pippinandme

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Alice in Wonderland costume idea

[pippinandme]

Heated Rant

I'm so depressed right now. Mum's had to go back to England again, so it's just my sister and me, (and a younger brother but he's doing exams so can't help with the work) and the heat is, well, let's say difficult.

The few plant's I got in the garden this year ( due to having no time) are drying out. I can barely keep up with the watering since all the containers are empty and I have to get it from our well. And I haven't mulched them because that takes time too.

I'm not managing with the poultry. A load of the little ducklings died the other day from the heat but there's no where else to keep them. I can't bare to tell anyone( they belong to my little brother when he's here) but I 'm going to have to because it's so obvious. But I don't want to because it's my fault for not remembering( I don't do them normally, but the day they left I forgot I had to) an dI have been frequently crying a lot about THAT.

I really need to clean out the sheep pen, it's not fair on them, but I haven't got the energy(which sounds really pathetic, I know I am, but you have no idea. I can't even describe how tired I am, I often wish there were a tired measurement, because people don't understand if you just say "I'm tired")

And I haven't been doing my studies because I hate sitting at the computer and we're short of internet(stupid Orange keeps not working) and there's more important stuff to do,

Like fixing up the house so it looks posh to sell, cleaning up the campsite so we can try and make SOME money, though nobody's booked it this year anyway, which, I can tell you, has me depressed in it's own right, we have no money, come on people!!

Nevermind trying to set up the online business, my graphic design business. That, believe it or not takes time.

Plus dealing with French paperwork and registrations for the next school year just does my head in.

So I'm utterly fed up, and upset about it all, and I want to talk to Mum about it( you know a bit of sympathy and reassurance that sort of thing) but she has so much to worry about, she would really worry if she thought we were struggling, and she's got enough on her hands dealing wuth her Mum.

And, today my foot got stabbed by a screw, it's hard to walk.

There. No one has to read this. I just had to put it somewhere.

There are good things to, I'll write them seperately.

[pippinandme]

Book challenge

I seem to have a problem. Despite my inability to make decisions about important stuff, I keep deciding to do things that I never quite manage. Not that I give up, you understand, pfah! giving up!, no I simply haven't finished yet...

Anyway, now I have decided to set off on a book challenge. Different from what I usually do(try and get through all my sisters books.), this time it'll be by the type of book.

I have a lot to say about books, my situation concerning them, the inavailability(is that a word?Doesn't matter) of new books for me, and how I read them but I'll jump straight into the list...

Non-fiction

dual timelined

recomended

historically set, pre18th century

One word title

Adapted into a movie/series

Easy-reading

Author I had never heard

Set in a foreign country

Based on a myth/legend

Prize-winning

Astounding cover art

First of a new series

From the to-read list

Audiobook

I got the ideas from various other lists, thank you to fellow bookworms on Pinterest and more.

Anymore ideas might be added. Would be nice to know if anyone else wants to do it to. Just for fun.

I haen't got a deadline, but my birthday is the first week of August. So I'll see how many I can do before then. I don't have much spare time so, it'll be interesting.

[pippinandme]

My very first comic ever.

Not best quality photo...

"The Day I Found Out It Was True - Long Earth" 12.06.2025 E.N.

[pippinandme]

Working-Waistcoat, from scratch

So, I decided I want a waiscoat to wear for normal, everyday farmwork, but since all my other ones are way to nice to spoil, I had to make one myself. But finding a simple waiscoat pattern online you can just copy out, is, well, not so easy. So... I did it myself.

I couldn't be bothered to make a pattern, I probably wouldn't have finished it it I had, I don't have much sparew time. So I got some old trousers of my younger brother's, which he said he didn't want, and, basically cut off the seams, pinned some pieces together and put it on, then adjusted the pins to my body. Simple.

Well, kind of. I had little experience making waistcoats, (I made a pattern from one of my other ones, which turned out wasn't quite right, and made a cool linen one, which is actually quite cool), so it was pretty much playing it by ear.

But I am very proud of the outcome, and have been wearing it on the farm for almost a week now, testing it's flexibility, and, um, *need a good word to put here to sound clever...* stuff. It is perfect, though I say so myself[frankly noone else is going to], and I am determined to make more.

I will make a pattern at some point. I'll post it on here if anyone is interested.

(The photo's aren't great. I don't feel comfortable with my face on the internet, so I tried blurring it, and it looks kinda disturbing...)

[pippinandme]

General feeling, and thoughts recently...

So, I've been feeling a bit down since Mum got back. The word I've been using(in my head) is : blank. It's not so much, depressed, though that appears sometimes, but I , I can' eactually explain it very well. In context:

We work all the time. There's always stuff to do on the farm. I mean alway. But for us, it's just how we live ( the last 3-4 years are different, we've been exhausted, but in general...) we're used to it, so when I'm not working I feel useless, bad for not doing stuff. When Mum's away we get on with stuff, we don't try and do stuff together, we don't sit around talking (not that we don't talk, we have a weird sort of sister-ship), so we get a lot more done. Now that Mum's back, I don't do anything without checking with her first, and we always want to do jobs together, but she does stuff I can't help with, but I don't like to do something on my own incase I'm needed to help with something in the meantime.

So I end up spending my days hanging around, not doing much and feeling bad for it, I don't do any "hobbies" because I feel quilty for not getting enough work done.

I don't want anyone to blame Mum, or think I'm being mistreated, it's not true, It's a complicated, and certainly unique situation, I'm just moaning. I write my thoughts in my diary too, but typing is quicker.

