Arithmancy Homework

The homework this week is right up my alley - an arithmancy assignment, which involves sudoku puzzles and ciphers - I was in raptures when I saw the assignment. I used my lunch break at work to solve it all, recording my answers in the spreadsheet that Professor Sweeting had so helpfully provided...

If only all our homework were this easy! 

I've been making further progress with my package for Olive, and would really like to get it finished and mailed during the early send window.  To achieve that aim I am going to have to use every spare moment for crafting, so I must dash...!!!

Silver Celebration

Whilst on holiday in Florida, Mr Wychwood and I celebrated our Silver Wedding Anniversary.  I can't quite believe that we have been married for 25 years - I still feel too young for that!  Anyway, we celebrated the big day with a truly magical day at Discovery Cove.  Our little ones were overcome with awe when we arrived there and told them that we would be swimming with dolphins. Here are some pictures of me and mine enjoying this amazing experience...

We were fortunate enough for our holiday to coincide with the final launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, and so took a trip out to Titusville to watch this momentous event...

During our stay in Orlando we visited some Muggle parks and met the Disney characters.  Our little ones were very excited about this, and wanted lots of pictures with their special friends to share with their pals back in the UK...

It was a totally fabulous holiday, and I shall treasure the memories forever.

And now I am back in the UK, getting on with normal life again, which includes putting together a package of surprises for Olive Bumblebirch, for which the early send deadline is looming, so I must dash...!!!

Knitting Charm

I've been practising my knitting charms whilst on holiday at a Muggle holiday resort called "DisneyWorld".  It is in Florida USA, and Mr Wychwood treated the family to a trip here to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.  I brought some wool along because my dear sister, Emma Wigworthy, asked me to try out a pattern she has designed.  Here is my progress so far...

It is a lovely knitting experience, and looks good even without blocking, so I'm sure that it will be truly beautiful once blocked to show off the lace motifs even more effectively. 

This is the last night we will be spending here, and so I have lots of sorting and packing to do whilst Mr Wychwood supervises the children in the pool.  Must dash!!!...

Potions Homework

Despite being on holiday in Florida, I thought I had better not slip behind with my lessons, and so I have had a go at the Potions homework which was set for this week. I'm using a cork as my marker, from a bottle of champagne that Mr Wychwood and I were given on our 25th anniversary.

Part 1:
Go around your house, outdoors, for a hike, or wherever and take pictures of 5 different plants, herbs, or flowers that might be used in potions. Make sure to remember your originality marker for these. Also, include the names of these (if you don't know their name feel free to make one up) and the description of potential use(s) for each.

1. This is Wormwood, it is used in the Draught of Living Death.

2. This is Lovage, it is used in Confusing and Befuddlement Draughts because it inflames the brain.

3. This is Wolfsbane, which is used in Wofsbane Potion to prevent dementia in Werewolves.

4. This is Bubotuber, it's pus is used to treat acne.

5. This is Sneezewort, it's powdered leaves are used to cause sneezing (presumably in joke products).

Part 2:
Answer the following potions questions:

1. Sneezewort, scurvy grass, and lovage are used to make what? Confusing Draught

2. Porcupine quills are to be added when to a Boil Cure Potion? After it is removed from the fire

3. What potion, if brewed correctly, should change color numerous times throughout brewing including deep purple, lilac, and finishing clear? The Draught of Living Death

4. This ingredient in the Draught of Peace, would likely bring you permanent peace since it is poisonous, what is it? Hellebore

5. Chopped daisy roots, skinned shrivel-fig, sliced caterpillar, one rat spleen, dash of leech juice are all  ingredients to what? Shrinking Solution.


Part 3:
Take a picture of and list the ingredients and/or instructions to make one of your favorite potions that you have created.

This is a Bucks Fizz potion.  It is made with Orange Juice and Champagne.  I generally half-fill a glass with orange juice, and then fill to the top with champagne.

So that's it for my homework, and now I really should drink the Bucks Fizz before it goes flat, must dash!!!

