You are Cordially Invited To Attend...

Please join us for tea and refreshments in the Steelhead City Gardens on August 4th from 2-4 pm SLT. The lovely and gracious Miss Lumina Elvenjem will be our hostess, guiding us through the garden she lovingly created to beautify Steelhead.

From 4:30-6:30pm SLT, please join us for an evening of dancing to jazz at the Kokopelli Stage, adjacent to the Garden.

Donations are always welcome and appreciated. Donors who are kind enough to meet or exceed the L$250 mark will receive a lovely custom made fountain by Tensai Designs. These fountains are made by the talented Tensai Hilra.

Sponsors of the afternoon tea are JeZeBeLes Realm and Rosehaven Recipes. Furnishings provided by Pacific Ocean Romance Weddings.

I've made my favorite thing for dinner tonight.....a Reservation!!!

The worst thing about summer is having to be in the kitchen, hovering over a hot stove, trying to make something that is tasty. With the intense heat that July brings, I have been trying to avoid being near the stove any longer than I have to be, and so, for dinner have been relying on fruit, cheese and either muffins or scones to get us by. However, I did not want to try Edward's constitution or his temper too much longer with such delicate fare. Everyone knows that men need heartier food, namely meats to sustain themselves.

So, it came to pass that I was standing in the kitchen, my head thrust into the icebox, pondering what to make Sir Edward and I for dinner when my beloved walked in the door from being in the city attending to his business matters. I had stood with the icebox door open long enough to have the butter in a state of extreme softness and the milk in peril of not being sweet much longer...not to mention making it necessary to empty the drip pan under the icebox. A smile played about my dear Edward's lips as my upper half emerged from the icebox, still looking rather hot, cross and in much need of a cool bath. Wisely, he said nothing but drew me to him for an embrace before leading me upstairs to assist me with a sponge bath....it's rather difficult to reach parts of your back unaided you know. It was then he told me of Mr. Szondi's restaurant and that he wanted to take me there for dinner.

Once I was dressed in a fresh summer frock, we set off for "Fortune, Empress of the World", located in Caledon Cay. Mr Szondi had the foresight to put it on a ship, which makes it an interesting venue and rather unique.




On the upper deck of the ship is a dance floor, complete with sound system and plenty of room to dance the night away. However, it is below decks where the diningroom is to be found.



I must confess when I first laid eyes on the establishment, I did not set my hopes to high on what sort of fare would be offered there. I thought perhaps a couple of fish dishes and perhaps clam chowder would be what we could choose from. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised when Mr. Szondi presented us with our menus! Such selection!!! It was truly a challenge to decide what to have, as each item looked delicious and it had been quite some time that I had been to a restaurant that offered such a wide range of dishes. I finally settled on the roast beef and Edward chose the roast beef as well. When our meals appeared, the mouth water aromas and the tasteful presentation upon the plate whetted our appetites that much further. Each mouthful was pure heaven and the meal was prepared to the highest standards for the most discriminating palate. Of course there was a dessert menu too, and we sampled that as well. I am very pleased to report that "CPR Strawberries" (otherwise known as stewed prunes) were nowhere to be found on the menu. While I'm sure those of you with regularity issues will be saddened to hear this, the rest of the general public will no doubt be relieved.



Afterwards, we danced on the deck, under the glow of the lights that shone softly on the ship and enjoyed the coolness of the night air. It was a wonderful evening and I was thankful for the respite from cooking.



Mr. Szondi also sells his wonderful placemats, so having takeaway to your home will never be an issue again! If you are interested in visiting Fortune: Empress of the World, Mr. Szondi is having his grand opening this Saturday, August 4th at about 4 pm SLT. I highly recommend his restaurant and he says it is available for all sorts of functions.

The Last Hurrah (until next time)

Last night saw the last event to be held in Caledon for the SLRFL. Do I hear a collective sigh of relief? I thought so. While the SLRFL was a worthy cause, 6 months of events and activities is just a bit much. I realise that it is runs this long in RL too, but I think in RL you generally don't attend 3 events per week (at least) and so it doesn't seem quite so intense. Anyhow, whining and complaning aside, the end has come and so, in true Caledonian fashion, there was a Rave!

