The Realm of the Red Rose

You Are Invited to the SIXTH Annual Snowflake Ball

2011-12-31T10:41:00.000-05:00

It is with great pleasure that I am once again inviting you to The Snowflake Ball, which has become a Steamlands winter tradition. We are now celebrating our SIXTH event! The Snowflake Ball has deep sentimental meaning for me as one of the first formal Victorian dances in our collective history and a time and place to be with - and make - very good friends.

The first Duchess Loch Avie, Shenlei Flasheart, started this tradition in January 2007, and I am honored to have been able to continue to hold this beautiful ball each year, first in my role as Duchess Loch Avie, then as the Lady of Skye in Winterfell. Although I have had a change in my Second Life - less time in world, a move to a smaller and more modern parcel of land - I am proud to continue to hold those title and to play those roles when I am in my beloved Steamlands. And this is one of the three traditions that I hold near and dear to my heart. I'll not stop holding this ball until the gods of the electronic world see fit to remove me entirely.

My wish is that you will enjoy yourselves entirely on this very special night in the snow. We do not wish that the formal nature of the ball would intimidate you as we utilize the dance cards for our 11 dance sets, but rather provide you with an option to enhance your pleasure of the event. If you have not already received a notecard, which includes your dance card for the night, there will be a table with cards available for your use on the night of the ball. This year our celebration will be held in the Forrest of the Cliffs of Skye (i.e. way up high over my lovely Magna Carta land); however, we will continue to observe the etiquette of the Steamlands (rather than that of strict Victorian or even more modern tradition). Therefore, anyone may request a dance of anyone else (i.e. women may initiate an invitation to dance; women may dance with women and men with men; all avatars are welcome including tinies, furries, mechanical beings of all types, time lords, and more).

We will begin to gather at 7pm SLT and we may visit with our friends and neighbors and perhaps begin filling the dance card - if all your dances are not spoken for prior to the ball, of course. The first dance set will begin at 7:15pm.

I look forward to seeing you all there.

Snowflake by William Baer

Timing’s everything. The vapor rises
high in the sky, tossing to and fro,
then freezes, suddenly, and crystallizes
into a perfect flake of miraculous snow.
For countless miles, drifting east above
the world, whirling about in a swirling free-
for-all, appearing aimless, just like love,
but sensing, seeking out, its destiny.
Falling to where the two young skaters stand,
hand in hand, then flips and dips and whips
itself about to ever-so-gently land,
a miracle, across her unkissed lips:
as he blocks the wind raging from the south,
leaning forward to kiss her lovely mouth.

The First Snowflake Ball

Caledon Loch Avie

January 2007

Second Annual Snowflake Ball

Caledon Loch Avie

January 2008

Third Annual Snowflake Ball

Port Caledon

January 2009

The Fourth Annual Snowflake Ball

Isle of Skye, Winterfell Anodyne

January 2010

The Fifth Annual Snowflake Ball

Isle of Skye, Winterfell Anodyne

January 2011

AMAZING!! BoobieThon in SL Donates $2133.88

2011-10-08T01:14:00.000-04:00

There are no words right now - only elation and exhaustion. Pure emotion.

Thanks to all the volunteers and donors for making this year's BoobieThon in SL the best one ever!!

More words will come this weekend, when I can take time to reflect on it all, but for now:

$L 537,776!!!

BoobieThon with a View

2011-10-05T07:21:00.001-04:00

What a wonderful week it has been here at the 4th Annual BoobieThon in SL! I wanted to share some of the scenes from events with you and let you know about the upcoming events as well.

Thank you for your on-going generosity!! I should have a new mid-week total to announce sometime later today. [SOME IMAGES NSFW!]

*dances*

Pictures from an Exhibition...& an opening party...& the En Garde Tournament

2011-10-02T22:10:00.001-04:00

Pictures being worth a thousand words...

Opening night party at my new home, Cliffs of Skye in Magna Carta.

(photo credit: Frequency Picnic)

Opening party (photo credit: PJ Trenton)

Stormy Mefusula, the Chief Boobie Officer of the RL BoobieThon (photo credit: PJ Trenton).

Art Auction at RoHaus (photo credit: PJ Trenton)

Eva and Frequency (photo credit: PJ Trenton)

Rowan Derryth (photo credit: PJ Trenton)

At the En Garde Tournament

Sexy Serra - drumming up donations

Calli looking fierce!

Irreverence. Check!
Fun. Check!
Raising money for Breast Cancer Research. CHECK!!

TOUCHE YOUR BOOBIES!

2011-10-02T09:57:00.000-04:00

After a wonderful - dare I say, 'grand' - opening day for BoobieThon in SL, we resume our week of fundraising today with the En Garde tournament. We have affectionately called this sporting event Touche for Boobies. It should be a spectacle of epic proportions as fierce competitors battle it out on the pistes in Winterfell Anodyne at the BoobieBall Garden.

Come enjoy the sport and donate to the BoobieThon. As well you will be surrounded by the designer vendors where you will find fantastic clothing, accessories, and items of every shape and size.

See you there!!

4th Annual BoobieThon in SL - Opening Night

2011-10-01T10:00:00.000-04:00

It's October 1, 2011! That means BoobieThon 2011 is underway in both real life and Second Life.
I'm ready!! Are you??

It was a good morning for me to remember to perform my monthly self-breast exam in real life. (That reminds me, one of my fabulous content creating friends really needs to create a self-breast exam animation for Second Life. Any volunteer should IM me in world or email me at evabellambi@gmail.com)

Tonight the designer vendors open at the BoobieBall Garden in Winterfell Anodyne/180/250/30 at 6pm SLT. We have a wonderful group of designers who have joined the cause this year. We are fortunate enough to even have a furnished cottage for you to view and purchase. The model home is on display just beside of the BoobieBall Garden island. A HUGE thank you to all our contributors!

All is made ready for your arrival

The opening party will be held at my new home in Magna Carta. It is called Cliffs of Skye after my beloved Isle of Skye in Winterfell Anodyne. We'll start on the 3rd floor "party deck" and dance and donate to the tunes spun by DJ Freq! At 7:30pm, the conga line to RoHaus will begin as the Art Auction opens to bidders. The auction will run through October 6th at 8pm SLT when the final bid will be taken.

I will let the auction poster speak for itself. Amazing! The art that has been donated is really beyond compare - stunning photographs, paintings, sculptures, and other works of art.

Can't wait to see you tonight!

As our real life BoobieThon counterparts always say, "We share because we care."

Once Again We Work to Save Second Base - BoobieThon 2011

2011-09-26T00:57:00.000-04:00

October 1-7, 2011: The 10th Annual Blogger BoobieThon (a good history of this week may be found here and the 4th Annual BoobieThon in Second Life.

Over the years thousands of dollars have been raised for the Susan G. Komen Foundation in both worlds.

Once again the Saving Second Base committee members have been working hard to create a week of interesting, fun, and, at times, irreverent affairs for you to enjoy as we educate about - and raise money for - breast cancer research and treatment.

You are all invited and most welcome to join us at as many events as possible. The current schedule of events follows:

October 1, 2011

Opening Night Party - 6:30pm SLT, Cliffs of Skye, Magna Carta
Art Auction Opening - travel next door to RoHaus for the opening of the bidding (7:30pm SLT)
Designer Vendors open - 6pm SLT, Winterfell BoobieBall Garden

October 2, 2011

Touche for Boobies - 12pm SLT, Winterfell En Garden

An en garde tournament
16 openings entry fee is 1000L
The winner will receive 1500L and a special trophy to commemorate the event!

Educational Salon - TBA
Art Auction and Designer Vendors continue

October 3, 2011

Burlesque for Breasts - 8pm SLT, La Casbah, Steelhead.
Art Auction and Designer Vendors continue

October 4, 2011

Shape Shifter Competition - 4pm SLT, The Hobo Theatre, Hobo Island.
Art Auction and Designer Vendors continue

October 5, 2011

Victorian's Secret at the Blue Mermaid - 7pm SLT Caledon On Sea
Art Auction and Designer Vendors continue

October 6, 2011

Poetry Slam for Boobies - 5pm SLT, der Hut, Winterfell Absinthe
Art Auction and Designer Vendors continue
LAST BID for art auction will be taken at 8pm SLT

October 7, 2011

BoobieBall (I) - 12pm SLT, BoobieBall Garden, Winterfell
BoobieBall (II) - 7pm SLT, Boobie Ball Garden, Winterfell
Designer Vendors continue
Final Donation will be made at 8:50 SLT.

The Calm Before the Storm

2011-08-04T21:09:00.003-04:00

30 July
Personal Journal Entry

I woke well before dawn to the persistant knocking at my chamber door. It was Cairine stating that Agent Shea, whom I had not had back in the Steamlands since the Fusang affair many years ago, had just arrived by airship. They were apparently mooring and he would debark shortly and was requesting an immediate audience with me.

Cairine heated water for me and started to lay out a day gown for me to put on.

“Gods, Cairine! I expect that I’ll be battling for my life - for the very lives of my family and clan - today. I don’t think I’ll need the formality of the proper gown at this moment. Just get my leather battle gear out of the wardrobe. I put it all together just a few hours ago.”

After making myself ready, I walked down to the ballroom, where we had set up headquarters for the battle planning. I found Admiral Beaumont, Colonel Somme, Colonel O’Toole, and Sir Tele all waiting for me around the chart table. They had all heard the airship from their tents outside and rose to discover what was going on.

“Your Grace, “ they all greeted me nearly in unison.

Just as I was about to reply, the ballroom doors opened to reveal a very muscular young man in his regimentals entering the room confidently. His sandy brown hair cut short, but combed to the side as is the latest fashion, allowed his blue eyes to fairly sparkle. As he approached our small group his smile widened.

“My goodness, Shea, it seems that military work in the far east has been quite agreeable to you! You look every inch the well-muscled warrior at ease.”

“Your Grace,” he said as he kissed my hand. “I’ve been traveling back to Winterfell for some time now. Even in Fusang we were hearing rumblings of the Vulgarian violence heading your way.”

“Well, well, Shea.” said O’Toole mildly stepping forward to clap his former protégé on the shoulder. “What news, son?”

At this prompting, Shea pulled the charts out as I made hasty introductions and showed what he knew of the Vulgarian’s circuitous route. Based on what he told us of the intelligence he was able to gather along the way, it seems that the Vulgarians were stopping frequently and with distinct purpose - purchasing this and that, and conferring with shamans in various cities and countrysides.

“Well, “ said Admiral Beaumont, “what is clear is that they are indeed heading this way, and based on all current information they will sail into our waters sometime this afternoon or evening. What is less clear is what they have been doing along the way and whether that means anything to us. Weapons? Time travel? Some sort of magic?”

At that moment, the sounds of running feet came from the great room, and a young bosun’s mate stepped in and saluted. “Ma’am. Sirs. I have news that a large airship is headed directly for the Isle. It appears to be flying the Bellambi flag, Your Grace.”

“Very good. We shall join you outside, directly,” acknowledged Admiral Beaumont.

We left the charts where they laid on the table, gratefully accepted the tea that cook just brought in on a cart and walked with our cups (do try not to be too shocked about that) outside where we saw The Protagoras coming nearer.

“Excellent!” I exclaimed, “Kate and Adso are arriving from the Royal Society. They were pleased to use this occasion to test their new experimental scientific instruments and weapons.”

We all grinned a little and went to the mooring dock to greet them in what may have been the last peaceful hour of the day (and the sun was just fully over the edge of the horizon).

The Arrival of Friends

2011-08-02T10:23:00.003-04:00

As is often the case on the eve of battle, I was in my private drawing room reviewing charts and intelligence dispatches, and making sure my personal weapons were ready for the coming storm. I was honing the blade of Claidheamh Flath when Admiral Wildstar knocked and entered the room with what could only be described as a school boy’s grin on his face.

“What news Wildstar?” I asked with a cautious grin spreading across my own face in response to his.

At this he opened the doors fully and my errant knights and protectors walked in en masse. Leading the way was the ever dapper, Exrex Somme, commander of the Lancers of Skye. Behind him was Sir Telemachus who showing the evidence of his hasty departure and rapid travel to get to me. His hair was flying wildly around him and he had what seemed like every blade he owns attached to his body in some fashion. Just a few steps behind him came the retired executive officer of the Lancers, Hotspur O’Toole. He nearly swaggered into the room in his linen shirt and pants - evidence that he was found precisely where we last knew he was located: a expat hang-out in the desert.

All three gentlemen walked confidently straight through the door and over to me. Exrex kissed my hand. Then, putting his cheek near mine, whispered in my ear, “I hope our delayed arrival did not put too much worry in your heart, Duchess Toots.” I smiled and touched his face. He had used his silly nickname for me, which he would never do in hearing distance of anyone else, and thereby let me know that he was genuinely sorry if he had caused any concern on my part.

“I am awfully glad for your presence, Colonel. Have you assembled my Lancers?”

“Indeed, I have, Your Grace. As we speak they are stabling the horses and making camp on the front lawn,” he said.

“Very good. We are expecting that the Vulgarians will attempt to take us from all fronts - air, sea, and an amphibious assault onto the Isle.”

