.: so comes snow after fire :.

As promised, the next entry in the Reading Bingo is already here:



For the "Second Book In A Series" square, I just finished reading the second Miss Peregrine book, Hollow City. Published in January, it's the direct sequel of Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children. It's set in 1940, during the three days it takes our heroes to reach London from Wales, in search of somebody who can help their headmistress. Again, I loved it to pieces. Its setting, the british countryside and the city of London during the bombings, is realistic and convincing, and the character development is amazing. I loved everyone in this book, the plot twists took me completely by surprise, all while being smart and well-thought, and while reading the last chapter I could hardly breathe I was so invested in the story. I can't wait to read the next one!

About real life, this morning I've done half the stuff I'd been planning to do the next couple of days. The only bad thing about going on holiday is all the engagements piling up on one's return. I'd like to keep my weekend free so I can do some cleaning up, hence all the rush. I ended up having lunch at 3 pm, I was starving but very pleased with my time-management skills. I'll see what I can squeeze in tomorrow, and then next week I'll go to the offices in downtown Venice, hoping for some bad weather that'll keep the tourists off the streets. ^^

I've decided to start a tradition of Cream Tea Afternoons at my house. Yesterday I had the first one, with Tati and her sister, and it was a success! I insisted on placing my beautiful teapot, the British one, on the table, even if it was useless as we each had a different kind of tea, but the table looked a lot better with it. Next, I'll have to try my hand at baking some scones. After I burned two whole batches last summer, I've been loathe to try again. In the meanwhile, today I bought the ingredients for Sea Salt Ice Cream, to make on saturday. I had to throw away the last four servings I had made a month ago, because as it's handmade it doesn't last long, and now I'm obviously craving it. :D

It turns out that if I order something from the USA it takes a whole month to get here. But, if I ask them to write what I spent on it outside the package, it takes only four days. What the hell.



It's more tea blends from AdagioTeas! I asked my therapist for permission, because after that panic attack last November I had to cut back on the caffeine, but she told me it was fine. And tea makes me so happy! I should definitely take a picture of my entire collection. *______*

Funny coincidence, this morning I finished my seven percent blend, the Sherlock one, the very first tea blend I bought from that website. When I finish a blend I cut out the label from the bag and put it in my day planner. Six labels in, it's turning into a scented scrapbook, I'm very proud of myself.

Yes, I am indeed a responsible adult. :D

Case in point, and because I was talking about it a few weeks back in the comments somewhere, here's a picture of 2005 Nausicaa, in Tunisy, doing that scene from The Gladiator. That's because we were on a university trip with my Archaeology class, and we had just been in the amphitheater where they shot some scenes of the movie. And because I was always a huge nerd. :D



It was shot with my dad's old camera, it's so vintage. :D

I'm just leaving these here.





My aunt has reached the "I'm not mad, just disappointed" stage in her fight against my mug collection, I consider it a victory. Although she had to agree this one is brilliant. :D

What a lovely day! My mouth isn't hurting anymore, my aunt is back home from her parents, so she can have a bit of rest, it's less than 24 hours until the new Cabin Pressure season, this afternoon I went to the cinema to watch Wreck-It Ralph and I adored it! Again, what an amazing year for animated movies! And what an adult storyline too, there were a couple of very strong scenes that I wouldn't have expected in a kids movie (not since 1989, at least), and the final boss was the right mixture of terrifying and disgusting, loved it! A strong plot with characters who don't have to be likable but have their flaws, thus being real. It's a new golden age for animated movies, at last. *_____*

Today was also a day of great mail! First, TEAS. So many teas.


I actually own only half of those, 007, Quartermaster and Reichenbach Reunion, while Tati bought Dean, Castiel and Destiel. My good padawan. I'll never stop reminding her that *I* got her into Supernatural. *_____* Anyway, I still haven't tried any of them, and yes, I still have tons of old teas in my tea cabinet but you should all know by now that new teas make me happy and I'm a weak person. :D


More than a month ago I bought a few stickers from Red Bubble, whose only flaw is their incredibly slow delivery times. Anyway they are so pretty I'll forgive them anything. I bought them for my desk, there's a cabinet I'm turning into an Altar To The Gods of Fandom or something of the sort. ^^


Saving the best for last, it's lovely stardust_made's christmas gift to me, she's so wonderful! Look at all the cute Sherlock adorableness, AND the incredibly appropriate pin for the day. :D

Off to bed for me then, it's been a lovely but very long day, and tomorrow I have therapy in the morning. ^^

Bad news of the day: I hurt my left toe. I had to fix it up on the sink, with Sakura fussing over, and blood makes everything slippery! There was much cursing, but it looks like it's fixed now. Obviously it has to happen the day before I leave for Milan, where there'll be much walking around, what with the bus and subway strike. Curses.

