Results - INTJ Introverted 56%; Intuitive 50%; Thinking 62%; Judging 56%.

Most traces of the recent snow have been washed away by rain, but the pond in Ashton Park remains partially frozen.  Ducks and geese don't make great ice-skaters, yet they do their best to reach bread thrown by valiant visitors. More about Ashton Park, with photos:  http://hubpages.com/hub/Ashton-Park

"The last time a lunar eclipse happened on a solstice was 372 years ago, in 1638...  A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth lines up between the sun and the moon, blocking the sun’s rays and casting its shadow on the moon, NASA says...  As the moon moves into Earth’s shadow, it appears to change colour, turning from gray to orange to deep red. The new colour stems from indirect sunlight that passes through Earth’s atmosphere and casts a glow on the moon...  The Ursid meteor shower might also be in view Tuesday morning." Source:  http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/20/strangers-in-the-night-lunar-eclipse-solstice-meet-again/?hpt=C2 "Full Moons highlight the completion and maturity of projects, and in this case... will highlight the Gemini/Sagittarius polarity and themes of intelligence, thought, and communication.  It is time to realise the power of our inner thoughts and desires, and to perhaps re-evaluate where we have been and on what path we are going...

Philip Carr-Gomm, Chosen Chief of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD) has just told me that my description of Lily's meeting with Ross Nichols has been published in his book, Journeys of the Soul. This book's description reads:  " Ross Nichols was one of the key figures in the revival of interest in Druidry and Celtic Spirituality in modern times. The Order of Bards Ovates and Druids, which he founded, is now the largest Druid group in the world. Journeys of the Soul vividly describes Nichols’ journey through life in the first complete biography of this enigmatic and influential Druid Chief, allowing us an intimate and controversial glimpse into the life and mind of one of the founding figures of the modern Pagan movement." My contribution is an extract from my novel Tamsin , which offers a  description of Lily's meeting with Ross Nichols.  This describes a factual event, and Lily's character is loosely based on a friend of mine who...

Torrential rain gives me the perfect excuse to stay close to the computer and write more of Fabian , which is coming along smoothly.  With this novel, I'm aiming for a little less dialogue and more direct action.  The feel of the novel is more tense than with the others, but just as dark - but there's little point in my blogging too much about this yet. Meanwhile, in Maison Cosgrove-Bray, we've had some antique furniture delivered.  This meant our downstairs rooms looked akin to a stage set for Steptoe & Son .  Our cats had a marvelous time mountaineering, and seemed convinced that the temporary chaos had been created for their benefit.  Now order has been imposed, some of my pottery collection, which has been in storage for years, is on display where it can be viewed and enjoyed.  Beauty serves no purpose when buried in the back of a cupboard under spare computer cables, incompatible (or more-troub...

Fourteen people attended last night's Riverside Writers meeting, including three new people and return visits from two people who joined us only last month.  And that's with three regulars absent! One of second-time-around visitors was Lisa Hinsley, whose Fantasy book Coombe's Wood is available on Kindle.   The product description reads:  "Izzy Santana and her 13-year-old son Connor move into a flat in the sleepy village of Cedham. Locals darkly warn her to stay away from nearby Coombe’s Wood, hinting first at elves, then at multiple murders… " This month's group project was to create a poem or short story starting with "The door was locked."  Most people had written something; in fact we ran out of time before everyone could read aloud their work.  As Chair, I try to fix things so that anyone who doesn't get chance to read at a meeting has first go next time.  This latest batch of stories were rather sombre in tone.  Clive said that...