#barkingham posting

[griffinsmith]

is it really your birthday if you dont visit your favorite little guy at least once

[optri]

[afeelgoodblog]

The Best News of Last Week

1. Amazon deforestation falls over 60% compared with last July

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell by at least 60% in July compared to the same month last year, the environment minister, Marina Silva, has told the Guardian.

The good news comes ahead of a regional summit that aims to prevent South America’s largest biome from hitting a calamitous tipping point.

2. 4,000 Rescued Beagles, Bred for Research, Found Homes and Best Friends

A heartwarming story unfolds as a beagle named Fin marks the end of a heroic 60-day mission to save almost 4,000 dogs from distressing conditions at a breeding facility. Beagles once underfed, sick, and mistreated have found their way into loving homes, enjoying grassy romps and birthday cake celebrations.

From "Sir Biscuit of Barkingham" to "Nervous Nellie," these four-legged heroes are adapting to their new lives with wagging tails and leaps of joy.

3. 'Cancer-killing pill' that appears to 'annihilate' solid tumours is now being tested on humans

A "cancer-killing pill" has appeared to "annihilate" solid tumours in early research - leaving healthy cells unaffected.

The new drug has been in development for 20 years, and is now undergoing pre-clinical research in the US.

4. Petting other people's dogs, even briefly, can boost your health

It turns out even short, friendly interactions with canines can be good for our health. Evidence is accumulating that levels of the stress hormone cortisol drop in people after just 5 to 20 minutes spent interacting with dogs — even if it's not their pet.

5. FDA approves first pill for postpartum depression

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the first-ever pill for postpartum depression.

The medication, called zuranolone, is taken daily for two weeks. In a pair of clinical trials involving women who experienced severe depression after having a baby, the drug improved symptoms — such as anxiety, difficulty sleeping, loss of pleasure, low energy, guilt or social withdrawal — as early as three days after taking the first pill.

6. Taylor Swift Gives Bonuses Totaling Over $55 Million to Every Person Working on Massive Eras Tour

The pop superstar recently gave bonuses totaling over $55 million to everyone (from her dancers to riggers, sound technicians and catering, among others) working on her massive show.

TMZ previously reported that Swift, 33, gifted truckers on her tour $100,000 each ahead of her concert stop in Santa Clara over the weekend.

7. Successful room temperature ambient-pressure magnetic levitation of LK-99

In summary, this paper provides confirmatory synthesis and enhanced magnetic levitation of LK-99 at room temperature. The results support the possibility of intrinsic high temperature superconductivity in this system, but lack electrical evidence. More measurements and theoretical work are still needed to conclusively demonstrate and explain claimed room temperature superconductivity in this apatite material.

----

That's it for this week :)

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[makethatelevenrings]

Somewhere Only We Know - ONE

Chapter Warnings: goodbye earl (pet death), spoilers for 2x01 kinda??, this is a bit rushed bc it’s exposition but we get into the fun stuff next chapter

Masterlist

“Oh fucking hell.”

You hadn’t expected the first game of your new job to end like this but here you were creating Canva tribute posts for a deceased dog. Keeley directed you to make sure that you were focusing on solely sympathetic posts and honoring Earl. You had the press conference pulled up on one of your monitors to ensure you were catching what was being said along with the social media feeds.

And of course Ted Lasso did an excellent job honoring Earl. That man made your life easier.

A knock sounded on your office door and you raised your head to find Keeley peeking into your office. “You survived your first day! Better than Earl, I’d say.”

You choked back a laugh and motioned her to come in. “Christ, Keels, poor things not even buried yet.”

“Sorry, sorry. I just wanted to come see how you were getting on. Rebecca looked at the Insta with me and I have to say, your graphics are a hoot. Are you up for a task to do sometime this week?”

“Yeah, of course. It is my job, after all.”

She grinned. “Right, right. Well, Rebecca bought Barkingham Palace in honor of Earl and I would love it if you could go get some photos and videos with the dogs. They have some named after the players too! We have some little dog jerseys you can bring with you.”

“I can do that. Anything in particular you want to see?”

She bounced up onto her feet and shook her head. “Nope! Make it cute, make it fun. I know you’ll do a great job. You’re doing fabulous, babes.”

Raising your coffee mug in salute, you returned back to your work as she fled your tiny office in a wash of pink and glitter. Considering the tasks she could have given you, hanging out with a bunch of dogs wasn’t bad.

Three days later, you found yourself at Barkingham Palace with a golden retriever demanding pets and a staffie jumping up in an attempt to lick your face. You laughed in delight as dogs scrambled around you. You had successfully slid little Richmond jerseys over a few of the dogs heads and now a tiny Pomeranian was proudly sporting a Rojas jersey. A Border Collie wore a visor and whistle and you snapped a picture. You sent that one to Coach Lasso and received a GIF of a dog laughing in response.

