Duck update
Feb. 25th, 2026 11:01 pmOur flock of twelve ducks now number thirteen and occasionally fourteen. Duck #13 is the neighbours' sole surviving duck after the others were taken by a fox (probably). He was keeping them outside. Ours are in a polytunnel inside an enclosure, but I think a determined fox could still get inside. Augh, I hope they survive the winter. Duck #13 is white and looks a lot like our Elsa, but smaller and with a more orange beak; we call her Lill-Elsa (Little Elsa). She has seamlessly merged with the flock.
The occasional #14 is a female wild mallard who seems to be considering the advantages of domestication: free food, water, and shelter! But she comes and goes. One might think our ducks would correspondingly be hearing the call of the wild from her, but no. They like their comforts now. The snow is thawing and I thought I'd make them happy by breaking up the ice in the small pond for them, but when I herded them outside to see it, they just stood there and looked at me like I was committing animal abuse, and hurried back to the polytunnel as soon as I got out of the way. Sigh.
As for me, I am too busy and am looking forward to things calming down a little soon. At least I hope they will.
The occasional #14 is a female wild mallard who seems to be considering the advantages of domestication: free food, water, and shelter! But she comes and goes. One might think our ducks would correspondingly be hearing the call of the wild from her, but no. They like their comforts now. The snow is thawing and I thought I'd make them happy by breaking up the ice in the small pond for them, but when I herded them outside to see it, they just stood there and looked at me like I was committing animal abuse, and hurried back to the polytunnel as soon as I got out of the way. Sigh.
As for me, I am too busy and am looking forward to things calming down a little soon. At least I hope they will.
Candy Hearts Exchange
Feb. 22nd, 2026 03:51 pmCandy Hearts Exchange has been revealed, and I now know (well, I was already pretty sure) that ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sanguinity wrote my lovely gift fic There My Heart Forever Lies! It is a 16K (for a 300 word minimum exchange!) Flight of the Heron story that riffs off the musical Brigadoon, which I had never heard of before, where Ardroy is saved by being taken out of time. I especially appreciate that the story took time to develop Keith's relationship with Francis as a counterweight for his eventual choice.
As for me, I wrote the following forsanguinity (which of course she guessed)! We do keep getting paired up in exchanges, which is no wonder considering the rareness of the fandoms. I had fun writing Laurent being his usual earnest, passionate self, while also, well, rising to the occasion. Thanks as always to garonne for beta reading. <3
In Which Laurent Rises to the Occasion (4150 words) by Luzula
Fandom: The Wounded Name - D. K. Broster
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Laurent de Courtomer/Aymar de la Rocheterie, Aymar de la Rocheterie/Avoye de Villecresne
Characters: Laurent de Courtomer, Aymar de la Rocheterie, Avoye de Villecresne
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Pre-Poly
Summary: Aymar despairs of clearing his name and leaves France, leaving only a letter behind.
sanguinity wrote my lovely gift fic There My Heart Forever Lies! It is a 16K (for a 300 word minimum exchange!) Flight of the Heron story that riffs off the musical Brigadoon, which I had never heard of before, where Ardroy is saved by being taken out of time. I especially appreciate that the story took time to develop Keith's relationship with Francis as a counterweight for his eventual choice. As for me, I wrote the following for
sanguinity (which of course she guessed)! We do keep getting paired up in exchanges, which is no wonder considering the rareness of the fandoms. I had fun writing Laurent being his usual earnest, passionate self, while also, well, rising to the occasion. Thanks as always to garonne for beta reading. <3 In Which Laurent Rises to the Occasion (4150 words) by Luzula
Fandom: The Wounded Name - D. K. Broster
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Laurent de Courtomer/Aymar de la Rocheterie, Aymar de la Rocheterie/Avoye de Villecresne
Characters: Laurent de Courtomer, Aymar de la Rocheterie, Avoye de Villecresne
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Pre-Poly
Summary: Aymar despairs of clearing his name and leaves France, leaving only a letter behind.
Recent reading
Feb. 16th, 2026 11:00 amStill not reading much, but I did read some books during the past two months!
