Thursday, September 12, 2024

Update #2 - September 2024

 Not much progress on Well of Wisdom in the last week, as I've been busy with layout for Oak Leaves due to having received the last submissions I was expecting. That is mostly done now, bar the proofreading and the last couple of articles, so maybe I can go back to my writing this week, where Gwernin and his friends have reached King Suibne's home. We'll now see what has developed there in the last 6 years since The Fallen Stones

The weather has settled in as autumn, with a few hot days followed by milder ones and cool nights - my morning outside temperatures have been around 50 F at dawn. Ruay has been enjoying his outside mornings, although of course he gets less time on farmers' markets days. And I have blooming morning glories here, there, and almost everywhere in my back yard - some consolation for no vegetable garden this year!

Thursday, September 5, 2024

Update #1 - September 2024

 A cool, cloudy, damp morning after last night's rain. The seasons are definitely changing - one of the Virginia creeper leaves outside my bedroom window is showing color. Too wet outside for yard work today, so I should get a little more writing done. 1,049 words so far on chapter 18, mostly last Thursday and Friday. 

The weekends start with trips to the farmers' markets, and Sunday afternoon was taken up by the on-line class I've been taking with the Angelsey Druid Order. Monday through Wednesday I did yard work in the mornings, and I also spent a lot of time doing layout for Oak Leaves magazine. That is mostly done until I get the last couple of articles I'm expecting, so I plan to work on my own writing today <grin>. And I also need to work on preparation for my talk at our October retreat, the subject of which this year is Sacred Darkness, and read the new book on Fourknocks that I just got from Anthony Murphy in order to review it... September is always a busy month for me, but more so than usual this year!

Thursday, August 29, 2024

Update #5 - August 2024

 Milder weather, and I finally got a little writing done. I finished chapter 17 (at last!) and have started chapter 18, which will take Gwernin and company on the road again, heading west on the way to Cruachan and Oweynagat. They are taking Fráechán with them as one of their bardic company, rather as they did in The Fallen Stones, since Druids are becoming less popular but bards are always well received, especially Master Bards such as Taliesin.

No mundane problems this last week, for which I thank the Gods. Looking forward to September and cooler weather. At least the days are getting shorter; Ruay now wakes me up at 6:15 a.m. rather than 5:30!

Thursday, August 22, 2024

Update #4 - August 2024

 Once again, not much writing progress due to various distractions plus hot weather. I went out Saturday morning to start the pickup for our weekly farmers market run, and when I turned the key, nothing happened. Not a light, not a crank, nothing. I checked under the hood, and everything looked OK. My local garage is closed on weekends, so I waited till Monday. Talked to them and to my insurance, and after a lot of phone calls and texts, eventually had the pickup towed to the garage. The tow truck guy confirmed the battery was dead, and jump started the pickup to get it out of the driveway and into the alley so he could load it. I didn't want to take a chance of it stalling on the way to the garage, and I knew my insurance should cover it.

It was indeed just the dead battery, although they found and fixed another unrelated minor problem. That took care of most of my week, as I was too stressed to concentrate on writing. I also spent a fair amount of the mornings on yard work to make sure the city inspector who had cited me for tall weeds last month would be happy when he finally got back to take another look. (He was.) So all and all, I hope to finally get back to work. The weather should be cooler this week too, which will help.

Thursday, August 15, 2024

Update #3 - August 2024

 Some writing progress for a change - I've finally finished the interior Mac Criomthann story for chapter 17 bar a little tweaking, and should finish the rest of the chapter in the next couple of days. Then Gwernin and friends will be traveling again, taking Fráechán with them. They will be revisiting some of the places in the north which Gwernin visited in The Fallen Stones, but in the opposite direction, starting with Oweynagat. I doubt I will finish the book this year because I have other projects in September and October, but it is what it is. 

In the meantime I'm putting in an hour or so of morning yard work most days. I mowed the back yard this morning, and it now looks quite presentable - a big change from the overgrown hay field of two months ago! Front yard again next week...

