A Winter Scene

1 A Winter Scene sm

Frigid winter days are usually best spent cuddled up inside with a crackling fire, a snuggly blanket and good book. But once you look outside and see the sun sparkling off of the frozen pond, snow just begging to be turned into a snowman or snowballs and the promise of hot cocoa when your fingertips have turned blue inside your mittens, the comforts of home become a place to return to after a bit of fun in the crisp winter air.

Wayward Winter is open from January 18th through the 31st. There you can find just about everything you need to create your own winter scene.

Pretty stuff I’m showing off:

From Wayward Winter January 18-31, 2016:
*Cabin: {what next} Snowy Alpine Cabin by Winter Thorn
*Hot Cocoa Stand: Soy. Hot Cocoa Stand by Soyoy
*Hot Cocoa Sign: Soy. Cocoa stand Signboard by Soyoy
*Sled Bench: Sway’s [Sled] Bench by Sway Dench
*Snowball Pile: ! Lost Junction! [LJ] Snowball Pile A by Tala Laval
*Hearts: Tool Shed – Scattered Hearts – 2 – Light by Fallacy DeCuir

Other items:
Skating pond: {what next} Winter Iced Over Pond (Mesh) by FrankLee Anatra
Bench: {what next} Bramley Bench (Pine Winter) by Winter Thorn
Chariot: !six o’clock! cuddle chariot – White by Pepite Roxan
Snowman: DRD snowman – gift for arcade by Jaimy Hancroft
Crane: +Half-Deer+ Crane the Lightbringer – Silver by Halogen Magic
Ermine: +Half-Deer+ Winter Whimsy – Snowy Ermine by Halogen Magic
Snow piles: +Half-Deer+ Snow Tracks – Patch (Heavy) by Halogen Magic
Fox: The Secret Store – Winter Foxes – Playful / White by Maylee Oh (gacha prize)
Doves: {anc} NO LIMITS // flock of flying doves. [ham-pink] and NO LIMITS // flock of doves [choco-brown] by aki69 (gacha prizes)
Skis: [ zerkalo ] Vintage Entryway – Antique Skis by danielestro (gacha prize at Kustom9 January, 2016)
Ski poles: [ zerkalo ] Vintage Entryway – Ski Poles by danielestro (gacha prize at Kustom9 January, 2016)
Box of candles: [ zerkalo ] Vintage Entryway – Crate with Candles by danielestro (gacha prize at Kustom9 January, 2016)
Large tree: Hayabusa Design Willow Tree M15-1 v2-1 T10G by Mitsuko Kytori (subscriber gift)
Trees: Studio Skye Enchanted Woods v2 by Alex Bader
Grass: HPMD* Winter Grass 2013 – b by Sasaya Kayo

A Certain Kind of Alone

1 Waiting at Home

Yesterday was a very busy day for me at work. I was on the go from the moment I arrived until the moment I escaped the office doors at five. It was one of those days where I had seventeen things on the go at once, and still had another dozen to complete. There was a constant murmur of voices, the phone was ringing, my inbox was humming and every time I looked up, someone was standing at my desk, needing something else from me. A typical Monday in my working world.

At lunch, while most people had fled for a well-deserved break, I made a sandwich and sat in my cubicle, trying to catch up in the relative quiet. I was succeeding, until a distant memory pricked the back of my mind and before I knew it, I was staring into space, remembering another time. A time when I was young, barely more than a child growing up on my parent’s farm. I was taken back to a place I loved to go to be alone. Under a tree in a field far from the house where I would sit and read or daydream, where a brood of newly-hatched quails discovered me as I discovered them. To a moment of a certain kind of alone that I now cherish.

I have never wanted to be in a time and place so much as I wanted to be back there, protected by my father, loved by my mother, with my whole life ahead of me, marveling at the newness that was as much an everyday thing then as spreadsheets and deadlines are to me now. To be that child, discovering that quail’s eyelids blink up instead of down. Feeling the warm summer breeze on my face and listening to the cries of the doves, settling in for an afternoon nap as the baby quails discovered as much of me as I did of them. I was content with a small smile settled on my lips.