Two Spaniels with McAdoo and Zoreaux jerseys made a great video with the way they tumbled over each other. One of the media guys you had recruited for help with capturing photos got a few shots of you being tackled by a Labrador wearing a Bumbercatch jersey.

The dogs were so cute that you even put your information down to volunteer in the future when you and Mikey, the photographer, packed up for the day. There was one little dachshund that kept following you around but there was no way you could get a dog, especially when your new job required you to travel frequently. Volunteering would help get in some well deserved snuggles.

By the time you got home, a few texts were waiting for you. Keeley asked for a few picture previews so you fired off some of the photos you had taken on your phone. One was from Higgins reminding you to swing by HR on Monday to finalize your travel waivers. Two were from unknown numbers who identified themselves as Sam Obisanya and Colin Hughes. They both sent friendly texts welcoming you to the team and you made a mental note to figure out what their favorite dessert was so you could make it for their birthdays. You sent a thank you text to both of them and sent them each a photo with a dog in their jersey.

Stripping off your fur covered clothes, your first priority was to take a shower before curling up on the couch and editing these photos for your post tomorrow. The TV played in some low drone in the background, some kind of stupid reality dating show where hot people dated and fucked like rabbits. It was mind numbing and didn’t require thought and you liked having something playing in the background as you worked.

You had a few videos already on the Instagram story from today and you went to check the engagement. Swiping your finger along the screen, you were relieved to see thousands of views and shares. People loved puppies and they loved football. If you combined the two, it was gold. One of the videos of you getting tackled by some of the loveable dogs made it in and people were loving it. Rebecca even texted you with a, “LOVE! So cute!!” so you were feeling great about your work.

Verified accounts were bumped to the top and you recognized a few of the players names. Zoreaux, Jan Maas, and a few others had viewed the stories, along with a name you didn’t recognize. Jamie Tartt. Was he the guy from that one underwear model? Or was he the Givenchy ad? You looked up at your television screen. Oh, never mind. He was the reality TV show manwhore.

Exiting Richmond's account, you changed your Instagram over to yours. There was far less engagement, but your simple baking account didn’t appeal to as many people as a football league. You loved designing different desserts, trying out recipes, and balancing out flavor combinations. Combined with your love for photography and design, you had a pretty prolific home baking account. It was the account you showed Keeley as your portfolio and now she and Rebecca both followed you. Oddly enough, Higgins did too.

Your face was rarely in the photos because you ran a one-woman show, but occasionally a friend would snap a great candid. Most of your pictures were treats, flowers, cool spots around London, or whatever you found cool. You liked showing your personality through photos and you didn’t care if your face wasn’t in there. The memories were present and that’s what mattered.

A few new followers had joined the fray and you were surprised to see some of the Richmond players among them. It wasn’t like you hid the account, but it wasn’t something you advertised as your name. Keeley must have told them.

But then there was that name again. Jamie Tartt. Why would some footballer turned reality star care about your panna cotta fails and award-winning lemon bars? Why would a guy who isn’t even playing for Richmond want to follow you, the social media manager?

Fuck it. It was too late to question the motives of some stranger. He was just another follower. Another number for engagement profiles. Maybe he was just interested in your slutty brownie recipe. Whatever, you needed to sleep so you could get to the stadium tomorrow and get these photos out.

Tag list: @shiptheship​

[dietleucine]

Might as well post an old doodle.. this is from an au I have.. Basically it's the same but they're all dogs? I have a whole list on everyone's dog breed. (Have I mentioned this before?)

Anywho Randy Barkingham!!! I think I'm going to change Randy's breed to a Jack Russell Terrier,,,

[ao3feed-tedlasso]

hope you're happy (even if you're not mine)

https://ift.tt/sGMZBw1 by starrynight2901 Ted returns to Richmond for the first gala benefitting Barkingham Palace. It has been about 7 months since he left, he specifically wants to see if Rebecca is okay because he regrets not being completely there the day he left. (FYI- It's a happy ending even if the title and summary don't sound like it!) Words: 41148, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Ted Lasso (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: F/M Characters: Ted Lasso, Coach Beard (Ted Lasso), Rebecca Welton, Jane Payne, Leslie Higgins, Julie Higgins (Ted Lasso), Keeley Jones, Roy Kent, Henry Lasso, Michelle Keller, Jade (Ted Lasso), Nathan Shelley, Isaac McAdoo, Colin Hughes, Richard Montlaur, AFC Richmond Players (Ted Lasso), Jelka | Dutch Boat Man's Daughter (Ted Lasso), Matthijs | Dutch Boat Man (Ted Lasso) Relationships: Ted Lasso/Rebecca Welton Additional Tags: Angst, Miscommunication, Feelings Realization, Idiots in Love, Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Mutual Pining, opening the floodgates lol, Post-Canon Fix-It, Smidge of self-esteem issues, Learning To Communicate, Happy Ending, Smut, A gala because why not, blended family vibes, my children characters are emotionally intelligent idc if realistic I love them, This was supposed to be a ficlet based on whms love declaration so, Fluff, many types of fluff, TW: for boatman inclusion but he's mostly a prick, TW (cont.) can't say my boatman is ooc bc canon barely has c source https://archiveofourown.org/works/52455367 December 23, 2023 at 10:02AM

