tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98257154843506212024-03-14T07:15:38.740+11:00The Awen ProjectAwen is Welsh for inspiration, the muse. This blog will record my explorations into poetry and fiction writing and my interests in Welsh/Celtic poetics and mythology.Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9825715484350621.post-22705939314459833082020-08-18T16:32:00.000+10:002020-08-18T16:32:57.293+10:00More Than a Change of Scenery<p>Hi Reader</p><p>If you have found your way here through various outlets, such as search engines or my previous marketing efforts, please be aware I no longer will be posting new blog posts using Blogger. Although this site served me well for a number of years, I realised many months ago that I needed a fresher and more comprehensive way of showcasing my work and services. So, after some time and effort with a talented developer, I have a new <a href="https://www.earl-livings.com" target="_blank">website</a>.</p><p>I appreciate your interest in my work and would love you to pop over for a visit and maybe sign up to receive newsletters and blog posts. You may even find what you were looking for when you were first directed here.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://earl-livings.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="2087" height="106" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UmEMmKJhIS0/XztjzASSgvI/AAAAAAAACm0/F5ZFVBes6UIirWEzrdKu1KMKr5T8L51bACLcBGAsYHQ/w410-h106/earl-livings-logo-celtic.jpg" width="410" /></a></p><p>Best of luck in all your endeavours.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang=""><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cofion Cynnes (Warm Wishes)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang=""><span style="font-family: inherit;">Earl</span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9825715484350621.post-38380900445574269592018-12-15T02:10:00.001+11:002018-12-16T14:36:23.330+11:00The Successful Launch of My New Poetry Collection<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
Hi Everyone</div>
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Last Sunday (9 Dec 2018), the wonderful poet and mentor of Melbourne poets, Alex Skovron, launched my second poetry collection, <i>Libation</i>. Elly Varrenti, friend and colleague from my teaching time at Box Hill Institute, kept things on schedule for the almost 70 people gathered for the celebration.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elly Varrenti welcoming everyone</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex Skovron launching the book</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Thank You speech/Reading my poems (photo by Pheroza Rustomjee)</td></tr>
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The order of events included a Welcome to Country, a welcome to all those gathered in the room, Alex’s speech, my Thank You speech, and my reading of poems from the collection. Below are some comments from messages sent to me after the launch:</div>
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<li> ‘a lovely festive atmosphere…’</li>
<li>‘all your friends and supporters seemed to enjoy the afternoon immensely…’</li>
<li> ‘so much goodwill in the room…’</li>
<li>‘Everything just went absolutely perfectly. It was flawless…’</li>
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And here are more photos from the launch (in no particular order):<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">People listening to the speeches</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A tercet of Melbourne poets: Susan Fealy, Alex Skovron, Tony Page (left to right)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O1IJLwD4rGg/XBO6ydnyl0I/AAAAAAAACdM/nkUWXV9WEFolxdL_2qQMZUk02F3w-RMDgCLcBGAs/s1600/DSCN0478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O1IJLwD4rGg/XBO6ydnyl0I/AAAAAAAACdM/nkUWXV9WEFolxdL_2qQMZUk02F3w-RMDgCLcBGAs/s640/DSCN0478.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The nibbles</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A triplanetary of Spec Fic writers: Sean McMullen, Joel Martin, Luke Manly (left to right)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jan Dumbrell and Belinda Wells at the sales table (L to R)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jLb-6pqQlNk/XBO8BlZMoQI/AAAAAAAACdo/dUrvcBaiOt4Uxdv-QrZYnNXLufGvOskagCLcBGAs/s1600/DSCN0528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jLb-6pqQlNk/XBO8BlZMoQI/AAAAAAAACdo/dUrvcBaiOt4Uxdv-QrZYnNXLufGvOskagCLcBGAs/s640/DSCN0528.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebrating with my oldest friend, Michael (from primary school, 1961)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2sDV8qdFVnU/XBPBHYo2FJI/AAAAAAAACes/I_G67y9-46MWUKoF9yj8XJgi1haKlIXxQCLcBGAs/s1600/DSCN0529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2sDV8qdFVnU/XBPBHYo2FJI/AAAAAAAACes/I_G67y9-46MWUKoF9yj8XJgi1haKlIXxQCLcBGAs/s640/DSCN0529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chatting with fellow poet/writer Kevin Bonnett, with KEEN member Nadine in the background</td></tr>
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There are a number of people I want to thank again for their help in the preparation and publication of Libation and for organising and running the event:</div>
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<li>Elly for her excellent MC work</li>
<li>Alex for his insightful, humorous and comprehensive launch speech</li>
<li>Catherine Bateson and John Jenkins for their back cover blurbs and also their feedback during the preparation of the manuscript, along with Nick Engelmann, Ray Liversidge, Robin Rowland, and the late Max Richards</li>
<li>Veronica Calarco (introduced to me by my ex-student and fellow Welsh practitioner Elizabeth Corbett) and her artist residency at Stiwdio Maelor in Wales, a quiet and inspirational place for working on my various writing projects</li>
<li>Stephen Matthews of Ginninderra Press for publishing the book</li>
<li>City of Boroondara Libraries for allowing me to use the community room at Balwyn Library</li>
<li>Joel Martin for acting as the usher</li>
<li>Phil Maas for being the official photographer (unless stated, all photos in this post are by him)</li>
<li>Belinda Wells and Jan Dumbrell for running the sales table</li>
<li>Astrid, Bill and Jason Bahr, Joe Roberts, the Diegmanns, the Farrars and many others for setting up, running the drinks table, and cleaning up afterwards</li>
<li>Anne’s Pantry and Nina Farrar for supplying the delicious and bountiful food</li>
<li>All my friends, colleagues, ex-students, members of my various writing groups (especially KEEN: Catherine, Elly, and Nadine Cresswell-Myatt), and family members for helping make the book the best it can be and the launch a great success</li>
<li>And my wife, Jo, for her unstinting support, encouragement, and love.</li>
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And still more photos:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nWAeHiz_L4k/XBQk3Zwa5CI/AAAAAAAACfU/KF4in4QPmhgvLhDXzvL7zqHGe0SN-1enQCEwYBhgL/s1600/48187916_269215600429065_6449586941967990784_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="280" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nWAeHiz_L4k/XBQk3Zwa5CI/AAAAAAAACfU/KF4in4QPmhgvLhDXzvL7zqHGe0SN-1enQCEwYBhgL/s640/48187916_269215600429065_6449586941967990784_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ray Liversidge, fellow poet and friend, and I debating something or other (photo by Terri Redpath)</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jcx5zvAVOtc/XBO9IEGvUYI/AAAAAAAACeE/j4qOuXc86KYJWM0dkxhJv870eaH7v43igCEwYBhgL/s1600/DSCN0488.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jcx5zvAVOtc/XBO9IEGvUYI/AAAAAAAACeE/j4qOuXc86KYJWM0dkxhJv870eaH7v43igCEwYBhgL/s640/DSCN0488.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Philip Oakes and Bill Bahr (my brothers-in-law) ready to serve drinks (L to R)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The queue for getting copies signed </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The festivities in full swing</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-trbtQ_06xeQ/XBPG6tdwq5I/AAAAAAAACfE/3_Iqrk2FQzoLt3_0TWekr54d1LaP_iTEgCLcBGAs/s1600/48364051_2319759151585325_7138207664240066560_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="275" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-trbtQ_06xeQ/XBPG6tdwq5I/AAAAAAAACfE/3_Iqrk2FQzoLt3_0TWekr54d1LaP_iTEgCLcBGAs/s640/48364051_2319759151585325_7138207664240066560_n.jpg" width="573" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jo and me (photo by Terri Redpath)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LX9VnxIiEIc/XBO-a_32sqI/AAAAAAAACeY/RG12Asyt03QeHbXhcjKu_5GQEhi80DpOQCLcBGAs/s1600/DSCN0497.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LX9VnxIiEIc/XBO-a_32sqI/AAAAAAAACeY/RG12Asyt03QeHbXhcjKu_5GQEhi80DpOQCLcBGAs/s640/DSCN0497.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">People enjoying themselves after the speeches</td></tr>
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For those who were unable to come to the launch and wish to buy a copy of <i>Libation</i>, various procedures are set out below:</div>
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<li>For a printed copy from the publisher, see <a href="https://www.ginninderrapress.com.au/store.php?product/page/1792/%2A+Earl+Livings+%2F+Libation" target="_blank">here</a>.</li>
<li>For those who prefer their books in digital form, a Kindle version is available from Amazon (Australia) <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Libation-Earl-Livings-ebook/dp/B07H6RT3KG/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1544798236&sr=1-1&keywords=earl+livings+libation" target="_blank">here</a>.</li>
<li>For international buyers, the Kindle edition is available <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Libation-Earl-Livings-ebook/dp/B07H6RT3KG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1544746026&sr=8-4&keywords=livings+libation" target="_blank">here</a>.</li>
<li>For those who would like a signed copy, contact me at <a href="mailto:elivings@optusnet.com.au">elivings@optusnet.com.au</a> and I’ll send it to you. The price is $20, with postage around $3 for Australian addresses. </li>
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My thanks also to all of you who have been sharing my creative journey in various guises.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Cofion Cynnes (Warm Wishes)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Earl</div>
Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9825715484350621.post-33195315412559463482018-10-28T17:58:00.000+11:002018-10-29T19:22:26.415+11:00OFFICIAL LAUNCH ANNOUNCEMENT<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final book cover </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria";">At long last, after several weeks of working out venue arrangements, I can now let you know the details of the launch party for my new poetry collection, </span><i style="font-family: cambria;">Libation.</i><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">When: Sunday, 9 December 2018<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Time: 3.00pm for a 3.30pm start<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Where: Community Room 1, Balwyn Library, </span>336 Whitehorse Rd, Balwyn, Victoria</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Although there is a small car park next to the library, this will likely be filled with patrons, as the library is open 1pm to 5pm on a Sunday. Parking is available on the streets around the library and in the various car parks behind the shopping strip on both sides of Whitehorse Road. For example, there is parking behind Woolworths, Coles Express, and Dominos Pizza, and near Heart Care Victoria (see diagram below).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y0a_OD1c4f4/W9VYsWHNkQI/AAAAAAAACY4/3AgpUIVDB98dKbhjJGUxUxkiKtE-8GNGgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-26%2Bat%2B4.05.47%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="1173" height="262" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y0a_OD1c4f4/W9VYsWHNkQI/AAAAAAAACY4/3AgpUIVDB98dKbhjJGUxUxkiKtE-8GNGgCLcBGAs/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-26%2Bat%2B4.05.47%2Bpm.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The book will be launched by Alex Skovron. For those who don’t know him, </span>Alex is the author of six collections of poetry, a prose novella, and a volume of short stories. He has been published widely, and the numerous readings he has given include appearances in China, Serbia, India, Ireland, Macedonia, and Portugal. Among awards for his poetry are the Wesley Michel Wright Prize, the John Shaw Neilson Award, the <i>Australian Book Review</i> Poetry Prize, and for his first book, <i>The Rearrangement</i> (1988), the Anne Elder and Mary Gilmore awards. His novella, <i>The Poet</i>, was joint winner of the FAW Christina Stead Award for fiction. His work has been translated into a number of languages, including French, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, Polish, Spanish and German.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Source <a href="https://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/skovron-alex" target="_blank">here</a>)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Source <a href="https://puncherandwattmann.com/books/book/towards-the-equator-new-selected-poems" target="_blank">here</a>)</td></tr>
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You might like to check out this book teaser/trailer (<a href="https://youtu.be/64GJfnNewyk">https://youtu.be/64GJfnNewyk</a>) I developed for the launch. I haven’t created one before, so it’s a little experiment. Let me know what you think.</div>
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Anyway, I hope you are able to come and help me celebrate the publication of <i>Libation</i>, which is the distillation of my poetic endeavours over a number of years.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1c1c1c;">Best Wishes</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1c1c1c;">Earl<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9825715484350621.post-63922523753305210362018-07-23T15:28:00.000+10:002018-07-27T17:30:28.891+10:00A Successful Submission<div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #252525;">Hi Everyone</span></div>
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A couple of weeks ago, I appeared on a panel for the Melbourne Chapter of the <a href="https://hnsa.org.au/" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;">Historical Novel Society of Australasia</a>(HNSA), as part of its 2018 Event series. The event, held at the <a href="http://www.pmi.net.au/" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;">Prahran Mechanics Institute</a>, was entitled ‘Evaluating a Successful Submission’ and explored the topic of what publishers, editors and competition judges might consider would be a successful manuscript. My other panellists were <a href="https://www.facebook.com/chris.bell.77377?fref=mentions" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;">Chris Bell</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lindy.cameron1?fref=mentions" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;">Lindy Cameron </a>and we were ably marshalled by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.j.corbett.3?fref=mentions" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;">Elizabeth Jane Corbett</a>. The event was a great success, with we panellists providing insights into their various specialities and fielding a variety of interesting and stimulating questions from the eager audience.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elizabeth Corbett, Lindy Cameron, Me, Chris Bell (Photo by Geoff Stuart)</td></tr>
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Part of the success of the session was our chair’s excellent preparation. Elizabeth sent each of us a set of questions that, in my case I’m sure, helped me focus on the best advice I could give to those attending. Although I prepared a set of answers, I didn’t actually read them out during the panel, just referred to them every now and then.</div>
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The format of the session was for each panellist to read some of their work, answer questions related to it, then deal with questions related to their industry expertise, after which the conversation was opened up to the audience. I read an extract from the second chapter of my work-in-progress, currently entitled <i>The Song of Keeping</i>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So, for the interest of completeness and because I’m sure others may be interested in the details, I’ve included my prepared answers below. Another perspective of the event, by the organiser, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/chris.foley.16752" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;">Chris Foley</a>, can be read <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1361130517366475/permalink/1415359051943621/" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Tell us about your initial inspiration? Where are you currently at with the project?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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I have had a long-held interest in the Celtic world and its mythology and in what has been termed The Matter of Britain. However, I’ve been more intrigued by Merlin than by Arthur and a specific trigger for this project was Nikolai Tolstoy’s book <i>The Quest for Merlin</i>. What intrigues me most was the idea there was an historical person who formed the basis of the Merlin created by Geoffrey of Monmouth. I wanted to write that person’s story.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As for the stage of the project, I am in what I call the Interdraft stage before the actual writing of the fourth draft. I’m doing a structural and conceptual edit of the manuscript, to deal with identified gaps, plot and character problems, and the underlying theological issues of the struggle between Christianity and Celtic paganism.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Who do you see as your main readership?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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People interested in The Matter of Britain, the conflict between religions, and the pagan worldview. In a recent USA survey, up to 0.4% of respondents identified as ‘pagan’ or ‘wiccan’. There are about 336 million people who speak English as their first language, so 0.4% would represent 1.3 million potential readers. Then there are all those other readers who are interested in ‘pagan material’, about 10 million alone in the USA (said an executive from Barnes & Noble some years ago). So, a big market.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>And finally, because I just have to ask, are those Middle Welsh words?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Many of the personal names in the novel I’ve taken from the <i>Welsh Classical Dictionary</i>. I’ve tried to stick to Old Welsh and Middle Welsh, but I have also derived personal and deity names and religious terms from Proto-Celtic and Indo-European, even Basque.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aXTH9nTU_EE/W1Vimv92kBI/AAAAAAAACXs/g46aOIqU4K0g8OzHRdWk7DDfoy6UVapuQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Panel%2BPhoto%2B3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aXTH9nTU_EE/W1Vimv92kBI/AAAAAAAACXs/g46aOIqU4K0g8OzHRdWk7DDfoy6UVapuQCEwYBhgL/s640/Panel%2BPhoto%2B3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Photo by Geoff Stuart)</td></tr>
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<i>How do you go about assessing a manuscript?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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I look at craft issues and story issues, content and structure, what is told, how it is told:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Can the author write a grammatical sentence, then another, and arrange them in a way that keeps me reading, or does the bad writing—grammar, spelling and punctuation lapses, non-sequiturs in sentence construction, too many sentence fragments, etc.—frustrate me, annoy me, bore me?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Does the style of the narration fit the content?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">What is the balance of showing and telling? Does it work?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Does the author know the genre in which she/he is working?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Does the story engage me? Does it have traction? Do I want to know what happens next or why things have happened? Am I thrilled by elegant language usage or by insights into character or by the late-at-night-urge to keep turning pages?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Are the events in the story logically presented and arranged in a logical sequence?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Do scenes work to advance the story or are just filler? That is, if they give backstory or reveal something about a character, do they do double-duty and also push the story forward?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Are characters consistent in their actions and behaviour?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Is the storyworld adequately established for and during the unfolding story?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Are there continuity problems in descriptions, time usages and intervals, etc.?</span></li>
</ol>
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<i>What are the common mistakes that writers make?</i> </div>
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<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">First of all, lack of reading. Writers need to read more, and not just in their chosen genre. Some manuscripts are just rehashes of favourite movies and TV shows. Or are thinly disguised autobiographies that assume the writer’s life is interesting to other people just because it’s been traumatic to themselves.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Which leads to the second issue. Story and character arcs. Something needs to change and if you’re trying to write in a commercial genre, you need to be aware of the conventions and obligatory scenes of that genre, find ways to refresh the tropes you’re dealing with, and remember that story structure is not a formula but a form that has existed for millennia because it works.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">And, as I’ve said, there’s the matter of genre. What do audiences expect from the genre and are you giving it to them?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Some stories start with long explanations of the history of the world but nothing about the current situation that is prompting the story. That is, the Inciting Incident is delayed far too long. Or isn’t clear. Such instances are authors indulging in the results of their research and/or worldbuilding and, basically, showing off.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Or an author has too many characters and none of them astutely rendered.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">There is no story question, or it isn’t obvious, or it hasn’t been explored properly.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Theme hasn’t been identified.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Then there are the usual craft issues, as I indicated before: poor grammar, bad sentence and paragraph construction, weak scene construction, as well as improper manuscript layout, not knowing your audience, not knowing your genre through and through.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Writers who think redrafting is just doing a copyedit pass through their manuscripts.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">To bring everything back to my reading comment: the more you read, inside and outside your genre, the more you understand what things have worked, how other writers have refreshed tropes, how language and story works, and what ideas and techniques you might be able to bring into your own genre from other ones.</span><span style="font-family: "cambria";"> </span></li>
