IT'S OVER AT LAST !!!!!!!

OK, I've read 'the Deathly Hallows'.

I said I wouldn't buy the last Harry Potter, but my Mum got it for me.

So, my thoughts;

Boy does the woman waffle! You've got to keep reading just to get to any action. How much description and meandering conversations and exposition can you have without giving anything away? It could have been edited down to at least half the page count and still been a decent story.

At least they stayed away from Hogwarts for most of the book. I was afraid it was going to be OotP again, which started promisingly, but then ended up being much of the same old, same old again. We were spared the lessons, the quiddich, the outsmarting of Snape at least.

I didn't think she'd be brave enough to kill of any of the three main characters. I did feel regret over Hedwig, but most of the other deaths were secondary characters at best. I felt sorry for Lupin and Tonks, but after giving Remus a really good introduction in PoA, she didn't do anything more with the character.

I think part of the problem with the stories are that they never break away from Harry. I know it's his book, but he spent so much of it isolated from everyone else and everything else. Having scenes showing what Vordlemort was doing would have brought home the gravity of the situation better. Again this is what OotP failed at. During the whole book, it felt like the Order wasn't doing anything, and they might not have been there. I would like to see that side of the conflict written about, as there was so much more going on that we just didn't see. (Imagine B5 being written just from the point of view of one character. Boring and frustrating.)

I have one big question, which I haven't looked to see if there is an answer on the net, because I only finished the book this morning. How did Neville get the sword of Godric Gryffindor?

More Potter Madness

Just over a month to go to book 7.

You don't even have to say which book 7, there only seems to be the one (No, I am not going to start chanelling 'Highlander').

I wrote before about the utter madness of what is just an OK set of books. Yes, I will read it, but I won't buy it. Last time I had a very nice Brownie lend me her copy to read before she did. This time, I'm not sure when I'm going to get my hands on one.

I repeat - I am not going to buy one. But how to stop people telling me spoilers?

I'll make a badge I thought to myself. Then I went ahead and made a design to put up on Cafepress. This should stop the blabbers in their tracks. They can be purchased at http://www.cafepress.com/harry7

Of course, not wanting to leave anyone out, I adapted the design for those who are even more tired of Harry Potter than I am. Might create a bit of a commotion, and can be found at http://www.cafepress.com/antiharry7

The problem after the 21st July is that the publishers won't have a book 8 to make loads of money on. You can bet lots of different variations on the theme are going to appear (more than there are already) as they try to replicate the success. I'd tell them not to try, but look for something different. If you try to clone HP, you are just going to fail.

Just publish me instead.

The few, the proud, the Scout and Guide leaders

I run a Brownie pack.... I also have a full time job and a life.

Actually I run one pack and help at another. I love Brownies. I did as a Brownie myself, which is why I've become a Brown Owl; I want to do all the fun things again.

Brownies, Guides and Scouts are excellent social groups, and when led by the right people, help children to grow into well rounded adults equipped with skills for life. I hope that my Brownies learn to listen and respect other people, to make their own informed opinions, to work together, to be creative, and to cook. (I try to do cooking once a term)

I find it just a little sad that the number of units has declined. In my district alone, the number of Guide units has dropped from six when I was a Guide, to three. The biggest problem with this is that we have eight Brownie packs feeding into these three units. You do the maths.

So why the decline?

It's not the lack of girls, but the lack of leaders. So many units are working with only one Guider, and these Guiders might well run more than one unit. They are helped by unit helpers, Young Leaders, Pack Leaders or parents, but an additional uniformed Guider is a godsend. I myself have been the only uniformed Guider for seven years and luckily I have only missed one meeting through illness. I now have the possibility of another Guider. I don't quite know what to do with her as I am so used to doing everything myself, but I'm sure I will manage.

Gone are the days when mothers were the staple of Guiding. Now so many mums work and juggling that and other demands on their time means that the volunteering falls by the wayside. It is a shame as I'm sure they appreciate how good Guiding is for their daughters.

Granted, I don't have a family, but I do work. This is something that I wonder if the Brownie mums all realise. More than once, a parent has phoned during the day, and when being informed that I was at work replied with "Oh she works does she?"

Well yes. Guiding is not quite a full time occupation, and we do not get paid for the hours we put in. We do it because we love it. Even the frustrating bits.

Partly as a vent for this, I have created designs at CafePress, which can be purchased on T-shirts, mugs, bags etc. There are designs for most branches of UK and US Scouts and Guides, and they all say pretty much what I feel.

I run a (insert your group here)

I also have

a full time job,

a family

and a life,

Beat that!

You can visit my shop here. Or click on the banner at the left of the page.

Harry Potter and Librarian Madness

I will be so glad when this July comes around and the last of the 'Harry Potter' books are published.

As can be read here, http://news.uk.msn.com/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=4631719
American libraries are under a 'no peek' rule with the new books.

Oh pleeeeeeeease!

I can't believe how much J K Rowling has been hyped. Yes the books are good and readable, and I have read every one of them. I shall read the latest, but I shall probably borrow a copy. I just don't think they are the greatest stories to be set down in print.