[hmmdotjpg]

Couple more dr jackall doodles -

My personal hc is that he has the Marleybone equivalent of a PhD in engineering and was hired at barkingham palace because he is really good with automatons/robot stuff and worked there happily on building automaton defenses for the palace. A few years later he didn’t have very much to do in the palace and basically became the coffee guy for the queen and her staff so he had more time to think about how he was better than this and time to tinker with potions n stuff

ALSO i think jackall was genuine friends with some ppl at the palace like chief whip but obv he blew it when he hit whip with the hypnosis gas for his own gain

[realm-of-books-and-owls]

I don't see anyone talking about this guy here so I'm going to.

My Pop! Around the World Barkingham, representing the U.K., arrived and I'm pretty excited for it.

Unfortunately, the top of his box is dented from where it was shoved into a sorter. I'm more of an out-of-box collector so it's not that big of a deal, but kinda annoying considering its price ($15, a bit spendy a Pop for me), approx. $7 shipping, plus it's from the Funko Shop so I would think they would take better care.

Anyway, he's pretty cute! I like the Queen's Guard uniform, his teacup, and his punny name- "Barkingham" is what really sold this for me. The pin's a nice bonus.

His hat's bigger than in the box art but I prefer that. Paint's pretty clean all around. My only problem is, if you look closely at his teacup, the inside is painted blue so it looks empty. Just a teabag string hanging out? The box art shows that it should be brown. He should have his breakfast tea. (Maybe some Boston terriers dumped it in the harbor? But I don't think that's what's supposed to be happening here.)

Lastly, there's an adorable London scene insert in the box, a nice display if you keep him in.

Overall, for my first of Funko's original figures, I'm still pretty happy with it. I might get some of the others from this line, like the Irish fox, the Indian elephant, and the Aussie koala. We'll see.

[i-am-church-the-cat]

Pub Trio HCs

i cannot find hcs for Baz, Jeremy, or Paul on here and i have like, a ton, so i thought it was appropriate to make this post pls be aware that i am American and i apologize is any of this isn’t common in England 

Paul is married and his wife works/travels a lot 

They don’t have any kids so he spends most of his time at the Pub

Except he does volunteer at Barkingham Palace sometimes

Jeremy is the only one with a full time job

He works for a customer service hotline but usually just takes his headset and laptop to the bar to “work” 

Paul graduated from uni with a degree in English Literature 

Baz has a cat named Pepper that he got from his grandmother and who absolutely hates him

Baz has a part-time job as a cashier at a convenience/corner store but usually only works really early in the morning

Baz's parents are loaded though and he has enough money in a trust fund to not have to work at all 

He’s just really frugal

They’ve been best friends since year 10 

There was a guy picking on Paul and Bax punched him

Jeremy started laughing and wouldn’t stop making quips about it for the rest of the week

boom, best friends 

Jeremy and Baz were best men at Paul’s wedding

Baz recently got out of a long-term relationship with a bad ending 

Jeremy has a lot of girlfriends but can’t make anything stick 

One time they got so drunk that they woke up in a pub in Ireland and couldn’t afford to get back home

That was a rough 6 days 

Jeremy has an older sister that’s really protective but also makes fun of him constantly

Baz and Paul both had crushes on her 

They all played football growing up and play with some other guys they knew growing up sometimes

Paul and Jeremy both grew up in Richmond but Baz moved there when his parents divorced at 13

They’ve been sneaking into the pub since they were 13 and Mae is basically like a second mom to them 

Paul is allergic to pollen and gets really bad allergies

Jeremy has a dog named Poodle even though she’s a German Shepherd

They all have very high alcohol tolerances because of how much they drink regularly 

 They actually got banned from Nelson Road when they were 16 

They mourned for months 

No one at the Dogtrack knows about it but they still remember and recognize the anniversary by rewatching old Richmond games 

Jeremy learned how to play guitar to impress girls 

They’re last names are Marbury, Felding, and Carpenter 

I’ll let you figure out who I’m thinking of for each 

[spiralcompendium]

Marleybonean Dog Breeds

Inspired by this post by @buccaneers-babey​

back to your regularly scheduled lore posting

Certain dog breeds seem to be associated with specific occupations/genders in Marleybone. I looked through many of the Dog NPCs in Marleybone (both W101 and P101) and Celestia, and I was definitely able to make some connections. Also, I had no idea that KI had models for twenty-four different breeds (at least). I would have guessed, like, five.