The Incandescent by Emily Tesh (2025)
Listened to the audiobook for my book club. This is the first book in a while that grabbed me in a page-turney way, and I enjoyed it a lot! I'm sure it can be picked at, and we did so during book club, but for me it was mostly notable in being a book I was immersed in while reading, which for me these days is rare.
The Sleeping Soldier by Aster Glenn Gray (2023)
When I first started reading this, my feeling was that "yeah, I read a lot of posts on the author's DW about this book, and I guess the book is exactly what I was expecting it to be". Like, in a way I felt as though I didn't even have to read the book. But this feeling passed when I got into the particulars of the characters and their relationships so that they felt real to me, so that it wasn't just about the Idea of the book any longer, and then I thoroughly enjoyed it. (The Idea of the book being, if you haven't heard of the book before, the contrast between what was allowable in male friendships in 1860 and 1960.)
I also listened to about half of The West Passage by Jared Pechaček (2024), also for book club. I feel like the book had a lot of Gormenghast DNA, and I enjoyed the weird worldbuiling, but I didn't end up finishing it.
The Incandescent by Emily Tesh (2025)
Listened to the audiobook for my book club. This is the first book in a while that grabbed me in a page-turney way, and I enjoyed it a lot! I'm sure it can be picked at, and we did so during book club, but for me it was mostly notable in being a book I was immersed in while reading, which for me these days is rare.
The Sleeping Soldier by Aster Glenn Gray (2023)
When I first started reading this, my feeling was that "yeah, I read a lot of posts on the author's DW about this book, and I guess the book is exactly what I was expecting it to be". Like, in a way I felt as though I didn't even have to read the book. But this feeling passed when I got into the particulars of the characters and their relationships so that they felt real to me, so that it wasn't just about the Idea of the book any longer, and then I thoroughly enjoyed it. (The Idea of the book being, if you haven't heard of the book before, the contrast between what was allowable in male friendships in 1860 and 1960.)
I also listened to about half of The West Passage by Jared Pechaček (2024), also for book club. I feel like the book had a lot of Gormenghast DNA, and I enjoyed the weird worldbuiling, but I didn't end up finishing it.
Vegetable gardening in 2026
Jan. 25th, 2026 10:30 pmDo you want to read about our vegetable gardening plans for the year? : D Perhaps it can take your mind off less fun things for a while (of which there are unfortunately many in the world)...
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OMG. I have FINISHED my current longfic! About a third of this was written after November 2024, which is when my writing slowed down a lot because of, well, emotional competition from other things in my life. I am VERY proud nevertheless to have finished it, and honestly I can't tell the difference in quality between my writing before and after (my beta said the same). It just took a longer time. And speaking of beta reading, I am very grateful to garonne, as always. <3
Far Frae the Bonny Hills and Dales (108912 words) by Luzula
Chapters: 22/22
Fandom: Flight of the Heron - D. K. Broster
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Relationships: Ewen Cameron/Keith Windham, Ewen Cameron/Alison Grant
Characters: Keith Windham, Ewen Cameron, Alison Grant (Jacobite Trilogy), Lachlan MacMartin, Margaret Cameron, Lord Aveling (Jacobite Trilogy), Earl of Stowe (Jacobite Trilogy)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Death Fix, Grief/Mourning, Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Penal Transportation, Slow Burn
Summary: Ewen is brought to trial in Carlisle and convicted, but sentenced to another fate than the scaffold.
garonne, as always. <3Far Frae the Bonny Hills and Dales (108912 words) by Luzula
Chapters: 22/22
Fandom: Flight of the Heron - D. K. Broster
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Relationships: Ewen Cameron/Keith Windham, Ewen Cameron/Alison Grant
Characters: Keith Windham, Ewen Cameron, Alison Grant (Jacobite Trilogy), Lachlan MacMartin, Margaret Cameron, Lord Aveling (Jacobite Trilogy), Earl of Stowe (Jacobite Trilogy)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Death Fix, Grief/Mourning, Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Penal Transportation, Slow Burn
Summary: Ewen is brought to trial in Carlisle and convicted, but sentenced to another fate than the scaffold.
Letter for Candy Hearts Exchange
Jan. 6th, 2026 05:16 pmAuthor: I am SO sorry to have left this placeholder so long. : (( I was swamped with work and other things, but that's not really an excuse. I know I already told the mods that you could go by my fic exchange letters from the last few years, and there won't be anything new here to surprise you.
