#Harbourside Evening

[scotianostra]

One of Scotland's' most iconic films, Local Hero was released on February 18th 1983.

In the days before mobile phones we used to use things called phone boxes when we were not at home, and the phone box in Local Hero has become as iconic as the film itself.

There aren’t many films that have a 100% Tomatometer , on the movie website Rotten Tomatoes, backed up by an impressive 87% audience score, it should be all you need to know when choosing a movie to watch, expecially if you haven’t seen it before. IMDb also rate it highly with 7.4 out of 10.

Bill Forsyth’s oil-refinery comedy isn’t billed as a weepy. It is, however, a love poem to Scotland, and that’s what brings the lump to my throat.

Quirky, wry, gentle are words most often used for this comedy on the movie database site, IMDb, the starting point for many of my posts about those Scots in the acting profession in my posts. They brief story line on the site does not hint at the emotional turbulence you might soon be experiencing. So maybe it’s just me being a big sissy. Wouldn’t be the first time I lost the plot. All it says is "An American oil company sends a man to Scotland to buy up an entire village where they want to build a refinery. But things don't go as expected." The film is so much more than this and it stands the test of time much better than other Forsyth films like Comfort & Joy and Gregory's Girl, well in my opinion anyway!

Crackpot Texan oil magnate Felix Happer (Burt Lancaster) gets the idea that a small Scottish fishing village would be a marvellous acquisition for his so-rich-it-makes-you-sick company, Knox Oil and Gas, so he sends an executive gopher named MacIntyre (because that sounds Scottish, yeah – played by Peter Riegert) to close the deal and get the pipeline pencilled in.

“Mac” is met by some local “dork” called Oldsen (a young Peter Capaldi), who attempts to steer him through a tartan microculture that includes a lawyer-cum-publican/hotelier (Denis Lawson) who tapdances while standing on a chair shouting “Stella” – the name of his ever-randy wife; there is a super-hard marine biologist played by Jenny Seagrove who, after delivering a short lecture on the North Atlantic drift, ends up helping Oldsen to find that pistol in his pocket; and then there is a scene in which a very whisky-sodden Mac calls Texas from a red phone box on the harbourside, a phone box that has featured in so many peoples snaps when visiting Pennan in Banffshire.

Other bits of business in the film involve a salty Russian seafarer and overflying warplanes. You can see how it got the comedy tag, and I haven’t even mentioned the thing with the rabbit. And you can see how Mac ends up smitten.

This is all top material from a very talented writer/director, with photography and music from Glasgow born Mark Knopfler matches the acting and direction perfectly. But on first viewing I found myself asking halfway through, “What is this film actually about?” After not very much thought, I came to the conclusion that it was not a How Things Never Go According to Plan story, but a love poem to Scotland and the Scots. A bit slushy, but never mind. It’s only a film.

The scene when Mac phones to describe the Northern Lights, to me is very special, but the scene that prompted the lump in my throat at the end of the movie is when, having failed in his mission to secure the Knox refinery deal and mutilate one of Planet Earth’s most beautiful locations, Mac returns to his frigid steel-and-glass Houston apartment. He stands at his kitchen counter wondering what to do next, the hushed march of oil capitalism buzzing gently outside. He pulls from his coat pocket a handful of pebbles and shells, smelling one of them poignantly remembering as he spreads them on the work surface.

As Knopflers music gently plays he goes to his balcony and looks out to the city......the scene fades to black, then reopens 4,500 miles away, where, on the harbour side of a small Scottish fishing village, we see the phone box, perhaps ringing and the credits begin as the horns of Going Home blast out.

Others in the film include Rikki Fulton, Alex Norton, Kenny Ireland, John Gordon Sinclair and of course Burt Lancaster.

[raitrolling]

House of Cards

[Easy reading version on Toyhou.se]

Less than a week until the event, Viltau’s Fright Night planning had been brought to a sudden halt. 

Of course, it had to be the centrepiece displays. Two eight-foot-tall statues of Frankenstein’s monster, modelled to resemble the actor who portrayed it in the original film, were supposed to have arrived yesterday. The Fright Night Event was themed after the Universal Classic Monsters media franchise, and he had ordered these props over a perigee in advance to ensure they would arrive in time as they were quite possibly the most vital decorations to tie the entire theme together.

But, somewhere along the chain of emails there had been a miscommunication on the supplier’s part, resulting in a delay with the delivery. Somehow, they had missed the memo that the statues were for a Fright Night event, a mistake that completely baffled Viltau. Did they think he was ordering these merely for fun? 

Granted, he has been known to make expensive purchases of such calibre on a whim, but that was beside the point. 

Many further emails, calls, attempts to chase up the courier company, more calls, going through every other contact he could think of who might possibly be able to provide him with a substitute statue in such a short timeframe, and a short break to imagine chopping up every troll responsible for this blunder to become his own Modern Prometheus later, Viltau was coming up with absolutely no answers.

And, to top it all off, his brainstorming for how to fix the issue had been rudely interrupted by yet another problem: The loud and distinctive crash of one of the chandeliers falling from the roof and onto the just-polished marble floors, shattering all the tiny light fixtures and making a mess of the hallway. Upon inspection, it had been shoddily installed by the chandelier maker, who Viltau had noted spent far less time on that particular installation compared to the other two chandeliers on the ground floor. The blueblood he had hired assured him it was fine, and that he was in a hurry to his next hive call so if there were any issues he would drop by tomorrow to check it.

His own fault for gambling on a business he had not worked with before, as his usual supplier for chandeliers had been on holiday when he first tried to contact them.

It was fortunate that no one had been around when the chandelier fell. Gerrel had the night off and was surely at one of his many other part-time places of employment, Klavir was performing at a highblooded bar lounge in Block 136’s harbourside district, and Eichio had been vacuuming the guest rooms upstairs at the time, and immediately ran to his boss’ office to report the loud noise as if it hadn’t resonated throughout the entire mansion like an explosion in a glassware shop. 

The thought of what he would be dealing with had one of his employees been in the wrong place at the wrong time, however, made Viltau’s blood boil.

That itch in the back of his mind and burning in his chest, that made his fingers twitch and his feet feel possessed with a sudden need to run and kick about. A spike of adrenaline and rage that can only be sated with one thing.

The chandelier maker needed to pay.

Viltau had called up the man and requested his urgent presence due to the incident, but the quickest the chandelier maker could make it to the Espino Mansion was still in an hour’s time. He had apparently booked out his schedule yet again but did not elaborate, though the indigoblood could only assume that he was constantly running around fixing up his own installation blunders. There was simply no way that chandeliers were this high in demand, even at this time of sweep. 

No matter, he could wait.

He spent that hour pacing impatiently around the hallway, unable to keep still or his hands occupied. The stress of anticipation compounded with that of the lingering date of the event hanging over his head was driving the indigoblood to gnaw on his fingers as he paced, a compulsion he only did when extremely irritated.

Eichio, meanwhile, had resorted to sweeping up all the broken glass from all the miniature light globes, and trying to not pay any attention to his boss. He knew better.

Sure enough, the chandelier maker arrived within the hour. Like a switch had been flipped within him, Viltau shook off his obvious franticness and put on a mask of absolute calm. Expression neutrally pleasant, but the look in his eyes barely concealed his rage.

The chandelier maker was ushered inside by Eichio, and Viltau greeted him with a smile and a slightly-too-firm handshake before directing him to the collapsed chandelier. The blueblood winced at the sight, but waved his hand and claimed it was an easy fix. 

“Must’ve been a fault with the screws, never seen that happen before,” he drawled, a lie he had told countless clients before and would continue to tell those he had booked after this appointment. “Can re-install it for you, but I’ll need to charge extra for the replacement screws. Special kind, y’know?”

Viltau raised an eyebrow at that.

“Of course, I suppose it would be best for me to pay up to ensure this does not happen twice, no? After all, a few screws is nothing to my funds, but, had the chandelier fallen during my event onto one of the guests, or worse, my employees…” His tone was cutting, but his smile didn’t falter. 

The chandelier maker gulped. 

“Right. Look, I don’t have the time to do the re-installations now, since I’ve got another call in the next region over in about ten minutes, could we book this in for tomorrow? Sometime between, oh, I dunno, four am?” He responded, casually, already looking at his watch. Viltau had noticed he was doing that gesture quite often the other night, during the installations. 

The indigoblood nodded. “Very well, that is fine with me. But first, I don’t suppose it would be too much of an ask if you have time to examine the wreckage closer? I would hate for you to have to take even more time to replace the main structure should it have been damaged in the fall, if I am to be perfectly honest.” He too, was accustomed to the art of partial truths.   