Miss Diamanda Gustafson (known in some parts as Lady Whoop-ass) made her debut as the newest DJ on the Radio Riel team. She kept us on the floor with very funky folk music, rocking the house (or open air fair ground) for 2 hours. She did an excellent job and will be a welcome member of Radio Riel, to be sure.


Lady Whoop-ass Folking about


Some of the revellers, getting warmed up for when Her Grace the Duchess of Loch Avie arrives so "Little Eva and the Tartans" can ride once again


Edward and I getting down and working it....in sync of course!



The Duchess and her Doppleganger

Later in the evening, the Duchess took over the airwaves and we raved on into the night. It was noted that there seems to be a strange, clothing-eating virus that invades Caledonian raves and eats various articles of people's clothing. My Goodness!!!


Caledonian's get down and party!

It was a fantastic evening, a suitable end to a very long haul. Caledon outdid itself though and raised L$1,265,300 for the cause!!! Huzzah!!!

*Note: As of 11:18 am, SLT, Caledon's grand total was L$1,297, 328. I'd also like to extend a big thank you to all those who donated a lot of blood, sweat and tears, doing their best to come up with so many unique and fun ideas. Three cheers for the volunteers and for the generosity of Caledonians!!!!

Surprising News

Last week my dear Edward received some rather shocking news with the evening post. We were comfortably settled in at Davaar when we heard the mailman pass and a very large, very thick envelope was shoved (very forcibly, might I add) through the mail slot and landed with a very heavy thud on the floor. My beloved went and retrieved it, pondering the odd address from the Law Firm of Sue, Grabbit and Runne. Since that is not the firm my husband deals with, it added to the mystery. He was about to go up to his office to get the letter opener (he's very careful with his correspondence you know) but the suspense was killing me, so I showed him how a hairpin will do the trick and is far more portable too.

The contents of the envelope were very surprising. Amongst all the legal mumbo jumbo and rhetoric it said that Sir Edward was now the Earl of Primbroke, due to his cousin passing away in a brewery explosion (he must have died happy is all I can say). We were both rather astounded by this news. I knew that Edward had rather high born ancestors and relatives, but as I had not had the pleasure of making any of their acquaintances just yet (except his distant cousins, the Duchesses), the realisation hadn't fully dawned upon me. Edward has been in constant contact with his solicitors since the arrival of this envelope, finding out what is all involved with the title.

So this now means that I am a Countess. The very thought of that makes my knees slightly trembly and a wee bit weak. As many of you gentle readers may know (and for those of you who don't, I direct you to my very first post in this journal), I come from rather ordinary people. My father was a rather hot headed, adventuresome Irishman (Sir Hotspur O'Toole reminds me of him so very much!)who was a very hard worker and determined to better himself and his family the best he could. My mother was the daughter of an English merchant, a gentlewoman and she did her very best to school me in the domestic arts and social graces expected of a lady. However, the plains of Rupert's land aren't exactly the best French Finishing school, so I know my manners could stand to be honed and refined and my tongue bridled at times.

All these thoughts pass through my mind as I stand here at the dressmakers, having yet another fitting of my gown. I've settled on an elegant gown with lace trim and overlay on parts of the skirt. White gloves, my diadem and other jewels will complete the ensemble. I'm sure my parents, were they still alive, would be quite happy for me and delighted that I married a man that not only loves me dearly, is talented, charming, handsome, very intelligent, witty and kind but is also well placed socially. I'm sure my father would bring out the finest whisky he brought with him from his homeland and pass it around, smiling broadly with the merry twinkle in his eye. My mother too, would be delighted and doing her best to look composed, even though she would be nearly bursting with happiness.

