#tea Stilton version

[dia-oro]

I love it.

[2deadkat]

If you've read them, thoughts on the Geronimo Stilton Kingdom of Fantasy books?

Okay I have a bit of a weird but fond history with that series, I’ve only seen the first two books so I’m not all that qualified to talk about it in-depth.

But I’ll tell you my history first, I used to carry the first kingdom of fantasy book everywhere I went on family trips. I treated that thing like the holy grail and just speed through every page imaginable, I’ll tell you this I really like the presentation of the series.

Especially with its own script and all the doors to the different kingdoms. That’s one thing the franchise in general is good at. Also I had an old friend of an older sibling of mine who used to share that book with me…and I vividly remember her telling me the pages with each world door being scented so while I carried that book everywhere I was practically a book sniffer 💀. To this very day I still don’t know if it’s true each door was scented or if it was merely a childhood lie…

Now my thoughts on it despite only officially “reading” two and skimming through the rest of it with a friend at a bookstore (bestie shout out if you’re reading this ✌️), the whole idea of it is really interesting and it’s fitting for someone like Geronimo. I like the world building of the series, and it’s basically a collection of every fantasy world trope ever in an endearing way. I can’t get over the fact that he enters the world illegally every time by drugging himself on chamomile tea and getting knocked out while his sister of the seven roses just gets actual passes 😭 but power to him for capitalising on his drug trips because I was actually so shocked when I found there were 14 of them…I’m not implying that they’re bad but it’s not just a series for me and I’m just shocked that there’s this many of them, I’d personally stop at three books but I can respect the fact that it has its own lore going on.

Geronimo gets more power and respect as a character but I’ll never get over the fact that there are actual humanoids existing in another plane…also I heard it’s more batshit insane in the untranslated Italian books which is…wow, respect.

I was really obsessed with the dragon king and the whole dragon world and I would keep rereading that section every time <3 I swear I used to read that Beowulf part specifically with all the dragon facts. I was a huge dragon kid back then.

Okay a bit of gross trivia: Going through my old copy of the book, it literally has the sweat stains of kid me’s hand on the exact page of that illustration because I admire his whole design and deal so much…to this very day it is still the coolest dragon design I’ve ever seen.

So overall, it’s really interesting, I like the whole world they’re going for, but it’s not for me to consume as a full series entirely. And even if I do start again with the other books I don’t have the childhood wonder anymore to dive into it like kid me used to…so unfortunately I don’t have the same attachment a bunch of other people might’ve grew up with…

Sorry, guess I’m more interested in a mouse version of the Office…or parks and recreation 😔 but the first book holds dear to me with its immersive world building and recently I just found it lying in one of my family’s house’s many book shelves so I am thankful for that.

Also man I forgot how some of these spreads go hard…

[aggresivelyfriendly]

~Who Names The Colors~

Chapter 29-Willa and the Magic Hour

Hi Lovely People! I broke my laptop yesterday(I swear I’m clumsier than Mr. Styles, yikes) so today’s chapter is late! I hope it’s worth the long wait....

I am so grateful to @dirtystyles for lots of things, the beautiful banners and this week especially the youtube playlist of a live Harry Styles by Harry Styles in HQ.

@nocontrolforlouis makes these bitches comprehensible!

And last, but never least @bleedinglove4h is today’s kween-she knows why(WHO THE FUCK IS KAREN)!

Also-thanks @gucci

"Harry!" She stage whispered. Jo needed enough volume to get him to look up, but was afraid to disturb his visitor.

He was seated on the steps of a country estate that had been converted to some sort of museum. They were both such dorks, that the thought of living out some Austen fantasy appealed to them. Must be why they worked so well. It was why they had chosen to make their way there on day three of Lake Country life.

Zoe had had different ideas. When she had zoomed through the art hall, the official gallery, like a Tasmanian devil, or at least, like a child whose mother had never taken her to a museum, Jo decided they had better try out of doors until she was a little more tuckered out; and that they should take Zoe to a museum. She was a bloody artist for fuck's sake, as was her boyfriend, and her daughter had never been into a museum, gallery, or even her studio very often. Zoe was only 3, but it still seemed a huge oversight. One to be remedied. Once they let her run wild they could try the gallery again. Hopefully she would let Harry carry her.

Outside, Harry had encouraged Zoe to play a game of tag with him, which had turned into hide and seek. From the smoothness of the transition, Jo suspected their outings to the park went similarly. She was behind a pillar when she heard an excited high-pitched squeal.

"Look at the tiny piggies mummy!" The noise might have been the animal, but Jo suspected it was her kid. Not the goats nearby. Zoe was beside herself and had no concept of her own volume. So the piggies in question had quickly scuttled off to their unhappy, grunting mother.

It was funny, or it seemed to be to the man accompanying them, who was bent over at the waist cracking up at Zoe chasing the piglets and then being chased by the mother pig. Zoe found it funny too, and had giggled then about faced and chased down the pig who squealed and ran away. It looked like an innocent version of Benny Hill, without all the misogyny. Jo's smile was unsinkable.

Zoe had set off to find the scuttling pig and babies and Harry had gone the other direction. Since her boyfriend was ostensibly an adult, Jo want after Zoe.

The duo had subsequently found the lambs and spent a good deal of time watching them. Jo then found out how to get Zoe to calm. Holding little ewes on her lap. She held still and whispered. It seemed to have a compounding effect. As Zoe sat with the lamb on her lap trying to be calm for it, she got calmer and calmer.

That seemed to be the effect this little escape to the Lake Country was having on all of them.

Harry certainly looked calm.

He was lounging in baggy trousers on some steps near a fountain. The day was sunny with that cool warmth of early summer, hinting at heat, but only flirting with discomfort. Harry looked like the daydream he was. His head was cast back and his eyes were closed, sun woshipping. This was probably why he didn't seem to notice the kid, the literal baby goat at his elbow. The sun on his face and the kid at his elbow was too bucolic to miss.

Jo had snapped a picture and then immediately tried to quietly get his attention. She imagined the picture would be cute, but that Harry would actually like to experience the magic moment for himself.

He needed it, he had been off since Jo got home on Sunday evening.

When she and Zoe got back from Bath almost a week ago, Jo'd texted Harry to let him know they were nearly home and safe.

He'd been in the kitchen when they got in. The kettle was bubbling and he had a piece of toast out for Zoe. Jo tried not to give her fruit this late in the evening due to the sugar and had recently had to slow down her cheese consumption. Otherwise, her Stilton bill would be ridiculous. Toast it was lately. Harry had adopted the new rule, because he used to have strawberries out for her. Zoe's favorite.

"Hey baby. Tea?" Harry had greeted her with the question. She expected him to hoist the kettle and grin, but instead he walked over to her and wrapped a hand around her and buried his face in her neck.

He breathed her in and held on. "Miss me?" was what she asked. Jo figured she'd get the actual reason for his affection soon. Once they were ready for bed, and wrapped around each other and the few fetters he kept on his tongue were loosed. He loved to whisper in the dark.

