RA Pocket Shrine 115/? – Recreation Time with Mr Thornton

/ March 24, 2016

You would think I have just had a massive recharge on recreation time after my trip to the Irish West coast. I have. And first pictorial evidence at the end of this post! But no sooner am I back, and I need recreation time once again. “Little Miss Bling” has arrived and is being a little bit capricious when it comes to dressing her up. I must confess, my love affair with Apple is slightly waning at this point. It is a little bit like crushing on a celebrity – you want them, they are sooo hot, so sexy, they know it all, and boy would it be a thrill to have them. And when you have them, you realise – they fart like any other man. Or come without a USB port that would enable set-up from a time machine back-up, as suggested by Apple themselves. Hmph. Work, meanwhile, does not go away. It simply piles up, and while Little Miss Bling is finally deigning to get dressed and ready (after an expensive trip to the Apple store to buy indispensible accessories that amounted to a mere 159 Euro), the frustrated would-be fan girl is crushed, but in an altogether different way. So much so, that despite work load, Guylty needs a feel-good experience to keep her going.

And what could be more feel-good than a RAPS post? Especially as this one comes courtesy of a crafty swap I did with fellow fan Melissa. Full disclosure: Melissa got in touch with me last August (!), requesting a Thornton shrine. I jumped at the chance, as she is a crafter herself and promised to make something for me in return. Fast forward several months and a new year *coughs*, and Guylty finally had a Thornton shrine leave the shrining bench. In return, and with Sir Guy my preferred chaRActer, Melissa designed and stitched this adorable little piece of fan art for me (click pics to enlarge):

There is the darling knight, gracing my kitchen – where he has taken up station next to my Sir Guy clock, another creative exchange from a couple of years ago. And yes, the clock is in full view of everyone in the kitchen, above the door, in fact. After languishing largely unobserved and only secretly admired by yours truly in my study, the recent upheaval in said office space brought him to light. It was actually Mr Guylty who suggested we bring the Gisborne clock into the kitchen, where we had been missing a clock for some time. “It’s clearly ironic”, he said. And Guylty nodded with a smug smile. Soooo ironic. *drools discreetly into a hanky and pretends she is not staring at the Guy clock*. So cross-stitch Guy is sitting up there with clock Guy, and I am wondering whether the ledge of the door frame might be the ideal place for an impromptu exhibition of further Guy fan art? The ledge is the perfect place for action figure Guy to park his arse and dangle his legs. And naked torso Guy plushie might fit up there, too? What do you think?

A massive big thank you to Melissa for her crafty work. Cross-stitching takes patience. I love the details she incorporated in her design – see those bulky seams of his leather tunic on his shoulder? And the little clasps, the sword, the belt buckle. Adorable!

Melissa received her RAPS last week, so I am finally free to present the latest shrine model here on my blog. What finally prompted me to make a Thornton shrine, was a cute tin I could not resist buying in a pharmacy a few weeks ago.

IMG_5352 smYep, it takes the strangest things to inspire me… But then again, lucky lips… who else would you think of, but our crush?

Inside, Mr Thornton is spending some recreation time:

IMG_5353 smThe book can be removed, and reveals that Mr Thornton is writing a love letter. (The writing feather can be removed from the ink pot.)

IMG_5358 smThe little book contains a few quotes from NS. (If I remember correctly, the darling little books were actually gifted to me by Alyssa Bethancourt!)

In the bottom lid, Mr Thornton glowers in the glow of a candle…

IMG_5355 smThe magnets can be removed, of course.

IMG_5354 smWould Margaret have kept a keep-sake like this in her pocket? I hope she would have…

Apologies once again to Melissa for taking so long.

