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... ”