Stumped!

Beyond the obvious choice of Hogsmeade, I have no good idea where the stolen Quidditch World Cup Trophy is hidden. My other guesses are Peru, Transylvania, and the Black Forest. :0(

Stolen Quidditch World Cup Trophy?

Winnie has sent a mystery object to Wisty and Siobhan with a cryptic clue on the box. In true Ravenclaw style I have applied myself diligently to deciphering it. I tell you, I should be working as a code-breaker for Gringotts!

In Winnie's missives from her travels around the world on a 'secret mission' there have been odd letters enchanted to stand out a little from the rest. I think she achieved this with some special ink from Scribbulus at Diagon Alley. These numbers are an exact numerical match to the sum of the letters in the '5 words' that Winnie referenes in her clue on the aforesaid box. Rearranged into words of the designated lengths ('6, 9, 5, 3, 6') the letters almost spell out the words which appear in the title of this post - 'Stolen Quidditch World Cup Trophy'. (I say 'almost' because one C has to change to a U to do this - perhaps the ink has tipped a U on it's side?) My conclusion is that Winnie has been on an amazing worldwide adventure to recover this wonderful magical artefact, and that this is what is in the box she sent to Wisty and Siobhan. Perhaps Winnie plans to award it to the winning team in The Swap? I do hope that is the Arrows!!

Getting Christmassy!

We are getting ready for Christmas in the Wigworthy household, putting decorations and cards up (every day brings more) and making and buying presents for the family. As I write a few pounds of redcurrants are merrily boiling in the cauldron to extract the juice for this year's batch of jelly. This forms most of our Christmas giving. Of course, I knit a few gifts too; this year my Falling Flowers Scarf will be a gift for my niece Poppy.

And Winnie is preparing for Christmas too - it seems she has been to visit the man himself, Father Christmas, in his home at the North Pole. I'll not tell my little wizards - they would be so jealous!

And this week I finally finished and sent my package to dear Olive Bumblebirch. She is a whole ocean away, so this will be an epic flight for poor Verso. I know he is up to it though, and hope he gets to meet some lovely American owls on his trip.

News From Winnie?

After a somewhat alarming absence during which we all thought Winnie might have come a cropper, we have finally heard from her again. It turns out her last two letters had simply been mislaid. So all's well, or is it...

It looks as though Winnie has been to Rome, where she purchased lots of garlic and stocked up with holy water and crosses, contemplating her next stop, which is clearly in the Black Forest of Germany ('Shwarzwald' to the locals), where it is known that vampires live. Indeed it seems from her last missive that Winnie is only just managing not to be nobbled by one!

I know Emma Gorodok lives in Germany; I wonder if she will be able to go and offer Winnie some assistance to fight them off?

St. Mungo's

That's right. In true sporting fashion I've been detained in St. Mungo's with a cartilege injury! The healers used a special magical item (called an 'endoscope') to have a good look inside my knee, and confirmed that the cartilege was torn. No wonder I've been struggling to walk much over the last few years. They 'trimmed' the tear whilst they were in there, and I should now find myself returning to full useage of the joint. I have exercises to do to get there, lots of them! As an international quidditch star I am. of course, unfazed by this! ;0)

Meantime I've been working away on the package for my spoilee in The Swap. I've now got the yarn for it, having finally got hold of the vendor via jellyphone. We arranged for me to pick it up from their stall at the Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate on Sunday, and all went well. I've very nearly finished the handmade portion of the package, and just have one other goody to source and then it'll all be sent off with my trusty owl, Verso.

I had great fun at the show helping out on the spinning guild stand and the handknitter's association stand. I taught a few folk to spin with a drop spindle, taught one lefthander to crochet, and one righthander to knit. It felt great!

Bedtime

And I have to post first! Hmm, what to say? I read Winnie's letter a couple of days ago, and think she may have been to Egypt. Well, there were pyramids. I think the Phoenicians had pyramids too, so I guess she could have been there either. Egypt seems more plausible though! No idea about libraries that are themselves like books - Timbuctoo (lol!)?

I've been busy making something for my spoilee (Olive Bumblebirch). Black and white as she is a Magpie. Perhaps I should put something sparkly in as well, as I know magpies are very atttracted to shiny? I'm sure Olive doesn't have any kleptomaniac tendencies though! I sure hope she'll like the stuff I have made - it's taken ages, and I keep thinking I might have it all wrong about her taste!

It was my eldest little wizard's birthday yesterday. The very imporatant 17th - a full-grown wizard at last! We took him out to nando's (his choice) for some chicken treats. He enjoyed showing us photos on his phone (muggle contraption) of a chority day they had at his college. All the students went in fancy dress, they had every creature and character you can imagine there, and some inanimate ones too (a couple of Rubix cubes!). I'm glad he has settled in there, and seems to be having fun. Of course, the NEWTs are hard work though...

Is that long enough?.. I'm off to bed! :0)

Where was Winnie?

Hmmm... Africa? South America?

To be honest I'd have to cheat and go read somebody else's blog, or do proper research with Wikipedia to have a more accurate guess thyan that.

Oh, ok, I'll go do some research then.....

Ok - Mexico? The Dia de Los Muertos festival seems to be more associated with there than anywhere else.

Aha - Mexico City was built on a lake!! Yay - go me!

There is a Chinese city called Weifang which is known as the 'City of Kites'. I guess Winnie was there?

And the pink library? Well all I can find is pictures of libraries with interior walls painted pink. :0(