Next Tele came over and laid his sword in front of me as he knelt down. “I am so sorry that I was such a distance away, Your Grace. But I am here and have brought several of my more uncultured friends.” I laughed at this and touched his head gently.

“Just the guests I was counting on you to bring along.” At this I bid him rise and see his men settled alongside the Lancers. He bowed over my hand and took his leave to do so.

“Well, I see ye’ve gotten yerself into another fine mess, Lady, “ said the linen-clad Hotspur striding across the room. As he kissed my hand, I noted his greying red hair - just around the temples.

“Aye, it seems so,” I replied. “I see that retirement is treating you kindly. You seem quite relaxed and satisfied.”

“It is so, Lady. I find myself surrounded by many others of our Wrath Fleet and a few less honorable but highly interesting friends. The weather is warm, the drinks are plentiful, and we are never at a loss for stories of old battles,” he remarked.

Touching the grey hair I wondered aloud whether he was still up to the task of battling the Vulgarians. At this Exrex literally snorted his amusement and Hotspur gave me an exasperated smirk. “Aye. I’ll do. I think I may have a fight or fifty still left in me.”

I laughed and enjoyed the easy company of my old friends and protectors. As I began showing them the charts, inviting Wildstar to join us, Cairine walked cautiously into the room.

“Yes?”

“Your Grace, there are a group of ruffians arriving from the Ferry. They say they are here to fight for you, but......” she nearly hissed.

Turning to the gentlemen still staring at the charts and murmuring battle plans, I said, “I believe your troops have arrived, O’Toole.” He merely grinned.

“Cairine, see them provided with tents and blankets. They will billet with the Lancers and Tele’s swordsmen. Then make sure they all have food to eat. The great battle will surely begin sometime tomorrow evening based on what we know of the Vulgarian’s movements.”

Dispatch from Admiral Beaumont - Go to Highest Alert!!

2011-07-29T19:54:00.001-04:00

Lady Eva ,

I just received a dispatch from my Chief of naval intelligence, who is sailing in mainland waters. I believe the information has the greatest urgency

Here is the message, that I relay to you without comments :

From Captain [name redacted], Commodore of the Special Ops Squadron, sailing aboard the Shooting Star north of the Sansara continent
To: Wildstar Beaumont - Vice Admiral - Wild Fleet Headquarters

Greetings Sir.
I have just received a classified message from Commander [name redacted] sailing on the Running Star in the waters around Nautilus City.
This is very troublesome information: a Vulgarian fleet has been sighted sailing around Nautilus City. Its destination is unknown but it is a very powerful fleet made mostly by ships of the line. I have been able to dispatch a sloop with Agent C on the coast of Nautilus and he has been able to follow them for a while thanks to the dark a foggy weather, and he was able to capture some images.

We believe we might have heard the sound of an airship above the clouds, but we were not able to spot any.

Unfortunately the information is days old as I am relying it to you and it will be at least two weeks old when it will reach you.
I believe your time for preparation is limited. If Winterfell is the target of the Vulgarians the Wild Fleet must go to the highest level of alert immediately.
I include the images captured by agent C.

With my Compliments

Captain [name redacted] aboard the Shooting Star

I am sorry to give you bad news, Lady Eva, but the time is little and preparations for the worst must accelerate

My regards,

Wildstar

Evening Sword-Play

2011-07-29T07:27:00.000-04:00

After a very long night and day of planning for the defense of the Isle of Skye and of Winterfell, it felt good to change clothes and spend time physically preparing myself as well.

It will be good when my Knights and Lancers arrive tomorrow. We are ready for you, Barken Roff!

Preparations Begin

2011-07-28T12:26:00.003-04:00

Personal Journal Entry

25 July

It was barely daylight when Bucephalus was brought up to the house for my urgent ride to Miss Serra’s. The horse, sensing the criticality of this ride, was pawing the soft earth waiting to feel the weight of his mistress in the saddle. The muscles of his flanks were twitching anxiously until my gloved hand smoothed his side just before my horsemaster handed me up. We rode furiously to Serra’s welcoming home. Not entirely unexpectedly she met me at the door herself; there is nothing that transpires in Winterfell without her sensing something of it. “Given our friendship,” she remarked, “I felt something was wrong with you. It woke me from a deep sleep sometime in the middle of the night.”

As I began to share the story of the letter and the relatively recent history with the Vulgarians, she rang the bell for a staff member and told him to send for Admiral Beaumont immediately. We paused briefly awaiting his arrival so that I need only share the story once. Happily her staff brought the silver tea cart to the room. After sipping the deliciously brewed Earl Grey blend, I felt a bit restored.

Once Wildstar, as I call my friend, the Admiral, arrived he and I placed the historical puzzle pieces on the table for Serra. (For those who may not know the history of the Vulgarian RP in the past please read: several articles including this one in Hibernia on the Skids; posts of several explorers including this one on The High Tea & Adventure Society)

“The unknown variable is really how they will arrive and attack. The when seems fairly certain. I am sure they are well underway by now and will likely try to catch you off your guard sometime in the next few days.” Wildstar remarked.

“I drew the same conclusions. I’ve sent the call out for my knights, my clan, and the Lancers of Skye. We need to get them here and working with you and your officers to plan the defense of Skye and of Winterfell.”

We spoke only a few minutes more before Wildstar took his leave to meet with his officers. Serra had formulated a plan to speak with her counterparts all over the Steamlands this very day. Then we embraced.

“I’m off to prepare for the defense of Skye and to await the arrival of my clan,” I said just as one of Serra’s staff members brought a message for me into the room. I read the note written in the distinct hand of Lady Kate Nicholas and then looked up at Serra.

“Kate and Adso have arrived from the offices of the Royal Society and are convening a group of our top scientists to puzzle through the possibilities of Vulgarian technological advances. Wonderful! I’m off, Serra. I’ll check in with you later tonight.” And with that remark, I was out the door and on Bucephalus speeding my way home.

In Which Things Become Quite Vulgar

2011-07-24T13:55:00.004-04:00

Personal Journal Entry
24 July

Since it had been an exceedingly long week dealing with complex problems associated with several of my senior staff members’ cases at MI-6 , I was happy to once again be in my private chambers at home. It had been more than a week since I had been at home. The cases required me to travel a good bit. Cairine kindly directed the staff to manage my luggage and then helped me out of my expedition travel gear and into a very hot bath. As I slipped into the water she poured a small amount of my favorite sandlewood bath oil into the tub then placed a table and lamp nearby so that I might read some of the week’s post while I soaked.

I was happy to discover some lovely invitations to summer balls and garden parties in the stack. What a pleasure also to find correspondence from several friends travelling abroad. I was, however, shocked out of my steamy, relaxed, and happy mood when I picked up the next envelope which contained the seal of Barken Roff, a former ambassador from Vulgaria. Roff! the very blaggard who nearly five years ago had done his best to shock all in attendance at the ball celebrating the opening of my manse on Loch Avie with his vulgar language and poor behavior. He had only been invited as he was newly in his diplomatic position in Caledon. How much I regret that decision. It was shortly after that night that he began to claim that Loch Avie was “stolen from Vulgaria” and that the bones, which my knight, Adso Krogstad, was excavating in the lower portion of Loch Avie, would be revealed as ancient Vulgarians. The nerve of the man!

I broke the seal to the letter.

15 July

Bomhaus

Prydon, Vulgaria

To Her Grace, Eva Bellambi,

Duchess of Loch Avie, Lady of Skye, Head of MI-6, Last Pretender to the Lands of Vulgaria,

Your Grace, this will be the last cordial correspondence you shall have from me or any other Vulgarian. The humiliation at the hands of the Bellambis and Frasers has been more than can be born. It has taken us some time to develop the technology required, but we have done it. We have developed the ability to travel to a particular area and then travel great distances through time.

We are coming, Your Grace. We are coming in great numbers. We are coming to claim the lands you have left in Caledon, and we are coming to take the Isle of Skye. Our Vulgarian historians tell us that your family, as far back as Sìleas and Gawter, have wronged us over the years. We claim Skye and all that is currently yours.

We are coming. We are going to torture you slowly in ways women can never survive, kill your kinsmen and clan, and destroy your lands. We will then travel back to your middle ages and we will slaughter Sìleas and Gawter.* Your family will end. You will never exist.

Barken Roff

Lord High Chancellor, Vulgaria

Cairine gasped loudly upon her return to find me (unknowingly) standing in the tub holding the letter down at my side. I was red-faced, frowning, and stark naked. Her noise roused me enough to spring me into action.

“Cairine. Assist me out of this tub and I’ll dry myself. Then I need you to set the emergency signals in motion. Agent Barns should be in the MI-6 signal station, just give him the word. I need to gather the clan and my knights. Then I shall need to be properly dressed so that at first light I may make emergency calls upon Miss Serra, Admiral Beaumont, Desmond Shang, and several others.”

As Cairine walked rapidly down the stairs from the master suite I called after her, “Sir Tele, Somme, and O’Toole are going to be bloody hard to find. Make sure Barns sends his messages accordingly. Those lot have gone far afield - some in semi-retirement - but they must know their Cheiftainess has need of them and they must come!”

Cairine shouted back an acknowledgement and then I heard the door to the intel room open and close.

“...or she may never even be known to them.”

To be continued

*(Historical notes on Sìleas and Gawter may be found in these posts : Dream State, Time and Space Fold, & A Love Letter from Gawter to Sìleas)

Midsummer's Day

2011-06-21T15:10:00.000-04:00

The cycle of life continues as it always does and we find ourselves at the solstice. Here in the northern hemisphere it is the summer solstice, also known as midsummer. I find that my life in virtual worlds is also cyclical. Currently my time in world is on the low side for a number of reasons (and nothing in particular) and therefore my blogging has ebbed along with my time in Second Life™. This is the normal shape of things - the normal cycle of life.

Today, however, I found myself desiring a private celebration of midsummer at the stone circle in my home sim of Winterfell Anodyne. Happily I had the luxury of time to travel in world fulfilling this longing.

It was a peaceful, joyful celebration, which allowed me time for reflection and simple happy thoughts.

Additionally, I have had a song running through my mind for the last few days. The lyrics - and the video, in fact - seem appropriate to the sentiment of solstice celebrations and therefore I share them with you.

My head is stuck in the clouds
She begs me to come down
Says "Boy quit foolin' around"
I told her "I love the view from up here
Warm sun and wind in my ear
We'll watch the world from above
As it turns to the rhythm of love"

We may only have tonight
But till the morning sun you're mine all mine
Play the Music low and swing to the rhythm of love

My heart beats like a drum
A guitar string to the strum
A beautiful song should be sung
She's got blue eyes deep like the sea
That roll back when she's laughing at me
She rises up like the tide
The moment her lips meet mine

We may only have tonight
But till the morning sun you're mine all mine

When the moon is low
We can dance in slow motion
And all your tears will subside
All your tears will dry

And long after I've gone
You'll still be humming along
And I will keep you in my mind
The way you make love so fine

We may only have tonight
But till the morning sun you're mine all mine
Play the music low and swing to the rhythm of love
Oh
Play the music low and swing to the rhythm of love
Yeah swing to the rhythm of love

Blessings on all of you.

Glory of the Day-Star, hail!
Lifter of the Light, Burnisher of the Sky.
Gifts of love to earth are bringing,
Summer’s shimmer, dew’s delight.

Dancing be the heart within us,
Open be our souls to bliss,
Courage vanquish every shadow,
Greet Midsummer with a kiss.

- Greeting to the Summer Solstice
from Celtic Devotional – Daily Prayers and Blessings
© Caitlín Matthews

Modern Poetry: Location, Location, Location

2011-05-23T22:58:00.001-04:00

I stumbled upon Gabriel Gadfly today. What a pleasant occurrence.

Location, Location, Location
I could have kissed you
under cherry blossoms,
pale petals drifting down
like the trees wanted to
pretend they could be
snowclouds.

I could have kissed you
in the rain, drenched to
our bones and not even
caring that the skies
opened up above us
and tried to wash us out.

I could have kissed you
in a clearing in the most
secluded woods, with
just the sound of wind
rustling through the leaves
and a few voyeuristic
finches peeping at us.

Instead, I kissed you
in the parking lot of a
Waffle House, just shy
of 2 a.m. in the middle
of a hectic week, with
our waitress grinning
at us from the other
side of the window,
because, honestly,
how could I not?

This poem © Gabriel Gadfly. May 11, 2011

...or maybe it was Starbucks...

Reading - two very different poems in the theme by Emily Dickenson

2011-04-28T10:55:00.000-04:00

May I locate a book for you?

A Book
by Emily Dickenson

There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.
This traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of toll;
How frugal is the chariot
That bears a human soul!

Going to Him! Happy Letter!

by Emily Dickenson

Going to Him! Happy letter!
Tell Him --
Tell Him the page I didn't write --
Tell Him -- I only said the Syntax --
And left the Verb and the pronoun out --
Tell Him just how the fingers hurried --
Then -- how they waded -- slow -- slow --
And then you wished you had eyes in your pages --
So you could see what moved them so --

Tell Him -- it wasn't a Practised Writer --
You guessed -- from the way the sentence toiled --
You could hear the Bodice tug, behind you --
As if it held but the might of a child --
You almost pitied it -- you -- it worked so --
Tell Him -- no -- you may quibble there --
For it would split His Heart, to know it --
And then you and I, were silenter.

