Lynn Flewelling's Blog, page 10

Lighting a candle, he sat by the bed in an armhair, hoping to doze . . .

I'm pleased to announce that CASKET OF SOULS is up for Choice Awards best fantasy novel of the year at Goodreads! Please go have a look and vote for my beloved youngest child if you feel so moved.

:)

http://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-fantasy-books-2012#73875-Best-Fantasy

Thanks everyone for the birthday felicitations! Much appreciated.

I started the day with a bike ride. Did 6.03 miles! OK, I walked one steep hill, but still . . .

How am I spending my special day you ask? Doug is sick with a horrible cold and I have homework to complete before heading back to Pacifica tomorrow. Whoo hoo!

We're offically celebrating next weekend, but maybe a movie tonight with the family. Seven Psychopaths looks good.

This from a trip to Schoodic Point, ME, this summer. I love building cairns, and finding ones left by others.

The wisdom of non-discrimination is the wisdom that can break the barrier of individualism, with this wisdom we can see that we are the other person and the other person is ourself. The happiness of the other person is our own happiness, and our own happiness is the happiness of the other people, other beings, of plants, animals, and minerals.

~Thich Nhat Hanh

The city is finally dealing with the leaking water line in front of our house. A noisy process.

I'm sitting out on the back patio in the shade and actually NEED my new shawl! 61F according to my iPhone. Time to switch from ice water to hot tea. Oh glorious cool weather, at last. Predicted to be only 77F today! Might even have a thunderstorm tomorrow. Fall, winter and spring are really delightful here in SoCal, and the three digit temperature summers are something you get used to, like hard winters back east, minus the shoveling.

Refilled the hummingbird feeder the other day and having lots of visitors this morning. The new pump in the koi pond really makes a loud, rushing waterfall. The pond lilies took over the pond this summer and are just now beginning to die off and thin out. I fear the heron has been back to dine; I don't see some of my favorite fish. Why the hell doesn't it eat the ugly, cheap ones???

There's just enough breeze to softly stir the windchimes. That's all pretty idyllic, but for the devastation of the lawn and flowerbeds by certain four legged cretins. I need to fill the beds with something with thorns. At least they leave the rose bushes alone.

Back to work now. Much to do.

A life of writing, studying, knitting, and the occasional hike does not lend itself to fitness. When we were in Maine this summer we rented bikes and rode the carriage trails in Acadia Nat'l Park. This was my son, Matt's, idea, as he is an avid cyclist. He was going to go alone, then Doug offered to go with him, and then I did. (Tim stayed at the cottage and read, savoring some alone time). I hadn't been on a bike in years. In fact, I had a bit of a phobia about riding, since a bad accident years ago. I wasn't even sure I could still do it. But I did. Not fast and not always well, but I did it, and so conquered a fear.

Since we got home the thought of owning a bike again took hold and finally I took the plunge, the form of a Cannondale Quick 4 hybrid.



It's probably more bike than I need, but I test drove several cheaper ones and even I could tell the difference. The Quick 4 shifts gears like silk. I bought it on Saturday and have since ridden about 30 minutes a day. I am woefully out of shape, but am already seeing some progress in my strength and endurance. Not bad, since I'm starting from just about zero on both counts.

Redlands is a hardcore road bike town. Most of the riders you see are 1) men, 2) on pricey road bikes and 3) in spandex. I have no interest in that kind of riding, at least not yet, and would look appalling in spandex. Riding a hybrid in capris may not be as stylish and hardcore, but I don't give a rat's hat. It is odd, though, how few women you see on bikes, except for those in the spandex set. Around campus at UR there are lots of girls on beach cruisers, but those aren't much for longer range rides around town.

Even though I'm still not far past the sweat and wheeze stage, I am finding that a morning ride ups my energy throughout the day.

My latest creation. The Far Away, So Close shawl by Carina Spencer. Knit in Drop Spindle Superwash Merino #SW91 with Malabrigo Rios Superwash Merino in Pearl Ten trim. It's a top down pattern, featuring bands of garter, stocking, half linen, eyelet, and drop stitch.

I watched the pilot of the new US Sherlock Holmes show, Elementary, with very low expectations and was not disappointed. That is, I was very disappointed but not surprised by how weak it is. Like the RDJ movies, the makers prove once again that you can't just slap the names Holmes and Watson on a couple of actors and make a good Sherlock Holmes story. With his drug history and penchant for hookers, this iteration of the great detective is more House than Holmes. I think the biggest problem was that it is entirely lacking in the clever use of elements from the original stories that the BBC's Sherlock does so brilliantly. Totally meh.