Update #2 - August 2025

 Slow progress on Chapter 31, which is the last one. Very hot weather yesterday and today doesn't help. I'm currently tinkering with a praise song; once that's finished the rest should fall into place. Then I can start proofreading the whole manuscript. I'm still looking for anyone who'd like to help with that. It would be a matter of noticing any typos or inconsistencies, nothing technical.

The intermittent very hot days (upper 90s) have not helped the gardening, although the beans seem to like it. Of the eight tomato plants I started with, three have died, all large fruit types, but the sweet 100s, romas, and purple topped ones are now being very productive, and I am finally getting the occasional zucchini. I haven't had appreciable rain since early June, which is a bit unusual - there are thunderstorms from time to time, but they go around me. At least we're almost halfway through August.

Update #1 - August 2025

 I finished Chapter 30 yesterday, which took Gwernin and his friends to the Well of Wisdom, also called Segais, which is the source of the Boyne. There were interesting revelations <grin>. I've also started work on Chapter 31, the last one in the book, which will take everyone home. After that I get to read my way through the whole 350+ page manuscript, looking for typos, inconsistencies, or just things that could be phrased better. Anyone want to join in the fun?

This week has been dry and very hot, but things should at least cool off some starting Saturday. I'm still running a sprinkler in the back most evenings, which helps some. The garden is mostly doing well - lots of purple podded beans and sweet 100 tomatoes. The romas and the basil are also thriving, and the zucchinis may finally produce a couple of zuchs. I've had some nocturnal raccoon visits, but no appreciable damage so far - I think they come partly for water from the bird bath and an easy path from the alley to the street since I don't have privacy fences like everyone else in the block.

update #5 - July 2025

 I finally finished chapter 29, and have made a tentative start on chapter 30, slowed down by some not very successful research and a need to take a break in this week's milder weather. Since I couldn't find exact information on the location on the physical source of the Boyne, I will make some assumptions and go on from there. I tried to find it on one of my trips, but it's apparently on private land and inaccessible to wandering tourists. Topo maps only help so much.

After last weekend's upper 90s, the mid to lower 80s of the last few days are a welcome break. It did take a couple of days to get the house cooled down, and it won't last, but it's wonderful right now. The beans are doing great and setting beans, most of the tomatoes (but not all) are doing well, and the basil is happy. With August starting tomorrow, we're at the end of the Celtic summer, but not alas the Colorado one. 

 

Update #4 - July 2025

 Chapter 29 is about half done, partly through using descriptions of places earlier in the book. Gwernin et al have arrived at Bru na Boinne, and there is about to be excitement. The weather is cooler today, so I can probably finish most of the chapter -- I've had the central part of it in my mind long enough, after all!

We badly need some rain, but the beans, tomatoes, etc are doing well. I've been running a sprinkler in the back in the evening some days, but at least such grass as is left in the front isn't growing and therefore doesn't need to be mowed. Lots of birds in the back most of the time -- yesterday the 4 flickers and sometimes 5 or 6 bluejays were here at once. The flicker family is out there now going to it on the suet cake!
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Update #3 - July 2025

 Finally finished chapter 28 ("A Triple Death"), and made at least a start on chapter 29 (tentatively titled "A Last Fence"). This takes Gwernin et al back to Bru na Boinne, where some exciting things are set to happen. After that, one more chapter ("The Well of Wisdom") before Gwernin and Ianto go home. Slightly cooler weather helps since I had to write two praise songs for Taliesin and Fraechan to sing in a competition at the Tailtiu Oenach, which took some concentration.

Gardening is going well, despite Japanese beetles on some of the bean leaves. At least slug damage is now minimal. The tomatoes are mostly setting heavily, so I should have ripe ones before long. And one zucchini plant finally set a zucchini! The fact that we're not getting much rain at least means I don't have to mow, although there is always more yard work.

 

Update #2 - July 2025

Still haven't finished chapter 28 because I decided I need one more scene, and the weather has been too hot for my brain to function properly. Clearly I won't finish the first draft of the book by the end of July, sigh.

Gardening is going OK, although now that slugs are less of a problem for the beans, the Japanese beetles have arrived. At least they don't go for the tomato plants to any great extent. All of them are setting tomatoes now, so a lot of them should be getting ripe by the end of the month. If I have an oversupply, I'll freeze some - it will probably still be too hot for canning.

Update #1 - July 2025

 I'm still grinding my way through chapter 28 - the hot weather hasn't helped. I've got most of it laid out but need to go through and edit it -  I had enough interruptions that it doesn't all flow well. I also need to set up something that comes in chapter 29, which takes Gwernin et al back to Bru na Boine. I'm hoping to get through chapter 30 (The Well of Wisdom) by Lughnasadh; then there's only Gwernin's homecoming in 31.

Pretty warm weather here - mid to upper 90s some days, but no thunderstorms or indeed other rain. As long as it's dry I don't have to mow in front, which is good because the sweet peas have taken over on the south side of the house. If I need to do anything, I can use the weed whacker.

Update #4 - June 2025

 I've only made modest progress on chapter 28, partly due to very hot weather over the weekend, partly due to other distractions in the news. I have some chunks of the chapter, and have to keep stitching them together. I also have to figure out how to set up something that happens in chapter 29. Onward...