</ol>
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<i>How has editing, assessing and mentoring helped inform your own writing process?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Everything I do—teaching, mentoring, assessing, editing—makes me more aware of the mistakes I myself make; how much is still to be learnt about story and writing, craft and content, the what and the how; and how hard it is to fight against resistance and the ‘it’s good enough’ syndrome. I realise how far I’ve come but how far I still have to go. I have learnt to stand back from my own work and analyse it more objectively than I could in the past. I’ve also learnt that at times one has to be stubborn and follow one’s vision for the work even in the face of self-doubt and of the advice from others.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Are you in a writing group?</i></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Not at the moment, but I have been in the past. Several.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">I have a writing buddy group that meets weekly.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">I also have some trusted beta readers, including my wife, Jo, who reads everything I write.</span><span style="font-family: "cambria";"> </span></li>
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<i>What do you do when you lose direction?</i></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">If you’re talking about a story, I regroup by looking at the macro picture—intentions, structure, story arc—then go back to the micro. Hence my Interdraft work at the moment.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">If you mean the writing life as a whole, same sort of thing: look at my intentions as well as my motivations, my habits, my commitments and obligations, my distractions, simplify what I can (for example, social media and TV), and then throw myself back into following my bliss as much as I can.</span><span style="font-family: "cambria";"> </span></li>
</ul>
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<i>What about on those days when you struggle to get words on the page?</i> </div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Put anything down.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Start something else, even if just notes to a poem or story.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Go for a walk or spend time sitting in the garden.</span><span style="font-family: "cambria";"> </span></li>
</ul>
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<i>How do you pick yourself up after setbacks?</i> </div>
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<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Mope around for a few days.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Write about it in my journal.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Examine my intentions, my life, the piece itself.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Look for more appropriate outlets for the piece, if need be.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Send the piece out again.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Start something new.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Do more research.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Forget about outcomes and enjoy the process of writing, the excitement, again.</span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-drtPn9W-sEM/W1Vim80Tp_I/AAAAAAAACXw/qeVd_Mk77bgCo1DdE_BLIKPAlSCPNNFdwCEwYBhgL/s1600/Panel%2BPhoto%2B4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-drtPn9W-sEM/W1Vim80Tp_I/AAAAAAAACXw/qeVd_Mk77bgCo1DdE_BLIKPAlSCPNNFdwCEwYBhgL/s640/Panel%2BPhoto%2B4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Photo by Geoff Stuart)</td></tr>
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If you are interested in Historical Fiction, check out HNSA <a href="https://hnsa.org.au/">here</a>. For news about upcoming panel discussions, see <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/242775092782782/">here</a>.</div>
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Thanks for reading. <span style="color: #252525;">As always, I welcome your comments. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #252525;">Best Wishes</span></div>
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<span style="color: #252525;">Earl</span></div>
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-->Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9825715484350621.post-89550179069045230662018-05-16T09:57:00.000+10:002018-05-16T09:57:43.605+10:00My SF Influences and Hopes: Part Three<div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #313131; font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hi Everyone</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Saturday, 28 April 2018, saw the running of the inaugural Victorian Speculative Writers Festival (</span><a href="http://www.specfic.com.au/" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">www.specfic.com.au</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">), held at <span style="color: #313131;">the Gasworks Arts Park in Albert Park. The auditorium was packed (around 120 people) and the sessions themselves were interesting, informative and inspiring. I met up with old friends, made some new ones, and signed books for new readers. The venue itself reminded me of the Malthouse Theatre when it held the Melbourne Writers Festival, a great feeling of intimacy and excitement being a feature of both events (which the MWF has lost in its shift to Federation Square). All in all, <i>Speculate </i>was a fantastic success and the director, Joel Martin, and his team are to be congratulated on their organisational prowess, the range of topics, and the welcoming treatment of panelists and participants.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zZh6gZKQ46A/Wvq_qKbpX4I/AAAAAAAACWQ/hltsw1wIK8cccnEZqGm799HROpV6Jn7lQCLcBGAs/s1600/gasworks-theatre1-300x225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="300" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zZh6gZKQ46A/Wvq_qKbpX4I/AAAAAAAACWQ/hltsw1wIK8cccnEZqGm799HROpV6Jn7lQCLcBGAs/s640/gasworks-theatre1-300x225.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image source <a href="http://www.melbourneplaces.com/parks/gasworks-art-park-port-melbourne/" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #313131; font-family: "Times New Roman";">I appeared as a panelist in the first session: The Once and Future Fantasy, alongside Alison Goodman, Trudi Canavan, and Jay Kristoff, with Joel as moderator. The issues we touched on were Fantasy & You, Fantasy Evolving, Fantasy & Morality and Fantasy Audiences, with thorough contributions by the panel and thoughtful questions from the audience. I even was asked a question about poetry in the speculative field, which was unexpected, yet in keeping with some comments made during the panel discussion. As always, such a session could have gone on for much longer, with deeper and more vigorous discourse, but there were books to be signed and other sessions to attend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">As most of you are aware, I have been doing a series on the interview questions used for the video that opened the festival. <span style="color: #313131;">This </span></span><a href="http://theawenproject.blogspot.com.au/2018/02/my-sf-influences-and-hopes-introduction.html" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #6b006d; font-family: "Times New Roman";">post </span></a><span style="color: #313131; font-family: "Times New Roman";">explains the background to the questions, while the next two posts (</span><u><span style="color: #6b006d; font-family: "Times New Roman";">here </span></u><span style="color: #313131; font-family: "Times New Roman";">and </span><a href="http://theawenproject.blogspot.com.au/2018/04/my-sf-influences-and-hopes-part-two.html" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">here</span></a><span style="color: #313131; font-family: "Times New Roman";">) cover the first two:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #313131; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #313131; font-family: "Times New Roman";">What science fiction/fantasy first made an impression on you?</span></i><span style="color: #313131; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #313131; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span style="color: #313131; font-family: "Times New Roman";">Why do you continue to write science fiction/fantasy?</span></i><span style="color: #313131; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span>The third was a three-part question (details below). </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I delayed writing a post answering this question because I wanted to see what came out of <i>Speculate</i>. So, my answers below will feature some of the notes I made during various sessions.</span><span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span>Other than admitting that the fantasy field has broadened from its Tolkien beginnings in myth to include social issues and other concerns exemplified by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, my panel didn’t really make specific forecasts for the future of the field. However, the science fiction session, with Laura E Goodwin, Dirk Strasser, and Sean McMullen, identified four trends:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span>Climate Fiction (CliFi)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span>Gender-Focussed Science Fiction<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image source <a href="http://fritzfreiheit.com/wiki/The_New_Space_Opera" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
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Another issue discussed was the sense that science is advancing so quickly that science fiction can’t keep up. Some solutions offered included jumping far enough ahead that the fiction isn’t compromised by scientific advances for some time and looking at retro-technology: ‘telling us things we don’t know we already can do’ with existing technology.</div>
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<span>In regard to speculative fiction film and TV, I must admit I have been disappointed by some recent offerings. Do we really need reboots of old TV shows (<i>Lost in Space</i>) or a <i>Star Trek </i>movie reboot that just becomes an action series with no real exploration of science or culture or a TV version of <i>The Lord of the Rings</i>? And why can’t filmmakers give us something more than ‘colour and movement’, all style but no substance? Why can’t they write decent character arcs and stories without enormous plot-holes and superfluous digressions? (I’m looking at you, <i>The Last Jedi</i>.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image source <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrival_(film)" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">One film I did enjoy on cable not long ago was Arrival (*), especially its depiction of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_relativity" target="_blank">Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis</a> (the strong version, it seems), but such pickings are few and far between. Where is the thoughtful science fiction of </span><i>2001: A Space Odyssey</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, the dark humour of </span><i>Dark Star</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, the ecological interest of </span><i>Silent Running</i><span style="font-style: normal;">? While I have been a reader of </span><i>Spider-Man</i> and other superhero comics on and off since I was a teenager, the glut of superhero movies wears one down and to call them science fiction, as some commentators do, because there is new technology and spaceships and wormholes, shows a distinct lack of genre knowledge. They are fantasy, possibly even modern mythic storytelling, as is the Star Wars franchise, which again is often labelled science fiction.</div>
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<span>As suggested above, one model I use for story analysis is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which comprises the following levels: Physiological, Safety, Love/Belonging, Self-Esteem, and Self-Actualisation, plus the recently added Self-Transcendence. Stories, and creative texts in general, help people deal with issues in those regions, either by taking readers and viewers out of themselves for a time, so they forget the world, or into themselves, so they can learn about themselves and the world. They provide those old standbys: Entertainment, Education, and Enlightenment—Action, Thriller, Rom-Com, Rite of Passage, Love Story, Social Commentary, Political Exposure, Biographical, Spiritual, etc., plus all sorts of combinations of these.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image source <a href="https://medium.com/@CLHedgeFund/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-99b0946e7788" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
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Recently, during a discussion with Joel about writing and publishing, we felt there should be another category below Entertainment: Amusement, those shows, incidents, texts, etc. that play on easy references, simple stereotypes, and obvious ‘pratfalls’ to provide a smattering of delight. No need for thought, shallow or deep. No need for self-examination. No need for any sort of sensitivity or sensibility. Bland. Quick. Easily digestible. Easily forgotten and thus requiring constant renewal. The difference between the clever, culturally-analysing-and-defining Entertainment of <i>Seinfeld </i>and the I’m-part-of-the-club, see-how-fashionable-I-am, instant fix Amusement of Gangnam Style and Party Boy Corey.</div>
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<span>All this is my way of saying that I would hope our culture shifts away from its constant practice of Amusement (our obsession with celebrity being another example) and moves higher up the spectrum. Sure, Amusement is, well, amusing, in small doses and possibly needed as well, and, obviously, we need grimdark and paranormal regency romance, military SF and modern fairy tales—stories that imaginatively explore survival and connection in the personal, interpersonal, societal realms. But we also need stories that explore the higher reaches of the human condition, that search for Wisdom in ourselves and in the Universe seen and unseen, knowable and unknowable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>iii.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></i><!--[endif]--><i><span>Where do you see your contribution to the genre(s) and where do you think that fits, in regards to the direction or as a response to it?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">As might be obvious from the above answer, my interests are in those higher reaches. The fantasy verse novel I wrote for my PhD, which my supervisor called a metaphysical epic, delves into issues of spiritual levels of existence. </span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Silence Inside the World </span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">tells the story of a comatose young researcher, an immortal wizard, a dead painter and an unborn soul who all battle a shadow energy creature that threatens the archetypal realm they travel through, a world that may be the source of all possible worlds.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">My poetry, both speculative and literary, explores science, nature, myths and the sacred. And my latest prose project, a historical fantasy novel set in the dark ages, examines the dynamic between Myth and History by exploring the life of the historical person who may have been the basis for the Merlin character created by Geoffrey of Monmouth. In other words, I am attempting to write, as Joel once said in a reference to our comic reading activities, the ‘origin story’ of the great and wise magician, counsellor, wonder-worker, mentor. Another dynamic that appears in the story is that between Will (Power), what Tolkien in his ground-breaking essay ‘On Fairy-stories’ calls Magic, and Wonder (Enchantment), what Tolkien terms </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Faërie</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image source <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1362112.Tolkien_on_Fairy_stories" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">So, my work could be seen as a response to the current direction of ‘power’ speculative fiction (</span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Game of Thrones</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">, etc.), though there are precursors, writers like Robert Holdstock, Roger Zelazny and Alan Garner, who have explored the relationship between myth and life, and others, like Tolkien, who have explored Wonder.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal;">For more views on the three questions I have been exploring in this blog series, do have a look at the final video, which was shown at <i>Speculate </i>and is available </span><a href="https://www.specfic.com.au/blog/2018/speculate-2018-short-film" style="color: purple; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">here</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">. And for those interested in attending <i>Speculate 19</i>, if you haven't already done so, go to the <a href="https://www.specfic.com.au/" target="_blank">website</a> and put yourself on the mailing list.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #313131; font-family: "Times New Roman";">I hope you have enjoyed these posts. Given that my new poetry collection, <i>Libation</i>, will be coming out from <a href="http://www.ginninderrapress.com.au/" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;">Ginninderra Press </a>in the second half of the year, I am planning to write some poetry-related posts that I hope will be Entertainment as well as Education.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #313131; font-family: "Times New Roman";">As always, I welcome your comments. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #313131; font-family: "Times New Roman";">Best Wishes</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #313131; font-family: "Times New Roman";">Earl</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #313131; font-family: "Times New Roman";">(</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #313131;">*) The m</span><span style="color: #313131;">ovie is </span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;">based on the 1998 short story 'Story of Your Life' by Ted Chiang.</span></span></span></div>
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Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9825715484350621.post-47109157619267985332018-04-25T14:46:00.000+10:002018-04-27T19:49:10.206+10:00My SF Influences and Hopes: Part Two<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria";">Hi Everyone</span></div>
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Given that the <i style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.specfic.com.au/" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;">Speculate</a> </span></i><span lang="EN-US"></span>Festival is on this Saturday (28 April 2018), here is the next instalment of the current series of blog posts on my interview questions. This <a href="http://theawenproject.blogspot.com.au/2018/02/my-sf-influences-and-hopes-introduction.html" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;"><span lang="EN-US">post </span></a><span lang="EN-US">explains the background to the questions, while my previous </span><a href="http://theawenproject.blogspot.com.au/2018/03/my-sf-influences-and-hopes-part-one.html" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;"><span lang="EN-US">post </span></a><span lang="EN-US">explores the first question asked during my interview:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><i>What science fiction/fantasy first made an impression on you?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Below is the second question I was asked:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><i>Why do you continue to write science fiction/fantasy?<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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An interesting question with a complicated answer that starts with a little personal history.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tyger" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
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As is evident from my previous post, I was an avid reader from an early age. Adventure and War stories. Science Fiction. Fantasy. Some Historical Fiction. Etc. I didn’t read much poetry, though I do remember memorising Blake’s ‘The Tyger’ for a school assignment. I didn’t, however, hanker to be a writer when I was young, unlike many of my later heroes such as W B Yeats, Robert Graves, Ted Hughes, J R R Tolkien, Alan Garner, Roger Zelazny, amongst many others. I suppose I didn’t even realise such an occupation existed. Somehow I thought writers were magical beings ‘out there’ somewhere and books appeared from nowhere.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.classicaustraliantv.com/Hunter.htm" target="_blank">Image</a> from a Melbourne TV Guide</td></tr>
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Still, in my early teens, I started to write an SF spy story about aliens under Ayers Rock. The hero was prompted by a local TV show (<i>Hunter</i>). He rode a motorcycle called Black Bess (inspired by the Disney show <i>The Legend of Young Dick Turpin </i>and my father’s riding when a youth) and lived on a sailing boat (as did a favourite aunt and uncle). After four action-packed pages, during which the boat was blown up and the hero swam to shore to jump on his motorbike and chase the villain, I stopped. Not sure why, though I think it had to do with a sense of shame in doing something that would be seen as self-indulgent.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2B4BUGpVXM4/WuABCpCVt8I/AAAAAAAACUw/MCFeT6E99kYHp3oW3-Zsul8mZ2xwtpjNgCEwYBhgL/s1600/1966-legend-young-dick-turpin-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="185" data-original-width="123" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2B4BUGpVXM4/WuABCpCVt8I/AAAAAAAACUw/MCFeT6E99kYHp3oW3-Zsul8mZ2xwtpjNgCEwYBhgL/s400/1966-legend-young-dick-turpin-01.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from <a href="http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/The_Legend_of_Young_Dick_Turpin" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
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Over the next few years, I developed an interest in music, taught myself the guitar, and tried writing song lyrics. I also started writing love poems to girlfriends, bad ones (in retrospect) based on half-remembered structures learned at school.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Dr8mGI9tDY/WuAGgYCGpTI/AAAAAAAACVo/lLM_dpWG5D0YnMfr1cZcuagWozBNcvt9ACLcBGAs/s1600/ASR-33_at_CHM.agr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="165" data-original-width="220" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Dr8mGI9tDY/WuAGgYCGpTI/AAAAAAAACVo/lLM_dpWG5D0YnMfr1cZcuagWozBNcvt9ACLcBGAs/s400/ASR-33_at_CHM.agr.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleprinter" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
