Sider

søndag den 31. marts 2024

A - Z ~ A Preamble

This is a series of studies for my long-time-in-the-writings book about the magic in the Nordic countries.

 Ⓐ - Ⓩ
 
We are in the 70es on Unicorn Island, an island off the coast of southern Zealand. A handful of teachers have gathered the broken threads of magic once again, trying to revive the magic in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, the Faroes and partially Greenland.

Our main protagonist is Susan (me) from Elsinore and her three co-apprentices and friends Heidi, Tage and Lis living at Unicorn Island.

I give the word to Gylfi, the oldest of the teachers, for a small treatise on magic given to the apprentices on their first day at Unicorn Farm:
"You have now been split into four roughly equally large teams depending on your prime competences.
Magic comes in schools. Or better yet. Some kinds of magic comes easier to some people. At Unicorn Farm we have assigned a colour to the different schools of magic.
Blue is for potions and for all things inanimate.
Yellow is for flying and healing.
Green is for nature magic, animals, familiars and all things growing.
Purple is for transformation and divination.
Red is for portals mastery and also the red ones dabble in the finding out of good and evil.
Yes I know this makes five, I can count. But the three red ones will study alongside the purple team."

 Ⓐ - Ⓩ
 
I grasped the chance to write a little more of some of the lesser known apprentices in this A-Z challenge.

Haleluja!

GLÆDELIG PÅSKE
Kristus er opstanden - Ja, Han er sandelig opstanden. Halleluja!


HAPPY EASTER
Christ is risen - He is risen indeed. Alleluia!


Χριστὸς ἀνέστη! - Ἀληθῶς ἀνέστη!

lørdag den 30. marts 2024

Colour24 ~ April

The colour of April is Water blue.

onsdag den 27. marts 2024

Words for Wednesday :: Plant Edition

This challenge started a long time ago. Now it has turned into a movable feast with Elephant's Child as our coordinator; and the Words provided by a number of people.

The general idea of this challenge is to make us write. Poems, stories, subtitles, tales, jokes, haiku, crosswords, puns, ... you're the boss.
Use all Words, some Words, one Word, or even none of them if that makes your creative juices flow. Anything goes, only please nothing rude or vulgar.

 It is also a challenge, where the old saying
"The more the merrier" holds true.

So please, remember to follow the links, go back and read other peoples' stories. And please leave a comment after reading. Challenges like this one thrives on interaction, feedback and encouragement. And we ALL need encouragement.

-- 🧙 --

The Words for the Wednesdays in March are provided by
River, who has decided to use fewer words in the hope that more people might be tempted to join us.

Today's words are
:
Bewilderment
Gossamer
Previous
Umbrella
Survivor
Midnight
Windowless

I am busy plant dyeing, planting, weeding and growing. So a real life story must do.

To my bewilderment all 24 of my Dyers knotweed seeds sent up their gossamer sprouts. Previous attempts have only made one in three grow.
Now I'll have to invent some sort of plant-umbrella so that the sun won't scorch the pretties. Any and all survivors will eventually be transplanted into larger containers, and later into my garden - when the frost is wholly and totally gone. It won't be a midnight project, but sure a late evening one, so that the small ones - hopefully way larger by then - will be able to survive the jump from my windowsill to the great, windowless outdoors.

And a picture to prove my words:
I know, it looks like the three bottom left has not germinated. They have.

mandag den 25. marts 2024

Poetry Monday :: Happy News

Poetry Monday is a challenge, normally hosted by Diane at On the Border. But from Monday, January 8, 2024, Messymimi and I have conspired to keep the chair warm for her, as she's taking a break due to health issues. We will each set the topics for one month, I began with January, Mimi supplied for February, and so on until Diane returns.

Today is
Happy News.

Next Mondauy Mimi
is once again taking over with her prompts: Shelf (Apr. 1), Order (Apr. 8), Tape
 (Apr. 15), Running (Apr. 22), and Quiet (Apr. 29). I look forward to this, as I have had a hard time using my own.


