Assorted Things

[bunn]

A duck egg in a fried egg and black pudding bap is an egg too far.  I had to take a shower afterwards to get the yolk off.

Tommy Shortlegs still has a limp.  To vet tomorrow.  Still no enquiries for him!  We have asked Corgi Rescue if they might know of a suitable home, since he is more or less corgiform.  Apparently they have 140 people waiting for corgis, and no corgis! 

Terry Pratchett's 'Nation' is sadder than I expected.  Not sure why I didn't expect this, given that the 'entire people being wiped out' aspect is trailered on the back of the book. 

Channing Tatum has ridiculously small eyes and a quite absurd amount of forehead.

Despite this I am having fun illustrating the Eagle Big Bang story I volunteered for, as it is well written and has huge amounts of landscape in it.  Plus, the next picture doesn't feature CT and his tiny eyes at all, but Cottia!  With a knife!   Need to find someone to draw as Cottia. 

Mollydog is *almost* 100% again, and has become loud and importunate.  I shall start her on her painkillers again tomorrow as I think the arthritis is getting to her. 

Rosemary Sutcliff's Simon is very much a local book (for local people?)    Very definitely grounded in Torrington, right down to the individual fields and the river.  Less sad than I had expected, given the whole Civil War setting, though the internal angst of best friends on opposite sides is quite well handled, the ending is perhaps a bit too happy to feel real. 

Comments

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

Ah, Simon, my First Ever Rosemary Sutcliff, which kicked off a train of reading which resulted in my 11th birthday party having an English Civil War theme, much to the bafflement of all the other guests. (Sadly, "Pin the ear on the cavalier" is the only themed game I can remember, though I know I came up with Civil War versions of all the normal children's party games.) I don't think I've read it since, and probably should, for old times' sake.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

It's not easy to get hold of, if you see a copy, grab it! I hadn't read it before ( I am finding, re-reading old Sutcliff, that I had read rather a lot of them but they had sort of slipped into that part of my mind that you don't remember but sort of colours all the rest.)

I wish I'd read it before, I always thought of the Civil War as rather dull and confusing, but she has sold me on it, and I'm pretty sure would have done so even more effectively if I'd read it at 11!

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

I've got it on a shelf at work, along with most of her other books. I sometimes feel faintly guilty about that. A few years ago, when moving premises, I had to shrink the children's library stack by half. I tried not to be biased... yet somehow managed to end up with an entire shelf of Rosemary Sutcliffs, loads of Treeces and Treases and Garners and Coopers and the like, and far fewer contemporary-set novels than we used to have.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

I used to rely on books that were in the library staying in the library, but after finding that a number of beloved favorites disappeared on me, no longer! I guess if you work there it's a bit more reliable though...

I'm glad to hear that one library at least has a set of Sutcliffs: most of the ones I've picked up recently have been retired library copies.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

I am very pleased to hear about Mollydog.

[inzilbeth-liz.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad Mollydog's doing so well. And fingers crossed for Tommy.

[ningloreth.livejournal.com]

Good news about Mollydog!

There's nothing like drawing a face for getting to know it! Channing Tatum's popularity is a complete mystery to me -- he was totally not Marcus -- but I look forward to seeing your drawings.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

I have to admit that I was hugely disappointed when I first saw him. He's grown on me a bit since then, and I think deserves credit for trying hard. But I fear it is still one of the 'if onlies' about the film for me.

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

A fatal "if only" on my part. You know my tastes ("angsty pretty men," I think you said the other day) and had I found him remotely pretty I could well have fallen hard for the film, despite the fact that I dislike some of the changes they made to the story, and got involved with the fandom, but it was not to be. Yup, I am that shallow. :-D

[bunn.livejournal.com]

He is sadly not pretty. He looks like a potato with two strategically-positioned but minute potato-eyes...

[ningloreth.livejournal.com]

I've been wondering who I would have cast as Marcus -- I suppose he would have to be American, but no one actually springs to mind.

He should, however, have to be quick, both physically and mentally, and CT is neither! And the scriptwriters wouldn't be allowed to simplify his character to the point where he seems to walk through the world wearing blinkers (which is the exact opposite of book!Marcus).

[bunn.livejournal.com]

I am hopeless on the 'who to cast' game. But yes, Marcus is quick - and should be more up and down, not just a dull stodge of angst :-(

[motetus.livejournal.com]

If you're looking to punch Channing Tatum repeatedly for having ridiculously small eyes and a massive forehead, wait your turn. He's mine first.

I am curious to see how our Cottia's turn out! I haven't really based her on anyone, just given her distinguishing features like the red hair, freckles and sharp jaw. I suspect I will be spending a lot of time weeping as I try and fail to draw her consistently.

Glad to hear Mollydog is nearly back to normal!

[bunn.livejournal.com]

The poor man, he can't help looking like a weeny-eyed potato!

The consistency was why I was thinking of casting someone as Cottia. Though this particular pic will be mostly moonlit silhouettes anyway, so maybe it doesn't matter...

[seascribe.livejournal.com]

I am so excited your Big Bang also has Cottia in it, and even more excited that you are doing art of her! Cannot wait to see it. And read it.

Am I allowed to ask who your author is and what the story is about?

I have not read Simon, but I am surprised the ending is so happy; that does not seem to be common for her.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I don't know. IS that allowed? :-o though actually, I don't know how the end is going to happen yet, so I can't give much away.

My writer is mirandaeostre and the story is a sort of canon era and modern era ghost story, very grounded in a specific Derbyshire landscape. I have 9999 reference landscape photos :-D

My impression with 'Simon' is that she is in love with the place (even more than usual! - it is set where she lived as a teen after her father retired) and that is one reason she can't quite bring herself to have it all end in ruin.

[seascribe.livejournal.com]

That sounds AWESOME. Even more excited for the fic and art now.

Must finish mine...

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

I'm even more intrigued now ...

[alitheapipkin.livejournal.com]

Glad Mollydog has recovered so well :)

I haven't read any Sutcliff for donkey's years, don't think I'm familiar with that one though. The only Civil War story I remember reading as a kid is The Children of the New Forest.