There was a brief look on the chandelier maker’s face, knowing that he had just been caught out for his corner-cutting, but he merely grunted in response. “Aight.”

He crouched down to take a closer look at the fallen structure. Unbeknownst to him, Viltau had just given his assistant their well-practiced signal: tapping his hand against his thigh three times in an even rhythm, a gesture that to anyone who is not Eichio would have been mistaken for impatience. 

Within the reflections of the silver chandelier frame, the blueblood noticed a golden glow steadily rise behind him, but by the time he turned around, it was too late.

A dictionary had been expertly thrown at his head with the precision of a trained telekinetic, and the man was knocked out cold.

“How was that, Mister Espino?” Eichio said with a smile, the golden light of his psiionic aura evaporating away.

The event organiser applauded.

���A perfect shot, Eichio, I must say. Now, do come with me to the cellar, I will need your help once again.” 

Eichio nodded, and returned the book to his modus before he started making his way to the next room.

Viltau took a moment to stare at the knocked-out troll. Perhaps that may have been enough of a taste of one’s own medicine, forcing him to confront the cold reality of how it would feel to have a heavy object dropped upon him, but while he no longer felt angry, he still didn’t feel satisfied either. 

Oh well, now to figure out how exactly to satisfy his unsettled feelings. He hauled the man over his shoulder, and followed Eichio to the stairwell.

Part-wine cellar, part-laundry, and part-torture chamber, the Espino Mansion’s basement was quite the versatile location. Top-of-the-line ventilation and drainage systems had been installed, the floors were easy to clean and could take a beating, and the walls were soundproofed to help muffle the screams of those on the wrong side of Viltau’s weaponry. The amount of implements stored below the building’s ground floor would make a hardware store - or an abattoir - jealous.

The event organiser motioned for his employee to set up the stretcher that had been folded away in one of the corners, and Eichio complied. Assisting his boss in all matters no matter how gruesome was what he did best, after all.

Viltau set the chandelier maker down onto the stretcher, nodding at Eichio in gratitude as the yellowblood moved away to take his position by the entrance to the stairwell. He gave his victim a quick once over to make sure he was still unconscious, and out of caution decided to take the restraints from the stretcher to tie down the man’s limbs as well.

It was a methodical, almost clinical process, one he had done many times before. And in that moment, it occurred to him that he really was just going through the motions. Maybe it was because he had to wait so long for the chandelier maker to show up that for the most part his anger had subsided quicker than usual, but he felt like his heart wasn’t fully into it tonight.

Or, maybe that was just because he still didn’t have a plan for what he was going to inflict on this troll in revenge for his carelessness?

With the troll now secured, Viltau spun around and sauntered over to the tool cabinet, humming to himself. In a good mood, he would have been singing along to whichever pop song he thought would be appropriate background music, but this was a more pensive hum of a man lost in thought as he rifled through the drawers.

One such drawer contained a mixture of medical tools and butcher’s knives, used for carving up corpses. Hm. He was thinking earlier about creating his own statue of Frankenstein’s Monster…

This one wouldn’t be the size he wanted, and he’s not sure of how much taxidermy stuffing he had on hand, and he’d likely need to find even more trolls to obtain that patchwork look the monster was famous for. But, he supposes this was a start.

Bonesaw now in hand, Viltau spun around the return to the man strapped on the table. He pressed the blade against the man’s arm, looking to see exactly where would be the most aesthetically pleasing spot to make cuts for the patchwork sculpture, but as he did so he caught a glimpse of his captive’s face.

The blueblood’s curly fringe neatly framed his face, and his expression almost seemed peaceful, for someone who had been knocked unconscious at least.

Viltau… Hesitated.

Was this still fun for him anymore?

Perhaps he should have placed a pillowcase or a bag over the chandelier maker’s head so that he didn’t have to look at it, but he had thought it would have been more thrilling if the man regained consciousness partway through the deed.

Instead, he couldn’t help but think of Hazard. 

Of how he disapproves of these silly means of cheap entertainment, of how he likely worries that one night he might be the one on the indigoblood’s makeshift operating table, how a grin of sadistic glee on Viltau’s face as his victims crumble and whimper and cry for mercy would remind him of the man he hated the most.

The indigoblood sighed deeply, and the bonesaw clattered to the floor.

Eichio’s ears perked up at the sound, and he ducked back into the room to check on his boss.

“Mister Espino? Is everything okay?”

He was met with an expression that he had never seen belonging to his boss’ face before: One that seemed almost regretful in nature.

“I believe… I have changed my mind. Eichio, do help me out with untying this man’s restraints, would you? Then you can dispose of him somewhere off the estate’s grounds, he can find his own way home. He certainly got the idea that karma had come for him after the blow to the head, no?” Viltau said, a clear distracted edge to his tone, and a far cry from his usual assured self. “Do not be afraid to give him another book to the head if he starts to stir too early, if such an event occurs. I wouldn’t want you to get injured by a disorientated highblood, after all.”

Eichio could not help but give him a concerned look in response, but nodded obediently.

“Okay.”

The two trolls untied the blueblood, and Eichio attempted to pull him off the stretcher. The chandelier maker was heavier than what he was used to carrying, so instead he had to resort to dragging him by the shoulders back up the stairwell and outside of the mansion, leaving Viltau alone in the basement.

It was as if one of the most fundamental parts of his person had suddenly vanished, and left a giant void in its wake. He had revelled in violence as entertainment and a means to display his power over those who tried to mess with him for so long, but in that one moment, it all just seemed so pointless. Perhaps that was simply a fleeting moment of doubt… But what if it wasn’t? What would he do from now on, whenever he felt stressed and frustrated, whenever he felt bored and nothing else could sate him, whenever he felt like that helpless child he once was and had hoped he had killed and buried away for good?

He sighed again, louder this time, shoulders sagging as he ran his hand down his face, feeling a lifetime’s worth of control over his own identity slip away from his fingertips.

All because of someone he happened to be incredibly fond of.

Oh, what a hopeless man he was.

[stargazer-sims]

Journal Entry #57 (part two)

Journal Entry #57 (part one) // STORY INDEX

Victor

Just in case anyone was getting the impression that mine and Yuri’s time apart has been completely consumed by thoughts of each other and of Yuri's therapy, let me fill you in on what else I've been doing since I've been back in Willow Creek.

To be fair, Yuri is on my mind a lot, and for the first few days I was here, I felt a little bit guilty whenever I was having fun with my friends or doing something new without him, but I'm feeling better about it now. I talked to Yuri and he said he felt the same way at first, but then he realized what a perfect opportunity he had to spend time bonding with his family.

Despite his initial misgivings about staying with his parents, he seems to be having a good time now, and he's obviously happy. I figured if it was okay for him to feel happy without me, it was also okay for me to feel happy without him. I missed him desperately though. No point in trying to hide that.

Anyway, once I got my head around my "temporary bachelor status", as my cousin Leo put it, I started to relax and really enjoy myself.

Speaking of bachelors, Uncle Stephen, Leo and I have been planning the most epic bachelor party of all time for Julian. We decided on an Italian theme because he and Mom are going to Tartosa for their honeymoon. There's going to be Italian food and music, and everyone's going to be encouraged to wear Italian beach club fashion. Uncle Stephen managed to reserve an event room at the Harbourside Haven with a view overlooking the water. It may be Newcrest, but we're gonna pretend it's a Tartosan beach scene.

At first, I thought it was kind of weird to have a theme, but Uncle Stephen said a lot of people have bachelor parties with themes. I deferred to him because what do I know? Nobody threw a bachelor party for Yuri and me, and this was my first time planning one for somebody else. Uncle Stephen has been involved in organizing at least three — his best friend Matthew's, Uncle JP’s, and my dad's — so that makes him an expert, as far as I'm concerned.

"By the time you get around to planning Leo's bachelor party, you'll be an expert too," he assured me.

Leo wants a superhero theme when his turn comes. Probably no surprise there.

Leo, Ellie and I have been spending as much time together as we can, which probably isn't going to be much of a surprise to anyone either. We've been getting up to our usual nonsense; playing soccer and racing bikes in the park, going to the pool and the arcade, and generally just hanging out, but we've been getting some productive stuff done as well.

I can't remember if I mentioned this before, but Julian moved in with Mom around the beginning of January, like maybe a week or two before my accident. He was originally planning to sell his house, but what ended up happening was that he transferred the title to Ellie instead. What that means is, Ellie gets to live in her childhood home and doesn't have to worry about paying a mortgage since Julian managed to fully pay it off a couple of years ago. At the end of April, Leo moved in there with her, and now they're wholly involved with renovating the place to make it exactly how they want.