Borzoi

Associated with the Navy. Examples:

Lt. Springer (companion--P101)

Admiral Nelson (Barkeley Square--P101)

Beagle

Seem to range anywhere from wealthy businessmen to poor orphans. 

Oliver Twist (Barkeley Square--P101)

Professor Challenger (Barkeley Square--P101)

Cratchit (Isle of Dogs--P101)

Gerry Ramsden (Isle of Dogs--P101)

Bulldog

Pretty variable, but many seem to be in the military.

Bulldog Sergeant Major (Barkingham Palace)

Watson (Scotland Yard Roof) [Of note is the fact that Watson from the original stories worked as a doctor for the British Army.]

Ms. Conrail (Hyde Park)

Reed Treever (Regent’s Square)

Sally Newflower (Royal Museum)

Deirdre Parker (Celestia Base Camp)

Admiral Doggett (Barkeley Square--P101)

Colonel Smeagle (Barkeley Square--P101)

Judge Burble (The Glass House--P101)

Bloodhound

We only have one example, but this breed could easily be associated with detective work. 

Sherlock Bones (Digmoore Station)

Cocker Spaniel

Commoner women. 

Tracy Castleton (Digmoore Station)

Amy Brooks (Knight’s Court)

Corgi

This breed seems to be associated with the royal family... and with poor maids in gross taverns?? Maybe members of the Marleybonean royal family--never mind.

Queen (Barkingham Palace)

Nancy (Isle of Dogs’ Sewers--P101)

Dobermann

This seems to be the breed of (generally) high-society men. 

Arthur Wethersfield (Ravenwood)

The Maestro (Telegraph Box)

Mayor Pimsbury (Digmoore Station)

Mr. Rowley (Hyde Park)

Bill Tanner (Knight’s Court)

Mr. Brownlow (Barkeley Square--P101)

Corporal Iams (The Glass House--P101)

Redcoats (The Wreck of the Victory--P101)

Constable Talbot (Isle of Dogs--P101)

English Mastiff

Royal guards. 

Captain Dartmouth (Barkingham Palace)

Henry Wellingbrook (Regent’s Square)

German Shepherd

High-society men.

William Pugsby (Chelsea Court)

Private Kinchley (Wolfminster Abbey)

Corbett (Isle of Dogs’ Sewers--P101)

Dr. Glendon (Isle of Dogs--P101)

Golden Retriever

He sure did retrieve that message from Azteca.

Edward Halley (Halle’s Observatory)

Irish Setter

Aristocratic/high-society men. 

Lord Barker (Chelsea Court)

Clancy Pembroke (Royal Museum)

Mr. Smiley (Barkeley Square--P101)

Mycroft Bones (Barkeley Square--P101)

David Balfour (Isle of Dogs--P101)

Labrador

Commoners. 

Ernest Haldings (Chelsea Court)

Emily Chesterfield (Hyde Park)

H. G. Waggs (Kensington Park)

David Beeman (Knight’s Court)

Abigail Doolittle (Regent’s Square)

Andrew Coleman (Regent’s Square)

Officer McRuff (Scotland Yard)--desk sergeant

And many, many more.

Papillon

Commoner women. 

Ms. Marphely (Chelsea Court)

Felicia Worthington (Regent’s Square)

Rose Piper (Telegraph Box)

Poodle

Aristocratic/high-society women.

Lady Desane (Hyde Park)

Catherine Dalton (Knight’s Court)

Linda Milltop (Knight’s Court)

Sarah Tanner (Knight’s Court)

Pug

Commoner men.

Chief Whip (Barkingham Palace)

Terrence Heath (Chelsea Court)

Reed Treever (Regent’s Square)

Travis Pawman (Big Ben)

Schnauzer

Male scientists and engineers. 

Dr. Schnippi (Isle of Dogs’ Sewers--P101)

Abner Wickersham (Isle of Dogs--P101)

Dr. Nation (Isle of Dogs--P101)

Ebeneezer Scrooge (Isle of Dogs--P101)

Scottish Terrier

Police/army.

Officer Darby (Hyde Park)

Officer Terry (Kensington Park)

Walter Chaplin (Royal Museum)--doesn’t fit trend (Spiral Geographic Society member)

Admiral Kearns (Barkeley Square--P101)

Captain Harkness (Airedale Pier--P101)

White Terrier

Low-class men, scurvy dogs.

Dockmaster Nathan (Isle of Dogs--P101)

Crokagator Dundee (Isle of Dogs’ Sewers--P101)

Jack Russell Terrier

A beautiful good boy.