Magical Craft

I've had a fabulous week of crafting for HSKS and Reducio…

I finished my wee sock for my Reducio spoilee which was a little larger than my normal effort, as I wanted to make it extra special, so I used a larger stitch-count (34 in the round) to accommodate the house mascot design from Emma's Hogwarts House Bookscarves.  I added the design using duplicate stitch, which was a real pain over the tiny stitches, but the end product is fantastic - I'll post pics once my spoilee has received the package, but here is a pic of the Tri-Wizard Cup that I made to go in with the sock, the them being "Magical Games".

And for HSKS I have cast on for one of the larger items that is going in the package.  Can't give away anything though just in case Olive reads this!  But, I have so far crafted 2 small items, and have plans for 3 larger items, maybe more depending on how far the yarn goes…  I'm really pleased now with how my plans for her package are coming along, I just hope I can fit all the knitting in to my busy schedule which includes test knitting a large pattern for Emma which is totally unrelated to any of my swaps!

Ah well, with all this crafting to do I really should be getting on with it, must dash!!!

Quidditch Match

I've been busy getting ready this week for the first Quidditch match of term.  I made it onto the team as Beater, so I get to whack the bludger around!  My team mates are Intarsia Bindoff who is Keeper, Penelope of Flitwick is Chaser, and Mistry Moonbleu is Seeker. 

 Mistry has been busy researching cheers for the team, here's my favourite:

Down the pitch to victory
On Lions on!
Fight on till the Snitch we see
Battle on and on!
Beat out the Keeper, oh Lions,
Score on mounting score,
Bludge all the Chasers and Seekers,
Let that Lion roar!
Drive those Hufflepuffs off their heads,
Fight 'em, Lions, fight!
Brave gold and red,
Go right ahead,
Grab the Snitch for victory!

So I can't wait until tomorrow, and need to hit the sack so that my energy levels are ready for the match.  Must dash!!!

Care of Magical Creatures Homework

There is quite an extensive homework this week, in three parts.  Gulp!  Well, here goes...

Part One: Please Describe and Explain 5 items that you would use for the care of Magical Creatures. ie: mittens for handling of poisonous plants, goggles etc.

I am fascinated by the Ashwinder, a thin grey serpent that is created when a magical fire is allowed to burn unchecked for too long.  They only live for an hour in which time they find somewhere secluded to lay eggs, which are brilliant red and give off intense heat.  The eggs will ignite a dwelling within minutes if not found and frozen.  But these eggs are very valuable for their use in love potions, and as a cure for ague.

So all of my items relate to this slippery creature...

Firstly, a heat resistant spring loaded ashwinder egg handling instrument - also used in brewing tea...

Secondly, a heat proof dish to place the eggs in...

Thirdly, an ice block to keep the eggs frozen...

Fourthly, a smoke detector to give early warning of fires caused by undiscovered eggs...

Lastly, a fire blanket to extinguish the fires caused by undiscovered eggs and enable their collection...

Part Two: Complete the following quiz about House Elves. 5 points for each correct answer.

1. Please describe the physical appearance of a house elf.
Short, with ears/arms/legs that are long in proportion to it's body. 

2. Kreacher is the house elf of which wizarding family?
The Black's.

3. What is Hermione Granger making for the house elves?
Hats and socks.

4. How do you free a house elf?
Give it an item of clothing.

5. What does S.P.E.W. stand for?
Society for Promotion of Elvish Welfare.

Part Three: Bonus/Extra Credit assignment. For a bonus assignment, knit or crochet a SPEW project.

I've knit up the hat which was the pattern set for Round 1 of Dueling Club this term.  I also made some matching mitts, but have mislaid them - I think I may have left them in the Great Hall as I was making them during my lunch breaks this week!

And now it is very late, and I am yawning, so off to bed for me. Must dash!!!

Transfiguration Homework

There are lots of practicals in this week's transfiguration homework, and I have to post evidence of my subjects before and after performance of the the charms I have used for the transfigurations.

To prove this is my original work, here is the Gryffindor lion that I shall be using as my marker:

And here are the results of all my hard work...

