This Interview at You Ain't No Picasso basically explains why Doveman are such an excellent band. Contra dance and gamelan and setting Wallace Stevens poems to music. Excellence.

Today I went to the Lake District with my class. It rained. I stared out the bus window, mouth agape, in shock at how wildly beautiful it was. If you ever need to understand the picturesque and the sublime, the Lake District is the place - obviously, that's where a lot of the writers on the picturesque and the sublime got their inspiration.
We went to the most beautiful house, too - an Arts and Crafts masterpiece. Also jaw-droppingly nice. It was all carved wood panelling (done largely in rowan leaf and berry motifs - which made it even better, considering my personal attachment to that plant), simple stained glass, and window seats and Inglenook fireplaces, which I am wildly in love with. Always have been. If I could make my own house, it would be small and furnished almost exclusively with built-in furniture - window seats and Inglenooks, dining table with a banquette, beds set into walls, and book shelves book shelves bookshelves.
Also today, the only church designed by one of the great Arts and Crafts architects, full to the brim with Morris & Co. stained glass designed by Edward Burne-Jones. Impressive, to say the least. And so gorgeous. I love Burne-Jones with a wildly colourful, flowery, mannerist passion. Oh, and one of the angels in the main east window looked quite a lot like Evan Simko-Bednarski (Wes people, you'll know of whom I speck). Which was strange. I took a picture, I'll get it uploaded and share it around, see if other people see the resemblance...
The day ended with us all stood on the edge of Lake Windermere, being dripped on by trees and stared at by swans, drinking wine from plastic cups. It was a nice way to end the class, and it was our last real meeting. Which is too bad in some ways, but good in others. I was getting really, really tired of Gothic revival churches (which was a great thing about today - only one Gothic Revival thing, the rest was Arts and Crafts!), and spending so many hours in the bus with a small group of people was really starting to grate on my nerves.
Oh, and I went to Carlisle today, in passing, which was exciting only because it made me think of Bryan Dick. (yay!)

It was a 7am departure again this morning. I'm tired, but not sleepy - maybe because I just had a huge cup of tea. I've been watching Michael Palin tour about Eastern Europe, and a book quiz which made me feel both intellectual and not well-read.

I did well on my exam last term, I've found out - so that's nice! Hopefully I can get down to work on my paper for this term and do well again.

Hm. Time to turn on something instrumental and get under the covers with my book on William Morris and garden design. It all sounds rather pleasant, which is good, because it's work for my paper.

Torchwood macros?
Yes please.

( Cut for my extreme dorkiness, Bryan Dick's evil hotness, Ianto's adorableness, and excessive use of the Impact font. )

In other news, the lake outside my window is frozen. I don't believe the weather website, which claims in is 41 degrees out.

VIKINGS. YESTERDAY. VIKINGS EVERYWHERE.
York is awesome. It has a Viking Festival. With loads of costumed people, and a big street market (bigger than the usual one), and a battle re-enactment.

DAVID TENNANT AS CASANOVA = BEST THING EVER.


Oh, and also? I don't know if I ever mentioned it, but I watched the last episode of Torchwood series 1 while I was sick and... OMG. First half I squeed so much. I squirmed. I freaked out. I cried. Second half I got really confused (they're not NEARLY as good about you know... explaining things as they are on Doctor Who) but it was good anyway. Jaaaaaaaaaaaack!!
( I rant about stuff involving kissing from that episode. )

I MUST see Blackpool. David Tennant + Bryan Dick interacting = Sarah's brain melting.

SPEAKING OF SARAH'S BRAIN MELTING.
I just looked it up on YouTube and IT'S A FUCKING MUSICAL. Or something. DAVID TENNANT (AND BRYAN DICK) DANCING AND SINGING ALONG TO SONGS as part of the plot WHAT THE FUCK. This so merits all those capslock.
I mean, just look at this!



You can see Bryan in the background, he's the smallish one with the sweet leather jacket. DANCING. BRYAN AND DAVID DANCING TO THE SMITHS.

AND THIS. LOOK AT THIS. LOOK AT IT.


Yeah, um. Blackppol might tie with Casanova on the list of best things EVER. I have got to find a way to see this. It appears to only be out on DVD in the UK? (EDIT - I found a way. That's my tomorrow down the drain.)

I want to see Sold, too! Very baddly!! (Preview Here. Bryan Dick is... the cutest thing ever. I've only watched this preview about a million times. I reaaaaally hope this show is still on when I get to the UK.)


This is the most I have fangirled in a long, long time. Sorry, f-list. It just needed to happen.

My roommate's friends must think I am psycho. I am closed in my room screaming in excitement and laughing reaaaaaally hard out of disbelief and happiness.