Update #4 - July 2024

 Not much progress this week - some re-reading, and thinking, and a small amount of new writing. I need to focus more on that, but there keep being distractions.

After a cool but busy weekend, the weather has warmed up again, but that's July. Garden-wise, I have been running a sprinkler in my back yard to try and get things cooler and greener, helped by some good rain last Saturday night. At least the days are getting shorter, and my orange cat Ruay doesn't try to get me up quite as early - sometimes not before 6 a.m.

July 2024 - Update #3

 I was busy this morning with yard work, and forgot it was Thursday. I'm slowly mowing parts of the overgrown back yard on mild mornings. Last weekend, on the other hand, was too hot for any outside work (highs around 100 F), although we did manage an early visit to the Sunday Pearl Street Farmer's market, plus a couple more stops. I have an unusual problem - while I wasn't driving this spring and early summer, some wasps established themselves under the hood of the truck. We did manage to leave a few behind on our travels, but the problem is far from solved...

No appreciable progress on the book this last week - partly due to the above mentioned weather, partly other things. Somewhat cooler weather for the next week, so I'm hoping to get going again. A teaser from the beginning of chapter 17:

That evening when much of the food had been served and was being eaten, Fráechán stood up at his head table and circled around to the performer’s spot by one of the fires in front of it. He was wearing again his forest-green robe, and the torch- and firelight shone in his long silver hair and short beard. I noticed that he was once again wearing his sling, and remembered that Taliesin and Ianto had checked his hand again after our return from the Hag’s Chair.

The folk in the hall gradually quietened as he stood waiting for their attention. At last, when he had his desired silence, he said with a smile, “I have been asked by one of our visitors to tell a tale tonight.” He paused, then went on slowly.

“This is a tale of magic, which happened long ago in this very place. Some of you have heard tales of Mac Criomthann, the British-born Druid who came here to study the magical arts at Emain Macha, for there was then no man left in all of Britain who could teach them to him in their entirety... ”

July 2024 - Update #2

 Progress! I've finally finished proofing the first half of the book, and have started on chapter 17. Slowly, I admit, but it's progress. In the first half of this chapter, Fráechán tells a story of Mac Criomthann and the Sliabh na Caillí. I thought of this piece while I was ill and made some rough notes - now to turn it into a proper story. 

Hot and dry weather continues, with three days of 100 deg. F highs forecast for this weekend. After that we might get a break. I hope so!

July 2024 Update #1

 After several more days of Denver Water's noisy chaos, digging holes in the street to reach the main water line and filling them in afterwards, I think they have finally finished on my block. At any rate, they are now doing their excavations two blocks to the west of me, and someone picked up the "no parking" signs here yesterday afternoon. Blessed peace -- just in time for tonight's 4th of July fireworks! 

I did get some work done over the weekend and Monday (proofreading and tinkering w/ the earlier chapters), and have now reached chapter 12 again and Gwernin's arrival in Ireland. After some thought, I decided against the changes I mentioned in my last update, and let those sections stand as they are for now. Proofreading and tinkering is getting more necessary as I am getting into the newer sections of the manuscript, written when I was trying to make an autumn deadline. I'm now also having to consider what will go into the rest of the book!

In the meantime, happy 4th of July. :)