I've sent off a letter to my brother Gunnar, hoping it meets him somewhere in his travels and of course told Lunar of my happy news. He is looking forward to the investature ball and hopes to attend. I look forward to the ball as well, and pray that the dressmaker will have this gown completed in time!

Let Them Eat........Scones!!!

I'm very pleased to announce the latest addition to Rosehaven Recipes.....Scones! Thanks to the request of Miss Soliel Snook, for the Early Bird Club of Caledon I made scones with strawberry jam and cream. Yummy!!! I shall now get busy working on Mexcian Wedding Cookies, so everyone who is interested in those, sit tight! *smiles*

The Day Harry Potter Ruled the Grid (or at least select parts of it)

Last Friday it seemed everywhere that I tend to frequent was having a party in honour of the latest (and last) book in the Harry Potter series. While some people have sneered at the books, calling them pap for babies and such, I am not ashamed to say that I really rather enjoy reading them. While I don't think the meaning of life will be found in amongst the pages, I do find they are pleasant and a nice diversion from the ordinary.

So, it was with great pleasure I set off to the parties with my beloved, in our wizardy and witchy best (which some people might say that it's my true persona but they aren't telling me anything I didn't know already!!!). I must confess that Edward makes Snape's attire look exceedingly attractive and it was a challange to refrain from seeing if I could charm him out of it before the parties. First we spirited off to Lovelace for the party there (please refer to Sir Edward's blog for pics of this) and then dashed off on our Nimbus 2000's for the festivities in Steelhead. It was in Steelhead that I let CHED out to play for awhile, and he enjoyed looking at all the sights, including learning about Transfiguration.


Tensai, the resident war goddess of Steelhead, did a remarkable job of transforming the Kokiopelli stage area into a room reminicent of Hogwart's main hall, floating candles hovering above us, bookcases and a bubbling cauldron serving double duty as the dance machine.



Among those in attendance were Tonks (Emilly Orr), Remus Lupin (Fawkes, which I think he should have played up on his name and come as a phoenix, but that's my opinion), Fleur (Lumina)and of course other wizardy folk, dancing away to the magic that DJ Ortega spins every Friday.



All in all, it was a very fun evening and I rather enjoyed lighting a few fires under people's backsides with my Incendio spell. CHED had a few encounters with a rather persistant skull but I think he got away rather unscathed, but with offers for a place to dwell, should he ever want to. I wonder what else I can use my spells for....hmmmmm.

Brewing Stormclouds

Last night Dr. Mason/Bloodwing (I really must remember to clarify that point with him, but I digress) held a social at the Bloodwing Foundation to celebrate his good fortune in being able to secure a plot of land in Regency for a hospital. Her Grace, the Duchess of Carntaigh provided the music to which the revellers danced and I made the cake, as per Dr. Mason's request. It was a lovely evening, except for one incident....the thought of which causes my stomach to tighten.

As my beloved and I sat and watched those who wanted to dance, a man walked into the room. Not just any man, but *the* man....the one whom Sheriff Ortega had told us about a week ago as we sat in the Saloon, passing away the evening hours. Mr. Jobias Barthlemess nonchalantly walked into the room, his steely gaze surveying the entire scene with shrewdness. He asked rather obtuse and vague questions and gave equally vague answers to any questions we asked of him. He was not there to celebrate with Dr. Mason, he was there with intentions....dark intentions.

He enquired to the whereabouts of our good Sheriff, who had stepped out of town for awhile, more to his good fortune. Mr. Purdie Uggla, the sheriff's cousin was there, but he did not reveal anything more than the bare minimum. I am embarrased to admit the strain of his presence and the closeness of the room caused me to faint and when I came to (thanks to dear Edward deftly loosening my stays and Miss Gustafson passing me some smelling salts), Mr. Barthlemess had departed.