Happy news is what we need
Lots of happy news indeed.
Happy news for you and me,
Happy news for land and sea,
For the bee and for the tree
and for prisoners and free.

Soon it will be Easter time,
Once again the bells will chime.
With this little poem of mine
I wish you all a lot of rhyme,
Lots of love, and lots of time
With your loved ones, and some wine.

 - - - - -

Next Monday  Shelf

søndag den 24. marts 2024

Sunday Selection :: Artichoke

Today I want to boast of my Artichokes - They are growing! I planted the seeds March 1st, look at them now!

I dag vil jeg bare prale med mine artiskokker - jeg såede frøene den 1. marts, se dem lige!


Og jeg er sikker på at de er olivengrønne - And surely they are Olive green.

torsdag den 21. marts 2024

Words for Wednesday ~ March 20 ~ Pippin's Sorrows

This challenge started a long time ago. Now it has turned into a movable feast with Elephant's Child as our coordinator; and the Words provided by a number of people.

The general idea of this challenge is to make us write. Poems, stories, subtitles, tales, jokes, haiku, crosswords, puns, ... you're the boss.
Use all Words, some Words, one Word, or even none of them if that makes your creative juices flow. Anything goes, only please nothing rude or vulgar.

 It is also a challenge, where the old saying
"The more the merrier" holds true.

So please, remember to follow the links, go back and read other peoples' stories. And please leave a comment after reading. Challenges like this one thrives on interaction, feedback and encouragement. And we ALL need encouragement.

-- 🧙 --

The Words for the Wednesdays in March are provided by
River, who has decided to use fewer words in the hope that more people might be tempted to join us.

Today's words are
:

1. Off the beaten track
2. Cheeky old fella's goin' fishin'
3. Bouquet
4. Marketing  
5. Cape
6. Crease

These words were not very well suited for my story. I used only some of them.
It is a small chapter happening in the future at Birch Manor. Maybe half a year after the - as yet unfinished - long Saturday. This story has been bubbling in my brain for a long time, these last days surfacing at the most inappropriate times, getting in the way of work and fun. I just had to write it down.

The first few lines are a summary of how things are now.


Pippin's sorrows
.
Things were running smoothly at Birch Manor. Helge was developing as a leader, My had arrived and taken over the teaching of potions, leaving Monica free to tend to the wine and party business in Oslo together with Olav, but their children and grandchildren were staying at the school, and they popped in at odd times for a visit or when needed, all this made easier by the now finished portals network.
Fiona handled the flying after Martine's demise, and Marit was the healing expert, sometimes helped by Fiona.
Susan and Knud of course handled the education in nature magic and the calling of animals. Some of the apprentices, among those mainly little Susan had asked for Familiars, but it was decided to postpone this question to a future day.
Heidi - now again using her old name, as did the twins, Tage and Lis - was master of transformation, while Jan handled the divination, assisted by the aforementioned Lis and her mother, Sandra, who was still alive and eager to help.
Finnbogi came as often as his job permitted and taught Portals and discernment magic and gave Mary extra education in discernment magic, simultaneously teaching her father, Rasmus quite a lot.

