Urgh. I feel exhausted and ill and under the weather (which is shite as is) and I'm anxious about packing and moving but too cold and tired to do anything about it and the new midshipman is mean.

Sailing was wonderful, apart from the fact that it was too windy for us to actually go sailing. We slept on the boat (a Bermuda rigged sloop *nods*), which was great - the kitchen! My uncle cooked a roast dinner, in his boat's kitchen! And it is so amazing, and beautiful and it is called Maj (pronounced 'May', for it is a Swedish boat). So, because it was too dangerous to sail, we stayed in the marina. Mum and brothers lounged around with uncle's wife, but my uncle was absolutely ecstatic to have someone so enthusiastic. I learnt: different types of rigging, tacking, points of sail, how to send a mayday, boat signals, how to use the radio, how to use the winches and about a dozen knots. He said I had a natural flair. Oh, so exciting! I can do a bowline around myself with one hand and my eyes closed. I've never been good at anything remotely practical, so this is very exciting. He suggests I take a Competent Crew exam, and then he could take me with him when he sails to Lisbon! AIEEE!

Highwayman's hitch = BEST KNOT EVER.

I also gave him one of my many pimping copies of Master and Commander, and his was probably the best reaction so far. He skimmed through, occasionally reading a sentence: "'Can you hand, reef and steer?' Ha! I'm going to love this book! A running bowline for a man overboard? What? Oh, more rigging! Oh, I didn't know that sail was around then! Oh, I will love this book!"

A few people are round, and what was a very boring discussion on the Olympics and politics has descended, by way of chicken sandwiches and a lot of alcohol, into a proper Irish party - shouting along to The Solider's Son, Noreen Bawn, The Wearing of the Green and Rare Old Mountain Dew! That is how you do it! Now, where is the poitin...?

-  Mum: K.T., I'll be back by one - I'm just going out to get Matt's uniform!
   Elb: How come Matt gets a unicorn?!
   Mum: Uniform.
   Elb: Oh. :(

-  Stephen was a bit below-the-belt to Sir Arthur Wellesley in the Crown last night.

-  I'm going to make some oyster rice.

And thus my present life is summed up in bullet points.

At the moment, I am laughing with glee whenever I visit Show the Colours (which means my throat is sore. I visit it a lot. ¬¬). I mean, I know that the forum description of The Sign of the Crown is "A place to post silly stuff, modern stuff and more. All in character, of course.", but to try and incite revolution in Narnia? ROFLMAO.

I love this place. I love these people. XD

In real life news, I visited Untold Blessings yesterday! It was wonderful. I think I must have looked a bit mazed, staring round in wonder at it all, but I am so excited. A house! With a bedroom! And sofas! And mugs! footnotetoplato  decided that the one thing my life really, really needed was another procrastination tool, so he and his brother taught me the rudiments of Magic: The Gathering. I went for a visit to Pembroke, for I do love it and miss it so, and I might have bought another pimping copy of Master and Commander in the Oxfam shop on the way back. ¬¬ I was probably most excited by my keys. I have keys! Shiny house keys, that jingle and shine, and open the door to our house! XD

So. Um. This is sort of something that I have been pondering (BATTLING) all summer, and someone on this flist just triggered it. And so I ask.

What might people's feelings towards a very, really, honestly informal meet-once-a-week-in-G&Ds-watch-a-film-sometimes Oxford Age of Sail Club?

Is there one? I don't think there is - I certainly haven't heard of it. All fandoms would of course be welcome (Even that perfidious cad...), or even, *gasp* historical Age of Sail. Um. Thoughts?

Let it never be said that I do not know my weaknesses, and above all, my kryptonite, my wolfsbane is... forms. I cannot cope. If someone hands me a form, it takes great will-power not to scream and hide under the table. Even cheques panic me. Future housemates will attest to the fact that every time I fill out a cheque, I need someone to check I've done it right.

And as term-time is approaching, this is the time for going, "Has my student loan come through? It must have. I put the form in this folder - WHERE'S THE FORM! I HAVE NO MONEY! I'M GOING TO DIE ON THE STRE- oh, no, wait, here it is. ARGH! THAT'S LAST YEAR'S FORM! I'M GOING TO DIE- no, it is this year's. That's good. Right. Who else do I need to send money to? House people? I think they have it all... Now, what other things do I need to - I have a bank account now? WOE! No, that's good, because that's where the student loan goes - does Untold Blessings have insurance? Yes, but what about possessions? I got that insurance last year. But now I have to change it! What's my password? Do I have a password? Operator! Put me onto the insurance people! I DON'T CARE!"

Yes, I am going to be living in a house next year! Untold Blessings! The part of my brain that is not shrieking in a corner is really excited. Unfortunately, this part of my brain is currently not very big-

I'M GOING TO HAVE A BIKE NEXT YEAR! I NEED TO INSURE IT! I NEED A LOCK! AND A HELMET! I DON'T KNOW HOW TO RIDE A BIKE IN A CITY! I'M GOING TO DIEEEEEE-

What is the one thing you do not want to happen when visiting China?

