#helen downie

[grey-gardens]

Highly recommend watching this latest look through Grey Gardens with it's newest owner and custodian.

Among Liz Lange's personal touches are commissions from many artists to create work inspired by the Edies.

Some house highlights for me:

by Helen Downie

Grey Gardens logo motif throughout

The entryway

Main living room

Bathroom with bird taps!

Adapted summer room

With view into restored garden - landscape architect Deborah Nevins

View of house from main garden

Original thatched hut

Tiled with custom design from Jonathan Adler

Grave marker the Beale's laid for their pet dog

Poolside view

One of the many outdoor areas

Porcelain sculptures of flowers within the gardens from Vladimir Kanevsky

Cabinetry original to when the home was first built

Plate display stand! Designed by Mark Sikes

Swing seat 💗

On the landing - illustrations by Luke Edward Hall

Papier mache sculptures of big and little Edie by Mark Gagnon

And the yellow room where the Edie's lived

[jennibeultimate]

Artistic Gymnastics Olympics 2024 WAG Qualification

Number of individual (EF&AA) finals per team

Team USA 🇺🇸 9 finals (Simone Biles VT, FX + BB, Jade Carey VT, Sunisa Lee BB + UB, Jordan Chiles FX, Sunisa Lee & Simone Biles AA)

Team Italy 🇮🇹 7 finals (Alice D'Amato UB,BB + FX, Manila Esposito BB + FX, Alice D'Amato & Manila Esposito AA)

Team Brazil 🇧🇷 6 finals(Rebeca Andrade VT, BB + FX, Julia Soares BB, Rebeca Andrade & Flavia Saraiva AA)

Team China 🇨🇳 6 finals (Qiu Qiyuan UB, Zhang Yihan UB, Zhou Yaqin BB, Ou Youshan FX, Qiu Qiyuan & Ou Youshan AA)

Team Romania 🇷🇴 5 finals (Sabrina Maneca-Voinea BB + FX, Ana Barbosu FX , Ana Barbosu & Amalia Ghigoarta AA)

Team Canada 🇨🇦 4 finals (Elsabeth Black VT, Shallon Olsen VT, Elsabeth Black & Ava Stewart AA)

Team Japan 🇯🇵 3 finals (Rina Kishi FX, Rina Kishi & Haruka Nakamura AA)

Team Great Britain 🇬🇧 3 finals (Becky Downie UB, Alice Kinsella & Georgia Mae-Fenton AA)

Team South Korea 🇰🇷 1 final (Seoyeong Yeo VT)

Team Netherlands 🇳🇱 1 final (Naomi Visser AA)

Team Australia 🇦🇺 1 final (Ruby Pass AA)

Team France 🇫🇷 0 finals (this hurts so much 😭)

Countries with finals without team:

Germany 🇩🇪 3 finals (Sarah Voss AA, Helen Kevric UB & AA)

Algeria 🇩🇿 2 finals (Kaylia Neymour UB & AA)

Belgium 🇧🇪 1 final (Nina Derwael UB)

North Korea 🇰🇵 1 final (Chang Ok An VT)

Bulgaria 🇧🇬 1 final (Valentina Georgieva VT)

Portugal 🇵🇹 1 final (Filipa Martins AA)

Hungary 🇭🇺 1 final (Bettina Lilli Czifra AA)

Colombia 🇨🇴 1 final (Luisa Blanco AA)

[fortytworedvines]

Since you're still accepting requests, can I get #3?

Thank you! Yes very much still accepting requests. Much rather think about fic than work.

Drabble list - send me a number!

3 – “Just breathe.”

She gritted her teeth and swayed against the pain as another contraction squeezed and twisted.

He rubbed her back, reassuringly. “Just breathe,” he said.

The contraction faded and she snarled. “If you tell me to breathe one more time, I’ll – I’ll…”

She couldn’t find the words to finish the threat. The business of birthing was taking everything from her.

It had been too many years since Edward was born. She’d forgotten the intensity, the fear. Even watching Helen hadn’t brought back precisely what it was like to be in this position.

“Siegfried,” she gasped as yet another contraction hit. “I’m scared.” She clung on to him, trying to stay upright.

He held her as she shuffled, her head buried into his chest, hair hanging in damp, sweaty strands. She was in her nightgown, he dressed down in his favourite cardigan.

“You can do it, my darling,” he said. “My brave, darling girl. My Audrey.”

The need to push was sudden and explosive. She cried out, a deep guttural noise.

“Where’s the midwife?” she demanded, when she could talk again. “She should be here!”