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Write every day: final tally
Jan. 1st, 2026 11:09 pmThis is the final tally! Let me know if you want to check in late or I missed you somewhere. trobadora is doing January, so head over there now. Good work everyone! \o/ I didn't manage to write on New Year's Eve, though I did successfully make soufflé for the first time--turns out it isn't difficult. But I did write on the 1st, more than an alibi sentence at least.
Now back home, which is a relief. Farm things done:
- Moving part of a pile of gravel from one place to another with a shovel and wheelbarrow (gravel is HEAVY).
- Pruning down the grapevine that was already here when we came. It's a Vitis labrusca 'Zilga', very hardy, but we only got one cluster of grapes on it this year (rather sour ones). But I think that was our fault for not pruning it in the summer, so it was just a mass of leaves.
- Pruning some wild hazel bushes into a vase shape which is supposed to make them yield more nuts.
- Feeding the ducks! And talking with the ducks! Awww, I've missed them.
- Making pickled beetroots.
Tally:
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trobadora is doing January, so head over there now. Good work everyone! \o/ I didn't manage to write on New Year's Eve, though I did successfully make soufflé for the first time--turns out it isn't difficult. But I did write on the 1st, more than an alibi sentence at least. Now back home, which is a relief. Farm things done:
- Moving part of a pile of gravel from one place to another with a shovel and wheelbarrow (gravel is HEAVY).
- Pruning down the grapevine that was already here when we came. It's a Vitis labrusca 'Zilga', very hardy, but we only got one cluster of grapes on it this year (rather sour ones). But I think that was our fault for not pruning it in the summer, so it was just a mass of leaves.
- Pruning some wild hazel bushes into a vase shape which is supposed to make them yield more nuts.
- Feeding the ducks! And talking with the ducks! Awww, I've missed them.
- Making pickled beetroots.
Tally:
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Write every day: final post of December
Dec. 31st, 2025 09:47 amOops, forgot to make a check-in post for the 30th. *facepalm* Since various people have already checked in for the 30th, let's just make this the final check-in post for both the 30th and the 31st. trobadora will be taking over in January, so head over there after this. It's been an honor to host you! And I will endeavour to write SOMETHING on this last day of the year. I'll make a final tally post tomorrow.
Tally:
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Day 29:luzula, china_shop, garonne, brithistorian, badly_knitted, trobadora, goddess47, ysilme, the_siobhan, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, ysilme, sanguinity, cornerofmadness, chestnut_pod,
Day 30:ysilme, china_shop, sanguinity,
trobadora will be taking over in January, so head over there after this. It's been an honor to host you! And I will endeavour to write SOMETHING on this last day of the year. I'll make a final tally post tomorrow. Tally:
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Day 29:
luzula, china_shop, garonne, brithistorian, badly_knitted, trobadora, goddess47, ysilme, the_siobhan, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, ysilme, sanguinity, cornerofmadness, chestnut_pod, Day 30:
ysilme, china_shop, sanguinity,Becoming a Supple Leopard: the ultimate guide to resolving pain, preventing injury and optimizing athletic performance by Kelly Starrett (2015)
This book has changed my life. I know I sound like I'm doing a paid promotion or like someone who's joined some weird cult, and I know the book has kind of a silly title, but it's true. My mind is blown.
The thing is, I've had problems with stiffness and muscle ache for years. I've been trying to deal with it by exercise and stretching, but while exercise is obviously good for a whole host of reasons, it doesn't solve the problem of stiffness/muscle ache. And stretching doesn't do much, either. I've also gone to a massage therapist, which does partly help, but it's temporary and also costs a lot of money. And while the guy is much better in the practical application of massage than others I've gone to, and I like him, still I'm reluctant to keep going to him because he does do some things with a large application of force and I doubt his medical judgment (to say the least). In the last few years he has begun to spout conspiracy theories about vaccines and only drinks warm water because, as a man, he needs the yang energy.