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After finishing a science degree, I found myself working in the research department of Telecom Australia. One day, surrounded by banks of magnetic tapes and electronic gear, I began writing, on a teleprinter, a report on some computer networking research I had completed. I suddenly had the eyes-wide, nostrils-flaring, bolt-upright epiphany that I could communicate what was inside my head to other people. That I could be a writer. Soon after, I started to write short stories, science fiction, fantasy, and horror, and I have been writing in those genres, to a greater or lesser degree, ever since. Yet, this is when things became complicated.</div>
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Several years after that moment at Telecom, I went to a workshop on putting fantasy in your writing and discovered it was being run by one of Australia’s top poets and wasn’t about fantasy writing at all. I ended up attempting to write poetry, though all I could come up with was a chant to Lovecraft’s Old Ones and something else that I don’t remember. Yet, because of that workshop, I was invited, along with other attendees, to form a critique group at the Council of Adult Education (CAE). And here I met a real-life poet and suddenly I began to develop an interest in writing poetry.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JZyv6toKqcI/WuAFRWEKpzI/AAAAAAAACVY/cHQfDJMcH3oJ_7Uo6648cqK_nk8I9aL6QCLcBGAs/s1600/18377894595.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="903" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JZyv6toKqcI/WuAFRWEKpzI/AAAAAAAACVY/cHQfDJMcH3oJ_7Uo6648cqK_nk8I9aL6QCLcBGAs/s400/18377894595.jpg" width="281" /></a></div>
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Over the next decade or so, I moved into the poetry world more and more. I wrote poetry. Studied it at university. Edited it. Published it. Read at poetry readings. Developed a profile as a poet. Yet, the narrative urge wouldn’t leave me. I wrote literary fiction along with the odd speculative story. Eventually, I did a PhD in Creative Writing, the creative component being a fantasy verse novel called <i>The Silence Inside the World</i>, which featured the main character from one of those early fantasy novel drafts. Full circle.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nay2O93DTbg/WuACHTZlTwI/AAAAAAAACVE/kJn5xaKxKw8Z4g9JC8SIz02Wim3qFZV5wCLcBGAs/s1600/9780980462586.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="219" data-original-width="150" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nay2O93DTbg/WuACHTZlTwI/AAAAAAAACVE/kJn5xaKxKw8Z4g9JC8SIz02Wim3qFZV5wCLcBGAs/s400/9780980462586.jpg" width="273" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from <a href="http://www.preapress.com/books.php?isbn=9780980462586" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria";">All of the above is a roundabout way of saying that I don’t only write science fiction and fantasy, but also speculative poetry, literary fiction, and literary/mainstream poetry. And I continue to write in these areas because they enable me to cover different aspects of my life experience, especially personal relationships, science, nature, myths and the sacred, using the best option available to me. As Ted Hughes once remarked after he was made Poet Laureate and a reporter asked him what he would write during his tenure, ‘I write what the muse tells me to write’.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Image from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Stars-Like-Sand-Australian-Speculative/dp/1922120782" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
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So, to finally answer the second interview question, I still write science fiction and fantasy because, unlike the literary mode, I am able to explore deep imagination and different worlds from our own, and also evoke the wonder that lies within and beneath life. And because of these concerns, more and more I am looking to mythopoeic literature as the home for my own work.</div>
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If you are interested in attending <i>Speculate</i>, which is being held at the Gasworks Arts Park, 21 Graham St, Albert Park, Victoria, this Saturday, there are still tickets available. For further information, visit the website (<a href="http://www.specfic.com.au/" style="color: purple; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline;">www.SpecFic.com.au</a><span style="font-style: normal;">).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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I hope you enjoyed this post. As always, I welcome your comments. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Best Wishes<o:p></o:p></div>
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Earl</div>
Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9825715484350621.post-63395147937659786792018-03-23T21:58:00.001+11:002018-03-23T21:58:38.093+11:00My SF Influences and Hopes: Part OneHi Everyone<br />
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In my last blog <a href="http://theawenproject.blogspot.com.au/2018/02/my-sf-influences-and-hopes-introduction.html" target="_blank">post</a>, I told how I was filmed for a video that was to be presented at <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://www.specfic.com.au/" target="_blank">Speculate</a></i>, the Victorian Speculative Writers Festival, which is being held next month. I also mentioned that I would expand on my answers to the questions asked of all the participants in the filming sessions. There were three questions in total:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">What science fiction/fantasy first made an impression on you?</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Why do you continue to write science fiction/fantasy?</span></li>
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The third was a three-part question:<br />
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<li><o:p> </o:p><span style="text-indent: -0.5in;">Where do you think science fiction/fantasy is heading?</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.5in;"> Where do you hope it would go?</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.5in;"> Where you see your contribution to the genre(s) and where you think that fits, in regards to the direction or as a response to it?</span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings" target="_blank">Image Source</a></td></tr>
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This blog post will explore the first question. My original brief answer centred on the books <i>Lord of Light</i> and <i>The Lord of the Rings</i>. However, the situation is much more complicated.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FTF0eqVJt3U/WrTAyaPerwI/AAAAAAAACRo/QvOyILAoiCM3YPj89GFNiVJocPGuIPifQCLcBGAs/s1600/250px-TheTwilightZoneLogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="250" height="261" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FTF0eqVJt3U/WrTAyaPerwI/AAAAAAAACRo/QvOyILAoiCM3YPj89GFNiVJocPGuIPifQCLcBGAs/s400/250px-TheTwilightZoneLogo.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twilight_Zone_(1959_TV_series" target="_blank">Image Source</a></td></tr>
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My earliest memory of anything speculative might possibly be my watching the original <i>Twilight Zone</i>, <i>The Outer Limits</i>, and <i>Doctor Who</i>. Later, of course, came the original (and best!) <i>Star Trek</i>. At some point, there was also the <i>Superman</i> TV show, <i>My Favourite Martian</i>, <i>Lost in Space</i>, <i>Time Tunnel</i>, <i>Stingray</i>, <i>Thunderbirds</i>, and many others. In all these stories and characters I was exposed to the excitement of SF ideas, the fear in horror, the fun in fantasy, and the mysteries of the fantastic. One vivid memory is an Outer Limits episode (I think) telling the story of a father rescuing his son from an alternative universe and the dread that the portal would close before the father was pulled back through by a long rope.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7iJhdiHWBhg/WrTNNFqiUAI/AAAAAAAACSE/P0WaC76K-oQ32y106f0Py99B1VkLsHdbgCLcBGAs/s1600/main-qimg-6ca3cb1a817541d62432b151c45fc6c1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="602" height="397" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7iJhdiHWBhg/WrTNNFqiUAI/AAAAAAAACSE/P0WaC76K-oQ32y106f0Py99B1VkLsHdbgCLcBGAs/s400/main-qimg-6ca3cb1a817541d62432b151c45fc6c1.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my favourite scenes (<a href="https://www.quora.com/How-strong-is-Spider-Man" target="_blank">Source</a>)</td></tr>
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From an early age, even before we got a TV (I’m revealing my age here), I was reading books. I was an avid Biggles fan and I read the usual (for that time) boy’s adventure books like <i>Robin Hood</i> (my first ‘real book’, all 300+ pages), <i>Treasure Island</i> and <i>Black Arrow</i>. These led to the scientific romances of Jules Verne and H G Wells, such as <i>20,000 Leagues Under the Sea</i> and <i>Time Machine</i>. I was also a keen comic book reader, my favourite (which it still is) being Spider-Man, though I also liked the Phantom, Green Lantern, and Batman.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xJwo6SRL5Fg/WrTPTIGkPVI/AAAAAAAACSQ/zxL1_-0S470fsGxo3pq7ZOmvl5BqNxwRQCLcBGAs/s1600/md22585121393.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xJwo6SRL5Fg/WrTPTIGkPVI/AAAAAAAACSQ/zxL1_-0S470fsGxo3pq7ZOmvl5BqNxwRQCLcBGAs/s320/md22585121393.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=22585121393&searchurl=tn%3Drendezvous%2Bwith%2Brama%26sortby%3D17%26an%3Dclarke%26pics%3Don&cm_sp=snippet-_-srp1-_-image2" target="_blank">Image Source</a></td></tr>
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After Verne and Wells, I moved onto such Golden Age (and earlier) SF writers as Isaac Asimov, Arthur C Clark, Robert Heinlein, A E van Vogt, and E E ‘Doc’ Smith. I also read Hal Clement’s <i>Mission of Gravity</i>, which was my father’s favourite book. The next generation of SF writers I read included Poul Anderson, James Blish, Ray Bradbury, Gordon R Dickson, Frank Herbert, and Ursula Le Guin. And there were those writers of dystopia, Aldous Huxley and George Orwell, and others such as Fred Hoyle and John Wyndham. At some point I read Alan Garner’s <i>The Weirdstone of Brisingamen</i>, which stayed in the back of my mind for many years and then re-surfaced when a friend took me to Alderley Edge, one of the settings in the novel. I then started reading everything Garner ever wrote, fiction and non-fiction and thought of his work as a type of mythic realism.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-juujbtObdis/WrTRPiN-rFI/AAAAAAAACSk/VjiSGChPOTMPYGQr8Tmu0qdoWRvSEbpowCLcBGAs/s1600/cas2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-juujbtObdis/WrTRPiN-rFI/AAAAAAAACSk/VjiSGChPOTMPYGQr8Tmu0qdoWRvSEbpowCLcBGAs/s400/cas2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://mightythorjrs.com/2017/10/20/definitive-weird-fiction-clark-ashton-smith/" target="_blank">Image Source</a></td></tr>
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The obvious writer in the fantasy genre that I read and re-read was J R R Tolkien, but there were many others, including Stephen Donaldson, Michael Moorcock, and Roger Zelazny. Weird tales is a sub-genre of fantasy and I read many of the major contributors to that field. In the heroic fantasy (or sword and sorcery) field there was Robert Howard (the creator of Conan), Fritz Leiber, E C Tubb, and Karl Edward Wagner (creator of Kane, the immortal swordsman). In the horror genre, I moved from Edgar Allan Poe to H P Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith, the cosmic and mystical environment of their stories more interesting to me than the later more realistic fare of Stephen King and his many imitators.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MKXA8K5PlsI/WrTYfsveOJI/AAAAAAAACTw/rX5hICPIYkY6O_C5qFm6NdH2qRgTVNkjwCLcBGAs/s1600/41S07tFEiSL._SX321_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="323" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MKXA8K5PlsI/WrTYfsveOJI/AAAAAAAACTw/rX5hICPIYkY6O_C5qFm6NdH2qRgTVNkjwCLcBGAs/s400/41S07tFEiSL._SX321_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rynosseros-Terry-Dowling/dp/095865834X" target="_blank">Image Source</a></td></tr>
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If I were to give my top ten SF texts and/or authors that inspired and influenced me at different times over the years, they would be, in no particular order of merit</div>
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<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">J R R Tolkien (</span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The Lord of the Rings</i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">)</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Roger Zelazny (</span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Lord of Light</i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> and his other mythopoeic novels; his short stories, too, especially ‘24 Views of Mt. Fuji, by Hokusai’ and 'Home is the Hangman')</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Alan Garner</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Michael Moorcock (the Elric stories)</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Karl Edward Wagner (</span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Kane</i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">)</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Frank Herbert (</span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Dune</i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">)</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Clark Ashton Smith (his short fiction and his poetry)</span></li>
<li>A E<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> van Vogt</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Terry Dowling (his Rynoserros stories)</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Robert Holdstock</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Robert Howard (his Conan and Solomon Kane stories)</span></li>
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I know, I know, that’s eleven (which at least is a prime number). It’s hard to narrow the field down, and on another day the list would be different.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uAUCvg29DDg/WrTWmo5IL9I/AAAAAAAACTk/XR6EUlgYZ00Ag1b_s_nWyzfnl3QTD9zmwCLcBGAs/s1600/2001-lights-1024x576.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uAUCvg29DDg/WrTWmo5IL9I/AAAAAAAACTk/XR6EUlgYZ00Ag1b_s_nWyzfnl3QTD9zmwCLcBGAs/s640/2001-lights-1024x576.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><a href="http://torontofilmcritics.com/features/the-day-i-discovered-stanley-kubrick/" target="_blank">Image Source</a></td></tr>
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As for the visual medium, my top movie would be <i>2001: A Space Odyssey</i>. I remember coming out of the theatre as a teenager and the friends and family I had seen the film with were shaking their heads and saying they didn’t understand what was going on. I, however, was totally stunned by the experience and, although I couldn’t articulate my feelings about and insight into the film, I understood intuitively what it was doing, especially the last sequence.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ljdF66UVZMI/WrTR4_hl-II/AAAAAAAACSw/7R9S5LBXVoMaVIhDg_MH8rncDP9nkBg8gCLcBGAs/s1600/planet-of-the-apes-ending-600x253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="253" data-original-width="600" height="267" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ljdF66UVZMI/WrTR4_hl-II/AAAAAAAACSw/7R9S5LBXVoMaVIhDg_MH8rncDP9nkBg8gCLcBGAs/s640/planet-of-the-apes-ending-600x253.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'You Maniacs! You blew it up!' (<a href="http://collider.com/planet-of-the-apes-review/" target="_blank">Image Source</a>)</td></tr>
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Other films during those early to middling years (50s, 60s, 70s, early 80s) that excited me, intrigued me, terrified me, thrilled me, entertained me, in no particular order again, include <i>Blade Runner</i>, <i>Star Wars</i>, <i>Silent Running</i>, <i>Dark Star</i>, <i>Day of the Triffids</i>, <i>Forbidden Planet</i>, <i>Planet of the Apes</i> (the Charlton Heston version, with its famous last scene revelation), <i>Invasion of the Body Snatchers</i> (the original one), <i>The Day the Earth Stood Still</i> (again, the original), <i>Alien</i>, <i>On the Beach</i>, <i>The Incredible Shrinking Man</i>, <i>The Creature from the Black Lagoon</i>, <i>Them!</i>. This list is not exhaustive and, as I said above, on another day I might remember others more pertinent.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P2FZ2hSNg7I/WrTV3f4PfqI/AAAAAAAACTc/gwZ6iklpFLI476NcRtPKRidMncRy4ndVACLcBGAs/s1600/0faa48_e38b3cee831245bb8ce1a9e5801d74b3%257Emv2_d_2092_2092_s_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="257" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P2FZ2hSNg7I/WrTV3f4PfqI/AAAAAAAACTc/gwZ6iklpFLI476NcRtPKRidMncRy4ndVACLcBGAs/s400/0faa48_e38b3cee831245bb8ce1a9e5801d74b3%257Emv2_d_2092_2092_s_2.jpg" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blindspotdistro.com/product-page/roger-zelazny-lord-of-light" target="_blank">Image Source</a></td></tr>
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Obviously, much of my reading and viewing in those early years was of the fantastic in its various guises. I was looking for that sense of wonder for which science fiction especially is well suited, that emotional breathlessness and intellectual stimulation this literature of ideas excites through its exploration of the ramifications of technology (hard and soft) on the human. In my fantasy reading, there was also a desire for hidden realms, for hidden knowledge.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.murrayewing.co.uk/mewsings/2017/01/28/mythago-wood-by-robert-holdstock/" target="_blank">Image Source</a></td></tr>
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In the end, however, what speculative fiction, most especially mythic fantasy, gave me and still gives me, though I wasn’t conscious of this until recently, was a sense of the reality of other worlds, an opening to the wonder in all worlds, and how these relate to what I am more and more thinking of calling <i>Deep Wonder</i>, work that looks at the Wonder underneath and interwoven through what we normally term ‘ordinary reality’.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NjSXhAhIU58/WnQFqHtU0zI/AAAAAAAACQk/IEeE-8-cMAkeUoS3IniBePcAkwmFdI5IgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/speculate-hero-image-cropped-wip-3-01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="917" data-original-width="1500" height="195" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NjSXhAhIU58/WnQFqHtU0zI/AAAAAAAACQk/IEeE-8-cMAkeUoS3IniBePcAkwmFdI5IgCPcBGAYYCw/s320/speculate-hero-image-cropped-wip-3-01.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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For further information about <i>Speculate</i>, which will be held at the Gasworks Arts Park, 21 Graham St, Albert Park VIC 3206 on April 28, 2018, visit the website (<a href="http://www.specfic.com.au/">www.SpecFic.com.au</a>) and join the mailing list.</div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times Roman";">I hope you enjoyed this exploration of a sampling of my speculative fiction influences. (Some of the above material first appeared in the exegesis for my PhD.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times Roman";">As always, I welcome your comments. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times Roman";">Best Wishes</span></div>
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Earl </div>
Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9825715484350621.post-5856742095255870882018-02-07T08:00:00.000+11:002018-02-07T08:00:10.802+11:00My SF Influences and Hopes: IntroductionHi
Everyone<br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times Roman";">A couple
of weeks ago, I was fortunate to be filmed for the upcoming <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://www.specfic.com.au/faqs" target="_blank">Speculate</a></i> festival, which brings
together a number of Australia’s finest speculative fiction writers to
celebrate the craft of writing fantasy and science fiction. I am appearing on
one of the panels and the aim of the film session was to interview some of us
for a montage video to be screened at the first session of the festival.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NjSXhAhIU58/WnQFqHtU0zI/AAAAAAAACQg/6yi6_uIHQlktEc6NmYAkTyPwcIoOe6rqQCLcBGAs/s1600/speculate-hero-image-cropped-wip-3-01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>Most
interviews were done solo, but a couple had two participants. My partner-in-crime,
so to speak, was the <a href="https://aurealis.com.au/" target="_blank">Aurealis</a> Award winning writer <a href="http://www.seanmcmullen.net.au/about.htm" target="_blank">Sean McMullan</a>, whom I’ve known
since the early 80s when we were part of a science fiction workshop group
organized through the Council of Adult Education (<a href="https://www.cae.edu.au/" target="_blank">CAE</a>). That group has spawned
a number of identities in the Australian SF scene, including Sean, <a href="https://www.rrr.org.au/presenter/rob-jan/" target="_blank">Robert Jan</a> (Costumer,
and presenter of <i>Zero-G</i> on 3RRR FM) and
<a href="https://suebursztynski.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Sue Bursztynski</a> (author of ten books, one of them a Notable Book in the
Children’s Book Council Awards).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x4Z0QJqyLiQ/WnQLITHNLnI/AAAAAAAACQ4/DgHqZ3UGjtIu8vidyb4NNUx2ZCOlKuolgCLcBGAs/s1600/Sean%2Band%2BEarl%2Bcropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="339" data-original-width="346" height="390" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x4Z0QJqyLiQ/WnQLITHNLnI/AAAAAAAACQ4/DgHqZ3UGjtIu8vidyb4NNUx2ZCOlKuolgCLcBGAs/s400/Sean%2Band%2BEarl%2Bcropped.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sean and me at the Red Rotunda in the <a href="https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/" target="_blank">State Library of Victoria</a> for the film interview (photo by Joel Martin)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://thepenofjoel.com/" target="_blank">Joel Martin</a>, the Director of the festival and a former student of mine, asked each
interviewee three questions. The first two were standard for all interviewees:</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times Roman";">What science fiction/fantasy first
made an impression on you?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times Roman";">Why do you continue to write science
fiction/fantasy?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times Roman";">The third
was a three-part question:</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.5in;">Where
do you think science fiction/fantasy is heading?</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.5in;">Where
do you hope it will go?</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.5in;">Where
you see your contribution to the genre(s) and where you think that fits – in