“I can do it,” he said. “I’ve read the books. Don’t hold on if you need to-”

She broke into his sentence with another roar, another push. She crouched suddenly.

“Siegfried, it’s coming.”

He guided her hands so she could lean on the end of their bed.

“Will you let me, Audrey?”

She cried, and nodded. Everything was gone from her mind, only the feeling of being stretched, of being torn in two, remaining.

Another convulsion, a mighty heave – she felt it leave her. Slithering down, leaving her empty. Free.

She fell forward onto her hands. “Siegfried?” she gasped.

A thin cry warbled.

“A little girl,” Siegfried said. He moved around her carefully, proffering a red-faced scrap wrapped in a towel, umbilical cord trailing – joining them both still.

“Darling girl, I’m so proud of you.”

She managed to move enough to sit on the towel-covered bed. Took their daughter in her arms.

“Hello,” she managed. Tiny eyes blinked at her.

Siegfried sat next to her and wound his arm around her, pulled her close and kissed her head. “You did so well.” He looked at their daughter, stroked her downy cheek with a careful finger. “Hello, little one.” He sounded mesmerised.

They sat together, silently, regarding the child they had created.

Then there were footsteps on the stairs, a hearty rap at the door.

“Mr and Mrs Farnon!” The long-awaited midwife bustled in. She took in the scene in one glance. “Right, lets get you cleaned up and that placenta out, shall we?”

Audrey surrendered their daughter to her husband and lay back on the bed, glad to let somebody else take charge for a little while.

[trainwrecksobserver]

Name Meanings in Trainwrecks

My favorite thing to do when I get a new fandom is to go through the character list and look up what their names mean, and for some reason I haven't done that with Trainwrecks yet. So here we go!

MAIN CHARACTERS

Luna- Latin "moon"

Alexis- Greek "helper, defender"

Cruz- Spanish "cross"

Sebastian- L "from a venerable place"

Velasquez- Sp "crow"

Duke- L "leader"

Earl- Old English "nobleman, warrior"

Kingston- OE "king's town"

Jasmine- En "climbing plant with fragrant flowers"

Nolan- Irish "descendant of the famous/loud one" ; Chinese (nuò lán) 诺 (nuò) "promise; assent, approve", 兰 (lán) "orchid; elegant, graceful"

Dimitri- Gr "earth mother"

Victoria- En "victory"

Hale- Arabic "halo around the moon" ; En "nook, retreat"

PARENTS/FAMILY

James- Hebrew "heel-grabber, trickster"

Carmine- L "song" ; H "garden"

Sophia- Gr "wisdom"

Makoto- Japanese "sincerity"

Leilana- Hawaiian "heavenly flowers ; royal child" (Leila) Ar "night"

Hirashima- J "peace island"

Whitney- En "white island"

Julian- Gr "downy-bearded" ; L "sky father"

Felicia- L "lucky, successful"

Régine- L "queen"

Moreaux- French "dark-skinned, dark brown, black" ; Roman "North African, Moorish"

Ray- En "beam of light" ; German "advice/counsel/decison, protection"

SIDE CHARACTERS

Aliana- Gr "torch/corposant/moon ; sun" ; H/Gr "gracious defender" H/G "gracious nobility"

Sanchez- Sp "son of the saintly/holy one"

Allen- En "little rock, handsome"

Marcus- L "male"

Flynn- I "blood red"

Latricia- L "joy, happiness; nobleman"

Bernice- Gr "bringing victory"

Oak- En "oak tree"

**translation notes**

Some names were a little difficult to translate, because they just mean stuff like "son of _____" or "from _____". In cases like these, I extrapolate meaning from the place or person the name is based on. For example, Sebastian literally means "from Sebaste". But that tells me nothing unless I know what Sebaste means. So I do a bit more research and discover Sebaste means "venerable"; hence, "from a venerable place". Sanchez and the Irish translation of Nolan were like this as well. (Nolan comes from O Nuallán.)

Also, I don't know Chinese, so I had to turn to Google to see what the original spelling/meaning of Jasmine's Anglicized last name might be. Google gave me nuò lán, so that's what I went with.

Several names have been translated from the original language many times. (Dimitri is a good example.) The language I listed by each translation is the original language. If a name has more than one possible origin, such as "Hale", they were all listed. Then you have names like Aliana and Latricia, which are mashups of other existing names (Alice/Alex + Ana; La + Patricia), which makes translation fun and totally not frustrating. Aliana is actually a double fun one because it can be a mashup, or it could possibly come from either the Greek Helios OR the Greek Helene, which have opposite sun and moon connotations!! It actually is fun. I love doing this.

