Yorkshire Gold tea at the moment. My breakfast tea of choice right now.

Been mostly reading e-books for their better portability and the ability to adjust the font size to accomodate my crappy up close vision but going back to paper is tempting me. Tabs offer too many distractions. Maybe a dedicated e-reader?

Big birthday coming up: Make a big deal of it or celebrate quietly?

A mystery starting with a death. Gee, that never happens. 🤣 I am focusing on something for another site right now but have a story on the go that would probably end up here if I ever actually finish. Kind of a romantasy (I actually hate that portmonteau but it fits this one so I'll wear it) about a merchant's niece and a young prince both seeking to escape their lives, or at least find ways to make them better.

Quote by gillianleeza
Taxes and every other government agency are all broken here now. They weren't very efficient before, but now you can't even get the information you need in anything approaching a timely fashion. Or any info at all, since most agencies aren't answering their phones. Grrrrr!

Ours isn't great but at least we don't have DOGE messing things up even more than they are already messed up. My sympathies to my American friends.

Have a great trip. I was in Germany a couple days on my Baltic cruise last year. Visited Warnemunde, Kiel, and Lubeck. And I've been to Berlin once, too (wife had a conference there just after our wedding so it became part of the honeymoon). Still more there I want to see, though.

I've put on fresh coffee and tea. Here's some Easter goodies for those seeking a chocolate fix.

I've had good meals in both, but "mom and pop" are usually good for Asian fare like we usually have.

Chinese food or Indian food?

Yorkshire Gold is my usual morning tea. Haven't decided about my midday tea yet. Bit early for that. Just water for now.

Just water for now, but will probably make another tea soon. Not sure what, yet. Maybe Red Rose with lime.

Patty Gurdy is a German who plays hurdy-gurdy (hence her stage name) and sings, both quite well. She played gurdy in the song I posted above this one. Here is one of her own, the latest single/video from her 2024 album Tavern.

And all that sword-swinging and dancing in the water looks like hard work and it apparently was, based on Patty's behind-the-scenes vlog about the shoot. Yeah, 4C water wearing just a bikini bottom. 😲

How is Easter going, folks? Weather for Good Friday (day off around here) was better than expected so I got some work done. Have more but today I am working on tax returns. Our idiot revenue agency introduced the ability to download our slips into our software a few years back, saving me some effort. However, they broke the f-ing system this year and slip issuers are having trouble uploading the data so I'm back to keying in everything myself. Watch them fix it the day after I submit or something stupid like that. I'm done keying and have checked. My laptop stand proved to be a very good document holder so I could get the dang things closer to my eyes, at least.

So, I need a nice hot cuppa tea and maybe others need the other caffeinated beverage. So here's some Fire-Roasted Dark Roast Guatamalan coffee. Teas are Yorkshire Gold and Raspberry Royale. Kettle is hot and ready if you're craving other hot drinks. Fresh lemonade and iced tea are in the fridge along with our stock of selected sodas (if you select it, it's there, presto).

Between yard work and taxes, not doing much writing this weekend but I'll get there, I hope.

Quote by verbal
Cold, wet, gloomy day here.

Kind of going there here now. Wasn't bad in the morning so I started cleaning the window screens and then with three left to go, a shower came in.

Coffee is on. Nothing fancy. Just a dark roast Colombian. Teas are Red Rose and Vanilla Earl Grey.

Dutch metal soprano Dianne van Giersbergen is taking the slow, steady approach to her first solo album, releasing just 2-3 songs a year until it's out. This is the newest and it's a nice piece of folk metal.

Quote by verbal
Do I have permission to go back to bed?

Go for it, I say. I'm at work so don't even have the option. Though I guess others more influential than I might have something to say about it. 😉

Neither normally, but I've had both for breakfast at times. Not that fond of grits (I try them every time I'm in the South, believe me) so potatoes.

Rock out music or chill out music?

Quote by verbal
So I've been writing lately to the Flow soundtrack.

Yeah, I usually write to music as well. I'll check that out. Heard a lot about the movie but not the music.

Mary Spender is an incredibly talented UK indie singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. In particular, she is one heckuva good guitar player. And she's also a studio wiz who does courses on things like music production. Here, she pulls one of her favourite studio tricks: her "trio". The "trio" in this case are all played by her, meaning she sings and plays guitar, bass, and drums (or, in this case, synth-drums). She shoots and records each part, then puts it all together in mixing. She even has interaction, usually rather cheeky and humorous, among the band members. But when she gets to the music, all three of Mary are all business and inevitably the trio turns in a fantastic performance.

Mediterranean. Running out of islands to visit in the Caribbean since we usually do that for our winter vacation.

Sightsee or just chill on a beach?

Ape shuffles in and looks around.

Hmm. Need caffeine.

