Words for Wednesday May 29 ~ Gylfi & Thora 4

The Word for Wednesday challenge started a long time ago. Now it has turned into a movable feast with Elephant's Child as our coordinator; and the Words are provided by a number of people. This merry month of May they are by David M. Gascoigne.

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.

 - - - - -

Words for Wednesday May 29:
Coveted
Single
Lunch
Chance
Wallet  
     and/or
Earned
Sense
School
Pester
Owner

I only used the first batch of words -- in the order they were given of course -- for this continuing story of Thora, Gylfi, Tähti and Taavi discovering the rules of magic long ago.

Soon all were armed with the coveted wands and they had all four learned the words to the wand song. Tähti was exhausted and they went to bed.
Thora woke early next morning, in the dark, there was just one single thing she wanted to try out. Could she cast spells in Icelandic with the new wand, or would it respond only to Tähti's Finnish?
She sneaked out of the house, into the garden and under the old hawthorn which had given her the wand. She mulled over the Finnish words of the language spell and composed the Icelandic formula: "Mál sameinast!" she said, swishing the wand just so. And then she laughed. She would be able to understand what she said to herself, no matter what language, she spoke, she needed a testing object. The old magazine in Polish! Now it would help. She went back to her own house, careful, so as not to wake up Tähti, still soundly sleepnig after her expenditure of magic the evening before. She crept up the stairs, and took the magazine into the room farthest from Tähti's chamber. Then she read, and as if by magic, the strange, Polish syllable with their hard to pronounce consonant clusters turned into musical Icelandic inside her head as she read them aloud. Yes it worked! Satisfied, she walked to Gylfi's house where the two men were already up and about. "It works!" she told them triumphantly.
"What does?" Gilvi said, and Taavi's "Mikä toimii?" at once turned into 'What works?'.
"The language spell works in Icelandic as well!"
"Of course it does," Taavi said. "How do you say it in Icelandic?"
"Mál sameinast," Thora answered, and Taavi slowly repeated. When he said it right, he swished his wand while saying the words. And to Gylfi his next sentence sounded as Icelandic.
"It sure works," Gylfi said. "This is nice to know. We can use our old spells, even with a Finnish wand."
The three of them had breakfast in Gylfi's cottage, and then they began working. They perused all the books on magic from the attic room. Taavi was able to read them as well after a crash course in Icelandic pronunciation rules.
Tähti woke up for lunch. And after eating they told her about their readings in the old books on magic.
"The contents are at the same time very different from and almost the same as our Finnish tradition. It seems that in Iceland magic was more or less split into branches, while we speak of people's penchant in Finland. I think the similarities are vastly more than the differences."
"Dearest brother," Täthi interrupted him, "you do not by any chance have a copy of that old spell, we did not understand?"
"But yes," Taavi answered slightly confused, "I have one  right here, in my wallet."

... to be continued -- soon, I hope

Sidste dag i maj :: Last Day of May

Jeg laver jo det der Månedens farve-noget, og det har jeg ikke været så god til i maj, hvor Månedens farve har været: Klar orange.

This has been the Colour of the month for May. I have not been very good at using it.

 - - - 🎨 - - -

Så i dag gik jeg en tur i haven og tog billeder. Der var ikke så meget orange, men dog noget.

So today I went for a walk in my garden with my camera. Not so much orange, but some.

Gule iris ~ Yellow Iris

Mit krydderurtebed ~ My herbs

Hør ~ Flax

Ikke kigge på skvalderkål, men på Baldrian ~ Do not look at the ground elder but at the Valerian.

Og nej, IKKE skvalderkål, men kvan ~ And no, this is NOT Ground elder, it's Angelica.

Jeg har prøvet at dyrke dem i årevis, og dette viser nok hvorfor det ikke er lykkedes. Jeg har luget dem væk, fordi jeg troede, det var skvalderkål.

For years now I have sown Angelica, but they never grew. This photo explains why. I have pulled them up as ground elders every single one of them.

Bønner, ukrudtskartofler og ditto hindbær ~ Beans, weed potatoes and raspberries

Den her er orangere i virkeligheden ~ These flowers are oranger in real life.

Marietidsel ~ Milk thistle

Mine squash har vænnet sig til solen, og de syrengrene, der har beskyttet dem mod strålerne, er nu visnet. Jeg fjerner dem snart.

My zucchini are getting used to the sun. The lilac branches that have been protecting them so far, have withered, and will soon be removed.

Pomeranshøgeurt - tror jeg nok. I hvert fald orange  ~ Probably orange hawkweed - Orange it is in any case.

Haveuglen, blå blomster med mere ~ GardenOwl, blue flowers and more.

Spansk kørvel, lakridsfrø ~ Sweet cicely, liquorice seeds.

Bronzefennikel ~ Fennel

Honningurt ~ Lacy phacelia.