Bowtruckle
Before:

After performing the "Twiggifors" charm (transfigures twigs into an animated creature):

Remembrall

Before:

After performing the "Remifors" charm (transfigures tea strainer, fibre & LED into a Remembrall):

Golden Snitch

Before:

After performing the "Yarnifors" charm (transfigures yarn & paper into a Golden Snitch):

Hagrids Rock Cakes

Before:

After performing the "Stonifors" charm (transfigures stones into rock cakes):

Decoy Detonator

Before:

After performing the "Poolifors" charm (transfigures a pool ball into a decoy detonator):

Nose Biting Teacup

Before:

After performing the "Fangifors" charm (transfigures a cup & teeth into a nose-biting teacup):

Spectrespecs

Before:

After performing the "Spectifors" charm (transfigures spectacles and paper into spectrespecs):

Time Turner

Before:

After performing the "Sandifors" charm (transfigures an egg timer into a time turner):

So there you have it, I hope it's up to standard Professors!

Now I need to get to bed in order to store up some energy for tomorrow's fun - dueling!  Must dash!!!

My Heroes!

The first assignment for this term is to write about my top 3 wizarding world heroes.  So without further ado...

Molly Weasley is my number one heroine.  I love that she is tough and soft all at the same time.  I identify with her in so many ways...  She is fiercely protective of her family, just as I am - my family comes first, and I would defend them to the death if I had to.  She has a higgledy piggledy home full of love - you should check out my place, I keep meaning to de-clutter, but am too busy enjoying time with my children or chatting with friends on the floo network!  Her children bunk up together to make way for guests - a regular occurrence in my home when the Wigworthy's visit.  She is a little frumpy and not at all glamourous, sadly too true of me!  And her family is quite poor, but even so she is generous with the little they do have.

Rubeus Hagrid is next on my list.  I love him for his simplicity, there is nothing subtle or hidden about him - he wears his heart on his sleeve.  He is unswervingly loyal to Dumbledore, to whom he is so touchingly grateful for his gamekeeper post at Hogwarts. He adores Harry, Hermione and Ron, and I love that he can't keep secrets from them.  He is very gentle and un prejudiced, readily caring for any creature no matter how offensive or dangerous.  He is so open with his emotions, readily shedding tears over ill/dying animals.  And he is always ready to give a hug to someone who needs it, I would love to be on the receiving end of one!

Luna is my other choice.  I love her quirky ways, that she doesn't try to fit in with the norm, and is quite happy being a misfit.  I like that she lives in a magical world of her own, which she fervently believes in, and does her best to warn others of the dangers and pitfalls that she is convinced of, even though her peers give her the cold shoulder.  She is a wonderful example of how to honour your father, diligently marketing the Quibbler and preaching the stuff he writes about in it.

Now I really should get on with planning an exceptional package for Olive Bumblebirch, must dash!!!

Back to Hogwarts!

I'm so excited because term is about to begin at Hogwarts again.  I can't wait to catch up with all my friends in the Gryffindor Common Room.  I'll also be trying out for the Quidditch team again this term, hoping for Chaser, but I'm not sure if my speed on the broom is good enough - we shall have to see!

Emma is back too, and hanging out in Ravenclaw Tower with our dear friend Hermione Bagnold.  I was half-suspecting that Emma might defect to Slytherin again, but it seems that she has seen the error of her ways!

Anyway, I have lots of packing to do, so I must dash!!!

Where is the Quidditch World Cup Trophy?

This is a very quick (amended) post to say that we have had another message from Winnie, who seems to have killed the thief in a duel!  She has asked if we can work out where he hid the trophy. She sent the personal belongings he had on him before he died, which were...

Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder
Broken Wand
Blood Pops
Hand of Glory
Boars Head
Golden Snitch
Swiftstick Broom

I have been working with my dear sister Emma Wigworthy to work this out.  We have together concluded that the trophy must be hidden somewhere in the Black Forest of Germany - clues to this are the carved Boars Head, which is from that region, and that it is a known location of vampires, which Winnie has been hinting at as the thief.  Plus, we have been told that the location is "more specific than a country, but not as specific as a city.  The Black Forest fits that clue perfectly, as it is a region.