They're actually not changing it significantly, but even cosmetic changes require a fair amount of work. They had to hire somebody to install their new kitchen cabinets and appliances, but Leo decided they could do the hardwood flooring in the living room themselves, as well as the painting and redecorating.

And that's where I came in. I might not be very good with electronics, but I definitely know my way around carpentry tools. My mom taught me a lot about home maintenance, so I can measure, saw and hammer with the best of them.

Almost as soon as I arrived, Leo enlisted both me and his sister Kiki to help with the flooring. Ellie and Kiki gleefully ripped out all the old carpet, and then they sanded and cleaned the subfloor. After that, Leo and I got down to business. We got the entire living room done over three days, and it looks fabulous, even if I say so myself.

We're all getting pretty good at painting too. Leo, Ellie, Kiki and I painted Ellie and Leo’s living room, kitchen and bedroom, and then I got them to come over to our new house and help me paint mine and Yuri's rooms, our living room and downstairs bathroom.

Robert and Kim did a bunch of renovations before they put the house on the market, so there’s really nothing much that needed to be changed except the colours of a few walls. The only thing I really want to do besides the painting is to install a jet tub in the upstairs bathroom. Yuri got used to having that at Uncle Kaz's place, and I think he should have one here. It’s very therapeutic for him.

You knew I'd inevitably come back to talking about Yuri, didn't you? Some of you are probably laughing over my inability to keep my mind off him. Go ahead. I don't mind. I'm hopelessly in love with him, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

As a matter of fact, Yuri is the whole reason why I was motivated to record this entry tonight, after kinda forgetting about our journal for almost three months. Now that I’ve gotten all the life updates out of the way, I can get to the really good part. It's the part I maybe should’ve led with, but I guess you’ve all figured out by now that I sometimes like to leave the best stuff till the end.

So, here’s the story. It actually started yesterday evening, when Yuri missed our regular seven o'clock FaceTime chat. By seven-fifteen, I decided I'd better call him. He didn't answer, but I wasn’t overly concerned right away because I thought there might just be something wrong with his iPad, so I texted him instead. I started getting scared when I received no reply to that either, and when I phoned him, I got a robotic-sounding error message that said the customer I was trying to reach had the phone turned off.

At that point, I systematically called everyone I could think of who might know what was going on, but Takahiro, Fox and Sakura had no clue, and the most that Mr. Okamoto's personal assistant Koichi could tell me was that Mr. Okamoto was away on important business for the next several days, which didn’t really help. When I tried to call Yuri's parents, I got the same error message I'd gotten when I attempted to call him.

I tossed and turned in bed all night, and every time I woke up, I sent another text to my husband. By seven o'clock this morning, when I still couldn't reach him, I started scrolling frantically through my phone to see if I had his grandparents' numbers. Somebody had to know something.

I didn't have a number for his grandmother or grandfather, but I did have contact information for his boss, Mr. Tanaka. It was a long shot, but I called him, which may not have been the wisest thing to do. Mr. Tanaka didn't have any idea where Yuri was or what might be happening, and I think I might've caused him to worry with my asking him about it.

Around ten o'clock, I was seriously considering getting online and trying to arrange an earlier flight back to Japan. I'm not even joking.

That was when my phone buzzed in my pocket.

I pulled it out and glanced at the screen. It was a message from Yuri.

You ever hear that phrase 'weak with relief'? I literally was, and I sank down the kitchen floor, nearly crying, with my phone still clutched in my hand.

As if he'd been reading my mind, the message said, «I love you and I'm okay.»

«Where are you?» I texted back with trembling fingers.

He sent, «I’m outside. Are you at home?»

Perplexed and still shaking, I replied, «Yeah. Why?»

«Look out the front window.»

Feeling thoroughly confused, I got to my feet, put my phone back in my pocket and made my way from the kitchen to the dining room so I could peer outside. Parked at the curb was a vehicle I didn't recognize. I took off my glasses so things further away would come into sharper focus, and I think i may have let out a small gasp when I realized who was behind the wheel of the unknown blue minivan.

It was Kenji Okamoto.

I was still forcing my mind to process that when the van's side door slid open and first Yuki and then Yuri climbed out. Mr. Okamoto got out of the driver's side to open the front passenger door for his wife, who was holding baby Kinai.

To say I was shocked would be putting it lightly. During all our daily conversations, Yuri hadn't mentioned anything about him and his family travelling. I could only assume they were here for the wedding, which is coming up in four days, but if they were here for the wedding, that would mean Mom and Julian both knew they were coming as well, and yet nobody had breathed a word about any of it to me.

I should've been upset about that, but I was way too excited over being unexpectedly reunited with Yuri to worry about having been kept in the dark. I mean, real talk here, the sound I made when I saw my husband was a lot louder than a gasp. A second later, I was flinging open the front door and flying down the steps, and he was hurrying to close the distance between us too, arms outstretched for an embrace.

I caught him and spun us both around in a circle right there on the walkway. "Yuri! I missed you!"

"Me too," he said, clinging tight as we completed our big, joyful circle. "I couldn't wait to get here. The last couple of hours, I was getting so impatient I could barely cope with it any more."

"This is why I couldn't reach you, isn't it? You were in a plane."

He was laughing. "Ah... surprise?"

"I was freaking out!" I exclaimed. "Like, I was literally just about to change my flight and everything! You should've known I'd panic when I couldn't reach you. Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"I'm sorry," he said, as I carefully set him down. "Don't be angry. It was so hard to keep the secret, and I almost let it slip out, but we really wanted to surprise you."

"I'm not angry," I said. "I'm relieved you're okay, and I'm thrilled you're here, but..."

"But what?"

"I thought you couldn't travel," I said. "What about your therapy?"

"We'll only be here for a week," Yuri said. "I'll miss my psychologist appointment this week, and one in-person session with my nutritionist, and a food intelligence class.”

“Can you afford to miss that stuff?”

“I think so,” he said. “The nutritionist scheduled a fifteen-minute video call so I can check in and show her my food diary and talk about any concerns, but she said I’m doing so well that she thinks I’ll be all right even if I miss a full session.”

"So, uh... I guess you're here for Mom and Julian's wedding?"

"Of course," Yuri said. "I promised them I'd play, didn't I? And I've brought my accompanist with me."

Mr. Okamoto laughed at that. "The things I let myself get talked into," he said. "Grace called Yuri about a week ago to ask if he was able to come, or if they should make different arrangements for their wedding music. When he told her he could, she asked if we'd all like to come, and then Julian got on the phone with her and said that if I was coming, I ought to help with the music as well."

"Nothing like being drafted into a project last-minute," I said, amazed that Julian had felt comfortable enough with Mr. Okamoto to even make a request like that. They'd become fast friends when Mom and Julian were in Mt. Komorebi just after my accident, but I didn't think they'd gotten that well-acquainted. I mean, practising a whole set of wedding music with only a couple weeks' advance notice was a huge ask. I'm not sure I'd even ask my best friend in the world to do something like that.

"I don't mind," said Mr. Okamoto, much to my astonishment.

"You don't?"

"Yuri and I hadn't played together in a very long time, and we've been rediscovering how much we like our violin and piano duets. The music isn't that difficult, and we're already familiar with each other's playing style, so I think it'll work out quite well."

"That's...impressive," I said.

"It's an honour for us to play for your parents' wedding."

"I'm grateful to you for agreeing to it," I said, and I totally meant it. One of Yuri's favourite memories that he always talks about is of playing duets with his dad, and I'm glad they've started doing that again. I'm also super happy that Mom and Julian didn't end up having to hire random music students from the local college or something.

I pulled Yuri in for another hug. "And you too, sweet boy. I'm super happy that you... hang on."

"What?" Yuri said.

It'd taken a moment for my brain to register the observation, but it seemed that Yuri felt more solid in my arms than I remembered. "Excuse the change of subject, but have you gained weight?"

I know... not a very smooth question, right? In any other context, it would probably seem rude, but for us it had the complete opposite meaning.

Yuri drew back a little so he could look up at me. His face practically radiated happiness, and his beautiful smile accentuated the new fullness in his cheeks. "You noticed."

I slid my hands down his sides. "I can barely feel your ribs."

"I gained four kilos since you last saw me in person," he told me.

"In three weeks? Really? That's like, more than a whole kilogram per week." I glanced over his shoulder at his parents. "What have you been feeding him?"

From beside her father, Yuki piped up, "Milkshakes!"

"Not just milkshakes." Mr. Okamoto interjected hastily. He seemed to feel the need to be accountable to me, to prove they hadn't been so reckless as to let Yuri subsist on such a limited and arguably unhealthy diet. "He's been trying all sorts of new foods, haven't you, Yuri? But he does enjoy his strawberry milkshakes."

