SoSS – August

And so to August, still summer but with days that are now noticeably shorter, the month in which, in the words of Vernon Scannell,  “the windows of the inn rehearse the winter welcome” . We are now well into the second half of 2020 knowing that 2021 gives us more grounds for fear than for hope. We are also a year on from the Government’s ultimately thwarted attempt to prorogue Parliament to deny our elected representatives the opportunity to challenge their attempts to leave the EU without any kind of deal but it is clear that the populist coup, stalled then, is gaining momentum, with the country effectively being run by an unelected adviser and people like Claire Fox, defender of paedophiles and holocaust denier, being made unelected members of  the legislature. Meanwhile the Government’s utter incompetence in managing the COVID 19 pandemic means that we remain in semi lockdown limbo with no prospect of a return to normality any time soon. We are living in dark times and I have really been struggling with my mental health. I guess I am not the only one. This has made writing all the more important to me. It has also been reading the work of others that has helped to keep me going.  Here are some of the things that I have particularly enjoyed in August.

August 1st is the national day in Switzerland and also Yorkshire. There is actually a Little Switzerland near Hebden Bridge where Yorkshire resident Swiss people used to gather on that day to celebrate, so there is a kind of link between the two. So this by Focused and Filthy from the first Sinful Sunday of the month seems a good way to start this roundup.

May More wrote about personal growth and the lessons of lockdown here

As a female dominant myself this  by Modest Abaze had a definite appeal. In fact I can identify with both participants in this scene!

The first Wicked Wednesday theme of the month was Loony Tunes, no, not the doings of the UK Government, but actual cartoons, and I enjoyed this from the Sassy Sub daily

Meanwhile the new Quote Quest meme continues to provide both interesting quotes ad really interesting posts. The first quote of the month concerned freedom and I was not surprised to see some interesting discussions about BDSM and freedom, and particularly what is, to people outside the scene the paradox of freedom being attained through submission and servitude.  To me this is not a paradox at all.  If being able to be your true self and being nurtured in this by a loving and supportive dominant is not freedom then what is? Victoria Blisse discusses this beautifully in this post.

I love old cemeteries, the ones where you can barely read the inscriptions on moss covered headstones that lean at alarming angles, where you have to watch very carefully where you place your feet, the ones where you would not want to be after nightfall. Such cemeteries also make wonderful settings for photographs. This shot of Honey by Exposing 40 is amazing.

Delphine’s school adventures continue with the latest chapter by Posy Churchgate.

Starcross reflects here on the approaching end of a relationship. His and K’s time together was limited by lockdown and I know he feared they might part without seeing each other in person. I am really happy for both of them that they have been able to enjoy fun times together. But parting is always hard.

Girl on the Net has just been through a breakup herself and writes about breakup nightmares here.

A Sinful Sunday highlight of August was this Triptychin Lace shot by Exposing 40.  I understand that one Twitter user didn’t like it but I guess you can’t please everyone. I found it really hot.

It is always good to come across new blogs and I enjoyed this by A Practical Sub, which brilliantly conveys the power that a scene can have, and the subspace that follows.

I am taking part in May More’s new venture, an erotica relay. May started off the story here and Cousin Pons continued it here.

And guess what? Tabitha Rayne makes the earth move!

And so on to food. I finally got to go to Padstow in 2009 and a delight it was. We didn’t eat at THE Rick Stein restaurant although we did go to his fish and chip restaurant and one of his bistros which was both excellent and reasonably priced. The dominance of his empire also serves to set a high bar for everyone else in the town and the best meal we had was actually at a non-Rick place whose name I now forget. I had monkfish with butternut squash risotto and have managed to recreate it at home with passable results.

For the risotto this recipe by Tom Kerridge works well.

The fish is the easy bit. Place an anchovy on each monkfish tail, fold it , wrap it in pancetta and  secure with a tooth pick or similar. Season and place in an oiled, ovenproof dish. Place a few baby plum tomatoes around the fish, place in the oven (pre heated to Gas Matk 5) and heat at Gas Mark 5 for about 45 minutes. Arrange on top of the risotto and serve. This goes really well with an Alsace Gewurztraminer.