All seemed happy and busy. but one day when Susan had to check up on lil'Susan's bunnies, she found Lis' youngest grandson sobbing his heart out into the fur of the oldest, largest and most placid of Lil'Susan's many rabbits.
"But Pippin," Susan said and sat down on the bench next to him. "What happened? Did the old rabbit bite you?"
Pippin managed a shadow of a smile, the old rabbit was known to eat only grated carrots and shredded salad, as it had almost no teeth left.
"No," he sobbed, "it's ... do you promise not to laugh?"
"I'll do my very best," Susan promised.
"Ever since the day we had our wands sung, I have thought of how it was to listen to the tree's songs ..."
"That's no laughing matter," Susan said, while Pippin blew his nose.
"I ... I would like to ... but ... no," and he started crying again.
Susan put her arms around him, telling the rabbit to go home. Pippin sobbed on for a bit, and Susan dug some tissues from one of her pockets: "They're creased, but not dirty. Now wipe your eyes and blow your nose once again. I think I know what you want to say, but you have to tell me yourself."
Pippin looked at Susan with big, brown eyes, now red and swollen from crying. Susan met his eyes and smiled an encouraging smile. He took the proffered tissues. After using them as suggested, he closed his eyes and balled his hands and spoke in one breath: "I would so, so much like to be able to sing wands like you and My do it, but Dora and Milo, Mary and Roseanne and all the others say that only girls can be wandsingers!" He buried his curly head in Susan's lap and started sobbing again.
Susan stroke his unruly locks while thinking. All the wandsingers she knew and had known, had been female, Thora, Tähti, My, Rósa, Anna, Aamu, and herself, but was this a rule set in stone? She had never contemplated this aspect of wandsinging before.
"Am I that terrible. Are my siblings and Mary and all the others right?" Pippin asked, his voice flat and sad beyond tears.
"No, at least I do not think so," Susan said, still thinking. "I do not know many wandsingers, actually only the five of us here. And our teachers; and they were female as well. But I do not know if this is purely coincidental or what."
She lifted Pippin's head between her hands, and looked him squarely in the eyes. He did not look away or flinch, but withstood her scrutiny.
"Well, the only thing we can do is try," She said, "come with me. Do you remember which tree gave you your wand?"
"Do I?" Pippin answered, "I have been visiting it often." He pulled Susan along down to the small wood near the pond. "This one here, this Maple!"
"And what do you do when you visit the tree?" Susan asked, trying to keep the budding happiness out of her voice.
"I hug it, place my hands on the bark, and just listen," Pippin answered, his voice so quiet, Susan had to bend down and listen carefully.
"Show me!" she said.
Pippin looked at her, back at the tree, and as Susan nodded, he placed both hands on the tree. In a short while his face changed ever so subtly, a slight smile turned his mouth upwards, he closed his eyes, rested his head against the tree, and sighed a complacent sigh.
Susan placed her own hands on the tree and listened; it sang of the summer's sun, of rain and snow, of sweet sap and bitter frost. It told of the children playing rhinos with its fruits and of cheeky old fellas goin' fishin' in the lake. Susan laughed. Pippin looked at her: "Do you hear what the tree tells you as well?"
"Yes I do," she answered truthfully. "And some of those stories are quite amusing. Dear Pippin, we're off the beaten tracks here, try singing with me." Pippin nodded, and Susan taught him the wandsinging tune. He sang it loud and clear, and the tree quivered in response.
"Obviously Dora and Milo and who else said only girls can become wandsingers are wrong," Susan said, "you sure have it in you to become a wandsinger. We'll have to go and speak with My and possibly the other wandsingers as well. Come along."
Pippin jumped along and Susan had to run just a bit to keep up with him. "Sorry," he said and slowed down, "I just feel a bit like flying!"
As they waited for My to finish the lesson, Susan asked the still smiling and jumping Pippin how old he was. "I'm 11, 12 in August," Pippin answered.
"We might have a problem when your voice starts breaking, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Susan said. "But no matter what, I'm happy to know that we still will have wandsingers in the future."

mandag den 18. marts 2024

Poetry Monday :: Meaning :: Updated

Poetry Monday is a challenge, normally hosted by Diane at On the Border. But from Monday, January 8, 2024, Messymimi and I have conspired to keep the chair warm for her, as she's taking a break due to health issues. We will each set the topics for one month, I began with January, Mimi supplied for February, and so on until Diane returns.

Today is
Meaning.

And oops I did it again. I wrote a poem in my mind yesterday evening, thinking I sure would remember it.

I forgot all about it while sleeping and visiting the dentist this morning. And by all I mean ALL. Normally I do remember a line or two, and even what it was about, but this time around it evaporated in its entirety.