Tell Him -- Night finished -- before we finished --
And the Old Clock kept neighing "Day"!
And you -- got sleepy -- and begged to be ended --
What could it hinder so -- to say?
Tell Him -- just how she sealed you -- Cautious!
But -- if He ask where you are hid
Until tomorrow -- Happy letter!
Gesture Coquette -- and shake your Head!

Eva is wearing:
Holly Pale Wicked Skin by Adam n Eve
Night Out Shirt in red by Insanya
Jeans Wristband by Pepper
Pearl Feather Necklace by Pepper
Lanie Hair in Streaked Cranberry by Truth
and a very old (favorite) pair of leather pants from 2006 by Blaze

Announcing the 5th Annual Beltane Celebration

2011-04-22T11:04:00.000-04:00

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Winterfell%20Anodyne/212/158/35

Spring is here! For many of us, this means a relief from the cold, dark days and snows of winter. As the days lengthen and get warmer, we are greeted by the rebirth of the earth itself: bulbs come up and bloom, filling the air with their heady, tempting fragrance; birds chirp and sing as they return from their winter migrations to build their nests; cats yowl out their urgent readiness for motherhood. All around us are symbols of fertility, growth, warmth and light.

Please join us in Winterfell Anodyne on April 30th for the Beltane Festival beginning at 6:00pm SLT.

This year we celebrate as the creatures on the other side of the veil. The goddess. The green man. The faerie. The spirits. Other fantastical beings. However, do feel free to come in your human form, The Fae Queen of Skye will pull you to the other side, if but for a while.

As is my tradition, the event will include:

Gathering 6:00-6:10pm SLT
Recognition of the Knights of the Order of the Red Rose (knighted Beltane, 2007 ) and the Bellambi Clan
Lighting of the Beltane Fires
Music
Maypoles
Gifts of light to take back to your own dark hearths
Dancing
Places to be alone with your Green Man or May Queen to celebrate the fertility and the renewal of life.

A little Beltane history as previously posted in this blog:

In Scottish Gaelic the month of May is known as either (An) Cèitean or a' Mhàigh, and the festival is known as Latha Bealltainn or simply Bealltainn - meaning ‘bright/sacred fire’. The holiday was held to mark and celebrate the blossoming of spring, and coincided with the ancient pastoral event of moving livestock into their summer grazing fields. It did not occur on any fixed solar date (the tradition of solstices and equinoxes is later in origin) but tended to be held on the first full moon after the modern 1st of May. Some sources suggest that the blooming of the Hawthorn was the primary signal for the event before the development of centralized calendars.

It was nearly entirely a celebration of the fertility of the land and their animals. The main traditional element which was common to all Beltane festivals was the fire which gave it its name. All the fires of the community would be extinguished and a new, sacred ‘Need Fire’ was lit by either the village head or spiritual leader. From this source one or two bonfires were lit, and the animals of the community would be driven through or between them. It was believed that the smoke and flame of the fires would purify the herd, protecting them in the year to come and ensuring a good number of offspring. The inhabitants of the village would then take pieces of the fire to their homes and relight their hearths, and dance around or near the bonfires to ensure good portents for them and their families.

This spring/summer rite was celebrated in many ancient cultures. Some continue it even in modern times. In many traditions the focus of Beltane is on the battle between the May Queen and the Queen of Winter. The May Queen can be recognized as Flora, the goddess of the flowers, and the young blushing bride, and the princess of the Fae. She is Lady Marian in the Robin Hood tales, and Guinevere in the Arthurian cycle. She is the embodiment of the Maiden, of mother earth in all of her fertile glory. Beltane has a long history. The Celtic fire festival is celebrated with bonfires, Maypoles, dancing, and lots of good old fashioned sexual energy. In Ireland, the fires of Tara were the first ones lit every year at Beltane, and all other fires were lit with a flame from Tara.

The Romans celebrated the Floralia, or festival of flowers, which consisted of three days of unbridled sexual activity. Participants wore flowers in their hair (much like May Day celebrants later on), and there were plays, songs, and dances. At the end of the festivities, animals were set loose inside the Circus Maximus. Land owners would have often have sex in their fields to ensure the fertility of their lands.

The entity known as the Green Man, strongly related to Cernunnos (The Horned God), is often found in the legends and lore of the British Isles, and is a masculine face covered in leaves and shrubbery. In some parts of England, a Green Man is carried through town in a wicker cage as the townsfolk welcome the beginning of summer. Impressions of the Green Man’s face can be found in the ornamentation of many of Europe’s older cathedrals, despite edicts from local bishops forbidding stonemasons from including such pagan imagery.

A related character is Jack-in-the-Green, a spirit of the greenwood. References to Jack appear in British literature back as far as the late sixteenth century. Sir James Frazer associates the figure with mummers and the celebration of the life force of trees. Jack-in-the-Green was seen even in the Victorian era, when he was associated with soot-faced chimney sweeps. At this time, Jack was framed in a structure of wicker and covered with leaves, and surrounded by Morris dancers. Some scholars suggest that Jack may have been a ancestor to the legend of Robin Hood.

This festival is also seen as a time when the veil between worlds is a bit thinner - a time for the faeries. The appearance of flowers around this time of year heralds the beginning of summer and shows us that the fae are hard at work. In early folklore, the more helpful deeds of the fae should always be acknowledged and appreciated, therefore, Beltane offered a good time to leave out food and other treats for them in your garden or yard.

Haiku for Spring

2011-03-30T15:42:00.000-04:00

The Fae of Skye

2011-03-26T09:47:00.000-04:00

The Fairie Ball

by Susan Settje

I dream a dream of faerie queens and kings
in forest glade where I know faeries dwell.
The full moon dancing as the zephyr sings
Through cedar boughs and round the wishing well.

Oh romance sweet, a brave and noble knight
to princess fair was married on this day.
A royal banquet, such a festive sight.
Great merriment, we’ll dance the night away.

Sir Owl, from high atop a lofty pine,
acts sentinel. All’s well; his distant call.
In shadowed woods the new born fawns recline
too young to be at this year’s faerie ball.

No, don’t wake me just yet, it’s almost dawn,
Come sunrise, all the faeries will be gone.

The Fae of Skye are starting to plan their Beltane Celebration. Please save the date & time:

April 30 at 6pm slt

We'll dance together into May in the magical faerie glen on Isle of Skye, Winterfell Anodyne.

More information will be coming in the next weeks.

The Sands of Time

2011-03-13T09:34:00.001-04:00

My arrival point in Sands of Time.

Visit at slurl.com/secondlife/Sands%20of%20Time/8 0/110/55

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

A PSALM OF LIFE

WHAT THE HEART OF THE YOUNG MAN
SAID TO THE PSALMIST

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream ! —
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real ! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal ;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way ;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle !
Be a hero in the strife !

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant !
Let the dead Past bury its dead !
Act,— act in the living Present !
Heart within, and God o'erhead !

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time ;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate ;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

Finding many wonderful Persian and other texts to peruse.

Majillis Al Jinn, an island of worn ancient cliffs sheltring a garden of wonders; Lost for countless ages in the midst of a vast ocean, home to Jinn, Elves and gentle spirits.

Visit at slurl.com/secondlife/Sands%20of%20Time/8 0/110/55

More photos on my Flickr set and the wonderful set in PJ Trenton's Flickr collection.

ROMANCE! Discussion Today at the 24th Æther Salon

2011-02-20T09:11:00.001-05:00

Here is your carriage: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Babbage%20Palisade/252/54/106

Today we will discuss such excellent topics as the social season, debutantes, appropriate gifts to give while courting, the etiquette of romance, the silent languages, engagement, marriage, and private passions.

It is my honor to be part of this very fine New Babbage institution. Hopefully we'll see you there!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T08:30:00.000-05:00

O my luve is like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June:
O my luve is like the melodie,
That's sweetly played in tune.
As fair art thou, my bonie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.
Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun;
And I will luve thee still my dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.
And fare thee weel, my only luve!
And fare thee weel a while!
And I will come again, my luve,
Tho' it were ten thousand mile.

Robert Burns

ROMANCE!

2011-02-04T14:28:00.000-05:00

I am very much looking forward to a discussion of the art of romance in Victorian times with you.

Mab MacMoragh's Burns Machinima

2011-01-29T08:34:00.000-05:00

I am pleased to share this wee video by Mab MacMoragh with you.

Address to a Haggis by Robert Burns from Mab MacMoragh on Vimeo.

I am pleased and honored that Mab desired to use Isle of Skye for this endeavor.

Enjoy!

Burns Night Supper and Ceilidh, 2011

2011-01-24T14:26:00.003-05:00

The Gathering

This past Saturday evening at 7pm SLT, many of us from throughout the Steamlands came together in the great hall of Caisteal Teanacadh on Isle of Skye to celebrate the life and works of Robert Burns, The Bard of Scotland. (I shared some historical information on Robert Burns and this evening tradition in my previous post in the blog.)

What a joyful and meaningful time it was. The castle was filled with the laughter of friends and neighbors.

I greeted my guests along with Lady Rowan Derryth (l), my co-host for the night,

and Boyarina Kate Nicholas

Jarl Otenth Paderborn provided the very fine music for the evening.

Once the guests were seated, the program began. First a welcome speech, then a reading of the Selkirk Grace selected by Otenth Paderborn.

Lady Kate paraded the haggis for the assembled guests as the pipes played and Victor1st Mornington recited (via recording) the Ode to a Haggis, as is the tradition.

(photo by PJ Trenton)

Podcast Powered By Podbean

After we raised a glass of whisky to toast the haggis, we sat down to enjoy our meal and each other's company.

The Head Table
(l-r) Soliel Snook, Rowan Derryth, PJ Trenton, Gabrielle Riel, Eva Bellambi,
Kate Nicholas, and Serra Anansi
(photo by PJ Trenton)

Thadicus Caligari and Riven Homewood

(photo by PJ Trenton)

Lord Cee Edman offered the Loyal Toast to Miss Serra Anansi.

Lord Cee is pictured with Lady Litta Nightfire

(photo PJ Trenton)

At this point in the ceremony, I asked that all guests join me in the Immortal Memory of Mr. Robert Burns:

Seneschal, My Lords and My Ladies, Ladies and Gentlemen.  Please join with me as I toast the memory of Scotland's National Poet and the person whose life and accomplishments we celebrate tonight.

Many thousands of Scots around the world celebrate Burns night on his birthday, January 25th.  It is perhaps extraordinary that there is a Burns Supper at all.  Why do Scots the world over participate in "Burns Supper" to perpetuate the memory of their National Poet?  Why do not other groups gather annually to celebrate the memory of the famous writers of their nations?  Why for example is there no Dickens Dinner, Tolstoy Tea, Shakespeare Roast, or Balzac Barbecue -- or some other such event?
It would be presumptuous to assert the answers to these questions.  But, perhaps by reflecting on Robert Burns and his life we can discover some of our reasons for celebrating his memory tonight.
Had Robert Burns lived today, his earnings from one song alone -- Auld Lang Syne -- would have made him a multi-millionaire on a par with writers as Irving Berlin and George Gershwin and performers such as Elvis Presley and Paul McCartney.  Yet, when he died in 1796, aged thirty-seven, he was poor and asking financial help of acquaintances.  So what was it then about the life of this fellow, born into a poor farming family and departed in poverty that brings Scots together each year to celebrate his memory?

Perhaps he was a Scottish "Everyman." Perhaps his writing spoke to the basic emotions, thoughts, desires and fears of every person regardless of nation or rank.  People frequently attribute certain traits to the Scottish character.  Primary among them are a down-to-earthness, a plain-ness, a directness, a fierecely independent spirit, and a common touch.  Perhaps these traits have more universal appeal than is often appreciated.  It is not possible to do justice to Robert Burns character in the time allotted.  Perhaps a few examples of his character, as seen in his poetry, will do.

Burns loved people despite their weaknesses, but hated hypocrisy.

One biographer stated that the Reformer, John Knox, had more in common with Burns than with the stereotype we have of Knox today.  He stated that Burns and Knox were desperate men of crisis who played their parts in opposition to false or abused authority.  Burns' biographer wrote that had Knox seen the abuses of the Church at the time of Burns, he would have allied himself with Burns against the established Church and many of its pillars of the community.
In the poem, Holy Willie's Prayer, Burns pointed his barbed wit at a self-righteous, member of the congregation as an example of the kind of hypocrisy that can poison any institution.  Holy Willie, by his own complaints and by church standards, is shown to be an example of what to avoid.  He enumerates his own misdeeds, mentioning some of them by their first names and frequency in the week.

Burns was opposed to anyone being treated in a servile manner.

