Welcome to my perfumed garden

My Year in retrospect, by gillyp, aged.

( Fandom and Fic )( Writing )


( Reading )( Reading )
In general: Life has been a bit rough at times. We’re still doing one week home, one week at Dad’s which is stressful and tiring. Dad is exactly as he was, some days up, some days down (some days very down indeed), it’s become routine really, a bit bothersome. I have to keep reminding myself that in many respects, I have a life that’s pretty good, that many might envy. OK, a bit (very! Oh so very...)  uneventful and dull, but far from arduous and relatively free of pain. I do keep reminding myself of that (but if the Gods are listening, a little more excitement – of the nicer sort - really wouldn’t go amiss in 2010)

So to round off 2009, I’m going to do that first-post, last-post LJ meme and say, have a marvellous 2010 everyone, I think we all deserve a break. Much love to you all, thank you so much, every one of you, for the laughs and the love and for keeping me sane.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

( My Year on LJ )

Sorry I'm a little tardy with the greetings, it's been more than a tad busy here  Congratulations!! to all the winners and nominees - you're all winners in my book.

Oh, and HAPPY NEW YEAR! to you all, too. We'll be staying in, I expect, watching Graham Norton or Jools, anxiously waiting for Big Ben so we can go to bed. *g*  We live a quiet life around here. Love to you all.

Blue no longer be up for Est. Rel but has moved to slash novel (as if anyone really needs to know that). A pity, never been up for 'Est Rel' before, seem to end up in 'novel' every year (I cant imagine why. ::she sighed, rolling her eyes::)

We ran out of butter. Mark has trolled down to Booths in search of same. I'm sipping coffee, trying to drag my brain awake. The neighbour's cat is here. We've been hearing a bit about the neighbour's cat, of which more later (see if I can grab a picture).

Sunday. All relaxing and that, what? Sun's out but my dears, the RAIN last night! OMG! I thought it was an earthquake or the roof coming in.

So, a quick glance at the flist tells me it's that time of year again. As I've said more than once these past 12 months, my squee is not what it was. The loss of dear friends, scrapping the website, a sense of moving on and a general lack of desire to engage in fannish activity have rather dented the shiny and there is a distinct 'back to school' feel, a sense of the nights drawing in for me whenever Fandom is engaged in these days.

But hey ho the nonny, I am certainly not above joining in when the awards come around! Yes, I really am that vain! I am nominated and managed to stay out of the angst and dark categories this year, which, considering my usual output, is a thing to be celebrated indeed. ::nods::

Blue is up for slash H/C, Established relationship and Post TSbyBS - all new categories for me, which is pretty exciting. It got nommed in a couple of others, too, and I had to prune so thank you, nominators, for your perfect loveliness to what is still (to me) a slightly dodgy story. You're all too kind.

Chasing Rainbows is nommed (again! lol! Will it never die!) for gen H/C

Wind Whispering is up for gen novel

Most amusingly of all, I am up for gen outstanding author. Oh my. I mean, whoever nommed me it's just gorgeous of you and blessings be upon you but lawks a lawdy, talk about not worthy! I've been giggling since I got the email.

Fanfic Hospital (on which I collaborated) is up for a few categories too.

Anyway, I thank you all and bow obsequiously in your general directon.

Heh!

Thanks so much to everyone who nommed and/or voted for me (and my poor defunct website) in this years LMFA awards. As usual, I am humbled, astonished and mildly amused to have won anything at all. This is a stunning, brilliant, fabulous fandom; such a wealth of talent. Well done everyone! Our fandom still rules, for it is awesome and mighty. *G*

There's not so much we can do today, we've washed the walls and paintwork, put a skim on the two outer walls, finished filling all them pesky holes and undercoated the two still-green walls in white so they match the freshly plastered ones. Now everything has to dry so it can be sanded and what-notted tomorrow prior to painting and there's still one wall to be damp-gunked but... nothing much more we can do today, only wait for everything to dry. I feel very idle.

Tomorrow's the worst job - gloss-painting the woodwork (ick! sticky gloss paint, horrid nasty smelly stuff that I'm sure to be cutting out of my hair for the next several days) and painting the walls.

The end is in sight.

So, taking a break for a cuppa and a hob-nob. I just fired off my LMFA email...

( More pesky LMFA stuff )
So. What now? ::twiddles thumbs in a slightly awkward and embarrassed fashion:: There's nothing to be done downstairs. I feel all at a loss.

Drinking coffee, nibbling on a hob nob, staring at the wall.

Oh man, I SO don't wanna do this thing and neither does Mark and we're sitting here, encouraging each other in idleness. Hey ho, I reckon, if we start at 12 - or 1, maybe *g* - work till five, that should see the thing done. Once the damp-seal's on, we can't do anything for 12 hours anyway (it says on the tin).

That should be enough, shouldn't it? (nod head, say yes. Thank you.)

So I'm browsing LJ, listening to The Archers, occassionally glancing at this LMFA email from Caro...

( Cut for LMFA ramblings )
Now back to contemplating the work that has to be done without actually doing anything. ::lifts coffee, dunks bikkie, stares at wall::

Thanks for all the noms, sweethearts. Whoever you all are, your kindness is much appreciated.

Don't forget to nominate - she said, in a slightly embarrassed fashion having only just remembered to go over there and do my bit on a heads-up from mab_browne, and I haven't even finished yet - but I should tomorrow. ::grins sheepishly::

I'm firmly of the opinion that nominating is much more important than voting because the nom lists are such an important resource for anyone coming into the fandom (and praise be alle the Godes, there do seem to be a lot of newbies about at the moment. Not sure why, but it's a goodly thing to see. (o:). Cherry-Picking my way through The Burtons was where I first got my intro to some of the best this fandom has to offer and  the LMFA nom lists are always a source of wonderful, new-to-me fic's I somehow missed along the way.

Nominations end soon so if you haven't already, go nominate before it's too late. Go on. Off you go.  ::makes vague shooing motions::

I just sat down with a massive G&T to find the awards up... 

I'm astonished by the generosity of those who voted for my stuff. I never expected to win anything. I was stunned, thrilled, bothered and bewildered to be nominated amidst so many brilliant names.

TS is a fandom so rich in talent; all the writers, the visual artists and everyone involved in keeping websites and archives, communities and lists running, not least of all the poor souls who land themselves with the job of  running the awards each year - Thanks to you all and the heartiest congratulations to all those who won or were nominated.

God bless us, every one.

Now back to The Boosh and the gin...

ETA: Can I offer special congratulations to Sheffield for (co)winning best short gen story with Shoes - I've loved this story for a long time; I think it's a masterpiece. I nommed it and voted for it and I'm thrilled to see it win