I'll try and write a new poem today, while biking, working an knitting. But as my brain now feels as empty as a pauper's purse, please do not hold your breath.

--
Meaning --

I'm sorry. I wrote the most corny poem ever. I cannot find anything else inside my brain.

Love gives meaning to every thing
Love sealed with a golden ring
Gives meaning to aching
Gives meaning to making
and even to baking.
 
 - - - - -

Next Monday: Happy news

søndag den 17. marts 2024

Sunday selections :: Plant Maltreatment

Søndagsbillede :: Plantemishandling

Even if the colour of the month, Olive green, is found in these cacti, it is a clear cut case of plant maltreatment.

Selv om nogle af de her kaktus er olivengrønne, og det er marts måneds farve, står vi alligevel over for et klart tilfælde af plantemishandling.



Notice I changed the name from Olive yellow to Olive green.
Jeg fik ændret navnet fra olivengul til olivengrøn

lørdag den 16. marts 2024

A-Z :: Apprentices at the Unicorn Farm ~ a Preview

As told, I intend to write of one or more apprentices from the Unicorn Farm - and maybe teachers, parents and nisser -  each day of April.

I am not sure of the format. I only know it will have to work in a short format as well.

I am not going to tell of Susan, Heidi, Lis or Tage, as they are the main persons, and we hear quite a lot about them in the story proper. But I would like to test the format for the posts. Heidi, Lis and Tage can serve as guinea pigs.

How do you like this?

-- 🪄 --

Heidi, Lis & Tage Bach ~ Denmark
Heidi is the younger sister, 11 when the story begins, of Tage and Lis, who are twins and both 14. They are all magicians of the transformations and divinations variety, and can trace their ancestors "all the way back to Merlin and the ancient Greeks," as Tage expresses it. The three siblings were raised knowing of and learning of their magic, but told not to use magic, as mostly their mother feared a progrome like in the days of old.
  Their parents are called Sandra and Kai. Sandra is a part time helper in the supermarket at Unicorn Island and also sometimes in the fair that visits the island during the summer holidays. Like her namesake, Cassandra, she suffers from bouts of premonition, but she is generally more trusted. She wields a wand of yew, emitting sparks that are smoky grey and mysterious like the oracle in Delphi.
  Kai is a stage magician, as he says: "Isn't it the easiest way to hide my magic? I mean, nobody believes that stage magicians really use magic, they know it's all cheating and sleight of hand. But I'm the real thing." His wand looks like a stage magician's prop, made from ebony, his sparks are all the colours of the rainbow.

Heidi is sweet, sharing and a bit of a tease. She is just the best at transformations, and can make a pincushion into a hedgehog with the wave of a wand. She normally wears her sandy hair in two pigtails tied up with blue balls hair ties that sometimes smack her fingers. She wields an alder wand emitting bright purple sparks.

Lis is blond like Heidi, she's dilligent, a bit of a busybody and allround good at transformations, divinations and portals. She's a genius when it comes to reading, wordgames, and writing. She wields a wand of beech emitting silvery-purple sparks.

Tage has his father's dark hair and mystic looks. He is also hard-working, but only when he feels like it, luckily this is most of the time. He is good at portals and divinations, and like his sister he wields a beech wand, but his sparks are a blackish purple.

We first meet those three going home from the first day on the Unicorn Farm. Heidi, Lis and Tage seems unsure of how to get home, and much to her own surprise, Susan tells that she knows the way and grasps Heidi's hands. After this the four are friends. 

fredag den 15. marts 2024

Wordle № 1.000

Wordle 1.000 🎉 6/6

⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜
⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟨🟨⬜🟨⬜
🟨🟨⬜🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩


SPAM!

Today I once again wrote to Blogger via the in-game Help and Feedback system.

Here's what I wrote (slightly edited for typos and clarity):

Well, yesterday I had an actual spam-comment advertising online shopping and what not - what happened? It was just published, not put into spam prison.