regards to the direction or as a response to it?</span></li>
</ul>
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The first
two questions had been sent to us beforehand, so I had given them some thought
and had come up with a number of authors, books and ideas. However, because there
were to be a number of interviews during the afternoon, we were asked on the
day to give short answers, a single word or phrase, if possible. This meant I
had to trim my prepared responses. As far as I can recall, the final versions
were along the lines of the following:</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_MMUMFdNqD8/WnQHPrfopYI/AAAAAAAACQs/5IRI1szHq4Iest5iWNT2zS13u5M8CdfmwCLcBGAs/s1600/Lord%2Bof%2BLight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="177" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_MMUMFdNqD8/WnQHPrfopYI/AAAAAAAACQs/5IRI1szHq4Iest5iWNT2zS13u5M8CdfmwCLcBGAs/s400/Lord%2Bof%2BLight.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times Roman";">Roger Zelazny’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_Light" target="_blank">Lord of Light</a></i> spurred on my interest in myths and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings" target="_blank">The Lord of the Rings</a></i> was a major trigger for my love of fantasy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times Roman";">Although I also write literary
fiction and mainstream poetry, I continue writing speculative fiction because
it allows me to explore different worlds from our own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times Roman";">The three parts:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">In
relation to film, I see speculative fiction just becoming more and more the
blockbuster epic—all colour and movement but poor narrative sense; all style
but no substance.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Again
in relation to film, I would hope for something more than pure entertainment
(which admittedly has its place), something that has better narrative sense, with
believable character arcs, however nuanced, yet still holds to the production
values of the blockbuster. As for books, I would hope that fantasy returns to
its roots and resumes its connection to and exploration of Wonder.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">In
much of my work, poetry and fiction, literary and speculative, I have tried to
delve into the mythic dimension of the world and I am keen to keep exploring
the connection between Myth and History and also hopefully evoke Wonder. While I
appreciate stories that have entertainment as their primary concern, that is
not my direction.</span> </li>
</ul>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times Roman";">As I said
above, I’m not sure of my exact words, but I feel these answers cover the same
ground.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times Roman";">When I
returned home that evening, I realised I had more to say to these questions and
so in the next few blogs I will explore them in more depth, which might give
you some sense of how I came to be the poet and writer I am today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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If you interested
in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Speculate’s</i> mission, which is to
foster the speculative fiction community in Victoria and around Australia, with
support from readers, publishers and writers, and you want to enjoy some of the
industry’s leading voices, the festival will be held at the <a href="http://www.gasworks.org.au/" target="_blank">Gasworks Arts Park</a>,
21 Graham St, Albert Park VIC 3206 on April 28, 2018. For further information,
visit the website (<a href="http://www.specfic.com.au/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times Roman";">www.SpecFic.com.au</span></a>) and join the mailing list.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NjSXhAhIU58/WnQFqHtU0zI/AAAAAAAACQg/6yi6_uIHQlktEc6NmYAkTyPwcIoOe6rqQCLcBGAs/s1600/speculate-hero-image-cropped-wip-3-01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="917" data-original-width="1500" height="193" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NjSXhAhIU58/WnQFqHtU0zI/AAAAAAAACQg/6yi6_uIHQlktEc6NmYAkTyPwcIoOe6rqQCLcBGAs/s320/speculate-hero-image-cropped-wip-3-01.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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I hope
you enjoyed this post. As always, I welcome your comments.</div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times Roman";">Best
Wishes</span></div>
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Earl</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9825715484350621.post-75459315372659502132017-12-18T16:39:00.000+11:002017-12-18T16:39:15.091+11:00Gwaith 26 (Catch Up): Hart Fell: Take TwoHi Everyone<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unlike the previous day, the weather was forecasted to be ‘fine and sunny’. Sure enough, when I parked at the large shed near the trail to Hart Fell, I looked over my shoulder and saw a rainbow. A nice, positive omen.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-02GhTzL9Ago/WjdRlVj6g0I/AAAAAAAACPg/LgO8ZRm9c281aEopaAI-NLSltpU4-NjmwCLcBGAs/s1600/DSCN5702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-02GhTzL9Ago/WjdRlVj6g0I/AAAAAAAACPg/LgO8ZRm9c281aEopaAI-NLSltpU4-NjmwCLcBGAs/s640/DSCN5702.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The start of the climb</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The walk itself started in sunny weather—as they say in Wales, </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Mae’r haul yn gwenu</i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> (‘The sun is smiling’). However, even though the sky was relatively clear of dark clouds, a constant drizzle filmed my glasses. Halfway to Hart Fell spar, the drizzle faded, but the glistening grass made the way a little slippery at times.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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On other occasions when I have tried to reach the summit of Hart Fell, I would visit the spar itself, then climb from there. This time I strode past the side trail to the spar and continued along the main path. Unfortunately, this path soon petered out and I had to make my way up and sideways along steep trails, past gorse, bramble, bracken, and heather.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-365gL_ZlU7s/WjdRnE71l6I/AAAAAAAACPo/AnFAunIfMzw6YUh_EC6QA5SeyPwoXqefACLcBGAs/s1600/DSCN5704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-365gL_ZlU7s/WjdRnE71l6I/AAAAAAAACPo/AnFAunIfMzw6YUh_EC6QA5SeyPwoXqefACLcBGAs/s640/DSCN5704.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The river on the way to Hart Fell Spar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Sheep were annoyed at my disrupting their feeding, with one group making funny huffing noises at me. Crows and ravens circled overhead. The river sparkled and rumbled on my right.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After consulting my map, I continued to follow the fence line and, when it changed direction in the distance, I headed straight up the slope in front of me. I expected the summit to be over the ridge.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It wasn’t.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I heard voices and saw two men descending a track on the other side of the fence. We nodded to each other, then the man in the yellow jacket asked if I was okay. Even though the whole climb had left me huffing and I had to pause numerous times, I said I was fine.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Further up the mountain, I came across a plateau area that I initially thought might be a useful setting for my novel. It led to a saddleback, after which was the final ascent to the trig point at the top of Hart Fell.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The summit there is a broad plateau, much bigger than the previous one, big enough for tents and the rituals and celebrations I’ve written about for a kingship ceremony. The only vegetation is grasses, heather, and clumps of bracken. The views—those I could see—are amazing. One can even see the Solway Firth and beyond.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sLqz3VJirYQ/WjdRtIMj08I/AAAAAAAACPw/QzS-x2S-npkE9zP_8IY0CDmCRBSBAM6YwCLcBGAs/s1600/DSCN5705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sLqz3VJirYQ/WjdRtIMj08I/AAAAAAAACPw/QzS-x2S-npkE9zP_8IY0CDmCRBSBAM6YwCLcBGAs/s640/DSCN5705.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vegetation at the summit of Hart Fell</td></tr>
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I was pleased to have made it to the top after so many failed attempts, but of course the mountain still had a surprise for me. Just as I decided to take photos and videos of the views, for later reference when I re-write the scenes set here, a heavy mist rolled in, accompanied by a bitterly cold north wind.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Huddled in the cairn at the trig point, I ate some lunch and meditated for a few minutes. As the weather wasn’t letting up, I started down again. I angled across the slope I had come up earlier and kept this up as I tried to hook up with paths I had spotted fro<span style="text-align: center;">m higher up. Occasionally, I stopped to write notes about the terrain and vegetation, but mainly I stumbled, slid, and sideways stepped my way back. Sometimes on a track. Sometimes from one sheep path to another.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jnsOoL1LTwo/WjdRqMnto2I/AAAAAAAACPs/ZPkd5a21bN4xVvPljGU3IxkqmG0QzmWhgCLcBGAs/s1600/DSCN5706.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jnsOoL1LTwo/WjdRqMnto2I/AAAAAAAACPs/ZPkd5a21bN4xVvPljGU3IxkqmG0QzmWhgCLcBGAs/s640/DSCN5706.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the way back, showing the mist</td></tr>
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The trip up took 3¼ hours. The trip back, not counting a stop at the spar, took me around 2¾ hours. At the spa itself, I offered a small gift to Merlin/Myrddin, as I had done earlier at the summit of Hart Fell, and drank three drops of water that dripped from the roof of the cave. With the day wending on and my not wanting to be caught in a late afternoon change of weather for the worse, I didn’t stay long. On the way back I noted the ash, birch, rowan and oak lining alongside the river that leads back to where I parked my car.</div>
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I left The Bonnington around 10am and arrived back at 6pm. I was stiff, sore and quite tired, and I immediately jumped into a hot shower. After making notes about the climb—including descriptions such as the swirls of dragonflies and damselflies, the give-way of moss, the knock of water on rock, the expanse of rust-coloured bracken—I had an early night.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I hope you enjoyed this post. As always, I welcome your comments.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Best Wishes<o:p></o:p></div>
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Earl<o:p></o:p></div>
Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9825715484350621.post-89100181664941962232017-11-11T08:00:00.000+11:002017-11-11T14:07:52.714+11:00Gwaith 25 (Catch Up): Remembrance Day and March, York, 2016Hi Everyone<br />
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A few days after my visit to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge,_Kent">Bridge</a> and my experience of Bonfire Night (see my last <a href="https://theawenproject.blogspot.com.au/2017/11/gwaith-24catch-up-bonfire-night-bridge.html">post</a>), I arrive in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York">York</a> to research the dark ages history of the place for my novel. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The morning after my arrival, I walk into the city to grab some food before my explorations. I pop into a bakery and stand in line to buy some Chelsea Buns, for which I had developed a taste while in Wales. Suddenly, all noise stops as the shop radio announces the two minutes of silence for Armistice/Remembrance Day. I stand with my head bowed and think about my nephews, one currently serving in the Navy and two recently discharged from the Army, and of my father, who was in the RAAF during World War II. For the rest of the day, my thoughts keep returning to them and what I know of their experiences, and in the evening I draft a poem. Below are the opening lines of the final version, which was published a few days ago in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eureka Street</i> (and can be read <a href="https://eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=54223">here</a>)<span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">In a bakery in York, I stand silent<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">With other customers for two minutes,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Think of nephews who have served<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And seen action, some still serving<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">On land and on water, some bearing<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The costs of their service in bad knees,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hard hearing, scars in hidden places,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And think also of you, my father…<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Two days later, Sunday, 13 November 2016, I am walking through the city on my way to the train station for my trip back to Wales. I notice people are gathering on the bridge over the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Ouse,_Yorkshire">Ouse</a>. Babes in prams. People wearing everything from their Sunday best to work clobber. Tourists with cameras. A security presence.</div>
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I ask an army press officer near me what’s happening. It turns out there is a march through the city every year to celebrate Armistice Day/Remembrance Day and then a laying down of wreaths at the war memorial in a park near the banks of the Ouse. I am ahead of schedule for catching my train, so I decide to stay and watch. Below are photographs of the occasion. (I tried to get one of each of the different services/units, but am not sure of their names. Any suggestions would be welcome.)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The head of the march </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Army? </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paras?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RAF</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Army?</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7204IT8Fd_c/WgVZmMWJ_-I/AAAAAAAACOQ/nEu4BiLmF4cEtS4usPftk05Ql23MGEcVgCEwYBhgL/s1600/DSCN6597.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7204IT8Fd_c/WgVZmMWJ_-I/AAAAAAAACOQ/nEu4BiLmF4cEtS4usPftk05Ql23MGEcVgCEwYBhgL/s640/DSCN6597.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royal Navy </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UIveUnYpt_o/WgVZkWaJGzI/AAAAAAAACOQ/Fwb-_5E0AyETc9PjH7SasXguvlfzPZhRACEwYBhgL/s1600/DSCN6596.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UIveUnYpt_o/WgVZkWaJGzI/AAAAAAAACOQ/Fwb-_5E0AyETc9PjH7SasXguvlfzPZhRACEwYBhgL/s640/DSCN6596.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Police</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marines? </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xRfvLvXu7vs/WgVZCl_CvuI/AAAAAAAACN8/VekIpI-guS01jyEUz6_Tq4Un_6JqwL8pQCEwYBhgL/s1600/DSCN6594.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xRfvLvXu7vs/WgVZCl_CvuI/AAAAAAAACN8/VekIpI-guS01jyEUz6_Tq4Un_6JqwL8pQCEwYBhgL/s640/DSCN6594.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Military Police? </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-32j9hPgFodE/WgVaGs9DPlI/AAAAAAAACOk/JKT0en4834gm5Xlv89D8CybeaXKhUeBGgCEwYBhgL/s1600/DSCN6599.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-32j9hPgFodE/WgVaGs9DPlI/AAAAAAAACOk/JKT0en4834gm5Xlv89D8CybeaXKhUeBGgCEwYBhgL/s640/DSCN6599.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Other veterans</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D_4R7xyQdPc/WgVa6J6eyfI/AAAAAAAACO0/h07GrwxH-iEGXTaK92pfXmNa8JhuuofiACEwYBhgL/s1600/DSCN6603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D_4R7xyQdPc/WgVa6J6eyfI/AAAAAAAACO0/h07GrwxH-iEGXTaK92pfXmNa8JhuuofiACEwYBhgL/s640/DSCN6603.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wreath laying at the memorial</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_SOsNaqui9I/WgVbYeLb9XI/AAAAAAAACPI/SRXLF2Ma4bwHrbC8foZXgE5LxI06gZjzQCEwYBhgL/s1600/DSCN6605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_SOsNaqui9I/WgVbYeLb9XI/AAAAAAAACPI/SRXLF2Ma4bwHrbC8foZXgE5LxI06gZjzQCEwYBhgL/s640/DSCN6605.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lowering of military colours</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ne5O7B2Nesg/WgVbiWb8T1I/AAAAAAAACPI/DIpJXayz_6M0Sg9e_768eTD-xbkE2HdmwCEwYBhgL/s1600/DSCN6606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ne5O7B2Nesg/WgVbiWb8T1I/AAAAAAAACPI/DIpJXayz_6M0Sg9e_768eTD-xbkE2HdmwCEwYBhgL/s640/DSCN6606.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoke from the gun salute near the end of the ceremony</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Much of the crowd stayed around after the ceremony, to share in the memories evoked and to give thanks, but I had to get to the railway station. I was glad to have seen the march and the wreath-laying and so pay my respects to those, like my nephews and those of my father's generation, who had given something of themselves in the service of their country.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As always, I welcome your comments, especially if you’d like to share some of your own Remembrance Day memories.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Best Wishes<o:p></o:p></div>
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Earl<o:p></o:p></div>
Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9825715484350621.post-64452930930282930952017-11-05T17:01:00.000+11:002017-11-05T17:08:54.800+11:00Gwaith 24 (Catch Up): Bonfire Night, Bridge, 5 November 2016Hi Everyone<br />
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This catch-up post is out of chronological order because of today’s date. One year ago I attended a Bonfire Night in Bridge, a village near Canterbury, UK, with my good friends Simon and Lise. And so, I wanted to blog about it to celebrate the anniversary of that event.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We don’t celebrate Bonfire Night in Australia anymore, for a variety of reasons, some to do with safety and some to do with a distancing of our culture from such English customs. I remember the bonfires of my childhood on the empty block of land on the other side of the road from our house. The whole neighbourhood participated. For days, people brought old furniture, timber off-cuts, and broken fruit boxes and piled them high. I wrote about these memories in ‘Fall Out’, a poem about a dead childhood friend, which won a national award many years ago and was published in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Azuria #4</i> in 2015. Below is the opening stanza:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dead now thirty years or more, you were<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">just one of the neighbourhood knockabout kids<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">kicking a rolled-up-newspaper-and-twine footy,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">racing bikes and billy-carts down the hill,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">playing gangs in the paddock across the road<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">with its grass hillock hideaways, rubbish mound forts,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">whooping and hooting with the next fruit box tossed<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">flinting sparks and flames on the Guy Fawkes bonfire,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">skyrockets whoosh-slicing the night to the refrain<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">of bolts and penny bangers in metal pipes.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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So, when Simon and Lise suggested we attend the Bonfire Night being held in a local field, I jumped at the chance. Once night, with a light touch of dew, had truly descended, we joined a couple of hundred people crowded at the fence line around an enormous mound of wood in the middle of the field and cheered when fire safety officers 'lit her up'.</div>
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We were treated to a sprightly fire that at times grew menacing, with its raging, crackling sounds, its tumbling and crashing timbers, and its glowing embers and burning debris carried by the north wind, which troubled our eyes and threaten to ignite the nearby oak and beech trees. The fierce heat baked our faces with grins, gasps and exclamations. The erupting, rolling, leaping flames took on whirling shapes with elongated mouths and jagged limbs.</div>
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Then came the fireworks, a magnificent, wonderful, splendid, surprisingly long, keeping-your-gaze-engaged set of explosions and colours. Whistling rockets. Crackling white star bursts. Dazzling splurges and cascades of yellow, red and green against the backdrop of night. Sooty embers raining down around us. The smell of burnt air and gunpowder. Cheers. Little children pointing and clapping. Adults with arms around each other. Faces turned upward and glowing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Afterwards, we went back to Simon and Lise’s ‘Wendy House’ for some beer and wine and a pre-dinner reading of entries from <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/English-Year-Steve-Roud/dp/0141021063" target="_blank">The English Year: The Nation’s Customs and Festivals, from May Day to Mischief Night</a></i>. Padstow Oss. The Wooden Horse of Kent. And, of course, Guy Fawkes:</div>
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<i>Remember, remember! <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>The fifth of November, <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>The Gunpowder treason and plot; <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>I know of no reason <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Why the Gunpowder treason <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Should ever be forgot!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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A great end to a night that was part nostalgia and part wonder.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I hope you enjoyed this post. If you have any memories of Bonfire Nights, do share them in the comments if you like.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Best Wishes</div>
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Earl</div>
Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9825715484350621.post-23093846211399270542017-10-23T23:04:00.000+11:002017-11-05T16:17:34.494+11:00Gwaith 23 (Catch Up): Rain-affected Site-SeeingHi Everyone<br />
