Arandur Mine

10:48am: Happy New Year!!


"Firebirds" in the sky

3:49pm: Season's Greetings

11:49pm: Mome Award nominee
It's been 44 weeks since I last posted.
Life's been busy with work, kids, husband and horses. LJ and fanfic took a place far far away on the backburner of my life.
But a few weeks ago I received an email from foxrafer that one of my stories, Guarded, had been nominated for a Mome Award in the category Classic Aragorn/Boromir.
Tonight the ballots came in and althoug I didn't win, I was deeply touched by the fact that one of my stories had been nominated, in particular because it's one of the stories I liked best.
I also received a beautiful icon which I wanted to share (and show off).



I hope everybody's doing fine and much love and kisses to everyone.
Although I don't post, I haven't forgotten about you all.

Love,
zasjah

9:32pm: New Year's wishes
Best wishes to everyone, and may 2008 be a radiant year for all of you and your loved ones!!!






Love,
zasjah

10:24am: Season's Greetings!
It's been far, far too long, but anyhow:

http://pics.livejournal.com/zasjah/pic/0000axpa/g4

to all of you!!

zasjah

(who's been away so long that she's forgotten how to put images in an entry!!)

12:37am: zasjah has a shiny brand new toy...
... a Canon Eos 350 D that makes lots of pretty pictures and will require hours and tons of photos and fiddling with its options to get to know what it can do.

zasjah has also finally managed to upload pics to her scrapbook. She is a very happy little photographer right now and would like to picspam her flist share the joy. :-)

( pickety pickety spam )

6:31pm: Happy New Year!
I want to wish everyone a very happy New Year, filled with love and friendship and brimming with creativity, good health and prosperity!

10:46am: Prettige Kerstdagen!
I know I haven't been around much, but I haven't forgotten about any of you!
So here's a Holiday Greetings card for you, my dearest flist.

*hugs you all*

( I hope the holiday season brings you much joy, warmth and happiness! )

9:29pm: Happy Birthday my darling Cruisedirector!!!

(again :-) )

*throws festive sparkly glitter all over you and toasts you. Again :-)*

11:29pm: Double drabble: Toast (Lucius/Snape, R)
A few days ago the thought suddenly struck me that it was cruisedirector's birthday one of these days. It's not, it's still a month away, but by the time I realized that inspiration had struck and I finished a very very early birthday drabble which cruisedirector told me to post even if it's not her birthday yet.
So here it is, and a happy birthday in advance, my dearest cruisedirector! :-)


( Toast )

11:23pm: Quiz spammage and birthday wishes
Gacked from ithiliana

You scored as The Librarian. Youâ??re the Librarian! Once a wizard, now an Orang-utan (due to an unfortunate magical accident), you refuse to be turned back for a few reasons: In this form, itâ??s easier to reach the shelves and hold more books; having the strength of five men makes people return their books on time; lifeâ??s great philosophical questions boil down to â??when do I get my next banana?â?¿ You say â??ookâ?¿ but are usually understood well enough. </td> The Librarian 94% Carrot Ironfounderson 88% Gytha (Nanny) Ogg 81% Commander Samuel Vimes 75% Esmerelda (Granny) Weatherwax 63% Rincewind 56% Lord Havelock Vetinari 56% Death 50% Cohen The Barbarian 44% Greebo 44% Which Discworld Character are you like (with pics) created with QuizFarm.com

And to know I used to be one...

And on a completely other note:

A very happy birthday, my dearest Cinzia!

1:19am: Gacked from beckyo:





*ngggggghhhh* :-))

1:35am: Drabble: The Queen of Hearts (House of Cards series) (PG13, B, F, D)
The first time Boromir realized his mother was gone forever was when no gentle voice stayed his father’s hand and his little brother crumpled on the floor, his bow and arrow scattered beside him.

The Steward smiled broadly then and beckoned his eldest son closer, demanding Boromir show his prowess with the sword to the men of the guard assembled in the Great Hall, while Faramir was roughly pulled up to his feet by one of the Steward’s men.

From that day on Boromir was mother to Faramir, and at times his brave attempts to protect his brother even succeeded.