And now on to the (many) good news. First, there's me leaving for Milan tomorrow, to see Frankenstein! Yes! I can't wait! I only have to print the maps left and I'm ready. Both the hotel and the cinema are close to the railway station, so there's that.

Then there's the Once Upon A Time premiere, and it was amazing! So many things happening, lots of squeeing involved, and this new storyline looks even better than the last. I love all the new characters, they opened with a Lou Reed song, and they even did a little homage to Harry Potter. I want to hug them all!

Today was also the day of much deliciousness arriving by mail. My order on the Fortnum & Mason website arrived four days earlier:


I re-stocked mine and Tati's British teas, the ones we bought in London when we had that wonderful afternoon tea at Piccadilly. And since I was there, I bought some orange and ginger biscuits, and a jar of sweets I had never heard of before, called Black Jacks. God, I love trying new things. *_______*


And the rest of the Teen Wolf teas arrived, ten days early! Now my tea cabinet is exploding, and since it's 50 cups of tea each, I'm covered until late 2014. I must avoid new fandoms at all cost, or I'll fall into temptation, order new teas and I literally don't have the room. XD Yesterday I tried the Derek one, and it was GREAT. A peculiar taste, it made me think of... woods, and fog, and then there was the aconite taste, it was great and all the while it needs time to be fully understood. I have no idea how that woman manages to make these blends that taste great and at the same time describe the character in question perfectly. :D

Then, there's the new Green Day album, which I fell in love with at once. I first knew them with their concept albums, so it was weird to have new songs that remind me of the old ones, but in a good way. I'm especially in love with Carpe Diem and Oh Love, I keep finding myself humming them. *_____*

And of course, I saved the best for last, with the new Mumford & Sons album. It was well worth the wait, it's absolutely amazing. I keep changing my mind about my favourite song, at the moment it's a death match between Lover's Eyes (which is my Derek Hale number one song) and Not With Haste, but they're all so beautiful my heart can't choose.

The next entry is going to be in two days when I come back. Or tomorrow, if I get bored and my phone has good reception. See you on the flip side of the safety demonstration. Ciao!

Hello everyone, I'm back! It was a wonderful little holiday, so relaxing and refreshing. And it made me realize four years of hopping around at the gym did put my body back together after the cancer wrecked it completely. I managed to walk for hours in the woods, and my heart and lungs were up to the task, as if I were 16 again! It was a great feeling, indeed. *______* I took a lot of pictures, all of landscapes and clouds and mountains, after the cut you'll see a selection. And today I got three packages in the mail too! \o/


We were in Cortina d'Ampezzo, one of the most beautiful little towns in the Alps. Tati was born and raised there, and her family still owns her childhood home, so it was a lovely nostalgic trip full of reminiscing on her part. *_________*

( Waste away tonight/Tonight my heart's on the loose. )


Here are the contents of the first package. Four new tea blends from Adagio Teas (all recipes by Cara McGee, obviously). The rest of the Teen Wolf teas will get here later. I still have to try any of them, as they only arrived a couple of hours ago.


These are what I bought in Cortina, and they're all Made In England. :D It's a beautiful teapot, that I needed so much since I have at least fifty cups but no teapot, and two conserves. There were many types, and they all sounded delicious. I went for Raspberry because of Cabin Pressure, and it's so sweet and delicious. The Rhubarb & Ginger one I chose because it was a taste I'd never tried, and it's amazing! Very delicate, sweet and spiced at the same time. ♥


And last but definitely not least, ReaperSun's Wreck fanbook is finally here! It's so beautiful, the paper is glossy and thick, it's such great quality. *____* And the Once Upon A Time boxset, just in time for the premiere next sunday!

