Dang. Missed the beignets. I got in a walk today, too. 10C and sunny, which is pretty good for a week before the Winter Solstice here.
Kind of flailing with writing. Nothing is really holding my attention past a few paragraphs. Will keep trying different ideas to see what sticks.
With the recent passing of Denny Laine, who co-wrote the song, this live cover of Paul McCartney & Wings' "Mull of Kintyre" by The Trews ft. the Pipes & Drums of the Royal Highland Fusilliers of Canada is timely. It's a lovely, fairly faithful rendition of a song I have loved since I first heard it on its initial release.
Ape strolls in, looks around, grunts. Grabs broom and gives the place a pass. Wipes down the furniture. Washes the coffee and tea pots along with the pitchers from the fridge. Gets a fire going.
How's things? We have some Nicaraguan dark roast from Las Chicas in the coffee pot. Teas du jour are Irish Breakfast and Russian Caravan. Pitchers in the fridge have fresh lemonade and iced tea. Kettle is ready with hot chocolate (lots of mini marshmallows) and other tea selections.
There. Back in shape.
Later, alligators.
Good evening! Ape here. Had plumbers in today to find and fix a leak in my shower stall. Hopefully it's all done. Now I need a ceiling repaired. 🙄
I'll put the kettle on for a green tea (sencha, the Japanese variety). There's plenty of hot water if someone wants something else.
Meditating on my next story. Been kind of focussed on a piece for another site but it nears completion (I think).
Boo!
No, I have not vanished. Just been kind of flailing around recently.
Nice to see you joining us in Inspirations, red. To be honest, what we really need is more people active on the site as a whole. We get a rush over from (redacted) every time there's a comp but they never stay. Guess we're not fun enough or something.
Hope all are well. Will try to be around more.
And 7 out of the top ten songs on that list were from Floor Jansen's debut solo album Paragon. No surprises there. I fell hard for her voice when I got into Nightwish and her first solo effort after 25 years in various bands is rock solid and full of the powerhouse vocals that are her trademark.
My favourite song off the album is, hands down, "Daydream".
And after nearly 6 months off recovering from her busy Spring and having a baby, Floor returns to the stage Friday night in Amsterdam with Anneke van Giersbergen opening and a guest appearance by Irene Jansen, Floor's sister and occasional singing partner.
Interesting video by Marcela Bovio explaining the origin of her album Through Your Eyes (2018).
Which produced a large number of the songs on my most-played list for 2023 on Amazon Music. It's an amazing album that I quite love. One of my favourite songs from the album.
Yeah I know someone through another site who is "de-cluttering". We need to go through the basement, which is basically our warehouse, eventually.
Getting on in the say but I will put on a pot of medium roast coffee and some Assam tea.
Kind of caught up in life and writing for other sites so nothing really happening for here right now.
At home. My mother was actually born on New Year's Eve so it was always a family night at home for her birthday and I guess the habit stuck. The only time I have been out for New Year's is if I am on vacation over the holiday, which has happened a couple times.
Healthy party tray (e.g. veggies) or hit the chips and dip?
Was watching the set by Visions of Atlantis, an Austrian symphonic metal band, at Bloodstock Open Air this year. Here's the set opener. There's another video with the full 42 minute performance. VoA has become a favourite of mine over the past couple years. Solid symphonic metal band with a pair of engaging lead singers, French Clementine Delauney (a favourite of mine in just about anything she does, if you scroll up this page to October 24, you can see her in the female metal supergroup Exit Eden) and Italian Michele Guaitioli.
Quote by jmcchesnie
Hello everyone, I am new here. I like to write poetry and short stories. I am working on a couple of children's stories at the moment. I look forward to being part of this community and reading everyone else's stories too.
Ooh, you and Sara (DenimAngel) will get along. She writes children's stories mostly on here. Nice to meet you and look forward to seeing you around. I see you found the coffee house already.
I am the resident gorilla, aka Scott, and I write mostly fantastical fare (horror and fantasy) with occasional forays into other genres. No children's stories that were specifically written as such, but many think my comp winning fantasy piece The Goddess Dances would be good for kids.
Quote by jmcchesnie
Hi all, I'm new here. It's mid afternoon and I'm on my last cup of chicory coffee mixed with a little oat milk. I'm trying to get the motivation to put Christmas decorations up, maybe sometime today it will happen. Cheers to all and have a great day!
Welcome. I haven't been motivated to put my decorations up in years. Kind of stopped when we were often on trips over the holidays and never picked it back up again when the pandemic kind of put a stop to that. Maybe this year. We'll see. I just ordered a new TV for the rec room so setting it up comes first.
Thanks for the setup, verbs.
And, hey, Sara, I saw that avatar out of context on the thread list and thought it was Da Bear. 🤣Very cute.
Ape is here.
Coffee is a Nicaraguan dark roast from Las Chicas. Teas are Russian Caravan and Monk's Blend. Cold beverages are refreshed. Hot chocolate and marshmallows are lookin' good.
Later, alligators.
Oh, check out and contribute to Verbal's new thread on quotes about writing. Should be a fun, interesting thread.
https://www.storiesspace.com/forum/tips-troubles-technique/quotes-about-writing
From a collection of Neil Gaiman quotes about writing.
"I think one of the great things about fiction is that it takes the chaos of life and feeds it back to one in a form that is emotionally satisfying."
"The story is an explosion. And you get to the end of it, and once it's done, then you get to walk around it and you get to look at the shrapnel and the damage it did. And you get to see who died. And you get to see how it worked."
So after an extended break including giving birth to her second child, Floor Jansen is getting back into action. She finished laying down vocal tracks for the next Nightwish album this week (per the band's drummer Kai Hahto) and has a major solo gig coming up in Amsterdam in two weeks. Supporting act, as for many of her other solo concerts, is fellow Dutch vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen.
Floor:
Anneke (song is from her old band The Gathering):
Well, it's the day after Black Friday. No name for that as far as I know, though I imagine shaking off a shopping hangover is involved.
To help with that, we've got some Deathwish Dark on. Also some English Breakfast and Duke of Earl teas. Fresh pitchers of iced tea and lemonade are also there, as are hot chocolate and mini-marshmallows.
Oh, and ape's been cooking.
Coffee and tea for you and me.
On this American Thanksgiving, I am thankful for those who cover for my sorry ape ass when I am not around.
In the coffee pot we have some dark roast Nicaraguan from Las Chicas.
Teas are Assam and Russian Caravan.
Pitchers are washed and refilled with iced tea and lemonade.
Hot chocolate and marshmallows are on standby.
Good morning and, for the Americans, Happy Thanksgiving!