Robert Burns addressed his hatred of slavery in a poem, The Slave's Lament:

"It was in sweet Senegal 
That my foes did me enthral 
For the lands of Virginia, 'ginia, O! 
Torn from that lovely shore 
And must never see it more
and alas! I am weary, weary, O!
"The burden I must bear, 
While the cruel scourge I fear,
In the lands of Virginia, 'ginia, O! 
With the bitter, bitter tear, 
And alas! I am weary, weary, O!"

Burns loved Liberty.

Robert Burns wrote of himself: "The first two books I ever read in private, and which gave me more pleasure than any two books I ever read again, were The Life of Hannibal and the History of Sir William Wallace.  Hannibal gave my young ideas such a turn that I used to strut in raptures up and down after the recruiting drum and bag-pipe, and wish myself tall enough that I might be a soldier; while the story of Wallace poured a Scottish prejudice in my veins which will boil along there Ôtill the floodgates of life shut in eternal rest."

Burns disliked superstition as a means by which people enslave themselves.  However, he drew upon the rich lore of Scotland and its legends and fairly tales to produce symbolism in his poetry.

Burns loved learning.

A Burns biographer once wrote that it "was parish gossip that, if you called on William Burness at meal-time, you found the whole family with a book in one hand and a horn spoon in the other."
Burns inherited his parents love of learning, a yearning that helped him to keep an open mind about himself, his Maker, acquaintances, and his surroundings.

The traits that seem to mark Burns' character all point back to the inescapable fact that he was a Scot.
The stereotype of the Scotsman, thanks largely to Sir Walter Scott and Sir Harry Lauder, is a fellow wearing highland attire.  In his life, Burns certainly did not fit that stereotype at all.  From reading his poems we gain the picture of a lowland Scot who dressed "English" according to the style of a farmer.  The book which contained most of Burns' poems, titled Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, made a favorable impression on the literati of Edinburgh.  I suppose we would call the literary critics of the time "Liberals" today.  They found their theories about the sensitivity of the common man confirmed by what they called this "ploughman poet." Burns spent the winters of 1786-87 and 1787-88 in Edinburgh as a national celebrity, but he disliked the condescension with which he was treated and so returned to farming.

No, Burns did not fit the stereotype of the Highlander in his own life or in the image he projected to literary society.  However, it is interesting to note that he penned at least one poem to sing of a displaced Scot:

"My heart's in the Highlands,
my heart is not here, 
My heart's in the Highlands a-chasing the deer,
A-chasing the wild deer and following the roe
My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go!
"Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the North, 
The birthplace of valour, the country of worth! 
Wherever I wander, wherever I rove, 
The hills of the Highlands forever I love."

We now toast Robert Burns! Lover of people, lover of freedom and liberty, lover of truth, lover of learning, a lowland farmer, a Highlander at heart, a Scot.

To Robert Burns!

providing the Immortal Memory toast

PJ gives us a toast to the Lassies

Mr. Trenton has graciously supplied the words of his toast on his blog, Virtually PJ

Lady Rowan Derryth responded (quite energetically) with a toast to the lads.

Lady Rowan has shared her witty words and recitations on her blog, I Derryth.

Several other toasts followed as the crowd got into the spirit of things - and after the spirits got into them a bit more. :)

As always, following the toasts, readings of Mr. Burns' works were provided. Lady Gabrielle, Lady Rowan, Miss Homewood, and several others shared their favorite pieces with us. Truly is was a joyful night as we listened to our friends recite and toast utilizing either voice or text (or both) in celebration of the Bard.

Lady Gabrielle ended the formal portion of the evening by reading the Grace After Supper.

To the ballroom and let the ceilidh begin!!

Even George came out to dance.

Jed Dagger dips me as the Pipers of Skye assemble

I will complete this post by simply saying that by the end of the night, my feet were bare, my hair completely loose, and my heart happy. Thank you again for allowing me to celebrate this joyous night with you.

More photos may be found on my flickr stream here and on Mr Trenton's flickr stream over there.

Celebrating Burns Night on Isle of Skye - January 22nd at 7pm SLT

2011-01-15T20:54:00.002-05:00

Burns Night is celebrated on January 25th with Burns suppers around the world, and is still more widely observed than the official national day of Scotland, Saint Andrew's Day, or the proposed North American celebration Tartan Day. The format of Burns suppers has not changed since Robert's death in 1796. The basic format starts with a general welcome and announcements followed with the Selkirk Grace. Following the grace comes the piping and cutting of the Haggis, where Robert's famous Address To a Haggis is read, and the haggis is cut open. The event usually allows for people to start eating just after the haggis is presented. This is when the reading called the "immortal memory", an overview of Robert's life and work is given; the event continues with many toasts and some presentation of a selection of his works and usually concludes with the singing of Auld Lang Syne.

I am most pleased and honored to host another Burns Night celebration in world, this year with Rowan Derryth. Happily, we also have Soliel Snook providing hours of wonderful Celtic music for us, creating a wonderful aural atmosphere on Isle of Skye. Additionally, a number of our friends will be giving toasts, reciting stories or poems, and assisting in the preparations.

**If you would like to provide a toast or reading during the supper, please email me : evabellambi@gmail.com. **

This is another of those unique, more prescribed, events which bring a little pomp and circumstance into our virtual existance. Brilliantly the formality of tradition builds in humor and joy by way of the toasts, and stories, and poems/songs of the night.

But just who was this Robert Burns?

Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796) (also known as Rabbie Burns, Scotland's favourite son, the Ploughman Poet, the Bard of Ayrshire and in Scotland as simply The Bard) was a poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best-known of the poets who have written in the Scots language, although much of his writing is also in English and a 'light' Scots dialect, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He also wrote in standard English, and in these pieces, his political or civil commentary is often at its most blunt.

He is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement and after his death became an important source of inspiration to the founders of both liberalism and socialism. A cultural icon in Scotland and among Scots who have relocated to other parts of the world (the Scottish Diaspora), celebration of his life and work became almost a national charismatic cult during the 19th and 20th centuries, and his influence has long been strong on Scottish literature.

As well as making original compositions, Burns also collected folk songs from across Scotland, often revising or adapting them. His poem (and song) Auld Lang Syne is often sung at Hogmanay (New Year), and Scots Wha Hae served for a long time as an unofficial national anthem of the country. Other poems and songs of Burns that remain well-known across the world today, include A Red, Red Rose, A Man's A Man for A' That, To a Louse, To a Mouse, The Battle of Sherramuir, and Ae Fond Kiss.
from the Wikipedia entry on Robert Burns

As is always my tradition, we will conclude our night of revelry with a Ceilidh. Laugh, dance, remember, and love each other.

*****

For in the works of Robert Burns we see the whole cosmos of man’s experience and emotion, from zenith to nadir, from birth until death.
Len G. Murray

Embarking on a Sentimental Journey

2011-01-12T00:05:00.003-05:00

Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments,
embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour.

John Boswell

Five.

Five Snowflake Balls have now taken place in the Steamlands.

Incredible.

Each year I wonder at the special nature of this event. There truly seems to be some magic surrounding the annual formal winter event. Somehow the Snowflake brings out the best in us all. Somehow we are all brought together, despite lag, despite dance machines maxing out, despite any drama or disagreement, and despite some lethargy about this vitual world we live in.

The first Snowflake Ball was part of the first Social Season in Caledon back in January 2007. The first Duchess Loch Avie, Shenlei Flasheart hosted it in the relatively new sim, and Gabrielle Riel was the musical director. Caledon was growing and people were stretching their role playing legs. Things were very proper and congenial. The dance was incredibly fun as neighbors and friends came together in their winter best. New friends were welcomed into the community, and we all left the night feeling so good about Caledon and her citizenry.

I became the Duchess of Loch Avie in April of 2007 and felt very strongly about continuing and expanding the social season activities. I did not do this alone, of course. As Gabrielle Riel discusses in her blog post on the Snowflake Ball, there were several of us who worked on events throughout the next year or so. Now the Duchess, I hosted the second Snowflake Ball again in Loch Avie (January 2008). It proved to be a very fine event indeed, this time specifically including friends from other Steamland nations.

The next year brought some heartache to me personally as well as to many in all of our virtual world - the changes in the open space sims. I had to leave the lands that I so loved in order to continue to host events of any size. The script and avatar limitations on the new homestead sims were just far too restrictive to meet my needs. Her Excellency, Kamilah Hauptmann, allowed me to host the ball on her land and (frozen) water in Port Caledon. It was a healing and sentimental event.

Last year's event was formal, but took us traveling through time musically. Thanks to Mr. Icarus Ghost for the musical collaboration. As well, each guest was invited to wear a costume from one of their favorite periods in time. What a wonderful and powerful night it was. Honestly, each year I wonder how it can get better. How can we continue to experience the revival of the "good old days" and yet feel new and fresh and improved?

And it happened again this year.

There were so many of us this year - so many we had to have the parcel avatar limit lifted within the first 40 minutes of the event. Old friends, new friends. It was so good to collaborate with Gabrielle again on a formal event. Steelhead. Caledon. Winterfell. Babbage. New Toulouse. Seraph City.

I am incredibly honored to have been able to share my home with you for so many years now. Thank you for your friendship and love.

More pictures of the event may be found in my Flickr set.

Even Wandering Knights Find The Way Home

2011-01-05T15:47:00.001-05:00

- More Often Than One Might Think

As has long been my custom, I was walking the perimeter of the Isle again this week. Perhaps I was simply taking in the winter-tide glory around me. Perhaps I was making a security sweep prior to the Snowflake Ball. Most likely it was a little of both. The habits of a woman trained as a warrior duchess and an intelligence operative are as strong as her romantic & beauty-seeking heart.

Something caught my eye near the edge of the water on the south end of the island. Upon closer inspection I discovered an arrow fletching in Sir Tele's colors. I grasped the feathering just as a small wave attempted to take it out into the deeper channel - a smile beginning to form on my lips. Telemachus Dean is extremely mindful of allowing his presence to be known. This fletching would not be here, were he not wanting me to know he had been here. It is not uncommon for me to find messages from him somewhere on the property letting me know that he has passed through Isle of Skye, ensuring my safety and that of the clan even as he moves on to another foreign adventure.

"Fair winds, dear Knight," I whispered into the fletching as I climbed back up the rocky pathway on my way to the house.

Snow began to fall again just as I reached the doorway. I placed his arrow's feathers on the desk in my private offices, changed out of my hiking gear, and headed back out to prepare the grounds for the ball. I was just using the steam crane to lift the ice chandelier into place over the dancing area, when I sensed something watching me. A presence nearing.

I did not have Claidheamh Flath, the sword of my forebears - the Sword of the Chief, with me since I was merely working in the yard. I mumbled curses under my breath as I felt the presence growing closer. The hair on my arms and the back of my neck began to prickle madly. Thankfully I recalled that I had been working on the steam crane a bit earlier in the morning and had left the large wrench laying nearby. I grasped the wrench in both hands as I knelt down. I rapidly stood and deftly swung the wrench around at chest level.

Clank!!

I struck a very large claymore and looked up to see Sir Tele grinning down at me.

"I see ye've kept up your swordplay and defense practice, Your Grace."

I'm sure I stood momentarily with my mouth agape as the truth of him sunk in. "Och! ye great, bloody man! Sneaking up on me like that!!"

His smile widened and he dropped his sword. At that, I promptly whacked him in the stomach with the wrench, and then gave him a hug.

"I can't stay long, Duchess. But I could not pass nearby without ensuring that you were well. When I saw that the preparations were underway for the Snowflake Ball, I knew that I needed to stay to request a dance. I will not be in the area on the night of the event."

I smiled. "Ever the gallant, Sir Tele. Then let us dance while you tell me of your most recent adventures."

We danced for what seemed only a short while before he said he needed to be on his way. Apparently he had a ship to catch on the high tide.

It is always bittersweet to have him go off on another quest. But I always know he will return.

"Fair winds, dear Knight. Fair winds."

Bliadhna mhath ur! Beannachd Dia dhuit.

2010-12-31T16:21:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! Blessings of God be with you!

The Honour of Your Presence is Requested at the Fifth Annual Snowflake Ball

2010-12-29T12:28:00.001-05:00

It is with great pleasure that I am once again inviting you to The Snowflake Ball, which has become a Steamlands winter tradition. This is now the fifth such lovely event. The Snowflake Ball has deep sentimental meaning for me as one of the first formal Victorian dances in our collective history and a time and place to be with - and make - very good friends.

The first Duchess Loch Avie, Shenlei Flasheart, started this tradition in January 2007, and I am honored to have been able to continue to hold this beautiful ball each year, first in my role as Duchess Loch Avie and now also as the Lady of Skye.

I am pleased to announce that my cousin, Gabrielle Riel, will once again be providing the music for our dancing pleasure.

My wish is that you will enjoy yourselves entirely on this very special night in the snow. We do not wish that the formal nature of the ball would intimidate you as we utilize the dance cards for our 11 dance sets, but rather provide you with an option to enhance your pleasure of the event. If you have not already received a notecard, which includes your dance card for the night, as part of the group announcements to Winterfell, Steelhead, and Caledon, there will be a table with cards available for your use on the night of the ball. (I am working to have announcements made in New Babbage, New Toulouse, and Seraph City as well.) We will observe the etiquette of the Steamlands rather than that of strict Victorian tradition. Therefore, anyone may request a dance of anyone else (i.e. women may initiate an invitation to dance; women may dance with women and men with men; all avatars are welcome including tinies, furries, mechanical beings of all types, time lords, and more).