Lucky Jack Russell (Companion--P101)

Boston Terrier

Female scientists/engineers. 

Edith Benchley (Celestia Base Camp)

Emily Wills (Isle of Dogs--P101)

Gracie Conrad (Companion--P101)

Shar-Pei

There’s only one, and he’s a constable.

Angus Crankenhop (Regent’s Square)

St. Bernard

Male constables.

Officer Barkly (Digmoore Station)

Sergeant Steeg (Knight’s Court)

Weimaraner

There’s only one: another constable. 

Officer Stone (Newgate Prison)

[vdreamblood]

40-45 for the wizzy ask post!!!

Thanks for the ask Oki!!!

40: who’s one NPC that everyone really likes, but you hate?

Hmmm.....kind of a hard question? I don’t rly hate any particular popular npcs but I’ll be fully honest.....I don’t see the appeal of Malistaire

41: favorite dungeon?

Oh I love Barkingham Palace! I love the Victorian Aesthetic and I’m also a really big fan of Jekyll and Hyde and I thought it was very fun how KI did it. Also Catrin Cheshire and Dr Jackall could like...../get it/

42: what’s your favorite wand?

Definitely the cool floating skull wands from the biker pack. I can’t count how many crowns I’ve spent trying to buy those every time I level Victoria up 10 levels

43: do you buy potion refills, or play minigames to fill up your potions? what minigame is your favorite?

I usually buy potion refills. As for mini games, I LOVE sorcery stones. It’s literally the only game I play. Choo-choo zoo is a close second though.

44: which of your wizards has the highest level? if you only have one, what level are they?

Victoria Dreamblood, and she is maxed out. I love her dearly and she is so purple and good.

45: favorite area in wizard city?

Oh definitely Nightside. I’m goth and gay and love the death school and my bro Mortis.

[griffinsmith]

Really stupid low effort drawings correlated to parts of the barkingham dungeon

[catalinda04]

Carried Away Chapter 29: Oh! Brothers!

Masterlist

Lucy laid on the bed, on top of the comforter, in her regular pajamas of a t-shirt and shorts, groaning. Her hands moved over her stomach in large circles.

“Why did you let me eat so much?” She whined up at Henry who was trying on his new pajamas.

“Didn’t you warn me of this very thing?” He asked, tying the cord at his waist.

“I’m horrible about heeding my own advice! I know I shouldn’t eat so much, but everything tastes so good.” She whined again.

Henry laid down next to her, his hand replacing hers on her stomach. “My poor pumpkin.” He sympathized, kissing her on the forehead.

Lucy’s eyes closed, “Mmmm, that feels nice.” she sighed. “I like your jammies by the way.” Lucy commented, placing her hand on top of Henry’s stalling his movements.

“They fit pretty well.” He was amazed. His current physique was a bit unwieldy. While the pajamas were too large in some places, they fit across his chest and arms, which was where he usually had problems.

“Mom’s been doing this long enough, she has a pretty decent eye.” She felt him move and opened one eye, to see him pulling the covers out, to slide underneath.

“You know you don’t actually have to sleep in the pajamas. I never do. Ugh! I can’t sleep in flannel, it’s too hot. You just have to wear them for breakfast. And mom’s going to take family pictures with everyone in their jammies in front of the tree.” Henry heaved a sigh of relief, and changed into his much lighter sleep attire.

With her stomach finally settling, Lucy curled into Henry's side waiting for sleep to overtake her. She thought back on the day. After everyone had opened their presents, they all relaxed in the living room and watched the Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer specials. It was a nice quiet hour before the rest of the family arrived.

Grandma Joanne had arrived first, coming into the house, requesting someone to fetch the presents from her car. Henry had volunteered, and returned with a pile of gaily wrapped boxes to be put under the tree. Not long after, Lucy’s aunt Isabelle, Izzy to everyone, arrived with her husband Steven, and their kids 13 year old Sam and 8 year old Howie. Lucy smiled to herself as she recalled Sam’s face when he saw Henry.

“Holy shit! You’re Superman!” Sam had blurted upon seeing Henry.

“Samuel, language!” Izzy admonished, while everyone else laughed.

“Sam, this is Henry. Henry, my cousin Sam. I think he’s a fan.” she stage whispered.

“Nice to meet you Sam.” Henry offered his hand. Sam stared at it for a long second, before slowly extending his hand to grasp Henry’s.

“Can I get a selfie with you?” Sam asked excitedly once he had control of his voice again.

“Sam, you’re being rude.” His mother commented.

“No, it’s ok. Sure Sam, but maybe in a few minutes, ok?” Henry agreed. Lucy had definitely earned some “cool points” with her young cousin today.

The rest of the evening had flowed easily, Henry was enfolded into the group like he’d been there for years. It warmed Lucy’s heart to see her family accept him so readily.

