The Girdle of Melian

ew books! Baby It's Cold Outside by Kait Nolan An Eden's Ridge / Misfit Inn Novella A runaway author Ivy Blake is on a deadline. Actually, she’s past the deadline and desperate to find some peace, quiet, and inspiration to get her book back on track. She doesn’t plan on a Tennessee blizzard or the bear that causes her to crash. A grumpy lumberjack Harrison Wilkes isn’t actually a lumberjack, but he’s doing his best impression during this week away from real life. He needs to rest, recharge, and stay the hell away from people, while he makes some major life decisions. He doesn’t plan to be executing a snowbound rescue. Is it getting hot in here? When Winter Stormageddon traps Ivy and Harrison together, suddenly his one-man cabin feels more cramped than cozy. As more than the fireplace heats things up, Harrison’s starting to think the interruption to his solitude might be worth it. Will the grumpy lumberjack prove to be inspiration or distraction? La...

urns Night is coming up! I've had some posts on this topic over the years. There was one in which I waxed poetic about discovering lost manuscripts , another in which I shared a photo of Allan Scott-Dougla s, who plays Jamie in Outlander the musical, another with Andy Stewart singing Johnny Cope , and one in which I mentioned listening to an LP of Burns' poetry . We left all our records behind when we moved, sadly. This year I have a poem I just discovered, Winter Evening by Archibald Lampman. And I've got lots of music! I've got playlists for two Scottish bands: Runrig Idlewild I've got a few other Scottish artists scattered throughout my playlists, including Big Country , Nazareth , The Vaselines , Orange Juice , Simple Minds , and Donovan . But I also recently went back to a band I've liked for years, and just discovered that they have a new album out! Cousteau This is the tracklisting from the promotional EP through which I...

odge podge, number four in a series. My last hodge podge post , full of little tit bits, was back in July. First, my ROW80 goals: enter handwritten edits to The Handful of Time (working title) and reread: first part, done! Now to start the reread query Druid's Moon : not done yet query The Charm of Time : started! I've got a draft query letter and synopsis keep editing Mystery at Bertram's Hotel (working title) on paper: done! Now to enter all these changes... back to school!: must do this week's homework! Second, my 30 Things I Want To Do list. I'm not going to update the list just yet, but I will note that of the bands I wanted to see, I had a chance to see The Divine Comedy last year, and have a chance to see Runrig this year, and I didn't attend last year and may not attend this year. Is it bad to want to go back in time and see bands when they were touring the albums you loved? To not be as excited by their new songs? I really wanted to...

nitting round-up for year's end! Last year my goals were to knit some wee hats and booties to go with the baby blankets I'd made. I never actually did this. My other goals were: "1. Finish knitting three more cowls 2. Think about buying expensive wool to make, slowly, methodically, and properly, a gorgeous design by Kate Davies 3. Organise all our photos and print a few, especially for our grandparents 4. Bake more!" Number 1 never happened. I still dream about number 2. I sort of did number 3, especially as I didn't mean "our" grandparents, I meant our daughter's grandparents. I made two photobooks, but it's already time for the next one. Number 4 sort of happened, except that I haven't really tried any new recipes, but stuck to old favourites. I posted a brief update in March, that I'd started a baby hat for a gift. Later, I shared the photo , as I actually finished it! Some of my other posts throughout the year: Phot...

oday is the day to toast Tolkien! Here's the info from the Tolkien Society : "To celebrate Tolkien’s twelfty-sixth (126th) birthday on 3 January 2018, The Tolkien Society invites all Tolkien fans to raise a toast to the Professor. Let everyone know what you’ll be drinking and where in the comments below, and share your pictures on social media using #TolkienBirthdayToast. The Toast After Bilbo left the Shire on his eleventy-first birthday in The Lord of the Rings, Frodo toasted his uncle’s birthday each year on 22 September. J.R.R. Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein on 3 January 1892, and we invite you to celebrate the birthday of this much loved author by raising a glass at 9pm your local time. The toast is simply: The Professor! All you need to do is stand, raise a glass of your choice of drink (not necessarily alcoholic), and say the words “The Professor” before taking a sip (or swig, if that’s more appropriate for your drink). Sit and enjoy the rest of you...