This is a very dark and ominious presence in Steelhead. When the Sheriff spoke of him (and I encourage you to see his journal if you're unsure of the details) I saw raw, unguarded fear in his eyes....this from the man who has faced down giant chickens, steam elephants, robbers of turkey virtue and Keenly Valiant without batting an eyelash and looking quite bored too. If Sheriff Ortega fears this man to the core of his being, he must be true evil indeed. I am glad that Edward and I need to return to Caledon to prepare for the Induction Ball, although I fear for my friends and neighbours who are unable to flee. I pray that he will be able to thwart Mr. Barthlemess's plans and remain safe and unharmed.

Thoughts While Ironing

"Why is it that everything fun always means that there's a mountain of laundry to do?" This and many other thoughts ran through my mind today as I attended to the never ending chore of the wash. However as I began the ironing, my mind drifted towards the final battle of the Big Enders vs. the Little Enders and the aftermath that followed.

Sadly, the battle did not go quite as well as it had been hoped, due to a variety of factors. Lag was an issue (but then, when isn't it in SL?) and apparently it was affecting the physics of things as well too. Griefers were seen and reported by a person who was neutral in the conflict and of whom I believe is an honourable person and would not be making stories up about things like this. It was discovered that enabling the "push" option in a sim was not such a brilliant idea either.....however, it must be remembered that this was a new idea, first time out and there were bound to be growing pains and problems strewn on the path. I think that Professor Avalanche and Miss Paris deserve a week holiday each in the spa of their choice, paid for by everyone who had anything to do with this past week and the Neualtenburg/Caledon war as well. They were calm, fair and did their best to have a fun event for everyone to enjoy.

On that note, I think I can say that everyone enjoyed the Alien invasion. I have heard nothing but rave reviews about it and have enjoyed reading the different perspectives in the journals I have been allowed to peek into. Everyone, regardless of what end they ate their egg from, or even if they prefered it sunny side up, scrambled or disliked eggs entirely, banded together to ward off a common enemy....namely the Martians (who are really from France, or so I've heard). While the end battle may have had enough headaches to slay even the stoutest Steam Elephant, the Alien Invasion was enjoyed by many and I think will remain a highlight in Caledonian memories.

I can say for myself that I am feeling relieved that the end has come to the war(s). Hopefully the end of this will see a reduction of linen that needs washing. I hope I will be able to convince Sir Edward that we need to spend a week in Steelhead so I can attend to my duties there....and enjoy that new bathtub. Somehow I don't believe he'll be too terribly hard to convince. Now, where did I put that starch???

Ahhhhhhhhhhh...............

One of the nicer ways to get rid of the stress of battle...not to mention the grit and grime as well....



Am I glad I had this installed at Rosehaven!!! *lays back and sighs happily as the hot water swirls around her*

It was a One Eyed, One Horned, Flying....

Now that the smoke has cleared and the dust has settled, I am able to search for my pen and ink that went missing when the aliens landed......Oh, pardon me, I'm terribly ahead of myself. Perhaps I should go back to the beginning of this mess.

Thursday morning dawned bright and clear. I had noticed that we were in need of a few things back at camp and so headed to Davaar by train and trolley to pick up a few provisions. I also stopped in Victoria City to gather a few other necessary items. It was approaching evening by the time I finished all of my shopping and as the train has been rather sporadic at best, I grew tired of waiting for it to return and so headed back to camp on foot. When I got there, this is the scene that greeted me.




At first I was very nonplussed. I thought that the Blue Team had been doing some spying and had crashed their flying machine(s). I marched into the pub and sent a telegram over to a member of the blue team asking them about the debris and was told that no, it wasn't them but that Aliens had landed.

Needless to say, I was a bit surprised at this news. However shortly thereafter, my beloved arrived and I pushed that information to the back of my mind. Edward decided that a trip around Caledon in the Parsvail to look for any other landing sites would be a good idea, so he, the Duchess of Carntaigh, Miss Gustafson, Sheriff Ortega and myself boarded and flew peacefully through the air.

However, word soon reached my dear Sir Edward that our encampment at Loch Avie was under attack! We hurried back to the camp to see these very odd alien orb-ish type creatures shooting these evil fire beams at our camp! The troops mobilised, the blue team pitching in to ward off the evil attackers as well! I later heard that their camp was decimated by the creatures, of which I was very sorry to learn.