Another rule I put in place was only to do characters who have appeared/spoken so far. This includes Victoria's great aunts, even though they only showed up in a bonus story, but does not include her extended family who were referenced in the same bonus story. They're not really a part of the story. But characters like Latricia Oak, Marcus Flynn, and Allen O. are, so they get coverage. Maybe I'll do the other members of the Hale family (and other mentioned minor characters) in a separate post...

(Wait a minute... Latricia Oak... Allen O... they're both running in sketchy circles... have I stumbled onto something here? 👀👀)

Anyway, I want to elaborate on how the name meanings relate to the characters, but this post is long enough, so that'll have to wait. :)

[inappropriate-dance-breaks]

BARS FINAL LEOTARD REVIEW

Zhang Yihan- China

This is lovely. I love this. The shades of yellow and orange make it look gold without looking gaudy. The stones make it sparkly and the colour blocking looks like brushstrokes. She looks bright and glittery and gilded. 10/10

Suni Lee- USA

Suni is wearing the same leo we saw on Simone yesterday in the final and I stand by my appreciation of the waffle pattern and disdain of whatever is happening on the mesh. 6/10

Becky Downie- GB

We’ve already seen this on her teammates in the all-around and I still don’t like it. 3/10

Qiu Qiyuan- China

I love a good purple. The design is fairly simple but the colours definitely elevate it. 7/10

Kaylia Neymour- Algeria

Hopefully her gold will finally convince the designers to put her in something more befitting an Olympic champion. The red and green stones are fine but I want more! This is timid and too afraid to be bold and that does not represent Kaylia. 4/10

Nina Derwael- Belgium

Is this a new leotard? I genuinely don’t know. You could tell me that this is from 6 years ago and I would believe you without question. This looks the same as everything she’s ever worn and I’m so bored. 3/10

Alice D’Amato- Italy

I picked this photo fully aware that you can’t really see the design on the chest, but that’s okay because it looks the same as everything else the Italians have worn so far. Give her some contrasting colours for gods sake, maybe that’ll help her finally get on the podium like she deserves. 3/10

Helen Kevric- Germany

I’m frankly kind of offended by the fact that throughout this competition there have barely been any photos of my girl Helen. She has delivered nothing but solid work and there were a grand total of three (3) photos of her from this final. This is the only one that properly shows her leotard and I had to zoom in to get her in the background. AND ITS SUCH A GOOD ONE. The blue is so nice and the design is very classic for the German gymnastics and I love that the design on her shoulders looks like wings. ITS A SHAME THERE ARE NO DAMN PHOTOS OF IT. 8/10

This was the next best photo of Helen but you can’t properly see the shoulders and I refuse to resort to another upside-down one 😡

[littlechien]

littlechien posted this

Helen Downie

[wankerwatch]

Commons Vote

On: Renters' Rights Bill: Third Reading

Ayes: 440 (79.0% Lab, 14.1% LD, 2.7% Ind, 1.1% DUP, 0.9% PC, 0.9% Green, 0.5% SDLP, 0.2% APNI, 0.2% UUP, 0.2% TUV) Noes: 111 (97.3% Con, 2.7% RUK) Absent: ~99

Day's business papers: 2025-01-14

Likely Referenced Bill: Renters' Rights Bill

Description: A Bill to make provision changing the law about rented homes, including provision abolishing fixed term assured tenancies and assured shorthold tenancies; imposing obligations on landlords and others in relation to rented homes and temporary and supported accommodation; and for connected purposes.

Originating house: Commons Current house: Commons Bill Stage: 3rd reading

Individual Votes:

Ayes

Labour (347 votes)

