“What have you done to the Loopy Letters website?” Screamed Charmaine via a text message.
I sighed, and tossed my iPhone into a nearby plant pot.
“Too much faff”, I muttered to myself.
It was okay for Charmaine and her modern ways, she was, at this very moment, sunning herself in the South of France and languishing in luxury on the proceeds of her inky misdeeds. I knew this because she had plastered the evidence all over her Instagram account. I, on the other hand, was staring through a grubby window at the relentless Devon murk and was questioning my commitment to the Loopy Letter project.
Question 1
How many letters have I actually written since November?
a) 20
b) None
c) 100
d) 1000
e) French
Question 2
Why have I written so much?
a) Calligraphy is my lifeblood; I live to sling ink, it is all that I know, without calligraphy I would be a withered husk of a person. Calligraphy is the only thing keeping me alive; every morning I skip to my studio as though I am skipping through a dewy meadow strewn with daisies and buttercups with nothing else on my mind other than letter formation and the universal line of beauty; life would be meaningless without letters…blah, blah, blah, etc, etc….
b) I had nothing else to do.
Question 3
More pertinently, why have I written so little??????
a) Sigh. Do I really have to answer this?
b) It was Winter.
c) Christmas happened.
d) My boiler broke down.
e) It was very cold and my hand fell off.
Question 4
Do I still intend to complete the Loopy Letter Project?
a) Yes!!! Yay!!! Can’t wait to get on with it!!! My nibs are poised and ready to blast off!!! Go me!! #girlboss.
b) Yeah, go on then.
c) Yes. I have closed down the Loopy Letters website and moved it to Wonky Words so that I am more accountable regarding moving the project along.
After questioning my commitment to the Loopy Letters project I decided that I would write a blog post to let those who were waiting expectantly by their letter boxes know exactly what was going on. It was only fair. I also decided to post some pictures of one of my failures… just so they’d know I’d been trying….
Well, that doesn’t look so bad….
Ah…. didn’t see that coming…
Right, I’m off now to skip through the daisies….
Wonky Words 
Daisies … buttercups? Skipping?? Oh my giddy aunt, I can just see you cavorting through the flower meadows in your Dr. Martens beetlecrushers, with Sidney gambolling merrily in your wake. Thank you for that image, cousin, I shall treasure it. Anyway, congrats on the blog consolidation, an eminently sensible plan. And I’ve never doubted that you’re beavering away over a hot inkstand on all those Loopy Letters like a good ‘un. Wish I could do failures half as good as yours. 🙂
B.
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Yes, Cousin Batarde, after the childishness of the previous post I thought I’d make a show of being sensible. I feel relieved that I’ve fudged the two blogs together. It makes sense.
I’m glad you appreciated the meadow stomping… and I promise that no beetles were harmed in this joyous imagery… although I once did something appalling to a cricket… I still feel pained about it.
Sx
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I hope your project works out. And I hope you have enjoyable weather and good ventures for the rest of the month!
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Mr Swings, bless you Sweetie, and thank you! I’m sure it will work out, I usually start things in a shaky haphazard way, and things generally do come good.
Sx
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Fascinating vs. fascinatinating – I suggest just telling anyone daring to ask that you were singing those words as you drew their letters.
Your post stirred up an opening sentence to a story I’ll never write: Ink slinger girl shivered as she stared at her hand skidding across the frozen pond.
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Bill – that story needs to be written, it sounds like the opening line to a gothic horror!
As for fascinatinating…. it’s easily done…. especially when you’re not concentrating properly!
Sx
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I think combining the two blogs was seriously a grand and masterful move, sugar! Certainly worthy of taking some time off to regroup and/or rest. I am content to wait for my letter and continue my own daily slog on my own blog! ;~) xoxo
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The slog is worth it, Savvy! I’ve come to realise that I need a bit of discipline in my life to oil the wheels…. no pain, no gain, as they say! Otherwise I’d just be sitting on the sofa, dribbling!
Sx
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I answer “C” to all the questions as I was taught to always answer “C” on multiple-choice tests if one does not know the answer. Of course, this little scheme breaks down with Question 2. May I suggest adding choice “c) 42: The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything.” to Question 2?
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Wait! We were supposed to ANSWER the questions?
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Do not worry, Savvy, the questions are for my benefit… or detriment!
Sx
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Mr Lax – Of course, you are spot on! I will amend the post tomorrow! Or at least include a C answer for question 2.
Sx
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Oh! Like Savvy, I thought the question list was just a ploy to curry favour with the readership.Now I have to think about answers?
Nope 5am is far too early for that.
And anyway, I’ve now got “Fascinatin’ Rhythm” playing in my head and I can’t sit still…
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Dinah – Curry favour! Moi????? Well, I do like a spicy post 🙂
Sx
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P.S Well spotted! Btw.
Sx
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“Fascinatinating” – for when a plain old “fascinating” just isn’t enough. I’m sure Mr Spock must have said it at least once?!?
Q1: E, but I’m not very good at French, so I can’t count them properly. Maybe A?
Q2: A, definitely. (Psst! You’re drying out a bit. Shall I get the watering can?)
