Update #1 - October 2024

 Another week with no writing progress. I might get going again around Samhain, sigh. Finished the winter issue for OL, and started gathering material for the spring issue. Two more issues to go...

The weather has been nice, although last night's low was 39 F. Morning glories are nervous...

Update #4 - September 2024

 No writing progress this last week. The weekend was busy - Autumn Equinox celebration, last Anglesey Druid class, and of course farmers' markets in the morning. Then the first half of this week I was busy writing a book review on Anthony Murphy's new book Fourknocks: Archaeology, Astronomy and Mythology and tweaking a couple of other things for Oak Leaves. That's almost finished, but now I need to develop a presentation for our October Rocky Mountain Retreat on Sacred Darkness which is coming up in three weeks. After that I can finally get back on track with Gwernin and company... Clearly this book won't be finished this year - maybe by Beltane.

After a couple of cool days and nights, the weather is warming up again as it often does at the end of September here. At least the cool spell wasn't cold enough to produce frost this time as it does some years, although I had a low of 40 F one morning, and the morning glory blossoms were more purple than blue for a couple of days.

Update #3 - September 2024

 Very little writing in the last week - I've been spending mornings doing yard work and/or more stuff for Oak Leaves. There probably won't be much progress for a while since I need to read and review a book, followed by preparing my presentation for our October Retreat. This coming weekend is already busy - in addition to the farmers' markets, we'll be celebrating Autumn Equinox here Saturday evening, and Sunday afternoon will be the last of the 12 classes I've been taking with the Anglesey Druid Order. Maybe I can sneak in a few words after that - some of it is cut and paste descriptions from The Fallen Stones, plus possibly a little more from
The King's Druid as Fráechán and Taliesin tell us things Gwernin didn't previously know.

The weather is definitely turning autumnal - 42 F today at sunrise, and more cool weather coming. I actually turned the furnace on briefly this morning to make sure it was working. The time of overnight window fans has come to an end, although I won't put them away yet.

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!

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!

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!

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.

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...

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...

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...