Of course I knew he'd been consuming more than milkshakes, but I acknowledged Mr. Okamoto's explanation with, "I'm glad you've been getting him to try new stuff." And then to Yuri, "Have you tried any other dairy products?"

"Real butter," he said. "And cream of broccoli soup. I didn't like that."

"Because of the broccoli, I guess. What about cheese?"

He made the most adorable face, scrunching up his cute button nose in distaste. "No. Cheese is disgusting."

"Unless it's in strawberry cheesecake," his father commented, looking entertained. "You should've seen him devouring that."

I raised an eyebrow. "Yuri, you ate cheesecake?"

"Mm-hmm, and cinnamon buns and dango. Oh, and ice cream!" Yuri said. "I can't believe I've been missing out on real ice cream this whole time."

“He’s been making up for it,” said Mr. Okamoto. "I've never seen anyone eat so many desserts."

"Well, I guess that explains the four kilos," I said.

Yuri offered up a grin that somehow managed to be simultaneously angelic and cheeky, "Aren't you proud of me, Victor?"

"Very," I said. "Four whole kilograms. That's awesome. You don't want to shoot past your goal, though. I hope you've been eating low-fibre vegetables and healthy proteins along with all your desserts."

"I don't like vegetables," he said.

"You like carrots and squash. I'll make you some carrot soup. That'll be the next thing for you to try, okay?"

"Okay." He leaned into me and nuzzled his cheek against my chest. "I'll eat it on one condition. You need to take me on a date to that ice cream place you're always talking about, with the forty flavours."

I laughed out loud and gave him an affectionate squeeze. I was beyond happy he'd discovered something new that he wanted to eat. "If you're not too tired from the trip, we can go this evening after dinner," I told him. "On one condition."

"Oh? What condition?"

"I know how much you love anything with strawberries, but The Frozen Cone has forty flavours. I really want you to try something other than strawberry."

"Peach?" he ventured.

"Good choice. They probably have that. They usually have orange-pineapple too, and cherry."

Yuri hummed softly, a little sound of satisfaction. "Let's try peach and cherry. I don't want to taste pineapple until we go to Sulani, okay? I want to save that experience for a really special occasion."

"Okay," I agreed.

"If we get a scoop of each kind in a bowl, we can share. Would that be all right?"

"That sounds perfect," I said.

"And you can feed me," he whispered, but evidently not quietly enough to prevent his father from overhearing.

Mr. Okamoto sounded torn between scolding and amusement. "Yuri—"

"One spoonful, because you're cute," I said. "But you'll be on your own for the rest of it. Rules are rules, you know."

"I tried," he said.

"Full marks for effort." I laughed, and kissed the top of his head. "Come on. Let's go inside. I can show you the paint job Leo and I did in your bedroom, and we can give your family the grand tour."

"Our family," he said.

"Our family," I repeated. I nodded to my in-laws. "Come on in."

Mr. and Mrs. Okamoto both thanked me and bowed respectfully, but I think Yuki forgot her manners in her excitement. She bounded forward and grabbed one of my hands. "Yuri said there's a ghost! Can I meet her?"

I smiled. "Well, that'll be up to Sachiko. I think if you call her Kobayashi-san and remember not to use her favourite mug, she'll come out and meet you. Don't be too surprised if she starts making small objects fly around the room, though."

Mrs. Okamoto frowned. "Are you saying the house really is haunted?"

"That's why the asking price was so low," I told her. "Don't worry, though. Sachiko isn't a bad ghost. She's just been here longer than we have, and she thinks it's her place, so her rules should apply."

"I... see," said my mother-in-law.

"What's this about the mug?" asked Mr. Okamoto.

"It's a red one," I said. "It's Sachiko's, and she's very possessive of it. No pun intended."

"Well," said my father-in-law. "A ghost with a mug, a wedding, and my son wanting to go to a forty-flavour ice cream shop. This should be an interesting week."

I couldn't resist a grin. "Family," I said. "Welcome to Willow Creek."

[bikepackinguk]

Day Ninety-nine

It's a very grey start to today, with a light cloud cover coating the skies.

Up out of the bridleway spot and back onto the road near Constantine, it's straight into the hills as the road leads up into Cornwall's high surroundings as I continue my heading east.

It's some rolling hills to tackle as I slog along the road through some busy morning traffic, until finally riding in to the edges of Falmouth.

The busy port town is full of climbs as I track around and make my way down to the harbourside, where I get a beautiful view across Carrick Roads whilst waiting for the ferry.

After a brief stint afloat and savouring the waves, I put in across the water at the beautiful town of St Mawes.

Heading up past the castle, with some lovely views back across the water, it's up the steep hills once more to start slogging along the road again.

The rising sun is doing its best to burn off the light cloud cover of the morning, and the heat is rising once more as I get to rejoin NCN Route 3 for its stint along the coastline here.

Dropping down past Carne Beach, the route begins a heavy section of steep climbs and drops as it tours around the beautiful coastal area, zig zagging round to take in the many bays and watersides as it makes its way around the cliffsides.

Around and past the steep drops through Portmellon and Mevagissey, the route finally heads off the roads for a long hard climb over the lovely gardens of Heligan, before crossing the road and heading on to St Austell River.

It's a wonderful stretch of off-traffic riding herr as Route 3 follows up the river's course, through some beautiful forested areas, until heading in to St Austell at the heaving A390.

With Route 3 continuing northwards, I head off the cycle route and in to town for a resupply stop and break, before carrying on around the very busy roads to head on towards Par.

Whilst riding along the trails here, the bike lurches to a very sudden stop. A glance down has my heart in my mouth as a rather large branch has managed to find its way into the spokes of my rear wheel, catching the struts of my mudguard, and wrenching everything round. The mudguard has folded near double on itself and is sticking out towards my knee, and the branch is firmly wedged in amongst the wheel.

I stop to assess the damage as this could be pretty disastrous. After managing to extricate the offending piece of wood, I get the mudguard to unfold and slot back into its place without much harm done, and a check of the wheel finds that it's not even much out of true.

What on earth is with this bike?! An absolute tank! I can barely believe that no serious damage has been caused from this incident, but everything seems to be rolling ok, so I guess that means on with the show!

Round to Par and through it's looping one-way system, it's up another big sharp hill to head over to Fowey, with a steep descent through some narrow paths leading to some steps down to my second ferry of the day.

After a short wait and chat with some other tourists waiting, it's aboard the small ferry for a short cruise over the River Fowey to land at the working harbour at Polruan.

With the day wearing on, the heat and work haven't ceased yet, as from the waterside the road leads up and up a long and steep hill to get through and out of the pretty seaside village.

Finally up onto the coastal moorlands, I think it's been another long and tough day's work, so it's time for me to get scouting for a spot to lay my head. Tomorrow should hopefully have me pushing on and out of Cornwall's challenging hills.

TTFN!

[tcr55]

Woolloomooloo is one of the great stories of Harbourside Sydney.

It was a Gadigal hunting ground, then farming and country housing for city elites (even thought it’s s only a few kms from the GPO), it then evolved into an area of workers cottages and maritime industry. Now has it a great community.

Burraphore Place has seen many a weary step trod down for a charity feed.

[edgeoftides]

Northumberland Coast November Road Trip

England in November is a season of shorter days and falling temperatures. We expected the weather for our Northumberland coastal road trip to be mixed, and that’s exactly what we got. At times, the conditions were challenging due to considerable periods of drenching rain and temperatures that barely reached double figures.

A road trip along Northumberland's beautiful coast, at any time of year, from Amble in the south to Berwick-upon-Tweed on the northern borders of Scotland, displays some of Britain's finest beaches and spectacular views. An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), this stretch of England’s most northern county is home to expansive stretches of stunning shoreline, wind-swept sand dunes, historic ruins, and charming fishing communities.

The November sun rises just before 8 am and sets about 4 pm, so I didn't have to worry about setting my alarm too early. Since there are less visitors in the area at this time of year, the coastal scenery can be explored without the crowds, having miles of beautiful Northumberland beaches virtually all to ourselves. We found some businesses and attractions understandingly closed or operating less frequently for the winter season. Finding tables at restaurants was easy whereas in the summer months booking ahead would be a necessity.

Our journey spanned five days, which gave us plenty of opportunities to leisurely explore the different places we visited, sometimes even retuning the next day, and time to shelter from the harshest weather conditions. The trip could easily be completed in half the time, especially within the longer days of summer.

Northumberland map

Highlights of Our Northumberland Coast Road Trip

Amble

We begin our tour in Amble, known as "The Friendliest Port". A quaint harbour town at the mouth of the River Coquet that can be considered as the southern gateway to the Northumberland Coast. Harbourside seafood restaurants, brightly coloured beach huts, independent retail pods, and a sizable pier can be found in this increasingly popular town.