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After visiting Clochmabenstane, as recorded in an earlier posting (<a href="https://theawenproject.blogspot.com.au/2017/02/gwaith-19-arrival-in-scotland-monday-1.html" target="_blank">here</a>), I travelled to my next base, </span><a href="https://www.booking.com/hotel/gb/the-bonnington.html?aid=318615;label=English_Australia_EN_AU_29561939065-Z4sntSEom2MAT1DmyYipJgS113415591745%3Apl%3Ata%3Ap1%3Ap2%3Aac%3Aap1t1%3Aneg%3Afi4660028353%3Atidsa-302083110424%3Alp1000567%3Ali%3Adec%3Adm;sid=54c2a1eac406708405302c55ba3abff5;dest_id=-2603252;dest_type=city;dist=0;hapos=1;hpos=1;room1=A%2CA;sb_price_type=total;srepoch=1508735052;srfid=91534ca0e50f3476b36a1e62beef08fa6da245c9X1;srpvid=8d5123a60c310131;type=total;ucfs=1&#hotelTmpl" target="_blank">The Bonnington</a><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://www.booking.com/hotel/gb/the-bonnington.html?aid=318615;label=English_Australia_EN_AU_29561939065-Z4sntSEom2MAT1DmyYipJgS113415591745%3Apl%3Ata%3Ap1%3Ap2%3Aac%3Aap1t1%3Aneg%3Afi4660028353%3Atidsa-302083110424%3Alp1000567%3Ali%3Adec%3Adm;sid=54c2a1eac406708405302c55ba3abff5;dest_id=-2603252;dest_type=city;dist=0;hapos=1;hpos=1;room1=A%2CA;sb_price_type=total;srepoch=1508735052;srfid=91534ca0e50f3476b36a1e62beef08fa6da245c9X1;srpvid=8d5123a60c310131;type=total;ucfs=1&#hotelTmpl" target="_blank"> </a>in Moffat. I’ve talked before about my time in Moffat (<a class="" href="https://theawenproject.blogspot.com.au/2016/06/cyfaredd-22-arrival-in-moffat.html" target="_blank">here</a>), so I won’t go into any details, other than to say I was once again warmly welcomed by the proprietors, Lesley and Paul, who greeted me with banana cake and a cup of tea. As with my previous stays there, they were always extremely helpful and hospitable.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mine hosts: Paul and Lesley</td></tr>
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The next day I left The Bonnington and made my way to the parking place near the trail to Hart Fell. As Nikolai Tolstoy states in his book <i>The Quest for Merlin</i>, if there ever is a sacred place in Britain, it is here, where it is said Myrddin (the historical character that Merlin is based on) escaped to after the battle of Arfderydd, in which he went mad. I have visited Hart Fell Spar twice before and drunk of its waters and honoured the presence of Myrddin/Merlin.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hart Fell Spar. Note the ram's skull above the entrance.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Signage at the spar.</td></tr>
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On my first visit, I climbed to a plateau just above the spar in the mistaken belief that this was Hart Fell itself. It wasn’t. As those of you who have followed my blog about my previous trips would know, I tend to climb first and check maps, etc., afterwards. So, on my next visit, I knew where I had to go, but heavy rain defeated my trudging from crest to crest towards the ever-receding summit that kept disappearing into mist.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of area above Hart Fell Spar (2013).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CJsWkpQqPVA/We287ZoYXzI/AAAAAAAACIc/xyxAURayXpcNqdqhEEVlRb6su5QOq8EoQCLcBGAs/s1600/DSCN2995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CJsWkpQqPVA/We287ZoYXzI/AAAAAAAACIc/xyxAURayXpcNqdqhEEVlRb6su5QOq8EoQCLcBGAs/s640/DSCN2995.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the way to the top of Hart Fell, before the rain really set in (2015).</td></tr>
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I was determined this time to make it, but half way to the spar, the weather defeated me yet again—mist became a drizzle then a steady rain. My new hiking boots became waterlogged, even though they had been ‘proofed’, as did my jacket and my new waterproof overpants. I was starting to think that the spirits of the place had in it for me, or at least were testing me as if they were Threshold Guardians like those in Joseph Campbell’s <a href="http://www.thewritersjourney.com/hero%27s_journey.htm">The Hero’s Journey</a>. I returned to my car and, after picking up maps and directions from my room, I headed out to sites I hadn’t expected to be visiting for a couple of days.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Signage at Castle Loch</td></tr>
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I travelled down to <a href="https://www.visitscotland.com/info/towns-villages/lochmaben-p239121">Lochmaben</a>, a small town about fifteen miles (30 minutes) south from Moffat. Nearby is Castle Loch, on the shores of which is Lochmaben Castle, the home of Robert the Bruce when he was Lord of Annandale. I had been to the loch and the castle area before, as I was using the setting for a major druid location. This time, I wanted to check out the area in a different season to those other visits. By the time I got there, the rain had stopped, but the temperature was still so cold my breath plumed in front of me.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woods of Lochmaben</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sky above Lochmaben </td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I spent an hour or so wandering the paths around the site and through the surrounding wood, accompanied by the constant drip of water from the </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">rowans, hawthorn, beech, oak, and sycamore</span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">like someone’s footsteps in the undergrowth</span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, and by the calls of robins, thrushes, tits, and jackdaws and the flashes of colour as they darted through the trees. Two crows complained to each other about the weather. Out on the loch, two swans upended themselves as they fed, a line of ducks cruised across the dimpled water, and noisy geese passed overhead.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swans swimming in one of the bays of Castle Loch</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T_IJT84JgV8/We3J4Yb7DPI/AAAAAAAACJE/zzwfshReA80XqjTyYzUDb-yQfy_3SDydQCLcBGAs/s1600/DSCN5709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T_IJT84JgV8/We3J4Yb7DPI/AAAAAAAACJE/zzwfshReA80XqjTyYzUDb-yQfy_3SDydQCLcBGAs/s640/DSCN5709.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Line of ducks across the middle of the loch</td></tr>
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Behind the castle ruins, to the west, is a low mound on which are perched six massive, gnarled beech trees, their trunks moss-wrapped near the roots. When I wrote the first draft of my novel, I described a mound that was used for the meeting of the druid community. I had been to Lochmaben before writing this, but I don’t remember noticing the actual mound that time. Some sort of synchronicity, perhaps? This time, I mapped out the mound, its guardian trees, and the flat amphitheatre area in front of it.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mound behind the castle</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Path to the mound from the castle area</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the beech trees on the perimeter of the mound</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I then travelled to Rockcliffe to climb <a href="https://canmore.org.uk/site/64911/mote-of-mark" target="_blank">The Mote of Mark</a>, an Iron Age hillfort that seems to have been a centre for metalwork, which is how I am using it in the novel. My hero travels there as a test on his decision to become a druid. </span>Brambles, beech, sycamore oak and rowan trees line the nearby stream, some of them with vines hanging down from their branches. <span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Around the base are hawthorn and apple trees, wreathed in moss. The mound itself is quite sparse, with grass, bracken, gorse and tufts of spinifex, though there are some oak saplings in the hollow where I imagine the master metalworker had his dwellings and smithy. Moss covers some vitrified rocks that may have belonged to the original stone walls surrounding the dwellings on top of the summit.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Signage at the Mote of Mark, which overlooks the Urr estuary</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mote of Mark</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Moss-covered hawthorn tree</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The mound has a great view of the bay to the south and the hills and valleys on the other sides. On the mudflats, oystercatchers called to each other as they searched for food. At one point, they were in a line, like advancing warriors, but most of the time they were scattered around, like fighters in their individual single combats. </span>A flock of sparrows darted above the broad flat space between the north side of the mound and the next hill. When the chill breeze from the across the bay dropped, I could hear people talking on properties a quarter of a mile and more away.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The summit</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Artistic rendition of the layout of the settlement on top of the mound</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Possible vitrified fortifications</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mudflats south of the mound</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FaUQU9ElHeE/We3W8rra63I/AAAAAAAACLo/PP22aNeGLzQSvwjgGsGarM6coqXaYd_gwCLcBGAs/s1600/DSCN5755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FaUQU9ElHeE/We3W8rra63I/AAAAAAAACLo/PP22aNeGLzQSvwjgGsGarM6coqXaYd_gwCLcBGAs/s640/DSCN5755.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View to the north of the mound</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">After more photos and measurements, I headed back to The Bonnington for a meal from </span><a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowUserReviews-g186517-d10265520-r369590238-The_Moffat_Chippy-Moffat_Dumfries_and_Galloway_Scotland.html" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">The Moffat Chippy</a><span style="text-align: center;"> and a relaxing evening writing up my notes, planning my next day’s research, and purchasing train tickets for my upcoming trip to Germany.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I hope you enjoyed this post. As always, I welcome your comments and will answer any questions you have about these Iron Age sites.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Best wishes</span><br />
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Earl</span></div>
Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9825715484350621.post-71164797238263307832017-08-30T06:20:00.000+10:002017-08-30T06:20:14.054+10:00Exciting News!Hi Everyone<br />
<br />
First of all, apologies for the long silence since my time overseas. After arriving back from the UK and USA, I became caught up in various projects, teaching work, family obligations and other commitments. Time, as it does when one is really busy, flew quickly and six months passed before I realised I hadn't updated you all on my novel and other work. So, here it is.<br />
<br />
Now for my exciting news! My poetry collection manuscript, entitled <i>Libation</i>, has been accepted for publication by <a href="http://www.ginninderrapress.com.au/" target="_blank">Ginninderra Press</a> in South Australia. I found out a couple of weeks ago and I am now reviewing the manuscript before sending an electronic version to Ginninderra. Once it is received, it goes into their production queue and eight to ten months later I'll receive the proofs. I'll keep you in the loop about the likely publication date, which I expect will be in about a year's time.<br />
<br />
As for my dark ages novel, I only finished about 75% of the third draft while overseas, with the rest of the draft taking a couple of months. I then sent it out to a few beta readers and a month or two later received their feedback. As is always the case when people who are not as close to a text as the writer is, my beta readers gave me valuable information about what was working in the manuscript and what didn't work or needed more clarification. I had hoped to have the manuscript ready for the ASA Literary Speed Reading event in June but, after receiving the feedback, I knew I had much more work to do. I did attend the 'Pitching for Publishing' session at the Emerging Writers' Festival, at which I garnered ideas for submission strategies and a list of likely publishers to approach for my verse novel.<br />
<br />
In other news, I also have had some smaller pieces accepted/published:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>An article, 'The Tension Between Authenticity and Validity', published in <i>Into Another World</i>, which can be read <a href="https://susanleighnoble.wordpress.com/?s=Livings" target="_blank">here</a>.</li>
<li>Two haiku published on the <i>Asahi Haikuist Network</i>, which can be read <a href="http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201704070006.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201704210016.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</li>
<li>One of these two haiku, 'the birds and I', was selected and commented on by Simon Hanson for the Australian Haiku Society, which is available <a href="https://australianhaikusociety.org/2017/05/01/7793/" target="_blank">here</a>.</li>
<li>A haiku has been accepted for publication in <i>Windfall #6,</i> which should be available in a couple of months.</li>
</ul>
<div>
That's about it on the news front. I'm slowly working my way through the issues on the novel brought up by my beta readers and willl let you know how things go when I start the fourth draft.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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I hope you enjoyed this post. As always, I welcome your comments.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Best Wishes<br />
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Earl</div>
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<br />Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9825715484350621.post-74036867787841749492017-02-15T11:35:00.000+11:002017-02-15T11:35:25.184+11:00Gwaith 22: Adventures in Washington<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Haia Pawb</div>
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A little over a week ago I landed in Seattle to visit my two sons who live in the wonderful evergreen state of Washington. After being dropped off at one son’s place in Bremerton and having a chat with his landlord, I went for a walk to Gorst Creek, a local waterway that fills with salmon during spawning season. Sadly, the salmon run is usually between late September and November, so I wasn’t able to see any. Still, the water and trees were a welcome place of nature-quiet after my long trip from Birmingham to Dubai and Dubai to Seattle, which took over 30 hours door to door.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Douglas fir and clouds</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorst Creek, looking downstream</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking upstream</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Foliage and moss that reminds me of Wales</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the salmon run viewing area at Gorst Creek</td></tr>
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I’m glad I pushed myself to go on the walk, because that night it snowed and the following two days it rained steadily. Then it snowed again, heavier than the first time, between four to five inches. For most of last week I was housebound, though my son did take me to see my other son a couple of times and on Thursday we had a great day having lunch at the Airport Diner in Bremerton (great fish ‘n’ chips), exploring the Theler Wetlands Nature Preserve in Belfair and playing pool in a local bar (one win each). We then returned home to watch episodes of from the three seasons of <i>Black Mirror</i> and season 20 of <i>South Park</i>, which we’ve been doing most nights. Both shows are frightening, but in different ways. <i>Black Mirror</i> is a great series that looks at the ramifications of technology, especially social media, on the emotional lives of its characters. And season 20 of <i>South Park</i> satirises the 2016 presidential campaign and is scarily prophetic.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow the day after my arrival</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Light dusting of snow on cedar trees</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heavier snowfall a few days later</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Snow-crusted branches and leaves</td></tr>
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I will be in Washington for a few more days before heading home, which will take another 30+ hours of flight and layover. For those of you wondering why I seem to be going through Dubai when more direct flights would be easier, that’s just the way it is when you fly Emirates. There were other options, but this one was the cheapest when I booked early last year.</div>
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Anyway, I’ll soon be home, to rest, to catch up with Jo, family and friends, to process all that I experienced in Britain in relation to my book. I also will be on a tight schedule to finish the third draft and then polish it up, with the help of some beta readers, in time for the Australian Society of Authors’ Literary Speed Dating event in June. Wish me luck.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I hope you enjoyed this post. As always, I welcome your comments.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Cofion Cynnes</div>
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Earl</div>
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Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9825715484350621.post-63562889157363991822017-02-15T10:46:00.001+11:002017-02-15T10:49:51.718+11:00Gwaith 21: Recent SuccessesHi Everyone<br />
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As most of you know, the life of anyone engaged in the creative arts is filled with the despair of rejections and the occasional joy of an acceptance (however your art defines these things). That is, lots of hard work, with rewards few and far between, if at all. Even though I’ve been spending much of my creative energy on the novel the last six months, I still managed to submit a number of shorter pieces. The last month has seen some of these published and an earlier publication recognised in a Reader’s Award.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For those of you wanting to see how my poetry has been going lately, below are details of these welcome bright spots of success.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dreams and Desires<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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My poem ‘Holy Communion’ was published in the anthology <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dreams and Desires</i> published by Kardia. It is available <a href="http://www.kardia.com.au/books/publications/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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<i>The Heron’s Nest</i></div>
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My haiku ‘gleaming milky way’ was published in the online journal <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Heron’s Nest</i> in December 2016, but I only found out about this last month. It can be read <a href="http://www.theheronsnest.com/December2016/haiku-p10.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Eureka Street</i></div>
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Three poems were published in this week’s issue of Eureka Street. Their titles are ‘A Marvel’, ‘Class Photo’ and ‘The Dark Entrance’, which can be read <a href="https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=50569#.WKOTkBjMxp8" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hedgerow<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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My haiku ‘sheep crop grass’ was published in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hedgerow #105</i> this week. It can be read <a href="https://hedgerowpoems.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/hedgerow-1052.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mCC2I4kVW60/WKOUJVjWvwI/AAAAAAAACFw/I_Cxvo6laiMx1s1ggBPo5W8ZV3SUu50BQCLcB/s1600/cropped-cropped-cropped-hedgerow-header-3-img_0366_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mCC2I4kVW60/WKOUJVjWvwI/AAAAAAAACFw/I_Cxvo6laiMx1s1ggBPo5W8ZV3SUu50BQCLcB/s640/cropped-cropped-cropped-hedgerow-header-3-img_0366_edited-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shamrock Haiku Journal<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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My haiku ‘that moment between’ was joint runner-up in the 2016 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shamrock Haiku Journal</i> Reader’s Choice Awards. You can read the announcement and the poem itself <a href="http://shamrockhaiku.webs.com/currentissue.htm" target="_blank">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Being a writer can be a hard, lonely job, with no guarantee that what we write will be understood or appreciated. I’m grateful for these recent successes, as they tell me I’m doing something right. Generally, the work is its own joy and artists certainly don’t do it for external validation. Still, as I’m sure other artists can understand, I do welcome the occasional affirmation of my path.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2cI8_h46UaU/WKOVhj2_HfI/AAAAAAAACF0/IVAT2qn4IkcnLxJg0a7ZRLu-mtDE0_-mgCLcB/s1600/writinghardwork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="449" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2cI8_h46UaU/WKOVhj2_HfI/AAAAAAAACF0/IVAT2qn4IkcnLxJg0a7ZRLu-mtDE0_-mgCLcB/s640/writinghardwork.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9a9b97; font-family: "open sans" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">photo courtesy of http://kmh-lanl.hansonhub.com</span></td></tr>
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My thanks to you all for your continued interest in and support of my endeavours. I hope you’re enjoying your own successes and rewards as you travel your own paths.</div>
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Warm wishes</div>
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Earl</div>
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Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9825715484350621.post-15587102853139796142017-02-09T19:48:00.004+11:002017-02-09T19:48:42.562+11:00Gwaith 20: Leaving Stiwdio MaelorLast week I finished my third residency at <a href="https://stiwdiomaelor.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Stiwdio Maelor</a>. My first was eight weeks in 2015 and my second was the five weeks I spent there in September and October last year before I went travelling for five weeks. The third residency was for 11 weeks, broken only by the six days spent in Germany catching up with Jo. So, I’ve spent almost 24 weeks at Stiwdio Maelor, to the point that, as a friend said at the Corris Institute café one Tuesday morning, Corris is my second home.<div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Clouds over Corris</td></tr>
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I do feel I have set down some roots, however small, in the village and I was saddened to pack my bags, say goodbye to all the friends I made, many of whom came to The Slaters the night before for farewell drinks, and jump in a car to be taken to Machynlleth Station for my train to Birmingham International and the start of my trip home.</div>
