Today, in Caithness, the sun is shining and the air is clear. I'm sure it will come as no surprise to anyone reading this blog that, certain weathers and certain times of the year ignite certain music in me. And, on late winter days which are filled with sunshine, I am usually to be found singing the songs of The Spinners . Inevitably, I start humming different ones of their songs (and of course adapting them to be about Orlando and Jess) as I go around doing different things. But I remember almost all the words to them. I haven't heard a lot of them in years, but they are all there, rooted in my memory. It is truly fascinating to think about how these songs have passed through history. They are part of my own nostalgia, which is why crisp sunny mornings make me incapable of ignoring the temptation to sing them, but they are part of something much bigger. There are songs amongst them which are a newer step in the folk music movement. Songs like Silver in the Stubble are amongs...
Maybe outlaws have driven you from your home, or maybe the wyverns have destroyed everything you know. Whatever the reason, you are alone in the wilderness and you need to eat. You need this recipe book before those hungry vultures seize their chance. A tongue in cheek tale of fantasy cuisine. This book was written as a Christmas present for my brother and 3 of my sisters. We used to have super fun times playing Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and I knew the old handbook back to front. My favourite section was the Bestiary and I'd include the weird and wonderful creatures in my story of the time. I also loved creating characters. There's something quite thrilling about the role of a dice, and really, really hoping that you get a good enough WS (Weapon skill) to become a warrior. I wanted to be an elf when I was little (I think the phase came after wanting to be a mammoth) so it was a good opportunity for me to fulfil this life dream. (The mammoth would be a...