Amble still functions as a working port and has a small fishing fleet. A 250 berth Marina, situated on the banks of the River Coquet, offers a range of boat yard services. Boat trips operate in the spring-time to view wildlife, notably puffins and roseate terns, on Coquet Island. Sitting a mile off the coast and crammed with birdlife for half the year, the island is a Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) managed nature reserve. Boat landings are not permitted and only RSPB wardens are allowed onto the island. 

Amble gained the nickname 'the friendliest port' when on 3rd July 1935, the local Council sent the RMS Mauretania a telegram on it's last voyage to the the wreckers yard in Rosyth. 'Still the finest ship on the seas'. To which Mauretania replied with, "Thank you to the last and kindliest port."

Craster

Moving approximately 15 miles north, we reach Craster, a remote coastal haven set amongst rugged rocks, dramatic coastline and beautiful countryside.

Craster has a small harbour shielded from the wind-whipped North Sea by the guarding embrace of two solid piers. These concrete harbour walls were being put to the test as we arrived. As enormous wave swells pummelled the sea defences with amazing force, we were reminded that no matter how picturesque this coastline may be, the sea can nevertheless be brutal and unforgiving,

As soon as we stepped foot in the village, we were aware of the enticing smell from the L. Robson & Sons fish smokeries. Craster has a reputation for some of the most delicious oak-smoked kippers in the country. Fish is still being cured in the ancient smokehouses, which date back more than 130 years, by this fourth-generation family business.

Craster more than makes up for its lack of beaches with a breathtaking, volcanically formed, rocky shoreline. A relatively easy, one mile walk along the headland provides breathtaking sea views as you approach the imposing ruin of Dunstanburgh Castle. One of the most atmospheric and inspiring castles in England, Dunstanburgh Castle was built in the 14th century.

With over 700 sites—more than any other county in England, you will see plenty of castles on your journey up the Northumberland coastal route. This is due to the rather violent past with neighbouring Scotland to the north.

Seahouses

Further up the coast, the bustling market town of Seahouses offers everything you may want for a conventional coastal getaway. A variety of shops, restaurants, pubs, ice cream shops, and fish & chip eateries can be found in addition to fantastic sea views. 

I have a fondness for Seahouses that stretches back over a decade or more. Known to many as ‘The entryway to the Farne Islands’ which are located two to three miles offshore. I’ve made the crossing over to the islands many times to photograph nesting sea birds. As well as being the most famous Sea Bird Sanctuary in the British Isles, the islands are also home to a large colony of Grey Seals. Birds that frequent these islands for nesting include Puffins and several breeds of Terns. Boats depart daily from the busy, colourful harbour. 

There are beautiful beaches to the north and south of Seahouses, with the northernmost one being the most popular. Bamburgh Castle provides a magnificent backdrop to this expansive sandy beach which is bordered by grassy sand dunes.

Avian Flu

The worst bird flu outbreak to ever affect the UK has occurred during 2022, and experts have cautioned that the infection rate could increase even further throughout the winter of 2022-2023. The outbreak has had a huge negative impact on agriculture and the environment, killing 97 million birds worldwide (3.8 million in the UK). In response, the Farne Islands have been closed to visitors over the breeding season, as officials attempted to stem the spread of the infections. There is still a worrying battle ahead to rid our shores of this rampant killer disease.

Bamburgh

Bamburgh is the next-door neighbour to the community of Seahouses. A picture-postcard village, with English tea rooms, stone cottages, gift shops, eateries and B&Bs. The magnificent, 1,400-year-old Bamburgh Castle is seen before you even get to Bamburgh, majestically rising from the dunes system that fringes the beach, it literally is the stuff of legends.

The castle commands sweeping views of a 2.5-kilometer long, immaculate sandy beach with the Farne Islands, Holy Island, and Lindisfarne seen in the distance. Due to its lofty position, Bamburgh Castle is a beautiful subject for photos when shot from the beach.

Holy Island

Any visit to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne begins and ends with the vagaries of the tide. The island is cut off from the mainland twice a day during high tide when the causeway that connects the mainland to the island is submerged.

Crossing Holy Island’s causeway is a great experience, beautiful and sometimes eerie. The Road is approx 3 miles long and takes about 10 minutes to drive. Close to the start of the causeway is the famous refuge shelter for anyone unlucky enough that gets caught out by the tide. If you are unfamiliar with the causeway and the workings of the tides, it is best to educate yourself first, so long as you plan your visit for the right times, there is really nothing difficult to the crossing. I double-checked the crossing times before planning our trip.

Holy Island is steeped in history with spectacular coastal scenery. Whether you're interested in history, religion, walking, birdwatching, nature, or beaches, or like me in photography - Holy Island boasts a variety of attractions and activities. I think that it’s safe to say that most visitors are attracted by the extensive ruins of a 12th-century priory church and the associated monastic buildings. The equally famous Lindisfarne Castle is the other main visitor attraction.

Local boats moor iIn Holy Island Harbour, known as The Ouse. The legendary upside-down boats on a muddy area next to the beach are old herring boats that have been converted into fishermen's sheds.

Lindisfarne Castle dates back to the middle of the sixteenth century and was first used as a garrison. The castle, which is positioned atop the volcanic rock formation known as Beblowe Craig and is one of the Island's most recognisable and appealing sights, can be seen for miles in all directions. The castle we see today was constructed by renowned architect Edwin Lutyens beginning in 1903 and is an amazing blend of a Tudor artillery fort and an Edwardian country home.

Reconnecting with some of our favourite places along the Northumberland Coast has been a wonderful experience. Who wouldn't be captivated by this special place? It's every bit the wild coast you'd want for photography inspiration.

All images © Adrian McGarry

www.adrianmcgarry.com

[void-kissed]

maeror viventi

Following the relinquishing of the Geo Archon’s Gnosis per the terms of his ultimate contract, Signora and Alectra are set to return to Snezhnaya in order to present their acquisition to the Tsaritsa. However, Alectra is unwilling to leave without checking on someone she had somehow grown attached to in Liyue - namely, of all people, the archon himself.  Takes place shortly after the third objective of The Fond Farewell. (1389 words) This piece focuses on my familial selfship with Zhongli. Content warning for discussion of death and grief.

A piece written to commemorate this date, and make concrete the solace brought to me by this character on this day, both last year and this year. This piece of writing is of great significance to me because of what it represents, but I still wanted to share it after having written it out, if that's alright.

Comments on and reblogs of my work are always okay, and appreciated, but they are never required.

(Tag list and document transcript under the readmore:)

Tag list: @sol-rbs | @dragonsmooch | @sunlight-ships | @bugsband | @z0raprince | @detective-with-one-arm | @deepsea-loves | @thatslikesometaldude (If you would like to be on the tag list, please see this post)

Document transcript:

The silver light of the moon shone down over the harbour, reflecting a dozen times in the lazily-lapping waves of the ocean. In the city of commerce itself, however, the lights that glowed were golden, softly shining outside buildings to illuminate the work of the evening. The night was somewhat livelier than usual, owing to the aftermath of the recent troubles afflicting Liyue that still needed to be fully sorted out, and the imminent Rite of Parting that was on the horizon and in many people’s thoughts. However, there were always serene spaces of quiet to be found if you knew where to look, even at times like these.

On one of the paved paths that wound up towards Yujing Terrace, a lone man was staring out over the sea and the city, arms crossed and resting on the barrier.

“Ah, so this is where you went, Mr. Zhongli.”

The voice caused the man to turn his head, looking down at the young woman standing before him. She normally gave off a threatening aura despite her small stature, with her once-corrupting sword in her hand and the blood-red feathers adorning her shoulders and the butterfly-wing mask that covered the left side of her face in ornate gold details - but on this quiet harbourside evening, she appeared decidedly subdued despite all this. Pearlescent teal-green eyes stared up towards his amber ones with an expression that was altogether both soft and sharp; he couldn’t help but feel that she was trying to hold something back.

“Miss Alectra?” he asked her, turning his body to address her with his eyebrows raised in mild surprise. “I must say, I would have expected you to have been on your way out of Liyue already.”

“There are still a few preparations that need to be made before the ship can set sail. And, even if there aren’t- they will wait for me.” she explained.

He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Most courteous of your fellows.” Then he stopped. “In that case, then.. what brings you here, to have sought me out at this moment?”

She trailed off and looked away somewhat, as if she felt her reason was too trivial. Saying it out loud did not alleviate this feeling, either.

“I just.. wanted to make sure you were alright.” she finally admitted.

“Oh?” 