Lucy awoke early to primp before breakfast. She changed into her new Superman pajamas and went to the bathroom to spray some dry-shampoo in her hair, and apply a little eyeliner and lip gloss. Her mother always insisted on taking family pictures on Christmas morning, and then posting them everywhere, including on the following year’s christmas card. She had learned early to not go to breakfast with bedhead.

Lucy and Henry went to the kitchen to find Marie, in her new pajamas with golf clubs on them, making Belgian waffles in bulk. The table already laden with any toppings anyone might want.

“Good morning mom.” Lucy greeted, snitching a piece of strawberry from a bowl on the table.

“You look nice this morning.” Marie commented.

“I woke-up like this.” Lucy said with a straight face, before both she and Marie broke into grins. It had become their traditional Christmas morning greeting.

After everyone had gorged themselves on waffles, the photo shoot commenced in front of the Christmas tree. There were pictures of everyone, the original 4 family members, Clint, Anna, Lucy and Henry, Clint, Anna, and the kids, just Lucy with the kids, Lucy, Henry, and the kids, just Lucy and Henry, just Clint and Anna, and any other combination that someone wanted. Clint, as always, would email the pictures to Lucy later that day.

It came time for Lucy and Henry to leave. Lucy had laundry to do before they drove to the airport for their overnight flight to London. They exchanged hugs with everyone as they readied to leave. Marie handed Lucy a container full of christmas cookies, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

“Thanks mom. I love you. Merry Christmas.” Lucy said with one final hug.

“Merry Christmas. Drive safe.” Marie responded.

Everyone stood at the front window waving until the pair had exited the driveway. Lucy drove in silence, until Henry finally asked, “Are you ok, love?”

Lucy’s voice was thick when she spoke. “It’s stupid, I know. It’s just, this will be the first time I’m not with my family for Christmas. I’m excited to spend Christmas with you, and your family, don’t get me wrong.” She babbled.

Henry took her hand and brought it to his lips. “Darling, I understand. I’m excited to show you my home. And everyone will love you. They’ll love you not just because you’re an amazing person, but they’ll love you because I love you.”

Lucy and Henry went their separate ways when they reached Lucy’s house. Lucy, to separate and wash the clothes she was going to bring to London; Henry to walk and exercise Kal. When Henry and Kal returned, Kal laid down in the living room, and Henry heard Lucy call to him.

“Babe, can you come here for a second?” Henry followed Lucy’s voice to the bedroom.

“What do you nee…” Henry’s voice trailed off as he saw Lucy, laying on her side on the bed wearing nothing but a pair of lacy knickers, her head propped up on one hand.

Lucy sat up onto her knees, and looked up at him through her eyelashes. “It turns out all of my clothes are in the laundry. Whatever should I do?” She asked innocently.

Henry’s mouth widened into a grin before lowering his mouth to hers. His mouth ate at hers hungrily while his hands traced the lines of her body. He pushed on her shoulders, lowering her to the bed, before taking a second to divest himself of his clothes.

They came together in a symphony of moans, and sighs, and gasps. Their hands and mouths staking a claim to each other's bodies. They finished together, breathless, and trembling, and sated.

Lucy curled into Henry’s side, “I can’t believe we get to spend 2 whole weeks together. I’m going to get spoiled.” She kissed his chest, running her fingers along his sternum.

He kissed the top of her head sweetly, “I’m looking forward to spoiling you pumpkin.”

“I think I’ll even let you, Darcy.” She smiled.

When they emerged from the bedroom, they found Kal laying in the middle of the living room floor, one of his paws over his eyes. Lucy barked out a laugh. “You know, sometimes I think this dog is more human than canine.”

“I’ve suspected that myself. He’s too expressive to be all dog.”

Their flight left late Monday night and would deliver them to London around noon. Kal, due to his therapy dog certification, was allowed to fly in the cabin. He curled himself up at Henry’s feet in the spacious First Class cabin of the jet. Lucy had never flown in such opulence. Her seat folded flat into a bed, so she might actually sleep on the flight. Her only disappointment was that she wasn’t sitting directly next to Henry, he was across the aisle.

Once the plane had taken-off and they reached cruising altitude, Henry crossed the aisle with something in his hands. “Darling, did I mention that our hotel room has a whirlpool bathtub?” He murmured suggestively.

“No, I think you neglected to mention that.” Lucy said, excitement giving her eyes a twinkle.

“I thought you might want to brush-up on your moves.” He said handing her the paperback romance novel she’d caught him with that summer. Her jaw dropped in surprise while he chuckled and kissed her forehead before returning to his seat.

“And here I thought I might actually sleep on this flight.” Lucy muttered to herself, her mind whirling with the possibilities that awaited her.