Fra i morgen skal vi lede efter denne her farve, det bliver ikke svært.

From tomorrow this is the colour to be looking for. It won't be hard.

Colour24 ~ June

The colour of June is

Poetry Monday :: Politics

Politics ... who on Earth choose such a stupid topic for a Poetry Monday?
Well, seems I did.
I do not understand why I chose that topic! I do not care much for politics, and rigth now we're in the run up for the election to the EU parliament and posters everywhere is making me sick and tired of politics.
A blah! poem is in place:

All the whys
all their lies
All the hows
all their vows
All the whats
fly like gnats
All the whos
thick as glue
Election day
is far away
as all their minds
are money lined
and filled with power
at any hour.

 - - - - -

Next Monday the topic is Egg - thank you Mimi!

Words for Wednesday ~ May 22nd ~ Gylfi & Thora 3

The Word for Wednesday challenge started a long time ago. Now it has turned into a movable feast with Elephant's Child as our coordinator; and the Words are provided by a number of people. This merry month of May they are by David M. Gascoigne.

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.

 - - - - -

Words for Wednesday May 22:
Solar
Polls
True
People
Indication
     and/or
 Celestial
Temperature
Concern
Obvious
Surreal

I only used the striked out words for this continuing story of Thora, Gylfi, Tähti and Taavi discovering the rules of magic long ago.

The solar flares made for spectacular Northern lights while Taavi and Tähti helped Gylfi and Thora prepare dinner. They ate together in Gylfi's living room, not only was it the biggest, it also had a large window facing north and thus giving a view to the celestial spectacle while they ate in the darkness.
Over the coffee, which Taavi and Tähti insisted on preparing after their experience with Icelandic coffee, they finally felt comfortable enough with one another to touch on the subject of magic once again.
Tähti opened by trying to teach Thora and Gylfi the language spell. She slowly swished her wand and spoke the words; "Kieli on sama". The words in Finnish were not hard for the two Icelanders to learn, but the magic of it seemed to elude them.
"Our wands are very worn," Thora admitted, "We found a stash in an attic room, but it seems they are losing power each time we use them. We're already on our second pair of wands."
"This is a serious concern,"  Täthi said. "Obviously, if we only have the wands we inherited, or what we can find in old attic rooms. No offence intended", she quickly added.
Gylfi replied: "And none taken; if our predicament is any indication, each wand will only take so much use, and then deteriorate. This will fast become a problem."
"But where did those old wands come from," Taavi asked. "We have not used ours that much, and I too have noticed a ... sluggishness ... for lack of other expression, in my wand recently."
"This is surreal," Thora said. "Here we are, practitioners of magic, finally out in the open and ready to go. And then we are cut off by a lack of wands."
"I remember something," Gylfi said slowly, "the old people ... they used to Signa wands for children coming of age. But how?"
"Signa?" Thora said. "I remember some singing involved, no blessings."
"Singing ..." Tähti looked at Thora with a strange look. "My grandmother taught me a song when I was very small. She sang it to me every time we visited. And when I got old enough to sing, she asked me to sing it for her afterwards. She told me it was the most important song I would ever learn, and when I finally sung it perfectly she promised to tell me how to use in the summer. Only she died, fast and unexpected, from a seemingly harmless disease before summer came." Tähti pulled out a large, blue handkerchief, wiped her eyes and blew her nose.
"Can you sing it still?" Taavi asked. I vaguely remember your singing, but Grandpa kept me busy with his games of guess a flower or mixing up strange concoctions ... those were potions! But that'll have to wait. Sing!"
Tähti drew a deep breath and stood up, gently she sang a tune of  growing, of mending, of future and past, of flying and longing. She grasped Thora's hand and pulled her out of the door, out into the night under the still dancing aurora borealis. The skies seemed to dance to her tune, as she walked around the garden, pulling Thora along, touching this tree and that until finally she stopped by a big, old hawthorn. There she pulled Thora up to the tree, and placed their hands on the trunk. Thora felt the skies and the tree and her whole being resonate through her palms resting on the tree. When Thora sang the last line of the song, a shiver ran through the tree and a branch from high up fell from it, gently landing on Thora's arms.
"Take it!" Täthi said in a low voice, and Thora did as she was told. The branch felt alive in her hands, and a happiness stirred inside her, and she swished the wand through the air. Emerald green sparks flew from the end, and would have started a fire had the ground not been drenched still from the recently melted snow.
"Yes, wands most certainly are sung!" Taavi whispered.

... to be continued

Bedre Vejr ~ Fredagsfrustration ~ Better Weather

Ja, jeg ved altså godt, det ikke er fredag. Men dette er så klart en Fredagsfrustration!

Mens DMI tager en ny supercomputer i brug, kan vi ikke få læselige vejrmeldinger ... gad vide, hvad der sker efter sommerferien?