QE2
Q4: C with a little bit of A. Because transparency and accountability are key. Do I need to know the Calligraphy Ombudsman’s contact details?
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I think we can sidestep the calligraphy ombudsman, Mr Devine! No need to make more unnecessary paperwork… think of the forms. I will just say you are correct! And sooner, later, or nearer Christmas time, you might get a letter.r
Sx
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I’m all for abandoning things when I get fed up with them … obviously that’s a Bad Thing and I’m a Flibberty Gibbet who’s no better than she ought to be … xxxooo
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Yes, Lulu, I’m like that too, usually, but I’m curious to see what will happen if I buck the trend! I will persevere…. and hopefully at the end of it I’ll be quite good at calligraphy 🙂
Sx
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You have got a real talent my dear, a real talent. It’s beautiful!!!!
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Thank you, kindly, Mistress B! I still need a lot more practice…. and I need to keep a grip of my concentration, but thank you!
Sx
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The hand that wrote this letter
Sweeps the pillow clean.
So rest your head and read a treasured dream.
I care for no one else but you.
I tear my soul to cease the pain.
I think maybe you feel the same,
What can we do?
I’m not quite sure what we’re supposed to do.
So I’ve been writing just for you.
– David Bowie: Letter to Hermione
Jx
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Jon – Awwww… amazing what a broken heart can achieve. Angst for inspiration. I will just have to make do with grim determination!
Sx
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Fascina Tina Ting – I went to school with her !
I heard that murk watching is the new thing for the in-crowd. Do you have some murk left ?
I hope not – so that you can breeze over buttercupped daisy meadows undisturbed … aww !
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Good ‘ol Tina Ting! I hope you kept in touch, Mr Mags?
We have moody cloud cover today… and it is chilly. The in-crowd are welcome to the murk.
Sx
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Devon Murk is my new drag name. Thanks.
Isn’t there a kind-of beauty in the flaws? I would send them out anyway. I would gladly accept a note that wasn’t perfect. Perfect is dull and predictable. Who needs it?
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Monsieur Pain – You are asking for trouble, and a heap of mail!!
Agreed. Flawed is much more interesting.
Sx
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fascinatinating!
merging blogs is a good thing to do, just ask all those business people about mergers. I bet the orange man would give you a tutorial if you gave him a….
um…..
never mind
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Kylie – Nooooooooo!!!!! This is an orange free zone!!! Other than my hover colour, which was all my own work! I always think Trump’s eyes look very strange, as though he’s had skin grafts.
Sx
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Oooh this is awesome, love it xxx
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Ha, Ha!! Thank you, Ms Tales!!
Sx
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You are most welcome ha ha xxx
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Your blog merger sounds very practical, keeping on top of one blog is difficult enough, and Loopy Letters can easily be seen as a subdivision of Wonky Words. Perhaps you could have a Loopy Letters designated day which, when you show us your fascinating mistakes, can be roguishly retitled Scintillating Syllables.
Hope the murk has lifted in Devon; we’ve had sunshine for about three days so everyone’s wandering about looking terribly confused. X
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Steady, Eryl, or I’ll have to give you my alliteration crown!! Or, worse still, I’ll open yet another blog just so I can call it Scintillating Syllables.
It’s been sunny here, too!! I am also confused and not sure which jacket to wear, as it can still be nippy in the breeze.
Sx
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Will Charmaine and Harold be live-blogging the wedding?
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Oh… so that’s where they’ve gone! I did wonder. Nobody tells me anything.
Sx
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I’m never quite sure how I get here – but as long as I do that’s OK. I think your calligraphy is beautiful and envy your gift. I think at this time of year one gets a resurge of energy and so hopefully blogs will survive. They deserve to. I’ve spent all morning trying to convince google that I don’t need some godforsaken password to access my posts for Heaven’s sake. Got there in the end and now I’ve forgotten why I wanted it in the first place.
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I’m pleased you found me, Pat!! We are in the midst of a privacy revolution… hence we now need passwords to access passwords; codes being sent to our phones; and all sorts of permissions before we can do anything. Gone are the easy, carefree days of blogging!
I felt energetic last week, but I’m feeling tired today. Too much sun and wedding cake 🙂
Sx
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Apologies for my late arrival. The boiler broke down and my hand fell off. And also my left leg. Good to know the Loopy Letters Project is still up and running. Well, up at any rate. There’s nothing like a good loopy letter to raise one’s jaded spirits on a dismal British morning. Well, apart from a loopy measure of alcohol obviously. Carry on the good work!
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Nick – You are very late!!! Appalling.
Dismal? What is this ‘dismal’ of which you speak???? We are having summer right now… glorious sunshine, lots of haymaking going on. We are saving ‘dismal’ for the next three months. Between thee and me, I am waiting for a letter to be received, and then I shall write a post…. I just hope the letter gets to its recipient!
Sx
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That cad George Clooney was at the wedding with another woman in yellow. It was in The Daily Mail, so it must be true.
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I let him out for the day, Mr Lax…. and yellow isn’t my colour 🙂
Sx
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So Tipp-ex wasn’t an option? 😀
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