We will begin to gather on the grounds of my home, Caisteal Teanacadh, at 7pm SLT where we may visit with our friends and neighbors and perhaps begin filling the dance card - if all your dances are not spoken for prior to the ball.. The first dance set will begin at 7:15pm.

I look forward to seeing you all there.

Snowflake by William Baer

Timing’s everything. The vapor rises
high in the sky, tossing to and fro,
then freezes, suddenly, and crystallizes
into a perfect flake of miraculous snow.
For countless miles, drifting east above
the world, whirling about in a swirling free-
for-all, appearing aimless, just like love,
but sensing, seeking out, its destiny.
Falling to where the two young skaters stand,
hand in hand, then flips and dips and whips
itself about to ever-so-gently land,
a miracle, across her unkissed lips:
as he blocks the wind raging from the south,
leaning forward to kiss her lovely mouth.

The First Snowflake Ball

Caledon Loch Avie

January 2007

Second Annual Snowflake Ball

Caledon Loch Avie

January 2008

Third Annual Snowflake Ball

Port Caledon

January 2009

The Fourth Annual Snowflake Ball

Isle of Skye, Winterfell Anodyne

January 2010

Christmas Blessings Upon You, My Friends

2010-12-24T23:48:00.001-05:00

The light of the Christmas star to you,
The warmth of home and hearth to you,
The cheer and good will of friends to you,
The hope of a childlike heart to you,
The joy of a thousand angels to you,
The love of the Son and God’s peace to you.

A Story of St. Brigid for the Holiday Season

2010-12-22T22:11:00.001-05:00

Saint Brigid of Kildare or Brigid of Ireland (Brigit, Bridget, Bridgit, Bríd or Bride) or Mary of the Gael (Irish: Naomh Bríd) (c. 451–525) is one of Ireland's patron saints along with Saints Patrick and Columba. Irish hagiography makes her an early Irish Christian nun, abbess, and founder of several monasteries.
Her feast day is 1 February, celebrated as St. Brigid's Day or Imbolc in Gaelic Ireland (from Wikipedia)

Image via Wikipedia

There are many stories of Brigid's life and there are just as many debates among scholars about which, if any, are true. But the story I read to you today comes from the book, This Way To Christmas by Ruth Sawyer. You may find the full text of that book at the UPENN digital library: http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/sawyer/christmas/christmas.html

A blessed Christmas to you and yours.

Degrees of Connection

2010-12-14T11:45:00.003-05:00

Six Degrees of Separation has become so common place a concept that it is now quite influential in popular culture and daily life, but for the sake of completeness in this post, I shall include a small portion of the history. This theoretical concept that any of us is, on average, only six steps away from any other human on Earth in our "human web" of life was originally set out by Frigyes Karinthy and popularized by a play written by John Guare.

Are we really so connected by friends and friends of friends?

I have found it to be quite true over the course of my adult life. As an example, in playing the popular game to determine my "Kevin Bacon number", I discovered that I have a Bacon number of 4. How?

I sang with Jennifer Miller in The Blessing

who sang with Julie Andrews in a Radio City Music Hall production

who acted with Karen Vaccaro in Unconditional Love

who acted with Kevin Bacon in Stir of Echos

I've also learned that I have a connection to Bob Hope via my husband, who in his youth happened to have a small chat with Mr. Hope in the rest room during a Washington DC fund-raising dinner.

These are silly examples to be sure, but illustrate the point, that as unlikely as it seems, there are connections to be made out there with the famous, the infamous, and the not-so-famous.

My most treasured connections are those that are discovered to have some meaning in my life. Something like this just happened to me this weekend, and it has been so much on my mind that I would like to share it with you.

I have made no secret of the fact that I live in the Hershey, PA area. As you might imagine, The Hershey Company and Trust dominate the region. Milton S. Hershey was born here in the farmlands of central Pennsylvania and returned to his roots here as a young entrepreneur making milk chocolate. He built this town; built it for the workers for his factory.

In 1898, he married Catherine "Kitty" Sweeney. The two of them were unable to have children, but being desirous of helping as many children as possible, they established the Hershey Industrial School for orphan boys. Kitty died in 1915 and in 1918, Hershey transferred the majority of his assets, including control of the company, to the Milton Hershey School Trust fund, to benefit the Industrial School. The Trust, as it has come to be known, has a majority of voting shares in The Hershey Company, allowing it to keep control of the company. In 1951, the school was renamed the Milton Hershey School, and now admits both boys and girls. They no longer need be orphans, but all must meet the need requirements set forth by The Trust and school.

Milton and Kitty

Mr. Hershey took great pride in the growth of the school, the town, and his business. He placed the quality of his product and the well-being of his workers ahead of profits.

With this ideal in mind, in 1963 Mr. Sam Hinkle, the President of Hershey Chocolate Company, made a phone call to the Penn State University President, Mr. Eric Walker. This phone call has been dubbed the $50 Million Phone Call. Mr. Hinkle proposed that Penn State establish a School of Medicine and Medical Center with a starting donation of $50M from The Trust.

Mr. Hinkle and Mr. Walker recreate the $50 Million Phone Call

And with this phone call the wheels were set in motion for a world class Medical Center, School of Medicine and Research Center. With this phone call the steps were built for the care and growth of a community. With this phone call the first building blocks were laid for my, and my family's, future.

So by now you are wondering, what the connection I have been referencing actually is. I was approached by our local church to sing at a funeral this past weekend. I do this sometimes - and weddings, too. I was pleased to be able to assist even though I was unaware of the family who was coming in from out of state to celebrate a service of memorial in the chapel where their family had so long ago worshiped (from the 1950s through the 1980s).

The setting was lovely. Our chapel built in the mid-1800s lit by candlelight, which reflected off the well polished dark red wood felt comforting. Christmas wreaths and advent candles and a cross made from hundreds of dusky pink roses representing the woman whose life we celebrated added to the warmth in the cold of the winter evening.

During the remembrances of family and long-time friends, I came to discover that this woman, who died after 102 years on this earth of ours, was the widow of Mr. Sam Hinkle. The celebrated President of the Hershey Chocolate Company, and who felt so strongly about central Pennsylvania having an academic medical center and school of medicine, that he convinced The Trust and the Pennsylvania State University, that they should build it - together - with $50 million donated by the company that essentially brought the town to life.

Me.

I was asked to sing The Lords Prayer. I was asked to comfort, and perhaps uplift, this grieving family (3 generations of them) of the woman, who stood by her husband through his life, his business dealings, and his own long illness. The woman who helped her husband bring the dream of Penn State Hershey Medical Center to life before I was even born. The woman whose work alongside her husband indirectly provided professional work opportunities, income, and satisfaction for my husband and me.

I am deeply affected by this connection. And I am honored to have played a small role in the life of this family. It seems the least that I could have done.

Pinup Girl

2010-12-01T01:09:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

2010-11-24T21:20:00.001-05:00

The Bellambi Clan wishes a Happy Thanksgiving Day to those who celebrate it, and Peace, Prosperity and many Blessings to all.

Yours &c,
Eva Bellambi
Lady of Skye

For The Vicereine

2010-11-18T09:19:00.002-05:00

Most of the regular readers of this blog know me for what I am. Among the words one might use to describe me would come "sentimental", "devoted", "friend", "silly". So you won't be surprised by my expression of feelings having Kamilah Hauptmann as a friend in SL and RL.

Interestingly enough Kami and I had only a few interactions in world - and they were pleasant enough - prior to CaleCon in 2008. We met there in person with a few of our other Caledonian friends. It was a small con, but a grand time. We had opportunity to talk and talk during that long weekend and discovered that we, in fact, made great friends. Happily, we have kept that friendship up in world and have had occasion to visit with one another in the real world once again.

Eva, Kami, Otenth, Gabi at my CaleCon opening night Cocktail Party

Lionsgate (Kamilah) and Loch Avie (Eva) at CaleCon dinner/dance/simulcast

Jaelle, Eva, and Kamilah in NYC (summer 2010)

I remain a bit sad not to be able to join her, Jaelle, and several of our other friends at SteamCon again this year. The west coast is oh-so-far-away at this time of year with my children in school and holiday choral events in full swing. I'll get there some day (I hope. I hope.) and if I'm lucky, Kamilah and other friends will also be in attendance.

For now, I would like to share with you the slide show from Kamilah's 5th Rez Day party on November 7th, and a poem I found, which seems to suit her very well (simply substitute the word "Vicereine" for "Queen" in this poem as she would be the first to remind you that Victoria is Queen).

A Queen

A Queen is proud of herself. She respects herself and others.
She is aware of who she is. She neither seeks definition from
the person she is with, or does she expect them to
read her mind. She is quite capable of
articulating her needs.

A Queen is hopeful. She is strong enough to make all her
dreams come true. She knows love, therefore she
gives love. She recognizes that her love has
great value and must be reciprocated.
If her love is taken for granted,
it soon disappears.

A Queen has a dash of inspiration, a dabble of endurance.
She knows that she will, at times, have to inspire others
to reach the potential God gave them. A Queen knows
her past, understands her present and
moves toward the future.

A Queen knows the Creative Energy. She knows that with
this the world is her playground, but without she will just
be played. A Queen does not live in fear of the future
because of her past. Instead, she understands that
her life experiences are merely lessons, meant
to bring her closer to self knowledge
and unconditional self love.
Queen,

~Author Unknown~

Let Us Never Forget....

2010-11-11T12:07:00.000-05:00

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

My father-in-law in the Pacific Theatre, World War II

A Rez Day Celebration of Viceregal Proportions

2010-10-30T23:27:00.000-04:00

Year one, you are like you are ten.
Year two, you are like you are twenty-five.
Year three, you are like you are fifty.
Year four, you are like you are one hundred.
Year five, you were born in the dark ages of land extortionists,
malltards, bling was new, but the air was fresh and you could fly sim
to sim without falling apart at the seams, and there was no such thing
as a facelight, much less ten of them on one avatar.

Kamilah Hauptmann

Poetry with Lady Eva : October's Opal

2010-10-29T10:49:00.000-04:00

Image by Daniel Greene via Flickr

October's Opal
by:Robert Savino

October is here, once again,
barely transcending the threshold of autumn.
The maple is turning yellow to orange, to red,
soon to be bared by winter.

Ah winter, when blankets of bliss
cover spoon-fit bodies,
flickering sparks to flames. . .
until love of spring gardens
becomes the rapture of summer bloom.

And looking from outside-in,
beyond recognizable beauty,
the ruby of jewels glows bright,
pumping currents of rivers red,
deep into the wells of every extremity.
Our chest fills with laughter.

When apart, even so brief,
this season stays with you,
whether I am or not
and your voice with me,
through wind’s immutable breath.

At the reading of this poem, I sighed softly, laid the book on my table, sank back into my large leather chair and stared dreamily into the dancing fire in my bedroom fireplace.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month Continues...

2010-10-25T14:28:00.000-04:00

and the generosity of friends in Second Life also continues.

Our dear Mr. Onyx Plutonian recently sold some land in Caledon and notified me that he would like to donate the proceeds to our BoobieThon efforts. First, let me just say that I was floored. But second, I had to let him know that since BoobieThon only runs for the first seven days of October each year, I could not add this to our 2010 donations.

However, I believe we came up with a very good solution. We decided to donate these dollars to the Susan G. Komen Foundation in honor of BoobieThon in SL.

Thank you so very much, Onyx! Your thoughtful gift has raised our total donations for breast cancer research to over $1700 USD!!

The BoobieThon 2010 Educational Salons and the Burlesque for Breasts

2010-10-16T18:29:00.000-04:00

Life being what it is, I've not been able to get these last few pictures and event notes posted for your enjoyment. But finally - and without further ado - I give you the evidence of 3 wonderful events during the BoobieThon in SL 2010 campaign:

Educational Salons by Rowan Derryth and Serra Anansi

Burlesque for Breasts (final event of the week) featuring the Ladies of the New Champagne Rooms and music provided by DJ Frequency Picnic.

BOOBIETHON 2010 IS COMPLETE!!!

2010-10-08T01:00:00.001-04:00

BOOBIETHON IN SL RAISED

$1628.00 USD

FOR THE SUSAN G. KOMEN FOUNDATION!!

THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH!

TOTAL DONATIONS VIA WWW.BOOBIETHON.COM WERE:

$10108.00

NOT BAD FOR A WEEK'S WORK. :)

The Last Push for BoobieThon 2010!!!

2010-10-07T01:40:00.000-04:00

I am so far behind on blogging the events of BoobieThon 2010!! There have been so many, so varied, and so wonderful events that it has been quite difficult to keep up.

I owe you a post on the most excellent BoobieThon Educational Salons - and I will do my best to get those up online sometime during the day tomorrow.

But for now - I want to let you know that we have closed the Art Auction just a little while ago - and our phenomenal artists and many generous donors have added another $L47345 to the BoobieThon coffers!!

