Treachery in Moving pictures

Mr. Oolon Sputnik has posted a most wonderful Kinescope of the events of the Reconciliation Ball.



Visit his 500 Year Diary for a look yourselves.

*Goes back to putting his dish in the cooler

Squeeeeee!

And in catching up on a little bit of on a bit of webreading I discovered Datamancer has posted sneak peeks of his steampunk laptop project.





Squeeeee!

Treachery!

Last night's Reconciliation Ball was marred in the worst possible way.

All was going well. The Kaiserin of Neualtenburg and her Honour Guard, Rittmeister Edelweiss were guests at Coughton Court to celebrate the end of the hostilities between Caledon and Neualtenburg that had been simmering for some time.

But in a despicable turn of events, the jumped up little jackanape Hotspur O'Toole and his crazed Secret Police crashed the party - right in the middle of my dance with the Kaiserin thank you very much!


The vile traitor sneers at the crowd. Photo by Vulpine Eldritch

Reading out a list of trumped up charges including tax evasion (!) they attempted to arrest the Kaiserin in the name of "The Great and Glorious Leader Shang."

And while trying to protect the Kaiserin, that little blonde tart Pennyfeather got me in the back with something. I'm certain the blade was coated as I went down far too quickly.

Poisoned!


Recuperation

Thanks to the generosity of Her Grace of Loch Avie I am recuperating in her Distillery. And I have constant attendants. Miss McAllister, Miss Rothschild and Miss Figaro have all assisted in providing medical comfort.


And thanks to this cavorite powered wireless drone, I am able to still interact with people during my convalescence.

I do sadly fear that the much feared war my truly be on us all too soon.

Goggles!!!

248 prims baby!

Walk like an Egyptian

Steelhead City held is Friday dance with an Egyptian theme this week. Cue the Bangles.


Got this Egyptian thing under wraps


My lovely Miss McAllister


Addison and Finn as a couple of Pyramid Scheme sellers


The dark ruler of the Underworld is in the House


Miss JeZ making an asp of herself.


Miss Katt and her disturbingly familiar outfit


Miss Lumina and Mr. Teika


Miss Qli, now somewhat changed after her father's transformation and her "rebirth".


Miss Scully


Miss Tensai, who spent the majority of the night peenching people.

Sadly my time was cut short having to organise things for this evening's Reconciliation Ball. I can't wait :-)

King Ludwig's Flying Car

Last year English newpaper The Observer published an article on Ludwig II's designs for an airship.


It's been a long wait, but finally King Ludwig II of Bavaria can rest easy in his grave: 120 years after his death, German scientists have shown him to be one of the unsung pioneers of flight. Ludwig, whose fantastical castle at Neuschwanstein aptly featured in the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, drew up plans for a flying car more than two decades before the Wright brothers took to the air, but when he tried to build it he was declared insane and stripped of his crown. But now German aeronautical experts who have studied Ludwig's designs say they would have worked. Sketches recovered from letters between the ruler and Austrian engineer Gustav Koch show the monarch had planned to create a fleet of flying machines that would take him across his beloved Alpine lakes to his many castles, including the fairytale Neuschwanstein. The craft he designed looked like flying cable cars powered by steam engines. They were decorated like peacocks. But his dreams of flying over the mountains of Bavaria only convinced his opponents that he was mad, and he was declared insane on 10 June, 1886, and deposed.

He died shortly afterwards and his drawings were consigned to an archive. Now aeronautical experts have dug them out and re-created them on computer. Dalibor Karacic is working on the project to re-draw the machines. He said: 'King Ludwig was unbelievably progressive. He understood technology. The flying peacock cars may have looked funny, but technologically they were sound and certainly would have worked. He couldn't have been mad, otherwise his ideas would never have worked. He was simply ahead of his time.'


Thanks to help from Steampunks at Yahoo we now have some pictures to go with the story via this Norwegian article.

ANZAC Day

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

Masked stranger in Caledon?

I bumped into a masked stranger as he made his way through Victoria City this evening.



He said he was looking for someone but wouldn't tell me who, which I thought was very strange.

Sadly he couldn't stay and chat and dashed off, his cloak billowing behind him. Certainly a falir for the theatric if nothing else.

Tikis, Rez Days and people

Friday night saw Steelhead move even further West: all the way out to the islands! The theme for the Friday dance was Tiki night.

Cue the bad jokes about getting lai'd and Brady flashbacks:


An Easter Island statue crashes the party.