We also think that the blood pops are a clue to the thief's identity, given that these are a confectionary beloved of vampires.  The Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder could have been hidden in the golden snitch, in the way that Dumbledore hid the resurrection stone for Harry Potter.  A vampire would have no compunction at killing someone in order to re-open it, and then using the powder to create the darkness required to steal the trophy. Then the hand of glory could have been used to light the thieves escape route.  And of course the swiftstick broom is what he would have used to make the escape.

We also know that Winnie visited Professor Slughorn during her travels to find the thief and the trophy, and he is known to have befriended vampires - indeed we believe that Sanguini may have been the thief, a vampire that attended Slughorns Christmas party at Hogwarts.  The broken wand is probably Winnie's own, broken in the duel that resulted in the thief's death.  The hand of glory also points towards vampires, as Whitby is one of only 2 known muggle locations for this magical artifact. Count Dracula, lord of Vampires, sailed to Whitby with Harker, when he came to England to begin his quest for world domination, and it is also where Brem Stoker wrote his famous novel about the Count.

Now that my conclusions are posted, I have much left to do before visiting Mr Wychwood's family for the New Year, so I must fly - accio broom!!!

HSKS9 Packages from Emma Gorodok

The owls have been so busy with Xmas deliveries, that I was quite surprised to have an owl arrive this weekend, being only a few days after Emma Gorodok had sent it off.  Her poor owl had to divert to our local owlery though as we weren't at home when the tired little thing arrived on the cold and snowy morning we had yesterday.  When I eventually picked up the package, after leaving plenty of time for Emma's owl to get there, I went along with my dear sister Emma Wigworthy, who of course helped me to rip open the package to reveal the contents...

WOW!!!  Emma G has knit me the most wonderful hat and mitts set, in this beautiful 100% silk yarn.  The hat design Ripley is by one of my favourite British designers - Ysolda Teague, and Emma adapted the lovely Waves Arm Warmer pattern to make the mitts.  The colour is just gorgeous, a pale silvery blue, ideal for Arrows players - I love them! 

I also got a cute little "Owl Post Service" badge that Emma picked up when she was visiting Birmingham, and in the same colour as the hat/mitts was a voile bag with a lovely beaded key-chain handmade by Emma...

And for our Christmas table, Emma included some silver napkins, and two Xmas tree shaped candles in blue and silver bases.  Perfect for our Christmas dinner at Emma Wigworthy's house, as she decorates the dining room in blue and silver!

This was my second package from Emma.  Earlier this month a package arrived full of wonderful goodness...

Some awesome sock yarn hand-dyed by Emma, the Lizzy (!) sock pattern, some German tea, and a Father Christmas advent hanger, filled with chocolate coins, Santa's, and little charms...

Thank you Emma for doing such a brilliant job of spoiling me - I am thrilled with it all, you are a fantastic spoiler!

Now to go and advertise this news in Hogwarts, must fly - accio broom!!!

Winnie's Secret Mission

Olive has posted that Wisty and Siobhan have received a box from Winnie, with a mysterious item inside it.  There was a clue on the outside that I have managed to decipher... "STOLEN QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP TROPHY".  I am quite certain that this was what was in the box, and therefore that Winnie's secret mission must have been to recover this from the thief!  What an outrage that such a precious item should be stolen from right under the nose of the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Games and Sports.  But how wonderful that our amazing Headmistress has managed to retrieve it!

Now I have lots of  Xmas shopping left to do, so I must fly - accio broom!!!

Letters and Packages

This week there has been another letter from Winnie, stating that she was heading to "the place where Christmas began" where it is "rather cold".  So I'm guessing that she means the North Pole... 

Every year Christmas begins with Santa setting off from here on his sleigh with Rudolph and the other reindeer and his sack full of gifts for all the good children in the world.  My own dear ones have written letters to Santa this year, which we posted just yesterday at the red letterbox next to their school bus-stop (they are too young to attend Hogwarts yet, or to use the floo network). 

