Gliding on Ice

Monday was her Grace, the Duchess of Middlesea's rez day. In honour of this, his Grace, the Duke of Greystoke hosted a skating party for all to enjoy. I was delighted to hear that my beloved Edward was going to be providing the musical accompaniment, so nothing would interfere with us being able to attend.

While I do not know her Grace very well, what I have seen of her has been very telling of what sort of person she is. Always pleasant and kind, finding good to speak of everyone and of a quiet yet fun loving nature, Gloire (if I may be so bold as to address her by her first name) seems to be a lovely lady and very much deserving of a splendid party.


An overhead view of the skating area

Gnarli had gone to a good deal of effort preparing an area for skaters to test their mettle. For those who wanted to observe or rest, plenty of seating was available as well. While Edward set up his musical apparatus, I strapped on my skates and hoped for the best.


Guests preparing to skate or testing their balance

There was a good mix of people at the party, including some that I've never met before. One lady was dressed as a snow fairy, which I thought was rather enchanting and suitable. She was with another lady who was dressed in darker clothes, but they did skate together quite gracefully.


The Snow Fairy and friend, with Mrs. Peterman in the background


Gnarli and Glorie, ice dancing. They are rumoured to be courting and I wish them both every happiness

I believe his Grace must have had the ice enchanted, as I was able to skate far better than I had even dreamed possible. All sorts of fancy skating was seen, tricky steps that normally would fill my heart with dread. Edward and I coasted around the ice surface, as free as the wind and skating in perfect harmony. What a splendid time!




A tricky spin

Even my dear brother Lunar decided to drop in for some of the fun. He managed to get himself into a snowball fight with Miss Poppy (whom I think was winning and plastering his elven butt with snowballs as quick as you please). Sleigh rides for two were also free for the taking if one was not inclined to prepare for snowball battle (although, no promises you'd not get hit anyhow!)



Sadly, the night came to the end and my beloved and I had to depart. We had a splendid time though, and hope the Duchess of Middlesea has many more rezz days to come!

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.

Whirl of Activity

Life has been quite busy for Sir Edward and myself lately. He is still healing from his wounds, but it would appear progress is being made, and for this I am very grateful. He's been occupied with various small building projects to keep himself occupied in his convalescence and I have been keeping busy with my baking.

I apologise for the lack of illustrations, but I think my baking (and building) skills are coming along nicely, with a little extra tutoring from my beloved. While I don't think I have the skills to quite make a cake suitable for a charming person of the opposite sex to jump out of just yet (what a strange idea...a terrible waste of perfectly good cake, but anyhow) I have made up cupcakes, some muffins, cookies and of course smaller cakes. I could do them in many colours, but I'm wondering if I should or just have a note that I can, if the customer is interested.

I've also been busy puttering in the gardens of Davaar and Rosehaven....I do love flowers. They add such a lovely and civilising touch, turning a building from being a house into a home. I found a sundial and an enchanted gazing ball for Davaar. They will give Percy (our pet peacock) something to look at as he wanders about.

Of course, Sir Edward's and my upcoming Handfasting has been quite pressing on my mind as well. I have found the most beautiful dress, which I plan on wearing. It is not a traditional white dress, but I don't care. I love it and I hope Sir Edward will agree when he sees me in it as well. We've also been discussing venues and such....we are planning on a small ceremony followed by a larger celebration after. At this time,we are thinking of having one part in Caledon and the other in Steelhead, which is very fitting. To say that I am very excited is a gross understatement!

There's been a flurry of building in both sims too....Steelhead is in a state of change, new shops appearing, new homes as well. Caledon's Steam SkyCity is being built up and Kittiwickshire is up too, although not wholly. Mr. Abel has told me he will be renovating his family estate there. It seems to have fallen into a little disrepair in his absence. I'm sure it will be a place of beauty and refinement when he is finished though.

I hope this war will be over soon....I am so wanting to get the plans for our handfasting underway and move onto happier things. Patience has never been my strongest virtue! Anyhow, I had best get back to baking if I am ever going to get my shop open. Now to think of a name......