9:53pm: Random news
I have just won me a Fully Poseable Boromir on my first EBay auction ever to match the Action!Aragorn my parents brought home for me from the States.

And a Fully Poseable Legolas to keep my daughter happy.

I am quite pleased. *g*

11:06pm: What I did for my holidays, part 2 (warning: more massive picspam!)
On Day 6 (Thursday) we visited among other places Steyning, a beautiful little town near Washington. It has a very lovely little church with lots of
funny ornaments almost hidden from the visitor's view

On Day 7 (Friday) we went to Chichester to see the cathedral. After we'd changed a flat tyre together for the first time in our lives and didn't saw the tyre rolling by us on the way over there so we must have done something good, we ended up drinking clotted cream tea

in the Bishop's garden

adjoining

the lovely Cathedral

Since this is St. George country, there was

a stained glass window

depicting the audacious hero, and

a rather delicious St. George statue. There are worse ways for a dragon to die than at the hands of such a luscious and saintly warrior *beg*

On Day 8 (Saturday) it was my daughter's 12th birthday, so we went riding together as a birthday present. It was one of the most beautiful rides we'd ever made together: galloping up the hill at full speed that we'd walked the first day towards the Iron Age hill fort, the wind in our hair and the horses's manes and all of us enjoying the exhilarating speed. The people that accompanied us wre absolutely lovely as well, who knew a lot about the surroundings and history of the area and were just plain fun to be around. I was given a terrificly well-behaved grey Connemara, who was a joy to ride, and my daughter rode a very sweet, well-tempered, but absolutely not lazy at all, dun horse.

The stables were extremely well kept: heaped with straw and lots of daylight

and

the horses were extremely well taken care of (and yes, that's me in the orange shirt *g*

For her birthday supper we went to Steyning once more, eating in a 15th century coaching in, called The White Horse and afterwards strolled a bit

through the Steyning streets

that lay basking

in the evening sun.

On Day 9 (Sunday) we packed up our tent, and drove through the South Downs to New Forest, so we could camp for a few days between the ponies that roam across the campsites there. However, about a third of England had decided it was a beautiful time to go and stay in New Forest as well, so we couldn't find one single campsite. It was extremely hot, we'd already been in our car for about six hours, so we decided to drive on to Purbeck Isle, which lies across from Poole at the other side of Poole Harbour, hoping we'd get a campsite there. We didn't even get to photograph a New Forest pony, but only managed to take a picture of

a New Forest Shetlander, who scurried off to his herd after we'd taken the picture.

It's a good thing the campsite in Wareham, in Purbeck Isle, was such a nice and welcoming one, where our kids learned to play cricket and we had impromptu badminton tournaments with our English neigbours...

On Day 10 (Monday) we paid a visit to

Corfe castle,

one of the most romantic castle ruins in England.

Absolutely lovely and well worth a visit.

and they even had their own

Hogwarts' Express!

In the afternoon we went to the beach and spent a lovely and leisurely few hours basking in the sun and swimming in the very clear water.

On Day 11 (Tuesday) we went for a very long walk in the Arne Reserve, a nature reserve adjoining Poole Harbour.

Stunning views from the estuaries

with an almost prehistoric feel to it.

You could see Brownsea Island very clearly,

which is, apparently, one of the last places in England where the grey squirrell is not busy driving the indiginous red squirrel away and therefore a rather important National Trust piece of land...

And the view of Poole Harbour, the second largest natural harbour in the world is stunning

with all the little boats and ships sailing on it.

Arne is famous for its deer and we spotted

a doe and her calf in the undergrowth

and even

a doe taking a stroll across the parking lot...

In the afternoon we went to Wareham, and had our by now usual clotted cream tea in the inn that Lawrence of Arabia used to frequent because he had an affair with its owner for a while, and my daughter even sat on the place near the window where he'd always drink his coffee. We didn't know she had until we left and saw the little plaque above it. :-)

1:14pm: What I did for my holidays, part 1 (warning: massive picspam!)
Long overdue, but here's part one of my holiday photos for those of you who are interested. :-)

On Day One (Saturday) we drove from Groningen to Calais, starting off in the pooring rain but gradually it became dry and the sun even came out. Took the ferry from Calais to Dover, a pleasant 90 minutes that immediately brought us in the holyday mood, especially with the salt water spraying over our faces

because the sea was still a bit rough

and were greeted by the magnificent sight of

The white cliffs of Dover in the afternoon sun

and even

an audacious surfer dude!

