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.