From the moment they landed in London, Lucy felt like she’d stepped on a motorized banana peel. Once they were through customs, and collected their bags, they caught a cab into the city. They stopped briefly at Henry’s house, just long enough for him to deposit his luggage from filming, and pack some lighter clothes to accommodate the much warmer weather on Jersey, and get the box of presents for his family. Lucy stayed in the cab with Kal.

The went from Henry’s house to the kennel where Kal would be spending Christmas. Henry hadn’t wanted to subject Kal to any more flights, so he had booked Kal into a doggie spa for the Christmas holiday. When they arrived to Barkingham Palace, Henry asked the cab driver to wait while they brought Kal in and got him settled.

Lucy was impressed with the operation at the doggie spa. While he was there, Kal would get groomed and pampered like he was one of the Queen’s corgis. Lucy gave the dog a hug around his big furry neck. “I’ll see you in a couple of days boy.” She said before planting a kiss on his head, he grinned up at her.

Finally the taxi took them to Victoria station to catch the Gatwick Express. Once they were seated on the train, Lucy finally felt like she could breathe. They’d been all over London but she had barely seen any of it, they had been so busy.

“Bollocks!” Henry exclaimed softly.

“What’s wrong?” Lucy asked concerned.

“I’m sorry darling. I forgot your present at home.”

“That’s ok. I’ll get it when we come back. It’s no big deal, honey, really.” She soothed, kissing him sweetly.

“I just, I wanted you to have something to open on Christmas Day.”

“Honey, I’m not concerned. What I AM concerned about is remembering everyone in your family. You have significantly more family members than I have.” Lucy recited the names she could remember while Henry filled in the gaps.

They checked in for their flight, and ate a quick dinner before going to the gate to wait. They were approaching the gate when Lucy heard a loud, deep voice call out, “Hank!” Lucy was surprised when Henry stopped, and scanned the nearby seats. His face split into a grin.

“Chuck!” He called, dropping Lucy’s hand to embrace the man striding toward them. He was tall, almost an inch taller than Henry, with the same dark coloring, and dimpled chin. Lucy smiled at the violence displayed in the brothers’ embrace. Why did men always hug so violently?

When the two brothers finished their hug, Henry turned to the shorter brunette woman standing off to the side, behind Charlie. “Heather!” Henry called, wrapping her in a hug, lifting her off the ground.

“Henry, put me down!” The woman giggled. Henry finally set her feet back on the floor, before turning to Lucy.

“Lucy, this is my baby brother Charlie. Chuck, this is Lucy” He introduced the other man.

Lucy extended her hand to Charlie, “It’s really nice to finally meet you.”

Charlie bypassed Lucy’s hand, and clasped her shoulders, pulling her close to kiss her on each cheek. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet the one and only Lucy. This one,” he indicated toward Henry with his thumb, “hasn’t stopped talking about you since you met.”

“All good things, I hope.” Lucy replied nervously.

“Only the best.” Charlie confirmed. “This is my wife Heather.” He indicated the woman standing next to him.

Heather also leaned in to kiss Lucy’s cheeks, though she was prepared for it this time. “Lucy it’s great to finally meet you.” Heather greeted. Lucy was surprised to not hear an accent from the other woman.

“Great to meet too Heather. Are you not British?” Lucy asked.

“No, actually I’m Canadian. Charlie and I live in British Columbia.” Heather explained.

Lucy and Heather made small talk while Charlie and Henry caught-up. They were all 4 seated together on the short flight to Jersey. Both couples arrived at the hotel at the same time. Lucy was starting to feel the effects of 18 hours of traveling, she was grateful to finally be at their final destination.

Lucy stood next to Henry, her hand gently rubbing his back, as he checked-in at the front desk. When Henry and Charlie had gotten keys for their rooms, they turned away from the registration desk, a voice called to them from the bar, “Hank! Chuck!” All four of them turned to see three men and three women approaching from the bar. What followed was a series of violent hugs and insults that could only be exchanged between brothers. Lucy felt her nerves build watching everyone greet each other. She hovered toward the back of the group, until Henry grabbed her hand to drag her into the center and introduce her to everyone. Lucy’s head spun, matching names with faces, and exuberant greetings.

When Piers, Henry’s oldest brother, invited them to the bar for a drink, Henry turned to Lucy to gauge her response. The panicked look in her eyes, coupled with the tense smile, made him refuse, claiming fatigue from their day of travel, but left them with promises to see everyone the following morning.

Lucy collapsed against Henry when the elevator doors closed, sighing in relief. “I was not expecting that.” Lucy commented.

“We can be a bit overwhelming en masse. But the worst is over. All that are left are the nephews, and dad.”