We pitched our tent on a campsite near Canterbury and had a terrific meal in the pub round the corner where we also picked up some travelling tips.

On Day Two (Sunday) we went to Rye, a Medieval town about 30 miles from Canterbury, where they happened to have their yearly Renaissance Fair.
No horses and riders, but

humorous plays

and

swordfights

in abundance.

On Day Three (Monday) it rained and we decided to visit Canterbury, an adorable city, even in the rain. We went to see the Canterbury Misadventures, a very funny visual and audio tour through the Tales and, of course, visited

Canterbury Cathedral

On Day Four (Thursday) we paid a visit to Sissinghurst Gardens, the home of Vita Sackville-West and Harold Robinson. The gardens were stunning, although it was a bit late in the season and it had been awfully dry the past few weeks, but there still was

a beautiful pond with fishes

and

the famous White Garden

a lovely statue

and

a butterfly.

The kids got very annoyed with me, because I kept seeing plants that I have in my tiny suburbia garden as well and kept saying: "Got that one too!"

There still was some time left, so we decided to visit Bodiam Castle, about 20 miles away since we'd acquired a National Trust Membership, meaning we could visit a lot of the sights we wanted to see for free. But when I wanted to take a picture of the castle, which is the epitome of romantic 'castleness': thick walls, a huge moat with a drawbridge, I discovered that we'd left our camera at Sissinghurst. So I looked up their number in the NT guide we'd received, gave them a ring and thankfully they'd found it! I'd left it under a table when I was applying for the NT membership...

On Day Five (Wednesday) we went on from Sussex to the South Downs and camped on a campsite near Washington, a tiny hamlet about 20 miles from the coast.
I'd seen there was supposed to be an Iron Age fort on top of the hill nearby, and on the map it only looked about a mile and a half or so, so we decided to climb to the top and see it before we were going to make supper. However, our little pre-supper stroll turned out to be a strenous climb, and we'd hardly brought along any water or food, but the view was worth every sweatdrop.

The South Downs and beyond to the left of us,

the sea to the right of us,

the hilltop with the Iron Age fort in front of us

the magic of the sussuring trees and the setting of the sun,

New Forest cattle resting peacefully,

and

the fort from the other side of the hill

8:40am: FIC: two drabbles
The first two drabbles in what in my mind is suspiciously starting to look like a series of first times for Boromir.
The gorgeous warrior of Gondor insisted for some reason that it be called House of Cards; the lovely cruisedirector wilingly betaed them, so I now hand to you:

The Jack of Spades (PG, pre-LotR, Boromir, Faramir, Denethor)

The first time Boromir felt the weight of a sword he was seven years old.

They’d sneaked into the armor room, awake hours past their bedtime,
gasping at the shining steel that seemed to leap at them in the flickering light
of the torch that Faramir held as high as he could while Boromir reached
for the biggest sword and let it drop immediately.

When the alarmed guards finally located his father as he descended
the White Tower’s staircase, he laughed and said the sword would be
his when he could lift it.

Six months later the sword belonged to Boromir.


and

The King of Hearts(PG-13, Aragorn/Boromir)

The first time Boromir lay with Aragorn, they were weeks away from the
House of Elrond and ice cold autumn rain drenched the thick woolen
cloak that he had spread for them to lie beneath, leaving them as
soaking wet as the fallen leaves of golden Hollin that formed their
makeshift bed.

Afterwards he was shivering with cold from the freezing rain and he
had to close his eyes because the sweat and salt from Aragorn's spent body
had dripped into his eyes and made them water.

