Archery Practice

   Last Saturday I was practising with my 30 pound recurved bow. I'd been doing it for a while, occasionally hitting what I aimed at, when one time I did something different. I drew back the bow, and everything felt perfect, just right, so smooth and...just right. Then I released the arrow...and the perfect moment was spoiled, as the bowstring came back and slapped me, hard, in the arm....Funnily enough, I yelped and dropped the bow.

And no, I am not clever enough to take photos of myself, Clare took these ones.

    I don't usually wear the arm guard I made because the bowstring never hit me in the arm before, I must have been holding it wrong. But no matter how it happened, it happened and it hurt. 
   I did it a few more times, just to finish of the round of arrows that I had been shooting, and to see it my arm guard worked, it didn't, so I got slapped it the arm again, and it didn't hurt less the second time...or the third time...

   I didn't pay much attention to where the arrows went and Clare and Alice were both too busy watching my face when the string slapped me, so it wasn't a surprise that I lost two arrows. Apparently my face was rather funny. I found one later that day, but I haven't found the other one yet.
   I had a really big bruise on my arm. It was a very nice colour, all black and blue, with a nice red/pink outline. On Sunday the red outline had faded a bit, but it still looked so nice and...painful. For the next two days it turned more purple, and today it is a nice, or not-so-nice, greeny-yellow. 

   Yesterday I did some more archery, making sure I held the bow wrong of course. I was aiming for the same tree, and I actually managed to hit it a reasonable amount. I hit it with 8 arrows out of the 19 that I was shooting. The only problem was that they stuck in the tree...But luckily none of them hit really high up so they were all within reaching distance from a ladder, some were quite hard to pull out, but I got them all. 

   I also got another injury from my archery practice yesterday: sore fingers. Mainly from the arrows when they scrape past my fingers when I release them. So I've got a big bit of skin missing off my finger. Well, it isn't actually that big, but for something that is supposed to be there but isn't there, it is quite big. 
   If you didn't understand that last sentence, rest assured, I don't either...maybe I should stop now...

~ Jane, Misty Maiden

The Sunflower Award

   Yes, it is another thing like the Sunshine Award, but this time it's the Sunflower Award. I have been nominated by His Princess from Growin' Up Country. 

So here are her questions...

Favourite book?
   That question isn't as hard as I thought it was at first...The Bible.

If you could play any character in any book or movie who would you be?
   Now this is a hard one....hmm, maybe Lydia from Brotherband, or maybe Leonora from The Unwritten Tale, I am planning on writing her story. And no it isn't actually called The Unwritten Tale, I came up with the name just then.

Most disliked Hollywood figure?
None. I don't know what 'Hollywood figures' there are so I can't really like them or dislike them.

Pit fire or BBQ?
   I like camp-fires and bonfires better than either of those, but if it had to be one...maybe a BBQ, but then maybe a pit fire, I don't really know.

Least favourite school subject?
   That would be... Maths, or maybe writing.

What time is it?
   9:30 in the morning...Why did you want to know?

If you had five minutes to get out of your house before it collapsed, what three things would you grab?
   I don't know but some suggestions from my family: Some food, my Ranger's Apprentice books, my Brotherband books, my bow and arrows...that sort of thing...

Sweet tea or lemon aid?
   Hmm, is there any coffee on offer?

Favourite Summer food?
   Something that tastes nice and that there is lots of.

   So there we go, I answered all the questions. Now I nominate:

Sarah, from Novus Papilio. Now you will have to do another blog post.

Zach, from Zach's Abode. It was tempting to nominate your test blog but I restrained myself.

And Alice, from Hope in Our Saviour.

And now, my questions:

Which do you use more often the computer or books?

What is the most common spelling mistake you make?

What is your favourite pastime?

Why should you wear arm guards when you are doing archery?

What is the biggest bruise you've ever got?

Which is better, WordPress or Blogger?

Do you ever wish you could keep breathing in without having to breathe out again?

How many times a day do you quote books or movies?

What is a verb?

Why do these award things have to have something to do with the sun?

~ Jane, Misty Maiden

Favicons and Ranger's Apprentice/Brotherband

   Has anyone noticed my new favicon? Clare designed it and I told her what I liked. It is a bit hard to see because it is so small, so I thought I would do a blog post on it.

This is my favicon...

   How do you like it? I have been doing a bit of experimenting with colours lately on my blog, just to annoy you Zach, you had just made your blog radar and my blog was blue at that stage, I just had to change it...

'Temptation got too strong, I decided to join you'~John Flanagan, Ranger's Apprentice 10, The Emperor of Nihnon-Ja 

  I have been wondering; does anyone know what Sarah's favicon is supposed to be? I have no idea what it is. I was thinking of changing my blog's background to look more misty-like. What do you think?

   Now off the topic of favicons...and into one of my favourite subjects...I really like John Flanagan's two series, Ranger's Apprentice and Brotherband. I have lately taken to 'liberating' (and returning) Daddy's iPhone from his pocket, without him noticing,  and  sneaking around, like Jesper in Brotherband. It is very fun... Tonight Clare told me that if she doesn't know where I am she expects that I am up every tree, or following her, or just watching her from somewhere... it sounds sneaky...but the thing is that I am sometimes watching her, from up a tree or round a corner...or somewhere else. But I'm not so sure about me being up every tree and if not there everywhere else, sadly I haven't mastered the art of being in more than one place at a time yet. If you haven't read the  Ranger's Apprentice or Brotherband series, I really recommend them. They are the sort of book that, after you pick it up you can't put it down until you are finished, and they are packed full of humour in the most unlikely places. They are also very quotable, my sister Alice and I quote them multiple times a day, a quote for every conversation...I have the books and I've read each one about...hmm let's see...about 10 times, at least...Ok maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration...but only a little bit.J

