My life of leisure is over!  I must admit that my role as the estate manager for the QH Co-op hasn’t been all that taxing, mostly involving chasing after chickens which have run amok and testing new products to confirm their overall safety.

That’s all change with the introduction of the new AoR Household Management Challenge (HHMC) which now finds me up before dawn lighting the fires in the bread ovens and preparing the dough for another round of baking.

I’m embarrassed to admit that I’m starting this challenge at rather a disadvantage as I have absolutely no skills, experience or coins.  So, while Tat may aspire to running a Family or eventually an Estate, I’m content to make my way as an Individual Household.  Looking after myself is quite enough of a challenge!

I’ve made a deal with her to provide me with all the wheat and milk I require in return for my labour, milling her flour, baking her bread, and churning her butter.  Sometimes I think it would just be easier to grow my own wheat & find a willing cow but I begin to enjoy my time in the kitchen.

Cheese and sugar I can make for myself.  I’ve also tried my hand at apple cider which turned out rather well, though I had to spend some precious coins on the cinnamon.

My pocket money comes from the sale of extra butter.  Oh, how I wish we were back in the days of the “Butter Barons” when multiple churns and a bit of milk could make you a fortune in no time flat.

Tea and soap I purchased from local merchants.  I also purchased individual candle sticks only to realize that they couldn’t be loaded into my basket.  Argh!  After grumbling to Tatiana, I’m glad to report that the bulk purchase of candles will soon be possible from our local merchants instead of being monopolized by old Myriam “moneybags” Merchant.

I had no choice but to pay the premium that Myriam demands for raw chicken.  Fortunately, I don’t require much in a week.  We must see if we can convince a butcher to set up shop in our community.

Regarding the monthly challenge, I’m making progress, but I’m hampered by my lack of cooking skills as the Egg Board is a level three recipe.  I’m also saving up to buy that bottle of Hard Cider.  I’m sure that will a bit of hard work and determination I’ll have everything assembled in the next month.

Well, the ovens are heated and the loaves have risen and are ready to be baked.  Soon the wonderful aroma of fresh bread will be filling the kitchen.

I’m asking Tat to post this note for me as soon as she returns from her morning rounds on the farm.

Take care!

Mikhail

It's no secret that one of my greatest pleasures in Second Life is creating and out of all the ways you can create graphic design is really what I love the most.  I'm seldom happier than when I'm researching and putting together something as simple as labels for virtual jars of jam or honey.

I have spent many happy hours "down the rabbit hole" searching for inspiration as my ever-expanding Pinterest sections, such as Graphic Design-Labels , can attest.  I'm also inspired by my creative Second Life friends who share the same passion and produce their own mini-masterpieces on a regular basis.

It took me a number of weeks to come up with the labels pictured above, much of that time spent drooling over Redouté engravings and other examples of ephemera.  If I'm not careful I find that pixel editing can become a bit of an obsession.

I'm also delighted when Second Life intersects Real Life in an almost whimsical fashion. Some weeks after creating my own label for the Queen's Hamlet honey the Chateau of Versailles released the following Miel de Trianon on their Facebook page.

"The honey of Trianon, available for the first time on the online shop of the Palace of Versailles! Produced by the beehives of the Queen’s Vegetable Garden as part of an ecological approach. With delicate flavours of lime, summer flowers and chestnut."

According to the Chateau de Versailles :

The Queen's great apartment has just reopened after several years of work. Marble, ors and crystals shine from all their fires, punctuated by a restoration punctuated by discoveries.

I've been following the restoration progress and it's really exciting to think that it's finally done.

Read more at Mille et une nuits chez la reine .

The bedchamber looks fabulous!  I believe that all of the fabric was re-woven using instructions found for the original patterns.

Can you imagine hand-painting the ceiling ...

... or sewing the details back onto the walls!

Fabulous!

Having first discovered Jane Austen as a child means that I've been pursuing her for many years now. I distinctly remember being enchanted by the fairy tale aspects of Emma ; beautiful heroine, dashing hero, wealth, luxury. etc, etc.  I also remember trying to figure out what the heck a "fortnight" was.

Her penchant for happy endings was also appealing.

All-in-all I perceived Austen's world as something very "Disneyfied" where beautiful damsels were aided by kindhearted helpers something like this ...

Today is Ada Lovelace Day , a celebration of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).  It aims to increase the profile of women in STEM and, in doing so, create new role models who will encourage more girls into STEM careers and support women already working in STEM.

Ada Lovelace is a fascinating woman, credited with being the first computer programmer back in the 1830s!

While Marie Antoinette had a gaggle of gardeners to prepare the grounds of the Petit Trianon for her elaborate parties, I'm very content to be working away on my own in SL. After all, where else can you get away with wearing an elaborate ballgown while hauling fresh bales of hay!

My latest adventure in decorating coincides with the All Hallows' Costume Dance which is being hosted by the Duché de Coeur & Rocca Sorrentina on October 25th. Having decided that the French Garden Parterre would be an excellent spot for a party, I waded in and got to work clearing the summer gardens to start with a fresh canvas.

Before I knew it, new trees were taking root and autumn leaves were everywhere!

I first glimpsed her in a photo of the hallway of the Princess Margaret Oakville Showhome 2015 . I thought she was stunning. Imagine having a home where she is one of the first things you see coming through the door.

Unlikely to happen for me in real life but more than feasible in Second Life!