BedreVejr

Yup, I do know it is not Friday today. But this is a Friday Frustration - on a Wednesday even!

This is what meets us at BedreVejr.dk (BetterWeather), the legible weather forecasts.
The forecasts are suspended while DMI (Danish Meteorological Institiute) starts up a new Supercomputer. What will happen later? Your guess is as good as mine. But this is all we have all summer long.

Poetry Monday :: Pizza

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

-- ◡◡ --
-- ◡ -- ◡ --
-- ◡◡ --

Today's word is Pizza  ~  The sun is shining, the trees are green, it's time to dig, and sow, and weed, and rearrange, and, and, and ... But still I like thinking up poems, this time just a short one.

A pizza is a nice, round thing
One of the pleasures hungers bring
Bottom made of crispy bread,
on it spread tomatoes red,
Mushrooms white and melting cheese,
ham and shrimps my palate please.

 -- 🍕 --

And a bonus. Pizza made me think of this totally crazy German song called "Ich bin ein Döner" (I am a döner kebab).
If any Germans around -- Hallo Iris und Karen Myyrätohtori -- Ja ich höre gern Deutsche Partyschlagersänger ;) Und korrigieren Sie bitte alle Fehler.

The refrain goes like this in German:
Baguette macht fett,
Sushi macht wuschi,
Pizza macht spitzer,
aber Döner macht schöner.

Let's try that in English:
Baguette makes fat,
Sushi makes woozy,
Pizza makes spiteful (or maybe horny - my German slang is dated! - 20 years since we stayed there)
but Döner makes prettier.

-- ◡◡ -- ◡◡ --

Next Monday: Politics

Kulørt søndag ~ Colourful Sunday

I dag skinnede solen, og selv om vejmeldingen havde lovet en regnbyge, regnede den ikke lige her.

Today we had wonderful sunshine, and even though local showers were promised, they did not fall in our garden.

-- 🎨 -- 

Verden omkring os er meget farverig for øjeblikket.

The world around us is very colourful right now.

Rapsen blomstrer ~ Canola fields are flowering

Akelejerne blomstrer ~ The columbines are flowering

Den første valmue blomstrer ~ The first poppy is flowering

Det ser ud som om solen falder ind gennem blyindfattede vinduer, men sådan nogle det har vi altså ikke
In this photo it looks like the light is falling through stained glass, but our windows are plain white.

Meget lilla prydløg ~ Very purple Allium

Månen ~ The Moon

Og en orange blomst til månedens farve ~
Den gror på Månehøjen, og er nok en sommerblomst fra sidste år
Jeg aner ikke, hvad den hedder, og orange er nok den farve, det er allersværest at finde i Uglebo.

And an orange flower for the Colour of the month.
Growing on my Moon Hill, a survivor from last summer's sowing of all my flower seeds
I have no idea what it is, and orange is probably the colour it is hardest to find in the Owlery.

Haveuglen har fået fine nye blå blomster, og en frø på besøg.
GardenOwl has new blue flowers, and a frog has come visiting.

Og et par overraskelser ~ and a couple of surprises.

Vi fældede et lille træ, og under barken var det ... pink!
We cut down a small tree, and under the bark the cambium was ... pink!

Nogen af vore æg er grønne på ydersiden, men det her var også grønt indeni. Det blev ikke spist.
Some of our eggs are green on the outside. This one was green inside too. We did not eat it.

Ik' mig ~ Not Me

I Ugleboet er der, eller rettere der var 6 ugleunger. Nu er de fleste voksne, men engang vrimlede det med ugleunger i Uglebo.
     Nogle gange føltes det som meget mere end 6 børn. Og nogle gange, når vi var på rejse, var jeg sikker på, at jeg havde efterladt et barn, og måtte tælle dem, nogle gange mere end én gang. Men jeg nåede altid til 6. Hverken mere eller mindre.
     Andre gange var jeg helt sikker på, at jeg havde et ekstra barn. Når jeg spurgte ugleungerne, hvem der havde glemt mælken på bordet, brugt alt toiletpapiret, hældt vand ud over det hele eller ladet fryseren stå åben, var de alle enige om, at det var Ik'mig, der var den skyldige.
     Jeg har aldrig mødt det barn. Ik'mig var aldrig til stede ved måltiderne, heller ikke når vi bad aftenbøn, eller når der skulle vaskes op eller luges. Kort sagt var det kun når der ikke var nogen forældre til stede, at Ik'mig sneg sig ind og lavede sine gale streger.
     Eftersom jeg aldrig så Ik'mig, vidste jeg jo heller ikke om Ik'mig nu var en dreng eller en pige. Men i forgårs var håndvasken på badeværelset overdrysset med de der små skægstubbe, der kommer, når nogen barberer sig. Skribenten har fuldskæg, så han var uskyldig. Næste morgen spurgte jeg alle de tre - mandlige - ugleunger, der stadig bor hjemme, og endnu en gang var de enige. Det var Ik'mig.
     Konklusionen? Ik'mig er en dreng!