Anyway, I figured the stiffness and muscle ache was just middle age and at bottom I just had to suck it up. Turns out THERE ARE EFFECTIVE TOOLS TO ADDRESS THIS THAT I NEVER KNEW ABOUT! Also they're cheap and I can apply them myself! I honestly feel like someone prone to headaches who has just, at the age of 46, discovered the existence of painkillers. But better, because this isn't a drug.
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This book has changed my life. I know I sound like I'm doing a paid promotion or like someone who's joined some weird cult, and I know the book has kind of a silly title, but it's true. My mind is blown.
The thing is, I've had problems with stiffness and muscle ache for years. I've been trying to deal with it by exercise and stretching, but while exercise is obviously good for a whole host of reasons, it doesn't solve the problem of stiffness/muscle ache. And stretching doesn't do much, either. I've also gone to a massage therapist, which does partly help, but it's temporary and also costs a lot of money. And while the guy is much better in the practical application of massage than others I've gone to, and I like him, still I'm reluctant to keep going to him because he does do some things with a large application of force and I doubt his medical judgment (to say the least). In the last few years he has begun to spout conspiracy theories about vaccines and only drinks warm water because, as a man, he needs the yang energy.
Anyway, I figured the stiffness and muscle ache was just middle age and at bottom I just had to suck it up. Turns out THERE ARE EFFECTIVE TOOLS TO ADDRESS THIS THAT I NEVER KNEW ABOUT! Also they're cheap and I can apply them myself! I honestly feel like someone prone to headaches who has just, at the age of 46, discovered the existence of painkillers. But better, because this isn't a drug.
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Write every day: Day 29
Dec. 29th, 2025 11:38 pmDay 28: Busy with family; alibi sentence. How about you?
Tally:
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Day 28:luzula, china_shop, badly_knitted, trobadora, brithistorian, goddess47, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, chestnut_pod, cornerofmadness, garonne, brithistorian,
Day 29:luzula, china_shop, garonne, brithistorian,
Tally:
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Day 28:
luzula, china_shop, badly_knitted, trobadora, brithistorian, goddess47, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, chestnut_pod, cornerofmadness, garonne, brithistorian, Day 29:
luzula, china_shop, garonne, brithistorian,Write every day: Day 28
Dec. 28th, 2025 08:43 pmDay 28: Alibi sentence. Still lots of family time, now at my parents' place, so no farm news. How about you?
Tally:
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Day 27:the_siobhan, badly_knitted, goddess47, trobadora, sylvanwitch, sanguinity, china_shop, chestnut_pod
Day 28:luzula, china_shop
Tally:
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Day 27:
the_siobhan, badly_knitted, goddess47, trobadora, sylvanwitch, sanguinity, china_shop, chestnut_podDay 28:
luzula, china_shopWrite every day: Day 27
Dec. 27th, 2025 11:34 pmPlease check in here! It is late and I had a little alcohol, so I am too tired to write a proper post. Did not write. Will edit in the tally later. As for my farm news, we drank my homemade cherry wine, which came out great.
Tally:
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Day 26:china_shop, the_siobhan, badly_knitted, sanguinity, trobadora, goddess47, cornerofmadness, the_siobhan,
Day 27:the_siobhan
Tally:
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Day 26:
china_shop, the_siobhan, badly_knitted, sanguinity, trobadora, goddess47, cornerofmadness, the_siobhan, Day 27:
the_siobhanWrite every day: Day 26
Dec. 26th, 2025 11:14 pmDay 24: No writing, also I didn't have time to reply to comments because my sister's family is here and it takes up all the time (in a very good way!)
Tally:
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Day 25:luzula, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, trobadora, goddess47, china_shop,
Day 26:china_shop
Bonus farm news: I love my sister. <3 Also, she gave me heirloom bean varieties for Christmas. She definitely knows me...
Tally:
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Day 25:
luzula, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, trobadora, goddess47, china_shop, Day 26:
china_shopBonus farm news: I love my sister. <3 Also, she gave me heirloom bean varieties for Christmas. She definitely knows me...
Write every day: Day 25
Dec. 25th, 2025 11:49 pmDay 24: Alibi sentence. So much family time (mostly in a good way)! How about you?
Tally:
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Day 24:luzula, china_shop, trobadora, badly_knitted, goddess47, sylvanwitch, cornerofmadness, sanguinity
Day 25:luzula
Bonus farm news: So much delicious Christmas food! Mmmmmmmm.
