Coppers and Computers

Dearest Emilly,

I do hope your polar trip is progressing well. The post-butterflies have complained a bit about the cold up there, but they think that the coloured lights are very pretty, like the shimmer in their wings in fact.

We had a bit of a party in your absence and while the Prof was pootling about preparing the moonshine and the nibbles, I thought I'd better make some more things for the little gift-shop.

First up is this little item, or "Green Machine" as we've decided to call it. I know you know a bit about the future and these strange things called computers. I believe that some of our current compatriots call them Difference Engines. I haven't had the heart to tell them that the ones I've seen in the future aren't steam-powered. Still, if you take a nice big hammer to them, there are some very pretty things inside. It would be fun even if there weren't pretty things inside; you know me and hammers!

The Prof says this piece is called a hard disc reader head. I know it doesn't look like a head or like it can read, but I thought the ribbons and the little beads made it much more presentable to the library types, particularly Sir JJ and Miss Homewood (and I don't think it would be interested in Sir JJ's secret stash of very nice whisky, unlike some of his other readers. Hic!)

Anyway, its available here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33224817

And then there's this one: Time Flies. Not all of the bits of clock we got from the Rummage Man were in tip-top condition; even though I felt a bit sorry for this watch-face as its seen better days, I still think its very pretty. Its such a lovely colour under that enamel; maybe true beauty does lie within?

The shiny circular piece the Prof assures me is a hard disc spindle thing. No idea what one of them does, but its got some very useful holes in it for putting ribbons through. And the little dragonfly liked it so much when he came to see what I was doing, he asked if he could stay.

Its available here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33225023

Some of the other reader heads that we recovered from more old computers the Prof found in a wonderful yellow boaty called, I believe, in the local parlance a "skip", weren't as pretty as the one above. In fact, the only pretty thing in them was the copper coily; not only is it a very pleasing shape, there's a class of butterflies called Coppers, or Lycaenae.

Well, if there's butterflies involved (however tenuously) you know I'm your Pixie! So I snapped them out of their ugly surrounds, polished them up and added some pretty Chinesey beads and a few cogs for good measure.

They're next to the candyfloss at: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33225252

There is one other piece of jewellery that I've made, but this one has sort of already been commissioned (along with three more pairs). At a different point in the future I found these natty little glass tubes. They had a rather boring wire in them, but I managed to pull the caps off a few and soon remedied that. I've called them "Blown a Fuse", although the Prof looked at me really archly when I did and muttered something about "more like a gasket...". Do you think I should have words with him, Em? Or was he making another odd Circus-type joke, do you think? (For odd, please read not funny)

I await your answer as to whether or not Snorty and I should take him in hand. Give my love to Mr Worthers

Fuschia

Apologies on Flutterby Wings

Dear Lady E,

Um, sorry about the whole, er, Miss, thing. I'm sure you understand, being a bit Fae yourself, that these human appellations are very confusing, especially when they seem to change them at the drop of a hat. Or maybe that should be heart...

You're not going to be offended by me calling you a lady, are you? 'Cos I can be much more insulting if you like.

Any road up, I've been busy again, as the latest daguerrotype shows. This one is for me and was really a test piece to see if these interesting ground sections from the Clock Man's clock would work as pendant bases. I think you now know the answer to that.

It was also interesting in terms of technique and the order you should or shouldn't do things. I was gluing a whole load of bits and bobs together, so popped this one into the pile. However, trying to do the wiring after the gluing was a bit of a duff idea. No, it was a lot of a duff idea, 'specially when the holes are so small and all the bits are really close together.

Still, it didn't suffer that much from me having too many thumbs today. I blame Snorty; I had to assist the Prof giving him an oil change and my thumbs are still a bit sore from all the nuts and bolts I had to tweak and preen. Mustn't grumble, though - Snorty's humming away nicely and I have a very interesting necklace (even if I do say so myself)!

Now all I need to do is purchase some pretty ribbons and some crimps and I can finish the rest of the pendants for the gift shop.

And thank you for the special tea; most restorative!

Love
F