 - - - - -  🚯  - - - - -

In the Owlery are, or was 6 Owlets. Now they're mostly grown, but once upon a time the Owlery was teeming.

Sometimes it felt like a lot more than 6 children. And sometime when travelling I was sure that I had left behind a child, and had to count them, sometimes more than once. But always I made it to 6. Not more, not less.

At other times, I was sure I had an extra child. Often when I asked the Owlets who left the milk on the table, used up all the toilet paper, poured water all over or left the freezer open they all agreed that Not Me was the guilty child.

I never met said child.Not Me was never present at meals, not even when we said grace, nor when the dishes were to be done or the weeds pulled. In short only when no parents were around did Not Me sneak in and do its business. I say "its" because until yesterday I did not know if Not Me were a boy or a girl. But the day before yesterday the bathroom sink was sprinkled with the small ends of beard left over from shaving. The Writer has a beard, so not guilty. Next morning I asked all of the three - male - Owlets still at home, and once again they agreed. It was Not Me. The conclusion? Not Me is a boy!

Fredagsfrustration:: Overvågningssamfundet

A rant over the Surveillance state - now as compared to how it was when I was young.

Hver gang der sker et eller andet frygteligt, taler alle om, at vi må have noget mere overvågning. Det er sjovt nok altid kameraer og den slags, de mener. Det moderne, digitale overvågningssamfund.

Da jeg var lille, havde vi også et overvågningssamfund - det var bare mennesker, der stod for overvågningen:

• Der var personale på banegårdene, selv de mindste. Der var bemandede billetluger, en lille kiosk og der var toiletter med "tissekoner". På de bare lidt større banegårde var der også en bagageopbevaring, hvor man kunne få passet på sin kuffert, mens man så sig om i byen.
• Der var billetkontrollører i alle tog.
• Der var små butikker rigtig mange steder, og indehaveren stod tit i vinduet eller i døren mellem kunderne og kiggede ud.
• Der var politibetjente i mange vejkryds, de gik rundt i gaderne eller kørte langsomt rundt i villakvarteret.
• Der var portnere på større arbejdspladser.
• Der var portnersker i nogle opgange.
• Der var hotelportierer på alle hoteller. Døgnet rundt.
• Der var personale på hospitaler og plejehjem.
• Der kom postbude forbi 2 gange om dagen
• Der kom el- og gasmåleraflæsere flere gange om året, og en vognmand med olie eller kul eller petroleum - og de ringede på og kom indenfor.
  
• Der var folk på tankstationerne, de tankede benzin på bilerne, af og til pudsede de ruder og lygter. Der var også nogen, der kunne sælge en ny pære til forlygten og hjælpe med at skifte den.
  
• Der var mennesker, der tog imod tøj til vask, rens og rul, cykler til reparation, tøj til omforandring, pakker på posthuset og penge i banken.
• Der var gadefejere der gik rundt og fejede i gaderne.
• Der var bybude på cykel.
• Der var postbude til fods eller på cykel - det var kun landposten virkeligt langt ude på landet, der havde en bil.
• Der var flere gårdvagter i skolegårdene. 
• Der var forældre og bedsteforældre, der gik med deres børn og børnebørn fra sted til sted, på indkøb, til fritidsbeskæftigelser, fra skoler og børnehaver.  
• Der var folk, der gik på indkøb.
  Der var sjovt nok også mere "fryns". Børn fik ofte klistermærker på tanken, en skive pålæg eller en halv pølse hos slagteren og den slags. Og det var jo ikke fordi der var færre børn med på indkøb den gang ...
  

     Det var kort sagt stående, siddende, gående og cyklende mennesker mange flere steder end i dag. Mennesker, der holdt øje med de unge, de rejsende, de fremmede, de berusede. Folk til at spørge om hjælp, om vej, og bare til at skabe tryghed.
     Bevares, det var irriterende, når sure fru Madsen nok engang havde sladret til ens mor, fordi vi havde klædt Susannes lillesøster ud og kørte hende rundt i barnevognen. Nej, hun kunne ikke lide det!
     Men når hr. Pedersen kom fuld hjem og gik fløjtende på jagt efter os unger, var det rart at kunne smutte ind til købmanden, eller på vaskeriet, eller på tanken.
     Eller når Bengt, Mads, Søren og Michael syntes at en af os andre skulle have bank på vejen hjem, eller Pernille, Helle og Heidi syntes vi skulle have med sjippetovet. Så kom fru Øldepot ofte ud og kiggede på lømlerne, mens vi fik en chance for at rende hjem.