All too soon, my colleagues returned, another assignment landed on my desk and the reverie was broken. The breeze became the air conditioning, the cries of doves transformed into the quiet bell of my email notification, but the images I relived remained in my thoughts as a reminder of that certain kind of alone.

Pretty stuff I’m showing off:

Top: Blueberry – Laced Crop Shirt / Clean / – Maitreya – Pixie by Blueberryxx
Jeans: Vinyl – Oakley Jeans – Light Blue- Lara by Sukoshitosuto
Hair: “”D!va”” Hair “Kelly” (Red amber) by Marisa Kira
Tattoo: [White~Widow] Midnight in Paris – Maitreya Mesh Body by Julie Hastings
Skin: -Glam Affair – Summerv3 – America 02 E by aida Ewing
Body, hands and feet: Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V1.0 by Onyx LeShelle
Eyes: IKON Promise Eyes – Maldives by Ikon Innovia
Lashes: Mon Cheri *MC* “Falsies” Eyelash by Freya Oliveri

Swing: Soy. Dreamy Hanging Chair by Soyoy (available at Collabor88 August 2015)
Stone wall: Mesh Plants – Full Perm Ruins Wall Piece_3 by Reid Parkin
Plants: Studio Skye Alligator Apple Bush (small leaf) by Alex Bader
Trees: HPMD* Garden Tree05 – white 2A+2B by Sasaya Kayo (recoloured)
Building: junk. the poor gentleman’s club shed. white. by Tab Tatham
Table: junk. recycled road sign table. trespass. by Tab Tatham
Chair: junk. recycled road sign chair. dumping. by Tab Tatham

Pose by the swing

Photo taken using the LumiPro HUD by Stefan Buscaylet

No Duck Face Required

1 Selfie

I did a bit of shopping at Kustom9 the other night, then jumped over to Purple Crayons. My intention was to wander around a bit, visit some of the photo galleries/studios there and wait to see if Rwah or Thorn were going to log on. I found myself at Thorn’s gallery (check out his Flickr and blog; they’re amazing!), oohing and ahhing over his photos, sitting on his box, clicking his camera, and generally immersing myself in his place. I then headed out, planning to hang around for a while. As I turned left out of his storefront, I saw a familiar photo on an old, flickering TV.

I plopped down on the conveniently-located bench and waited for the channel to change. When it didn’t, and nobody had shown up, I decided this was the perfect opportunity for a Selfie, without having to use a bathroom mirror.

No duck face required.

Pretty stuff I’m showing off:

Top: Bueno-Mist Tank-Lara by Buenosl (Available at Kustom9 Feb. 15 – Mar. 13)
Jeans: *Fishy Strawberry* Boyfriend Jeans Slim – S – Medium Wash Duo by Fae Eriksen (Available at Kustom9 Feb. 15 – Mar. 13)
Shoes: fri.day – Darcy.Flats (Buck) – Maitreya by Darling Monday (Available at Kustom9 Feb. 15 – Mar. 13)
Necklace: Cae :: Promise :: Necklace by Caelan Hancroft
Earrings: Cae :: Promise :: Earrings by Caelan Hancroft
Ring: Cae :: Promise :: Ring by Caelan Hancroft
Hair: *ARGRACE* YUZU – Ginger by rika Oyen
Skin: Glam Affair – Alice skin – Asia 02 C by aida Ewing (Available at Kustom9 Feb. 15 – Mar. 13)
Body, Hands & Feet: Maitreya Mesh Body – Lara V1.0 by Onyx LeShelle
Eyes: IKON Promise Eyes – Maldives by Ikon Innovia
Lashes: Mon Cheri *MC* “Falsies” Eyelash by Freya Oliveri

Bench: Soy. Old van backseat (Gray leather) by Soyoy
TV: The Golden Oriole [OO] Look! I’m on TV! by Oriolus Oliva

Pose by the Old van backseat

Photo taken using the LumiPro HUD by Stefan Buscaylet