~ ❤ ~

As promised in the intro, I am concluding today’s post by shamelessly indulging in my own photography. The weather on our trip was very Irish. Heavy skies with the constant promise of rain. It actually didn’t rain, but it made for very evocative imagery. For the sneak peek I have chosen the “artsy numbers” – a few of my images that portray the stark, inhospitable beauty of the rough and barren landscape in shades of grey. This was taken slightly to the North of where Pilgrimage was filmed around this time last year. More tomorrow. (Click images to enlarge)

 

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86 thoughts on “RA Pocket Shrine 115/? – Recreation Time with Mr Thornton”

  1. Ah, lovely shrine… adore the love letter, one of my favorite lines from Thornton (actually I love the entire proposal scene, made my heart thump!) and I love the tiny feather detail! Melissa is very lucky =). Sorry to hear your new laptop wasn’t as fabulous as it looks (I DO like the gold blingy look and can’t think why I didn’t order that myself when I was shopping MacBooks). And as always, gorgeous “artsy numbers”. Totally love the one with all the interesting rock formations!

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    • Aw, yes yes yes, a comment to pull me out of my hardware funk. You know, I am complaining on a really high level, I have to admit. It’s really nothing. Well, ok – it’s the fact that Apple decides to forego USB ports in order to make MacBooks thinner (which is great, of course) and only puts in ONE USB C port – which is not quite THE industry standard yet and subsequently means that my external hard drive, which Apple suggests I use to back-up and re-set-up my new MacBook, cannot be plugged into Little Miss Bling. It’s all very well – if Apple would have been so kind and supplied an external hub extension that provides a USB port. Of course – they make one of those. But you have to go to the shop and buy it separately – at Apple’s increased prices. *huffs* (When I very un-gracefully mentioned my displeasure to the best boss of all, he came back “Oh, I am so sorry. I didn’t check that. My fault, I fucked up. Listen, why don’t you just buy another MacBook and invoice me for it. Buy a better one.” Honestly, I can’t believe how good this guy is to me. I was moaning that my Mercedes’s ash trays were full, and he is offering to buy me a new Porsche… LOL) Sorry, complete tangent.
      And yes, that proposal scene in N&S is just… sigh… honestly, if a man had ever said that to me (“I don’t want to marry you in order to possess you; I want to marry you because I love you!”), I would’ve melted on the spot. Really, I do not understand Margaret at all. His love is so fierce, and passionate, and yet so honest. What a man.

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      • I sort of imploded when I read this. It doesn’t have a USB port??? As forward looking as Apple is this is something that has repeatedly driven me crazy — the difficulty of the transfer of your old machine to your new one. Oh well — doesn’t matter because I don’t have money for a new one anyway. Or maybe I should replace my laptop more frequently than every seven years …

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        • Well, I have been a bit misleading in my rant. The new MacBook does have a USB port – but it is only ONE USB C port, which also serves as the power connection. So, if you want to charge the MacBook while also importing photos from a card reader, for instance, you can’t do that because there is only one port. If you needed another USB port, say for attaching a wireless mouse, that’s impossible, too. Also, there is no regular USB port full stop, only USB C (that’s the two-way cable that is now used for charging the iPhones, for instance). All that makes using your old external hard drives or card readers more difficult. It’s not impossible – there are USB C hubs with multiple ports available. However, I had to get mine tout-de-suite this morning in order to attach the time machine/back-up hard drive and set up the machine from where I left off when the old MacBook was killed. Apple has beautifully designed, functional accessories – at what I call pharmacy prices. I also splashed out on a bluetooth mouse because at least it won’t take up another port, but it all comes at a price.
          BTW, the reason Apple has given up on regular USB ports, is the weight and size of the MacBook. Admittedly, Little Miss Bling is lithe and lean, very smooth, thin and small. Great for mobility. I think the larger MacBooks (mine is 12″) may actually still have USB ports. I can understand a company pushing for new standards and all that, but I do think they ought to provide work-arounds for the transition period. A USB hub courtesy of Apple would have been nice – considering that the bloody MacBook sets you back out 1700$, a 100$ USB hub should’ve been part of the package.
          Sorru for the ant here… The set-up is still not over because the version of OS that was per-installed on the MacBook was not the latest one. I have to uupgrade to El Capitan before I can fish my set-up with the import via time machine. So much for Apple’s user-friendliness…

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          • I dread the day I have to change to a new laptop when the current one decides to give up the ghost. I get comfortable and happy with a gadget and that’s it for me, I dont like change in that respect. Newer often doesn’t equate to better, and quality and longevity are often sadly lacking these days. The whole throwaway mentality drives me nuts. It’s usually cheaper to replace than repair, that’s if you can even find a suitable repairman or whatever at all.