Stort set det eneste sted, man i dag kan opleve den verden, er sjovt nok på museer, der bliver biletterne solgt, klippet og kontrolleret af mennesker, billeder og museumsgenstande bevogtes af levende kustoder, der for det meste gerne svarer på spørgsmål og skælder blidt ud på børnene når de kommer for tæt på, og grupper på rundvisning kommer ind i alle krinkelkroge med jævne mellemrum.

Words for Wednesday ~ Gylfi & Thora 2

The Word for Wednesday challenge started a long time ago. Now it has turned into a movable feast with Elephant's Child as our coordinator; and the Words are provided by a number of people. This merry month of May they are by David M. Gascoigne.

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.

 - - - - -

Words for Wednesday May 15:
Damn
Campaign
Missile
Vital
Assure
     And/or
 Practitioner
Movement
Futile
Eternal
Interpret

As is my wont, I used the Words in the order they were given, and continue my story from yesterday. I don't know if this still counts as a part of the A-Z Challenge ...

One day in early spring, when the days were still short, Gylfi and Thora went shopping in the much larger Selfoss for necessities not to be had in Hella and the other smallish city in the vicinity.
"Damn!" Gylfi said as he halted the car near the big roundabout in the outskirts of the town.
"Mind your language," Thora said automatically, then sat up. "Those campaigns to stop the war or whatever it is, do get worse and worse," she said, rolling up the windows as the first of a rain of missiles hit the car.
Gylfi adroitly put the car in reverse and drove backwards out of the rain of tomatoes, potatoes and a stone or two. Just as quickly he went into first gear again and drove slowly forwards. "Open the doors", he said to Thora and piloted the car between two banner-carrying youngsters. Long, wavy hair, bare feet, flowery shirts and skinny jeans made it hard to see if they were males or females, but the elderly couple trying to keep the missiles at bay with an inadequate umbrella were clearly one of each. Thora opened the back-seat door closest to them and moved over. Gylfi snuck the car up to the couple and loudly said: "Get aboard!" The two climbed aboard with a haste belying their years and dignity.
"Kiitos," the woman said, smiling at Thora, who recognized the Finnish word for thank you and smiled in return.
"Please, close the door!" Gylfi sad, turning the car away from the demonstration.  
"Mitä sanot?" the lady said. Then she shook her head and pulled a branch from her handbag. She swished it through the air and said: "Kieli on sama! ... Sorry what did you say?" she added.
Gylfi repeated: "Please close the door," and now the man, who sat next to the door complied.

For some time Gylfi concentrated on getting through the campaigners, away from the rain of tomatoes and other projectiles and avoiding the banners. Finally he turned right and took another way into town. When he stopped the car, he first of all assured himself that the windows were undamaged, then he turned to the new passengers: "Hello, I am Gylfi and this is Thora. Pleased to meet you!"
"I am Tähti Kuusisaari from Finland, and this is my brother Taavi. The pleasure is ours. Thanks for rescuing us from this chaos," the lady said.
"What was that spell?" Gylfi asked. "And no reason to play innocent. I felt the magic!"
"Are you a practitioner of magic as well?" Tähti asked, and as Thora and Gylfi both nodded agreement, she continued: "It is a simple enough one, it makes all languages like one, it so to speak reverses the Babel tower incident," she said still smiling.
Thora and Gylfi both laughed. Then Thora spoke up: "Where are you two staying? For a peace movement, I found them a bit violent." This wry comment made the others chuckle.
"We left our luggage in a locker at the bus station, and were going to find somewhere to stay. We planned on visiting Þingvellir and Hekla. We retired some years ago, and now we're visiting the Nordic countries one by one to see how much magic is left."
"You're welcome to stay at our place," Gylfi said. "There are room for the two of you in my house, I have a spare bedroom. And Thora is an excellent cook."
Thora protested and the same did the Kuusisaari twins.
"Protests are futile," Gylfi said. "Let's collect your items, get some shopping done and return to peaceful Hella to plan."
"Hella?" Taavi said, "not the place with those ancient caves?"
"Yes the very same," Thora answered. "They are an eternal source of strife in the community. Some want them to be made into a museum for posterity and more open to tourists, while others want to still be able to stove their hay, cheese and whatnot in there."
"We might be able to help interpret the old inscriptions," Taavi said,  "Maybe we need to prolong our stay here. This has become very intriguing and interesting."

... to be continued (Words willing)

Ⓐ - Ⓩ follow up & Words for Wednesday ~ Gylfi 150 years

This year's A-Z Challenge featured mini biographies of all the apprentices on The Unicorn Farm - The Nordic school for magic - back in the 1970es.
I made it through all the apprentices in April. and this is the first instalment in a follow up series describing the handful of teachers gathering the broken threads of magic once again, trying to revive the magic

Ⓐ - Ⓩ

The Word for Wednesday challenge started a long time ago. Now it has turned into a movable feast with Elephant's Child as our coordinator; and the Words are provided by a number of people. Tis month by David M. Gascoigne.

