A series of posts glued together into one...

[annwfyn]

First of all, many happy returns of the day to tooth_fairy. Enjoy a day of Being Given Stuff.

Second of all, damnit and tarnation. It appears that Social Tuesday is falling apart. castorlion - you still planning on coming into town or should we just re-arrange for another day totally? Would be lovely to see you.

Third of all, Northumbria rocks. There are reasons for this, but they may only make sense to me. Oh, and did you know that Cumbria may have had its own language once? It would have been a gaelic tongue, pretty closely related to Welsh.

Fourth of all, I have bought a car. I decided to embrace my inner spoilt heiress for once, and was not sensible. I did not purchase a nice cheap reliable car. I looked at Toyotas, and then the brat within me cried out and I decided to do something I'd wanted to do for many years.

I bought a mini.

Not just any mini as well...



It's a Mini One (I was just about sensible enough to not buy a Mini Cooper) and it was new in June 2004. It has a welsh dragon on the roof, which pierot thinks it kinda cute and vilenspotens thinks is kinda tacky. I personally think I shall go with jez's opinion, mostly because I like dragons.

It has a name as well. And possibly a gender. She shall be called 'Pridwen', which is a welsh name (in honour of the dragon) and in welsh myth is the name of King Arthur's ship. It all makes sense if you're me.

The only sad thing in this happy story is that I haven't actually managed to get Pridwen home yet, due to insurance and tax taking time. This meant that yesterday was largely spent trying to get insurance organised. Hopefully twil all be good by Wednesday.

I know it isn't sensible. I know it isn't the most economical thing ever, but it makes me happy. I've wanted a mini for years and now I have one.

And finally - I hope christabelle9 has a safe journey home and I hope to see her again soon. It was lovely to have you over, even if I wasn't able to spend much time with you and I wish you and rweishaar all the luck in the world.

And those are all my livejournal meanderings for the day.

Comments

[hildekitten.livejournal.com]

huzzah for the mini :)
I think Pridwen is a cute name for it.
Altho I don't really know how to pronounce that.

[annwfyn.livejournal.com]

You pronounce it prid+wen - basically two syllables run together. I don't know if I'm explaining very well.

And yes. I am muchly happy. I have a mini now. Nothing can go wrong with the world. *beams*

[hildekitten.livejournal.com]

Oh that I can pronounce :)

[twicedead.livejournal.com]

It's a cute car and a good name. Who cares about economy? If you feel happy when you sit behind the wheel, the car is worth it.

[annwfyn.livejournal.com]

It drives SO nicely! It just purrs along the motorway, and is still quick and nippy in town. *does her happy dance*

Basically, I'm buying a car as a boyfriend/friends/job/house/children substitute. Who needs anything else when you've got a mini?

[twicedead.livejournal.com]

If only more people knew of this effect, the world would be a happier place.

[melsner.livejournal.com]

I decided to embrace my inner spoilt heiress for once, and was not sensible.

I'm spending a willpower to avoid the corax disadvantage.

I'm muchly glad that you're in a better mood. Shopping and material goods make everything better!

Now, if only I had my trousers...

[annwfyn.livejournal.com]

With a car I might be able to get out to Lambourn to retrive them!

[twicedead.livejournal.com]

And pierot seems to be having a disturbing welshifying influence on you. Annwfyn, Pridwen...

[annwfyn.livejournal.com]

Nah...I've always had that. My MA dissertation was about the kingdom of Gwynedd, and the men of the north, who were living in Goddoddin land but all became welsh when the Scotti arrived to push them out of Scotland in the fifth/sixth century.

Basically...welsh is the last remnant of the Brythonic language, the language of the people who were the Romano-British. I've loved them for far longer than I've loved Jeremiah.

[sea-of-flame.livejournal.com]

It's the not-so-secret Welsh invasion ;)

[melsner.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but can you imagine if she had an Australian influence? Then what would she name things?