“It’s just-“ She repeated herself, and then stopped, regaining some of her usual even composure to continue with. “For an archon to give up their Gnosis is.. almost inconceivable to most onlookers. After all, as the oldest of the Seven, you have borne its weight for thousands of years. Regardless of what you are, to lose anything that had been so integral would surely be felt by anyone with such an item.”

At her words, the man now known as Zhongli paused - his previous light demeanour had shifted into something more contemplative as he considered her words. Thankfully, both he and Alectra were confident that no other individual was in their vicinity, and so despite the open space, they could both speak freely of their identities; both had known neither was an ordinary human since their first few encounters, after all.

“..You are correct that it was not a decision I made lightly.” he said finally. “However, having witnessed all that has befallen Liyue in recent days.. I am confident that both the Qixing and the adepti will adroitly continue to carry the nation into its new age, in their own individual ways.”

“That.. isn’t what I was concerned for.” Alectra responded, carefully studying his expression. “Although, it is good that you can have faith in this nation’s future. What I meant was - on a personal level - how will you fare in yourself?”

“Ah, so that’s what you were trying to say.” he said with a nod. “Well, I can certainly tell you that things have felt adequate for me thus far. Although it may only have been a short while, I don’t feel as though there’s anything worrying occurring.”

“That’s a relief.” Her words came quickly and loudly, and she visibly seemed to have some tension dissolve from her at his statement. “You.. deserve to get to see what happens next, even if you’ve taken yourself out of the equation. You should get to live your life the way that you want to now.”

“Why, that’s most kind of you to say, my dear.” he replied, understanding the kindness in her words despite the words themselves perhaps not sounding too affectionate. A smile had crept its way onto his face by now, holding both tiredness and gratitude.

She smiled in thanks in return. “I mean it. Besides, if I may touch on this..”

A short silence fell, but she sensed that he was content for her to continue; when she did so, her voice was quiet once again.

“You’re twelve times older than I am, and I am already six times older than what most humans reach. I.. can only imagine the number of friends you must have lost in the time that you have spent here, although I don’t suppose that that alone makes the experience any easier each time. And yet.. well, it must be somewhat surreal for you, to see your city mourning you while you still walk through it freely.”

Then, as she turned her body away to lean over the balcony as he had been doing, he heard another admission that was even quieter still. 

“..It’s an awful feeling, being mourned.”

There was a long silence, but then a hand came down onto her shoulder, firmly yet gently.

“If mourning is the expression of one’s grief.. Surely, it would not be wrong to say that such grief is an expression of the love held for those who have passed on. Though no part of this world can truly last for all of time.. This.. is the reason we must treasure the time spent with those that we care for. Even after many years have run their course, it is normal for the feelings to retain the same intensity as they had when the event first occurred. So, for as sad as it may be.. There is nothing wrong with expresssing that sadness, whenever it should happen to rise."

Something in her softened, like a feather melting into snow - and that single feather’s fall was enough to cause a rush of bursting tears from behind the crumbling dam she had tried to maintain since before she had even approached him on this lonely evening.

For all-too-bitter words exchanged between a brother weak from battle and a sister sharp with worry..

For the blameless lives so often torn apart and thrown aside, like pieces on a game board, at the whims of the divine..

For even that original pain, not of death, but of sorrow and anguish screamed through the flames as the nightingale sang to never leave her feeling this way ever again..

Despite how many years it had been, she had never before let herself mourn her own death, and that grief was now swallowing her whole.

Everything was wailing.

And yet, despite it all, he stayed there, as steadfast as stone. In fact, he did more than be some mere unmoving statue - he brought her forwards into a hug, placing his left hand on top of her head.

“This- isn’t right,” she tried to say through her tears, turning her head so that her mask would not dig into his suit as she returned the hold. “I came out here to offer you some solace, not the other way around-“

“That doesn’t mean I cannot be here for you, young nightingale.”

Despite what status he had held as a deity, despite whatever care he may have held or never had for the humans and the smaller little creatures of his own nation - let alone any other ones - the fact remained unchanged that Zhongli was someone Alectra had come to view as something like a father figure, even through the relatively short time they had spent together. 

..She held her tongue before the words admitting such could leave it, but the sentiment carried across to him nevertheless.

His eyes glittered as he grieved, and hers flooded as she mourned, and they spent what felt even to them like an eternity holding each other.

[aonoexpat]

Stumbled a little bit, but getting back up!

14-02-2023

After the rush of running around getting a bank account, a tax number, a phone number, a guitar, a more permanent place to stay and a job, I somehow, miraculously, weirdly, had a little dip in my energy levels. So I spent some days sorting myself out a little more calmly, and granted myself a late afternoon trip to the beach for my first swim!

The weather was still lovely and the water was very refreshing, though I hurried out again quite quickly when I saw a sting ray egg and confused it for a jellyfish 😅

That night my friend took me to Wilton's bush to go glow worm spotting. It was absolutely magical to see them just hanging (literally) around in such numbers. Unfortunately my camera couldn't capture their faint light, but imagine that starry tunnel in Efteling's Droomvlucht and you'll get an accurate idea of what it looked like. We also saw some spiders, and eels in the creek (I touched one and it was YUCKY):

The next day we went on a beautiful hike along the Skyline track, which was my first introduction to the scorching Aotearoa sun. I applied SPF50 broad-spectrum sunscreen a total of four times in three hours and still got very close to getting burned. But the views were grand! It's funny how hills in the background can sometimes feel like generated terrain in video games, like places outside of the map you can move in as a player. But you can just walk up them, and there's a path there, and you can go anywhere you like, and it makes you feel really free 😊

The background choir of cicadas is still ringing in my ears. These noisy little bugs are everywhere around here, but difficult to spot sometimes. I managed to capture this one on film, but be warned: it's LOUD

I ended up with two huge blisters on my heels from the hike, but don't you think for a second that that stopped me from going to a ceilidh dance at the local Gaelic Club that evening! Had a grand time, and the keyboard player celebrated his 90th birthday with us :)

The next day it was time to put my skills to the test and try my hand at busking at the Harbourside fruit & veggie market. I got there way too late so it was tricky to find a good spot, but I ended up playing for about 2.5 hours and made upwards of 30 bucks, so I was pretty content! I also got gifted a plate of food and a nice cold can of Sprite by a passer-by, and a lady told me to get a loudspeaker so people could hear me better. Luckily I already got my hands on one the other day, so next time I'll bring it!

A great experience all in all, but unfortunately this was also my second encounter with the intensity of the sun, and this time I wasn't as well-prepared.

As you can see, it was a fairly overcast day, so I thought it was safe enough. But I sorely (again, literally) regret putting off applying sunscreen for as long as I did, for the next day my friend found me throwing up in the bathroom with a bright red and swollen face. "Sun stroke? Yeah. It happens." He got me a glass of water and some rehydration medicine and kept a watchful eye over me the rest of the day. It's times like this when I curse the pressing issue of online privacy because I vowed not to upload pictures of my face on this blog but by god you should have seen it, it's still not back to normal and probably won't be for up to a week. It's painful and itchy and has started to peel now, and every time I look in the mirror I'm reminded of what a fool I was for thinking it would be fine. A hard-learned lesson I won't soon forget.

Here's my artist's rendition of the transformation of my face:

So, I've been taking it easy since then: staying in as much as possible, watching some House of the Dragon on my friend's HBO account, convincing my bank that yes, I do have a valid visa, and no, I'm not laundering money, and figuring out how to work that loudspeaker for next weekend's markets. There's a storm raging over the North Island right now, cyclone Gabrielle, so staying in isn't much of a punishment. Te Whanganui-a-tara mostly experiences rain and strong winds, luckily nothing that warrants alarm, let alone evacuations.

Tomorrow I start my training at the bar, which I'm very excited about! It turns out the wages as established in my contract are a little stingy, but I'll live. I'm happy to have something for now, and if I don't enjoy it enough, I'll leave again. I look forward to having more of a routine, and a steady income to ease my worries a little. Life here is expensive, and with money transfers from The Netherlands taking several working days to arrive I'm feeling a little anxious every now and then. Luckily my friends here are happy to help me out if necessary. I'm very, very lucky to have them to rely on over here ❤️

[michelleplayswithfire]

Jupiter restaurant hosts a winning 'Hell's Kitchen' four-course meal

Enjoy 'Hell's Kitchen' Season 9 winning four-course meal recreation and wine pairing

Eddie Ritz Palm Beach Post

If you love the drama and pressure of the show "Hell's Kitchen" and are curious to know just what a chef Gordon Ramsay-approved, season-winning meal tastes like, now is your chance.

"Hell's Kitchen" season 9 winner and The Jupiter Grill executive chef Paul Niedermann will be recreating his winning meal on Sept. 19 and 26 at the waterfront restaurant in Harbourside Place.