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Now that I staying in the USA with one of my sons for two weeks, visiting another son, and enjoying the snow, which hasn’t fallen so heavily hereabouts for several years, I want to check my achievements during my residencies against the targets I set myself before I left.<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Writing<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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The main target, naturally enough, related to my novel. I had hoped to complete the third draft before I left. This wasn’t the case. I only completed around 75% of the draft, around 150k words. However, as can be seen from below, I wasn’t exactly relaxing. I managed to write a number of other things.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New scene cards for the novel</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Novel: 75% (150k)—approximately 7k words/wk, 18 hrs/wk</span><br />
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> (counting my five weeks of </span>travelling<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">)</span></div>
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Interdraft Work:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>39,771 words<o:p></o:p></div>
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Short Story:<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>One (unexpected)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Poem drafts:<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>11<o:p></o:p></div>
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Haiku drafts:<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>36<o:p></o:p></div>
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Blogs:<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>18<o:p></o:p></div>
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I also ran a poetry workshop at Canterbury Christ Church University, gave a reading at Stiwdio Maelor during the Christmas Open Day in November, and gave a talk to creative-practise PhD students at Aberystwyth University. Even though I didn’t reach my target, I’m happy with what I achieved.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Night photo of Aberystwyth, taken from Veronica's PhD studio at Aberystwyth University</td></tr>
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<b><i>Language Immersion</i></b></div>
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I have been learning Welsh on and off for a number of years on a Tuesday night at The Celtic Club in Melbourne. My level of skill wasn’t too great when I left for Wales, mainly because teaching and writing commitments had meant I hadn’t spent as much time as I would have liked on Welsh practice. During my first residency, I attended some classes and groups and I intended to do the same this time around. I knew I didn’t have a hope of achieving fluency, as I knew others had done by virtually devoting all their time when in Wales to finding opportunities to practice their Welsh, but I did hope to improve in some small way.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Mist and snow at Llyn Tegid (Lake Bala), during my two-day Welsh course nearby</span></td></tr>
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Every Monday I attended a class in Dolgellau and every Tuesday morning I joined in Welsh discussion at the Corris Institute café. I also attended several one- and two-day courses, as well as three Noson Siarads, dinners where only Welsh was supposed to be spoken. Although I can’t claim fluency yet, I did find myself holding conversations longer than one or two exchanges and at times felt myself responding automatically in Welsh. I also was complimented on both my accent and my vocab, so I must be doing something right.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sCacWC4YwWI/WJwkLyf2vCI/AAAAAAAACEw/JLT5TBkLrkg1R7bOvZU7Tt7eSLJ_RGjfACLcB/s1600/DSCN6737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sCacWC4YwWI/WJwkLyf2vCI/AAAAAAAACEw/JLT5TBkLrkg1R7bOvZU7Tt7eSLJ_RGjfACLcB/s640/DSCN6737.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sky and a dash of sun-stain on the trees</span></td></tr>
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<b><i>Landscape Immersion</i></b></div>
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As with my hope that learning the <span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">language</span> will somehow help me with the writing of the book (and connect me with my ancestral roots), I also hoped that experiencing the landscape of Britain would help me create authentic settings for the novel. I visited a number of sites I am using, both in Wales and Scotland, and was in the country long enough to experience late autumn and winter. While in Corris itself, I went for numerous walks and right up to the last week I was discovering new tracks, one of which took me on a three and a half hour ramble. I have learnt about trees, seen red deer, red squirrels and badgers, seen and heard red kites and numerous other birds, climbed mountains, sat next to rivers, walked through snow, wandered around megalithic circles and sat in tombs. I have probably absorbed more than I realise and can only hope the experiences came out in my words at some point.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WvXpZRJJL1M/WJwjkNwQxiI/AAAAAAAACEU/z2nHbcxvbww_Nq_FkRsFHSiDMpgq6pmtgCLcB/s1600/DSCN6733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WvXpZRJJL1M/WJwjkNwQxiI/AAAAAAAACEU/z2nHbcxvbww_Nq_FkRsFHSiDMpgq6pmtgCLcB/s640/DSCN6733.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Mist over the war memorial of Corris, from the sun melting snow </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of Llyn Mwngll or Llyn Myngul, more commonly known as Tal-y-llyn</td></tr>
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Finally, there are the people I have met, from the people in the village of Corris to the residents at Maelor I have spent time with. I want to thank them all for being welcoming, friendly, inspirational, supportive, and encouraging. My thanks to the previous manager at The Slaters, Brian, and the current manager, Mike. To Andy and Adam at their café for the great food and coffee and their wifi. To Eleanor, Chris and the other volunteers at the Corris Institute café. To Jan at the post office for her help with my packages to be sent home. To Ellie, Diane, Inge, Beryl and others in the Welsh conversation group. To Bethan Gwanas, my Welsh teacher in the class at Dolgellau, and Mike H, Mike K, Dee, Sue, Laura, David and other fellow students. To Martin for discussions about Cadair Idris legends and Welsh language and poetry. To Hickey, Jane and Kevin, and the other regulars at The Slaters. To Eileen and Arthur, for their lifts into Aberystwyth and conversations about poetry and geology. To Simon and Andrew for conversations about landscape writing. To Lez, for his blacksmith course and his help with my many questions about the craft. To all those residents I met during my residencies—including Freya, Yuki, Chloe, Linda, Beth, Bronwen, Christina, Gwen and Chris, John, and Brett—for the discussions, the pints at the pub, the shared meals, the trips to various sites, and the inspiration and encouragement.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One night at The Slaters, with Gwen, Chris, Yuki and Bronwen</td></tr>
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Most of all I want to thank <a href="https://veronicacalarco.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Veronica Calarco</a>, the founder and coordinator of Stiwdio Maelor, for her vision, her persistence (even in trying situations), and her hard work, in creating such a wonderful place for artists and writers to take time out from their normal lives and explore their ‘craft or sullen art’, as Dylan Thomas put it. Most of all, I want to thank her and her partner Mary for their friendship.</div>
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In my last days in Corris, many people asked if I’d be back, then said before I could answer, ‘I’m sure you will’. True. I will be back, for I have made many friendships and I find the village and the landscape around it inspirational. I also want Jo to meet everyone and see the sights I love.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Thanks again, Stiwdio Maelor and Corris.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corris from near the summit of Mynydd Fron Felen (Mountain of the brown/yellow hillside)</td></tr>
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I hope you enjoyed this post. As always, I welcome your comments.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying over the pole to Seattle</td></tr>
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Cofion Cynnes</div>
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Earl</div>
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Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9825715484350621.post-83185149722832057822017-02-05T10:16:00.000+11:002017-02-05T10:16:04.743+11:00Gwaith 19: Arrival in Scotland (Monday, 1 Oct 2016)<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Whenever I drive to Scotland, my first stop in the country is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lochmaben_Stone" target="_blank">Clochmabenstane</a>, a megalith standing in a field of Old Graitney farm, near <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gretna,_Dumfries_and_Galloway" target="_blank">Gretna</a>. Along with a smaller stone set into a nearby hedge, Clochmabenstane is all that is left of a stone circle dated back to around 3000 BC.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The main stone, which is also called the Lochmaben Stone, is weathered granite, weighs about ten tons and is seven feet high and about 18 feet around. As for the etymology of Clochmabenstane, 'cloch' seems to suggest the modern Gaelic 'clach', meaning stone; 'maben' is related to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mabon_ap_Modron" target="_blank">Mabon</a> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(also known as Maponus)</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, the Celtic God Mabon map Modron, Son of the Mother ; and 'stane' is a Scottish word for 'stone'. One suggested meaning for the name is the 'stone or burial place of Mabon'.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I first found out about the stone in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolai_Tolstoy" target="_blank">Nikolai Tolstoy</a>'s <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Quest-Merlin-Nikolai-Tolstoy/dp/0316850802" target="_blank">The Quest for Merlin</a></i>, where he suggests that the stone was the site of ceremonies for the cult of Maponus/Mabon and that Merlin may have been the chief druid in charge of them. I have used some elements of his suggestion in my novel, which is why I like to visit the megalith and get a sense of the stone itself and the surrounding area.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The Clochmabenstane is reached from a carpark near the farm, on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solway_Firth" target="_blank">Solway Firth</a>, with a walk across the boggy shoreline of the estuary, a climb over a wire fence, and a stroll up the mild slope alongside a hawthorn hedge. As I walked along the shore, with bramble bushes next to the property line, a rabbit popped out of one gorse bush, looped down the path and dashed into the hollow at the bottom of another bush. When I got nearer to the stone, masses of geese rose from a nearby field, milled around, then headed west.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Below are some photos of my visit:</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tide was slowing retreating as I walked to the stone</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2TcSm4Kb_cM/WIowCiKByLI/AAAAAAAACBM/kJA-wRT770M3fmEyUOBn5GcPPoTjr0wRgCLcB/s1600/DSCN5682.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2TcSm4Kb_cM/WIowCiKByLI/AAAAAAAACBM/kJA-wRT770M3fmEyUOBn5GcPPoTjr0wRgCLcB/s640/DSCN5682.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Clochmabenstane surrounded by round haylage bales, which my father once called dongels,<br />though I haven't found that usage mentioned anyway else.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HIJxPG5PTFA/WIowRZWr3dI/AAAAAAAACBY/0j91h5vMYog3T8s2kWS2RUc5mur0CQRHgCLcB/s1600/DSCN5683.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HIJxPG5PTFA/WIowRZWr3dI/AAAAAAAACBY/0j91h5vMYog3T8s2kWS2RUc5mur0CQRHgCLcB/s640/DSCN5683.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The east weathered and yellow-lichened face of the stone</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kr4o09BJ_oM/WIowQoYw-RI/AAAAAAAACBQ/kyBVCrQBHeoReHTr1uFAKnEexNm5f1a3gCLcB/s1600/DSCN5684.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kr4o09BJ_oM/WIowQoYw-RI/AAAAAAAACBQ/kyBVCrQBHeoReHTr1uFAKnEexNm5f1a3gCLcB/s640/DSCN5684.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The south face/edge of the stone</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rDL6dYWaNhY/WIowRfPPNiI/AAAAAAAACBU/u1zuQoAwQ6ojbCGBlfyaJWVKMn3_-1rPwCLcB/s1600/DSCN5685.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rDL6dYWaNhY/WIowRfPPNiI/AAAAAAAACBU/u1zuQoAwQ6ojbCGBlfyaJWVKMn3_-1rPwCLcB/s640/DSCN5685.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The west face of the stone, with its suggestion of a nose</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZF4QSTwck9E/WIowSHkw6JI/AAAAAAAACBc/jloKgl65M-ofITXdro_06qmHiONu4ypfgCLcB/s1600/DSCN5686.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZF4QSTwck9E/WIowSHkw6JI/AAAAAAAACBc/jloKgl65M-ofITXdro_06qmHiONu4ypfgCLcB/s640/DSCN5686.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The north face of the stone</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mTGzFaOogTc/WIowkdDaPSI/AAAAAAAACBg/KYORt99OBmUTtUZ03I4DBzS8KdOhcmm5ACLcB/s1600/DSCN5687.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mTGzFaOogTc/WIowkdDaPSI/AAAAAAAACBg/KYORt99OBmUTtUZ03I4DBzS8KdOhcmm5ACLcB/s640/DSCN5687.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The smaller stone, which has been set into the hawthorn hedge</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FCEn0zJpc_k/WIoxgCl_wPI/AAAAAAAACDA/XqpMMEG5y38vmJoJLUYFsPDTmUVD_hzywCLcB/s1600/DSCN5698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FCEn0zJpc_k/WIoxgCl_wPI/AAAAAAAACDA/XqpMMEG5y38vmJoJLUYFsPDTmUVD_hzywCLcB/s640/DSCN5698.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The shoreline with the tide moving out</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Oru_dZePaoQ/WIoxg-5E2uI/AAAAAAAACDE/2i4I05y8y0oVCLO95R_s5re6FVhm20dpQCLcB/s1600/DSCN5699.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Oru_dZePaoQ/WIoxg-5E2uI/AAAAAAAACDE/2i4I05y8y0oVCLO95R_s5re6FVhm20dpQCLcB/s640/DSCN5699.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another of my dramatic cloud photos</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-daRPLPP0Pm0/WIoxh08U4JI/AAAAAAAACDM/jULch7oSP1svMGA8yQQuKDCYxZ3EFbYWQCLcB/s1600/DSCN5700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-daRPLPP0Pm0/WIoxh08U4JI/AAAAAAAACDM/jULch7oSP1svMGA8yQQuKDCYxZ3EFbYWQCLcB/s640/DSCN5700.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View across the Solway Firth that, in ancient times, could be forded when the tide is fully out by crossing mudflats<br />and wading across a narrow stretch of water</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wksCh26WyJk/WIoxh6FdV4I/AAAAAAAACDQ/9zBteeuXbhAwvH8YG3FPLzcGVfwA2ZV6gCLcB/s1600/DSCN5701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wksCh26WyJk/WIoxh6FdV4I/AAAAAAAACDQ/9zBteeuXbhAwvH8YG3FPLzcGVfwA2ZV6gCLcB/s640/DSCN5701.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another view of the firth</td></tr>
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Once I finished my survey of the stone and sat with it for a while, I headed back to my car and drive on to my destination in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moffat" target="_blank">Moffat</a> (more in another post).</div>
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I hope you enjoyed this post. I am slowly catching up with my travel reports during my time during the two residencies at <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjb_d7zx_fRAhVN9mMKHfrGBnEQFggdMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fstiwdiomaelor.wordpress.com%2F&usg=AFQjCNF023TZZPVgdLjS7T2_k5Q1kZMucg&sig2=H9rZtl2iCeAtTQji7XLwCA" target="_blank">Stiwdio Maelor</a> and I appreciate your patience.</div>
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Cofion Cynnes</div>
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Earl </div>
Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9825715484350621.post-45269345424463490672017-01-26T10:30:00.000+11:002017-01-26T10:30:16.969+11:00Gwaith 18: More Discoveries (Saturday, 15 Oct 2016)<div class="MsoNormal">
Helo<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> Pawb</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">Another wonderful day visiting amazing places with my good friend <a href="http://www.grevel.co.uk/" target="_blank">Grevel Lindop</a>. We started around midday and drove out through Macclesfield to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cloud_(Peak_District)" target="_blank">The Cloud</a>, an escarpment like Alderley Edge, but longer and higher. We had a long walk along the road at its base and up through woods of birch, beech, oaks and rowan, with ferns crowding around. Closer to the summit, the woods dropped off and we walked past bracken already starting to go brown, as was the heather near the escarpment edge where we had our lunch. The edge afforded us fantastic 360</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">° views of the Cheshire countryside, with the Jodrell Bank dish, which we had <a href="http://theawenproject.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/gwaith-14-jodrell-bank-and-alan-garner.html" target="_blank">visited</a> the previous day, in the distance seemingly floating on the haze.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-66gsM5PEZVw/WIjIH4hwUuI/AAAAAAAAB-U/iyWv51B7HoA_nuDCa-aF_9lsSnTW0PBpgCLcB/s1600/DSCN5646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-66gsM5PEZVw/WIjIH4hwUuI/AAAAAAAAB-U/iyWv51B7HoA_nuDCa-aF_9lsSnTW0PBpgCLcB/s640/DSCN5646.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from The Cloud</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-71H-nsp2wzo/WIjJjpcE_bI/AAAAAAAAB-g/s2xG2076i5MVF38ss3joB3YAO6SEPjfHwCLcB/s1600/DSCN5650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-71H-nsp2wzo/WIjJjpcE_bI/AAAAAAAAB-g/s2xG2076i5MVF38ss3joB3YAO6SEPjfHwCLcB/s640/DSCN5650.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jodrell Bank in the distance</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jTyKDEvexaI/WIjMYihMGyI/AAAAAAAAB-s/MbRQcqXZf9k9Ev7ErV_CUMgLeEhGxMTdwCLcB/s1600/DSCN5655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jTyKDEvexaI/WIjMYihMGyI/AAAAAAAAB-s/MbRQcqXZf9k9Ev7ErV_CUMgLeEhGxMTdwCLcB/s640/DSCN5655.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early autumn heather</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">After lunch, we went down another path to the bottom of The Cloud and walked around to </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bridestones" style="font-family: 'times new roman';" target="_blank">The Bridestones</a><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">, a strange arrangement of vertical stones off to the side of a double chamber open tomb, with other stones in the nearby underbrush. Apparently, the only other similar arrangement is in the Orkneys, though I was reminded of the forecourt at Cairn Holly II in Scotland (about which I will write about at another time).</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front view of The Bridestones</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-McOKA9m1GpY/WIjYdEZDm3I/AAAAAAAAB_Y/MdbsGQnumHYKtjAhi3tk79xIzY8207rOwCLcB/s1600/DSCN5656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-McOKA9m1GpY/WIjYdEZDm3I/AAAAAAAAB_Y/MdbsGQnumHYKtjAhi3tk79xIzY8207rOwCLcB/s640/DSCN5656.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side view</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IdEtmewULbs/WIjmrwrk6wI/AAAAAAAAB_o/UDQAD_2PE4AicWOiLsnuLJ7G-VmRVKXEACLcB/s1600/DSCN5661.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IdEtmewULbs/WIjmrwrk6wI/AAAAAAAAB_o/UDQAD_2PE4AicWOiLsnuLJ7G-VmRVKXEACLcB/s640/DSCN5661.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grevel inspecting the stones</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">We then found a ‘right of way’ that looked like it could take us back to The Cloud. Along the </span>path,<span style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> we found some tall holly trees that looked splendid with their full boughs of berries. The turning of the season is becoming more and more pronounced now, with birch leaves going yellow, oak and beech turning yellow to orange and other trees (maples or sycamore) going green to purple. The countryside will be covered in speckled </span>colours<span style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> soon.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uZ7NVHtTBro/WIjsR5A-VEI/AAAAAAAAB_4/kgW-zT61MOU0cglYmoUO-eU9PQVKboWQgCLcB/s1600/DSCN5665.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uZ7NVHtTBro/WIjsR5A-VEI/AAAAAAAAB_4/kgW-zT61MOU0cglYmoUO-eU9PQVKboWQgCLcB/s640/DSCN5665.jpg" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Berry-ladened holly tree</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">At one point, I noticed a crow sitting in the middle of a field and, a few yards </span>away,<span style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> a short, single standing stone, which was not marked on </span>Grevel’s<span style="font-family: 'times new roman';"> Ordnance map. Like the <a href="http://theawenproject.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/gwaith-13-exploring-three-sites-in.html" target="_blank">Allgreave Menhir</a>, it had a flat vertical face, facing north, not south, and sinuous curves on the other side. The stone was streaked with white droppings, as if a bird had spent a lot of time sitting at its top. Grevel spotted an owl’s pellet made up of insect bodies and small white stones. Owls have these stones in their mouths to help grind down their food. So, we decided to call our discovery The Owl Stone.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raven and standing stone</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Owl Stone, showing the west face</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of The Cloud when we walked back to the car</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">We then drove back home for dinner and to watch a DVD of </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Frenzy</i><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">, which I hadn’t seen before, and a BBC program on Southern Rock.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">That was my last outing during my stay in Manchester. Sunday was another rest day, during which I caught up on some writing and emails, and I left on Monday for Scotland. I am enormously grateful for the hospitality shown to me by Grevel and his lovely wife Amanda.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">As always, I welcome your comments.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">Cofion Cynnes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Earl</span></div>