He just nodded into her neck and held her tighter. Her arms came up around him in response. Shoe would wait him out. That night though, he hadn't been chatty. The love he'd made to her had been slow, reverent and almost nostalgic, which troubled her. Harry'd insisted they lay on their side, and he'd held her hands the whole time. He'd spoke I love you's against her skin until she couldn't keep her eyes open.

The next day, Harry and Jo hurried about to get the car packed and ready for their trip. The night before, cuddles and a movie on the couch had seemed a wonderful idea, until the morning presented all the things left to do. The small tent, one of Zoe's very own, for the second half of the trip, after Jo had her fill of room service, was easy to pack. Getting the two-person she had stashed in the attic, was not the same. She'd fought the spiders and won though.

It was still one in the afternoon before they got on the road, and stopping for lunch and later, ice cream, meant they had an hour to get in their hotel room, get dressed and deliver Zoe to the in-house babysitters the inn had, to make their reservations. Jo was nervous, but Harry reminded her of all the reviews she'd read. Plus, it was her idea, a date, out in the world, for his graduation.

Harry loved to have her on his arm, and the black dress she'd surprised him with was cut lower than usual, and his eyes lingered and loved the extra inches all night. He'd been more interested in visually devouring her than the French food on his plate.

The lucky thing was that Zoe was asleep when they went to pick her up. And she'd stayed like that on Harry's shoulder up the stairs. The little girl had stirred when she was laid down, "Mummy!" had been called and feet kicked, but Jo only had to lay with her for ten minutes to get her back to dreamland.

His touches had lingered that night too, she was wondering if he should take a picture of her collarbone for all the studying of it he'd done.

"Are you going to paint it?" She'd asked when she couldn't stand his pace any more, was rubbing her thighs together and pulling his hair at the roots.

"I might, but I think I've just decided it's my favorite part of you.

Jo was still deciding her favorite parts of him when they settled in at the lake. It had taken hours to make camp and Zoe was invigorated by the air. She may as well have wings.

It was really late by the time the three year old fell asleep. The moon was full and brilliant overhead, so bright it kept her up. Zoe had been riled beyond belief. Harry had spent much of the day bear hunting with her and Jo found that she just had to sit back and laugh as they re-enacted the song several times over. Zoe delighted in the tunnels they found and that Harry would slither under fallen trees with her, no matter how dirty he got.

They were such a sight, and the facilities so far away, Jo was at a loss.

"You're such messes! How will we ever get you clean?" She picked through Zoe's ever growing hair. It was thick and growing in waves, her baby curls cut, but the texture still gorgeous and thickly wavy. The color has changed too, darkening. It would lighten with the summer sun though. Jo recalled Harry's baby picture from his senior year of college slideshow. He'd once been a blonde too. Jo sighed wistfully at the similarity and then laughed at herself for even considering such a thing.

If they found a surrogate, in a few years, what would their children look like? How long would they stay blonde? Or would genetics surprise them both. Her wandering mind was called back to Harry answering her question.

Harry laughed at her, "That's easy enough to fix!" And he shucked off his t-shirt and Zoe's dress and carried her down to the water. They splashed and Harry threw her over and over.

Zoe's giggles were fitful and loud and carried. They sailed on the air straight to Jo's heart.

Before she could help herself, She took of her own cover up and ran down to meet them.

Zoe swam back and forth between them until Harry declared her proficient in freestyle, backstroke, and improving on her breath stroke.

Then they had had foil packed potatoes and roast. The energy Zoe took out of the s'mores Harry made them had her bouncing for several hours. "Mummy dance with me!" She'd called as she flitted like a nymph around the fire and Jo had got up and ran to her.

They fire danced like lost boys.

Zoe had dropped 20 minutes ago. Talking a mile a minute then not at all. Jo was sure she was just as tired, and she was laying in the sleeping bags Harry had zipped together when she heard him calling her.

"Jo, c'mere, I want to show you something." He sounded like he was near the water, his voice echoed off and bounced like waves.

She realized why when she got outside- he was exactly as she expected him to be, his feet being lapped at by the gentle lake waves. Jo was just in hi cuts and a plaid, so she followed suit and came to him on the shore, she needed his body heat anyway.

"What did you want to show me?"

"The moon, my Eve." He circled behind her, hooking his chin over her shoulder and pointing to it. "Do you feel the pull?" He looked at her sideways.

Jo looked from the alabaster orb in the sky to the pearls of his teeth. "Yes, but not to the moon." Harry was her little bit of Eden.

"Good." He smiled and walked her to where her knees were just covered before sitting at her feet.

He mouthed over the cotton of her underpants until she squirmed before pulling them to the side. It was almost better through the fabric, almost.

"Harry," her neck was already rolling back from the licks he was giving her lingual crease, he'd switched between the two. And despite her words, her feet had widened to accommodate him and her swelling center's attraction.

"What if Zoe comes out?" She found the power to say. Protest was too big a word.

"Let's turn around. You can tell her you were bathing. But she'll sleep."

And he gripped her ass and bathed her with his tongue, and she was baptized by the moon and his love more than the water.

She still bit her palms to stem her cries, even if the woods and water would be the only ones to hear them. He dove deep into her and drew out her happiness. When he told her she gave him a taste of Eden too, she believed it. This was paradise. And it might be where she got to stay. She'd sacrifice to do so. The cost wasn't counted yet.

It was the most carefree he had been since they arrived. The weight he wore cast off into the lake like a net.

The next morning, she woke up to chirping birds and Harry awake and smoothing hair off her forehead. She'd nodded off the night long before she heard the scruff of his feet together. Jo was tired from camping and romancing. From a family vacation; the first she'd ever had like it.

Times were lean when she and Ethan had been alone against the world. They had mostly only gone to London or to the sea if she could scrimp together the funds. Then, she took him to Spain once. To Barcelona and Madrid and finally Mallorca the first summer she was at the university. His eyes liked to bug out of his head at the girls on Spanish beaches. He was in his first flush of manhood.

He was a real man now. Or so she told herself when she had moments of concern about her relationship with Harry. It scared her still that being with her was giving something up. For both of them.  We're you o my doing something right if in love if you were scared out of your wits sometimes?

He looked like he thought so too this morning. His tender brow was creased and he had weights on his tongue. But love filled his eyes.

"What's it, lover?" She scrapped together her courage and asked for the first time. She'd been hoping to stay in Nirvana, but avoiding a thing didn't make it go away. The morning light was soft, light and he was beautiful. It wasn't harsh or abrasive. That would have been more fitting.

Jo had been letting herself believe. The fall for him had been undeniable. She hadn't so much let that happened as been unable to stop it, like stemming a tide. Believing in their future though, against all of their obstacles, that she had let happen. As each dominos stacked against them had fallen away instead of on top of them and he had thrust more options into her hands, made more promises, shared more hope, she'd decided they may be able to do it. That people would accept them, even Ethan, if they saw them together. They were at their best when loving each other. Jo liked herself better with him.

Even as she opened herself up and ran into possibility, she'd always been waiting for a stone to fall the other way though, on top of them, or between them to divide.