The first book was good and original, the second not too bad, and the third OK. I think the rot started to set in with the fourth. The page count jumped enormously, but the storyline didn't evolve along with that. Part of the problem is that Rowling seems to be able to write only one story and after six books it is getting a bit stale.

The end of the fourth book (Goblet of Fire) promised good things to come with the revival of Voldemort, and the beginning of the fifth (Order of the Pheonix) had my hopes rising. Harry looked to be expelled from Hogwarts, join the Order and fight Voldemort with Cirrus Black and Lupin. I really would have liked to read that story.

But no.

It's back to Hogwarts, Quiddich, a new DADA teacher, and everything else that was written about in every other book. And Lord Voldemort actually does very little. Even the end of the sixth book (Half Blood Prince), Harry says he is not going to return to Hogwarts. I don't believe that because that would mean writing a different story.

Really, the story with Voldemort would work better if condensed into three books instead of trying to stretch it out to seven. As the most dangerous character in the magical world he actually hasn't done anything since being brought back from the dead at the end of book four. I think Rowling should have not mentioned Voldemort so prominently in the first two or three books. Then she should have dropped most of the Hogwarts elements and concentrated on 'He who shall not be named'. Trying to have the two different story strands side-by-side just hasn't worked over the long term.

I don't know when the world went Harry Potter mad, but it needs to wake up. Maybe after this summer it will.

Fun Food

I have discovered a new fun food.

Fun foods, are those meals which you create from whatever is available in the fridge and store cupboards, so they are always a little different. It is also a good way to use up any small items of food that will only be chucked out otherwise.

My original fun food was pizza and many a killer one I made with my brother. We made up a base, spooned on some tomato puree, then anything else we found. Usually this consisted of onion, bacon, pepper, herbs, mushrooms, tomatoes, any pepperoni and loads of grated cheese. The result usually burnt the top of your mouth off.

Later, when I decided pizza was perhaps a little unhealthy, I switched to stir-frys. This uses some of the same ingredients as pizza as most vegetables can be chopped up small and fried. You can just eat it as vegetables, but we usually have some meat ready prepared for stir-fry in the freezer. It doesn't take long to heat up the wok, stir the ingredients for a while, then add the sauce. We often have two or three jars in the fridge, or you can have fun making your own. In the past, I have used various combinations of soy sauce, sherry, lemon juice, honey, peanut butter, with some chinese spices thrown in if I want more taste.

Last night though, I had some gravy in the fridge to use up. I have never made risotto, but have seen it on TV. Searching through the cupboards, I discovered some risotto rice that had been bought at some time in the past, and a rummage in the fridge brought up some spring onions, mushrooms and pepper. I defrosted some chicken and peas and diluted the gravy to make it more like stock.

All the recipes I had looked at said to fry the onion first, then add the rice. After that everything else went in and when the chicken looked cooked, I added the gravy. After twenty minutes, as the rice packet had said, the liquid had been absorbed. It was a substantial meal, but maybe a little lacking in taste. Next time I may add some herbs or spices to jazz it up a bit.

Well, I have started a blog.

I don't know how frequent I will be in posting, but I did keep a diary for quite a bit of my university years, and continued it during various holidays. Generally, my life is just so full of other fun things to do, that I don't have time to write them.

So, what will I write about here?

I run a Brownie pack, so I might share some of the activities that work with my girls. I have a good pack; I treat them not as children, but as individuals, and the respond well. I like to think I am helping them to develop into responsible people, without losing the fun.

I also act in amateur dramatics. I'm in a production of 'The Sorcerer', which is being staged in May. We have just had auditions, but I don't know if I have got a part yet. I am trying for Aline and Constance.

My other singing is in the church choir. I sometimes sing in cathedrals as well, so may talk about that. Don't know how many people will understand my lists of responses, canticles, anthems, psalms etc.

Then at the opposite end of the spectrum is my interest in science fiction. I am a massive fan of 'Babylon 5' and have written fan fiction stories based on the show. They can be found here. http://www.fanfiction.net/~hilaryweston

I watch most Sci-fi shows, although 'Andromeda' lost me during the first season. I have met five of the Doctors and knit Doctor Who scarves (these are to raise money for our church organ). I also knit Firefly Jayne hats (again for the organ). I said my tastes were eclectic.

I have a convention coming up this month, so when it is over, I shall probably write up a report, possibly with photos if I can get the add image button to work.

I may write about my ongoing attempt to become a published author. I have a book written and approached a number of publishers, but only got an offer from one who wanted me! to pay them £3000 for the privilege of publishing it. Suffice to say, I told them to get stuffed (with two Fs), and am now planning to find an agent. I've got lists of names, but haven't got round to contacting any yet. That is on my long 'to do' list.

I do have a book for sale.

Over the years, I have written a number of nativity scripts for my church, and decided to put them together. I heard about Cafepress, an internet based print on demand service, that will let you publish books with no up front fees. This last year, I got the scripts together, got them all set out the same, and wrote introductions. I got a friend to design me a front cover, and then I uploaded it all to Cafepress. The result can be purchased from the website. http://www.cafepress.com/suitcasepress

That's probably it for now. Roll on next week, and see what it brings.