The Girdle of Melian

ongs of Summer! A while ago, we had a Songs of Summer blogfest. I looked at my old post and it was riddled with other things in and around the songs, so the time has come for a new post! The original guide was: "Post your top five favorite summer songs, and explain why they're you're favourites. My songs at the time (three songs and two albums) were: The Divine Comedy - The Pop Singer's Fear of the Pollen Count It's about summer! What more could you ask for? "I'm in love with the summertime..." Margarita, by Whisky Trench Riders Romance by the sea... Idlewild - You Held the World In Your Arms You know how sometimes you hear a song and you have no idea what it is or who sings it but you must find out? This happened to me over a decade ago with this band, with this song. And it was summertime! Sezen Aksu - the album Gülümse The first song on this album was a huge hit in Turkey many summers ago, and Sezen Aksu herself is one of...

ook reviews! I'm going to try to collate a fewof my short reviews from the past few months. This doesn't cover all the books we've all been reading, because it's so difficult to keep up with the Books Read list! Among other books (and lots of comic book rereads, Far Side, Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes, Tintin, Asterix, etc), older kiddo is reading The Mysterious Benedict Society series and younger kiddo is reading the Animorphs series. The last post in the Books Read series was a month ago! We loved the Buttons McGinty series by Rhys Darby, and really loved all the Patrice Lawrence we read. Katherine Applegate, Martha Wells, TJ Klune , Louise Penny, Catherine Mack... I'd recommend them all for summertime reading! Or wintertime cosy reading if you're not in summer. Lots of great Canadian authors to add to that list, too! Kait Nolan 's latest is releasing this weekend! The final book in the Hatterwick Island series; each book can be read as a standalone...

oday is ISWG Day! Insecure Writer's Support Group Today is Insecure Writer's Support Group Day! Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting! Let’s rock the neurotic writing world! The awesome co-hosts for the June 3 posting of the IWSG are Shannon Lawrence , Diedre Knight , Liza , and Pat Garcia ! Every month, we announce a question...

wiss Day! and Yorkshire Day! Both are on 1 August! I've posted lots of photos from each place over the years; here are a few! A story snip and Holmfirth photos Swiss National Day! Photos of the Yorkshire Dales Photos for Swiss National Day Summer Fire Publication Anniversary and England Photos A Perfect Swiss Day New photos! A Swiss artist, flowers, and Lake Geneva/Lac Leman! What have you been celebrating?

nother photo post for summertime! Art by the seven-year-old, inspired by Keith Haring A Lego vending machine Butterflies Save the wolves Art by Monica Byrne ! Beach! Rainbow pebbles Swift! Heron! How to fold an origami paper crane... Why, yes, I've finally gotten the Merlin app. So many birds I didn't know I was hearing, like the Serin. And one thing I've discovered is that one of my favourite birds, which I've been calling a turtledove all this time, is actually the wood pigeon! There's also a fun app called Roost, in which you can send messages via birds, and they take as long to arrive as the bird takes to fly to your destination. If anyone's on there, come join me! Which game apps do you play on?

unshine! Fruits! Jasmine! Borage! Sheep and goats Village! Farmland, Lac Leman, Alps The sprinkler! I've also downloaded the Merlin app and I've been learning a bit more about the birds in our neighbourhood! My favourite remains the wood pigeon (which I was accidentally calling a turtledove all this time!) Which birds do you love listening to?