Another hot, unbearably hot day. What the hell. Tati is here, so it was a great day anyway, but holy crap, will I be happy when this summer is over. Plus that would mean my birthday is coming, so there's that too. :D

As promised, pictures of what we bought today! It's a Nintendo 3DS XL, which is stupidly big, really enormous and far bigger than necessary (actually it's great, but I just had to do that). We gave back her old Nintendo DS and a couple of games, and bought the red one. As soon as it was on, we played a bit of Kingdom Hearts 3D, re-watched our favourite scenes, and the video quality is stunning. ♥



We still haven't named it. Since it's red I suggested Axel or Lea, but that's already her iPod's name, so the jury is still out on that one. My iPod's name is G-ERTI, by the way.





Sherlock here helps us understand how big this console is. It's like two PSPs one on top of the other.

Something adorable happened this morning. I was getting dressed, and she was in the living room waiting for me, and looking at my dvd collection. She called for me, and started asking me "if the actors in this show are still alive today". She was pointing at my Life on Mars boxsets, and as soon as she said it she realized her mistake, and started laughing. She told me they looked so real and so seventies on the covers that she hadn't realized it was that show with John Simm. She thought it was a tv show from the seventies I hadn't told her about. I thought it was so adorable, and such a lovely compliment to the show, that it had to be immortalized here. *_________*

We also tried the Loki tea, but iced. I made two cups, let them rest one hour, then put them in the fridge. Then we drank it with chocolate cookies, while watching Fantasia in the living room. It was good as hot tea, but it's superb as iced tea. We giggled all the way, these teas are so tasty and so related to their characters, it's amazing.

Last but not least, I just recieved an email from ReaperSun, my Wreck fanbook was shipped. I can't wait! My Sherlock bookshelf is growing! \o/

Crap, it's hot. Unbearably hot. This summer can't be over soon enough, it's been crazy, I'm sick and tired of being constantly sticky with sweat, ugh. And it's not like I can take three showers a day, that would be the end for my skin. Double ugh. And there's the issue of my blood pressure dropping when it's hot. So I'm spending most of my free time reclined on the couch, close to the air conditioning but not too close because I enjoy my lungs pneumonia-free, thank you very much.

I have another meme today, courtesy of space_oddity_75. It was a great excuse to clean up my bag, it was a mess.



It's a bag meme, so here's my summer bag! Well, one of them. I'm currently using the blue one I bought in Rhodes, the little Sherlocked one, and a Beatles one too, because I love using different ones everyday. This one I bought on Etsy last year, and decorated with a bunch of Sherlock pins and a little witch I bought with some friends, because I love witches. ^^



Let's see what's inside, starting from the top left corner. A denim hat, very cute and obligatory in this blasted sun. A shopping bag that I got free at the perfumery. My meds bag, which was originally for lipstick and the likes, and that I use to carry emergency meds, as my motion sickness wristbands (bless them!), bandaids for blisters, eyedrops. Tissues and more tissues, keys to the garbage can (yes, we do have those in Venice now, we're paranoid rays of sunshine here). A little sugar packet my therapist gave me when I fainted last week. Lipgloss, a pen, sunglasses, the kind that get on top of my regular glasses, very comfy. A little umbrella I bought at the British Museum last spring, panty-liner, hand sanitizer. Wow, I'm coming across as a hygiene freak. Oops. My Tardis wallet, for money, and my Rosetta Stone wallet (again, British Museum) for papers and cards. My beloved Sherlocked iPod, with the greek bag I keep it in when I'm not using it (it also contains a usb driver that I carry everywhere). Cellphone with its case (the phone has a Sherlock sticker on the back too). Last but not least, the Kindle in its bag. I only carry it outside the house when I know I'll have to wait somewhere: post office, bus station, my doctor's waiting room.