Harry's face looked like he had the stone to drop. It was especially cruel today. After the week in the Lake District. She knew something was wrong when he had come to her after she got back from Ethan's, but she hadn't pushed and was excited about the trip she had planned for his graduation celebration. She wanted to have the escape with him.

But pretend time looked over.

He waited a long beat to answer and traced her face with his eyes.

"I got into a fight with my mum." He swallowed, "A few hours before you came home on Sunday."

"What about?" Jo asked, though she knew the answer.

He swallowed.

"About me?" She supplied and he nodded.

He sat up and pinched his lip. Jo took it as a good sign that he didn't turn completely away from her. "She asked me flat out. I'd gotten into it with Gemma and was talking about her boyfriend being a wanker when they left. I don't like him. He's not good enough for her. That is so clear to me. It's also why she missed my graduation." He swallowed.

"It hurt your feelings?" She put her hand on his arm.

"Yeah, she didn't want to come without him. So she missed my graduation. And I told her I was disappointed and she told me I was spoilt and didn't know what it was like to be in a relationship, so I couldn't know why she wanted him to come with her. And that she came later." He sighed. "I told her I did know what it was like. And that it would have meant a lot to me." Harry picked up her hand. "They left when I said I didn't like him, in front of him. My mum looked so frustrated at me."

"I'm sorry you fought with your sister, but you said you fought with your mum?" She was a little confused.

He bit his lip. "I was ranting a bit, about Gemma and Kip, stupid name, and how Gemma made horrible choices in men. And my mum said something, under her breath like, about me not having the right to criticize someone's love life." He breathed loud. "So I asked her what that meant, and she point blank asked me if I was sleeping with you."

Jo's breath caught. She knew Anne knew. The way she was, so guarded and watchful, it was clear-plus, mum's intuition.

"And I, well, I'm." He tried to get out.

"You're a terrible liar." Jo admitted.

"I tried, a bit, but she didn't believe me. I didn't want to lie anyway. And then she, well she started in on you. And how she couldn't believe that you'd be so predatory. And I...." he hung his head. "I told her it wasn't like that. That we weren't sleeping together, but in love and that I chased you and you tried really hard to leave the attraction be. Ran like the wind, but that we were like magnets, or the moon and tide or something and she scoffed."

Jo felt miserable for him and her. "How'd you leave it then?" She was wondering how long until he chose his relationship with his mum. Like he should. They were so foolish to think they had a chance if anybody knew about them.

Harry was nothing if not a surprise.

"I told her I didn't want to fight. And that she didn't know about us, but that I was serious about you." He looked at Jo then. "I kissed her head and told her I loved her and respected her but that you were my choice, and she could accept it, or not, but I'd appreciate the chance. And I left."

Jo rubbed his shoulders. He loved his mum. Was a mumma's boy. "Have you, have you spoken to her?"

"No, I wanted to talk to you." He turned to her. "I'm not sure you are ready, but can we please," he blew out a breath. "Can we please go talk to her when we get back?"

"How long have you been waiting to ask me about this?" She squeezed his shoulder. "All week? Love, we're supposed to share things that are heavy, the load is lighter across two backs."

"I, I know, I just thought." He looked down then up. "You had these plans, for us, for me." He bit his lips into his mouth like he was trying to button the truth in. "And you're always so scared, of just this, and it's like you thought. Not like I did. I thought my mum would trust me."

"She does Harry." Jo put her head on his collarbone. "She doesn't trust me."

"She will, when she sees us together. I know it." He was hurt, but always so certain. "On the way home, I'll text to ask if we can have a meal together." He rubbed his hands up and down her back to comfort them both. "Where would be best love? Our place, a restaurant? Neutral ground?"

Jo thought about it, "I want to say in public, so emotions won't get too strong. But, maybe we should give her home pitch?" Jo bit her lip. Harry must have been able to feel it, because he pulled back and looked at her and used a thumb to release the tortured flesh.

"She just needs to see that you're what makes my world spin round and round." Jo gulped. Yeah, he made her twirl madly.

"For how long?" Jo croaked. This was the part that made her heart sink to her belly and beat fast at the same time. When, where, what would be too much?

"What do you mean?" He smoothed her hair back.

"How long until people staring at us, and your mom being mad, or not having a relationship with her, or me wrinkling up, how long until I fall off your axis?" Jo, well, she'd recovered before, but wasn't sure she could this time. Just 17 days felt like torture.

"Jo!" He breathed and wrapped his thumbs around her ears, lifted her head to him. "I love my mother, but you are my choice. And she loves me, and we want a relationship, so she will have to learn to respect us, our future." He looked frustrated but cracked a grin, "and has anybody looked sideways at us this week?"

"No, I guess not." She cocked a glance at him. "Harry, I don't want to ruin your relationship with your mother." Jo shook her head. "I don't want to even change it!"

"Change is..." he rubbed his forehead against hers. "Like time, it's not going away. She and I will be ok. I will be ok if we are." He sighed. "And you act like this is temporary for me, but I've told you. Right, I want your tomorrows. Stop waiting for me to leave and be with me!" It was one of the most brutal tones he had ever taken with her. "Do you want me?"

"Yes, you know I do." Jo closed her eyes and sealed her promise with a breathy kiss.

"Then let's enjoy this day in the sun." They both looked at the muted light through the tent. "Or the mist, and go home."

"Ok. When will you talk to your mum?" Jo untangled herself from him and stood. Zoe was quiet in her tiny tent, but Jo wanted to see her face.

"When we get home. I'll call her." He sighed and then found a well of happiness she supposed. "I'd really like to spend a day with you ladies here, where it's beautiful and not worry about anything." He dimpled at Jo and she loved all of his parts, even the ones he didn't like so much, the ones that needed attention and validation frequently.

"I think that sounds lovely. How do you want to start, graduate?" She scrunched her nose at their inside joke.

"Well, Mrs. Robinson," they both laughed under their breath at the joke she'd started the day they got to the country. "Since there is no pool for me to lounge in, I think I'd like to just lay here with you and stay warm until the nymph comes to find us."

"Done." She lay down and opened her arms to him. His hair lay in curls on her chest and the color was similar enough to her own that could see herself as lady Godiva, hair to cover her revelations. That would be a funny picture, maybe she'd pitch it to Harry when he was stuck next time. The joke painting prompts usually led to something amazing.

"One more serious question?" It was easier with his face buried in her armpit. "How long will you be able to go without talking to your mum?" She wondered how Ethan would fair in this scenario.

"Not long, and she probably won't cut off communication, it's not her style. But she will be quietly disapproving and you'll be uncomfortable when we see her, maybe always." He nuzzled in. "So I'm hoping we win her over. You're charming." It tickled when he talked there. "See, I've got you giggling!" He looked at her and smoothed her hair back while she smiled at him. He just kissed her sweet and lay back on her chest and wrapped his arms around her. They stayed like that until the light brightened.