And speaking of Xmas gifts, I was thrilled to see this week that my trust owl Specky had landed safely at Megaera Black's abode with the Reducio Swap package that I had the pleasure of pulling together for her.  The theme was "A Very Weasley Xmas", and so I was inspired to make a replica of Harry Potter's first ever Xmas gift from the Weasley's - an emerald green sweater.  I also knitted a Xmas Cracker - wizards love these, and of course have very special ones that go off with a loud bang and envelop everyone in smoke, and of course I knit a mini-sock which is mandatory for the swap.  I indulged my latest hobby by making some Xmas tree stitchmarkers.  On top of this, I included some Bertie Botts beans, and some incense sticks with an evergreen leaf holder.  Here's a picture of all the handmade items:

 
When Specky returned from Megaera's I had to send him off again directly with the HSKS9 package for Amethyst Aurag of the Montrose Magpies.  I hope he's okay, he was very tired.

Anyway, I have so much to do to get the Wychwood household ready for Xmas, and so little time.  I have gifts to buy, and so I must fly - accio broom!!!

Mysterious letter from Winnie

A letter has been found from Winnie, just when we were all getting quite worried about her whereabouts.  It was buried deep under a pile of papers on a desk, and contained some intriguing clues as to her continued travels.

Firstly she talked about being in a large city, where she had plenty of garlic, and expected to have no trouble in finding holy water and a cross.  I'm beginning to think that her mission may have something to do with vampires!  Anyway, I wonder if she could have been in the Vatican City, which is actually a city within a city i.e. Rome, Italy.  What better place to find holy water and crosses?

She then talked about heading off to a dark region to the north-west of a mountain range.  Continuing my guess that she was somewhere in Europe, I believe that she may have been heading for Galicia in Spain, known as a dark region (and therefore possibly home to vampires?), which is north-west of the Cantabrian Mountains...

Ah, those beautiful mountains, makes me want to take flight myself for a holiday.  Must fly, accio broom...!!!

Busy Week

I don't feel like my feet have touched the ground all week.  I've had a couple of trips on Gringotts business, one to a director's meeting in London.  I went via train of course to Kings Cross Station, and had to run back to the station after the meeting to ensure I caught the train back - broomsticks and apparation are too risky with so many Muggles around.  The trip back was rather fun, I dined in the restaurant coach with a colleague, and knocked over a glass of red wine - it was a Muggle train so we had to endure the rest of the journey with an obvious red stain on the tablecloth - very embarassing.

My other trip was to Leeds for a seminar to learn all about the latest rules on financial presentation in the Gringotts annual report, as they are shortly to embrace international wizard financial standards, to bring us into line with worldwide wizarding financial institutions.  Would you believe I had forgotton all about this seminar?  I turned up at work in Gringott's local office, and it was only when my colleagues asked if the seminar had been cancelled that I realised!  In the end, I was over an hour late for the start, but managed to sneak in unnoticed because it was a coffee break when I got there!

It's been such a busy week that I haven't had chance to get in any more Quidditch practice, for which I will now make amends - must fly!  Accio Broom!!!

Things I'm Thankful For

Our HSKS Quidditch teams are all telling the world about things we are thankful for this week.  It has made me feel so good reading what everyone is putting down, and here for your reading pleasure are mine:

My family is number one - my Mum and Dad are so laid back, always happy to see us but never nagging us to visit, and I'm extra thankful that my Dad is doing okay since the recent scare over his heart.  My sister Emma Wigworthy is the most wonderful sister anyone could have, she introduced me to the world of HSKS and Ravelry, which has brought me so much pleasure.  My dear husband Mr Wychwood is the most special wizard in the world, supportive, strong, helpful, great with the kids, and so much fun.  And my children of course give me joy every day - the sweetest little witch who has a heart of gold, and the cutest little wizard who is full of adventure.

Next on my list are my friends - including all the people I have met through HSKS and Ravelry. My most special friend is one I rarely see now, and am infrequently in contact with, but it always feels so easy whenever we do speak - we just get talking and laughing together.  Sadly my best friend from school died aged 22, and I have lived twice that now, I still think of her, and that leads me to my next thing...

I am thankful for my health - to have a mostly pain-free life, only marred by the odd infection that is doing the rounds.  I am so admiring of all the people who endure daily pain and suffering, including my own dear sister Emma - I do hope her knee surgery is successful.

I am also thankful for my home, it may not be elegant, but I am so comfortable here, and when I think of all the poor homeless people in the developing world, I count my blessings, and stop griping about the unfinished DIY jobs, old carpets, childrens toys lying around, and so on.

