Bloomin' owls...

[strange_complex]

...keeping me up all night!

Actually, they aren't really owls, but apparently some openings in the roofing of the flats where I live, which make hooting sounds exactly like owls when the wind blows through them. Which was most of last night. Still, it gives me a great opportunity to introduce my latest icon (man, I just love the way us permies get yet another new one every few months!).

This particular owl may be found outside Leeds' Civic Hall, where he and a feathery friend stand as proud emblems of the city - whose patron goddess must therefore logically be Minerva. Now that I actually live in Leeds, I felt the need for a 'Leeds - town' icon to supplement the 'Leeds - gown' aspect represented by my Parkinson building one. So that's his job. Meanwhile, in the background, is Shelley's rendering of the Homeric hymn to his mistress, the first few lines of which run thus:

I sing the glorious Power with azure eyes,
Athenian Pallas! tameless, chaste, and wise,
Tritogenia, town-preserving Maid,
Revered and mighty; from his awful head
Whom Jove brought forth, in warlike armour dressed,
Golden, all radiant! wonder strange possessed
The everlasting Gods that Shape to see,
Shaking a javelin keen, impetuously
Rush from the crest of Aegis-bearing Jove...

Hooting aside, I am having a very lovely weekend, which so far has included:

• Going shopping and buying a very lovely fifties-esque dark purple party frock for upcoming Christmas dos
• Getting the flat properly clean and tidy
• Painting my toe-nails
• Dying my hair (that one's happening right now)
• Doing some very fruitful and rewarding Alessandro Moreschi research
• Making lots of interesting notes (so far in English) for the Italian presentation I have to give on Tuesday
• Some cracking lie-ins

Later on, my_mundane_life will be coming to stay over en route to an interview she has here tomorrow, and we will be going out for dinner with hieroglyphe. And in the meantime, I'd better get this dye off my hair and start turning those notes into an actual presentation, that's actually in Italian...

Comments

[edling.livejournal.com]

If you're being kept awake all night anyway, I highly recommend listening to the cricket, I was awake till 5am this morning giggling along. Amongst the classic lines were:
"Harmison bounds in, all arms and legs, like an Indian deity running for a bus."
and:
"Four from Gilo's over, who at the moment looks like an ewok trying to battle a couple of stormtroopers with a twig."

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Hee! Those are cute, but the 'owls' weren't that bad really.

[hieroglyphe.livejournal.com]

Speaking of dresses, I happened to stumble across a goddess-type dress (I remember you saying about them a while ago) - it's here (http://www.argoth.co.uk/acatalog/Dresses.html), about a quarter way down the page.

Oh, and are there any firmer plans for dinner tonight? (Though you may want to text/phone me about that rather than put it here...)

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Yes, I've seen that one elsewhere, and it is one of two I'm very seriously considering (the other one is the sixth one down on this page (http://www.eroticlothing.co.uk/acatalog/copy_of_Long_evening_dresses.html)). What's holding me back is that they're not cheap, and I don't know how they'd look on me without having a chance to try them on. Well, the ball isn't until late January, so I guess at some point I will choose one and take the plunge.

Dinner venue remains uncertain for now - I think I'll wait until Tam gets here (c. 3-4pm), and ask her then. Will text you to say which place, and suggest a meeting place. But you can take it that we're definitely going somewhere, and I would imagine the timing would be something like 7-8. Chase me / Tam if you need something firmer than this!

[hieroglyphe.livejournal.com]

Heh heh, it's actually the same people but under a different name - and looking at the postcode it's dead near where I live as well :-)

As for dinner... I've looked at the train timetable and I can either get into Leeds for 6.00, 6.50 or 8.20 (the joy of Sunday trains!). Buses are marginally better - I can get into the bus station for 10 minutes past/20 minutes to the hour.

Um, I guess I'll need an hour to 90 minutes' notice to get into town and meet you somewhere, so just let me know?

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

OK - Tam has texted to say she'll be at the bus station for 3, so we can be back at my place by quarter past, thinking about when / where we'd like to eat. I should be able to report back to you by 4.

[hieroglyphe.livejournal.com]

Hurrah!

Text/phone is better seeing as I'm about to log off the intermaweb...

Pesky owls!

[smileygoth.livejournal.com]

Owls can be right noisy when they want to be. I sometimes have to put up with their all night hooting from the churchyard across the road from me (yes, I am tres goth!).

I don't understand why they can't jut sit on the same branch when they want a chat instead of shouting to each other from one end of the churchyard to the other.

Stupid owls...

Re: Pesky owls!

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

This is a very good question! Or maybe they are having an argument about which branch is nicest to sit on?

OWL A: "Dude, this branch is ace! Come over here and check it out."
OWL B: "No wai! I am, like, totally chilled out on this branch."
OWL A: "That branch suXX0r!"
OWL B: "O RLY?"

etc....

Re: Pesky owls!

[smileygoth.livejournal.com]

Indeed!

Ooh, and on the subject of that Minerva lass/goddess, there is a building called Minerva House on East Parade in Leeds so I reckon she must live there.

Personally, if I was a God/Goddess I would have chosen somewhere nicer than the middle of Leeds city centre for my house.

Re: Pesky owls!

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Still, at least that way she gets to be close to her owls. Also, since she is immortal, she was probably already living in that spot when Leeds was still a tiny little Anglo-Saxon village. So I guess she's been there longer than the city centre as we know it.

Re: Pesky owls!

[roobarb.livejournal.com]

or you get a teenage one that flies from branch to branch going "WOO HOO this is goo..ooh look at that one" flies to that one and goes "WOO HOO this is goo..ooh look at that one" flies to that one and goes "WOO HOO this is goo..ooh look at that one" flies to that one and goes "WOO HOO this is goo..ooh look at that one" flies to that one .... rinse and repeat all night

Yes I live opposite a park

he was fun when he was a baby, but now!!!

[big-daz.livejournal.com]

A couple of fellas I know did the re-gilding of the Owls & Clocks on the Civic Hall a few years back- took quite a bit of gold leaf, apparently. The two owls on the pillars in Millenium Square are fairly recent though- put up in 2000, funnily enough.

On the subject of owls, Mr dedbutdrmng's alter-ego is a particularly grumpy owl, and boy does he look it. In fact, Owl even has his own community owlbile, not that he's posted much on there yet, but I suppose he might if something gets his back up enough..