( This way for the Tardis and the Reichenbach Recovery teas! )

Tomorrow will be a day with Tati, we're going to do some amazing shopping, so there will be more pictures. *____*

Feeling a lot better today. Still have a couple of blisters on my feet, but nothing serious. It was definitely the hottest day in weeks, so I ate a lot before heading out of the door. Not going to faint in public again, thank you very much. For the first time since I was 13 I bought art supplies. That's... 16 years, holy crap. Obviously, it took me an eternity to choose. I wanted cheap stuff, because it's not like I'm an art student, but not too cheap, and there were lots of Disney pencils and pens that got me sidetracked, and Spiderman erasers too. Kids are so lucky nowadays, wish we had those when I was a kid. Wow, now I sound like an elderly lady. Long story short, this is what I bought:



I felt an awful lot like Steve Rogers in The Act Of Creation Will Be Your Salvation, which is one of my favourite fanfics ever (go read it, it's amazing), and it has this beautiful chapter about pencils and the colour blue, and there was a moment when I checked the pencils and got lost in thought trying to guess the proper names of all those colours. I blame the heat.



Tea and biscuits when I got back, and I finally tried the Loki tea. It's mint-flavoured. Which is, as you all know, green. I opened it, sniffed it, and started laughing. Well played, Cara, well played. :D I put icecubes in the cup, and it was very refreshing indeed. And green. ;D

( Follow the cut for the Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff teas. )



Bonus picture of Sakura. She hates the heat, and she's even sleepier than usual (considering she's a cat, she's sleeping all the time). She doesn't usually sleep in that position, she usually looks way more graceful, and her sleep is light - she actually purrs while napping. Lately her sleep is so deep she doesn't even notice when I leave the room, and I usually find her sprawled on the couch, like my dog used to do.

Yesterday night I finished watching Grimm! What an ending, what a cliffhanger! I'm so glad I only have to wait 10 days for the next season, the ending took me absolutely by surprise. I finished watching it by 1 am, and when I woke up this morning I found myself humming This is Halloween while making breakfast, which I guess was my brain processing the show. XD I did a quick search, but it seems no one made a Grimm fanvid to that song, and that's so weird.

I'll try and do my first drawing before dinner, so that I can show it to my therapist tomorrow. I already have a couple of ideas twirling around in my head, it'll be nice to put them on paper.

Monday is definitely my new favourite day of the week. Yesterday I spent the whole day with Tati, mostly playing Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance together. We arrived at the Symphony of Sorcery world, and let me tell you, the game would be worth its price even for that world alone. It's the world of Fantasia, the Disney movie, and you get to walk through highly detailed landscapes from the Centaurs sequence (Symphony #6 by Beethoven) and the Nutcraker Suite scene. While you fight, the original suites play in the background, all the way from start to end, and the keyblades make violin sounds. While climbing a tree in the scene with the Autumn Fairies, Riku's footsteps played actual notes on the leaves. At one point Sora had to run through the stormy greek country, avoiding Zeus' lightning, towards the director's stand where he could bring the sun back.

We both agreed this is the most beautiful Kingdom Hearts world since Hollow Bastion. We're both in love with the original Fantasia movie, we know it by heart, and we both adore Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. Needless to say, we were teary-eyed throughout that whole world. 10/10 from us to this game, and we haven't even finished it yet!

This morning I watched Teen Wolf 2x09 while having breakfast. Watch Teen Wolf, they said. It's fun and lighthearted, they said. During that scene with Stiles and his dad I got actual tears in my eyes. When did this show get so compelling and beautiful? And it's so LGTB-friendly, I want to hug the whole cast and writers and producers. ♥



Halfway through, the mailman rang, and it was another package from the USA, way ahead on schedule. It usually takes a month for anything to get here from the States, I wonder what happened. Anyway, it was these two beautiful guys:


Why yes, it's Sherlock and John, with the skull and John's laptop too. They are made of felt, and have little buttons for eyes, and they're so sweet and soft and adorable I instantly reverted to a six-year-old girl, cooing and squeeing. Just look at them! *________*

Bonus picture, because if I have my camera in hand I have to take bonus pictures, my very personal tea cupboard:


Look at them! So pretty and tasty, yessshhh. There's chamomile, green tea and herbal tea in the boxes in the background, you never know.

Tomorrow I'll have to go to the doctor because I had miscalculated, I finished my pills and I thought I had another box left. Which I didn't, and I blame it on the heat messing up with my brain, because I usually never get it wrong. I'm not really looking forward to spending two hours in my doctor's waiting room, but I'm happy at the idea of getting to talk with him sooner than I thought. ^^