Dr. Figaro was in attendance and as some of her medical staff were unavailable, I offered my meagre services as nursemaid, doing what I could. Minor injuries were sustained in the Loch, but then we heard that the Alien had swiftly made their way to Eyre and were being very destructive. Everyone sprinted away, hurrying and sending out calls for help to others as they went.


In Eyre, Mr. Book received a very deadly chest wound. Dr. Figaro patched him up as best she could and asked me to keep an eye on him as he awaited transport in Miss Lightfoot's shop. Luckily he survived, for which I'm sure Lady Amber is exceedingly grateful. In fact, if it hadn't been for the valiant work of our dear Doctor, I'm sure the losses would have been very high that day indeed.



The Aliens

The battle raged on for quite some time. Sheriff Ortega's flying machine, the Interceptor was shot down and nearly ruined, as were many other vehicles. The Aliens seemed to be impervious to our weapons, but finally, on the bloody field of Tammaronach, the tide began to turn. Sadly, Mr. O'Toole's house was set ablaze (again) which really threw him into a murderous frenzy (understandably) and there were flames everywhere with more injuries, but slowly, Caledon began to gain the upper hand.



Finally, the battle died down. Troops were in the Moors and Mayfair with no further sightings of the hideous creatures from beyond. Hoo's and Huzzah's went up and everyone staggered back to their respective camps or abodes (as many non-militia persons joined in the defense)for the evening. Edward and I visited for awhile with the members of the Red Team who were able to keep their eyes open before collapsing into a deep sleep ourselves.

Fortunatly, many people had recovered enough to attend the ball in Steelhead on Friday. I would say the dance was a success and I do believe a good time was had by all. Afterwards, I showed Edward the changes I have made to the attic in Rosehaven and he contributed a few very important touches as well. I also had to show him the new bathroom I had put in....and the very lovely bathtub as well. Ahhhh....washing away the grit and grime of battle had never been so enjoyable! *smiles demurely*

The main battle is today....Hopefully both teams have seen that we are all Caledonians, regardless of how we eat our eggs (but everyone knows that the correct way *is* the little end) *grins* Now to lay out my things for the Duchess of Carntaigh's ball later....

Open This End First

The day has dawned with a slight breeze and the birds of Loch Avie singing happily from their nests in the trees. I am sitting outside of Edward's tent as I write this, sipping on a cup of tea and enjoying toast with a soft boiled egg to break my fast.

Why am I out in the elements, "roughing it" in the wilds do you ask? The answer, dear reader, is rather complex and convoluted, but I will do my best to cast some light upon this.

It all started Monday evening when Sir Edward and I decided to meet with friends at The Falling Anvil, a very popular gathering spot in Caledon. We had arranged to meet at 8pm, but due circumstances beyond our control (namely Sir Edward having been asked to be in the "Exotic Men of Caledon" photo shoot and Miss Poppy taking his picture, with the photo shoot running a tad late due to lag and crashing) we were a little bit late. When we arrived, we heard reports that the members of the Blue team arrived upon bouncing cows (for milkshakes perhaps??) and hoo'ing until, well, the cows came home. Lt. Col. Hotspur O'Toole had decided to test out his new mount, an ostrich, that night as well, which is swift and speedy, but I didn't hear if it bounced or not.

Discussion ensued about which end of an egg is the correct one to open to enjoy the tasty morsels enclosed within the shell. Everyone who is anyone knows that the little end is the proper end to open. Only people with terrible co-ordination, poor fine motor skills or arthritis would even bother to open the large end first. As well, anyone with an ounce of sense knows that the egg naturally wants to sit upright, so therefore, the little end is also the most logical end. It astounds me that there are people in this day and age who are so patently ignorant of the correct way of doing things. Have they not read "Mrs. Beeton's"? Any ettiquette manual will tell you the same as well.