This four-course meal and wine pairing begins with olive oil-poached shrimp featuring jalapeño, red onion, roasted garlic, lemon, and fine herbs, paired with Maschio “Cavalieri” Prosecco from Valdobbiadene, Italy. Pan-roasted diver scallops with corn emulsion, picked bell pepper salad, and smoked paprika aioli are next and paired with a Grgich Hills Fume Blanc from Napa Valley, California. For the main, Beef Wellington will be served with Yukon potato purée, roasted carrots, and a sauce bordelaise, which will be enjoyed with E. Guigal, Crozes-Hermitage from France. Finish off the evening with a delectable banana polenta cake topped with dark chocolate ganache with honey roasted peanuts and vanilla bean gelato. This delicious, delicate dessert pairs perfectly with Jackson Triggs Vidal Icewine, “Reserve” from Niagara Peninsula, Canada.

Niedermann is excited to recreate the winning dish and to share it with guests at The Jupiter Grill. "Being on the show is a big draw and I want (diners) to experience what got me here," he said. “Diners will get to enjoy each course that I presented to judges during that fateful season and experience exactly what they did.”

The chance to sit down for the meal is a rare opportunity. The contest-winning meal isn't on the menu full time at The Jupiter Grill because "it's a pretty labor-intensive dish," but also because by only doing it once in a long while it keeps "the 'wow' factor" going.

Besides his "Hell's Kitchen" season nine-winning dish, Niedermann said he enjoys all varieties of food, but noted specifically that "I love a good bowl of pasta, a Sunday gravy." In addition to eating it, he loves taking pasta and getting wildly creative with it. "Making different flavors of pasta, like a saffron, vanilla pasta" is a passion, he said. That particular variety went well with seafood.

Though he's a classically-trained, contest-winning chef, who has worked at the Biltmore in Coral Gables and the Ritz Carlton in Fort Lauderdale, Niedermann said he's no food snob. "I love food from a Michelin Star dinner, to a hot dog cart outside Home Depot."

Niedermann said he doesn't keep in regular touch with Gordon Ramsay, but they will send the occasional email to each other.

Wondering what Ramsey is like in real life compared to his intimidating, on-air persona? Niedermann described him as "one of the nicest guys I've ever met" adding that the celebrity is "incredibly interested in other people."

Niedermann doesn't have another television appearance lined up and said, "if there was an opportunity I'd be interested, but it would have to really peak my interest."

Until then, the best way to get a glimpse into that world of competitive cuisine is to dine on a winning meal. Or at least head out to where a winning chef is behind the menu.

“We are much more than just a destination for fine dining. Exclusive events such as Chef Niedermann’s Hell’s Kitchen Final Meal illustrate our commitment to connecting with our community,” says Dave Magrogan, CEO/Founder of The Jupiter Grill. “We invite everyone to come visit us!”

Jupiter Grill hosts a winning "Hell's Kitchen" four-course meal

What: "Hell's Kitchen" Season 9 winning four-course meal recreation and wine pairing

Where: The Jupiter Grill, 149 Soundings Ave., Jupiter

When: 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19 (sold out) and 26

Cost: $125, reservations required, seating limited

Information: thejupitergrill.com; 561-768-9582

[scotianostra]

One of Scotland’s’ most iconic films, Local Hero was released on February 18th 1983.

In the days before mobile phones we used to use things called phone boxes when we were not at home, and the phone box  in Local Hero has become as iconic as the film itself.

There aren’t many films that have a 100%  Tomatometer , on the movie website Rotten Tomatoes, backed up by an impressive 87% audience score, it should be all you need to know when choosing a movie to watch, expecially if you haven’t seen it before. IMDb also rate it highly with 7.4 out of 10.

Bill Forsyth’s oil-refinery comedy isn’t billed as a weepy. It is, however, a love poem to Scotland, and that’s what brings the lump to my throat.

Quirky, wry, gentle are words most often used for this comedy on the movie database site, IMDb, the starting point for many of my posts about those Scots in the acting profession in my posts. They brief story line on the site does not hint at the emotional turbulence you might soon be experiencing. So maybe it’s just me being a big sissy. Wouldn’t be the first time I lost the plot. All it says is “An American oil company sends a man to Scotland to buy up an entire village where they want to build a refinery. But things don’t go as expected.” The film is so much more than this and it stands the test of time much better than other Forsyth films like Comfort & Joy and Gregory’s Girl, well in my opinion anyway!

Crackpot Texan oil magnate Felix Happer (Burt Lancaster) gets the idea that a small Scottish fishing village would be a marvellous acquisition for his so-rich-it-makes-you-sick company, Knox Oil and Gas, so he sends an executive gopher named MacIntyre (because that sounds Scottish, yeah – played by Peter Riegert) to close the deal and get the pipeline pencilled in.

“Mac” is met by some local “dork” called Oldsen (a young Peter Capaldi), who attempts to steer him through a tartan microculture that includes a lawyer-cum-publican/hotelier (Denis Lawson) who tapdances while standing on a chair shouting “Stella” – the name of his ever-randy wife; there is a super-hard marine biologist played by Jenny Seagrove who, after delivering a short lecture on the North Atlantic drift, ends up helping Oldsen to find that pistol in his pocket; and then there is a scene in which a very whisky-sodden Mac calls Texas from a red phone box on the harbourside, a phone box that has featured in so many peoples snaps when visiting Pennan in Banffshire.

Other bits of business in the film involve a salty Russian seafarer and overflying warplanes. You can see how it got the comedy tag, and I haven’t even mentioned the thing with the rabbit. And you can see how Mac ends up smitten.

This is all top material from a very talented writer/director, with photography and music from Glasgow born Mark Knopfler matches the acting and direction perfectly. But on first viewing I found myself asking halfway through, “What is this film actually about?” After not very much thought, I came to the conclusion that it was not a How Things Never Go According to Plan story, but a love poem to Scotland and the Scots. A bit slushy, but never mind. It’s only a film.

The scene when Mac phones to describe the Northern Lights, to me is very special, but the scene that prompted the lump in my throat at the end of the movie is when, having failed in his mission to secure the Knox refinery deal and mutilate one of Planet Earth’s most beautiful locations, Mac returns to his frigid steel-and-glass Houston apartment. He stands at his kitchen counter wondering what to do next, the hushed march of oil capitalism buzzing gently outside. He pulls from his coat pocket a handful of pebbles and shells, smelling one of them poignantly remembering as he spreads them on the work surface.

As Knopflers music gently plays he goes to his balcony and looks out to the city……the scene fades to black, then reopens 4,500 miles away, where, on the harbour side of a small Scottish fishing village, we see the phone box, perhaps ringing and the credits begin as the horns of Going Home blast out. Others in the film include Rikki Fulton, Alex Norton, Kenny Ireland, John Gordon Sinclair and of course Burt Lancaster.

[australianwomensnews]

Drunk men are among the biggest dangers to women in Sydney.

Of the 230,217 domestic assaults involving female victims in NSW over the past decade, one in three of those involved alcohol.

Some of Sydney’s most exclusive harbourside enclaves – including North Sydney, Mosman, the Northern Beaches and Woollahra – saw an even higher percentage of DV assaults involving booze, according to data compiled by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research and obtained by the Herald.

A horror year of high-profile domestic violence deaths, including that of three children allegedly killed by their father in a Western Sydney house fire, and Forbes woman Molly Ticehurst allegedly murdered by her ex-partner while he was on bail for attacking her previously, has firmly planted the issue on the political agenda and in the public conscience.

Go to the link above to access the interactive maps

The Herald has built an interactive map, pinpointing alcohol-related domestic violence incidents across the state’s local government areas over the past decade. The numbers do not refer to alcohol-related domestic violence convictions, but entries into the NSW Police database.

The data shows the North Sydney Local Government Area recorded the highest proportion of domestic violence assaults involving alcohol in Sydney – a staggering 45 per cent over the 10-year period to March 2024. It was closely followed by two other affluent LGAs – the Northern Beaches, with 42 per cent of DV assaults involving booze, and 40 per cent in Woollahra.

Domestic violence incidents in Mosman involved alcohol 38 per cent of the time, while in the Sydney CBD that figure was 39 per cent.

“In other areas, there is more domestic violence, but it’s occurring not in an alcohol setting,” BOCSAR’s Jackie Fitzgerald told the Herald. “[Wealthy Sydney suburbs] are more likely to involve alcohol than in other areas.”

More than half of all domestic violence incidents in six regional areas of NSW – Central Darling, Brewarrina, Balranald, Gwydir, Walgett Carrathool – were linked to alcohol.