Today River commented, as she has been doing for years - what happened? Her comment was once again put in spam prison.

"Dear" Blogger - you need to update your AI or better yet ditch it!
It's easier for me to delete the one real spam a month, than letting River, Mimi and all my other regular commenters out of spam jail several times a week!


This is not spam according to Blogger's AI:
NN 14. mar. 2024, kl. 12.23

USA xxx
online shopping in usa
USA xxx
Loans
degree
Donate
Mortgage
lawyer
online shopping


While this is:
River 15. marts 2024 kl. 06.45

The green logo looks better but nothing will make me join the A-Z challenge. There's too much thinking involved for my tired little brain.


And no, I won't stop telling Blogger off every time they make me free a comment of yours from spam prison. I hope - just like that biblical widow who keeps on knocking and asking for justice - to pester them long enough to get tired of me and do something about it.

torsdag den 14. marts 2024

A to Z ~ to do or not?

Selvom tilmeldingen til årets A-Z blogger-udfordring åbnede i søndags, har jeg stadig ikke besluttet mig for om jeg vil deltage eller ej.
     Årets logo tiltaler mig - så længe vi taler om ideen bag - for den praktiske udførelse med lysepink på mørk baggrund får det til at flimre for mine øjne - og jeg kan virkelig ikke lide pink.

 - - - Ⓐ - Ⓩ - - -

This Sunday the theme reveal of the A to Z challenge opened.
I am still not decided.

And the logo did not help either. I do like the logo -- the ideas and concept behind it at least, and I'm thankful that Ronel took up the challenge of making one for us. But I do not like pink, and I do have a hard time reading light letters on a dark background. Ergo this logo is not smack-dab in the middle of my taste.

    Jeg ventede et par dage i håbet om at Lissa som de forgangne år ville have tegnet et alternativt logo.
    Men på den anden side, er et ikke helt heldigt logo undskyldning nok til ikke at deltage? Eller skal der mere til? Det tager lang tid, jeg har aldrig haft held til at virkelig gennemføre det, der er ikke nogen ord med en hel del af bogstaverne sidst i alfabetet ... der er nok af gode grunde til at sige nej.
     Men der er også gode grunde til at sige ja. En af de bedre er at jeg allerede har en idé til et tema: Folk fra Enhjørningegården. Det er alle tiders chance til at præsentere de mere ukendte lærlinge fra min evighedsroman.

Hvad nu hvis jeg legede lidt med logoet ...

 - - - Ⓐ - Ⓩ - - -

 I procrastinated, hoping that Lissa was going to post an alternative, as she has done before.

But is a slightly displeasing logo enough to make me not join? But there's also the fact that it is quite time consuming, and that I never ever finished A-Z to my satisfaction, and that the letters at the end of the alphabet are mostly unused in Danish ... lots of reasons for not participating. But there's also reasons for participating, one of the best is that I already have an idea for a theme - persons of Unicorn Farm - which would help me flesh out some of the lesser known persons from my everlasting tale.

Maybe just playing a bit around with the logo would help:
Grønt er altid godt  - jeg har bare inverteret farverne.
- - Ⓐ - Ⓩ - -
Green is always a good colour; I just inverted the colours.

onsdag den 13. marts 2024

Words for Wednesday ~ March 13

This challenge started a long time ago. Now it has turned into a movable feast with Elephant's Child as our coordinator; and the Words provided by a number of people.

The general idea of this challenge is to make us write. Poems, stories, subtitles, tales, jokes, haiku, crosswords, puns, ... you're the boss.
Use all Words, some Words, one Word, or even none of them if that makes your creative juices flow. Anything goes, only please nothing rude or vulgar.

 It is also a challenge, where the old saying
"The more the merrier" holds true.

So please, remember to follow the links, go back and read other peoples' stories. And please leave a comment after reading. Challenges like this one thrives on interaction, feedback and encouragement. And we ALL need encouragement.