[pippinandme]

TANGLED THE SERIES IS SO AMAZING I personally feel they lacked in the last season/backed out of a few better ideas but it's still an absolute banger of a show

How far into it are you? What are your thoughts on the characters so far?

I'm watching it with my older sister. About halfway through the third season. Not for long...

I was so upset to find there are only three. Aslo, this was sooo brilliant they should definitely do more of theses things instead of the pointless remakes.

The characters? Well Cass and Varian are, quite simply, amazing. The fact that they are both new characters and villains, not to mention their singing voices, is just plain cool. Plus Varian is a teenage alchemist, in the third series he is basically a steampunk villain, I mean, look at his coat! He even wears goggles, all the time, even when tiny*SO CUTE*. Eugene is hilarious, and Rapunzel is stilla great character and I don't find her too annoyingly nice either, which I'm thankful for. Also I love how the "messages", the love they share etc.etc. is not over-done and soppy, it's just part of the story, and that Raps and Eugene aren't lovey-dovey, because that would ruin it.

So basically so cool, and I'm quite pleased we haven't watched it before now. There is little TV these days that is so fun to watch, that doesn't get too serious, or uncomfortable.

I am sad they didn't go through with Varian and the Seven Kingdoms.

[pippinandme]

Tangled : The series

Why did I not know about this!!!

It's amazing! Not only is it fun, proper disney silliness, but it has real, serious story. Not to mention the MUSIC!I mean, wow. I can't help practicaly falling in love with Eugene for his voice! And am so jealous of Varian and Cass for theirs!!

Also I am going to make a cool, practical version of this cool outfit:

By which I mean Rapunzel's. But also Eugene's jacket, and Cass's cloak.

[pippinandme]

Learning to be a hacker

I have read Cress(Marissa Meyers) recently, which I love because : It's cool, also Rapunzel is one of my favorite fairytales(I think I relate to her quite easily) and in anticipation of the announced adaptation.

Anyway, it made me think about hacking skills. I've always been quite good at computery stuff, despite disliking technology in general, and I thought that would be something to improve on. Also, if I'm gonna get serious, who knows what the future will bring but it'll probably include a lot of technological advances, and increase control. Especially the way people are stupidly using AI FOR EVERYTHING!!!! It just drives me MAD!! Does no one learn anything from dystopian stories!?!

So I found this website TryHackMe and I'm trying it out. It's quite good, walks you through tests and easy things and you learn stuff as you go. I'm doing it free, because I have no money, but when I'm making some I might consider doing it properly...

[pippinandme]

People, take heed, see the signs, the world is getting harder to live in.

Floran, a French national, had his employment contract with Groupe SNCF canceled for his support for Palestine and his opposition to the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

(Source: QUDS news network)

[pippinandme]

I plan to make a version of this for a plot on our glampsite, and call it paradise falls.

We have a tent which is blue/white/yellow/and light wood themed. Any ideas for a sign for that? Maybe do to with boats and sailors...

[pippinandme]

Musicals: The book I want.

I just discovered, entirely by accident, this most amazing book, and have fallen instantly in love!

I love musicals. Unfortunately I can't call myself a nerd( in any area) but I still love them. They are basically a compilation of the things I wish to be but know I'm not good enough to be. A writer, an artist, an actress, a singer, a music composer, a dancer and so much more. Andrew Lloyd Webber has been one of my favorite artists for as long as I can remember, and I listen to soundtracks more than I listen to albums.

The main reason I'm posting this is so that I don't forget this exists, and one day when I have a reasonable income I will buy it for myself, and go on a weeks retreat to read it.

[pippinandme]

[pippinandme]

Photo's of making/inventing an outside toilet washstand for our rustic glampsite. Using, as usual, whatever I could find, made probably within an hour.

As you see I left the moss on one of the posts, because it's cool.

That's just the stand, it's going to have a plastic(because we can't get hold of cool things easily) washing bowl and some sort of soap in a dish and a towel hanging up. I'll add a picture when I do that.

Hope you like it, though it's probably boring to most people.

[pippinandme]

ACTUALLY Free piano sheet music online

All the good sites now make you pay for sheet music, even if just a subscription, it's more than they used to be. But just now searching for Money For Nothing, I found a great site called PianoShelf (which is a good name) and it is free and has whole songs in PDF.

I just hope it stays free. I plan to create a site where you can get free Pdfs one day.

[pippinandme]

To people asking for help...

I've had a few messages asking for donationsfrom people in difficult situations, and I just wanted to say that I really feel for you, truly, and if I could I would give as much as possible, but I actually have nothing to give. Sorry, but try to take comfort in knowing I care.

[pippinandme]

So Mum's had to go away again(complicated) and it's the busiest time of year(if that's possible), we need to open our glampsite quickly to get some money and sort out the farm for selling, it's such a mess and has such potential, I hate to leave… Anyway one of the things we're doing right now is clearing out our small lake. It's a massive job, scooping out the mud, digging up roots and chopping trees down. All by hand. The dogs love it.

That's as well as finishing building individual plots for the bell tents, planting hedges and poshing up the hangar. Nevermind keeping the farm ticking over.

I don't even know why I'm doing this, probably no one will see it, I guess I just want to rant about stuff and don't have anyone to rant to.

I sometimes wish I had some sort of social life and a friend to hang out with, but I know that No one around here would get it, and I wouldn't have time to either. I just hope that when we move, I can meet the right people and maybe make up for my missed "teen" years. The most rebelling I've ever done is asking Mum to cut my hair drastically short. That was two weeks ago.

Anyway, who cares…