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, visit, comment and encourage the particioants.

Words for Wednesday May 8:
Decent
 Necklace
 Ecosystem
Money
Ground
      And/or
Armed
Way
Lodge
Willing
Guardians

May 7th, a week ago today, would have marked the 150th birthday of the oldest of the professors from Unicorn Farm, Gylfi (pronounced Gilvi). And yes, this makes him over 100 years old at the time of the happenings at the Unicorn Farm. He had discovered a potion of, not youth or eternal life, but slow life when he was a young teacher at the newly founded Háskóli Íslands (University of Iceland, Reykjavík) and brewed and drank of it sparingly ever since.

- - - - - - -

Thora worked at the library at the same university, young and insecure, she had still felt the magic in the old professor. But before she pulled her courage together to approach him, he retired, after many busy, productive years, and moved back to his parents' old, decrepit manor house quite a distance from Hella.

After putting the gardener's house in decent shape, he moved there, and enjoyed spending the nights looking upon the stars through the windows he  had installed. He was at his happiest when one night he saw the necklace of the Perseids.
Due to his magic, he was able to partially repair the broken ecosystem in the large park-like garden, even if his lack of money meant that he spent a long time doing this.

Thora retired early, as the new systems and management were not to her likings. She also moved to Hella, not knowing that she was now close to Gylfi once again. She cared for the animals of the surroundings, wild and domestic alike, and even had a cat owl staying in her small house.

One late evening, under the almost midnight sun, her owl, Brúnleita, lost its way and landed at the ground of Gylfi's manor just inside his fence. Armed only with her falconers' gloves and a tasty mouse for her owl, she found her way inside the garden. She got a bit lost looking at and caressing the many different flowers and plants in his garden. It was long before she remembered Brúnleita again. The owl had crept all the way up to the lodge, where it now sat at the verandah, hooting softly.
Willing the owl to come to her, she crossed the magic line, and set off the guardian spells that Gylfi had put in place. Gylfi recognized the magic in Thora, and she recognized him from the university.

Together they studied magic and made plants and animals thrive. Soon Thora moved into another house in the sprawling grounds of Gylfi's manor, and one day they found a room filled with books and magical stuff hidden away by Gylfi's parents when they inherited it from their parents. Books, wands, cauldrons, bottles and flasks with strange contents were placed in an attic room, forgotten, now found. 

Soon Gylfi and Thora were growing in magic back in Hella.

... to be continued.

Poetry Monday :: Event

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's word is Event ~  I feel like I have been complaining over my health every Monday for these last many years, and today's no different. I woke Saturday morning with a toothache. Today I visited the dentist, had some X-rays and were sent home with a minimal but good repair and some antibiotics. Now I hope that this is it for some time to come. The sun is shining, the trees are green, it's time to dig, and sow, and weed, and rearrange, and, and, and ...
Event ... well I took my usual way out. I found all the  rhymes and made a nonsense poem.

--  🚀  🌳  ⭐  --

After the deep space event
most everyone was spent.
The letters all sent
and the ramrods all bent.

We burned every cent
To master the scent
But never a dent
in the elusive vent.

And then in the end
We found that they meant
To bury an Ent
And then off we went

We abducted the Ent
In a lifeboat we went
And the barrier we rend
It had a happy end!

- - - - -

Next Monday: Pizza - a nice round topic 🍕

Ⓐ - Ⓩ ~ Overwiev & Gone Visiting

This year's A-Z Challenge featured mini biographies of all the apprentices on The Unicorn Farm - The Nordic school for magic - back in the 1970es.

In this post I'll first bring an overview of the 26 posts, describing 31 apprentices. Then comes my Gone Visiting part, where I first tell of the blogs I have been visiting, and then present at least some of those I have found during May.

I have signed up for the Roadtrip, but I won't promise to visit all blogs on that list - or to refrain from visiting or re-visiting some not on the list.

 Ⓐ - Ⓩ

Overview over my A-Z chapters
A for Aamu
B for Bjørn
C for Cassandra
D for David
E for Elvin and Sif
F for Fiona & Veronika
G for Grani
H for Helge
I for Ingrid
J for Jan
K for Kirstin
L for Lukas, Bo, Britta & Harald Also starring Kalle & Anna, with Helge squeezed in as well
M for Monica
N for Nicklas & Sanne
O for Olav
P for Paula & Josta
Q for Questions - cheater-post
R for Rósa
S for Selma
T for Terje
U for My from Uldervik
V for Sarah from Vestegnen
W for Hilde Westvold
X for X marks the spot - Jouka and Nata
Y for Finnbogi Yngvason
Z for Zoo and Josh


Gone Visiting
1. Blogs I have been visiting with joy during the A ~Z challenge

Postcards from the Bookstore Light-hearted blogging on this and that.
The Curry Apple Orchard   An exiting story of the orphans Step, and Tear!
Backsies is what There is Not  Cleaning the attic and all the rest after her parents - memories, thoughts, fun!
Ramblin' with AM Gardens and ramblings.
Arbitrary Dustbunnies - Plants, very interesting and I learned a lot, Unfortunately she stopped at K
jmd CREATIVE  - Interesting, but no commenting without Disqus, so no.
Black & White  Anne E.G Nydam on woodcuts and magical plants - Botany in the realm of imagination.
The Other Side - about the game of my youth -AD&D
Messymimi's Meanderings Mimi on this and that in a busy and thankful life.