Tally:
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Day 24:
luzula, china_shop, trobadora, badly_knitted, goddess47, sylvanwitch, cornerofmadness, sanguinityDay 25:
luzulaBonus farm news: So much delicious Christmas food! Mmmmmmmm.
Write every day: Day 24
Dec. 24th, 2025 11:32 pmDay 24: Alibi editing, but that's fine, since the 24th is the main Christmas celebration in Sweden. How about you?
Tally:
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Day 23:luzula, trobadora, sylvanwitch, sanguinity, goddess47, chanter1944, cornerofmadness, china_shop, badly_knitted, chestnut_pod
Day 24:luzula, china_shop
Bonus farm news: Put my chainsaw lesson to use by cutting down our Christmas tree. : D
Tally:
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Day 23:
luzula, trobadora, sylvanwitch, sanguinity, goddess47, chanter1944, cornerofmadness, china_shop, badly_knitted, chestnut_podDay 24:
luzula, china_shopBonus farm news: Put my chainsaw lesson to use by cutting down our Christmas tree. : D
Write every day: Day 23
Dec. 23rd, 2025 10:53 pmDay 22: 100 words of longfic, on a busy pre-Christmas day. How about you?
Tally:
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Day 21:china_shop, trobadora, badly_knitted, sylvanwitch, chestnut_pod, chanter1944, goddess47, sanguinity, cornerofmadness
Day 22:badly_knitted, trobadora, goddess47, sanguinity, cornerofmadness, chestnut_pod
Bonus farm news: I had no idea about the existence of Cucurbita melo var. flexuosus, a k a the cucumber melon! I totally want to try that. Also check out this very cool long-storage cucumber. Must try that as well.
Tally:
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Day 21:
china_shop, trobadora, badly_knitted, sylvanwitch, chestnut_pod, chanter1944, goddess47, sanguinity, cornerofmadnessDay 22:
badly_knitted, trobadora, goddess47, sanguinity, cornerofmadness, chestnut_podBonus farm news: I had no idea about the existence of Cucurbita melo var. flexuosus, a k a the cucumber melon! I totally want to try that. Also check out this very cool long-storage cucumber. Must try that as well.
Write every day: Day 22
Dec. 22nd, 2025 02:55 pmDay 22: 300 words of longfic, yay! Oh, this is a fun bit. How about you?
Tally:
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Day 21:china_shop, trobadora, badly_knitted, sylvanwitch, chestnut_pod, chanter1944, goddess47, sanguinity, cornerofmadness
Bonus farm news: Both housemates now gone away over Christmas. I'm away over the night, too, which means asking neighbors to feed the ducks and the cat, as we have helped out the same neighbors in the past with their cat, hens, and sheep when they were away. I am very happy to have established some good neighbor relationships!
Tally:
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Day 21:
china_shop, trobadora, badly_knitted, sylvanwitch, chestnut_pod, chanter1944, goddess47, sanguinity, cornerofmadnessBonus farm news: Both housemates now gone away over Christmas. I'm away over the night, too, which means asking neighbors to feed the ducks and the cat, as we have helped out the same neighbors in the past with their cat, hens, and sheep when they were away. I am very happy to have established some good neighbor relationships!
Write every day: Day 21
Dec. 21st, 2025 10:34 pmDay 20: 200 words of longfic! How about you?
Tally:
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Day 20:luzula, china_shop, sanguinity, trobadora, badly_knitted, sylvanwitch
Day 21:china_shop
Bonus farm news: Spent some time cutting off spruce branches that were hanging too low over the gravel road (i e lower than 4.5 meters), as is, alas, my responsibility as land owner. This involved a ladder, a climbing harness and some rope, and a long-handled pruning saw.
Tally:
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Day 20:
luzula, china_shop, sanguinity, trobadora, badly_knitted, sylvanwitchDay 21:
china_shopBonus farm news: Spent some time cutting off spruce branches that were hanging too low over the gravel road (i e lower than 4.5 meters), as is, alas, my responsibility as land owner. This involved a ladder, a climbing harness and some rope, and a long-handled pruning saw.