Also a HUGE thanks to Rowan Derryth and the folks at the Frank Lloyd Wright Virtual Museum for donating time, space, and money for our cause. The money is actually still coming in from that event, but thus far we raised over $L33000 at that one event!

I am elated to say the very least. Your generostiy and the stories you have to tell continue to amaze me in so many ways.

x0x0x0x0x0x0

We'll see you tomorrow at Burlesque for Breasts and the final donation and party!!

BoobieBalls 2010 - A Phenomenal Fund-Raising Sucess

2010-10-05T01:23:00.002-04:00

(NSFW due to avatar nudity)

It is safe to say that I am constantly amazed by the generosity of my friends and neighbors in Second Life. During our BoobieBalls this year, you help raise our total donations by 250,000 Lindens!

As is always our tradition, we raise these funds as we celebrate breast health and beauty, and the lives and men and women everywhere. We do this with fun and irreverence to be sure. Many double entendres, much nudity, lots of laughter and joy. But we also share stories of our friends and family who are survivors of breast cancer, or are actively fighting the disease. Sometimes, sadly, we also share stories of those who were diagnosed too late in the progression of the disease.

This year we had the opportunity to give hugs and good thoughts to our dear friend, Myfi Davies, who is newly diagnosed with breast cancer and having her surgery in only a couple of days. It was a pleasure to be able to spend some time with her at the BoobieBalls, to remind her of our love, and remind those in attendance that we do all of this for our sisters and brothers, our friends, our family.

Thank you.

Eva and Serra strike a pose just before the start of the SL time zone BoobieBall

Serra and JJ

The BoobieBall Pavilion

Serra and Gabi lead the line dance at the UK Ball

Gabrielle, Eva, Serra, Seerose

Stormy Mefusula, the Chief Boobie Officer of RL Boobiethon

Artists for BoobieThon

2010-10-04T09:40:00.002-04:00

I am working hard to catch up on my blogging from this weekend's FABULOUS BoobieThon events. There were so many wonderful events this weekend (starting on Friday, October 1st) that I had zero time to get the news out to you save for the occasional Tweet or Plurk.

Our launching event was at my home in Isle of Skye, Winterfell Anodyne, and it kicked off not only the whole of BoobieThon in SL, but the art auction. I cannot thank our wonderful artists enough for their generosity - not only of their work, but their hearts as well. Many of them have stories to share about their own brushes with breast cancer, whether family or friend.

The auction continues through the FINAL BID on October 6th at 9:15pm. At that time I will capture all the high bids, remove the kiosks, and notecard our winners.

I have created a very short video of the event utilizing one of the songs that really was a hit with the crowd, Laisse Tomber Les Filles. DJ Frequency really outdid herself!

For a better look at many of the pictures, please feel free to visit my flickr page.

Much love! And more to come!!

BoobieThon in the News

2010-09-29T08:01:00.000-04:00

I'm happy to report that our SL BoobieThon 2010 Events are getting nice press thus far. Here are a couple of links from the arts community regarding our opening event: The BoobieThon Art Auction.

Blog post on Second Tricia.

Treet TV's Metaverse Arts also ran an announcement on the Art Auction here in the most recent episode. The whole episode is quite good, but you may find the announcement at around 7 minutes into the show.

The Saving Second Base Arts Show Committee met a few weeks ago in my ballroom to plan the event.

Serra Anansi, Autopilotpatty Poppy, me, & PJ Trenton

The lovely Seneschelf, Miss Serra Anansi

PJ Trenton, artist & Artist Coordinator

Miss Autopilotpatty Poppy, artist & Artist Coordinator

After arranging most of the displays last night, I stood admiring the phenomenal work of the generous artists. The piece above is by GM Nikolaidis.

Admiring Tricia Aferdita's "Golden"

BoobieThon 2010 Starts in 6 Days!

2010-09-25T17:24:00.003-04:00

Recently, I have been keeping you abreast (pun fully intended) of the approaching events of BoobieThon of SL and RL. Well the time is nearly here!

The Saving Second Base committee members have been working hard to create a week of interesting, fun, and, at times, irreverent affairs for you to enjoy as we educate about - and raise money for - breast cancer research and treatment.

***Disclaimer: There is a NSFW photo at the end of this post helping us get into the spirit and beauty of the upcoming week.***

You are invited and most welcome:

October 1, 2010

Opening Day Party - 7pm-9pm SLT, Isle of Skye, Winterfell Anodyne
Art Auction - Bidding begins at 6pm SLT, Isle of Skye, Winterfell Anodyne
Designer Vendors - Winterfell Anodyne/Winterfell Harbor sim crossing
Gypsy Caravan & Carnival - Winterfell Anodyne

Please go to Virtually PJ for information about the artists involved in the auction.

October 2, 2010

Third Annual BoobieBall - UK event, 10:30am - 12:30pm SLT, Winterfell Anodyne/Winterfell Harbor sim crossing
Third Annual BoobieBall - US event, 7:30pm - 9:30pm SLT,Winterfell Anodyne/Winterfell Harbor sim crossing
Art Auction - Bidding continues, Isle of Skye, Winterfell Anodyne
Designer Vendors - Winterfell Anodyne/Winterfell Harbor sim crossing
Gypsy Caravan & Carnival - Winterfell Anodyne

October 3, 2010

BoobieThon Salon - The History of Undergarments (Rowan Derryth), 1:00pm SLT, Anodyne Garden, Winterfell Anodyne.
BoobieThon Salon - Self Breast Exams and Other Prevention Methods (Serra Anansi), 3:00pm SLT, Anodyne Garden, Winterfell Anodyne.
Art Auction - Bidding continues, Isle of Skye, Winterfell Anodyne
Designer Vendors - Winterfell Anodyne/Winterfell Harbor sim crossing
Gypsy Caravan & Carnival - Winterfell Anodyne

October 4, 2010

Art Auction - Bidding continues, Isle of Skye, Winterfell Anodyne
Designer Vendors - Winterfell Anodyne/Winterfell Harbor sim crossing
Gypsy Caravan & Carnival - Winterfell Anodyne

October 5, 2010

Art Auction - Bidding continues, Isle of Skye, Winterfell Anodyne
Designer Vendors - Winterfell Anodyne/Winterfell Harbor sim crossing
Gypsy Caravan & Carnival - Winterfell Anodyne
Rummage Sale at the Caravan - Winterfell Anodyne

October 6, 2010

Wright on BoobieThon - Fund-raising dance at the Frank Lloyd Wright Virtual Museum, 7:00pm - 9:00pm SLT, Usonia
Art Auction - LAST BID 9:15pm SLT, Isle of Skye, Winterfell Anodyne
Designer Vendors - Winterfell Anodyne/Winterfell Harbor sim crossing
Gypsy Caravan & Carnival - Winterfell Anodyne
Rummage Sale at the Caravan - Winterfell Anodyne

October 7, 2010

Burlesque for Breasts - Burlesque Show and Closing Ceremony, 7:00pm SLT, Winterfell/Caledon sim crossing
Designer Vendors - Winterfell Anodyne/Winterfell Harbor sim crossing
Final Donation will be made at 8:55pm SLT
Closing Party from 8:45pm SLT - ??

********Poem and Photo after this break********

Her Breasts

by Susan Helwig

Her breasts make me a sculptor
to strip her clothes off this early morning, once more
buttons, zippers,
watch her drink the day's first coffee, naked,
her hand, the cup, her lips
Her breasts sigh,
they feed the greedy babies that are my eyes
all hunger
Her breasts are not marble or art
they breathe slowly
ripple the water
Her breasts are never crushed in love
they cradle in my hands as we make nesting spoons
they sing a perfect O
that I try to speak again and again:
fill me, fill me
once and for all

Family History Discovered - A love letter from Gawter to Sìleas

2010-09-16T09:45:00.001-04:00

In houses as old as mine, one often discovers hidden treasures (along with what may possibly be considered junk) when going through ages old trunks or pieces of furniture. I had decided that I would go through a very old desk down in my cask room last night and in doing so I found a small stack of nearly crumbling pages. I carefully untied the small green ribbon holding them together and immediately found that they were letters from my many-times great grandfather, Gawter, to the love of his life, Sìleas.

I have described the two of them to you before by sharing a dream I once had - so real. The letter on the top of the stack was quite faded and worn, obviously read many times over.

My very dear Sìleas~

The indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days—perhaps tomorrow. Lest I should not be able to write again, I feel impelled to write a few lines that may fall under your eye when I shall be no more . . .

I have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage does not halt or falter. I know how strongly our Civilization now leans on the triumph of the our cause and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and sufferings of many battles. And I am willing—perfectly willing—to lay down all my joys in this life, to help maintain this way of life, and to pay that debt . . .

Sìleas my love for you is deathless, it seems to bind me with mighty cables that nothing but Omnipotence could break; and yet my love of Clan and Country comes over me like a strong wind and bears me unresistibly on with all these chains to the battle field.

The memories of the blissful moments I have spent with you come creeping over me, and I feel most gratified to God and to you that I have enjoyed them for so long. And hard it is for me to give them up and burn to ashes the hopes of future years, when, God willing, we might still have lived and loved together, and seen our children grown up to honorable life, around us. I have, I know, but few and small claims upon Divine Providence, but something whispers to me—perhaps it is the wafted prayer of my little ones, that I shall return to my loved ones unharmed. If I do not my dear Sìleas, never forget how much I love you, and when my last breath escapes me on the battle field, it will whisper your name. Forgive my many faults and the many pains I have caused you. How thoughtless and foolish I have often times been! How gladly would I wash out with my tears every little spot upon your happiness . . .

But, O Sìleas! If the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen around those they loved, I shall always be near you; in the gladdest days and in the darkest nights . . . always, always, and if there be a soft breeze upon your cheek, it shall be my breath, as the cool air fans your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by. Sìleas do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait for thee, for we shall meet again . . .

Yours forever~
Gawter

Sìleas - after she has read the letter from Gawter

I immediately scanned the rest of the letters in the stack and found that there were many dated after this one, so Gawter did not die on that battlefield that day, but once again came home to his beloved Sìleas. How fortunate they were to be able to share this love with one another for many, many years.

Waiting.....praying for his safe return

******

OOC - I recently was made aware of this poignant letter from Sullivan Ballou to his wife, Sarah, just before the Battle of Bull Run (American Civil War) and found it to be so moving. I wanted to bring it into the romantic history of Eva's family. It has been changed VERY little in the above passage for it stands alone as a testament of this great love. For original wording please go to this Civil War site.

I further encourage you to listen to the reading from Ken Burns' Civil War series posted here:

Calling All Designers! BobbieThon is Coming!

2010-09-14T13:59:00.001-04:00

This year is the third annual BoobieThon event in Second Life. A good history of BoobieThon can be found here

All the monies raised at BoobieThon.com go to Susan G. Komen Foundation (unless specified by donors to go to the BloggersSupportingBloggers charity). All the money we raise in SL goes directly to Komen.

To support the cause in Second Life we have many different events taking place in during the week of fund-raising (October 1-7, 2010).

* Art Auction - Oct 1st through Oct 6th

* Gypsy Caravan (with various gypsy themed events) - Oct 1st through Oct 7th

* Designer Vendors - Oct 1st through Oct 7th at the BoobieBall Pavilion

* BoobieBalls - Oct 2nd 10:30am UK Event ~ and ~ Oct 2nd 7:30pm US Event

* Educational Salons

- History of undergarments (specifically corsets and bras) - Oct 3rd 1pm

- Self Breast Exams and other prevention activities - Oct 3rd 3pm

* Rummage Sale - Oct 5th and 6th all day

* Burlesque for Breasts and Closing Ceremony - Oct 7th 7pm

For the designer vendors we are asking interested designers to create one or more unique items - themed, if possible. And do feel free to use something similar to our dark raspberry color if you like (as seen in the event poster attached). Interested designers will be given a vendor to set up at the BoobieBall Pavilion, this is to ensure the security of the items permissions. The vendors are already set up to sell items with payment going to each designer and then rerouted to our treasurer (SavingSecondBase Searose). In this way, each designer can track sales and such.

Hopefully this is helpful information and please, PLEASE let us know if you have other questions - or any concerns. We will be so honored to have you be part of the event if you choose to do so.

Most Sincerely,

Eva Bellambi, Lady of Skye

and

Serra Anansi, Seneschelf of Winterfell

Saving Second Base is Planning BoobieThon 2010 Activities

2010-09-05T09:42:00.002-04:00

Friday evening in Second Life found a committee of the group, Saving Second Base, in the Green Fairy pub in Winterfell discussing the serious issues surrounding the fun and irreverent fund-raising events planned for our 3rd Annual BoobieThon.

Miss Serra Anansi and I began raising money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation in conjunction with the real life BoobieThon back in 2008. The often educational, but always humor-filled and enjoyable events have assisted in raising nearly $5000.00 US for breast cancer research and treatment in the last two years. We are hopeful that 2010 will be even more successful.