Abena Oppong-Asare Adam Jogee Adam Thompson Afzal Khan Al Carns Alan Campbell Alan Gemmell Alan Strickland Alex Baker Alex Barros-Curtis Alex Mayer Alex McIntyre Alex Sobel Alice Macdonald Alison Hume Alison McGovern Alison Taylor Alistair Strathern Allison Gardner Amanda Hack Amanda Martin Andrew Cooper Andrew Gwynne Andrew Lewin Andrew Pakes Andrew Ranger Andrew Western Andy MacNae Andy McDonald Andy Slaughter Angela Eagle Angela Rayner Anna Dixon Anna Gelderd Anna McMorrin Anneliese Dodds Anneliese Midgley Antonia Bance Ashley Dalton Baggy Shanker Bambos Charalambous Barry Gardiner Bayo Alaba Beccy Cooper Becky Gittins Bell Ribeiro-Addy Ben Coleman Ben Goldsborough Bill Esterson Brian Leishman Callum Anderson Calvin Bailey Carolyn Harris Cat Eccles Cat Smith Catherine Atkinson Catherine Fookes Catherine McKinnell Charlotte Nichols Chi Onwurah Chris Bloore Chris Bryant Chris Curtis Chris Elmore Chris Evans Chris Hinchliff Chris Kane Chris McDonald Chris Murray Chris Vince Chris Ward Chris Webb Christian Wakeford Claire Hazelgrove Claire Hughes Clive Efford Clive Lewis Connor Naismith Damien Egan Dan Aldridge Dan Jarvis Dan Tomlinson Daniel Francis Daniel Zeichner Danny Beales Darren Jones Darren Paffey Dave Robertson David Baines David Burton-Sampson David Pinto-Duschinsky David Smith David Taylor David Williams Dawn Butler Debbie Abrahams Deirdre Costigan Derek Twigg Diana Johnson Diane Abbott Douglas Alexander Douglas McAllister Elaine Stewart Elsie Blundell Emily Darlington Emma Foody Emma Hardy Emma Lewell-Buck Emma Reynolds Euan Stainbank Fabian Hamilton Feryal Clark Fleur Anderson Florence Eshalomi Frank McNally Fred Thomas Gareth Snell Gen Kitchen Georgia Gould Gerald Jones Gill Furniss Gill German Gordon McKee Graeme Downie Graham Stringer Grahame Morris Gregor Poynton Gurinder Singh Josan Hamish Falconer Harpreet Uppal Heidi Alexander Helen Hayes Helena Dollimore Henry Tufnell Hilary Benn Ian Lavery Imogen Walker Irene Campbell Jack Abbott Jacob Collier Jade Botterill Jake Richards James Asser James Frith James Murray James Naish Jas Athwal Jayne Kirkham Jeevun Sandher Jeff Smith Jenny Riddell-Carpenter Jess Asato Jessica Morden Jessica Toale Jim Dickson Jim McMahon Jo Platt Jo Stevens Jo White Joani Reid Joe Morris Joe Powell Johanna Baxter John Grady John Slinger John Whitby Jon Pearce Jon Trickett Jonathan Brash Jonathan Davies Jonathan Hinder Josh Dean Josh MacAlister Josh Newbury Josh Simons Julia Buckley Julie Minns Juliet Campbell Justin Madders Kanishka Narayan Karin Smyth Karl Turner Kate Dearden Kate Osamor Kate Osborne Katie White Katrina Murray Kerry McCarthy Kevin Bonavia Kevin McKenna Kim Leadbeater Kirith Entwistle Kirsteen Sullivan Kirsty McNeill Laura Kyrke-Smith Lauren Sullivan Laurence Turner Lee Barron Lee Pitcher Leigh Ingham Lewis Atkinson Liam Byrne Liam Conlon Lilian Greenwood Lillian Jones Linsey Farnsworth Liz Kendall Liz Twist Lizzi Collinge Lloyd Hatton Lola McEvoy Lorraine Beavers Louise Haigh Louise Jones Lucy Powell Lucy Rigby Luke Akehurst Luke Charters Luke Murphy Margaret Mullane Maria Eagle Marie Rimmer Marie Tidball Mark Ferguson Mark Sewards Mark Tami Markus Campbell-Savours Marsha De Cordova Martin McCluskey Martin Rhodes Mary Glindon Matt Bishop Matt Rodda Matt Turmaine Matthew Patrick Matthew Pennycook Maureen Burke Maya Ellis Meg Hillier Melanie Onn Melanie Ward Miatta Fahnbulleh Michael Payne Michael Shanks Michael Wheeler Michelle Scrogham Michelle Welsh Mike Kane Mike Reader Mike Tapp Mohammad Yasin Natalie Fleet Natasha Irons Naushabah Khan Navendu Mishra Neil Coyle Neil Duncan-Jordan Nesil Caliskan Nia Griffith Nicholas Dakin Nick Smith Nick Thomas-Symonds Noah Law Oliver Ryan Olivia Bailey Olivia Blake Pam Cox Patricia Ferguson Patrick Hurley Paul Davies Paul Foster Paul Waugh Paula Barker Paulette Hamilton Perran Moon Peter Dowd Peter Kyle Peter Lamb Peter Prinsley Peter Swallow Polly Billington Preet Kaur Gill Rachael Maskell Rachel Blake Rachel Hopkins Rachel Taylor Rosena Allin-Khan Rupa Huq Rushanara Ali Ruth Cadbury Ruth Jones Sadik Al-Hassan Sally Jameson