Jo looked out across the field to where Harry and Zoe were playing tag and finished setting up the drinks they'd gotten from the only grocery store seemingly for 20 miles. She was amazed that Zoe was in such a mood. She'd woken up grumpy, harrumphing into their tent complaining about being hungry and cold. Jo had pulled her into her arms and used her hands to create friction on her miniature biceps.

Then they had gotten up and around and made a store run. Zoe was not excited about hanging nearby her mother and kept taking off for the end of the aisle, the next aisle, the meat counter. Thankfully, the store was small, a collection of seven aisles and Zoe was loud, plus there were two of them to keep track of her. She was constantly afraid of the looks she and Hary may garner. In such a public place, but both here and at the restaurant the first two nights, when they'd stayed in town, there had been none. Harry's 'I told you so' smile could only be kissed off his face.

In any case, she and Harry were able to keep Zoe in eyeline, and get the picnic shopping. Jo had been sad it was their last day, well sad about reality intruding, mostly.

It felt like time though, when Zoe had a fit in the middle of the tiny grocery store because there was no Tesco brand juice. It wasn't Tesco, so of course there wasn't, but that was not a sufficient reason for Zoe. Jo loved her tenacity, but somethings were simply not possible right in the moment. When she was like this, there was no comforting her. In a few minutes, she would pick herself up, fold into Jo and in an hour she'd say sorry. But right now her emotions were too big for her little body and surely her vocabulary.

Her fits had gotten better as she got older once they had rounded the six month mark on three. That stopped Jo cold. Then so had she and Harry. Six months. That was both a tiny amount of time, and a life changing chunk.

She walked over to Harry then. He was a few feet away, and Zoe was not quite finished Jo could tell by the tenor of her cries. He rose his eyebrows at her.

"We've been together six months." Jo looked up at him, in a day old t-shirt because he hadn't packed adequately and his skinny jeans, hair scraped up in a bun.

"I know." Harry looked confused by her outburst, and she glanced round. People were probably staring, the five people in the general store. Maybe at Zoe, maybe at her, usually at Harry.

She didn't care.

Jo planted her mouth against him and kissed him for god and Cumbria to see.

His smiles for the rest of the day shone like a mega watt bulb, Like the ones the photography students used for over exposure. Made sense, that's what he wanted and what they would get, exposure, openness. It was a desire he alluded to or named often. The first dinner they went to her held her hand conspicuously and sat next to her. Mine.

The food was ready, and she was just about to call them to eat the picnic, but when Jo looked up, Harry was looking back at her. The hills around him were bright green, and his eyes were glowing kelly at her. The food would wait.

Jo got her legs under her and the feeling of the wind rushing passed her face, Zoe's fleece slipping through her fingers, and Harry catching her when she thought she'd gotten away was like freedom. Being let out of a gilded cage. One she had put herself in.

It would be alright. They'd make it, she told herself, while she watched him drive them home. Home he called it. She wasn't ready to move him in, but, "Will you keep your place while you're abroad?"

"Haven't 100% decided I'm going abroad." He glanced at her before checking Zoe in the backseat where she colored, and then back to the road.

"What percent are you at?" Jo missed him already, and they had six weeks to fill if he went. He had to go.

"Odds are 85 in favor."

What's the other 15?" She knew the answer.

"The other 15 will miss the creases on your face in the morning so much that I'll get kicked out for painting only them." He reached for her hand. "But I was going to move my stuff to mum's. Figure it out later, might as well save the money, or use it to see Canada, ya know."

"What if you moved it into my place? And we figured it out when you got back, if it and you should stay there." Jo lurched forward. "What are you doing?"

The car pulled onto the slim shoulder and he put the car in park and liked to pull her over the gear shift with his hands on her face.

"Are you asking me to move in with you?" He spoke against her mouth.

"Sort of. In 8 months time." She tried to shrug, but he kissed her again. Fill of emotion, but no tongue until Zoe laughed and a car honked.

"Then yes, I'll shack up with you." He was giddy.

"After Montreal!" She said

"Or Venice."

They were both so excited they were vibrating. The hours until Zoe went down felt long and Jo put lavender oil in the bath and on the soles of her feet to gentle her to sleep.

Harry was waiting at the foot of the stairs. "Harr-" he cut her off with a lip lock that felt like he'd thrown away the key and jumped her onto his hips. He was full of desire, but not the kind she was used to, the charge that made it nearly impossible to stay away from him, or not kiss him, or stop watching him work his hand over his cock.

This felt like a brimming, an effervescence, where champagne spills over the lip of a beautiful piece of glass because someone was too excited to pour carefully.

Her bedding wrapped around her and she sighed at the soft landing. His naked chest rolled her t-shirt against her stomach and his hands pulled it over her head. She'd quit her bra when they got home and he quit working her neck when he got her breasts free. He was moving fast and she expected him to keep at it. But then, he stopped. His hurry evaporated in the warm room and he inched up the temperature by slowing his pace to a snail's crawl. Not an inch of her bust or belly or pelvis went untouched. The soft trials of his fingertips, the touch that made her gasp every time, was enough to set her skin on edge and her pores to open. She was sweaty by the time she was begging.

He started to move lower, pulled her plaid pants from her hips and mouth descending into the v her legs made.

"No, need you inside, Harry!" She'd reached between their damp skins and clutched his velvety cock. Too ansty to please, she stroked once and collected the precum, before notching him into the seam of her body.

"Fuck!" They both gasped and her hand slicked the cum onto his bottom lip to lick off with him a moment later.

The rock and rock roll of him into her was giving her a fever. "I'm burning up, lover." She swore repeatedly.

"I'll cool you down, baby. Just hold on." Harry trailed a hand up her hip to grasp her shoulder underneath. The round roll of his hips had her reeling like a topspun ball.

Jo cast her head back, the first time she had broken eye contact with him since they began it seemed and called his name. "Har-Harry!" He groaned in response and when she opened her eyes again, his green didn't catch her focus, not like it did always, but the yellow light near her door.

There stood her son. And his body was backlit, like he was a ghost.

"Ethan!" Jo startled.

Harry must not have heard her where his head was buried in her neck.

'You're fucking my mum?' she expected Ethan to yell, but instead his voice was wet and thin, it amazed her she could hear it over Harry's groan of completion.

"Har-Harry," his voice hit a familiar hitch, "how could you do this to me?"

[lanonima]

faceheightknifefight replied to your post: faceheightknifefight replied to...

Ok damn are you getting yours off Amazon? Cause they are Not Cheap

I did in the beginning but then I started getting them from https://www.libraccio.it/

They have a lot of sales and also they sometimes have used books for half price! Shipping might be a tad bit more expensive but it’s generally faster in my experience. You might also take a look on ebay.it, I haven’t bought any of these books there but I have got other stuff

I think there are also ebook versions available on libraccio and other sites, but I don’t have an e-reader so I couldn’t go that route

I just checked and the first book is available used and via ebook right now: https://www.libraccio.it/libro/9788856603989/tea-stilton/principessa-dei-ghiacci-principesse-del-regno-della-fantasia-vol-1.html

[cheeselist]

Rutland Red

On about the first sunny day in 2021, we decided to take Friday afternoon off and use a boring chore as an excuse to visit Royal Tunbridge Wells (a place that previously I’d only seen late at night while on a forced detour from the A21, and believe me that’s not the time to be spotting well-preserved architecture or sniffing out tea and cake). Fragrant Tunbridge Wells has a severe parking problem, but once finally in a metered spot I then had 59 minutes to kill. At moments like this, I immediately search out a cheese shop - and found one 24 minutes walk away at the north end of town, quite some way from the quaint Pantiles and delightfully wonky Georgian houses of the High Street.

