Vermilion Sands
An occasional journal
Happy Birthday Jesus
Dec 25th 2017
A 3D printed sheep and Buddha come to the party.
Deck the coffee with leaves of holly.
Admin2 is reading White Tears by Hari Kunzru; a splendid time-slipping story of white men and the blues (thx Admin1).
We watched The Cuckoo’s Calling (thx again).
Christmas Day was our warmest (14.5 °C by day and 10.2 °C by night) and sunniest (0.683kWh) of this December.
God Jul
Dec 24th 2017
Admin1 is reading The Dark Isle by Clare Carson. Admin2 is reading The Forensic Records Society by Magnus Mills, a somewhat eccentric novella about music appreciation clubs. Admin1 watched The Leftovers, series 3, which was seriously weird, and we both watched The Farthest, about Voyager, which was amazing, even though we’ve had 40 years of spoilers.
Wonderful Christmas Time
Dec 23rd 2017
Our Christmas tree and all our presents (before G, D, A and B came to take theirs away). But with their help we scored 9 on the GWQ.
Hear the Salvation Army Band
Dec 20th 2017
No sorry it’s the Back Chat Brass and jolly good they were too.
Admin2 is reading NW by Zadie Smith.
Pinker Than You Think
Dec 19th 2017
Garish sunset.
Admin1 is reading Babylon Berlin by Volker Kutscher — OK, but a bit of a slog. Admin2 went to the Cafe Scientifique – Festive Science-themed Quiz and won the top prize (a tiny bottle of gin).
Christmas Lights
Dec 18th 2017
Bloke round corner continues his traditional tasteless display. Most of the neighbouring houses have started competing but he still wins.
Admin2 is reading What Dark Clouds Hide by Anne Holt.
Critter of the Day: Blackbird
Dec 17th 2017
Admin2 is reading Light in a Dark House by Jan Costin Wagner; a Finnish story with an open-ended finish.
We scored er um 6 on the GWQ.
Critter of the Day: Bullfinch
Dec 15th 2017
On the wing…
…and in the trees.
Pyrrhula pyrrhula, so good they named it twice. We’ve never knowingly seen one of these before.
Admin1 is reading The Twelfth Department by William Ryan.
Trifling
Dec 14th 2017
Admin1 is reading Wychwood by George Mann (daft. And mercifully short). Admin2 is reading Babylon Berlin by Volker Kutscher, shenanigans in interwar Germany with Russians, Nazis, gangsters and corrupt police.
Melting in the Sun
Dec 11th 2017
The blue skies of today reflected in the thaw.
Admin1 is reading The Bloody Meadow by William Ryan, a detective story set in the Stalinist USSR of the 1930s, and not as interesting as it sounds. Admin2 is reading The Double Silence by Mari Jungstedt.
Weather of the Day: Light Snow
Dec 10th 2017
What we got:
…and what was predicted yesterday:
Even so, today was our coldest December day for five years: 1.5 °C. We are watching Game of Thrones series 7 and scored 12 on the GWQ. Kudos to Gez, Dave and Audrey.
Ice Ice Baby
Dec 9th 2017
On the road…
…and in the trees
Admin1 is reading Post Mortem and Admin2 is reading Death Message, both by Kate London.
A Horse with No Name
Dec 8th 2017
A pink pony on the pavement.
Admin1 is reading What Dark Clouds Hide by Anne Holt. Admin2 is reading Post Mortem by Kate London, a compelling Line of Duty-like story of an internal police investigation.
Late Bloomer
Dec 6th 2017
This unseasonal spring poppy has been struggling to unbox itself for weeks but has finally opened — just in time to get blown away by Storm Caroline tomorrow, probably.
Admin2 is reading The Pattern in the Carpet by Margaret Drabble, a book mostly about jigsaws in hundreds of tiny pieces.
Eyes in the Skies
Dec 5th 2017
Admin1 is reading Europa Blues by Arne Dahl. Admin2 is reading Munich by Robert Harris, which resonated well with current events.
Reflecting
Dec 3rd 2017
Walls and fences reflected in a car.
Admin1 is reading Munich by Robert Harris, a somewhat plodding factionalisation of the Munich Conference in the run-up to WWII. Admin2 is reading The Cutting Crew by Steve Mosby. We scored 7 on the GWQ.
Sunset
Dec 1st 2017
The snows are melted, the snows are gone. Admin1 is rewatching Fringe. Admin2 is reading No Echo by Anne Holt.
Snow Time
Nov 30th 2017
First snow of the winter.
Admin1 is reading Death Message by Kate London — excellent, involving and convincing, though reading her previous book first might have been useful.