-- 🀄 --

The Words for the Wednesdays in Mach are provided by
River, who has decided to use fewer words in the hope that more people might be tempted to join us.

Today's words are
:

Tinkering
Vagabond
Dreamed
Sometimes
Running
Choose
Sunday

I do not know why, but fewer words are not better for me, it makes my brain more prone to not produce anything. I hope I am the "odd owl out" here.

But River's accompanying picture was a scrabble board. I can do that. So here is an unfinished scrabble game for you to finish if you like. I used a few extra words. Can you find them?



mandag den 11. marts 2024

Poetry Monday :: Distancing

Poetry Monday is a challenge, normally hosted by Diane at On the Border. But from Monday, January 8, 2024, Messymimi and I have conspired to keep the chair warm for her, as she's taking a break due to health issues. We will each set the topics for one month, I began with January, Mimi supplied for February, and so on until Diane returns.

Today is
 Distancing - at least in my place it is now 4 years since Corona close down.

And once again even if this was my own prompt, I had a hard time writing anything. I ended up writing a very moralistic, harsh and angry poem. I was not proud of it, and pre-scheduled my post to one minute before midnight - giving myself time to find a more gentle approach. This obviously did the trick. This is a much more positive approach on the same thoughts.

I still hope to find a nicer version of myself in the coming Sprin-y, sunshiny days. Winter has really had it out for me this year!


Close-down 2020 and today?

Together at a distance.
We needed assistance
We fought with consistence
And we gave resistance
      To the bugs.

Could we do the same -
With distance and shame -
To drinking and game
To crime and to blame
     And the drugs?

 - - - - -

Next Monday: Meaning

søndag den 10. marts 2024

Søndagsbillede :: Sunday Selection

The colour of March, Olive green, is found in these catkins:
Mats måneds farve, olivengrøn, kan findes i disse rakler.


Notice I changed the name from Olive yellow to Olive green.
Jeg fik ændret navnet fra olivengul til olivengrøn

onsdag den 6. marts 2024

Words for Wednesday March 6 & IWSG

This challenge started a long time ago. Now it has turned into a movable feast with Elephant's Child as our coordinator; and the Words provided by a number of people.

The general idea of this challenge is to make us write. Poems, stories, subtitles, tales, jokes, haiku, crosswords, puns, ... you're the boss.
Use all Words, some Words, one Word, or even none of them if that makes your creative juices flow. Anything goes, only please nothing rude or vulgar.

 It is also a challenge, where the old saying
"The more the merrier" holds true.

So Please, remember to follow the links, go back and read other peoples' stories. And please leave a comment after reading. Challenges like this one thrives on interaction, feedback and encouragement. And we ALL need encouragement.

-- 🌊 --
The Words for the Wednesdays in Mach are provided by River, who has decided to use fewer words in the hope that more people might be tempted to join us.

1. poised
2. reef
3. crashing
4. bridge
5. wrecked
6. turquoise
7. glitter

As usual I wrote a small piece of Susan's story, as usual I used the words in the order they were given, as usual the story is too short, and as usual it is a continuation of last Wednesday's story.



The Green team was gathered in their school room and Thora was poised on the edge of a chair. Now Susan knew that a spell held her suspended, and was not afraid that she was going to topple like that frst day.
Thora spoke: "A part of our magical creatures of the sea here are in danger. We had counted on the reef to keep out the worst of the winter storms, but some of it seems to have given way under the crashing waves.
This forms so to say a bridge from the sheltered waters of the inlet out into the open sea."
She turned to the wall and pictures rose as she spoke on: "When the reef was wrecked, some of the sea horses and riverbeasts escaped." Pictures of both arose from her hands. The sea horses looking just like the statues Susan had seen in Rome, horses in front and aquatic beasts behind. The riverbeasts looked like a cross between an armadillo and a hippopotamus, but with turquoise bellies and glittering scales. They were pretty, half as big as a sea horse, and Susan could not help calling for them in her mind.
Thora sent her a sharp look and Susan concentrated on the pictures from Thora's hands and listened to her words.
"We'll have to go out there in the cold today. We'll work in shifts, short ones, so that none of you overstretches your snow magic. We'll split up too, Gilvi, ML and Jon will be tackling the Seahorses, while we are to catch the shy Riverbeasts."
She let the picture of the Sea horse fade while the riverbeast grew larger and more distinct. "Riverbeasts are likeable creatures, but totally unused to human beings. They are shy and fast moving. The best way to make them follow you is to call them to you." She looked at Susan once again. "This is our special ability as green magicians, the ability to call creatures to us, as well you know. But you also need their Name, and in Icelandic Riverbeast is Árdýr!"