Rutland Red is an interesting one - it’s made by Long Clawson dairy, a giant operation who produce all those fruit-laden Stiltons you see at Christmas (and personally I avoid at all costs); but they have a premium wing too called Thomas Hoe Stevenson, named after a founder of the dairy. Mr Stevenson was a cheese maker in the Vale of Belvoir (see previous post on Beauvale cheese for some notes on Belvoir), and initially followed his father in Stilton production before setting up Long Clawson. The cheeses under this label include a Shropshire Blue and a mature Stilton, and are generally only available from cheesemongers rather than supermarkets.

Rutland Red is technically a Red Leicester, a cheese made in that county using surplus milk from the more highly prized Stilton. In many ways it is very similar to cheddar except for the obvious colour difference. Apparently it used to be called just Leicester cheese, but there was a white version produced during wartime rationing, and so the ‘Red’ name has since stuck for the coloured version. The colour comes from annatto, a mild spice from South America, although centuries ago it may have been coloured with beetroot or carrot juice (carrot juice is still used in Ludlow Blue). The Rutland Red of Long Clawson is buttered and cloth-bound (these steps seal in moisture), and matured for up to six months. It has a firm but also flaky bite - a lovely, satisfying texture - and is at first salty but with quite a sweet fruitiness in the background, and maybe even a hint of fennel. The finish is creamy and rich. It would be a real stunner on a cheeseboard, a giant slab of tasty orange.

£2.45/100g. The Cheese Shop, Tunbridge Wells

[paradox-oflife]

q and a part 6 pls ignore

1. Who was your favourite teacher at school and why? My 9th grade Lit teacher. She was the kindest soul I’ve ever met.

2. Whats your favourite party game? I LOVE MAFIA. I’m not talking about basic mafia. You gotta play upgraded versions. I personally love playing one called One Night Ultimate Werewolf. I also like playing the law version which is made for super big groups - There’s police involved, and they choose the mafia. The person accused can hire lawyers who defend them. The police have to present their reasoning, and the lawyers have to figure out how to prove them wrong. God it’s basically Danganronpa isn’t it.

3. Is it acceptable or unacceptable to smack a child as form of discipline? Now this is controversial, and understandably so.  I personally would never hit my child and yell at them. But for other people, if it’s a light smack, like a pat, I guess it’s alright. But otherwise nothing harder than that.

4. Can a hetrosexual male ever wear pink? Um, yes??? Do what you want man.

5. Is it criminal to wear socks with sandals? Listen I’ve seen too many people wear these in public to the point where I’m numb to it.

6. If you were captain of a ship, what would you call it? Make it an obscure video game reference or an inside joke. 

7. If you were to join an emergency service which would it be? Probably the medical side of things, like an EMT. Or a firefighter. EMT’s go through a lot of pressure.

8. If you were to join one of the armed forced which would it be? Maybe coast guard. But I really would not want to join the military. I’m too sensitive. If people yell at me I’d probably cry lol. And there’s the colorblind test.

9. Whats the worst thing about being your gender? Periods. And the pain of child birth. Also how it’s scary to walk alone at night sometimes.

10. Whats the best thing about being your gender? Of course this doesn’t apply to everyone, but I feel like sometimes the friendships girls have are more emotional than boys.

11. If you swapped genders for a day how would you spend it? Honestly? Just observe my body. Not in a sexual manner but like, how does it feel like to not have boobs? How does it feel to have a dick???

12. If you were exiled what country would you choose as your new home? I’m moving back to New Zealand lol. I already have a passport and family there. Or maybe Canada if I don’t want a big culture difference

13. Have you ever made someone cry? Yeah :( Not through verbal attack though. I accidentally kicked a football into a girl’s face.

14. Have you ever starred in a school play? In the first elementary school I went to, it was mandatory to do a play. So yes. Three, actually.

15. Were you a member of any celebrity fanclub? Nope

16. Have you ever been a member of any other club? Yes! Animal Services and Protection, CSF (volunteering stuff), Martial Arts

17. If you could have a full scholarship to any university what would you choose to study? The university I’m going to rn

18. Whats been your greatest ever day? I have a lot. One of my favorites was going to an amusement park at the end of middle school. Had a blast.

19. What historical period would you like to live in if you could go back in time? Hmm... Maybe during the Age of Enlightment?

20. What would you bring along to an idillic picnic? My friends, no phones, music, and a sandwich.

21. Whats your favourite childrens story? Does Harry Potter count? I guess not really. When i was little I loved Geronimo Stilton LMAO

22. What movie ending really frustrated you? And how would you change it? The Mist. I mean, it frustrated me not because it was bad, but because it was so FRUSTRATING.

23. What three things do you think of most each day? Now we’re in quarantine, “I wonder how my friends are doing?” “What am I doing with my life?” “Will life be the same?”

24. What do you call your evening meal? Dinner Tea or Supper? Dinner

25. What do you call your after meal sweet? Pudding or Dessert? Dessert. I usually just have a fruit

26. If you had a warning label, what would yours say? “Warning! Certified Grade A Clown!”

27. Have you ever got sweet revenge on anyone? Can’t really think of one

28. Have you ever been to a live concert? aaaah no i really want to though

29. Have you ever been to see stand up comedy? It was a long time ago on a cruise. It was pretty funny :D

30. Have you ever needed stitches? Yup. If you observe closely, you can see a faint scar near my eye. If it was a bit more obvious I’d look like an anime villain lol

31. If you could invent brand new baby names what would they be? LMAO imagine naming your child like, Fire Emblem names. “Hi yes this is my baby, um, his name is Chrom”

32. Do your dreams ever tell you to do anything? I have the most bizarre dreams. They’re super vivid. They range from me summoning tornados, to me being killed in some Danganronpa world. I dreamed of a school shooting once and a couple days later some other school in my state had a shooting

33. Who's your favourite radio 1 DJ? I don’t really listen to radio lol

34. Whats the best way to your heart? Be a good person. Have good morals.

35.  Do you know your own mobile phone number off by heart? Um yes??? 

36. If you were a fashion designer, what style of clothing or accessories would you design? Just comfortable hoodies that don’t change when you wash it.

37. Do you ever laugh at things you shouldn't? I laugh when I’m nervous. Like I go like, “hahahawhat the hell”. I also laugh when I’m shocked.

38. Have you ever been in a submarine? Yes! But it wasn’t underwater.

39. Have you ever walked out of a cinema before the film was done? Nope. 

40. What song would you say best sums you up? Eeeh i can’t decide but Read my Mind by the Killers. Their music video. When he’s twitching his arms, but he’s acting like everything’s fine.

