbecues. It’s been wonderful, especially in contrast to last summer which I spent mostly miserable, broke, and travelling up to Edinburgh as often as possible to see

carawj who was miserable and broke also.

So now it’s autumn again – 94 sleeps until Christmas! Before then I have plenty to look forward to – visiting and old friend in Nottingham this weekend, staying with my dad in Wales the weekend after, trip to Italy soon after that, Sarah Jane Adventures preview screening the day after I get back, Hallowe’en, Bonfire Night, and tickets to see Dar Williams in December… a couple of years ago I couldn’t have imagined having a schedule this busy – it’s almost too busy, I feel as though I hardly have time to breathe, but there’s nothing I want to let go.

In short, I’m a little bit exhausted and over-stretched, but generally life is good today.

OK, so, after a whirlwind (figurative) of nonsense and volcano, it appears I may be flying to Russia early tomorrow morning. I don't want to assume anything until I'm in the air, but flights have been going in and out today.

So this is just to say, probably, back in a couple of weeks, sorry if I owe you replies for things, prod me when I get back!

Have a nice two weeks everybody!

Last few days have been a bit all over the place... I was supposed to fly to Russia last night, obviously that has not happened. I've managed to reschedule for Tuesday evening but the closer that gets the less likely it appears. Next NATS update at 1500 today.

Although this is really annoying and I'll be so disappointed if I don't get to go, at least I live in London so I don't have to wait around Heathrow for news, and I'm not stuck somewhere on my own, or trying to get somewhere for an emergency.

On the plus side, once I got all the phoning of people and what-not done yesterday, we went to the farmers' market and got some nice cheese, and then sat in the park in the sunshine.

Also, since I don't think I've mentioned it yet, my birthday was very nice. :)

1. OMG HOW GOOD WAS DOCTOR WHO?!?!?!?!!?

2. Off to Russia in a couple of weeks, visa hassle permitting! Rather excited! And looking forward to the enforced healthy eating, walks in fresh air and twice-weekly saunas. Not so much to the plumbing.

3. Was thinking - y'know the Day of Classic thing that happens now and then in Who fandom, where on a particular day people create loads of Classic Who stuff - fic, icons, meta, vids - so that

who_daily looks a bit less skewed towards the new series - has anyone done anything similar for Star Trek?

trek_news is really cool and all but it seems generally to be mostly Kirk/Spock and sometimes Gaila/Uhura - which is fine, but it would be nice to see a bit more variation. If there's not been such a thing already, would anyone be interested in one?

4. Too much chocolate was consumed. I doubt I've learned my lesson.

Ok, ok, I suck at the internet... and communication in general, lately, sorry guys. And I know I keep saying this in each of my sporadic postings, but I'm really going to try harder now to keep up with LJ. I haven't been at all, though, for months, so if you've said stuff I should know, link me!

( Updates about me )

Yes, I've seen the Christmas Coca Cola advert! And as everyone who grew up in the 90s knows, that's how you can tell that it really is nearly Christmas. Which means it must be time for my usual Christmas Wishlist!

Dear Father Christmas,

I would like:

* Theatre tokens and book tokens
* To be published, somewhere
* Something approaching financial stability
* For Bonnie Langford and Annette McLaughlin to appear in Chicago together. Or for Bonnie to just do Chicago again full-stop. Or, failing that, anything else involving Bonnie!
* A sofa
* A million more seasons of The Sarah Jane Adventures.
* Lots of pie
* To go back to Kitezh next year, and maybe to Australia again, and the US
* Health, wealth and happiness for all of my loved ones. I know it's cheesy, but it's true!

Had a very full few days!

1. On Friday, Sash and I went to a Q&A with Joanna Lumley. Oh my gosh, she is so cool. I mean, I always liked her as an actor, and I really respect all the stuff she's doing for the gurkhas, but oh, in person, she's so marvellous! Very friendly and sweet, full of useful advice for the actors who made up most of the audience, absolutely hilarious and an excellent speaker all round.
2. The act at work this weekend was a guy called Hans Teeuwen, a Dutch comedian. He's not quite like anything I've ever seen before, and he's terrific. There are some clips of him on YouTube but they're mostly in Dutch, unfortunately for me!
3. Thinking of spending a couple of days in Wales this weekend. Which means, because I'm working Friday night (until 1.30, eep!), that I'll have to go first thing on Saturday morning, and come back last thing Sunday night, for work on Monday morning. Ooh, or, if I ask work nicely, maybe I could work Monday afternoon instead of morning, to have an extra night at home... time to start sucking up, methinks...
4. I've barely been in the house all week, and my room is still a tip. How does this happen? Big tidy-up today.
5. I got a lovefilm free trial, and got By the Pricking of my Thumbs to watch Bonnie Langford (she was great!), and ended up unexpectedly falling a bit for Greta Scacchi - I definitely prefer Tuppence Beresford as a lonely alcoholic, is that wrong?
6. I also got Trial of a Timelord for the commentary - I would like to marry Colin Baker now, please. He may not be as pretty now, but he's so clever and nice and wonderful!
7. I wish there was such thing as a West End Theatres season ticket. If that existed, I wouldn't mind not having any money. Well, I would... but not very much. There's so much stuff coming up that I want to see. Hopefully by Christmas I'll be able to afford at least a couple of things!
8. Hope everyone has had a nice weekend!