For new readers of my blog, let me share a bit of history about BoobieThon in general.

www.boobiethon.com was started back in 2002 as a joke, really. Several friends decided to use the power of the internet to help a newly divorced friend get a plan ticket to spend Thanksgiving with friends rather than alone. The group easily raised the monies needed for the plane ticket ($359.00) and then having a greater appreciation for the good that was able to be done, they kept the site up. In the words of the BoobieThon founder, Robyn Pollman:

It was then we realized that we had the power to really turn this into something real. Not a joke. But a way to save lives. The plane ticket was purchased as cheaply as possible and we kept the drive going to raise as much money as we possibly could for breast cancer. After all if we were going to use photos of boobies to raise money — we might as well try to save them along the way!

This is BoobieThon's 9th year and we in Second Life are proud to do even more to help support their efforts. You will hear much more about everything that will be happening during the week of October 1-7, 2010, but here is a sampling of events:

Art Auction - October 1-6, 2010
BoobieBalls - October 2, 2010 10:30am-12:30pm SLT & 7:30p-9:30p SLT
BoobieThon Salons - October 3, 2010
Gypsy Caravan - October 1-7, 2010
Designer Vendors - October 1-7, 2010
Burlesque for Breasts - October 7, 2010 @ 7:00pm

We'll see you there!

From the Library of the Red Rose - The Indian to His Love by William Butler Yeats

2010-08-25T09:28:00.000-04:00

HE island dreams under the dawn
And great boughs drop tranquillity;
The peahens dance on a smooth lawn,
A parrot sways upon a tree,
Raging at his own image in the enamelled sea.

Here we will moor our lonely ship
And wander ever with woven hands,
Murmuring softly lip to lip,
Along the grass, along the sands,
Murmuring how far away are the unquiet lands:

How we alone of mortals are
Hid under quiet boughs apart,
While our love grows an Indian star,
A meteor of the burning heart,
One with the tide that gleams, the wings that gleam and dart,

The heavy boughs, the burnished dove
That moans and sighs a hundred days:
How when we die our shades will rove,
When eve has hushed the feathered ways,
With vapoury footsole by the water's drowsy blaze.

Poetry From the Library of the Red Rose - Teaching

2010-08-09T16:48:00.002-04:00

Teaching
by Frank Lambert

Your finger
traced a line
along my neck.

I opened my eyes,
found you’d brought us
into the mountains.

What are you doing? I asked,
smiling at the intense look
fixed upon your face.

You ignored me,
closed my eyes with your finger
and continued to stroke.

Over and again you touched me this way
while gently blowing
along the path your fingertip took.

After a while, all I could feel
was the air against my skin
and the tingle running down my spine.

Opening my eyes I saw you had left,
having finished showing the wind
how to caress me like you do.

Alirium: Light and Shadow

2010-08-02T17:15:00.000-04:00

For higher quality images please have a look at my Flickr set .

Fields of Gold

You'll remember me when the west wind moves

Upon the fields of barley

You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky

As we walk in the fields of gold

So she took her love

For to gaze awhile

Upon the fields of barley

In his arms she fell as her hair came down

Among the fields of gold

Will you stay with me, will you be my love

Among the fields of barley

We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky

As we lie in the fields of gold

See the west wind move like a lover so

Upon the fields of barley

Feel her body rise when you kiss her mouth

Among the fields of gold

I never made promises lightly

And there have been some that I've broken

But I swear in the days still left

We'll walk in the fields of gold

Many years have passed since those summer days

Among the fields of barley

See the children run as the sun goes down

Among the fields of gold

You'll remember me when the west wind moves

Upon the fields of barley

You can tell the sun in his jealous sky

When we walked in the fields of gold

Poetry with The Red Rose: Neruda's Sonnet XVII

2010-07-29T22:06:00.001-04:00

Salt Rose

Sonnet XVII

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,

or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.

I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,

in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms

but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;

thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,

risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.

I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;

so I love you because I know no other way than this:

where I does not exist, nor you,

so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,

so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

— Pablo Neruda

postscript: I find that I have shared this poem once before. Clearly it speaks to me. I hope it does to some of you as well.

Wind-Hewn Wildness - Dark and Brightness

2010-07-27T23:58:00.000-04:00

Seelie? or Unseelie?

Mist-clad in the light of the moon

Starspun seekers - I search for thee!

Faery light - I ask thy boon

Of branch and thorn and Elder tree!

Wood woven creatures, shadow weavers

River keepers - come to me!

Just beyond reaching

Never in keeping

Spirits of Faery - I call unto thee!

Wind-hewn wildness

Dark and brightness

Spiral enchantments - born of the sky!

Cradle me with elven hands,

Abide with me, thy human child!

-W.B Yeats

Regarding Civilised Rail Travel in the Americas

2010-07-14T22:19:00.006-04:00

Response to this letter from the Vicereine, Kamilah Hauptmann.

My Dearest Kamilah,

You do me great honor by your invitation to spend time with you in New York City. I confess that I have been hoping for such time together since we last met nearly two years ago in the wilds of suburban Canada. I was surprised that my weaponry were not required for defense against moose or the odd trapper or logger wandering into town. However, as I recall the two of us should have used the heavy gold coins in our evening bags to delicately bludgeon several of the patrons in the dining room upon our grand arrival for cocktails. One would have thought that they had never seen a regal Lioness nor a corseted Duchess in their lives. *sigh*

Lionsgate and Loch Avie

To our travel details:

I shall also be traveling by rail into New York City - perhaps we will challenge the answer to "If two trains are traveling to NYC at the same time - one going south, one going north......". I do not see the specific days that you have in mind for this travel, however, I will check with my secretary and determine which days are ideal for travel and which days are possible with complex appointment manipulation.

We should indeed arrive at the same terminal, therefore, depending on our travel schedules, we may be able to walk and talk on our way to luncheon. The subway, while it is not as filled with the hoodlums and trouble-makers you about which you may have heard tales, is still not my favorite mode of transportation in the city. You will, however, adore the "T" (subway) while you are in the fair city of Boston. It is generally quite civilised unless you happen to be traveling through Kenmore Square on baseball game day.

I have a number of thoughts on luncheon possibilities, but now understanding your desire to see our lovely Lady Liberty, I shall have another check on this and will make appropriate plans. I will tell you that the Museum of Modern Art is quite wonderful & with excellent lunch possibilities as well. We shall carefully consider and plan.

As to whether I will be "packing heat", I simply ask when you have ever known me to be unprepared for any occasion.

So do leave your hockey stick at home; however, with just the right skirt and blouse those logger boots might be quite urban chic.

Let us keep in close touch as we make our plans. You may feel free to use my wireless device for contact along with aetheric mail and such.

Yours &c,
Eva

p.s. No coffee, just lots of laughter in a, thankfully, empty office suite. Do feel free to blog this - as you most certainly know I will. *muah dahlink*

Mystical and Sacred Music Listening: Relay for Life Event

2010-07-10T17:27:00.005-04:00

St. Cecilia by John William Waterhouse

As part of my own personal giving to Relay for Life this year, I have decided to join Radio Riel's "Riel Day for Life" on July 11th. I have donated money to sponsor two hours of music - music of my choosing.

From 6:00am - 8:00am SLT on July 11th, I invite you to listen to sacred and mystical music with me. I specifically chose the music for these time slots as they are just the beginning of a new day for me. I like the thought of easing into the day and allowing the music to set a loving and grounded tone. The first hour will be Celtic and pagan mystical music.

During the second hour we will hear sacred choral pieces of the major religions.

I will have my land in Winterfell Anodyne: Isle of Skye (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Winterfell%20Anodyne/211/159/35) open for dancing round the fire and stone circle, as well as quiet places to sit and listen - perhaps to meditate, perhaps to talk softly with friends. You are all invited to join me. Hope to see you there.

Poetry from the Library of the Red Rose - Love

2010-05-26T00:20:00.003-04:00

XVII (I do not love you) Pablo Neruda

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way

than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

i like my body when it is with your body
ee cummings

i like my body when it is with your
body. It is so quite new a thing.
Muscles better and nerves more.
i like your body. i like what it does,
i like its hows. i like to feel the spine
of your body and its bones, and the trembling
-firm-smooth ness and which i will
again and again and again
kiss, i like kissing this and that of you,
i like, slowly stroking the, shocking fuzz
of your electric fur, and what-is-it comes
over parting flesh ... And eyes big love-crumbs,

and possibly i like the thrill

of under me you so quite new

You are all invited to my 4th Rez Day Party

2010-05-23T02:06:00.004-04:00

Can hardly believe it is true: As of May 28th, I will have lived for 4 years in this place we call Second Life. Four years seems at once too long a measure as well as too short. We've experienced so much together. Time, they say, is experienced exponentially differently here. SL can be very intense creatively, emotionally, intelligently.

This little invitation I threw together tonight, shares a mere split-second of my existence here, though it shows several of the events and activities I've known. Most especially highlighted are my previous rez day parties. But you'll find hints of other parties, battles, fund-raising work, and just being with friends.

I do hope we can celebrate together on May 31st (which also happens to be my typist's birthday). Frequency Picnic was so fantabulous as to offer to play the music. I've not really chosen a theme, so just come as you are and let's have fun!

Slurls and other details will follow later.

Music Appreciation: Crooners

2010-05-14T00:57:00.003-04:00

I am so pleased to have been asked to present a music appreciation evening at the New Champagne Rooms in New Babbage this Sunday night, May 16th at 8pm SLT.

In honor of the latest edition to the New Champagne Rooms family in Seraph City, I will be playing a set based on the theme "Crooners". We'll enjoy the music of those singers of pop standards from the early part of the 20th century through more modern times over the course of our 2-hour musical journey together.

Hope to see you there.

What Does The Realm of the Red Rose Sound Like?

2010-05-07T21:34:00.002-04:00

And now the music that The Realm of the Red Rose creates (apparently):

For more information go here.

Fantastic Beltane

2010-05-04T07:17:00.005-04:00

I think it may be passe to say that each year our Beltane celebrations are better and better. But I honestly think it's true. What a wonderful ceremony and ceilidh we shared together this recently passed First of May!

One of the things that I believe made this night so particularly special was the fantastic crowd of people who joined us on Isle of Skye: Many Winterfallen, Caledonians, Steelheadians, and residents of Seraph City. The conversations covered the divine and the ridiculous, and everything in between.

My thanks and blessings on all of you!!

(Since I was May Queen (hostess) of the party and DJ, and the lag of SL was killing me, I actually was able to take very few usable pictures. I must send my thanks to Kate Nicholas, Icarus Ghost, and Klaus Wulfenbach for sharing several of their pictures with me.)

****Notes for the ceremony of Beltane (read over the air)****

In the 8th century, Emperor Charlemagne cited the following duties of knights:

To fear [his] God
To serve the liege in valour and faith
To protect the weak and defenceless
To give succour to widows and orphans
To refrain from the wanton giving of offence
To live by honour and for glory
To despise pecuniary reward
To fight for the welfare of all
To obey those placed in authority
To guard the honour of fellow knights
To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit
To keep faith
At all times to speak the truth
To persevere to the end in any enterprise begun
To respect the honour of women
Never to refuse a challenge from an equal
Never to turn the back upon a foe

When we gathered in Loch Avie on Beltane 2007 in the warming breezes of spring, we witnessed the Knighting of three talented and chivalrous gentlemen: Sir Adso, Sir Telemachus, and Sir ZenMondo into the Order of the Red Rose

Whether in the field of science, codepoetry, or battle, the Knights of the Red Rose have indeed followed these duties. Once again, I remind them and the assembled company - that I swear fealty to them, that I will do all in my power to protect and defend them and their households until death take me or the metaverse ends.

And I remind us all that the strength and stability of the our communities lie in these virtues of its people: creativity, service and knowledge - for if any of these are lacking, the community fails. The fighters of the Kingdom or clan defend it with their swords, and with their honor bring it glory on the field; the scientists and artists provide avenue for advancement, and with their honor bring knowledge and beauty to the citizens and the State.

I would be remiss if I did not recognize the other members of my Clan as well. I am sworn to protect and defend them - not because of ceremonial guidance, but out of mutual honor, respect, and love.
Unlike the Clans of my ancestral home in the Highlands of Scotland where the collective heritage of the clan, the dùthchas, gave the right to settle the land to which the chiefs and leading gentry provided protection and authority as trustees for the people, I fully understand that in Winterfell and SL, I serve only at the pleasure of my Clan and my friends. I hope to be an honorable woman, leader, and an amicable friend to all in these lands.

Boyarina Kate Nicholas - My first friend in SL. Officer of my Court and Clan. My enduring gratitude for all you do for me and the clan in general, Mistress Builder, Scientist, Friend.

My Protectors: Hotspur O'Toole and Exrex Somme. Thanks to both of you for the many "chinks" in swords, dents placed in armor, and the bloodied bodies on my behalf.

My wonderful friends - musicians and artists, and architects:
TotalLunar Eclipse, Zealot Benmergui, Frequency Picnic, Iason Hassanov, Christine McAllister, Kiralette Kelley, and Icarus Ghost. SL would be less fullfilling without you here.

***** Lighting the fire****

The fertile Goddess of Summer walks through the land
With the Great Horned God of the Forest,
And the dark time of Winter is behind me.