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            • I completely agree with you, Mezz – everything is thrown away, including hardware. There was nothing wrong with the old one, except for the water damage. And there were spare parts available, only that it was not worth investing in them as the machine was already older. What a shame.
              Switching to a new laptop is indeed painful. I am now writing from my new MacBook, and it’s actually fabulous. Very smooth and fast. And in the end, the switch was easy enough, thanks to the backup I had. I think that is the secret – religiously back up all the time, so that you have the full laptop saved and are able to transfer it lock,stock and barrel to a new one. Apple provides the tools for that, but I daresay other manufacturers do, too. Or move everything to the cloud. Then you don’t even have to worry about back-ups anymore.
              In any case, I am so glad the ordeal is over and I am mobile again with my laptop. It means I can change my workstation – which I like doing frequently. It keeps things fresh for me – I hated being confined to my desk in my study.

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      • sigh.. your boss 🙂 I gently suggested i needed one that didn’t weight nearly 4kg and broke my back when it gave up on me last time and if i could have one left by the people who leave.. the answer was no as this old piece of s.. could be rebuild.. ie they deleted everything which is when i lost stuff and i am back with the brick, lugging 6kg+ on my back each day.. hey ho, i miss having a budget when people actually consider that we work on the go and travel between places, but it is what it is.
        I’m in love with a 1.1kg HP with Bang Olufsen sound system in it.. unfortunately nearly £700 but hopefully later in the year i can finally get a new PC at home after 7 years 🙂

        and yes that proposal was one of the best i’ve seen, the women is crazy not to grab him and kiss him senseless then and there! 😉

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        • 4kilos? That is really a heavy load! Honestly, no one really *needs* an inflatedly priced MacBook, but if you are often working off-site, a lean and light laptop is really the least an employer can do. I know the BBC is on a saving spree, but they are saving on the wrong thing there.
          That HP machine sounds pretty good. Are you sure you really need a stationary PC at home? They may provide a more comfortable user experience, and you get more bang for your buck, but an investment in a laptop seems more useful to me, in the day and age of mobile internet use.

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  2. love that Mr.Thornton is reading North & South, LOL! and to see that the book really does have writing in it, so cute. I really like the ink pot & feather too; it’s always the 3-D details that I like best 🙂

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    • 🙂 The 3D details are my favourite parts, too. They make the shrine to little doll’s houses, with bits you can move around and play with. Appeals to the little girl in me, I guess, and I am glad it does to other grown women, too 🙂

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  3. Da bist du ja wieder! Meine Güte ist der gestichelte Guy herzig. Auf den Türrahmen muss dringend noch was anderes. Nimm den Plushie dazu. Und irgendwann wird die Casa Guylty in Casa Gisborne umgetauft 😝
    Der Schrein passt ja hervorragend zu Suzys Jubiläumsblogpost. Da wird mir schon wieder so nord-südlich zumute. Das ist echt wie wennste das Pfeiffersche Drüsenfieber hast. Einmal infiziert, flammt das immer wieder in unregelmäßigen Abständen auf. Aber, da erzähle ich ja nichts neues.
    Ja, und die Kurzurlaubsbilder bekommen in der s/w-Optik nochmal den letzten Schub an Dramatik! Fotoprofischlingel du 😆

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    • N&S kommt halt immer wieder gut! Ich glaube nicht dass Mr. Guylty die Umbenennung der Casa so gut fände 🙂 Solange er die Guy-Bildchen toleriert ist er der verständnisvollste Gatte aller Zeiten und darf nicht verärgert werden!