 - - - - - -

Today is also the first Wednesday of the month. Time for the monthly Question from the Insecure Writers' Support Group


March 6th question: Have you "played" with AI to write those nasty synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI's impact on creative writing?

My answer
: I tried AI for both synopses (which I btw. do not find nasty), structuring of a text, and I even asked it to write one of my Words for Wednesday posts for me.
I asked: Write me a story about some students of magic. You'll have to use these words: Rusk, Spindrift, Troubadour, Killick, Mantra, Tuckamore, Whirlpool, Catamaran.

Down below you can read the result, and HERE is a link to the story I wrote, as I was not satisfied with the AI's story al all.
I find the AI's story generic, two-dimensional, and sterile. I get no kick whatsoever from reading it.
The AI did even not perform as requested, as it did not use all the Words.

For these reasons I think AI is not a substitute for creative writing, for translations or for any other art form concerning languages for a long time to come.
But for structuring a PowerPoint show,  a text, or a lecture, and any such "non-creative creative tasks" AI can be quite helpful.

- - - - - ? 💻 +💡? - - - - -

A story about students of magic - According to an AI.

Once upon a time, there were three magic students called Anna, Ben and Clara. They were all friends and went to the same school of magic. One day they went on a boat trip out to sea when they suddenly saw something mysterious in the water. It was a large piece of spindrift that looked like a small island.
    Anna, Ben and Clara were curious to see what it was, so they rowed their boat to it. When they got close, they saw that there was a troubadour sitting on top of the sea foam. The troubadour was an old man with long white hair and a long white beard. He was dressed in a colourful suit and he was playing a guitar.
    Anna, Ben and Clara got out of their boat and walked up to the troubadour. They said hello to him and he smiled at them.
    "Hello," he said. "What can I do for you?"
    "We were just curious to see what you were," Anna said.
    "I'm a troubadour," the man said. "I travel around and sing for people."
    "It's a beautiful place you've chosen to live," Ben said.
    "Yes, it is," said the troubadour. "I like the peace and quiet here."
    "Can we hear you sing?" Clara asked.
    "Of course," said the troubadour.
    He picked up his guitar and started playing. He sang a song about a young man travelling to find the love of his life. His voice was soft and melodic and his song was beautiful.
    Anna, Ben and Clara listened with their mouths open. They were enthralled by the troubadour's singing. When he finished, they applauded.
    "That was a beautiful song," Anna said.
    "Thank you," said the troubadour. "I'm glad you liked it."
    "Can you teach us how to play the guitar?" Ben asked.
    "Of course," said the troubadour. "I'd love to teach you."
    The troubadour taught Anna, Ben and Clara how to play the guitar. They practised for hours and soon they could play simple melodies.
    One day, while they were practising, something strange happened. A whirlpool appeared in the water next to them. The vortex was so strong that it started to suck their boat in.
    "Help!" Anna shouted.
    The troubadour grabbed their boat and started rowing towards shore. But it was too late. The whirlpool was too strong. It sucked their boat in and carried it out to sea.
    Anna, Ben and Clara were scared. They didn't know what to do. But then they remembered what the minstrel had taught them. They began to sing the song he had sung to them.
    "A young man travelled to find the love of his life," they sang. "He travelled far and wide, but he never found her."
    As they sang, the whirlpool began to fade. It got weaker and weaker until it finally disappeared completely.
    Anna, Ben and Clara were happy. They were happy that they had been rescued and they were happy that they had learnt to play the guitar.
    They said goodbye to the troubadour and rowed their boat back to shore. They were now better magical students and they had a new friend.

tirsdag den 5. marts 2024

Opmuntring :: Encouragement

 We all need this - det har vi alle brug for.

