Still unpacking, and weekend puttering

We got more of our Raglan kit back yesterday from the Vitus-Wagon.

Moar Laundries in my future.

Man we took a lot of stuff. Not quite the kitchen sink, but we do take the dining room table (which happens to be a handsome trestle table from a single plank), and it's now restored.

Haggis-puss can now perch for window-viewing in her usual comfort, and my sweetie can squeeze his gaming mates around a table again, though it's not the same w/out armillary.

On the long weekend just past, we puttered and drank beer. It was delightful to have nothing more demanding than grocery shopping planned, and we stuck to that plan.

Robert had a 'make do and mend' session with his pewter moulds, resulting in better pours and results for a couple.

Here's the hourglass token, a 3-part pin back mould previously mentioned.

Here's the tidied-up order of the Fox token for Insulae Draconis.

One treat: he's gotten a Orden des Lindquistringe badge I carved years ago to actually work as intended - he's a better caster, and he uses better quality pewter now.

It's modelled on an early 12th c example of an enamel roundel that's attached to a reliquary casket, except the orginal is about 3-4x as large.

I can 'enamel' this when my glass paints get back to London after this weekend.

Counter-intuitively, to get a smoother cast, you need a less-smooth mould (see notes on surface pitting).

The tokens are photographed on newsprint because the camera takes sharper photos that way.

Running, again

Went for a run for the first time in weeks yesterday - complaining back, then complaining knees, then Raglan recovery delayed me much of July & August. Man do I miss this.

After work, I went out in search of new running shoes. I think I've found the ugliest shoes in creation, and bought them.

Normally the colour would put me off...but I was wearing the one and only Barbie-pink blouse I own, which was exactly the same colour as the shoes. (It's linen blend and was on sale, so sue me.)

And the shoes were on sale.

But really, they are very pink.

I'm testing out this minimal-cushioning-to-replicate-natural-gait stuff. It makes sense, to a point: our feet are already well designed to run.

The catch is that nature didn't make concrete sidewalks and asphalt paths. I try to run on grass, but I have to run on sidewalks to reach the grass in the parks.

I really, really want to regain some of the stamina I had this time last year, pre-pneumonia; late last autumn I managed 6k round the park... and within days had a cold, and it went downhill from there. I think the occasional 10k is very do-able, if I'm careful about my knees and back.

I want next Raglan to be, if not effortless, then not quite the physical struggle it was this year, to do what I wanted - and I didn't get to do as much as I'd hoped for.

Another resolution: more stretching. I'm already using a standing desk, now I have to move more, not just stand like a statue, and stretch more through the day. I was more stiff this year at Raglan than I remember from previous years.

for ethnowoman

Romany and Traveller songs inspired a century of popular music. Now Sam Lee is searching for the last of them

Looks like an interesting magazine all round.

Contributing to the kitteh stats

Everyone needs more kittehs on the intawebs.

23 sleeping positions illustrated by cats