Sam Carling Sam Rushworth Samantha Dixon Samantha Niblett Sarah Champion Sarah Coombes Sarah Hall Sarah Owen Sarah Russell Sarah Sackman Sarah Smith Satvir Kaur Scott Arthur Sean Woodcock Shabana Mahmood Sharon Hodgson Simon Lightwood Simon Opher Sojan Joseph Sonia Kumar Stella Creasy Stephanie Peacock Stephen Kinnock Stephen Morgan Stephen Timms Steve Race Steve Reed Steve Witherden Steve Yemm Sureena Brackenridge Tahir Ali Taiwo Owatemi Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi Tim Roca Toby Perkins Tom Collins Tom Hayes Tom Rutland Tonia Antoniazzi Tony Vaughan Torcuil Crichton Torsten Bell Tracy Gilbert Tristan Osborne Tulip Siddiq Uma Kumaran Valerie Vaz Vicky Foxcroft Warinder Juss Wes Streeting Will Stone Yasmin Qureshi Yuan Yang Zubir Ahmed

Liberal Democrat (62 votes)

Adam Dance Al Pinkerton Alex Brewer Alison Bennett Alistair Carmichael Andrew George Angus MacDonald Anna Sabine Ben Maguire Brian Mathew Calum Miller Cameron Thomas Charlie Maynard Claire Young Clive Jones Daisy Cooper Danny Chambers David Chadwick Ed Davey Freddie van Mierlo Gideon Amos Helen Maguire Helen Morgan Ian Roome Ian Sollom James MacCleary Jamie Stone Jess Brown-Fuller John Milne Josh Babarinde Joshua Reynolds Layla Moran Lee Dillon Lisa Smart Liz Jarvis Luke Taylor Manuela Perteghella Marie Goldman Martin Wrigley Max Wilkinson Mike Martin Monica Harding Munira Wilson Olly Glover Paul Kohler Pippa Heylings Rachel Gilmour Roz Savage Sarah Dyke Sarah Green Sarah Olney Steff Aquarone Susan Murray Tim Farron Tom Gordon Tom Morrison Victoria Collins Vikki Slade Wendy Chamberlain Wera Hobhouse Will Forster Zöe Franklin

Independent (12 votes)

Adnan Hussain Apsana Begum Ayoub Khan Ian Byrne Iqbal Mohamed Jeremy Corbyn John McDonnell Mike Amesbury Rebecca Long Bailey Richard Burgon Shockat Adam Zarah Sultana

Democratic Unionist Party (5 votes)

Carla Lockhart Gavin Robinson Gregory Campbell Jim Shannon Sammy Wilson

Plaid Cymru (4 votes)

Ann Davies Ben Lake Liz Saville Roberts Llinos Medi

Green Party (4 votes)

Adrian Ramsay Carla Denyer Ellie Chowns Siân Berry

Social Democratic & Labour Party (2 votes)

Claire Hanna Colum Eastwood

Alliance (1 vote)

Sorcha Eastwood

Ulster Unionist Party (1 vote)

Robin Swann

Traditional Unionist Voice (1 vote)

Jim Allister

Noes

Conservative (107 votes)

Alan Mak Alberto Costa Alec Shelbrooke Alex Burghart Alicia Kearns Alison Griffiths Andrew Bowie Andrew Griffith Andrew Murrison Andrew Rosindell Andrew Snowden Ashley Fox Ben Obese-Jecty Ben Spencer Bernard Jenkin Blake Stephenson Bob Blackman Bradley Thomas Caroline Dinenage Caroline Johnson Charlie Dewhirst Chris Philp Claire Coutinho Damian Hinds Danny Kruger David Davis David Mundell David Reed David Simmonds Desmond Swayne Edward Argar Edward Leigh Esther McVey Gagan Mohindra Gareth Bacon Gareth Davies Gavin Williamson Geoffrey Clifton-Brown Geoffrey Cox George Freeman Graham Stuart Greg Smith Gregory Stafford Harriet Cross Harriett Baldwin Helen Grant Helen Whately Iain Duncan Smith Jack Rankin James Cartlidge James Cleverly James Wild Jeremy Hunt Jeremy Wright Jerome Mayhew Jesse Norman Joe Robertson John Cooper John Glen John Hayes John Lamont Joy Morrissey Julia Lopez Julian Lewis Julian Smith Karen Bradley Katie Lam Kemi Badenoch Kevin Hollinrake Kieran Mullan Kit Malthouse Laura Trott Lewis Cocking Lincoln Jopp Louie French Luke Evans Mark Francois Mark Garnier Martin Vickers Matt Vickers Mel Stride Mike Wood Mims Davies Neil Hudson Neil O'Brien Neil Shastri-Hurst Nick Timothy Nigel Huddleston Oliver Dowden Patrick Spencer Paul Holmes Peter Bedford Peter Fortune Rebecca Paul Robbie Moore Robert Jenrick Roger Gale Saqib Bhatti Sarah Bool Shivani Raja Simon Hoare Steve Barclay Stuart Anderson Stuart Andrew Suella Braverman Victoria Atkins Wendy Morton