41. Do you have any old friends would wish you could meet up with again? Yeah :( I had a super super close friend from 4th grade and we slowly drifted apart. By the time of high school we just stopped. I want to be friends with her again :((( I really miss her

42. Whats your favourite Nursery Rhyme? Idk... ring around a rosy maybe just because the context of the lyrics lol

43. Do you prefer metric or imperial measurements? Of course I’d take metric over imperial, but I’m used to it by now.

44. Who's your favourite monarch of all time?Queen Elizabeth I

45. What was the last thing you ate? These Asian things called Zong Zi in Chinese. I’m pretty sure like every country has their own version of it lol/

46. Whats your favourite farmyard animal? I love baby chickens but cows for me I guess

47. If you could choose one celebrity to be the father/mother of your child who would it be? Just someone who’s caring. Tyler Joseph

48. What would you do if someone proposed to you tomorrow? If it’s someone I like, then I’d freak out. Because I’m way too young for it.

49. What are your 3 favourite internet sites? Reddit, youtube, and uh... tumblr or wikipedia. I use tumblr mobile way often

50. How high can you jump? Never measured but definitely not that high

51. Which fictional character do you wish was real? aw man i would say a character but then that would imply their universe exists

52. Who was your first crush? PHFFT IT WAS probably Marshall Lee from the genderbent episodes of Adventure Time.

53. Whats the greatest thing about being your nationality? The food

54. Whats the least greatest thing about being your nationality? Having to explain the difference between Taiwan and China. Like. It’s understandable.

55. Do you believe in destiny, fate or free will? I kinda correlate destiny with fate. It’s a bit paradoxical. We have free will to do whatever we want, but whatever choice you make will end up being your “destiny”

56. If you could talk to one species of animal which would it be? Dogs. They just seem so happy all the time. I want to tell my dog I love him so much.

57. If you had friends round what DVD's would you have to watch? Mean Girls, Heathers, Legally Blonde, or Daria

58. Do you like vanilla or chocolate? Vanilla>>> fight me

59. Are you a giver or a receiver? Both

60. Do you have any enemies? Yeah. Me.

61. Are you scared of needles? YES YES YES

62. How many piercings do you have? Nah I was going to get my ears pierced a while ago but something came up so ever since I’ve jsut haven’t gotten it done

63. Have you ever got majorly lost trying to get somewhere? yes it was scary. Had to use google maps because I have a terrible sense of direction

64. How fast can you say the alphabet? 4 seconds

65. Do you say "Zee" or "Zed" to describe the letter Z? Zee

66. What was the last thing to make you feel happy? My dog fell asleep at my feet and I couldn’t move for the past hour but I love him

67. What was the last thing to make you feel angry? A friend of mine. I love her and all but she takes a week to respond to my texts. And I’m tired of waiting.

68. You are walking to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss told you if you are late one more time you're fired. Do you save the dog? Okay realistically I immediately call animal control or the nearest vet or something. But in some alternate universe I’d take pictures as proof, grab the dog, then get it out.

69. Are you the kind of friend you'd want to have as a friend yourself? I perceive myself as a not so great person. But my friends perceive me as a good person. So yeah. i mean, I might not text first sometimes but if smoeone texted me I’d always respond asap!

70. Do you have any questions or queries about things you're just to scared or embarrassed to ask anyone about? Do my friends like me as much as I like them? I’m so scared of that

71. If you were a wrestler what would your stage name be? and what would your special move be called? Haha maybe like Paradoxical (yes thats my blizzard tag) I’d do something like a shihonage

72. Whats the most interesting thing you can see out of your nearest window? A cat

73. Do you think Barbie is a negative role model for young girls? There’s a lot of Barbie models out there. I don’t think they’re completely bad. But there’s negative things.

74. Have you ever needed an eye test? Don’t have glasses so no. But I might need some soon at the rate of time i spend on electronics

75. Do you find yourself attractive? No. I’m just. Average.

76. Can you roll your R's? Yes

77. What social class do you consider yourself or your family background to be in? Upper middle class

78. Do you know any magic tricks? I used to but I never execute them well enough to convince anyone lol

79. Whats the largest amount of money you've ever won? I ever won? Probably like, $100 lol

80. Whats the largest amount of money you've spent in one spree? $200, if we’re not talking necessities.

81. Whats the largest amount of money you've had to borrow off of a friend or family member? I don’t borrow money. But the most from a friend was like $20 maybe.

82. Have you ever been on a cable car? Yeah, San Francisco is known for that stuff. But I’ve only been on one like, twice.

83. Do you prefer Honey or Jam? Jam! But I like honey too.

84. Do you prefer the French or Germans? Uuuuh, French?

85. How fast can you get changed? Pretty damn fast, if we’re talking my normal outfit.

86. How fast do you type? Around 98 wpm

87. How fast can you run? I’m a decent sprinter. I got 12 seconds on a 100m dash.

88. Which is better, Mario or Sonic? Mario. But both are cool

89. Whats your favourite biscuit to dunk? (im assuming british biscuit but in that case idk)

90. Which would you rather have if you had to, a broken leg or a broken arm? Arm. I like walking around.

91. Do you read a daily newspaper? Nah

92. Do you watch the news on TV? Sometimes

93. Have you ever had anything published? Nope

94. Do you believe in love at first sight? Not really. I mean, Romeo and Juliet, and Frozen has warned us right

95. How many remote controls do you have in your house? Two.

96. Have you ever been in a hot tub or sauna? Yes, and it’s hella

97. Have you ever had chicken pox? Nope. Vaccines rock

98. Do you own a lava lamp? Nah, it seems cool but I’d be too mesmerized by it

[carlsonknives]

GLAMPING | A Weekend Of Glamping & Walking at Whitemead Forest Park

The path leading to the pods at Whitemead Forest Park

Where Did We Go?

Whitemead Forest Park Parkend, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4LA

Tel: 03301 230374 Prices: From £48.00 per night for a glamping pod that sleeps up to 4 people

Our Stay

Setting off late on Friday afternoon, we’re well and truly in holiday mode as we drive from Cheshire down to Gloucestershire. We decide on the scenic route, taking in the beautiful Shropshire countryside and as the sun sets we make good time, pulling up at Whitemead Forest Park at around 7:30pm.

The Mega Pod X we stayed in

We receive a warm greeting and are told all about the park facilities and given directions to find our glamping pod, our home for the next 3 days. We park up in the designed space for The Hollow 19, unpack the car and spend a few minutes walking the short distance from the car park to our pod.

Once all bags are safely inside we close the door and take in the interior space. The Mega Pod X is bright and spacious and very well appointed with a big sofa (which also turns into a bed should you need to sleep more than 2), a comfy double bed, a small bathroom with shower and even a little kitchen.