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      • Ja, es ist eine Gradwanderung… Mal sehen, wie er auf den Kreuzstich-Guy reagiert. Und dann wird sukzessive und dezent ausgeweitet, bis plötzlich die gesamte Fan-Art-Baggage in der Küche sitzt…

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        • Still und leise – manchmal bemerken die Herren der Schöpfung kleine, gestalterische Veränderungen nicht, die sich langsam in ihrer häuslichen Umgebung ausbreiten. Sie nehmen Deko eher ganzheitlich wahr.
          Aber dein Gatte ist wirklich ein Ausbund an Toleranz und mit einem wunderbaren Sinn für (Galgen-)Humor gesegnet. Er sollte nicht absichtlich verärgert werden. Glückspilz,du!

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          • Deko und ganzheitlich *lachschlapp*. Mein Gatte ist leider ein wenig eine Ausnahme. Was ich in der heissen Phase erster Verliebtheit noch toll fand – er schnitt sich Zweige im Park und stellte sie in einer alten Oelkanne malerisch auf den Kaminsims; er hatte eigene Gestaltungsvorstellungen in seiner Studentenbude… – nervt im haeuslichen Zusammenleben, wenn Mann partout einen anderen Geschmack hat als Frau. Was ich hier an alten verrotteten Teppichen ertragen muss, die aus dem antiken Museumshaushalt stammen, in dem wir leben… Aber du hast schon Recht, lieber den Ball flach halten und ganz sacht vorgehen. Am besten, man manipuliert den Gatten dazu, dass er glaubt, es sei seine eigene Idee gewesen, die Guy of Gisborne Sammlung in die Kueche zu verlegen…

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            • Ihr seid ja der reinste Künstlerhaushalt – schwierig wenn zwei willensstarke Persönlichkeiten unterschiedliche ästhetische Ansichten in einem (in diesem Fall immer zu kleinen) Haus unterbringen müssen. Da hilft nur Diplomatie – kann ich aus eigener Erfahrung wärmstens empfehlen. Du machst das schon.

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              • Zeremonienschwerter, leere Geigenkästen (in dem mal eine Stradivari ruhte, keine Kalaschnikoff!!!), Stoßzahn vom Naarwal, deutsches Bajonett aus dem 1. Weltkrieg. Wenn ich mir die Auflistung angucke, frag ich mich selbst, wie ich das hier aushalte 😂😂

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              • Das könnte doch für ein hübsches, kleines Zusatzeinkommen sorgen. Nebenbei würde sicher auch das ein oder andere Foto der beeindruckenden Landschaft einen neuen, begeisterten Besitzer finden und wer weiß, vielleicht fragt auch jemand, wo um Himmels Willen man so eine unglaubliche Uhr herbekommt (und wer dieser Kerl ist).

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                • Oh, so habe ich das noch gar nicht gesehen. Das könnte man schön mit einer Galerie verbinden, genau. Dazu könnte ich meine Sammlung von Kitschfotos noch mal durchgehen und abstoßen.

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              • Kitschfotos – duuuu?!? “kreischundüberausentsetztguck”
                Sag, dass das nur ein Scherz war… 😉
                Aber eine kleine, feine Galerie…

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                • Och, ich dachte, dass ein paar Farbfotos mit malerischen irischen Landschaftsaufnahmen inklusive Strohdach-Cottage massenkompatibler wären… Ich bin mir da für nichts zu schade 😀

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    • Ja, da bin ich wieder 🙂 Und wie immer muss ich meckern, dass hier die dollsten Sachen passieren, wenn ich weg bin. Jetzt so geschehen mit Serv’s Posts. Menno – immer verpass ich alles. Armitage postet, wenn ich Social Media-Ferien mache, Serv bricht interessante Diskussionen vom Zaun, wenn ich in Funklöchern stecke. Grmph.
      Übrigens musste ich natürlich oft auch an unsere Fahrt vom letzten Jahr denken, als ich jetzt wieder im wilden Westen rumtobte. Wir waren zwar etwas weiter nördlich unterwegs als du, Suzy und ich, aber Connemara war quasi in Sichtweite. Überhaupt sieht es da in Mayo auch sehr ähnlich aus.
      Und Suzys Jubi-Beitrag hab ich natürlich auch verpasst und muss ich nachlesen. Aber N&S ist ein Dauerbrenner. Egal ob man Gaskell nun gut findet oder nicht – an RA’s Verkörperung von Thornton kommt man nicht vorbei. Immer wieder mitten ins Herz und ggf. auch etwas tiefer.