2. To be expanded
Blogs I visited and liked during the Road Trip or intend to visit:

So much to chose from Ramblings. Informative and amusing.
The Great Raven - Literary villains

Poetry Monday :: Chest

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.


Chest ~ A word with dual meanings. As I like gaming, pirates and such, I go with treasure chest.

--  🪙  💎  🦴  💎  🪙  --

Yo-ho and a bottle of Rhum
Play the fiddle, strike the drum
Find some treasure, find a chest
Loot and plunder we do best.

Skull and bones our pirate flag
Doubloons in a linen bag.
Yes, to open treasure's chest
Is the end of our quest.

Cutlasses for pirates brave
Victory or wet, wet grave.
Fight those blasted scum and pests
Till we find our treasure chest!

 - - ☠ - -

Next Mondays topic: Event

Sunday Selections :: Spring

From our travels today ~ now yesterday, as - oops - I did not hit Publish in my hurry as the guests arrived. Sorry.

Something old:

Something new:

Something wet:

And something Orange:

For the colour of the month of May:

And as a bonus. My defiant tree in Hillerød is still growing:

Ⓐ - Ⓩ ~ Reflections 2 The Questions List from the Challenge Home Page

Check out my Reflection Post 1
 
-- Ⓐ - Ⓩ -- UPDATE -- Ⓐ - Ⓩ --

• Did you win?
  - Yes!

• Did you post an alphabet of letter-inspired posts?
  - Yes - all of them - for the first time ever!
  

• Did you HOP to other A to Z participants?
  - Not as many as I would have liked - See Reflection post 1!

• Do you believe your blog saw an increase in traffic and comments during April 2024?
  - A few

• Did you check the MasterList to be sure your entry was correct?
  - Yes!

• Do you feel the A to Z Team (Arlee Bird, J Lenni Dorner, Zalka Csenge Virág, John Holton, Jayden R Vincente, and Ronel) supported you, your blog, and this challenge enough in 2024? 
  - Hmm, Yes. I think it's not their job to visit all  blogs, but to make the challenge run smoothly.

• What changes do you hope the team might consider for next year?
  - More 'policing' of the Master list - See Reflection post 1!
  - Making the Master list simpler and combine with the theme reveal. Two lists are one too many.
  - Make the links in the Master list take me to the blog proper, not to a redirection page.

• Did you use the http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/2024-graphics.html Graphics page?
  - I only discovered it today, else I would have.

• Is the HTML useful to you?
  - Yes!

• Are there any other images or graphics the team could offer to help you?
  - An alternative, light colouration. I disliked this years graphics, as can be seen from me not using them.
  - Letters with transparent background to be placed over my own picture would be great. 

• Any suggestions for the team?
  - As already said, a simplification and combining of the Team Reveal and Master lists.
  - And please, keep this a blogging Challenge!
  

• Any thanks?
  - Yes! To the team for creating this challenge, for my normal readers for their never failing support, and to new visitors for every comment they have left.
  

• Any requests for the 2025 team's theme? (The posts you'll see on this site in April.)
  - A broad one.
  

• Any post ideas or requests for our monthly posts on the blog from June to February?
  - Yes. I loved your Zip through Autumn post idea for the autumn of 2022 - something like this on a monthly - or even weekly base - would be great!

• Have you followed the social media of the A to Z Challenge?
  - NO!

• What was your favorite comment left by another A to Z participant on your blog during the challenge? 🏆
  - I can't say. All were good, I had none of the "Nice post, please visit my blog" variety this year.

• Did any other A to Z participant make you and your blog feel especially valued this year?
  - All, who commented.
  

• Do you have a favorite blog that you found during the challenge this year?
  - Honourable mentioning to The Curry Apple Orchard that had me waiting for new posts.

• Do you feel you had a positive impact on the Blogging Community during the hop?
  - No, unfortunately not.

• Did you invite or encourage any other bloggers to join the challenge?
  - No

• Have you learned anything because of the #AtoZChallenge?
  - Yes I have ;)

• Did you use a theme in 2024? Any thoughts on themes?
  - Yes, I used a theme: Apprentices of Unicorn Farm. I like themes but with large possibility for variety
  

• Was taking part in the challenge a positive experience for you and your blog?
  - For me, yes, I got a lot written, I would probably not else have done. My blog won't divulge its feelings on this.
  

