Thursday...

Finally got some snow last night, about 4 inches...



Pepper seedlings looking out the window...

-GRG

New stuff...

I've started a new page with links to pdf and mp3 versions of some non-book stuff I've written.

Still here...

... just very behind in blogging. More later...

-GRG

Friday...

Monday we went to see the Denver Museum of Nature and Science's Pompeii exhibition. It was well worth while, with some fascinating artifacts. The Vesuvius eruption that buried Pompeii was in 79 AD, during the period covered by The Druid's Son, although not mentioned in the book (although it may come up as background information when/if I write more in that series). Anyway, I took lots of pictures, which are on my flickr account here. An example:



The exhibition closes Sunday January 13th.

-GRG

Still here...

... just busy. More posting soon.

Happy New Year!

Well, only a day late... Lots of things happening the last couple of weeks, not many of which were connected with either writing or gardening. I got back to work somewhat today. Spent most of the morning working on illustrations for a talk I'm giving in three weeks for a SCA group on Early Medieval religion in the British Isles (500-900 CE). The later half of that range is really outside my usual area of interest, but appropriate to the audience. It's partly designed to answer the question "I want to have a pagan English / Scottish / Welsh / Irish persona, when would that have been appropriate?" The answer is more nuanced than you might think. Although Britain was officially Christian under the late Roman Empire, Saint David (for example) was still said to be converting pagans in south Wales in the mid-sixth century, which implies there was still some number of them around.

The afternoon was mostly devoted to bookselling adminstrivia: inventory, preparing bins for our SCA twelfth night event, updating spreadsheets and reconciling balances prior to tax time. The self-published writer's work is never done...

Nice and sunny today, but the temperature barely got up to freezing, so no new pictures.

-GRG

Still here...

Just been busy the last couple of weeks with assorted celebrations. Need to get back to work writing again...

-GRG

Wednesday...

Yesterday morning. It's finally beginning to look and feel like Winter.



-GRG

Remembering Llewelyn...

Seven hundred and thirty years ago on the 11th day of December...

Where is Llywelyn? Ble mae o?

He was due back eight nights ago.

The low sun creeps across the sky

And still I wait. He cannot die.

Without him, Wales might cease to be!

Ble mae Llywelyn? Where is he?

Where is Llywelyn? Ble mae o?

With banners bright we saw him go.

His scarlet lions shone in the sun—

I know this war can still be won—

and Cymru still can flourish, free!

Ble mae Llywelyn? Where is he?

Where is Llywelyn? Ble mae o?

I watch and wait; my worries grow,

But from the south I get no news.

The English king cannot refuse

To make peace soon, and then we’ll see…

Ble mae Llywelyn? Where is he?

Where is Llywelyn? Ble mae o?

Gwenllian fach, I do not know.

I wish that I could hold you tight.

I walk the battlements each night.

The sunrise lights no hope in me.

Ble mae Llywelyn? Where is he?

Where is Llywelyn? Ble mae o?

Outside Cilmari, in the snow,

Uncomforted, they say he died

In arms struck down. I know they lied.

He must live still! It cannot be!

Ble mae Llywelyn? Where is he?

Where is Llywelyn? Ble mae o?

To Avalon I’d have him go,

Like Arthur, live, and still fight on.

My time is spent. I must be gone.

Remember Eleanor, my dear—

Ble mae Llywelyn?  I am here…

- G R Grove

Sunday...

Had a good time at Georgetown's Winter Market yesterday, reading a couple of poems as part of the Colorado Welsh Society performances. Winter itself caught up with us last night -- a bit of snow, and quite cold today.



I'm back to working on the next book -- looking over the manuscript so far. I've decided to stop trying to plan too closely, and let the story go where it will...

-GRG