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      • Tja, du taktest deine Auszeiten schon gezielt ungeschickt 😆 Da haben wir noch so manches nachzuarbeiten. Wenn du Fragen hast … Du kennst meine Email 😀

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        • Ich sage dir, ich weiss gar nicht, wo ich anfangen soll… Und ob es sich ueberhaupt noch lohnt, meinen Senf dazuzugeben. Man muesste das ja eigentlich alles lueckenlos fuer sich selbst dokumentieren, aber irgendwie ist das auch wieder alles nur Wiederkaeuen.
          Ich bin ja jetzt erstmal froh, dass das Osterwochenende ansteht. Da kann ich die ganze Arbeit aufholen. Jaja, so ist das. Lieber nicht wegfahren – man verpasst zu viel…

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          • Die Ausführungen von Servetus sind für mich schon rein sprachlich eine Herausforderung – Horizonterweiterung in Reinform. Die kleinen grauen Zellen kommen ganz schön in Schwung… nix mit (wie hieß das noch gleich?) “Regenbogen und Einhörnern”. 😉

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            • Ne, das ist echt Hardcore fürs ungeübte Gehirn. Zunächst mal der Sprache und dann des Inhaltes wegen. Es war ja eine Weile recht ruhig bei ihr. Aber ich erinnere mich an Zeiten, wo das oft Schlag auf Schlag ging, ich mit Macht alles weglesen wollte und dann oft schier atemlos vom Lesen und im Anschluss Ergebnis total hirntot war😃 Und zur Krönung bleibt dann immer das nagende Gefühl, irgendwas vielleicht dann doch nicht so richtig kapiert zu haben. Und dabei will ich doch immer mitquatschen 😁 Eine echte HeRAusforderung. Deshalb ist ein ordentliches Netzwerk UNERLÄSSLICH. Gell Guylty?

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              • Die Frage, ob ich das alles wirklich richtig verstanden habe, stellt sich bei Servetus immer. Sie mag ausgefallenen Formulierungen und sie mag verwegene Gedankengänge und sie macht sich Sorgen, dir mir selber (im Moment noch) fern liegen – man kommt vom Hölzchen aufs Stöckchen. Wahrscheinlich ist das wirklich nicht der übliche Einsteiger-Blog, aber ich finds gut.

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              • Ich tu, was ich kann.
                Verstehe ich das richtig, dass sie im Moment einen Irritation aus dem letzten Sommer aufarbeitet, die sich zu einer echten “Möchte-ich-noch-weiter-ein-Fan-sein-und-diesen-Blog-schreiben-Krise” auswachsen könnte???

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              • Sie stellt sehr hohe Ansprüche an ihn – nicht nur als Schauspieler,sondern auch als Mensch. Ich bin gespannt, ob sie entscheidet, ob er ihnen gerecht wird. Vielleicht könnte sie den Gedanken zulassen, dass er diese Ansprüchen nicht in jedem Bereich ganz und gar erfüllen muss… ?

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              • Sie scheint nicht zu einfachen Lösungen zu neigen 😉
                Das macht die Sache ja so interessant. Aber ich hoffe, sie findet eine Lösung, mit der es ihr gut geht. Sie ist mit so viel Herzblut bei der Sache.

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  5. wunderschöner shrine! Die Uhr würde ich ja glatt ‘bestellen’ wenn ich dann nicht drei völlig fassungslosen männlichen Wesen eine Erklärung abliefern müsste 🙂

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    • *grins* – ich glaube, ich wäre damit auch nicht weggekommen, wenn ich das selber vorgeschlagen hätte. Aber beim Aufräumen fiel sie Mr Guylty in die Hände, und er war dann wild entschlossen, die Uhr als ironisches Statement in der Küche aufzuhängen. Es half, selbstverständlich, dass die alte Küchenuhr bereits seit einem Jahr kaputt an der Wand hing und sämtliche Besucher verwirrte. Ich liebe solch praktische Fangeschenke…
      PS: Deine Amaryllis ist während meiner Abwesenheit noch weiter aufgeblüht und hat jetzt vier Blüten auf einmal!!!