Reform UK (3 votes)

James McMurdock Richard Tice Rupert Lowe

[rachelsrandomsphotos]

Downy Rose Myrtle (Rhodomyrtus tomentosa)

Taken at Helen & Allan Cruickshank Sanctuary in Rockledge, FL

[taintedpromises]

A Life Worth Forgetting

— Part 2 —

I am the monster that you created.

“She could’ve lived.” He spoke like the death of someone was amusing somehow.

“The old you would’ve known better, she wouldn’t have been so careless.”

My jaw muscles flexed from clenching my teeth, my irritation rising. That’s been the common phrase around this mansion, ‘the old you’ this ‘the old you’ that. I’m not her anymore, I don’t even know who that person was and I’m sick of hearing it.

The man sat behind a solid oak desk that lacked any clutter, only a laptop and lamp took up residence on the smooth surface. His greying raven hair is slicked back in its usual look, his thin lips pursed together as his sharp blue eyes studied me.

I’ve been held captive for over three months in a fancy room connected to its own bathing chamber and dining area, I was sought after and fed like a queen after the interrogations they had me undergo just to be sure I truly had no memories of the past. By interrogations, I mean torture for two weeks.

My bones are now fully healed and I knew he’d call me into his office to inform me that I’d be participating in the training. There were others he had here that he’s had in the mansion for years, training. I still wasn’t sure exactly what that meant, but I wasn’t about to ask questions. I found that every time I asked too much, I would go without food or water for a couple days. There was nothing like the hunger pangs. I needed to keep my strength up, I had plans to kill and being weak wasn’t an option.

Pushing away from the dark blue velvet armchair, I turn towards the giant wooden double doors. The heels that were waiting for me on the dining table, along with the little black dress I now wore, clicked with every step against the hardwood floors. My fingers grab ahold of the handle before I hear his voice again.

“Welcome back to the family, Luce.”

My spine straightened at the name, nobody has told me what my name was before the accident. Turning my head just enough to see him from my peripheral, I respond.

“Luce is dead.” My words dripped with pure hatred.

The last thing I heard prior to closing the door behind me was, “I’m counting on that.” followed by a low chuckle.

I refuse to go by that name, I don’t know her. Tequila isn’t your normal name, I’m aware, but it is the last thing I have that is mine. It may not be perfect, but it’s mine.

I learned a few things during my stay here. One: The one in charge is my father.

Two: He hates me because I remind him of my mother that died giving birth to me.

Three: If I don’t get out of here, he will force me to do something I’ll hate myself for.

I was shocked to find out that my mother is dead, not that I would be able to remember her anyway. It made me wonder, had my father always been like this?

I walked the marble halls of the mansion until I reached my prison of a bedroom, threw myself on the downy bed, and cried until sleep overcame me.

He killed Helen.

———————————————————————

———Two Years Later———

The world was built on nightmares

disguised as dreams.

The taste of blood on my tongue made my nose scrunch in disgust. I must have bit my cheek while sleeping again. My eyes slowly opened to adjust to the light pouring into my bedroom from the large windows that had a clear view overlooking central park.

This was the third hotel I’ve stayed at in the last three months with the money I swiped from the safe that is nestled behind my father’s desk. I never stayed in one place for too long. I’ve been on the run ever since I escaped my father, the leader of a tightly strung group of hitmen.

I don’t believe he’s hunting me, he knows I’ll go to him when I’m ready. That isn’t stopping some of his lackeys from trying to put me in my place. Every time one of them crosses my path, I have to change cities. Can’t stay in the area where a dead man is found. New York City made it easier to blend in, maybe I’ll stay.

My father knew the risks of training me. Although most of my memories remain hidden from myself, I remembered enough to escape from the clutches of that mansion that held me captive for two years.

I’m not sure how old I truly am, but as I gaze in the mirror, my burnt orange hair unruly from sleep, I’d say I were about twenty-eight.

My father’s attempt at ending my life failed, but with his failure came the loss of my memories. To my father, that was like handing a painter a blank canvas. I was something for him to mold, to make into a masterpiece.