“Thank god. Now I need a bed, and several hours of hard sleep.” She sighed, leaning on Henry as they made their way to their room. Lucy saw flashes of light Provençal colors, a kitchenette, and a sitting area, before focusing on the very large bed. She kicked off her shoes, and stripped out of her clothes, before crawling under the covers to fall asleep instantly. Sometime later, Lucy awoke just enough to feel Henry crawl into bed next to her, and drape his arm across her torso.

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

[petnews2day]

Thousands of dogs go barking mad for return of Dogstival and Broadlands

New Post has been published on https://petnews2day.com/dog-news/thousands-of-dogs-go-barking-mad-for-return-of-dogstival-and-broadlands-3/

Thousands of dogs go barking mad for return of Dogstival and Broadlands

THOUSANDS of wagging tails descended on a Hampshire country estate for the return of a hugely popular dog festival.

Canine kings and queens gathered at Broadlands in Romsey in their droves for Dogstival, which also marked the Platinum Jubilee.

The festival, which is set to continue throughout Sunday, is expected to welcome around 15,000 people and thousands of their furry companions across the weekend.

It is the first time the event has been held at Broadlands, after previously taking place in the New Forest at Burley Park and outgrowing its home due to its popularity.

Billed as the ‘ultimate doggy weekend’, there were four arenas full of canine approved entertainment, live music, street performers and the Muddy Paws Tavern which hosted talks and breed meet ups.

At this special Platinum Jubilee edition, plenty of pooches enjoyed a giant doggy Barkingham Palace street party with a British afternoon tea created just for four-legged diners. Plus, huge canine thrones.

Owners got to try their hand at Crufts-style activities, including Barkour, Dogstival’s twist on parkour, where pups can navigate their way through an adventure playground of agility ramps, tunnels, ball pits, see-saws and more, as well as agility, hoopers and flyball.

READ MORE: Hollywood stars Scarlett Johansson and Sienna Miller pictured shooting film scenes in tiny Hampshire village

Early bursts of rain made way for a largely sunny afternoon, but plenty of pups still made a splash by launching themselves into a giant 10m dog diving splash pool and enjoying water-based retrieves.

Paul Brett from Farnborough entered his dog Daphne into one of the competitions. He said: “We came last year when it was in Burley but this is the first time we’ve entered Daphne into anything. We booked for five nights specifically just for this – it’s awful fun. Daphne learnt a trick, she didn’t win but it was just great to see her in the ring enjoying herself with the other dogs.”

New for 2022 was the Stand-Up Canine Comedy with the Barking Mad Comedy Club.

Guests perched on hay bales were also treated to family-friendly shows with canine experts and comedians, before more adult stand-up show started as the afternoon went on.

The comedy line-up joined Dogstival’s wider entertainment offering of live music, which this year included modern choir groups Love Soul Choir and Sing Now Choir, street performers and vintage funfair rides. While a host of Hampshire and Dorset vendors offered a range of street food for hungry humans and dogs alike.

Garry and Jane Marsh are visiting friends in Lymington and decided to come to the festival with their dog, Nina. They said: “We’ve loved it, it’s very friendly down here and there are lots of beautiful dogs. Nina has got her collar on for the jubilee as well. She got a little bit wet earlier on but thankfully the sun has come through now.”

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[save-the-spiral]

Play wizard 101 with you

(link to the original post here)

AAAah??? oh jeez, well I’m very very busy with the new school year, but I might post about it when I go online in w101 next time!! I’m focused on Barkingham Palace right now, at about level 46? So maybe I’ll be able to play with people some time! (Kestrel Rainbowweaver is my main and she’s balance!)

[therealmaramar]

August 9, 2017 // September 3, 1981

Edge of Seventeen (or 2.43 in dog years) Today's Rolling Stone Redux ranks #1 thus far in terms of the sheer number of requests. (And please keep your requests coming, we have 16 covers left!) This wasn't the first time the incredible Miss Stevie Nicks was on the cover of Rolling Stone; check out my post from Monday when she graced the cover as part of Fleetwood Mac. But this was her first solo cover (no Lindsey Barkingham or Mick Fleatwoof to be found) and coincided with her 1981 release Bella Donna. Stevie, you are the goddamn queen. 🙌🏻 Thanks for the request @shastasho, @heavy_meadow, @kristin.boehm, and @bernadine.ophelia, and for your wonderful assistance @ronklyn! 🔮🕊🎩 #doggodoesarollingstone #doggo #doggos#rollingstonereduxdoggodoesarollingstone#rollingstonedogredux #rollingstoneredux#rollingstonemagazine #miniaussies#aussies #dogs #dogsofinstagram#miniaussiesofinstagram#aussiesofinstagram #australianshepherd#stevienicks #fleetwoodmac #belladonna#edgeofseventeen #standback#lindseybarkingham #mickfleatwoof#stevienicksmusic #kween#queenofrockandroll