(no subject)

Today is Dad's birthday.

Fool's Gold

There's a huge curved streak of it running through one of our new hearth tiles. I remember staring at it in wonder, no clue where it came from; was it paint, was it some strange mutant crack, what the hell had happened? Turns out it's pyrite in the slate, and it doesn't look nearly as interesting as it sounds. The guys installing our log burner will replace it, but that won't be today. Lord, I just want it finished and pretty!

There's an irony in getting this burner during the warmest winter I can recall. If it carries on like this, we won't be using it til next year.

And then there's the Winter Solstice: Mates of mine were in a Sky piece on Paganism, with Whimsy chatting about what she thinks of Wicca. It's a nice antidote to my own lack of connection to the Craft. Her attitude has scandalised some who wish it all to be taken more seriously, but it's certainly truthful:

http://news.sky.com/story/1610390/thousands-celebrating-winter-solstice