The hot weather hasn't hurt the tomatoes et al, I just had to run sprinklers three days as well as the morning watering round. Three of them have little tomatoes which are getting ripe, but these are ones that had already set on some of the tomatoes before I got them. The zucchinis are blooming, but it would help if they could have male and female flowers at the same time. I continue my morning battle with the bean-eating slugs. And I found the first Japanese beetle on the last pink rose. They'll be on the repeat blooming David Austin roses soon. Summer in the garden...

Update #3 - June 2025

 I finished tinkering with chapter 27 over the weekend, and started chapter 28, although I haven't got very far yet. I should make more progress today and tomorrow, when it will be too hot to do anything outside. Then there'll be another pause Saturday, when we will be celebrating Midsummer/Summer Solstice. I've also been thinking about what needs to happen in chapter 29, when Gwernin et al leave the Lughnasadh Oenach at Tailtiu and return to Bru na Boinne. After that, chapter 30 will take them to the Well of Wisdom and some surprises, and chapter 31 will take Gwernin home.

We're getting a hot weekend for Midsummer - expected highs around 100 F. I'll be up around sunrise every morning for slug patrol and a watering round, followed later in the day by sprinklers. Happily things should be better for a while after Sunday. The zucchinis are blooming - male flowers today, but they'll be setting soon - and the tomato plants are doing well. I usually start getting ripe tomatoes by late July, and hope to have enough to can some this year. 

Update #2 - June 2025

More good writing progress -- chapter 27 is done, bar a little tinkering. It deals mostly with Druidic initiations for Neirin and Mael, based loosely on Gwernin's initiation in The Fallen Stones. The next chapter will take Gwernin et al to Tailtiu for the Lughnasadh Óenach. This may put Fráechán in danger, since King Díarmait is likely to be there, but it's his idea to go. I'll get to that sometime in the next few days, after I clean up chapter 27.

Our cool rainy weather is over, and we're about to get some heat for Midsummer. The tomatoes will like it anyway. My biggest gardening problem now (aside from needing to do some mowing in the back yard) is the slugs which keep eating the beans. I need to put out fresh beer for them tonight, in hopes of catching more of them (slugs, not beans!).

Update #1 - June 2025

 Better progress - I finally finished chapter 26, and am almost halfway through chapter 27. This takes us back to Sliabh na Calli, where Fráechán will be leading Neirin and Mael through a Druidic initiation much like the one Gwernin had in The Fallen Stones. I now have a good idea of what will be in the next 3 chapters after this one, but not the last (chapter 31) when Gwernin gets home. We'll see what happens when we get there.

Last weekend was pretty warm - T shirt and shorts weather for the first time this year - but since then it's been cool again, with thunderstorms or at least showers almost every evening. The vegetation loves it, but Ruay cat is less impressed. It does give me an excuse to do more writing and less yard work!

 😀 

Update #5 - May 2025

 Still working (slowly) on chapter 26, but the end is in sight. I've figured out (mostly) how to get Mac Criomthann out of the situation he's in - just have to finish writing it. The remaining five chapters of the book should be more straightforward, at least from my point of view.

We've had rain here, and then more rain - a heavy thunderstorm Monday which gave me 2 inches, and a gentler storm last night for about another inch. I've planted eight market tomato plants, one cucumber, two zucchinis, and two basils. I also direct seeded my beans, and a couple are starting to come up. This mild, wet weather has been good for everything except the beans, which need to be a little warmer, but we'll get that soon enough. After last year's near-drought, this is welcome weather.

Update #4 - May 2025

Still working on chapter 26. The framing is fine - Gwernin et al's visit to the Oldest Man - and I finally got the general outline of the internal Mac Criomthann story. Had to think about this one for several days, and I'm still thinking about the solution to the situation I've put him in. This may be the last new Mac Criomthann piece in this book.  The next chapter will take us back to Sliabh na Cailli for a couple of initiations. 

We had a mid-30s low Monday night, but no frost. Things are warming up nicely now, and I've planted several types of tomatoes, two zucchinis, and a cucumber -- all plants I bought at the farmers markets. I didn't try and start anything indoors this year - no room under the garage lights and no safe cat-proof place in the house. However I've ordered a couple of kinds of heirloom tomato seeds which I'm not likely to find locally, so might have a go with them even though it's late. Everything has leafed out now, although I lost one rosebush to the hard winter and three more effectively came back from their roots. Oh, and I'm planting bean seeds -- I missed having them last year, and I'll bet the humming birds missed the scarlet runner blossoms too.

Update #3 - May 2025

 I'm working on chapter 26 now, which takes Gwernin et al to visit the Oldest Man who lives on the plain of Mag Slécht. We've been there three times before, once in The Fallen Stones and twice in The King's Druid, so I can recycle some of the descriptive passages. This visit is different, because Fráechán is introducing Neirin, Mael, and Ianto to him all at once, rather than one at a time, so some of the framing will also need to be different. I'm working on that now, stitching together stuff from our previous visits with new material. Once that's set up, I'll write the Mac Criomthann story which gives the chapter its name: "Mac Criomthann and the Knife of Stone." This refers to one of the forfeits Mac Criomthann paid in rescuing those who were stolen in "Mac Criomthann and the Cave of the Cats". I own such a knife myself, but he got his in a different way, and I'm curious to find out when and where he got it <grin>.

Summer is arriving cautiously. After three days in the 80s F, things have cooled down again, and I had a very slight touch of frost this morning. I want to plant some things I've gotten from the farmers' markets - so far a couple of tomato plants, a zuchini plant, and a borage plant - but I'll wait till tomorrow; I've other things to do today anyway.