Friday, August 9, 2024

Update #2 - August 2024

 Sigh. No writing progress this past week, although the weather is finally cooler after a scorching weekend. Wetter, too - heavy thunderstorms on a couple of days. I did get the front yard mowed before the rains started; the back yard needs it too, but is too wet at the moment. 

Aside from weather and other distractions and errands, including shuttling my and Rowen's cats to the vet for their overdue annual exams, I am stalled at the moment because in this chapter Fráechán is telling us a new Mac Criomthann story, and that takes more creativity and concentration on my part than just straightforward narrative. I have the beginning; I just have to apply myself and get on with it. Well, this morning is cool and so far quiet...



Thursday, August 1, 2024

Update #1 - August 2024

 Another hot week with not much writing done. I've been doing some yard work that should have been done earlier in the summer, and have had to work on the main part of it (overgrown veg on the south side of the house) between about 6:30 and 7:30 am, before the sunlight gets to that area. Next week should be cooler, thank the Gods, and I can finally get the lawn mower through to the weeds in the front yard.

We'll be celebrating Lughnasadh here on Saturday, but it's officially today. On the old Celtic calendar, this is the first day of autumn, and the end of the first grain harvest. I always get a little confused by people calling it the middle of summer - that was 6 weeks ago. We are losing almost 2 minutes of daylight every day now, which is pleasant because my orange cat Ruay doesn't start trying to get me up until almost 6 am <grin>.

Hoping to make more writing progress next week...

Thursday, July 25, 2024

Update #4 - July 2024

 Not much progress this week - some re-reading, and thinking, and a small amount of new writing. I need to focus more on that, but there keep being distractions.

After a cool but busy weekend, the weather has warmed up again, but that's July. Garden-wise, I have been running a sprinkler in my back yard to try and get things cooler and greener, helped by some good rain last Saturday night. At least the days are getting shorter, and my orange cat Ruay doesn't try to get me up quite as early - sometimes not before 6 a.m.

Thursday, July 18, 2024

July 2024 - Update #3

 I was busy this morning with yard work, and forgot it was Thursday. I'm slowly mowing parts of the overgrown back yard on mild mornings. Last weekend, on the other hand, was too hot for any outside work (highs around 100 F), although we did manage an early visit to the Sunday Pearl Street Farmer's market, plus a couple more stops. I have an unusual problem - while I wasn't driving this spring and early summer, some wasps established themselves under the hood of the truck. We did manage to leave a few behind on our travels, but the problem is far from solved...

No appreciable progress on the book this last week - partly due to the above mentioned weather, partly other things. Somewhat cooler weather for the next week, so I'm hoping to get going again. A teaser from the beginning of chapter 17:

That evening when much of the food had been served and was being eaten, Fráechán stood up at his head table and circled around to the performer’s spot by one of the fires in front of it. He was wearing again his forest-green robe, and the torch- and firelight shone in his long silver hair and short beard. I noticed that he was once again wearing his sling, and remembered that Taliesin and Ianto had checked his hand again after our return from the Hag’s Chair.

The folk in the hall gradually quietened as he stood waiting for their attention. At last, when he had his desired silence, he said with a smile, “I have been asked by one of our visitors to tell a tale tonight.” He paused, then went on slowly.

“This is a tale of magic, which happened long ago in this very place. Some of you have heard tales of Mac Criomthann, the British-born Druid who came here to study the magical arts at Emain Macha, for there was then no man left in all of Britain who could teach them to him in their entirety...

Thursday, July 11, 2024

July 2024 - Update #2

 Progress! I've finally finished proofing the first half of the book, and have started on chapter 17. Slowly, I admit, but it's progress. In the first half of this chapter, Fráechán tells a story of Mac Criomthann and the Sliabh na Caillí. I thought of this piece while I was ill and made some rough notes - now to turn it into a proper story. 

Hot and dry weather continues, with three days of 100 deg. F highs forecast for this weekend. After that we might get a break. I hope so!