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Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9825715484350621.post-28821705837108835672017-01-23T07:07:00.002+11:002017-02-05T09:08:36.850+11:00Gwaith 17: Snow in Corris<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Haia Pawb (Hiya Everyone)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A couple of weeks ago, we had a little bit of snow, though the temperature wasn't cold enough for it to do more than settle in nooks and crannies on the tops of the hills surrounding the town. However, this morning I woke up to snow covering the ground and still falling.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CtIIitDjzWw/WITWeQOor2I/AAAAAAAAB7w/dKspJ5En8VgVqHdEJDTn0aCDQd1ShWT0QCLcB/s1600/DSCN7290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CtIIitDjzWw/WITWeQOor2I/AAAAAAAAB7w/dKspJ5En8VgVqHdEJDTn0aCDQd1ShWT0QCLcB/s640/DSCN7290.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View out my bedroom window</td></tr>
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After taking some photos from the front door of <a href="https://stiwdiomaelor.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Stiwdio Maelor</a>, I threw on some clothes, including my waterproof overpants, and went for a walk.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zuELsq7VDg4/WITauDXf-3I/AAAAAAAAB78/H9XIEIuy1zg8lds77n962qdlC-T6We3EgCLcB/s1600/DSCN7292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zuELsq7VDg4/WITauDXf-3I/AAAAAAAAB78/H9XIEIuy1zg8lds77n962qdlC-T6We3EgCLcB/s640/DSCN7292.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the Stiwdio Maelor doorway</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">When I first wandered up the road, the snow was falling so fast I thought I might not last too long. However, it slowed down after a few minutes and after I took some photos close to the village, I went up past <a href="http://theawenproject.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/cyfaredd-6-italian-house.html" target="_blank">The Italian House</a>.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LjgT83FEO_o/WIThvNszhpI/AAAAAAAAB8Y/swXa-wLJmvYjAIVdBOOwHVvKZ0Wp8wsnQCLcB/s1600/DSCN7300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LjgT83FEO_o/WIThvNszhpI/AAAAAAAAB8Y/swXa-wLJmvYjAIVdBOOwHVvKZ0Wp8wsnQCLcB/s640/DSCN7300.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A field just down the road </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-keb65qI7YkU/WIThObOdZGI/AAAAAAAAB8Q/RsxDq2yueIIZT_q5NUvkfiiqVhroXa_3QCLcB/s1600/DSCN7306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-keb65qI7YkU/WIThObOdZGI/AAAAAAAAB8Q/RsxDq2yueIIZT_q5NUvkfiiqVhroXa_3QCLcB/s320/DSCN7306.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birds dancing on the snow?</td></tr>
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Today was not my first experience of snow. I have visited snow fields near Melbourne. However, this is the first time I've actually experienced walking through softly falling snow and walking on a thick covering of snow. One thing I noticed was the sound of my boots with every step on snow that no one else had traversed, a crunch-pop as the weight broke through the top layer of snow crust and burst through to the softer stuff below. Not quite the snap-crackle-pop of that old TV ad for Rice Bubbles, but close.</div>
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Below are more photos from my walk:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My footprints </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hhET24F9uwA/WIUNEi6zIDI/AAAAAAAAB98/D21fGtqnrE4fQXwCMKiswSrOnMMCcklPgCLcB/s1600/DSCN7311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hhET24F9uwA/WIUNEi6zIDI/AAAAAAAAB98/D21fGtqnrE4fQXwCMKiswSrOnMMCcklPgCLcB/s640/DSCN7311.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Italian House</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C5MO0Py7H0w/WIUNEoRU8gI/AAAAAAAAB94/aDyqW98xx0cTvQx6IlEFPkvvvGcOIR9ggCLcB/s1600/DSCN7314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C5MO0Py7H0w/WIUNEoRU8gI/AAAAAAAAB94/aDyqW98xx0cTvQx6IlEFPkvvvGcOIR9ggCLcB/s640/DSCN7314.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trail to the lookout</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Once I brushed away the snow from a flat slab of slate, my usual meditation spot at the lookout, I sat down to absorb the view of white crusted trees, </span>swaths<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> of snow on nearby rocks and smothering the bases of trees, and the distant slopes half hidden by mist, half bleached by snow.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Distant view from the lookout</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W0jp6xs6w_A/WIULs4QGxXI/AAAAAAAAB9M/HVMbA3e0xe4QoBCZ-lQpmu3v_c72p6uuQCLcB/s1600/DSCN7321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W0jp6xs6w_A/WIULs4QGxXI/AAAAAAAAB9M/HVMbA3e0xe4QoBCZ-lQpmu3v_c72p6uuQCLcB/s640/DSCN7321.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closer view of trees</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uOqBhcY9UWI/WIULs3D9wLI/AAAAAAAAB9Q/nbDA2sP0Uhwkk2prll6C-GHIY6N56k6RQCLcB/s1600/DSCN7325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uOqBhcY9UWI/WIULs3D9wLI/AAAAAAAAB9Q/nbDA2sP0Uhwkk2prll6C-GHIY6N56k6RQCLcB/s640/DSCN7325.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some ruins at the lookout</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ulGBADucF8I/WIUMEFHlIOI/AAAAAAAAB9U/nASbtd8CQfkBUd-3nlDmxjzI-3DHMVsygCEw/s1600/DSCN7333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ulGBADucF8I/WIUMEFHlIOI/AAAAAAAAB9U/nASbtd8CQfkBUd-3nlDmxjzI-3DHMVsygCEw/s640/DSCN7333.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://theawenproject.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/cyfaredd-7-excalibur-moment.html" target="_blank">The Arthurian pool</a> at the back of the lookout</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zN9nu0nCtu8/WIUMEOJV7tI/AAAAAAAAB9Y/t1vVMiCeUMsM6ifJR4qyO9BAn-oO9OCLACEw/s1600/DSCN7334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zN9nu0nCtu8/WIUMEOJV7tI/AAAAAAAAB9Y/t1vVMiCeUMsM6ifJR4qyO9BAn-oO9OCLACEw/s640/DSCN7334.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the pool</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Whenever the traffic from the main road on the other side of the valley disappeared, all I could hear were the occasional creaks of pine trees as they bore the weight of snow, the constant tumble of water into a pool to my right, and the soft plops of snowdrops on my jacket. Every now and then a robin, a coal tit, a tree sparrow or some other hidden bird would trill, tweet, chirp or chit-chit-churr its appreciation or annoyance at the chilly whiteness around us.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An old slate miner's house</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cgcy_AUDmHY/WIUMIpzfYDI/AAAAAAAAB9w/240kB1RU1Pc3YfrdQnLd5-llTNpvzZBIQCEw/s1600/FSCN7341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cgcy_AUDmHY/WIUMIpzfYDI/AAAAAAAAB9w/240kB1RU1Pc3YfrdQnLd5-llTNpvzZBIQCEw/s640/FSCN7341.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trail down the other side of the hill</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8pKPmjTpn-g/WIUMGCiSt_I/AAAAAAAAB9g/boNYZToMNWUnVAwP74SSSk7D0ZSyO03hgCEw/s1600/DSCN7349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8pKPmjTpn-g/WIUMGCiSt_I/AAAAAAAAB9g/boNYZToMNWUnVAwP74SSSk7D0ZSyO03hgCEw/s640/DSCN7349.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By a local kid</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">By the time I returned to Corris, the road was wet with snowmelt, and, as the day wore on, the snow disappeared, drawn up by the hidden sun’s heat into a mist that hung over the valley.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corris in Snow</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">As always, I hope you enjoy this post and I welcome your comments.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">Cofion Cynnes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">Earl</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What do you think? More tomorrow!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">PS. I realise I have been quite lax in posting news of my travels. My excuse is that I have been busy with the Christmas trip to Germany to catch up with Jo and with tackling my 3000+ words a day of draft three work (which has not been entirely successful), plus Welsh language and landscape immersion. I’ll write another post soon to let you know the status of things. Thanks again for your ongoing support.</span></div>
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<br />Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9825715484350621.post-75812246592577558502016-11-30T03:38:00.002+11:002016-11-30T03:38:58.096+11:00Gwaith 16: Frost at Midday<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Helo Pawb</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">This is just a quick post to show you more of the cold weather under a bright, blue clear sky that I am experiencing here in Corris.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ALG3xHlEskU/WD2qoSzvTFI/AAAAAAAAB48/DtFTdVgUDFEkoIsz_QUNruqXxtKafqeTwCLcB/s1600/DSCN6697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ALG3xHlEskU/WD2qoSzvTFI/AAAAAAAAB48/DtFTdVgUDFEkoIsz_QUNruqXxtKafqeTwCLcB/s640/DSCN6697.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Facing north, on the path running along the fields beside Afon Dulas</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">After my Tuesday morning Welsh Conversation meeting at the Corris Institute, I went for a walk along my favourite river, Afon Dulas. Even at 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, frost still covered the nearby fields. The village is in a valley that runs roughly north-south, so the sun takes a while to climb above the pine-covered hill and start working on the frost. Even when it was visible, the temperature, courtesy of the cloudless sky overnight and during the day, was still low, so that as I walked, my breath plumed around me.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheep cropping through the frost-covered grass</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Apart from the frost itself, highlights of this walk included seeing two grey squirrels prance away daintily at my approach; standing still in a field and listening to the irregular dripping of frostmelt from the bare branches of nearby oaks and beeches; and watching six F-15Es, possibly from RAF Lakenheath,</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> roar over the hills and across the valley as they travelled the regular exercise route known as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mach_Loop" target="_blank">Mach Loop</a>. As if in defiance to their thunderous flights, after their third pass a red kite appeared above the same hill the jets flew over. At first I thought it was a distant plane, but no rumbling preceded it. The bird rose quickly on updrafts, then winged its way high across the valley. Not unlike the Tornadoes banking and producing contrails, at one point sunlight glinting from the edges of its wings, before it disappeared in the pine woods on the opposite hill.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">So, below are more photos from the walk:</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frosted plants in the village</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up of a frost fern</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frost on one of the kissing gates along the path</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frost on a field</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sundazzle on Afon Dulas</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frozen surface of a pool near Afon Dulas</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A F-15E banking as it passes over Corris</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frost on the roof opposite my studio, as I was writing this blog.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">As always, I hope you enjoy this post and I welcome your comments.</span></div>
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Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9825715484350621.post-66320421967533058042016-11-28T04:12:00.000+11:002016-11-28T04:12:06.905+11:00Gwaith 15: Quick Update<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">I arrived back at <a href="https://stiwdiomaelor.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Stiwdio Maelor</a> in Corris two weeks ago. Apart from a few days over Christmas, when I catch up with Jo in Germany when she travels there with our good friend Soni, I will be here till the end of January working on the third draft of my novel. I plan to write blogs about my progress and anything else of interest, and will also continue to record my research findings during the five weeks I spent travelling around Britain. I hope this mixture of past and present events isn’t too confusing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">As for the novel, some of my research meant I had to go back to the start of the draft and tidy up settings and events in some of the scenes. At the end of my first five weeks at Maelor the third draft stood at 30,556 words. In these last two weeks, I have edited those words and added more than 10,000 words, so that as of yesterday the draft stands at 42,000 words. For me to finish the third draft, which keeps growing, I will need to edit/write approximately 3,000 words per residency day. This is a little harder than it sounds, as I’m a slow writer and I am also trying to fit in my Welsh language and landscape activities, which themselves feed ideas, tone and atmosphere into the book. On top of these tasks, I help out with some Stiwdio Maelor activities, such as the Open Day next Saturday (3 December), at which I’ll be reading a short story and poems written during my time here. Anyone in the area is welcome to come. The Facebook link is <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1807703282806220/" target="_blank">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vOhfg3-X35E/WDrXaq2zGcI/AAAAAAAAB30/LRTaa7OecvEwRb1_72_GSJRVJW-6tIRugCLcB/s1600/CHRISTMAS%2BOPEN.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vOhfg3-X35E/WDrXaq2zGcI/AAAAAAAAB30/LRTaa7OecvEwRb1_72_GSJRVJW-6tIRugCLcB/s640/CHRISTMAS%2BOPEN.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Open Day Invitation</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Below are some photos of a walk I took early yesterday morning, with the first frost on the ground.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frost glueing a leaf to the slate banister of the 'zig-zag' steps that start near the Corris Institute</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bllrJ4df7Y8/WDrYP5ZZfnI/AAAAAAAAB38/VIOrbbOPR8IXDL5alW6-zwOMAFtn5KTRgCLcB/s1600/DSCN6675.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bllrJ4df7Y8/WDrYP5ZZfnI/AAAAAAAAB38/VIOrbbOPR8IXDL5alW6-zwOMAFtn5KTRgCLcB/s640/DSCN6675.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crunchy frost underfoot</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JdVQdEX9oeI/WDrYQUb85oI/AAAAAAAAB4A/1u8MW-aCkg4rj5GVLsWiDeIXPVbLhNzrQCLcB/s1600/DSCN6678.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JdVQdEX9oeI/WDrYQUb85oI/AAAAAAAAB4A/1u8MW-aCkg4rj5GVLsWiDeIXPVbLhNzrQCLcB/s640/DSCN6678.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shadow self-portraint with frost and late autumn birch trees</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iYRX0W7C3sE/WDrYS0RA3aI/AAAAAAAAB4I/SSVHJSsqzxEwobh3UjMlODTJodf2OYoswCLcB/s1600/DSCN6681.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iYRX0W7C3sE/WDrYS0RA3aI/AAAAAAAAB4I/SSVHJSsqzxEwobh3UjMlODTJodf2OYoswCLcB/s640/DSCN6681.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking back to Corris, facing east</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sf5SVp0t1-M/WDrYSPmCGkI/AAAAAAAAB4E/m_0TXpLfUBgNec9z5kn5qDbFouTQ5EL2gCLcB/s1600/DSCN6682.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sf5SVp0t1-M/WDrYSPmCGkI/AAAAAAAAB4E/m_0TXpLfUBgNec9z5kn5qDbFouTQ5EL2gCLcB/s640/DSCN6682.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wood smoke drifting over the village</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">As always, I hope you enjoy this post and I welcome your comments.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">Cofion Cynnes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Earl</span></div>
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Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9825715484350621.post-78896153743401385882016-11-21T02:44:00.000+11:002016-11-22T01:03:47.190+11:00Gwaith 14: Jodrell Bank and Alan Garner (14 Oct 2016)<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">After a rest day, during which I transcribed notes from my research of the last couple of weeks, Grevel and I drive to Macclesfield for what would prove to be one of the highlights of my trip. Grevel had been in contact with Griselda Garner, wife of Alan Garner, whose talk I attended last year (see this <a href="http://theawenproject.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/cyfaredd-3_29.html" target="_blank">post</a>) and whose books I greatly admired. She kindly offered to take us on a tour of The Old Medicine House. We then would have afternoon tea, during which Alan might put in an appearance, if his hectic schedule allowed it. I was thrilled at the possibility of meeting one of my literary heroes, but first Grevel and I were going to visit <a href="http://www.jodrellbank.net/" target="_blank">Jodrell Bank</a>, which is only two fields and a railway line away from where Alan and Griselda live.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lovell Telescope</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Jodrell Bank is the home of the Lovell Telescope, a huge white radio dish the size of Big Ben. It started listening to the universe in 1957, the same year Alan Garner started living at Toad Hall, which he restored and which now comprises, along with The Old Medicine House, one half of their current residence.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scanning the heavens</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">The telescope scans galaxies, listens to and tracks pulsars and quasars. Grevel and I wandered through the Planet Pavilion, the exhibition room in the nearby visitor complex, and read the latest information about black holes, dark matter and dark energy, our minds boggling at the numbers involved when looking at the mathematics of the space-time continuum and the masses and sizes of the far-flung entities the universe has created.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another view of the telescope, as tall as Big Ben</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">After playing with the various experiments into and reconstructions of astronomical insights in another building, the Space Pavilion, we walked around the telescope itself, a magnificent structure, with beautiful curves and a spider-web structure of girders supporting it. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Flights of jackdaws dove off the top lip of the dish and swooped and wheeled using the updraught created inside it.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jackdaws wheeling above the dish</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">We continued our own exploration of science by playing with the various exhibits ranged around the telescope. One of them involved rolling balls down an incline and arranging bells so they rang at equal time spans, not as easy as it sounds. Our favourite was using the whispering dishes that feature in Alan Garner’s last novel, <i><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/aug/29/boneland-alan-garner-review" target="_blank">Boneland</a></i>. They are about 100 yards apart, but when you whisper into the focal point of one dish a person standing at the other one can hear you. We were also fortunate to watch the radio dish in action, this enormous achievement of 1950s British engineering (parts of it were made from naval gun turrets) slowly and steadily moving to a new position to explore the heavens.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A school group playing with the whispering dishes</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A close up of one of the whispering dishes</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Then it was time for lunch at the Planet Pavilion cafe, with its wall-mural timeline of events from the big bang to the present day and a great view of the telescope. After a quick walk through the amazing nearby aboreum (which contains the <a href="http://www.jodrellbank.net/visit/whats-here/gardens-grounds/" target="_blank">Sorbus Collection</a>, a display of all the different varieties of rowan and whitebeam trees), we headed off for our visit to The Medicine House.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Display board at the arboreum</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A whitebeam tree</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Rowan tree, with unusual pinkish flowers</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">With much clanking of old locks, Griselda greeted us—‘Welcome to Fort Knox’—and then took us on a two-hour tour of the sixteenth century timber-frame house, once thought to be an apothecary’s abode but now known to have been a factory for making patented medicines (Samuel Johnston/Johnston Brothers). The Old Medicine House, which Alan and Griselda acquired in 1970 and attached to Toad Hall, is the heart of the <a href="http://www.theblackdentrust.org.uk/" target="_blank">Blackden Trust</a>, the educational charity Alan and Griselda set up to protect the buildings, the land surrounding them, and the history discovered there. And what an amazing history there is. My favourite exhibit was the display case that contained over 10,000 years of artefacts found on the property itself, from the Mesolithic to the twentieth century, flint blades to musket balls. Another fascinating aspect of the house was the apotropaic marks made in corners of rooms or near chimneys, doors and windows. Such marks, generally double Vs (Virgin of Virgins), were meant to ward off evil. Then there was my delight in seeing the original owl service that served as inspiration for Alan Garner’s famous work, </span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The Owl Service</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">, which used the story of Blodeuwedd in the Fourth Branch of </span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The Mabinogion</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Old Medicine House</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Part way through the tour, while we were in the Blackden office area, Alan Garner pop his head in to discuss some matter and said hello to Grevel and me. Later, when Griselda sat us down for tea and what looked like and tasted like giant Anzac Biscuits, Alan joined us for a </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman";">wide-ranging discussion about everything from his recent projects (including a wonderful book called <i>The Beauty Things</i>, of which I bought a copy), to his approach to archival research and research in general (‘Always look to the anomaly’), to Griselda’s education approaches at Blackden. Entertaining banter and stimulating insights absorbed us for an hour or two, until it started to get dark and it was time for Grevel and I to leave. I am thankful to Griselda and Alan for being so generous with their time.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover of the First Edition (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Owl_Service" target="_blank">source</a>)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ozVDDu1M5s8/WDG57orwftI/AAAAAAAAB28/HFOqnPXpNFsqgyUYg6wXuc9g9GyyONzlACLcB/s1600/owlserviceplate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ozVDDu1M5s8/WDG57orwftI/AAAAAAAAB28/HFOqnPXpNFsqgyUYg6wXuc9g9GyyONzlACLcB/s640/owlserviceplate.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A plate from the Owl Service (<a href="http://www.theowlservice.co.uk/" target="_blank">source</a>)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">On the way</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">back to Manchester, Grevel stopped off near Wilmslow to show me <a href="http://www.wilmslow.org.uk/wilmslow/lindow-common/warealindowcommon.html" target="_blank">Lindow Common</a>, which is near <a href="http://www.wilmslow.org.uk/wilmslow/lindowman/lindowmoss-lindowman.html" target="_blank">Lindow Moss</a>, the site of the famous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindow_Man" target="_blank">Lindow Man</a>, a body discovered in the peat bog in 1984. The body belonged to a healthy male in his mid-20's who may have been a victim of a ritual sometime between 2 BC and 119 AD: </span><span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: "times new roman";">after a last meal of charred bread, Lindow Man was strangled, hit on the head, and his throat cut. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Memorial benches line the trail around the Black Lake in the middle of the common, a tradition that doesn’t seem to occur elsewhere and may have something to do with the area being a ‘thin’ place (a phrase I recently discovered through a friend of mine). Intriguing idea.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-foPAmz1NlkY/WDHC0WmALEI/AAAAAAAAB3Y/TF86VJpktZwD0o1R4yb8Tyx9xClpSNX5gCLcB/s1600/wblacklakepanorama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-foPAmz1NlkY/WDHC0WmALEI/AAAAAAAAB3Y/TF86VJpktZwD0o1R4yb8Tyx9xClpSNX5gCLcB/s640/wblacklakepanorama.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We arrived when it was dark, so this photo of the Black Lake might give you a sense of the place (<a href="http://www.wilmslow.org.uk/wilmslow/lindow-common/warealindowcommon.html" target="_blank">source</a>)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">As always, I welcome your comments.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">Cofion Cynnes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Earl</span></div>
Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9825715484350621.post-18163967433238592522016-11-13T04:24:00.000+11:002016-11-13T10:37:49.586+11:00Gwaith 13: Exploring Three Sites in Cheshire (12 Oct 2016)<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Helo Pawb</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">After my research on Ynys Môn, I left for Manchester, to enjoy for a few days the gracious hospitality of my friend <a href="http://grevel.co.uk/" target="_blank">Grevel Lindop</a> and his wife, Amanda. The day after my arrival, he took me to visit two megalithic sites neither of us had seen before and to return to a favourite.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">For some unfathomable reason, at each of the sites we were greeted by ravens, which hovered nearby as if checking us out and were still there when we left the site. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">The first site was the Bullstones (sometimes known as Bullstrang), one of the best-preserved stone circle and burial sites in Cheshire, which is situated near the town of Macclesfield. A circle of millstone grit cobbles surrounds a single monolith. Excavations at the site revealed a cremation burial with an urn, a flint knife and a flint arrowhead. Apparently, there is evidence that a Bronze Age settlement existed close to the Bullstones. The setting itself gives amazing views of the surrounding countryside, including that of Shutlingsloe, which features in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Garner" target="_blank">Alan Garner</a>’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Weirdstone of Brisingamen</i>. The Bullstones are aligned with Shutlingsloe at approximately 50 degrees, which apparently is the angle of the </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">summer full moon-rise nearest </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">the solstice. Intriguing.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PNjefQ2VJls/WCdIjig9P7I/AAAAAAAAB0Q/Ka9DC9m1efUUc3Au7mpx0k8XQ0oDRaRrgCLcB/s1600/DSCN5573.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PNjefQ2VJls/WCdIjig9P7I/AAAAAAAAB0Q/Ka9DC9m1efUUc3Au7mpx0k8XQ0oDRaRrgCLcB/s640/DSCN5573.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The centre monolith and some of its cobbls</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A close up of the centre monolith, as a bed of smaller cobble stones than those in the circle around it</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The monolith with Shutlingsloe in the background</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">The second site we visited was a relatively unknown one, the Allgreave Menhir, which was discovered partially buried on land belong to Burnt House Farm and re-erected close to where it was found. It is about one mile south-east of the Bullstones and bears a resemblance to the great standing stones at the Bridestone Burial Chamber some 4.6 miles to the south-west (which we were to visit another day). The stone is on a north-south axis, with a flat face on the south side, a sun-face, and a tapering body of feminine curves to the north. On the west side we found a niche that contained carved indentations that fitted our hands. The reasons for the flat face and the niche are obviously lost to time, but I can think of a possible use, which I may include in my book and so won’t reveal at the moment.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DIPmXGb04Bk/WCdKqQGzm5I/AAAAAAAAB0o/nJ-RrrvTGOcn31oPaZgqClNXpIpMnawSgCLcB/s1600/DSCN5588.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DIPmXGb04Bk/WCdKqQGzm5I/AAAAAAAAB0o/nJ-RrrvTGOcn31oPaZgqClNXpIpMnawSgCLcB/s640/DSCN5588.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The east side of the Allgreave Menhir, showing its tapering curves</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v1o-_ATVai4/WCdKqIe-rjI/AAAAAAAAB0k/Qp6oC9Gl9Nc7JlRp6Ue7UlB_6THl7HPYACLcB/s1600/DSCN5589.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v1o-_ATVai4/WCdKqIe-rjI/AAAAAAAAB0k/Qp6oC9Gl9Nc7JlRp6Ue7UlB_6THl7HPYACLcB/s640/DSCN5589.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The south side 'sun-face' of the menhir</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My hand in the niche with its curved indentations and guidance protusion</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Our third stop was to the site that overwhelmed me with awe the last time I visited it, Lud’s Church. We had our lunch at Castle Rock and Grevel pointed out that the Allgreave Menhir seemed to be made from the same water-eroded sandstone as the massive stone blocks we later climbed for the superb views of the surrounding areas.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trail to Castle Rock</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One section of Castle Rock</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hw6Pc5I8NwI/WCdL-Ub_uHI/AAAAAAAAB04/7mulu3zNskM0qvJZuUVZWBRNQro-W0msgCLcB/s1600/DSCN5599.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hw6Pc5I8NwI/WCdL-Ub_uHI/AAAAAAAAB04/7mulu3zNskM0qvJZuUVZWBRNQro-W0msgCLcB/s640/DSCN5599.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another section</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">To the accompaniment of robins, crows, jackdaws and ravens, we then walked past birch, oak and rowan, the masses of bracken still green under the thick canopy. At the end of the trail, which was smothered with autumn leaf litter, we climbed down into the hallowed place that actually featured in</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Sir Gawain and the Green Knight</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Grevel descending into Lud's Church</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">To our right as we entered we discovered a section of the chasm we didn’t remember from before. As Grevel said, the site plays tricks with time and place and memory. The deep chasm itself is always damp, and so is rich in ferns, moss, lichens, fungus, and tufts of long blades of grass. Oak, rowan and birch lined the tops of the jagged walls. As I did last time, I felt awe at this site that had existed for over ten thousand years and had seen peoples of different tribes and times standing here as I did and possibly worshipping the dripping silence. There is a presence I can’t explain, especially at the deepest, widest section of the chasm. The shadows, the quiet, the wet massive rock walls and overhanging rocks covered in many shades and textures of green, all combine to slow one down, ground one in the moment. As we made our way towards the exit. Grevel spotted, </span><span style="font-family: "\22 times new roman\22 ";">at the end of a small moss leaf,</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> a drop of water filled with emerald light. Then another drop. And another. Magical.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the bend in the chasm which is at the widest, deepest part</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View to one end, from the bend</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">When we emerged into the brightness of the day, the silence and awe stayed with us.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">As always, I welcome your comments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">Cofion Cynnes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Earl</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">NB: I had inserted a video of the view from the top of Castle Rock, but it doesn't seem to work on some devices, so have had to delete it. Sorry about that.</span></div>
Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9825715484350621.post-43281301212707254662016-11-05T02:53:00.000+11:002016-11-05T02:53:46.874+11:00Gwaith 12: Ynys Y Fydlyn (10 Oct 2016)<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">Helo Pawb<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">As mentioned last year in my <a href="http://theawenproject.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Ynys%20Y%20Fydlyn" target="_blank">posting</a> about Ynys Y Fydlyn, I learnt about its existence from my friend <a href="http://grevel.co.uk/" target="_blank">Grevel Lindop</a>, who told me it was likely the last holdout of druids during the Battle for Ynys Môn. I felt a special connection to the site because of this history and decided to visit it again, even though I had not yet worked out a way to use it in my novel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">After 30 minutes of driving, I threw on my hiking boots, jacket and backpack and headed down the gravel path I had missed on my first visit. A short walk later, past gorse and bracken covered outcrops, through the smell of soft cowpats, and past the small lake at the back of the beach that is almost dried up at this time of year, I landed on the shingle beach of Ynys Y Fydlyn.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tXt6ZkSkV4c/WByOn-_L3XI/AAAAAAAABx8/zeI5lSSl_akZEFtGOkYrf3S5GJzmCAGLgCLcB/s1600/DSCN5514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tXt6ZkSkV4c/WByOn-_L3XI/AAAAAAAABx8/zeI5lSSl_akZEFtGOkYrf3S5GJzmCAGLgCLcB/s640/DSCN5514.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bracken and gorse alongside the trail</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uo_fUFabc-I/WByNWmC2b_I/AAAAAAAABxw/_V05kundFvgoSldDq_q3_YWkJFRmqTFwwCLcB/s1600/DSCN5520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uo_fUFabc-I/WByNWmC2b_I/AAAAAAAABxw/_V05kundFvgoSldDq_q3_YWkJFRmqTFwwCLcB/s640/DSCN5520.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dried-up lake and the slopes of dead bracken</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nVKALZEbEGE/WByM15us_DI/AAAAAAAABxs/UxpEMoykClEbY_A2hn0Xf2eNwOPRk4OeACLcB/s1600/DSCN5519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nVKALZEbEGE/WByM15us_DI/AAAAAAAABxs/UxpEMoykClEbY_A2hn0Xf2eNwOPRk4OeACLcB/s640/DSCN5519.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First view of Ynys Y Fydlyn</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">As I wasn’t sure about the tide, I climbed along the rocks and slimy seaweed at the base of the eastern half of the island, which is no longer connected to the western half, and made my way to the westernmost point of the island. No wildflowers greeted me, as they did the previous visit, only soft, deep, hair grass and rocks stained and covered with pale green moss.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the path across the top of the island</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Below me was a rocky outcrop just above sea level, which I imagined would have seen druids and their supporters scrambling into the small willow-framed and horse- or bullock-hide covered small craft called cwrwgls (from which we get ‘coracle’) as they try to escape the approaching Roman soldiers.</span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yXYDBwIitQs/WByopkxkWVI/AAAAAAAABzk/D66VSh5drGUx-sewdYlZSOS9yLjHk8lggCLcB/s1600/DSCN5531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yXYDBwIitQs/WByopkxkWVI/AAAAAAAABzk/D66VSh5drGUx-sewdYlZSOS9yLjHk8lggCLcB/s640/DSCN5531.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">The outcrop at the end of the western half of Ynys Y Fydlyn</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Not long after I arrived, I looked to the north, from where a bitter wind was blowing, and noticed rain clouds developing. I hoped they might indicate a shower only. I was wrong. I dragged on my waterproof overpants and tried to wait out the rain, but it kept swirling around me with no let up. I left for the eastern section, as I knew there was an outcrop that might provide shelter. It did, so I sat out the storm and, when it eased, ate my lunch and meditated for a while. At one point, 20 or more pheasants burst out of the gorse and bracken at the top of the promontory opposite me and dropped down into the bushes at the base. There appeared to be no reason for this apparent panic, but I imagine a predator of some sort had spooked them.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cKrYw5F8DuE/WByRcpE1TGI/AAAAAAAAByg/K6f6V4rrl30kV4Rd0luOksiTS6BPWSfkQCLcB/s1600/DSCN5547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cKrYw5F8DuE/WByRcpE1TGI/AAAAAAAAByg/K6f6V4rrl30kV4Rd0luOksiTS6BPWSfkQCLcB/s640/DSCN5547.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View westward, from the inner isle, showing the inlet and the two island sections</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">My meditations and my explorations around site itself had prompted ideas, which I duly wrote down in my small notebook. As the tide started to turn I thought it time to head back home. However, when I reached the beach and double-checked my pockets, I realised I had dropped my small pouch with crystals and stones gathered from various places. I rushed back to the western section and found it where I had put on my overpants.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s6SWfhMVVJ4/WByRbZu_FxI/AAAAAAAAByc/oZsHPy4vpsY_Gd19mWDqs89caQihno_WACLcB/s1600/DSCN5544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s6SWfhMVVJ4/WByRbZu_FxI/AAAAAAAAByc/oZsHPy4vpsY_Gd19mWDqs89caQihno_WACLcB/s640/DSCN5544.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tide flow across the inlet</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another of my colour and texture photos</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">As the tide wasn’t coming in that quickly, I stayed awhile and mused some more on the possible scene in the sixth century when the Romans stormed this last refuge of the druids. I wondered why the Celts had come here to launch themselves to Ierne (Ireland) or Ynys Manau (Isle of Man), when other places on Ynys Môn seemed closer to those destinations. I came up with some ideas, though they will need further thought before I use them in the book. What I can say is that if I flashback scene about the struggles at Ynys Y Fydlyn, I’ll set in a storm even more dramatic than the one I experienced, with the </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">bellow and crash of waves on the rock below where the druids would be trying to launch their cwrwgls, while above them their warriors are fighting the Romans to their last breath.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LOY70N1H7xQ/WBySy_Qp6RI/AAAAAAAABzA/oEnBVyCCYFQgmY88FWg9ZKpEc2Id_xIrQCLcB/s1600/DSCN5557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LOY70N1H7xQ/WBySy_Qp6RI/AAAAAAAABzA/oEnBVyCCYFQgmY88FWg9ZKpEc2Id_xIrQCLcB/s640/DSCN5557.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scene of past combat?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">After giving thanks to the spirits of the past and of the place itself, I scrambled back to the shingle beach and, with pheasants diving into bushes as I moved past, strolled back to my car.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; text-align: center;">Last view of Ynys Y Fydlyn. Compare the clouds to the photo up the page</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Odd arrangement of dragonflies on a fence post during my walk back</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">As always, I welcome your comments. All the best to whatever projects are giving you bliss.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">Cofion Cynnes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Earl</span></div>
Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9825715484350621.post-89353506240827646242016-11-02T03:19:00.000+11:002016-11-02T03:22:59.762+11:00Gwaith 11: Moel-y-don (9 Oct 2016)<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
Helo<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> Pawb</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">For my last site visit of the day, I travelled down to Moel-y-don on the Menai Strait. This is the place I intend to use as the setting for a scene about the Roman invasion of Ynys Môn in 61AD. I visited the area on my previous trip (see <a href="http://theawenproject.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/cyfaredd-16-research-on-ynys-mon-day-one.html" target="_blank">here</a>), but as with my other explorations this time around, I wanted to see things in a different season and check that I hadn’t missed anything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Display map at the beach </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Unlike the inclement weather of last time, a drizzle that turned into lashing rain, the sky held few clouds and the wind, though cold, wasn’t driving icicles through me. Divers dressed in heavy wetsuits jumped off their boats and hauled them ashore to be loaded onto trailers and one intrepid swimmer, wearing a wetsuit that only went to his elbows and knees and wearing yellow paddles on his hands, </span>butterflystroked<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> and dolphin-swam his way across the nearby small cove and back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">So, being able to take my time at the site meant I could start considering the tactical implications of the battle. The Celts were facing east. The Romans would have been smart enough to start the battle with the sun in their foe’s eyes the battle, though this would then depend on the season and the tides. And of course, another consideration would have been wind direction, which would have helped or hindered the Romans’ war machines.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view across the Menai Strait</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Not having tidal tables or weather reports for that year, I will just have to invent the scenario that has the best dramatic impact and also accords with what little is known about the battle. If they crossed at low tide, the water obstacle would be less, but they would have to contend with mud banks, which would slow them down. This isn’t mentioned in Tacitus, so I can only presume they crossed at high tide. As or time of day, maybe the sun would have been in the Celts eyes, but their goddess was kind and had given them cloud cover.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;">Then there’s the physical layout of the site. Again, we don’t have reports of the landscape at the time, so all I can do is use what I observe and make allowance for the dramatic and for later additions to flora and fauna. For example, sycamore trees were introduced in the 17<sup>th</sup> century and the Normans introduced rabbits in the 12<sup>th</sup> century, though there is some evidence that Romans used them as a gourmet dish, but the animal may not have been in the wild till much later. Anyway, observations of my time on the beach include the obvious:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; text-indent: -0.25in;">A shingle beach with tide lines marked by seaweed (which of course the warriors in the battle might slip on)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; text-indent: -0.25in;">The shingle itself would make things difficult for Celtic chariots</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; text-indent: -0.25in;">The cries of wheeling seagulls and the lapping of waves across the stones</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; text-indent: -0.25in;">The smell of mud, brine and rotting seaweed carried by the cold wind</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; text-indent: -0.25in;">A lip of land at the top of the beach and hawthorn hedging along this. A robin sang from the top of the hedge. Behind this is a flat stretch of land, with grasses and nettles, where the druids would be chanting, as reported by Tacitus</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; text-indent: -0.25in;">Then the land dips a little, before sloping up, in waves, inland, to the dark groves that the Romans burned after winning the battle</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; text-indent: -0.25in;">Oaks and beech line the other shore.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; text-indent: -0.25in;">Oystercatchers bobbing for food on the mudflats.</span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">The shingle beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hedge at the top of the beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The robin at the top of the hawthorn hedge</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lie of the land behind the hedge</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">At one point, as I was re-checking my maps, I thought the beach on the other side of the headland might even be closer to the opposite shore, especially when taking into account sandbanks that might help the crossing. However, after visiting the </span>cove<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">, I decided the close distance was a trick of perspective in the particular map and I would stick to my original choice.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the alternative beach</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Content with my explorations at the site and for the day itself, I watched for a long while the sun shimmer across the water then headed back to my accommodation.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Late afternoon sun over the second cove</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An abandoned ferry</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">As always, I welcome your comments.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Cofion Cynnes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Earl</span></div>
Earl Livingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16581602514255629479noreply@blogger.com0