Group shot


Miss McAllister and myself


Miss Addison & Finn


Lady Elytis and her Booty


Miss Emilly, winner of the lady's attire prize for the night


Mr. Allen, winner of the men's attire prize for the night


Hawaiian Fuzz!


Gabi


And what Hawaiian themed party would be complete without a Piggy on a spit?


Saturday night we attended Gabrielle Riel's Rez Day party. Sadly I had to miss the toga party being thrown at Steelhead but it was a great night at Coughton Court


The Rez Day Girl herself.


Miss McAllister with myself behind in my kilt and Montrose


Miss Cornelia, who must have had a new set of springs installed as her ticking was heard throughout the hall.


Her Grace of Loch Avie, looking rather stunning in her tartan gown


Mr. Smashcan and his fantastic boots


Miss McElroy, one of Caledon's late night prowlers


Colonel O'Toole finally receives the Duchess sandwich. And thus begins his night of erm... torture.


Gabi also used the evening to launch a new group that I'm happy to have been invited to be a part of: Radio Riel - Real Radio, Your reality.

Radio Riel

At the moment we're looking at providing music around the place, with a look towards hosting some of the various functions as they arrive. I'm looking forward to it!

Caledon Secret Police?

Your humble correspondant was attempting to relax with a good book after having got in a wee bit of air time in the Combat Ornithopter but something I had glanced at from about didn't seem to sit right. Putting aside my book I resolved to retrace my flight as best as I could from the ground and see if I could discover the source.

The rumbling of War have been very quiet of late. No tit for tat byplay with Neualtenburg, no name calling, no gung-ho acts of bravery. Things may even be on the mend.

Or so I thought.



Arriving in the Tamrannock region I noticed some odd activity going on over near Colonel O'Toole's house.


While I'm not sure of the significance of the duck, the chap in the long black coat did seem to be carrying on in a rather agitated manner. Certainly not a Military uniform of any type. No braid, lacework, and a hastily sewn armband.


Closer inpsection seemed to be required but something made me defer the direct approach, believing more could be gained by stealth than bravado.


Sadly the small clockwork deguerrotype was unable to get a well focused shot of the chap in question but the long leather coat and Caledon flag on his arm gives me a feeling that a pernicious group may be trying to infiltrate it's way into in my beloved Caledon.

I have read of the Star Chmabers in the histories of other countries and will not allow Caledon to fall into the hands of Zealots! Caledon is Better than this. We are a Free nation with the respect of liberty.

I must speak with some friend in High(er) places.

But first, a dram.

Happy birthday my dearest

My beloved turned "a little more wise" this week.

Happy birthday Christine.

Friday the 13th Disco, Renn Faires and strange rhythmic rituals

In what might be appropriate to the horror usually inflicted on people at Friday the 13th, Steelhead had a 70's night as its theme for this Friday.


Ah ah ah ah Stayin' Alive, stayin' alive...


Christine and myself as "Finn's Shiney Disco Balls", with the Psychedelic Fuzz underneath.


Psychedelic Fuzz




JeZ's afro had a mind of its own.


Roller Puck


Right On!

Saturday saw the dawning of a complete shift in time and location with the opening of the Renaissance Faire in Carntaigh. Another of the events to help the RFL it was an amusing idea. Mr. Abel and I bantered about if it was a *real* Renn Faire we needed to have Klingons...


Professor Avalanche's Little Sister.


Lavender Beaumont is starting to look like an appetiser to Erasmus Margulis


My beloved Christine sets a fine example by riding side saddle.


Yours truly trying out Professor Avalanche's Catapult Ride


Miss Paris gets a large one...


Oolon Sputnik seems to have been struck down by the tiny virus.

By sheer coincidence Steelhead's theme for their Saturday night formal was "medieval" so we were able to attend without even changing!


Sir Edward and Lady Christine


Tensai and Lunar looking lovely in co-ordinated outfits.

As Christine and I headed back to Davaar we heard a distinctly NON-medieval style of music from across the shore in Carntaigh. What was happening? It seems that Raver Riel was up to her doof again.



Christine gets into the groove.


Dunkin' Duchess. Yes, I'm about to make Her Grace all wet...


Her Grace shakes if for charity.


Giving till it hurts.


The lovely Kate Nicholas, one of the more dressed ladies of the evening.


Their Graces of Carntaigh and Loch Avie and Captain Paris show their remarkable... talents in helping a charitable cause


Last four standing: Miss McElroy, myself, Miss Figaro and Lord Bardhaven