~ Jane, Misty Maiden

Leeches and Driving Tests

   Leeches are gross. I am not absolutely terrified of them but I don't like them at all. Well, to start from the beginning... Daddy, Clare, Alice and I went on a bush walk the other day. If you want to know more about it, Clare did a blog post on it too. We were walking through  a lot of stinging nettles and I got stung on my elbow, while walking backwards so it was mainly my fault, and I also got stung a little bit on my left leg. But since it was through my trousers it didn't hurt much. A bit later I thought I had been got on my right leg, but I paid no attention because I figured it would be like the one on my other leg...it wasn't, but I didn't realize that until later.
   We finished the walk and drove back home, it was dark by the time we got back. I went inside and was sitting on the lounge when I happened to see something, out of the corner of my eye, on my trouser leg. I looked more closely, it was a few big spots of something sort of reddish-brown. I had no idea what it was. Mummy said,'What is that on your trousers?' I shrugged, as I said earlier, I had no idea,  'Do you have blood running down your leg, or something?' Mummy asked. I pushed up my trousers so I could see...'Ummm, yes, I do.' Blood was literally running down my leg. I couldn't remember anything hurting that much. 
    We had to use a bandage to hold a folded-up tissue on my leg to stop the blood. So my first-aid course actually came in handy... on myself...

    The next day, just before we went to church, I said that we should check in the car for a leech, because we didn't know where it had dropped off....and when Daddy looked, there was a leech! So he got rid of it. I had only been joking...

   Mummy thinks that the amazing this was how well the leech's anti-clotting-blood thingy was, to keep it bleeding for so long. One of the creepy things is that I didn't even notice...well, actually I'm glad I didn't because, we had no way of getting it off , although Alice reckoned that we could have eaten all the chips and then used the salt at the bottom of the packet. I don't know what I would do if I knew there was a leech on me.

   Now, to the driving tests. No, I am not doing a driving test, but my sister Clare is. In fact we just got a text from her saying that she passed, and now she has her P's! Congratulations Clare! at least I know that this P plate driver wont be crazy...just sophisticated, as usual ... J

~ Jane, Misty Maiden

My Life Right Now

   I've been trying to think of another blog post that I could do, when I saw that Clare had done a 'Life Right Now' post, I thought that maybe I should try do one as well, so here goes.

Seeing... the laptop screen, the trees outside the window, the birds in the trees... and that's about it.

Hearing..the annoying humming/groaning noise that the laptop makes, the washing-machine, birds and my brothers.

Smelling... the fresh air wafting in the window.

Tasting...ummm, not much really...

Wanting...to be able to get up to the first branch of a really, Really tall tree, (and really wide as well) so I can climb it.

Feeling...the cool breeze, and the inclination to go outside and climb trees.

Wishing... that it was lunchtime.

Thinking...What?! Thinking? I never do that, much too dangerous a pastime.

Laughing...at myself, I don't know why though...

Dreaming... nothing, well I appear to be awake, if I was asleep I wouldn't be typing this now.

Reading... Brotherband book four, Slaves of Socorro. Well actually I can't read it because Daddy is reading it to my sisters and me as a read aloud...oh, what a let-down.

Recovering...from not being allowed to read Brotherband, but it might take a while to fully recover.

Singing... well, I'm not singing anything, until Clare comes along and starts singing the dreaded song that is probably still stuck in her head. I can hear my 4 month old sister 'singing' though. It sounds so cute.

Wearing...as Clare said, I'm wearing clothes... a dark red velvet skirt and a pink shirt, and no I do not like the colour pink.

Preparing...for being starved, or famished, or something of the sort
   
   Horace said, 'Let's get on with it, Halt, I'm famished.' 
   'Are you ever not famished?; Halt asked, but Horace was already heading for the inn.
~ John Flanagan, Ranger's Apprentice 8, The Kings of Clonmel
   
   'Let's get something to eat. I'm starved,' Ulf said. 'You're always starved,' Wulf replied. 'That's because I'm older than you. I've been waiting longer for my dinner.'
~ John Flanagan, Brotherband 3, The Hunters 

Remembering...that I had forgotten something.

Trying...to work out what I had forgotten.

Questioning...Why, in the name Thomas, the TH isn't pronounced.

Fearing...that Clare will try and get 'Let it Go' stuck in my head.

Watching on YouTube... an El Cid video for school.

Hurting... does that mean am I hurting, or am I hurting something? Either way, no I'm not hurting, myself or anything else.

Calling...no one, I'm hopeless at phone calls, I can never think of things to say.

Working...on finishing my school work, except that I already have, so I can't really...

Emailing... my sister Alice. Usually I don't email, but she sent me a random one so I sent her a random one...it included a funny Olaf video.

Gluing...nothing

Cracking...my big chocolate Easter egg that I haven't eaten yet because I don't like chocolate.

Thanking...God for lovely sunny days, a wonderful family and good books.

Turning...my head,  my eyes, myself...

Realizing...that it is nearly 1 o'clock and I haven't had lunch yet...

Checking...that I saw the time right.

Organizing...myself to go get lunch.

Moving...myself.

Reckoning...that I am really starved now.

Needing...to eat lunch.

Anticipating...lunch...and reading more Slaves of Socorro. 

Regretting...that I didn't eat lunch before.

Loving...the look on your face as you read this.

Googling...the Random House Australia site so I can link to it and 
you can read the beginning of Slaves of Socorro if you want to.

Choosing...to write this.

Smiling...I am, because you are, and smiling is contagious.

~ Jane, Misty Maiden