A friendly wager was stated by Col. Scaggs, the leader of the charming, but errant Blue team, the funds of which will go to the SLRFL (the whole reason for this "war"). He suggested one hundered thousand dollars. I do hope he has come from money or is sitting on a very tidy sum in his bank account as he will need it.....big end indeed!

So, here we sit today, at camp, which we set up last night. Loch Avie is such a lovely location and it has ample space for the troops to do their drills and practice whatever manuevers they need to do. Of course, it is tastefully outfitted and appointed, in a manner embraced by any civilised person. I am rather looking forward to this endeavour....the fresh air and comaraderie will be a nice change from being cooped up in the kitchen.

On a side note, and totally unrelated to the war, my dear friend Miss Emilly Orr had her rez day party last night, held in the newly opened Taiyou House in Steelhead City. It was a lovely party, with my beloved providing the music for part of the evening. Mr. Fawkes Allen made a most unusual and interesting cake that screamed...most peculiar, I think I'll let him corner the market on that type of cake *grins*. It was a lovely party and I wish Miss Em another wonderful year (but hopefully less stressful) in SL and a success with Taiyou House (the bordello in Steelhead for those of you who aren't sure).

The Learning Curve

As many of you know, there is a learning curve to being a resident of Second Life. You have to learn how to walk, talk, get from point A to point B via Teleports, search, buy things, make money and build, among many other things. Of all the items listed above, my biggest hurdle thus far has been building.

I did my level best to avoid doing building of any kind for the longest time. Mr. Wakka Weeks attempted to teach me to build, but his words of wisdom fell upon deaf ears and I would find other things to do, like shopping. My dear brother Lunar attempted to teach me to build, but with me having my mental block that it was far too difficult, I didn't learn much, not from his trying. Mr. Gnarlihotep Abel tried to teach me to build as well, but again, the student was not yet ready.

So, for the longest time, the best thing that I could build looked like this:



The beautiful plywood box. Notice the perfectly square corners, the smoothness of the wood. Yes, it was a simple box, but I was very particular about them.

Finally, the day arrived that Steelhead needed a notecard dispenser. I gathered up my courage and made my first practical item that wasn't plywood nor a perfectly square box. Behold the notecard dispenser in awe:



You must admit, dear reader, that it is a fine notecard dispenser indeed....and it remained the pinnacle of my building abilities for some time. As a testament to it's solid construction and durability, I will tell you that it still stands today, out in the elements, happily distributing notecards to those who ask.

As time progressed, I decided to try my hand at baked goods. By this time Sir Edward and I were rather close and he was helping me with my building. While my other teachers are all very talented too, the combination of Sir Edward's patience and my readiness finally allowed me to absorb some of the lessons I was having. After much work (and cursing and pulling my hair out) I finally completed my first cake, which I presented to Her Grace, the Duchess of Carntaigh for her Rez Day Party.



I was very impressed with myself at the time and while I do think it is still a lovely cake, I am happy that I've learned to cut down on the prims used. That cake required 40 prim! Suitable for a grand lady such as her Grace but a tad rich for the average person's plot.

I practiced on my bakery items, Sir Edward making suggestions as I went about textures, shapes to use, etc, all of which helped me greatly. I felt my skills were growing and that I was ready to tackle a much larger project. Which brought me to my latest project: A New Bakery.

While there was nothing wrong with my old bakery, in fact, it was rather cute, I became inspired by the bakery in Heritage Park, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. For those of you who don't know, Heritage Park is made up of buildings from all over Alberta and is an open air museum, covering the Fur Trade all the way up to pre-WWI. They are currently expanding to include a 1920's area, but that is not there as of yet. Heritage Park is one of my favorite places in the world and I do love visiting. While there a few weeks ago, I took a good, long look at the bakery and thought that I would like one similar for my own bakery in Steelhead. Here is a picture of the building that inspired me to try my hand at construction:



It is a very typical small town construction for Alberta in the early 1900's. So, with many of Miss Persephone Gallindo's textures in hand (which, if you haven't gotten any of her textures, may I ask what are you waiting for!?!?!?!?!) and my beloved at my side to offer his advice, I began building.