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  6. So all that glitters isn’t Apple gold? At least it looks super cool. Loved the new shrine and Melissa’s Guy and your moody windswept photos. Lucky Lips sounds like a race horse to me. “And it’s lucky lips by a nose!” Unfortunately, Lucky Lips has inspired a poem. For some reason, my poetry output has been a little out of control lately. Apologies.

    Ode to Lucky Lips

    His hair, his eyes, his noble nose,
    Are lovely, l suppose.
    And no one looks better.
    While writing a letter.
    He’s lovely in any pose.
    But oh, those lips,
    Have inspired ships,
    They look sexy and devine.
    I’d feel quite lucky,
    And not a bit sucky,
    If those lips were touching mine.

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    • LOL Little Miss Bling is slightly too fancy for me (and that also works well with my otherwise questionable analogy with celebrity boyfriends), but I’ll do my best to get along with her. I am sure she’ll lose some of her shine, soon, anyway.
      Lucky Lips – horse name *haha*. I am sure there actually is a horse somewhere of that name.
      And please continue on the poetic streak. You are putting into beautiful words what others need many sentences to describe. Or pithy little fake altars.

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  7. Mit Mr. Thornton kann man überhaupt nie etwas falsch machen – und die Details sind (wiedermal) herzallerliebst. Bin durch Suzy und ihren Jubiläumsbeitrag sowieso gerade wieder total im North & South Sog…
    Schade, dass deine schöne Erholung gleich von deiner divenhaften “Little Miss Bling” zunichte gemacht wurde. Ja,ja,… diese Prinzesschen wollen gehätschelt werden.
    Deine Fotos finde ich wunderbar! Würde ich mir sofort an die Wand hängen.. hätte ich nur noch etwas mehr Wand…
    Bist halt eine Meisterin deines Fachs. Respekt 🙂

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  8. What a beautiful little RAPS! Love the details as usual – especially the book. 🙂 Looking forward to seeing more of your photos. I loved the Irish west coast in all its guises.

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    • The book was something I have been meaning to incorporate for a long time – I was really glad when it fitted into this.
      And the Irish West is just glorious. More images to come tomorrow – grah, just realised I have to go on my PC for that because they are not imported (or on cloud) yet.

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  9. i believe your kitchen has just gotten hotter!!! but i fear for the products of the cook with that chest up there and the glaring stare :-p more than the odd fingertip will be burned LOL

    The tin is cuuuteee and the yes Thornton did have sweet lips and i love the fact that you can play with the bits 🙂 (sorry, meant this in a very innocent way!)

    Sorry about the Mac trouble, i fear this is how they make money, selling us expensive accessories. But at least you are now all set up 🙂

    The photos are gorgeous and that can only be Ireland.. i love the beach photo! and the one with the cross… scary that one, i really do expect some dark warrior or a crazy monk to appear right round the corner 🙂

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    • Yes, the kitchen is the hottest place in the house *coughs*
      Playing with bits is a really nice way to engage with things.
      Yeah, the graveyard picture with the cross has something slightly sinister about it. And the b/w emphasises that. Sure, the early Christian standing stone in the graveyard across the road made me think of Pilgrimage, too…

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  10. Lovely shrine and a lovely little Guy in return.
    I’m sure that ledge is just the place for more Guy goodness. Hmmm, that clock is very distRActing, I’d be looking at the time all the time ;o)
    Enjoyed your photos, they’re quite dramatic in black & white. xx

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  12. Pingback: OT: On the Western Fringe | Guylty Pleasure

  13. I think Mr. Guylty is wonderful for suggesting the Guy clock could be brought out of hiding along with your other goodies. Yes, plop the plushie on the door perch.

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  14. Hi Guylty, Love this RAPS, too! And your Guy cross stitch from Melissa and your Guy clock ire fab! So creative! I keep saying I’m going to make myself a Thorin pillow iron on transfer–if I can slip it in past my hubby. Just kidding. Ha! Cheers!

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