Vinci!!!

Wow! There are so many posts lately that are photo heavy (between the homework assignments and the conjuring study session), and the next few will be no exception!

(On a side note, the lovely Clara Clovenhoof, Slytherin HoH, waited for me to return from my vacation to duel together...and I won!)

So to begin the tales of my latest adventures...the drive to Vinci was long! I was following someone else, so as to not get lost, and it was a little stressful! Between the weekend traffic, the crazy Italian drivers (they drive very fast!), and when we entered the Tuscan region, the curvy roads! I wished I could have been a passenger instead of a driver so that I could have enjoyed the view and taken pictures along the way. That's okay. Maybe next time. ;) (Because I am definitely going back!) It's too bad it was a Muggle resort, otherwise I'd have Apparated there instead! So the whole first day was consumed with the drive and then getting checked in and settled into our apartment (that's right....not hotel room....a villa apartment! Complete with a full kitchen and everything!). That evening we had a local chef come in and cook us a Tuscan meal. (I got a couple of pics of the tasty food, but after the first couple, I was too busy taking care of the boys and eating to continue!!!) Now for the pics:

The view from our kitchen window

The view from the villa's courtyard (I LOVE hillside vineyards!)

The poltergeists splashing their feet in the pool

The appetizer platter

A cheese crepe-ish dish (VERY delish!)

The view from standing outside the front door to our apartment

A Tuscan sunset (I'm thinking this is great inspiration for a dyeing expidition!)

Care of Magical Creatures

Originality marker:

Part 1:

Describe and Explain 5 items that you would use for the care of Magical Creatures.

Mitts (for handling dragon eggs after the mother has breathed on it) with a heavy anti-burn charm on them

Bowtruckle Grabbers (to hold a bowtruckle behind the head after giving it wood lice in order to get wand wood from the tree it is protecting) with a sticky charm on it to prevent the bowtruckle from squirming out from the grip

Nargle Transporter (to capture nargles after spotting them with spectrespecs, and then release them into the wild where they cannot turn witch and wizard brains all fuzzy) with a sealing charm to keep the nargles from escaping prematurely

Pixie Corraler (to knock cornish pixies unconscious in order to move them from one place to another) with a softening charm, so that although they are knocked out, the blow is pillowed to avoid abuse to the creatures, and they feel no pain.

Vertical assistant (to help those, such as gnomes, house elves, and goblins reach higher or to see over tall counters while having something solid under their feet) with an optional levitation charm to reach even higher and then safely return back to solid ground.

Part 2:

1. Please describe the physical appearance of a house elf. House elves are typically scrawny, with ears that are proportionally large and floppy for their little bodies, and have large, bulbous eyes, typically in a yellowish hue. They tend to wear simple garments that look like a pillowcase (which have a habit of getting quite filthy!) as a mark of their enslavement.


2. Kreacher is the house elf of which wizarding family? Kreacher is the House Elf of the Black family, and he was passed on from Sirius to Harry

3. What is Hermione Granger making for the house elves? knitted hats

4. How do you free a house elf? You present it with a piece of clothing (which is why Hermione is making the hats; she intends to free the House Elves of Hogwarts without their knowledge of her having done so)

5. What does S.P.E.W. stand for? The Society for Promotion of Elvish Welfare (or, as in our swap, The Society for Promotion of Excellent Wearables)


Part 3:

Under the Tuscan Sun!!!

Wow! In less than 24 hours, I will be on my way to the beautiful Italian region of Tuscany!!! True to my Ravenclaw nature, I have researched the area, and there are far too many things to see in the 5 days that we'll be there! (Though Santa Croce is at the top of my list!) I am so very, very excited! Hopefully, the poltergeists will behave themselves and we can all have a great time! (I think it will help that we're taking this trip with other spouses from Mr. Bagnold's squadron that are deployed as well...they know the other kids that are going, already, too!) I can't wait to share all the pictures I will be taking! (And I intend to take MANY!) But before I can dive in to my Tuscany preparations, I must delve into the mundane tasks first...like laundry...But I now have an opportunity to try out my brand new wand!

I'm rather proud of my new wand. :D It's the result of the conjuration study group I had last night with Poppy and Meladia. :D (Here is my wand with the 2 that Mel made...):

Maybe I can get my wand to help me with the folding (as that's what takes the longest in the process of laundry!)...hmmm. Then it's back home to pack the bags and load up the car for the adventure that begins tomorrow!!! I can hardly wait! :D

Transfiguration and Charms

I'm so excited! I love homework! (Honest!) In fact, I'm so excited that I'm participating in this week's activity, even though I'm the one that assigned it! I even already have 4 of them completed on the first night! (I will be adding more as I complete them.)

Here is my originality marker!:

Bowtruckle

Animatus Brindilla!

 

Rememberall

Addica Memorious!

 

Golden Snitch

Creatorium Snitch!

 

Hagrid's Rock Cakes

Consumera Terra!

 

Decoy Detonator

Distractus Mobilia!

Nose-Biting Teacup

Pranksterium Tassa!

Spectrespecs

Vista Expandium!

Time Turner

Modifica Tempo!

My Top 3....

So the whole theme of this term is going to revolve around specific characters in the Harry Potter-verse. Quite honestly, I didn't even need 3 choices. LOL Hermione is me. I am Hermione. No lie, my brother read the Harry Potter books and told me when he read some of her comments (specifically, "Now I'm going to bed before either of you come up with another plan to get us killed...or worse, expelled.") he began to wonder at what point in my life I had met J.K. Rowling and why she based a character on me...So when I had to create a Potter name for the swap, it was a no-brainer: Hermione. Except I couldn't be Granger, so I settled for Bagnold (which actually has a nice ring to it, in my mind...). Then when it was released that we pick 3 characters to give our spoilers some options, I admit it, I was a little disheartened. I wanted a Hermione kit. Not any other! So for my three choices, I put Hermione, Hermione and Hermione! LOL She's smart, very book-ish, grades and school are very important to her, and I am very much like her in many ways, even down to how she can get a bit snobbish and stubborn when she knows she's right about something (regardless of whether she actually is or not...like about Draco Malfoy being a Death Eater...).

However....in reading all the other options everyone else chose....well, I suppose I could be a little more lenient. I do need to set a good example, being Head of House and all...So in thinking a bit more on it, I suppose it wouldn't kill me to get a Tonks kit (I love her Metamorphmagus abilities and her clumsiness...I can relate to the latter...) or even a Fleur kit (I'm only obsessed with all things France, and my favorite color, blue, is the whole of the Beauxbatons uniforms...). So even though I really stressed I wanted a Hermione kit, and even though over half this post is about wanting a Hermione kit, I know that Rowan will do an amazing job in selecting the elements and will surprise me with a fantastic kit, no matter who she chooses to base it on! :)