Hester

I was in a bookstore today, and this caught my eye: ... so I bought a copy. Not sure if I'm going to read it right away, or tuck it away for light summer reading. Love the bat-wing "sails"! Although... I would prefer something in this vein that was intended for a more mature audience. Can anyone recommend some pirate-themed sci-fi or fantasy novels for adults? And in the meantime ... has anyone else read Vampirates? Did you enjoy it? Cheers, Hester

For the You Tube addicts among us, I thought it might be nice to have a thread where we can post any pirate-related videos that we find. Here's a charming one to start with -- a POTC fan vid, to the song "Dancing in the Moonlight": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WtBBZmCiew Cheers, Hester

PEW swan dives into...

"Swim, you little monkey...!"

^Wants to learn to do this:

^ 1. Drinking Rum 2. Country Dancing 3. Singing traditional ballads 4. Wearing stockings & garters < Jenny, you're in New York City, aren't you? Here's the website for a Country Dance group where you can learn some period dances: http://www.cdny.org/ (They're even having a "Playford Ball" at the end of this month, where the dances will be from a 1651 dance manual that became a standard for centuries.) V Do you dance? If so, what style? If not, why not?

^coldchickencoldtonguecoldhamcoldbeefpickledgherkinssaladfrenchrollscresssan dwichespottedmeatgingerbeerlemonadesodawater---- < still have lots of cold ham V Are you allowed to bring alcohol along on your picnics in your legal jurisdiction? Or do you have to pretend it's "apple juice" and hope the cops don't rumble you?

Oh, ya bloody pirates! I know why you were all missing for 2 whole days! The son of god rises from the dead, and you use it as an excuse for a drunken holiday! Cheers, Hester ... don't try to tell me that brandy was just for basting the ham!

Well, I've still got TONS of Easter ham leftover. So, tonight, I'm making ham frittata, with potatoes, leeks, zucchini, & red pepper. Cheers, Hester

^Picnic on the riverbank: < But I might keep my clothes on. V Favourite picnic food?

My m-i-l drinks gin. That explains a lot! Cheers, Hester

Oh ... I just figured I'd been banned. Cheers, Hester

The re-issue of The Lilac Time's first album. Gorgeous dreamy folk-rock with a slight edge. 20 years on, it sounds absolutely classic and timeless, and not dated in the least. I'd worn out the old cassette ages ago. The remastered CD sounds great, and the extra tracks are terrific -- right in the spirit of the original setlist. Treat yourself to a copy of this if you don't already own it! Cheers, Hester

Arrrr... the post office be full of bloody pirates! Cheers, Hester

Ham & cheese on a warm mini-croissant, with fresh strawberries on the side. Brief blast of sunshine. The mailwoman. Sandy Denny.

... and sometimes they nearly drive me to drink! Cheers, Hester

Actually, the point of the course was to assess Freud's theories critically, not simply accept his ideas at face value. Cheers, Hester

Loons : ...and Great Blue Herons: ... which both inhabit the lake where I cottage in summer. Cheers, Hester

Yeah, but the young pirate hero was quite cute: ... so I was willing to forgive a lot with that movie. Although Jason Durr's atrocious American accent and fake beard were a bit hard to take! [... especially as I'm a devoted Heartbeat fan.] SPOILER ALERT V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V And they killed off that cute young pirate in the end ... which was really unforgiveable! Cheers, Hester

Today, my husband and I went to my 80-something-year-old parents' place for a little Easter lunch -- takeout BBQ chicken and chocolate cake. While I was there, my sister phoned to ask an important logistical question about the turkey dinner which she'd invited my parents to share tomorrow: i.e. Did they prefer white or dark ...rum! Sometimes I love my family! Cheers, Hester

Hi, Caraccioli: I haven't been consciously thinking about my dreams for a long time. Indeed, it was only the discussion in ^<V that got me thinking about them again. As an undergrad, I took a 4th year seminar course on Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams . That was ages ago, though. However, I do remember his approach to interpretation was much more fluid than Jung's. As for my cliff/dirigible/bio-deisel dream above --- I think it was basically an anxiety dream. I was both the person hanging off the side of the cliff and a member of the rescue party. So, I think it means I'm just a bit stressed/overwhelmed by everyday things, and trying to "keep a grip", while simultaneously wanting to come up with some creative solutions to the things that are nagging me. Looking forward to hearing about others' nightly surrealist brain-theatre. Cheers, Hester

Hi, Rumba: Lovely easter eggs! I live in a neighbourhood that had a large East European immigrant population after WWII, and although it's a more mixed neighbourhood nowadays, some of the local shops still sell authentic pysanky (not to mention Polish paczki -- those yummy plum donuts traditional on Shrove Tuesday). Deanna's clip-clocks look very tempting. I've taken up English Country Dancing as a hobby. Earlier this year, I attended a Regency "period costume" ball and I noticed in pictures afterwards that my wristwatch looked very out of place. I had meant to slip it into my "reticule" when I changed into my costume, but I forgot. (Bloody pre-dinner rum-tasting!) A nice cameo-brooch-cum-secret-watch might be just the ticket for such events! (Early birthday present to myself, maybe...) Cheers, Hester

fish & chips

Hi, Paul: My memory's pretty hazy (bloody rum!) ... but I do vaguely recall a giant insect (or am I confusing this film with the rather good Mysterious Island starring Kyle MacLaughlin?) Cheers, Hester

Rumba, not until after he's delivered the goods, luv! (Bloody pirate!) Save the pelt so that Cheeky Actress and I can make earmuffs! Windchill here right now is -12 degrees Celsius. 'S a wonder the poor bunny didn't freeze solid on his egg delivery route! Anyhow, I've got my chocolately plunder already (is it only we pagans who start indulging on the Friday?) ... so go ahead and cook the furry little blighter now if you can catch 'im, Rumba! (And save me a leg! Preferably stewed in port wine with onions.) Here's an Easter e-card that a friend sent to me this morning: Hope you are all enjoying the holiday! Cheers, Hester