Inside the Mega Pod X

Getting our priorities right, we start off by filling the little fridge with Gin and tonic water, before going on a walk around the site to get our bearings, no mean feat in the dark, but the areas by the pods all have clearly marked paths with low-level lighting so as not to detract from the dark skies, which make for some great star gazing.

Forest Point, the main facilities block at Whitemead Forest Park

We end up at the main Forest Point building which includes Foresters Restaurant & Bar and we’re relieved to find that despite our late arrival, we’ve still got plenty of time to grab drinks at the bar and have some dinner. We choose fajitas and ribs, and are delighted to find they even stock our favourite Whitley Neill gin behind the bar.

Chicken fajitas and ribs in Foresters Restaurant

Sated and relaxed, we return back to the pod. At this point the weather is still dry, and we’re slightly disappointed not to have a fire pit (shown in the pictures on the website), having bought a bag of logs and kindling with us, anticipating sitting outside beside the fire in the evening, though as the weather turns on the second night our disappointment is short lived.

Some of the lovely grounds at Whitemead Forest Park

We wake after a lovely sleep on Saturday to great weather and after breakfast (the full English and the veggie breakfasts are pretty good) we head off on foot to explore and spend a few hours out walking in the Forest.

Back at the pods after a morning out walking

We return in time for afternoon tea, which we’d pre-booked for early afternoon, just before we’re due to try archery, and the quirky picnic bench is full of yummy food and sweet treats. Although not sweet-toothed, and thoroughly stuffed from the stilton soup, mini fish and chips, burger and brie bites, we opt for a doggy-bag and take the various cakes and cookies back to our pod.

Afternoon tea picnic bench at Whitemead Forest Park

Archery proves to be a lot of fun with good instruction and some fun games to keep it interesting. My companion for the weekend experiences what can only be explained as serious beginners luck; having never done archery before, he manages an impressive 5 bullseyes to my much less impressive 2, though I feel as the session continues that my aim is getting better and I’m more regularly hitting decent numbers, as opposed to missing the target entirely.

Archery at Whitemead Forest Park

We’ve glamped in such a wide variety of accommodation in the last few years, but the most ubiquitous has to be timber glamping pods similar to those we are staying in, and it’s easy to understand why they’re such a popular choice. They provide warm, comfortable accommodation whatever the weather making them a practical option, and at Whitemead they have several different types of accommodation to choose from, from lodges and apartments through to several different kinds of pods, starting from the B&B Pod right up to the Mega Pod XL.

A giant Redwood in the grounds of the park

Site Facilities

As well as various different accommodation options including caravan touring pitches, the site has excellent facilities. The grounds are attractive and very well kept, with lots of green open spaces, and of course lots of trees! We spotted countless squirrels and pheasants in the grounds and loved the little bug hotel and the stunning huge Redwood tree.

The bug hotel at Whitemead Forest Park

There’s a shooting range, indoor pool, a really well-equipped gym and there’s also nightly entertainment too, with everything from bingo to live music. Although that’s not really our thing, it appeared to be packed out every night! Activities wise, like us you can choose archery, or if you fancy it zorbing, crossbow shooting, fencing, teddy bear making and more. Take a look at Go Active at Whitemead Forest Park to find out more.

One of the two kids play parks

As well as a huge field for ball games and running around, there’s also giant outdoor chess, table tennis and there are two really lovely play parks for the kids, though we gazed longingly at the adventure play park (above) wishing they had an adult version!

Out and About

The Forest of Dene is a really lovely area with loads to do. Usually we’d pack our time with heaps of sight seeing and activities, but this weekend was mainly about some much needed relaxation and with storm Freya making an appearence, the pod provided a snug and cosy sanctuary.

Making the most of the stormy weather in our rain ponchos

Out walking, we found the Dean Forest Railway, a lovely heritage railway, though we didn’t quite manage to get the timing right for a ride, but it’s only a short 10 minute away from Whitemead Forest Park.

The Dean Forest Railway

The Forest of Dene is right on your doorstep making it easy to head out on foot to explore the lovely woodland. The area is superb for both walkers and mountain bikers but not too far away, you’ll find visitor attractions like Puzzlewood, Goodrich Castle and the Forest of Dene Sculpture Trail.

Out walking in the Forest of Dene

The Verdict

We had a fantastic long weekend break and returned home feeling truly refreshed and like we really had been ‘away’. With staycations on the rise and so many different types of holiday parks and glamping sites to choose from, Whitemead Forest Park is perfect for family holidays and ideal as a weekend getaway for couples.

The park is really pretty with plenty of wide open green spaces and of course lots of trees, so you really do get the feeling that you are in a forest, rather than just in another uninspiring holiday park. The leisure facilities are very good and there’s a great selection of accommodation to choose from. The glamping pod we stayed in provided a really cosy and comfy base and there’s plenty for families to do and great facilities to keep the kids entertained.

Some of the grounds

Pros

Great value for money, from the accommodation to the activities – far better value than a stay at somewhere like Center Parcs for example.

Table service in Foresters restaurant was very good and service throughout our stay was good. Hayley in particular who we dealt with a few times was superb.

There’s a good choice of food on the menu and the quality of food was good too.

The restaurant area was bright and modern and nice to spend time in.

Good on-site facilities including a great little shop and superb leisure facilities with a gym and an indoor pool.

Archery was a lot of fun, with great instruction and there are lots of other options to choose if that doesn’t take your fancy.

The location of the site is really good and you can go walking in the Forest of Dean right from the site.

Cons

Storage in the pods isn’t great. We used the space under the double bed to keep our bags, but there’s nowhere to hang anything, so you’ll need to live out of your bags.

The weather was wet and stormy and we really could have done with a doormat as we found the wooden floor got really wet and muddy and it was difficult to keep clean in bad weather.

Thank you to Boundless Breaks UK who invited us to stay at Whitemead Forest Park. We were not paid to write this review.

The post GLAMPING | A Weekend Of Glamping & Walking at Whitemead Forest Park appeared first on Camping Blog Camping with Style | Active, Outdoors & Glamping Blog.

Original Source http://www.campingwithstyle.co.uk/glamping-a-weekend-of-glamping-walking-at-whitemead-forest-park/ For the best knives to use whilst camping check out Carlson Knives http://www.carlsonknives.com/

[lavegetarienne]

plus facile à faire en version vegan que les potted shrimps, pas vrai?

je vous éclaire: les potted shrimps, ou beurre de crevette en français, c'est un plat anglais traditionnel fait de crevettes grises conservées dans du beurre à la muscade (et parfois au piment); on le tartine généralement sur du pain. c'est aussi un des plats préférés de James Bond 

et ouais.

bon, vous voilà bien avancé/es instruit/es.

nous, on parle de potted cheese. watizis?  demanderait Fleur Delacour.