Look how beautiful and wet! my place looks after yet another Spring shower.
Se hvor smukt og vådt her er efter endnu en forårsbyge.

This is mostly for EC - I hope you're reading - We miss you too!
But everybody is welcome to savour the cool, clear sunshine.

mandag den 4. marts 2024

Poetry Monday :: Swan Lake

Poetry Monday is a challenge, normally hosted by Diane at On the Border. But from Monday, January 8, 2024, Messymimi and I have conspired to keep the chair warm for her, as she's taking a break due to health issues. We will each set the topics for one month, I began with January, Mimi supplied for February, and so on until Diane returns.

Today is
Swan Lake - at the anniversary of the premiere of the ballet.

So even if this was my own prompt, I had a hard time writing anything. Then I was awakened very early this morning by sons leaving for school and garbage collectors. I proceeded to write two fine verses in my head and repeated them several times to commit them to memory, which usually works, and then I fell asleep again. Only to wake up and realize I had forgotten the verses! apart from the first two lines.

I had to start over. These verses are not as good as the morning ones, but more honest.


The Swan Lake in my youth I saw
With nimble dancers in tutus.
I studied hard and read for long
How can they dance just like a song
    For sure it is not easy

I stretched and bend and did pliés
And limbering and 1-2-3s.
I studied books, I watched TV
A ballet dancer I would be
    For sure it was not easy

I danced for hours every day
For ballet shoes my mom I'd pray.
But then I read of broken bones
Of bleeding toes, of resting homes
    For dancers around forty

To the pliés I bid adieu
To limbering and 1-2-3s
I loved to run and climb and prance
That was incompatible with dance.
    I'd like to run at forty

Now I watch ballets on TV
Again do limbering and the pliés
To keep myself from growing stale
This is the end of my ballet tale
    I'd love to run at sixty.

 - - - - -

Next Monday's prompt: Distancing (remembering the Corona closing down of 2020 - or whatever touches your mind.)

fredag den 1. marts 2024

Fredagsfrustration ~ Blogger!

    Blogger er i gang igen. Det seneste døgn har jeg befriet fem kommentarer fra spam-fængselet - deriblandt en af mine egne, og flere der var uger gamle.
    Blogger? tror du virkelig at jeg spammer min egen blog? Eller at folk der har kommenteret her i årevis pludselig er spammere? Eller at jeg bare lader spamkommentarer stå i ugevis ... nej vel?
     Det sker naturligvis ikke. Så Blogger, bare stop!

 - - - - - ✅ - - - - -

Blogger is at it again. In the last 24 hours, I've freed five comments from spam jail - including one of my own and a couple from weeks ago.

Blogger? Do you really think I'm spamming my own blog? Or that people who have been commenting here for years are suddenly spammers? Or that I leave spam comments for weeks on end... no, really?

Of course I don't. So Blogger, just stop!

Tirsdagsstips på en fredag ~ Såning

Når jeg sår frø, tager jeg et billede, og så tilføjer jeg tekster der, hvor jeg ikke lige havde en frøpose.
Dagens såning ser sådan her ud - det er også ved at være sidste udkald for at så artiskokker, chili og peberfrugter.

When I sow my seeds indoor, I snap a photo, and then add texts where I have no nice seed bags to place on the tray.

Today's sowing looks like this.
The Photoshopped texts say: Lemon chilli ~ Artichoke no. 2 ~ Sweet red pepper.
And the home made seed "bags": Jalapeño ~ Valentines pepper 2015 - I wonder if they will germinate as they are quite old.