Update #4 - July 2026

 Only a little progress on chapter 7 - I've got the jigsaw pieces in the document and am slowly editing them. The weather has been so hot that my brain is only working slowly, never mind the rest of my body. I hate July, and I'm not too fond of August. 

The tomatoes at least are doing well, although the nocturnal visitor, probably a raccoon, has discovered them. So far there are plenty of small ones for both of us. The beans, however, are not doing great this year - a few purple podded ones, which I will probably save for fresh seed, but no scarlet runners so far. The blasted rose beetles keep eating the flowers. I'll need some fertilizer in those pots next year. Yesterday I watched most of the suet cake I'd put out that morning melt - the flickers and squirrels can do some ground feeding. I think this is the hottest and dryest summer I've seen in Denver in 30 years, but I think it was worse in the 1930s - these things run in cycles. 

Update #3 - July 2026

 I finished chapter 6 and started chapter 7, but haven't made much progress due to the hot weather. At this point, Gwion is 16, and goes to Ireland for the first time with Talhaearn. This will involve his meeting Fráechán mac Tenusán for the first time, and also his meeting with Mael's father Kieran. Jigsaw puzzle territory again, with material from The King's Druid and The Fallen Stones. 

I hate this hot dry weather, but the tomatoes don't mind as long as they get lots of water. I'm getting plenty of the cherries and sweet 100s now, and the earliest Roma is almost ripe. I lost some off of one of the Cherokee purples to blossom end rot, but the other one seems to be healthy. And there are lots of green Romas, which are good for cooking and canning. The scarlet runner beans are not setting, partly because the rose beetles keep eating the flowers, but the purple flowered beans have started to set. I'll give the bean pots some fertilizer before next year.

Wildlife encounter - I saw a group of 3 smallish rabbits in my front yard at sunrise - presumably siblings.  

Update #2 - July 2026

 Bar a little more tinkering, chapter 6 is finished. The next few chapters will take me back to jigsaw puzzle territory again. In the meantime, in chapter 6 fourteen-year-old Gwion has been accepted by King Arthur as one of his bards, and Emrys has told us a story about his possible origins. In the next chapter he'll go to Ireland for the first time with Talhaearn.

Hot weather continues - hot days and not-cool-enough nights. Mid to upper 90s, and overnight lows in the 60s. After all, it's mid-July. Makes it hard to concentrate on writing or other mental things, but the tomatoes love it. Six ripe cherry tomatoes so far, and possibly some sweet 100s next.

Update #1 - July 2026

 Chapter 6 is growing slowly, a little more each day. Gwion is fourteen now, which was manhood in the Welsh laws, and is planning to sing again in King Arthur's court in hopes of becoming one of Arthur's bards. This, he hopes, will give him a way to be revenged on the people who abused him as a child. Emrys is also going to tell us a story explaining Gwion's origins, using what Gwion has told him about his beginnings and material from Hanes Gwion Bach. I am at the point now of needing to compose Gwion's song to Arthur.

After a few mild days and nights, we are back in the 90s again, with next weekend forecast to reach 100 (shudder). The tomatoes, however, are flourishing, creating a sort of vertical tomato jungle mixed with morning glories in their tomato cages, and covered with scores of little green tomatoes. The earliest cherry tomatoes are already getting ripe. In wildlife action, I saw a hummingbird yesterday which followed me around while I was watering, and Ruay caught two more small rabbits this week. I put the first one in another yard, but the second one got away from both of us, going through the chain link fence and finding safety between that fence and the neighbors' wooden one. I'm thinking it left during the night; neither Ruay or I have seen it again.