Be arrested by airport security.

Eh heh heh heh.

Okay, okay, so I wasn't arrested. It seemed close for a moment though - one of the women at the gate had taken my boarding card, stuck it in with my family's cards, and then ripped all the slips off at once. Only my card was upside down, and so she handed me the wrong end. I got to the plane, only to be hauled aside by the security guards, who spoke no English and were growing very insistent that I told them how I got through security with the wrong-ended slip. Eventually I managed to get through to one of them what had happened, so I was held by two while the third shouted at me some more and the fourth ran off, eventually finding the correct slip. Mum and the boys were looking very, very worried, for they were already on the plane at this point, but the cabin crew managed to stop them hauling me off with a bit of well-timed nepotism, and I got onto the plane just before they had to close the doors. Phew!

Apart from that, I got to see the Olympics! Father, Luke and I went down to the Bird's Nest and eventually managed to haggle some reasonably priced tickets from one of the hundreds of "scalpers" (all bargaining in front of a huge sign saying "Ticket-scalping absolutely prohibited!") - there were even some ancient chaps from Ireland, who we wished the best of luck to, trying to sell tickets for 7pm at 6:35. We got some at 6:40 and cleared security at 7:20, but we got to sit right at the top of the National Stadium! Germans behind us, Poles in front, and Chinese on both sides, and we saw the Athletics: Men's hammer throw, high jump, 400 metres, women's triple jump, 100 metres, 1500 metres steeplechase, 100 metre hurdles, 400 metres hurdles. We left just before the men's 10,000 metres, and we also saw the medal ceremony for the men's 100 metres, among others! Did the Great Wall again (went down on a toboggan this time), bought various things at the markets, including some £1, 56% local blindahol which I intend to give to Keith, and ate infrequently, but in very great quantities, including Peking duck, natuurlijk. And, with some very liberal pronunciations of Fuxingmen and Fuchengmen that made me giggle uncontrollably, I also rode the subway! Huzzah!

I had the strangest dream - I dreamt that I turned down an office job, in which the people all hated me, the work was boring and I didn't understand anything, but which would have given me a starting salary of £1,200,000 because the head of the company liked me, for the chance to do a Masters at Oxford, and I woke up nearly crying at my decision.

I have never considered myself a very materialistic person at all, and I was so deeply unhappy in this office. It is strange how avarice sometimes creeps up on a person.

A far more fun Show the Colours update: Stephen Maturin, leading the nude revolution.

I am returnéd! The holiday was very pleasant, if somewhat dull - 7 books read in 12 days. I missed Show the Colours like mad, and now I am quite mazed as to how Stephen is going to fit everything into the two days before the army marches - decoding, copying, ciphering, talks with Padstowe, Wellesley and Raoul, treating the French wounded (including an amputation!) and get some sleep. He might have to be late, and catch up with the army that evening, huffing and terribly annoyed. Which would actually be very in character.

For me, when I was reading, sleeping or plotting for StC, I was at the souq. After 10 days of bargaining, I finally got what I really wanted - a telescope. It's a replica of a Stanley London 1885 marine telescope, all brass and leather, in a box of wood and brass, and pretty good lenses, actually. I got it for £30, down from £70 - the coup came when the stall-holder insisted it was a real antique.

Mum is now approaching the end of Master and Commander. She thinks that O'Brian should spend less time on "the bloody boats" and more time on the human relationships, so I have persuaded her to read Post Captain as well before she forms a firm opinion. Thus far she likes Jack a lot, but doesn't like Stephen. She doesn't dislike him, but she says that he is too short, ugly, cold, reserved and unheroic. My heart, it breaks. Oh, my poor Stephen, so maligned. Supposedly one needs to be a little more good-looking and "fanciable" to be a suitable hero in a good read.

I bought my very first perfume! Mum, being a perfume-addict, thinks this is a very big step. It is called 7:15am in Bali, by Kenzo, and it's passionfruit, orchid, jasmine and vanilla.

I will probably be away again this weekend, between Saturday and Tuesday. Father's next trip to Beijing happens to coincide with some big sporting event. XD

And, finally, I will soon be moving into a new house in Oxford! I am so excited about it.

I'm sure there was other stuff I intended to write about, but I can't remember it now. I blame lack of sleep.

 Well, I arrived safely in Oman!

My suitcase, on the other hand, did not.

Half my books, washbag, ALL my clothes. I have been in my staff travel suit in 40 C. It should be arriving at midnight on the next plane in.

Why am I on the internet so soon? Credit card was declined - some massive fraud. Father coughed up the charge to skype the bank, and I get the leftover time. I am glad he is in a good mood now, because we've just been informed that Wednesday is a holiday, and thus no alcohol served for three days. This will mean more to some of you than others, but be assured, it's bad news.

Still, after reading Sharpe's Sword on the plane I have lovely ideas of Stephen spending a year studying and assisting Father Curtis. At least I had three Aubreyad books, a toothbrush, sun cream and my mp3 player in my hand luggage!