Here's some Fire-Roasted Holiday Blend coffee (hey Easter is a holiday and comes up soon). For teas, there's Assam and Sunday Tea. Kettle is ready if you're craving something else. Cold beverages are looking good but if your weather is anything like mine, not much call for them.

Quote by gillianleeza
The rain over the weekend did help wash some of the pollen away.

Pollen hasn't really started in earnest here yet. That's more a late April-May thing. Love it when I wipe the deck table and it comes off a brownish-yellow. 🙄

I can't swim and falling from a height would give me a heart attack, so neither in present reality. But given a choice in a reality where they were possible, scuba. Would love to explore some reefs and such.

E-bike or just rely on your own power?

Good morning!! Short week for us working folks as Easter looms. I have seen my bunnies already but none brought me chocolate.

I have put some Nicaraguan dark roast coffee from Las Chicas on. Teapots are now filled up with English Breakfast and Black Currant. Kettle is ready for other teas or hot chocolate. Soda stock and pitchers in the fridge are looking good.

What's up?

It's a Sun-day on Sunday. How about that? Going to take advantage of the good weather to get some yardwork done and maybe a walk.

For those wishing to hang out here in the cafe, there's some Tobermory Grotto coffee brewed along with Yorkshire and Earl Grey Cream teas for the tea crowd. Fresh lemonade and iced tea are in the fridge, along with an assortment of sodas. Kettle is boiled and ready for other teas or hot chocolate. And I've got goodies (the brownies are "clean", don't worry)

Dutch symphonic metal band Epica dropped Aspiral, their ninth studio LP, yesterday and it is a thing of beauty. The band puts out complex, melodic songs weaving together heavy metal, orchestral music, and the magnificent voice of lead singer Simone Simons. There's some seriously powerful music here. This is the title track performed with live orchestra and choirs last Fall at a concert in Amsterdam.

Quote by Cora

Good afternoon, everyone!

Whoa, look who's back. Hi, Cora. Nice to hear from you. Spring has been a bit of a work in progress in my parts. We had snow as recently as the middle of the week. But this weekend is turning out well. Got in a walk today and might do some yardwork tomorrow.

Quote by Cora
Life has been busy, enlightening, and hopeful, in a word.

The enlightening and hopeful part sounds nice. I've been busy and a bit down of late. Better today.

Quote by Cora
I hope the best for you all.

I hope everyone has a beautiful day! ❤️🌹

All my best to you. And I did have one. Hope you did, too. 😊

I am taking a story and reworking it for a new cast of characters and a shift in setting. It was originally one of my ideas for a sequel to Shadows of Tan Maldrin but it was really sitting easily in that role. I am redoing it as a standalone.

Quote by WriterGirl
I’ve come to accept my writing sweet spot is 3K or under.

Not a bad length for chapters. (hint hint) 😊

I don't know if I can long until I try. I have enough material in the Tana chronicles to compile them into a novella assuming I rejig them the way I was thinking of doing, which includes adding some "deleted scenes" and that sort of thing. It's just spending the time and energy on that would take away from what little energy and time I seem to have for writing anymore.

Retirement is looking better all the time but at this point, I am not sure it's realistic to pull the trigger this year. Next Summer seems more likely.

Quiet romantic dinner. I like to be able to hear my date.

Go to a sports match or watch it on TV?

Quote by WriterGirl
I’m publishing a children’s story

I've been told many times that The Goddess Dances works as a kid's story even though I did not deliberately target it that way when I was writing. I suppose if I ever got close to that badge, I could move it. Right now it's in Fantasy which I have well and truly covered off (like probably half my stories or something). Kid's stories aren't my usual, though, so it might be interesting to tackle one consciously.

Molly is actually kind of lucky as forum admins go. A lot of us ARE the tech support. 🙄😉

Since Meagan didn't pose a new question, I'll answer my own: Hybrid probably, but given how long it will be before I am in the market again, maybe EVs will be up a standard I can live with.

Sunday afternoon: Ballgame on the telly or get out for some fresh air?

And if you're in the mood for something a tad (okay, a lot) heavier, here's Japanese metal sensation BabyMetal teaming up with American star poppy for the first release from an upcoming BabyMetal album of mostly collaborations. Su Metal's almost sweet, girlish voice makes a nice contrast with poppy's incredible harsh screams.

Icelandic jazz-pop star Laufey dropped the first single from her upcoming third studio album (she also has 2 live albums) at the end of last week. Very much in a similar vein to her last album but, hey, she landed a Grammy at the ripe old age of 25 for that one so why mess with success? Lovely video, too.

Good morning!! Hope your weekend is going well. After a wet Saturday, we have a cool but somewhat sunny Sunday happening here in the South of Ontario.

I've put on a pot of Sumatran coffee from Fire-Roasted. Teas are Yorkshire and Raspberry Royale. Lemonade pitcher is refreshed and refilled. Kettle is boiled if you're needing other teas or hot chocolate.

How's things out there?