Lost my cat yesterday
Jan. 23rd, 2011 09:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
essayelSpent a nearly sleepless night, because she's a little home body and doesn't go far, and this morning I tracked her down to the shed. I don't know who was more relived. But OH the anguished mews and little tabby nose poking under the door. Now she's trying to eat her own weight in tuna and keeps coming and glaring at me as though I was the one who locked her in there.
I've had a count up and I have 62,465 words of my pirate story according to Word. That's a little disappointing since Gdocs says it's more. Another 20K and it will be done. But anyway over 62K is good cause for celebration so time for a snippet:
Once they had rounded the westernmost tip of Hispaniola the real sailing started. East and south was their goal – Griffin still wasn’t telling what it was though Kit had seen knowing glances passed between some of the senior men.
Initially Kit had thought they would strike out boldly across the open centre of the Caribbean but had soon been put right by Wigram.
“Oh no you don’t, bully-boy,” he said. “You keep to the sea lanes. How else we going to find prizes?”
This saddened Kit, and seemed to be causing Griffin some irritation as well. Kit felt he might have over ruled Wigram and his coterie if it hadn’t been for the wholehearted agreement of the crew of the Garnet.
Jago said as much during one of their frequent captain’s meetings. To these Kit was invited with either O’Neill or Valliere, depending who was available, and Campbell, the Garnet’s sailing master. He was a tall, fresh faced Scot with bright red hair that stood up like a dandelion clock, he said, if he let it grow. So he shaved his head and wore a marvellous black perruque that clashed with his orange eyebrows. He had been on an East Indiaman, learning his trade, when Jago Stockley and the Garnet had hove into view and he had, he said, never looked back.
He nodded as Jago said, “How are we going to keep the hands sweet if they’ve nothing to do? When the rum gets short they’ll be plotting. You know they will. This isn’t the navy where you can keep them in line with a flogging or two.” Jago looked at Kit. “That’s how it’s done, isn’t it?”
“No,” Kit said. “Well, yes, in the worst cases – but generally the men serve out of patriotism and loyalty to the ship and her captain.” He scowled until the laughter died down and leaned away as Stockley tried to ruffle his hair.
“Oh Kit,” Griffin said, grinning broadly as he charged all their glasses. “You’re as good as a play. That may work in the Navy but not here. Panem et circenses, that’s the way to go. So, it is agreed then? We skim the edges of the shipping lanes and stop what we find, but at the first sign of the Miranda’s topsails ...”
“We run like buggery,” Jago said. “Broadside to broadside I think the Garnet might have her measure but we’d be pounded to splinters. There’s no profit in that.”
“It was nice to meet you,” Campbell said as Kit escorted him to the waiting boat. “If ever there’s the leisure and you would like a change of scene I would be pleased to welcome you aboard the Garnet. For dinner perhaps?”
“Thank you,” Kit said. “I would be very pleased to come.” They shook hands and Campbell exchanged slightly sheepish grins with Kit as Jago summoned him with a ringing, “Move your arse, you lubberly Scotchman.”
“Toujours la politesse,” Campbell sighed. “Farewell, Penrose. Keep your chin up and your sneck snicked.”
Am pouting a bit at Mary Renault. She used ALL the easy Greek names - the nice two syllable ones that a modern reader can pronounce without too much difficulty. I was writing a short story but did some checking and am having to change names. For the moment they can stay as they are but if I have to swap them for something like Panagiotakis and Thoukidides I'll have to find a way of shortening them.
Still, there's chocolate and Being Human! And I have my cat back!
I've had a count up and I have 62,465 words of my pirate story according to Word. That's a little disappointing since Gdocs says it's more. Another 20K and it will be done. But anyway over 62K is good cause for celebration so time for a snippet:
Once they had rounded the westernmost tip of Hispaniola the real sailing started. East and south was their goal – Griffin still wasn’t telling what it was though Kit had seen knowing glances passed between some of the senior men.
Initially Kit had thought they would strike out boldly across the open centre of the Caribbean but had soon been put right by Wigram.
“Oh no you don’t, bully-boy,” he said. “You keep to the sea lanes. How else we going to find prizes?”
This saddened Kit, and seemed to be causing Griffin some irritation as well. Kit felt he might have over ruled Wigram and his coterie if it hadn’t been for the wholehearted agreement of the crew of the Garnet.
Jago said as much during one of their frequent captain’s meetings. To these Kit was invited with either O’Neill or Valliere, depending who was available, and Campbell, the Garnet’s sailing master. He was a tall, fresh faced Scot with bright red hair that stood up like a dandelion clock, he said, if he let it grow. So he shaved his head and wore a marvellous black perruque that clashed with his orange eyebrows. He had been on an East Indiaman, learning his trade, when Jago Stockley and the Garnet had hove into view and he had, he said, never looked back.
He nodded as Jago said, “How are we going to keep the hands sweet if they’ve nothing to do? When the rum gets short they’ll be plotting. You know they will. This isn’t the navy where you can keep them in line with a flogging or two.” Jago looked at Kit. “That’s how it’s done, isn’t it?”
“No,” Kit said. “Well, yes, in the worst cases – but generally the men serve out of patriotism and loyalty to the ship and her captain.” He scowled until the laughter died down and leaned away as Stockley tried to ruffle his hair.
“Oh Kit,” Griffin said, grinning broadly as he charged all their glasses. “You’re as good as a play. That may work in the Navy but not here. Panem et circenses, that’s the way to go. So, it is agreed then? We skim the edges of the shipping lanes and stop what we find, but at the first sign of the Miranda’s topsails ...”
“We run like buggery,” Jago said. “Broadside to broadside I think the Garnet might have her measure but we’d be pounded to splinters. There’s no profit in that.”
“It was nice to meet you,” Campbell said as Kit escorted him to the waiting boat. “If ever there’s the leisure and you would like a change of scene I would be pleased to welcome you aboard the Garnet. For dinner perhaps?”
“Thank you,” Kit said. “I would be very pleased to come.” They shook hands and Campbell exchanged slightly sheepish grins with Kit as Jago summoned him with a ringing, “Move your arse, you lubberly Scotchman.”
“Toujours la politesse,” Campbell sighed. “Farewell, Penrose. Keep your chin up and your sneck snicked.”
Am pouting a bit at Mary Renault. She used ALL the easy Greek names - the nice two syllable ones that a modern reader can pronounce without too much difficulty. I was writing a short story but did some checking and am having to change names. For the moment they can stay as they are but if I have to swap them for something like Panagiotakis and Thoukidides I'll have to find a way of shortening them.
Still, there's chocolate and Being Human! And I have my cat back!
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(no subject)
Date: 2011-01-23 09:19 pm (UTC)Silly critters, cats. But we love them anyway...
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Date: 2011-01-23 10:10 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-01-23 10:44 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-01-23 09:47 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2011-01-24 08:03 am (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2011-01-24 09:13 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-02-01 08:04 am (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2011-01-24 09:06 pm (UTC)I'm probably missing something because the amount I know about Greece (both ancient & modern) could probably be fitted on the back of a postage stamp (and I don't mean one of those large ones with pretty pictures on, just the standard little one with the Queen's head & Welsh dragon)!
(no subject)
Date: 2011-01-25 12:00 am (UTC)I just feel like writing something quick and sunlit, with the smell of thyme and the sound of cicadas to cheer up this chilly dreary January.
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Date: 2011-02-01 01:36 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-02-01 08:09 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-02-01 08:47 am (UTC)