[skinny-cartman.livejournal.com]

Hmm I thought cumbrian dialects had a greater norwegian norse element to them, I seem to remember there being a feature on it in the (generally poor -okay I hated the presenter) "blood of the Vikings" series of historical documentaries, used to posit the theory of norse settlement in the area which was backed up by DNA evidence.. Though thinking of it they did mention that it was easier to pick up genetic traces there due to less saxon input (and it being norwegian as opposed to danish).

On other celtic bits and bobs I did uncover some interesting stuff on celtic type survivors in certain fenland areas such as the isle of ely when researching my domain history thing, pondered looking into it more (it was vaguely intriguing) but then couldn't be arsed.

[annwfyn.livejournal.com]

Cumbrian dialects, yes. Basically I was reading an article about the possibility of the post-Roman and pre-saxon Cumbrians having their own language - about they time they may have been part of the kingdom of Rheged. This would have been before the vikings showed up.

DNA evidence is amazing tho - it has changed the way archaeologists look at migration theory and settlement pattern so dramatically. There used to be a lot of arguments over whether there was any kind of real mass saxon migration until UCL did a DNA study which showed that your average English person had more in common, genetically, with a German than with someone who's family had always lived in North Wales. The welsh are actually genetically different to us.

On the other hand there is evidence that the native Britons weren't entirely pushed out. I'm actually writing up an essay on the anglicisation of East Anglia at the moment - there was a lot of settlement by outsiders there, but weirdly they all seemed to settle within the boundary lines laid down by the Romans - late Saxon administrative districts followed Roman lines, which kinda implies that they were following a settlement pattern already there. Unless, of course, you assume that the landscape makes certain settlement patterns kinda predictable coz everything is going to set up a farmstead on the nice bit of land next to the river.

[sea-of-flame.livejournal.com]

Certainly bits of the Yorkshire Dales have a distinctly Norse influence, even still got villages called things like Gunnerside - not sure about Cumbria though...

[castorlion.livejournal.com]

I was still planning on it - should I not be any longer?

[annwfyn.livejournal.com]

Still come, but I think some re-shuffling of plans might be in order. Although you, me, Ginnie and maybe jez sitting and eating ice cream isn't necessarily a bad plan.

[ksirafai.livejournal.com]

Ice cream. Mmm...

Cheat me out of ice cream and I cheat you out of years of your life...

Er, or something. I suspect that threats are not meant to be the first resort when collecting friends and allies, but I refuse to believe that it counts when you're Me. ;)

If you don't appear, I get to stare pathetically at Sal, Jez and Ry (I'm all with the single-syllable names today...) and force them to entertain me with fake worlds instead, so you will not ruin my life totally, but hey, specific and aimed viciousness may help you make your mind up. ;)

[tooth-fairy.livejournal.com]

Mini's rock as do dragons :)

Thankyou for birthday wishes

hugs

[becky-spence.livejournal.com]

Ya crazy woman :) Hope you have lots of fun driving the Mini - they are wonderful little cars. One of my first holidays was a tour around Britain with relatives, ending up at the 25th (I think) anniversary roadshow for Mini at Silverstone...millions and millions of Minis!

[melsner.livejournal.com]

Oh, not only would I like to see a picture of the top of the Mini, but I figure it will very soon become your new LJ icon...

[evilwillow.livejournal.com]

Yay for minis!

I own my 5th mini now.. a V reg Mini Cooper.. shame it's not an original Mini but YAY! all the same.

*hugs*

[chrisvenus]

Is tuesday not always the london social or am I being confused? And would it be rude to ask how much a new mini costs? I guess student buying nearly new car is quite unusual but I wouldn't have guessed it cost that much. And I was just only out of studenting when I bought my nice shiny car. They have the advantage that you never have to pay money for repairs. And for that age I seem to remember no need for MOTs either...

[annwfyn.livejournal.com]

I'm being spoilt. I have bits of money which comes from inheritance and stuff which gives me a bit of private income and can be spent on stuff like that - so yeah - normal student probably wouldn't be able to buy a mini.

And Tuesday is normally the London Cam Social thing, but I'm not a cammie type person and this evening was being planned separate to that. There will still be people in the College Arms I think.

[pixiecors.livejournal.com]

Sometimes splashing out and getting the thing you want most is good for you. Have fun riding the dragon ;)