The interrogations he had me undergo will forever be burned into my brain. The memory of those two weeks haunt me in my sleep. The torture lasted two weeks, I thought I was going to die in that room, until my father walked in. His presence made the room seem smaller, his emotionless eyes scanned the work of his men, his gaze was unnerving. He seemed like he was staring into you, at your soul, right to your center.

One of the servants was at work cleaning my wounds from the last round of interrogation. My father stood there, watching, waiting. When the woman was done, she scurried from the room after gathering all of her supplies. I stayed slumped against the chair, peeking through my blood soaked hair up at him. His face, expressionless.

He regarded me the way one would regard a pig they were looking to purchase for butcher. “Do you remember your name?”

He picks a piece of lint from the right shoulder of his black suit coat while he paced in front of me awaiting an answer.

“No.” It hurt to breathe. I was sure I had a broken rib or two.

He stopped and before I could blink, he was kneeling before me with his face inches from my own, eyes blazing with a deep hidden rage. He grabbed my face between his fingers, squeezing my bruised cheeks until it hurt. My scabbed lip opened, blood slowly trickled into my mouth.

“No, sir.” He corrected.

“No, sir.” I repeat, though it was hard to talk with him holding my face so tightly.

It took every ounce of self control to stop the tears from spilling. My body was in pain from the brass knuckled beating I took the day before, but I wouldn’t cry, not in front of him.

Satisfied, he lets my face go, he was close enough for me to smell the mix of coffee and cigarette smoke on his breath. “Do you remember my name?”

My heart rate kicked up, and I felt like I would vomit. “No, sir.”

“Good.” He stroked his chin in thought, his eyes staring into mine. I refused to look away, to show him any sign of weakness.

He straightened back into a standing position, going back to pacing the small room. “Training starts when your bones are healed.”

I thought that was all he had to say as he turned to leave, but when he was halfway through the door, he turned back to me and the hairs on the back of my neck raised. “Don’t disappoint me again.”

My muscles remembered what my mind couldn’t. The more I trained, the more my body remembered. Training required a lot of mental work along with physical and because of my petite size, I had to use people’s weight against them. It was easy considering how my opponents always seemed to underestimate me. That was exactly how I escaped, everyone underestimated me, thought me weak.

My father once said that I got my looks from my mother, but my way of thinking was all him. It made my skin crawl as much then as it does now because he was right. No matter how much I hate that man, I had a lot in common with him. The difference, I don’t enjoy killing.

Everyday I’ve had to look over my shoulder waiting for someone to jump out of the shadows and attack, even though it’s only happened twice. I can’t risk letting my guard down, I refuse to end up in my father’s clutches again.

“Luce.” I hear my father’s voice call out. “Luce, your mother is dead because of you.”

No! I want to shout but my voice is gone.

“Your fiancé died because you were too weak.” My father’s voice continued.

No, no, no! I tried to escape his voice, but it was no use.

“Everyone you will ever love is going to die because of you, Luce.” My fathers voice sounded almost amused.

“YOU’RE ALONE.”

I awoke with a start, sweat coating me and the covers. Another restless night, the days blurred together. Helen, James, my mother, all dead because of me.

“You’re a weapon, and weapons don’t weep.” I repeated those words until I knew the tears wouldn’t spill. I can show no weakness.

My mother died giving birth to me, James was my fiancé and he died trying to save me, Helen died because my father found her number in my pocket after I was kidnapped outside the hospital. They haunt my dreams every night and in the waking hours, I had to hide. Paranoia made every stranger that lingered too long a potential threat.

I can’t get close to anyone in fear that any connection to me will result in their death. Until I’m free, there is no life for me.

I may have escaped, but this is hardly living. I’m the shell of a woman. I have to kill my father, if I don’t, the fear that is so tightly wound into my being won’t ever ease, I’ll never be free, and I’ll always be alone.

“Anyone can start again

Not through love, but through revenge

Through the fire, we’re born again.

Peace by vengeance brings the end.”

———————————————————————

[rfsnyder]

Helen Downie

[grey-gardens]

Grey Gardens inspired art that hangs in the entranceway of Grey Gardens by Helen Downie

[gymnasticscoaching]

Helen Kevric 55.532 

The next German superstar is ready for the Olympics 2024 2nd German Olympic Trials Results🥇 Helen Kevric 55.532 🥈 Karina Schönmaier 52.899 🥉 Lea Marie Quaas 50.066Kevric wins UB, BB, and FX as well. There is no argument for any other Olympic nomination.— Katherine Keirns (@kmkeirns) June 22, 2024 2024 German Trials, Kevric upgraded the Ricna to a Downie and directly connected to the Pak (0.20…

[hutz224]

World Masters Cross Country Championships preview part 3

With statistical assistance from Scott Lawrence

There are now just five days until runners and fans converge upon Bathurst for the World Cross Country Championships. My previews have focussed on the Masters 6k races because the 2k relay teams largely remain a mystery to me. But a few enquiries have revealed some interesting pairings. In the 40+ division, it has been confirmed that Ben Bruce and April Lund (USA) will run as a team and they should clean up. Steve Dinneen and Anna Kasapis are the strongest Aussie pairing, followed by Nathan Crowley and Nicole Joseph. These four runners are all from Victoria and I'm not aware of any teams from other States that might challenge them.