initialement, cette recette est destinée à "recycler" les morceaux de fromage inutilisés ou un peu vieux en fromage à tartiner. on la fait généralement à température ambiante, aujourd'hui je vous propose une version fondue, et je vous en reparle dès que j'ai tenté l'autre version (deubeule plaijeure)

depuis que j'ai vu la recette dans ma bible Afternoon Tea  et que j'en ai vu chez Fortnum & Mason, je n'ai eu de cesse de vouloir le répliquer (oué t'as vu, je cause bien, desfois)

alors je me la suis faite pour mon anniversaire. c'est pas le best cadeau que j'aie eu, mais...pas loin. je valide et je recommande +++

  j'ai eu un peu de mal à doser et adapter avec du faux cheddy, mais... ayé, je la tiens la bougresse (la recette hein)

il vous faudra donc un cheddar vegan de qualité, qui fond bien. le regretté Teese était parfait, le Wilmersburger n'a pas été très coopératif, le Violife ... ben c'est lui The One.

ingrédients

- 250g de cheddar vegan (un autre fromage est autorisé, les Anglais font aussi avec du Stilton, ou les deux, je vous rappelle qu'il s'agit à la base d'écouler les restes

) - 75g de St Hub ou autre margarine végétale de votre choix (mais le St Hub, c'est bien quand même: bio, sans huile de palme, tout ça quoi

) - 1 pincée de macis (si vous avez, sinon de la noix de muscade) - 1 cuillère à café de moutarde forte (la mienne elle est à la bière!

) en poudre si possible (j'en ai aussi, j'ai mis des deux, non je frime pas, je vous esplik 

) - 2 cuillères à soupe de porto, ou de sherry (ce à quoi se pinte Sybil Trelawney, si ma mémoire est bonne) - poivre moulu - un peu de persil pour garnir - re un peu de St Hub (pour la conservation; mais... m'est avis que vous aurez pas besoin de le conserver très longtemps le potted cheese...

)

préparation

faire fondre une petite quantité de St Hub dans une casserole pour graisser le fond. couper le cheddar/fromage en morceaux, et les ajouter dans la casserole. laisser fondre à feu très doux, en remuant quasi constamment ("constant vigilance!" dirait le professeur Moody... je suis à donf dans la référence Harry Potter moi today...

)

ajouter le St Hub, puis la moutarde, le macis/la muscade, le poivre, et bien mélanger. goûter et rectifier l'assaisonnement à votre goût.

terminer par le porto/sherry (moi j'ai mis du porto

) et bien mélanger à nouveau. transvaser dans un joli petit pot (comme ça il est "potted", get it? 

) et laisser refroidir.

pour la couche de beurre de conservation: il faut préparer du St Hub clarifié, du ghee, quoi. pour ce faire, laisser ramollir 1 cuillère à soupe de St Hub/margarine à tempérture ambiante (vous pouvez l'aider un peu en le mettant dehors, il fait chaud là!!) il va se déphaser en deux parties distinctes: une partie opaque et claire et un liquide jaune et huileux;  c'est ce dernier qui nous intéresse. resolidifier l'ensemble au fridge sans mélanger, bien sûr (sinon à quoi ça sert, hein?? je vous le demande

)

gratter la partie jaune et huileuse avec un couteau à beurre (

oui il est communément admis de posséder un couteau à beurre, même si on est vegan) et en recouvrir délicatement le potted cheese. vous pouvez jeter l'autre partie, c'est les "impuretés" (eeeek!! dégueu!!!

)

voilà c'est prêt! conservez au fridge jusqu'à étalage de votre maîtrise sur des petits crackers à l'avoine (typical) ou du pain grillé (so français).

  c'est tellement bon, que j'ai eu une proposition, non pas de mariage,  mais de commander plusieurs tonnes de cheddar vegan et de St Hub, ne se nourrir plus que de ça, devenir obèse et ne plus jamais sortir de l'appartement. je suis en pleine réflexion... 

[beccaislearning]

New year, new me?

It’s Epiphany, and so all the twinkly lights come down, taking the rest of Christmas hygge with them, given that we’re already eating salad and drinking green tea since that awful moment on December 30th when you looked in the mirror and was appalled to discover just how much like a mince pie your face was starting to look. It is grey outside but now that the new year has started we are once again obliged to venture out to earn a living/be a contributing member of society/give the living room a chance to stop smelling like bodies. Our bodies are coming off the sugar and cheese high and we’re having to live with meals that are just regular meals, not special occasion meals where the normal rules of calorific contents don’t apply.

And then there’s the aching anticipation of a new year. Maybe even more so given that none of us want another 2016 ever again. It seems we collectively crawled into Christmas with the needs for love, rest, warmth and consolation more than the Christmases before. How can I make this one different? How how can I optimise my life, revamp my career to be more impactful, declutter my house, be more green, incorporate a new two hour skincare regime (given that the years are ticking by so) and polish off two litres of water a day? If you go on Pinterest the site is rife with plans to actualise our full potentials, be smarter, work harder, rest in more exciting ways. Then you can become the robot women from the internet who leap into the air only to be met by the most perfect quote written in the most perfect font and nothing will be bad ever again. In the last week I’ve watched about five TED talks that have offered to fix my mind so that I will never take any sh*t ever again. 

Here I just want to venture, for myself, and for any of you that may relate to my slightly mad previous two paragraphs, that culturally we might be creating the perfect storm by meeting the Christmas come down with ALL THE EXPECTATIONS one year can just about carry. Set to the backdrop of a climate that makes getting up and out far more difficult at this time of year. My antidote? Being extremely gentle with ourselves and each other. 

By all means go ahead with starting back at work and life after the break with a positive attitude and conviction in your abilities and resolve. That’s wonderful and admirable. But be so very careful when you feel your resolve becoming a little bit manic or panicky. Or when you substitute stilton for celery, make sure you’re doing it with self-love, and be really gentle when you start to notice the self-punishment creeping in. For me, I know that now, when I’m gearing up for a whole new year that I need more kindness and bolstering to get my show back on the road. And for this, I also need to give myself permission to self-administer this TLC with wisdom, generosity, and the commitment that I’d have if I were picking up one of my dearest friends. I need to become one of my dearest friends, which combines the desire for an optimised life with the acceptance and love for the person who is here, as they are now.

I’ve found the last week really tough. I had all my laughably predictable ideas about how I was going to enter 2017 and become the most shining and glorious version of myself, and then I got hit with some kind of relapse. When this happens I find it so hard not to rage against my broken body and the mind that is pin-balling around this broken down vehicle. I rage against the God who is the silent audience to these moments in the pit where my arms and legs become leaden. Once I’ve given over to my private tantrums, it strikes me that I’ll need to extra faith, yet more bravery, and a little more yielding to grace, that I might be worthy of love here, too. That rather than channeling the energy I would’ve done into work, exercise, socialising in the outside world, etc, I might need the courage to channel this energy into loving the dissapointingly flawed and vulnerable person I am left with instead.

So here I am, with my new bullet journal and a deep desire for a new year that leaves behind the last one in so many ways. I want to be wiser about how I use my time and resources. I want to work, achieve and even soar in ways that I haven’t been able to for a few years. But once again, I think I might also be learning that the most terrifying achievement might be the one most clearly set before me, which is to go deeper in learning to experience love, grace and contentment with the old me and my all too familiar imperfections me that took me through 2016 and will still accompany me through 2017.