• Consider the significance of the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge, our values (community and inclusion), and your feelings about the experience. How may this influence your future blogging, learning, or actions?
  - No changes, I'll keep on blogging as I have done for 12 years now.

• Any other thoughts, feelings, and reactions to the #AtoZChallenge 2024?
  - If sign up was easier, maybe some of the "unofficial" participants would sign up.

• Will you consider doing the challenge again next year?
  - Maybe - it depends on the Theme, and my time.
  

Ⓐ - Ⓩ ~ Reflections

This marks the end of this year's A-Z challenge - except for one post. I miss writing about all the professors of Unicorn Farm. That post will hopefully follow on May 7th.

Blogging from A - Z should be easy as A - B - C.

A ~ All clear: Write and post all posts from A-Z.
B ~ Been there, done that: Visit heaps of other participnats' blogs.
C ~ Comment: Comment on many of these other blogs.

  -- Ⓐ - Ⓩ --  -- Ⓐ - Ⓩ --

Let's see how I've done.

A ~ All clear. Yay! for the first time ever, I have written and posted all the posts from A - Z on their actual days.

B ~ Been there, done that. Not as good. I started out strong, visiting the blogs according to a copy of the Master list. Only already early on, I found dead links, I found links to the sign up, I found blogs not participaing in the A - Z Challenge. Some did not blog at all, some only blogged about matters not related to the A - Z Challenge. I found blogs I could or would not read from personal causes, thus no blame on the bloggers in question (If you're curious: Graphical point of view: white-on-black or with moving/dancing objects. Contents: pure self promotions, economics/business, mental health, cosmetics, most animals ...)

C ~ Comments. Not good either. I commented on some on the blogs on the list. But I did not comment on blogs where I had nothing to say, either from not knowing or caring for the subject in question, or just feeling inadequate - see above. 
  Another obstacle was that I met quite a few blogs, where the contents were interesting, and I had comments or qustions I wanted to share, only I could not, because the blog required me to log in with Disqus or some such.


Honestly, I think that with all the talk of visiting and commenting on others' blogs, and the rules for the Challenge clearly stating that to participate  

Your blog link should take readers directly to your blog. Please check it. Have a friend check it.
***This is a blog hop! We ask that anyone who signs up has a blog where any and all participants can comment (without logging in, signing up, emailing, etc).
If your blog cannot offer that, this hop might not be for you. (LINK)

the "A-Z police" ought to be a bit more on their toes.

I know that the team can only do so much, but when I agonised about this under letter C on the A-Z home blog, the team was aware of the problems, and promised to do something about it.

And a very minor complaint: Following the links in the master list take me to a "redirecting" page where I have to confirm that I want to be redirected.

This made me kind of lose steam. And my visiting beyond E or so were more ecclectic, based on themes and name of the blogs.

So far I have not found many blogs I was interested in reading or following. I am sure I would have found more, had I been more thorough, but the aforementioned obstacles took their toll. And some of those I liked, stopped A-Z'ing all too soon - sad.

I really liked that the Challenge this year again seemed to focus more on writing, reading and commenting on Blogs, and not so much on counting views/comments or directing flows to and from other SoMe.

  -- Ⓐ - Ⓩ --  -- Ⓐ - Ⓩ --

All in all better than previous years. I could have done better, and so could the A-Z team.

The Words for Wednesday May 1 & IWSG ~ Updated

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.

Today's Words are chosen by David M. Gascoigne and published at Elephant's Child's blog.

We were given:
Least
Fundamental
People
Satisfaction
Excited
    and/or
Natural
Trashed
Profligacy
Fragile
Future

I will write, but not today. I was derailed by sunshine, a knitting club and too many meals 😉


 - - - - - -

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

May 1 question: How do you deal with distractions when you are writing? Do they derail you?

My answer: I am a mother of 6 children, distractions in the form of noise, questions to be answered, conflicts to be solved, catastrophes to be allayed etc. do not in general derail me. I get up, deal with it and write on.
  Meals are worse, as they demand my wholehearted presence for a prolonged time, and always it's time for a meal, when I just got in the flow.
  And what can, and do, derail me is gaming, or reading other peoples' blogs. I try not to get derailed this way, but sometimes I am just sucked into that black hole existing in the screen.

Update:
As a young one, I discussed with God whether my caling was to a monastery or to a family life. Ever since, I have with varying sucess - mostly failing for the last couple of years, but with spring and May rolling around with renewed steam - worked on making family life into a training for monastic virtues.

Obedience
Just like monks and nuns are required to leave whatever they're doing, and go to the chapel when the bell sounds. I have been - am still - practising to leave what I am doing when family calls.

1. maj

Ikke noget fantastisk billede ~~ Not a fab poto
Men det er den første dag i Marias måned ~~ But today is the first day in the month of Mary.