“The rates are a lot higher, it’s happening with much more prevalence, just not with that particular alcohol-related trigger,” Fitzgerald said.

The NSW government is working to understand exactly why alcohol dredges up such deep-seated violence among some men, particularly in the more affluent areas of Sydney.

Read the full article at the link above

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

[bikepackinguk]

Day One Hundred and Four

Well rested and up at 7am this morning in a pleasantly sheltered patch of trees a little outside of Wareham, it's time for another day at it!

On to the road, it's an easy start to the day with a gentle roll over the River Frome and through the nice little town of Wareham.

The place still seems to be in the process of waking up currently, and the streets are nice and quiet as I ride through and out over the River Piddle or Trent.

Rather than getting the overpriced ferry down at Shell Bay, I'm tracking around the bay and heading up the A351, which has a nice compliment of cyclable pathways running up past the busy dual carriageway junctions and into Upton.

A bice long run of road down through Hamworthy brings me back to the waterside once more to the nice quayside down at Poole.

It's now time for a stretch of riding that I've been looking forward to since seeing its potential coming up in the map, with many decent flat miles ahead of waterside riding. Let's get to it!

Around Poole Quay and past the harbourside, the trail leada on through Baiter Park with the water lapping up right next to the paving.

The path rolls past the boating lake before a short leg through some busy roads, before dropping dowj back onto the shore road.

I follow the road out for a loop around Sandbanks and past the ferry terminal, before heading back and turning off to hit the beach.

Ahead is a beautiful long run of promenade next to the lovely sandy beach, running for miles below Bournemouth's pretty cliffsides.

The day is a little grey still which is keeping tue seaside a bit quieter so far, which means fewer pedestrians to navigate around as I enjoy a nice gentle flat ride around the beach.

It's a lovely bit of riding as I roll up and around Bournemouth Pier and onwards along the full run of promenade up to the far edge of Southbourne, where I pick back up with NCN Route 2 as it heads up over the River Stour and in through Christchurch.

The town is quite busier than the beach today, so I keep at the trail as it heads out around some nice trails through Stanpit Marsh and then up along the side of the River Mude.

Past some busy road junctions, the route does a good job of keeping out of traffic is it twists through some back roads and out into the countryside once more.

It's time for another unland diversion here with a bit that I've been looking forward to as Route 2 heads up into the beautiful woodlands and moors or the New Forest.

After meandering through the roads here, the route heads past Holmsley and hits the offroad trails through open land filled with horses and cattle roaming freely.

The terrain isn't ideal for my loaded touring bike, but I'm setting a gentle pace and ensuring the bumps and rocks aren't too much of a hazard.

The route heada down some lovely forested trails and along a lovely old rail line before swinging into Brockenhurst.

Even the more urban parts of New Forest are amazing to see, as horses and donkeys roam the streets here and do not give one single damn about the flowing traffic.

With a bemused smile on my face, I roll through and out of town and back to the trails, where I have to navigate through another herd of horses.

I also catch sight of an elusive grass snake speeding out of my way, which causes a laugh of joy. They're an animal I've loved since I was a child and seeing one is a highlight of the entire trip.

Slowly making my way along the stoney trail, the route through the forests lead out past the campsite at Denny Wood and onto the road across the wide open moors. There's a good bit of crosswind blowing along here, but the cycle route soon turns once again to set it at my back.

Past more moorlands and patches of woods, the route heads past a busy bypass and into the edges of Applemore with a convenietly placed supermarket for me to stop off at.

With the day getting in and a long urban stretch ahead, it looks like a good position to settle up for the day!

It's been a very enjoyable run today and the terrain is getting so much easier to tackle now I'm out of the real tough hills and cliffs if the West Country. A check of the map suggests that I may only be around 400 or so miles from the end of my ride now, which is a scarily short distance considering how far I've come! We'll see how the rest of the week unfurls!

TTFN!

[jeanhm]

Day of Mountains, Rivers and Lakes

It was a wet and miserable start to the day as we left Strahan for Hobart and to be honest it didn't improve that much although as we moved east the showers became less frequent with decent patches of sun in between, though it was still quite chilly.

We stopped at various viewpoints along the route initially in Queenstown, a copper mining community in a pretty desolate landscape quite poignantly shown by Iron Blow lookout which basically shows a blasted rock area now lake, just east of the town and we did see Horsetail fall across the valley in the misty morning. The landscape away from the towns remained quite thick rainforest and pine areas though we did emerge on to an upland moorland area which could have been anywhere other than for the fact there were wombat and wallaby road signs every now and then. Our first walk was to Nelson Falls, a 20 minute or so walk through the rainforest to a fairly sizeable falls and a little latter we walked to the Frenchman's Cap suspension Bridge on the Franklin River which was quite fun to cross one at a time.

After this we emerged into more grassland and farming areas punctuated by rivers and lakes such as Lake King William, Bronte Lagoon and Bradys Lake and there were also a number of Hydro power plants on the way and signs for dams too. When we passed through Gretna there was a bright blue tree in a field and looking this up subsequently this is the 11th tree in Tasmania to have been painted Blue by arborists in order to stimulate discussions about mental health. It made a talking point anyway.

We arrived at our hotel in Hobart, right in the centre about 3pm checked in and walked to the harbourside for some groceries and then to a wine bar for a drink and a sharing platter. We then walked along the harbour but with the weather looking dodgy and spitting with rain we turned back and at this stage I managed to fall flat on my face over a raised parking kerb. I didn't bounce well and my camera even less so, but it seems to still be working and Andy now knows why I brought screwdrivers and gaffer tape with me - insurance claim later me thinks!

Bruised and battered we went back to the hotel to mend both camera and body as I ache now.......

[harboursiderentalsbahamas]

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Harbourside Beach House rentals provides well-maintained and fully equipped modern vacation house in vicinity of the sea. Thus, with Harbourside Bahamas beach house rentals you can enjoy the luxury & comfort, as well as can unwind the island at your own pace with golf cart rental available. You can expect comfortable furnishing, fully equipped kitchen, and everything you need to make your stay feel like a home away from home. Spanish Wells is one of the most charming and picturesque landscape in the Bahamas. Located just off the coast of North Eleuthera, Spanish Wells is a quaint fishing village known for its friendly locals and stunning beaches. It's an excellent choice for those looking for a peaceful and authentic Bahamian experience. Spanish Wells apartment rentals by owner on the other hand offer ideal retreat venues for all age of travelers, perfect to unwind lush landscapes, hidden coves, and historic sites in the island. The selection of luxury vacation rental properties caters to various preferences and group sizes, ensuring that you have a comfortable and enjoyable stay. 

[samanddeanwerehere]

Delta Barber Shop, Ladner, Delta

I spent a good amount of time thinking about whether I should single out the Delta Barber Shop as a repeat location or just lump all of the many locations in this single block of Delta St in Ladner into one post. But ultimately, I decided to give it it's own post, because many of the other locations on the block are only on screen in one episode despite being next door to a location in another.

What was the Delta Barber Shop at 4868 Delta St at the time of filming went through a couple of changes in ownership in the later years, but remained a barber shop/salon. The last couple of times I visited Ladner the building was empty and clearly under construction. And I am sorry to report that as of the most recent Street View footage from May of 2023, the building has been torn down to the studs and new construction is underway, so sadly, the location is no more.

The barber shop first appeared in the background of 1x03 Dead in the Water, when Andrea is walking the boys to the local hotel.

It then reappeared in 4x03 In the Beginning, where Dean is found asleep on a bench in front of "Bert's Barber Shop" in the '70s.

It sort of appears again in the same episode as the left side wall in this alley fight scene is also the barber shop. With the new construction though, it looks like this alley has been all but eliminated.

I highly recommend a visit to the village of Ladner to any SPN location hunters, even if you can no longer see the barber shop, as there are a TON of locations in a very small walkable distance. son fit

Speaking of which, one of them is the next up in the repeat locations series, Harbourside Plaza.

[mjalford98]

Two snaps taken as I was heading home after the Bristol Harbour Festival on Saturday evening, with all the ferry boats moored for the night, while the fairground continued with its noisy trade, offering ongoing entertainment to those unable to depart from the fun of the day.

It's not often you see a fairground so squarely in the centre of a busy everyday environment, such that it's so evidently in view from land used for more everyday purposes, which is understandable given that they're often rather noisy affairs that people aren't generally going to be very happy with having around for any great length of time. I always find it fun combining different subject matter for photography, and the combination of fairgrounds with elements of everyday life are of particular interest, owing to the stark juxtaposition of the sensually overwhelming escapism of the fairground with the more mundane, everyday surroundings of the wider environment. Not that the harbourside is mundane - anything but!