Another thing I am thankful for is literature - it is wonderful to immerse myself in the world of Harry Potter, Middle-Earth, Discworld, Narnia, Austen's novels, and so many more.  And they have inspired so many wonderful things, many of which I have enjoyed in Ravelry swaps.

And then of course there is crafting - knitting, crochet, spinning, sewing, cross-stitch, beadwork, papercrafts, and so on.  I have turned my hand to many different crafts over the course of the years, and have many beautiful things in my home as a result, along with the gorgeous painted gifts from my sister.

Well, I think that is enough for you to get a feel of what makes me feel good in life.  If only I was a little slimmer and fitter and more willing to do what it takes to achieve that.  I definitely need to do more exercise, speaking of which I must fly - accio broom!!!

More of Winnie's Travels

This witch is certainly getting around.  We've had another postcard from her this week, with a picture of Pyramids on the front - a sure sign that she has been visiting the Middle East.

Firstly she went to "a very fashionable city to seek out a friend who used to run his own club at Hogwarts. I found him in the magical library that was shaped like giant books. Thankfully, I had stocked up on crystallized pineapple during the South America trip."  I'm pretty certain that this is Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, and that she was there to meet Horace Slughorn, who ran the Slug Club for his selected group of students - he loved crystallised pineapple!  This city is amazing, it has so many wonderful buildings, to which the Book Shaped Public Library is a great addition...

Then she went to "a place that had pyramids of a different kind than those in South America. I had to visit a friend who is an author and beastly anthropologist. I'm really and truly hoping that his experiences can help me on my mission. The one thing that I did not like about my last stop?? There was sand EVERYWHERE!" This has to be the Pyramids at Giza near Cairo in Egypt.  She is following in the Weasley's footsteps with this visit - they had a family holiday in Egypt when Bill was working there as a Curse-breaker for Gringotts.  I wonder if that could be connected to her mission somehow?  Hmmm.

Anyway, I feel the urge to make a little trip myself now, must fly...Accio Broom!

Winnie's Travels Continue...

We got another letter from Winnie this week, full of mysterious clues about her latest travels.  She has headed to the southern hemisphere, and visited 3 places in total over the course of the week. 

First she went to "a capital city that was built On a lake, but the lake has since disappeared. Many ghosts meet in the ancient temples and all over the town."  This is clearly Mexico City, which was built on an island in Lake Texcoco which was drained in the 17th century.

Second she landed in a city where many kites are built & flown. Very windy place that! The city has old game courts which would have been useful for local Quidditch playoffs.  Well I think this might be Chicago, known as the Windy City, and I have found these examples of kites made in Chicago.   I haven't found reference to any old game courts though, so I could be wrong.

Third she visited a beautiful Northeastern coastal city that is known for its annual multicultural carnival. Ravenclaws would have loved the pink library! The town is smaller than a nearby large city and is very relaxing. There are so many historic places to visit. I think this may be Boston, which has a public library built with pink granite. 

I wonder where she will head to next.  I wish I could spare the time for all these travels, and the energy, I really do need more exercise!  Anyway, I must fly... accio broom!!!

Where in the World is Winnie this Week?

Winnie certainly is getting around the world quickly.  This week she returned to England, as she wanted to speak to Cyprian Youdle's ghost - he was killed in 1357 whilst refereeing a Quidditch match.  I think Winnie is getting a little muddled up though, she seemed to think that it was during the first ever Quidditch match, which took place on Queerditch Marsh.  But that was much earlier than 1357, as Gertie Keddle who wrote about it lived in the eleventh century!  Nevertheless, Winnie did mention that she was in a place where the team was in blue jerseys with silver arrows - yes, my very own team - Appleby Arrows!  She also mentioned that there are no shops or pubs there - so she was clearly referring to Appleby Village in Lincolnshire, rather than Appleby in Westmoreland which has plenty of shops being an historic market town!

It has been fun tracking her movements - she certainly is quick on that broom of hers.  I need to put in lots of practice to get that good on mine, speaking of which, I must fly!  Accio Broom!!!