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?

I have the contestant badge for this comp. I already had the top ten from previous comps so hard to tell with this one.

The only badge issue I notice is that the contestant badge for New Year's Do-Over (which ran over the holidays in 2021-22) is broken. There's a space with the name in it and it links to the comp page but the image isn't loading.

That said, I hardly look at badges so I might have missed badges in the past and just not noticed.

Quote by JamesPBear

It started with overcast, cloudy, and cool.

Then we had a near white-out, leaving the formerly bare ground covered in snow – again – with high winds.

Then the snow turned to ice pellets.

Then freezing rain.

And overnight we had repeated thunderstorms.

Yeah, that was one helluva day weather-wise. My poor backyard turned into a pond at one point. I think the ice remaining from the freezing rain was keeping the rain from soaking in.

Quote by gillianleeza
Thank you to everyone for being so kind and letting me have a place to vent.

Vent away, Gil. You deserve the opportunity.

Hope all are well. I survived another week. I will try to get some writing in on the weekend but (ominous music) I have to do my taxes. Sigh. It's gotten easier in recent years, at least, with our tax agency allowing you to download the data from your slips rather than having to key it all in.

Quote by Meagananne1986

Tea, Earl Gray, Hot, with Sweetener and Hazelnut Creamer

Hazelnut creamer in tea?? That sounds like my kind of madness (Scribbles note to self).

Just finished a mug of Yorkshire Gold tea.

Quote by WriterGirl
I’m waiting for a mobile health screening at a church across the river. It’s a fab idea for people to get health checks in a more cost-friendly way. A flat fee of $159 get me heart, artery, circulation checks, scans. Results in 2 weeks. I’m gonna do the major disease checks next for $59. If I did these in a regular clinic, it would no doubt cost me $1000 after insurance did its small part.

That sounds cool. I mean, being Canadian a lot of the major diagnostic and routine stuff is covered by our medicare anyhow but results in 2 weeks would be a stretch these days. In the context of the US system, though, that sounds like a terrific idea. Good on you to take advantage.

Watched this Spotify roundtable yesterday. Three women vocalists from rock/metal bands discussing music, being a woman in a masculine world, and other topics. Good discussion even if you're not into the music (I am a fan of two of them and do listen to the other from time to time).

The women are:

Cristina Scabbia - vocalist in Italian goth metal band Lacuna Coil

Lzzy Hale - vocalist and guitarist in American rock band Halestorm

Courtney LaPlante - vocalist in Canadian metal band Spiritbox

Nothing just now but I am mostly drinking Yorkshire tea these days

Lotion. Always worry about inhaling the spray stuff.

Gas, hybrid, or EV for your next car?

Here's goodies, too.

Ape is in the house!!

Want coffee? There's some dark roast Nicaraguan in the pot.

Tea? Yorkshire Gold and Earl Grey Supreme are ready.

Kettle is on if there are other hot beverages you crave. Sodas and fresh unsweetened iced tea are in the fridge.

How are things?

Envy of None is sort of a supergroup. Three members, guitarist Alex Lifeson (Rush), bassist and backing vocalist Andy Curran (Coney Hatch), and keyboard and guitarist Alf Annibalini are music industry vets with probably over a century of experience among them. Lifeson alone has been around for over 50 years.

However, Maiah Wynne the singer-songwriter fronting the band is only 28 with maybe a decade of experience. She's a solid singer and songwriter though, holding her own with the three veterans, every one of them old enough to be her father or even grandfather. Oddly, the band doesn't have a fixed drummer, using various drummers from the Canadian music scene as session players.

Cute note: not only is Lifeson in the band with Wynne, but he plays on some of her solo work, too.