The animals breed and the plants pollinate,
As the May Queen and Green Man
bestow Their blessings upon the Earth
and Earth's creatures. Their happy union is become the example
for living in love and harmony.

The need fire is readied.
Birch to recall the Queen of May
Oak in remembrance of the Green Man
Rowan for a magic-filled life
Willow recalls death
Hawthorn burns for the fairies near me.
Hazel for wisdom
Applewood in hopes of love.
Vine as the symbol of joy.
Fir - symbolizing rebirth - whose sweet scent reminds us of our immortality.

May the union of the May Queen and the Green Man be fertile and productive.

With the ancient words of my forebears I light the Need fires that their warmth and light might spread to all our hearths.

Tine

The dark days are cleared away
so that the May Day can now begin!

A POEM

May, clad in cloth of gold,
Cometh this way;
The fluting of the blackbirds
Heralds the day.
The dust coloured cuckoo
Cries welcome O Queen!
For winter has vanished,
The thickets are green.
Soon the trampling of cattle
where river runs low!
The long hair of the heather,
The canna like snow.
Wild waters are sleeping,
Foam of blossom is here;
Peace, save the panic
In the heart of the deer.
The wild bee is busy,
The ant honey spills,
The wandering kine
Are abroad on the hills.
The harp of the forest
Sounds low, sounds sweet;
Soft bloom on the heights;
On the loch, haze of heat.
The waterfall dreams;
Snipe, corncrakes, drum
By the pool where the talk
Of the rushes is come.
The swallow is swooping;
Song swings from each brae;
Rich harvest of mast falls;
The swamp shimmers gay.
Happy the heart of man,
Eager each maid;
Lovely the forest,
The wild plane, the green glade.
Truly winter is gone,
Come the time of delight,
The summer truce joyous,
May, blossom-white.
In the heart of the meadows
The lapwings are quiet;
A winding stream
Makes drowsy riot.
Race horses, sail, run,
Rejoice and be bold!
See, the shaft of the sun
Makes the water-flag gold.
Loud, clear, the blackcap;
The lark trills his voice
Hail May of delicate colors Tis May-Day, REJOICE!

More Beltane Inspired Poetry

2010-04-28T22:22:00.007-04:00

Ecce Chorus Virginum

Here be maids dancing
in the spring days.
April light lancing
long level rays.

In this fair valley
fragrant and sweet
is a bright alley
with lilies deep
where the gay blackbird
pipes all day long
sweetness recordeth
the nightingale’s song.

Here come the virgins
flower garlanded.
But who shall sing then
that blaze of beauty,
love’s secret store?
Tales of old sorrow
grieve us no more.

Peace to your piping
with linden bought
at beauty’s altar
pay ye your vows.

(in the original Latin)

ecce chorus virginum
tempore vernali
dum solis incendium
radios equali

in hac valle florida
floreus flagratus
inter septa lilia
locus purpuratus
dum garritus merule
dulciter alludit
philomena carmine
dulcia concludit

acies virginea
redimita flore
quis enarret talia
quantoque decore
prenitent ad libitum
veneris occulta
dido necis meritum
proferat inulta

moderatur ordine
iubilo semoto
fronde pausa tilie
cypridis in voto

Beltane Inspired Poetry from The Red Rose

2010-04-24T23:57:00.004-04:00

As I worked on music tonight for the Beltane ceremony and the ceilidh that will follow it, I came across several lyrics and poems that I would like to share over the course of this coming week. I hope that these words might speak to some of you as we find ourselves nearing the changing of the seasons.

Suscipe Flos Florem
(from the manuscript of Benedictbeurern)

Suscipe Flos florem,
quia flos designat amorem
illo de flore
nimio sum captus amore.

Hunc florem, Flora
dulcissima, semper odora!
nam velut aurora
fiet tua forma decora.
florem, Flora, vide,
quem dum videas, mihi ride!
Florem Flora tene,
tua vox cantus philomene.

oscula des flori,
rubeo flos convenit ori.
Flos in pictura
non est flos, immo flgura ;
qui pingit florem
oscula des flori,
rubeo flos convenit ori.

[English Translation]

Take thou this rose, O Rose
since love’s own flower it is
and by that rose
thy lover captive is.

Smell thou this rose, O Rose
and know thyself as sweet
as dawn is sweet.

Look at this rose, O Rose
and looking, laugh on me
and in thy laughter’s ring
the nightingale shall sing.

Kiss thou this rose, O Rose
that it may know
the scarlet of thy mouth.

O Rose, this painted rose
is not the whole
who pains the flower
paints not its fragrant soul.

4th Annual Beltane Celebration

2010-04-19T17:19:00.004-04:00

In Scottish Gaelic the month of May is known as either (An) Cèitean or a' Mhàigh, and the festival is known as Latha Bealltainn or simply Bealltainn - meaning ‘bright/sacred fire’. The holiday was held to mark and celebrate the blossoming of spring, and coincided with the ancient pastoral event of moving livestock into their summer grazing fields. It did not occur on any fixed solar date (the tradition of solstices and equinoxes is later in origin) but tended to be held on the first full moon after the modern 1st of May. Some sources suggest that the blooming of the Hawthorn was the primary signal for the event before the development of centralized calendars.

It was nearly entirely a celebration of the fertility of the land and their animals. The main traditional element which was common to all Beltane festivals was the fire which gave it its name. All the fires of the community would be extinguished and a new, sacred ‘Need Fire’ was lit by either the village head or spiritual leader. From this source one or two bonfires were lit, and the animals of the community would be driven through or between them. It was believed that the smoke and flame of the fires would purify the herd, protecting them in the year to come and ensuring a good number of offspring. The inhabitants of the village would then take pieces of the fire to their homes and relight their hearths, and dance around or near the bonfires to ensure good portents for them and their families.

This spring/summer rite was celebrated in many ancient cultures. Some continue it even in modern times. In many traditions the focus of Beltane is on the battle between the May Queen and the Queen of Winter. The May Queen can be recognized as Flora, the goddess of the flowers, and the young blushing bride, and the princess of the Fae. She is Lady Marian in the Robin Hood tales, and Guinevere in the Arthurian cycle. She is the embodiment of the Maiden, of mother earth in all of her fertile glory. Beltane has a long history. The Celtic fire festival is celebrated with bonfires, Maypoles, dancing, and lots of good old fashioned sexual energy. In Ireland, the fires of Tara were the first ones lit every year at Beltane, and all other fires were lit with a flame from Tara.

The Romans celebrated the Floralia, or festival of flowers, which consisted of three days of unbridled sexual activity. Participants wore flowers in their hair (much like May Day celebrants later on), and there were plays, songs, and dances. At the end of the festivities, animals were set loose inside the Circus Maximus. Land owners would have often have sex in their fields to ensure the fertility of their lands.

The entity known as the Green Man, strongly related to Cernunnos (The Horned God), is often found in the legends and lore of the British Isles, and is a masculine face covered in leaves and shrubbery. In some parts of England, a Green Man is carried through town in a wicker cage as the townsfolk welcome the beginning of summer. Impressions of the Green Man’s face can be found in the ornamentation of many of Europe’s older cathedrals, despite edicts from local bishops forbidding stonemasons from including such pagan imagery.

A related character is Jack-in-the-Green, a spirit of the greenwood. References to Jack appear in British literature back as far as the late sixteenth century. Sir James Frazer associates the figure with mummers and the celebration of the life force of trees. Jack-in-the-Green was seen even in the Victorian era, when he was associated with soot-faced chimney sweeps. At this time, Jack was framed in a structure of wicker and covered with leaves, and surrounded by Morris dancers. Some scholars suggest that Jack may have been a ancestor to the legend of Robin Hood.

This festival is also seen as a time when the veil between worlds is a bit thinner - a time for the faeries. The appearance of flowers around this time of year heralds the beginning of summer and shows us that the fae are hard at work. In early folklore, the more helpful deeds of the fae should always be acknowledged and appreciated, therefore, Beltane offered a good time to leave out food and other treats for them in your garden or yard.

As is my custom, we will begin the evening with a celebration of my Clan and the Knights of the Order of the Red Rose, and then lighting of the Beltane Need Fire. Each guest will also be offered a Beltane lamp which will light as s/he approaches the Need Fire. This light should be taken to his/her own hearth at the end of the festival.

As is always the case, I invite you to let go of the formality of day to day life and celebrate freely the renewal of the earth, the fertility of your lands, your livestock, yourselves. Release your inner, May Queen, Green Man, White Lady, Blue Man, Roman God/Goddess, or Færiekind. Dress is quite relaxed - and clothing generally becomes optional as the fever pitch around the fire grows. There will be discrete areas available for your own fertility rites to be celebrated.

Scene from the climax of our 3rd Annual Beltane celebration

**Text drawn & edited from prior years' blog posts about my celebration.

Shall We Visit the Man in the Moon?

2010-04-13T09:07:00.007-04:00

The inspiration for the post of these lyrics: Onxy Plutonian's Airship.
I had a very nice time dancing with a few friends and new acquaintances last evening inside this lovely ship.

COME TAKE A RIDE
(In My Airship)
by Ren Shields

I love a sailor, a sailor loves me. He comes every night to my home
He’s not a sailor who sails on the sea over the wild briny foam
For he owns an airship that sails upon high.
He’s just like a bird on the wing.
And every evening when shadows draw nigh,
he will come to my window and sing:

Come take a ride in my airship. Come take a trip to the stars.
Come take a ride around Venus. Come take a trip around Mars.
No One to watch while we’re kissing. No one to see while we spoon.
Come take a ride in my airship and we’ll visit the man in the moon.

One night while out sailing away from the stars
We passed through the milk-y white way.
Just idly sailing and watching the stars
he asked me if I’d name the day.
Right near the dip-per I gave him my heart.
The sun shines on our honey-moon.
We swore to each other we
never would part and we’d teach all our babies this tune:

Come take a ride in my airship. Come take a trip to the stars.
Come take a ride around Venus. Come take a trip around Mars.
No One to watch while we’re kissing. No one to see while we spoon.
Come take a ride in my airship and we’ll visit the man in the moon.

Dancing to DJ Lucien B's great mix.

Kind of makes you wonder what's happening just out of frame, doesn't it?

A Little Southern Humor

2010-04-07T10:02:00.005-04:00

A bit of story-telling inspired by the character I portrayed at the Cinema party in New Babbage this week.

Eva as Sookie Stackhouse

This is the Sookie that I would prefer (auburn rather than blond). :)

A Blessed Easter to All My Christian Friends

2010-04-03T17:52:00.002-04:00

Deep Peace (A Gaelic Blessing)

Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of the gentle night to you
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you
Deep peace of Christ, of Christ
The light of the world to you
Deep peace of Christ to you

Beannachd Dia dhuit, mo charaid.

Exploring Nemo

2010-03-30T14:43:00.002-04:00

Last night I had the time and inclination to do a bit of exploring. Thanks to Hamlet Au and New World Notes, I found just the perfect place.

I shall share the short slide show with you and tell you how remarkable the build is, but you should really see it for yourself. The textures are incredibly well done, and the movement of the gears and other mechanisms is seamless.

Once you've had a look at this, you should really head over to New World Notes for a detailed read about the content and the creator and a great YouTube machinima of the sim.

Enjoy!

The Realm of the Red Rose

You Are Invited to the SIXTH Annual Snowflake Ball

AMAZING!! BoobieThon in SL Donates $2133.88

BoobieThon with a View

Pictures from an Exhibition...& an opening party...& the En Garde Tournament

TOUCHE YOUR BOOBIES!

4th Annual BoobieThon in SL - Opening Night

Once Again We Work to Save Second Base - BoobieThon 2011

The Calm Before the Storm

The Arrival of Friends

Dispatch from Admiral Beaumont - Go to Highest Alert!!

Evening Sword-Play

Preparations Begin

In Which Things Become Quite Vulgar

Midsummer's Day

Modern Poetry: Location, Location, Location

Location, Location, Location

Reading - two very different poems in the theme by Emily Dickenson

Announcing the 5th Annual Beltane Celebration

Haiku for Spring

The Fae of Skye

The Sands of Time

ROMANCE! Discussion Today at the 24th Æther Salon

Happy Valentine's Day!

ROMANCE!

Mab MacMoragh's Burns Machinima

Burns Night Supper and Ceilidh, 2011

Celebrating Burns Night on Isle of Skye - January 22nd at 7pm SLT

Embarking on a Sentimental Journey

Even Wandering Knights Find The Way Home

Bliadhna mhath ur! Beannachd Dia dhuit.

The Honour of Your Presence is Requested at the Fifth Annual Snowflake Ball

Christmas Blessings Upon You, My Friends

A Story of St. Brigid for the Holiday Season

Degrees of Connection

Pinup Girl

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

For The Vicereine

Let Us Never Forget....

A Rez Day Celebration of Viceregal Proportions

Poetry with Lady Eva : October's Opal

Breast Cancer Awareness Month Continues...

The BoobieThon 2010 Educational Salons and the Burlesque for Breasts

BOOBIETHON 2010 IS COMPLETE!!!

The Last Push for BoobieThon 2010!!!

BoobieBalls 2010 - A Phenomenal Fund-Raising Sucess

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