At least, that's what Boromir kept telling himself for a very long
time.


~~~~~~

On another note, today is my final day at work. As of tomorrow I will be a self-employed person. It feels ... odd...

And why is lj-cut text not working???

8:25am: Gacked from ladybluelove

Your word is BUGGER. You are generally quite
restrained, but sometimes your anger or
frustration come to the surface and it all
comes out. Yet you somehow can't stop sounding
polite, despite it all.


Which Swear (Curse) Word Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Um. Yeah.
Sounds rather rightish. *ggg*

*images of Hugh Grant, swearing profusely, now pleasurably floating through mind that has not even been woken yet by morning coffee*

11:42pm: I'm back :-)
Quick note to let anyone who's interested know that I'm back from the holidays. I want to live in England and go horse riding all day long. :-)
Still getting organized again and trying to catch up on all the stuff that's happened in RL and LJ the past few weeks.
Will post travel stories and photos (and drabbles)later on this week when my life's on the rails again.

Hope that everyone's okay and had a wonderful summer!

*hugs flist*

11:14pm: Off for the holidays
Well, in less than 7 hours (including a few hours sleep) we're off to Great Britain for three weeks. I'll try and check my gmail address (zasjah @ gmail.com, leave out the spaces) a few times, but I probably won't have time to comment extensively here.

I'm planning on lots of reading and writing, let's hope my muse decides she needs a break as well and joins me on the campsites of New Forest, Dartmoor and Exmoor. :-)

If anyone's got something they'd like to share with me (fics, personal stuff) , would you please leave a comment and a link here? Thanks!

Will see you all again in three weeks!

Love,
zasjah

12:44am: FIC: Above the Dimrill Gate (Going South, Day Twenty) (A/B, PG-13)
Title: Above the Dimrill Gate (Going South, Day Twenty)
Series: After Images
Author: Sasjah Miller (zasjah@arandurmine.slashcity.org)
Website: Arandur Mine (http://arandurmine.slashcity.org)
Pairing: Aragorn/Boromir
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine, Tolkien's
Archive: Please ask, I'll probably say yes
Dedication: Based on X's Going South A/B art and lovingly dedicated. Undying thanks to cruisedirector for excellent beta duty.
Any faults remain my own.
( Because this was more than sneaking off with a fellow warrior. )

11:56pm: grumble
So horribly swamped with work: so busy finishing the last dregs of my current job and doing all the stuff that starting up my company involves plus a deadline in two weeks for a gigantic translation job that I don't even have the time to comment on comments or read HBP.

*grumble*
Two more weeks, and then holiday. Finally.
*grumble*

12:44am: Spam
Gacked from jtriskell

Your IQ Is 110

Your Logical Intelligence is Above Average Your Verbal Intelligence is Exceptional Your Mathematical Intelligence is Above Average Your General Knowledge is Exceptional

Well, not bad for a non-native speaker on an English test. :-)

8:23am: Quizzage
Gacked from fileg

Mo... Molybdenum You scored 41 Mass, 32 Electronegativity, 78 Metal, and 0 Radioactivity!

I like to think of you as the miracle worker in The Princess Bride... you can do anything and you do it for the betterment of society. Just because you can raise the dead and make flying wagons and stuff doesn't mean that you show off about it though. You are capable of forming bizarre webs of relationships in which individuals are accomplices, lovers, coworkers, and so on all at once. I once saw you hanging out at the center of a cycloheptatriene... it was completely freakish and bizarre, and I'm not sure I've known what to think of you since. But hey, to each their own. Oh, and stay away from the carbon monoxide... you suck that stuff up.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 59% on Mass You scored higher than 51% on Electroneg You scored higher than 95% on Metal You scored higher than 0% on Radioactivity

Link: The Which Chemical Element Am I Test written by effataigus on Ok Cupid

12:09am: FIC: Tournament (PG-13) (Boromir, Faramir, Denethor, gen)
Title: Tournament
Author: Sasjah Miller (zasjah@arandurmine.slashcity.org)
Rating: PG-13 (gen)
Characters: Young Boromir, young Faramir, Denethor
Archive: Please ask
Disclaimer: Not mine, Tolkien's.
Feedback: Yes, please.
Note: Movieverse even if it's pre LOTR. Undying thanks to menel for wonderful beta.

( 'You're the best brother a boy could ever have.' )