(L to R) Dinneen, Kasapis, Crowley, Joseph

In the 50+ category, Steve Moneghetti has thrown the cat among the pigeons by dropping down from his 60+ age group to team up with Krishna Stanton. A clever move from the master of Masters! But I fancy the chances of Victorian duo, John Meagher and Julie Norney, who have an age advantage over this all-star pair. In a remarkable coincidence, Krishna and Julie ran identical times in their most recent parkruns (18:56), so will Mona have the speed over 2k to beat his younger rival? I am going out on a limb and tipping an upset by the younger team. Ant Rickards and Bev Thomas (also Vic) are the likely third team on the podium. Krishna's presence should at least prevent a Victorian sweep of the medals.

(L to R top) Moneghetti, Stanton, Meagher

(L to R bottom) Norney, Rickards, Thomas

Now we return to the 6k individual cross country and the top 60+ and 65+ prospects. There are only three overseas M60 entries and it's a shame that most of the best runners in this age group appear to have preferred to enter the World Indoor Track Championships in Poland next month. Nonetheless, the field remains of high quality. Mona, fresh from his 5000m world track record, is the hottest of red-hot favourites. In an ominous sign for his rivals, when asked recently about the upcoming race, Mona simply volunteered: "I like cross country", four words carrying a very clear message to his rivals, among whom will be Bruce Graham (ACT), the winner of numerous Masters track titles over many years, and Derek Froude, a two time Olympian for New Zealand but now representing the USA. Craig Downie (Tas) is another elite runner, with recent times of 10:08/17:47 for 3000m/parkrun to his name. Gary Mayor (Qld) ran 17:35 for 5000m last year and so is also a chance for a medal.

(L to R) Graham, Froude, Downie, Mayor

The W60 field is not nearly as strong and has no foreign runners, so is a de facto Australian Championships. Victoria Gunn (Tas), or Vicky to her friends, ran 21:06 and scored an age grading over 90% at the Launceston parkrun last year, which probably makes her (what else?) a gun runner. Robyn Basman (NSW) has a similar 5000m time from 2022. Anne Lord (Vic) is a four-time Australian World Cross Country representative. The other runners have little or no form on the board, so there could easily be a surprise win here from someone sneaking under my radar.

(L to R) Gunn, Basman

How good it would have been to see the two outstanding M65 runners in the world going head to head in Bathurst? But alas, it's not to be, as NSW's own Keith Bateman and Scotland's Alistair Walker are both skipping the event, unfortunately. This leaves Allan Long (formerly NT, now Vic) as the clear favourite. Ian Calder (NZ) and Peter Hutton (NSW) are experienced Masters competitors and should both be in the mix. In the W65 age group, Rosemary Roediger (NSW) has a strong claim with recent parkrun times just beyond 21 minutes and consistent 90%+ age gradings, but New Zealander Christine Adamson will be close by. Great Britain and Northern Ireland's Margaret Phillips boasts an impressive 441 parkruns to date, but she cannot match the speed of Rosemary or Christine. Helen Stanley (Vic) is another respected Masters competitor. Calder and Adamson will be a chance to win the 60+ 2k relay if they team up, although the younger pair of Downie and Gunn could conceivably take the gold medals back with them to Tasmania.

(L to R) Calder, Hutton, Adamson, Stanley

I hope that you are enjoying these event previews. The final episode in these series will look at the 70+, 75+ and 80+ divisions, where the race distance drops to 4k. Until then, keep on running!

[caraartmellow]

Unskilled Worker (Helen Downie)

http://unskilledworker.co.uk/

[divalocity]

"Constance, Grace and Hope Revisited"

Credit: Artist Helen Downie for GUCCI

[lurking-latinist]

here is the picture I was talking about in the tags earlier

Paul McGann and Penny Downie as Menelaus and Helen in Euripides’ Helen, directed by Deborah Bruce at the Globe in 2009 (source)

Here he is being shipwrecked:

the reunion scene:

WHAT is he wearing though