>So I followed through on the suggestion to re-design the blog around Pippi, or at least her coloring. I fiddled with the old template for awhile and then decided that it wasn’t working with the new colors. But then I found this template, changed a few things a bit, and added the background picture. I know I don’t work on things ecclesiastical or monastic, but the picture, which I took in the ruins of Battle Abbey, goes so well with the template colors, and I just like its lines. I’ve especially always liked the way vaulted roofs like this look like plants sprouting out of their support columns. And hey, it’s medieval.
What do you think? Any suggestions? I think I might change the post titles to something darker and richer — maybe a dark red. They’re a little washed out now. Done!
Quod She 2.0 
>wow, the colors are very warm now. I also do like the lines on that picture.
>Ooh! Pretty pretty!
>Looks great. — a non-scoldy Jeffrey Cohen
>Jeffrey, are you *sure* it’s not too soothing? Really??? Are sure you won’t fall asleep when you come here?And Night Magiks, welcome! And Flavia, thanks!
>I like it! It’s not too soothing. Orange – even a muted sort of terra cotta orange, is energizing!
>I like the appearance and all, but while lots of people have big header pictures, I always find it a bit jarring to go to a blog and find that a picture is taking up 75% of the screen, and that I can see about four lines of text below it. I’m wondering if a narrow strip would be enough to reflect the vaulted columns.Or is it possibly just my machine that shows these very big pictures for some reason?I really want a bigger monitor.
>Dance, I think the blog template assumes big monitors — it makes the picture a standard size, and it doesn’t look nearly as big on Bullock’s widescreen monitor as it does on my laptop.I’ve been kind of figuring out how to futz with the HTML on other elements that weren’t options in the customizable options, so maybe I can figure this one out, too.
>Dance — I couldn’t figure out how to do it in the HTML commands (I found the command for the width, but not height of the picture) so I cropped the original picture to something like widescreen TV porportions. I think it makes a small difference. What do you think? I might play with it more.
>I like the new duds – and I *love* Battle Abbey (and the little restaurant across the square where I once had enough ham and brie on a sandwich to give a horse an immediate heart attack). The abbey is beautiful – as is the new blog template!
>Very nice. If this blog were an actual room where I could put up my feet and read, then I would do all of my reading here. The room should have a nice dog to match…
>Oooh, I like.
>Dr V, the picture definitely made a difference on my machine. It’s now only taking up about 1/2 of my 15-in laptop (relatively widescreen), much less jarring.If it were my blog, I’d probably crop more off the top, but that’s kinda the premier arch in front there, and it looks good as is. 🙂
>Good Job! 🙂