Yesterday, my server/host was apparently migrating accounts to a new system or something or other (after a bit, my brain shuts down all technical info.) That caused the blog to be down for some of you, which happened west to east through several time zones, which is why some of you saw “This account has been suspended” messages before I did. Not a good choice as it made us all look like we had done something wrong. I was also – and still am – dealing with a problem with the email associated with this blog. I’m not getting any of your comments sent to me, my replies aren’t being sent to you, and I’m not receiving warnings about attempts to hack the blog. That is still a problem and I have to call someone and deal with it today, though the tech I spoke to yesterday suspected it had to do with the migration. But, the blog is back up and running, and the other problem still exists.

The tech aspects of this blog can be exhausting. Anyway. I don’t think you’ll be receiving my replies in the near future until this gets ironed out, so just check back in later in the day to join in the conversation. Thanks for your patience!

I coached Ben yesterday and dealt with all the blog craziness, and in the middle of it all, this package arrived from Minsk, in Belarus. For quite a while, I was worried whether it would actually get here! What do you think was inside?

Meet Imogen! I’m besotted, my friends. I first saw her on Etsy and I fell in love with her gamine look. I couldn’t get her out of my mind. She has the most beautiful eyes, though I’m only showing you one set today. This is exactly how she came to me – in this outfit, with the bunny in her arms. The seller also included another dress, a hat, and a chocolate bar from Belarus with all the text in Russian.

I’ve always loved the name Imogen. She’s a character in Shakespeare’s Cymbeline, which is where I first fell in love with the name. And there are actresses and famous photographers with that name. Truth be told, when I looked at her on Etsy, I knew that would be her name.

I’m so glad she’s here!

Sophie, ever cautious and shy, watched me unwrap her. And then they met.

Sophie seems to be saying “Who IS this?”

But soon enough, I could hear laughter from the den.

Imogen has faint freckles on her forehead.

There’s a whole world of “Blythe” body adaptions out there. Sophie has the standard body and her head doesn’t tilt at all. So that makes photographing her somewhat challenging, as her head tilts down a bit. Imogen came with what is called a neck adapter or neck joint, which is added to the original neck to brace the head and make it possible for the head to tilt forward, back and to the sides.

I have plans to adapt Sophie’s body and neck in the future. That’s a whole other conversation: what bodies to use, what neck adapters. Some of the videos I’ve watched are very helpful, but I’m also a bit wary of trying anything too risky. But, then again, I am used to cutting and building and adapting, so I suspect I’ll be fine.

It’s fun to have two of them to play with. Part of the fun is dressing them in the scads of clothes available out there and posing them for photographs. Some Blythe owners take such inventive photographs.

Okay. I have to coach Ben at one, have to figure out the situation with the email on my blog, blah, blah, blah.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.