I am off to Oman for two weeks! Good bye, everyone, and have a great fortnight! :D

Engineer today was young and pretty, and he called me "the young lady". Heeeeee.

I burnt my finger! D: But, as I just been reminded, "the trick is not minding that it hurts."

Show the Colours: Hostage-taking! Stand-offs! Slaughter! Drugs! Spyhattery! (Corbeille/Broussard OTP!) I think I want to marry Padstowe.

Show the Colours update: Obidos mission! Violence! Surrender! Angst! So many cups of tea! I got to operate again! Wheee! XD I love Padstowe more and more. Don't worry, Stephen, I'm sure that priest would have been tortured to death anyway. Erm. Headbutting Raoul in the face was far more fun than it should have been. ¬¬

Marta, destroyer of Stephen's shins, and I have decided that considering all the trauma we're putting the characters through, they really needed a break, and so all characters are now invited on a trip to Alton Towers. If anyone would like to join us, you need only create a character and come along... *grins wickedly at all the tempted* There are loads of Aubreyad and Hornblower characters left, let alone Hogan, the Chosen Men and OCs...

Yesterday I left the house (*GASP*) and went to the shops, where I got Withnail and I, Die Hard and The Mission on DVD for a grand total of £13. I haven't seen The Mission is years, and I love it so much. Father Gabriel owns my soul. (Plus, wow, the slash. And the music. And the waterfalls. *sob*)

The trial of this morning:

No power in the house! Nuuuu!
We now have electricity! Yaaaay!
Only in half the house! Nuuuu!
The half that I am not in! NUUUUU!
We now have electricity! YAAAAY!

So, we have electricity (and thus INTERNET), but we have no hot water. Using the immersion heater I managed to get five minutes of lukewarm water to wash my hair, which meant an extra five minutes in cold water hissing to myself  "Cold water makes your hair shiny! Shiny!" Bah. This also mean NO BATHS. Woe. Because father is gone off on a trip this mean that tomorrow I will have to talk to the engineer about thermocouples. Plus, I hate being in the house alone with a strange man I don't know. I get all twitchy. Further woe. *takes it out on Stephen*

I felt really homesick for Oxford today.

Stolen from many people:

If there are one or more people on your friends list who make your world a better place just because they exist, and who you would not have met (in real life or not) without the Internet, then post this same sentence in your journal.

I thought I might make a brief pimping post: for anyone interested in the Age of Sail, be it Sharpe, Hornblower, Aubreyad or even *gasp* the historical Napoleonic Wars, or in role-playing, please go and check out Show the Colours. The thread I'm currently involved in has Sharpe and the Chosen Men escorting a motley crew of spies carrying important documents stolen from a French agent they killed the night before, and it is all an obscene amount of fun. Characters can be historical, fandom or completely made-up, and everyone on there is not only a damn good roleplayer but extremely friendly and welcoming as well. XD

Alas, I shall not go to sea,
Forever a lubber I shall be.

Sean is going to Belgium, and thus passport issue means I cannot go. Woe! Still, easy come, easy go. He's promised to do another trip as soon as possible, and I can be First Mate. Huzzah! :D

This is all a bit sudden, but Sean (the cool uncle) sent me a text this lunchtime asking if I would be interested in going sailing for a week with him, starting on Saturday. O_o Sent enthusiastic garble back, and now I'm waiting for him to get in from work to discuss it with him - if he plans to sail in English waters, I can go, but if he wants to sail into foreign waters, I can't, because the Chinese have my passport, and I can spend the week on Show the Colours having lovely spyhatty adventures instead. It's wonderful knowing that you're going to have a great time no matter the outcome. XD

Right. I have tried three posts like this, and they've all failed for some reason or another. (MY LAZINESS. LET ME SHOW YOU IT.), but now I have photos, and so, presenting one of possibly many Israel posts. (Order will be as and how it occurs to me.)

I got through the whole day without needing an afternoon nap! (After how many hours does a nap cease to be a nap? My usual is four.) Huzzah! XD

*dances with glee at all the spyhatty delight happening over at Show the Colours*

Am torn between sitting around online and refreshing Show the Colours some more, because people have been around but there seems to be very little posting (though Sharpie is! *waves*), or watching M&C with Matt, who suggested it. *CACKLES*

I have a new Stephen avatar for StC as well - the one I was using (same as icon) was too abstract and happy and good-looking - I now have this one, which I think captures Stephen's ugly, nerdy, bewildered, "odd-looking civilian in a rusty black coat" side far better, and that is what all the characters are seeing. Thoughts? I have a few more possibilities, but he is so very nerdy in this one. XD



I'm very excited about upcoming spyhat trip to Obidos though - I've already written the climax, because of course it wasn't going to go as simply as all that. *evil laugh* Poor Stephen. Poor Prideaux as well, actually.

Doctor Who: Donna! *sob* CAAN! *SOB* Stephen should be the new companion. Bunnies to this effect will not leave me alone.