All in all, I rather enjoyed the process. It took me a few days (SL was up to it's usual tricks and wouldn't allow me to link one day) but finally, it was finished. I present to you Rosehaven Recipes building in Steelhead:



I am very pleased with how it all turned out. I think it is a fair copy of the original, with a few changes. It has two floors, which gives me plenty of room for expansion or perhaps allowing others to use space for projects as well. I also made front display shelves to show off my baked goods in the front window.



Looking back, I've come a long way from my early days of plywood boxes. I am eager to try my hand at a few other ideas I have floating about in my head. Of course, keeping the bakery stocked with new goods keeps me busy as well. I have to put out my Strawberry Shortcake and new assortment of pies (pumpkin, lemon merangue, strawberry, cherry, etc) soon! Feel free to stop by the bakery and examine it yourself and then help yourself to either a cup of tea or coffee and a cookie before you rest for a bit on the chairs provided at the side of the shop.

The Case of the Missing Art

After resting a couple days at Davaar (and washing, ironing and putting away the laundry), Sir Edward and I set off for Steelhead. I wanted to check on Rosehaven and my bakery, while Sir Edward wanted to update his wares at his shop. It was a pleasant trip and we chatted happily while our train whisked along the track.

Upon disembarking, Sir Edward set off to his shop while I went to Rosehaven to air it out after being closed up for so long. I unlocked the door and heard the happy purrs of our cat, Laudanum, who was curled up in his basket by the parlour fireplace. I had asked Mr. Abel to feed him periodically, even though he does keep quite fat and sassy on mice.

Once my eyes adjusted to the darkness of the foyer (the blinds all having been drawn) I was immediately taken over by surprise. Two of Mr. Able's artworks were missing from the foyer! I could not believe my eyes! My heart in my throat, I dashed up the stairs to his lair to see everything was gone.....art, ancient Egyptian artifacts, everything!!! I was certain that we had been set upon by thieves who specialised in art and rare artifacts. I ran down the stairs again and flew out the door, running pell mell to the Sheriff's office, losing hairpins (and my hat) along the way.

Upon arriving at the jail, I saw a notice tacked to the door that Sheriff Ortega had been called away on urgent business and was out of town. What to do now?! I hurried back to the house, hoping Sir Edward would arrive soon.

It was upon my return that I noticed the thick envelope of fine stock paper sitting on the hall table. I recognized Mr. Abel's distinctive hand immediately and tore it open. Inside was a letter telling me that the work on Abledown had been completed and that he would be moving this things there as the management of his estate was going to require his full attention. I had been to his fine manor in Kittiwickshire which it was being renovated and knew that he spoke the truth. Such an estate would need the master of the house to be home to make sure the servants did their jobs properly and to keep it from falling into disrepair again. Feeling very relieved, I was able to set about airing out Rosehaven and fixing my rather wild and unruly hair do.

It will be odd to not hear his measured footsteps pacing the floor as he works out some of the ancient texts he had, or to hear him creatively cursing as he burns his toast as he toasts it over the fire in the fireplace. He and I had shared a common roof for sometime, but change is never ending and I am glad that he has a place of his own that is in keeping with his excellent taste. I'm sure in time it will be the scene of many social events and gatherings. I will confess I won't miss the laundry though.....that man had a bad habit of making a mountain of towels....very fastidious about his cleanliness indeed!

By the time Sir Edward had finished checking his shop and restocking it, I had made a light dinner which we enjoyed before spending the evening on the porch swing, breathing in the scent of the climbing roses and talking about many things. We discussed what to do with the attic, came to no firm conclusions and then went off to bed, to rest up for the next day. I *did* manage to decide to repaper the foyer (again), strictly to cover up the nail holes in the wall, I assure you! *grins* So beings another new chapter at Rosehaven.