The Prize Squid!

Well, it has been a while. How are you both?
A number of things have happened to me while I've been away - I've been to see my grandmother in Dorset and taken some photos of her garden, which I may or may not post on this blog. I also got hooked on yet another new thing in addition to Homestuck and Tumblr - it was slightly alarming, even to me, to find myself watching something called 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic' and even more alarming to find that it's not only better than it sounds but I actually identify with someone whose given name is Twilight Sparkle. Either standards in children's animation are going up or I need my head read. Possibly both.
The third thing that happened - well, this happened LONG before the last post, but I just didn't tell you because I wanted to make a special post.

I completed the giant squid. The one that was mentioned way back in my first ever post on this blog. And wow, this thing is huge. It has taken a bit over four bags of stuffing and is about five feet long - I haven't measured it - and this picture here was taken with it hanging from the knocker of my front door, so you get an idea of scale.

Now, I was going to give it to my neice right away - it was about five months late, after all - but then my mother reminded me that the following weekend brought a local extravaganza called the Todmorden Agricultural Show. Now, this mostly focuses around horses, sheep, chickens, that sort of thing, but it does have a handicrafts tent. A competetive handicrafts tent.
I was reluctant to enter at first - I'd seen this thing before and it was all very traditional, but after a bit of thought I picked up an entry form and went in. Actually bringing the squid in was amusing - I had it slung over my shoulder and the man walking in front of me kept looking back, I could see him thinking 'I'm being followed by a woman in a horned hat carrying a squid...' but then, that's pretty normal in this town. We do have a community art college, after all.

I didn't really think it'd do very well, but I went back that afternoon, after the judging was over, and what do I see around the 'Open Class' table but a small crowd of people and, once I'd got through them, pinned to one of the tentacles...

Giant squid officially rule. The plan for next year is a steampunk ghost-catcher, among other things. Watch this space, I want more of these certificates.