The Wee Archive: Aberdeen, a City in Pictures

Aberdeen, Photos of a changed city

And now ladies and gentlemen, I present a visual trip round the city of Aberdeen.

And now I present…Aberdeen Art Gallery.

That’s all Folks!!!

If you’ve enjoyed this visual trip through the parts of the city of Aberdeen that I actually visited, why not check out the blog and give me a wee follow, if you haven’t already. Also check me out on Twitter, Instagram, Mastodon, Pinterest, Tumblr, Goodreads TikTok and Facebook. Also Kofi. Until next time wee subscribers, take care, and have a very bonny day.

The Wee Archive: The Seventh Knight

Well, here we are at last – the seventh knight rises, just as the others thought the battle was over. My final choice may not be entirely surprising to those that have followed this blog series from the start, but it is the one I’m sticking with.

Mary Stewart’s Merlin Trilogy

Telling the story of the enchanter Merlin, from his early childhood as the bastard (and seemingly fatherless) son of a Welsh Princess, to his final years as a man grown old before his time – Mary Stewart’s Merlin series may just be the phenomenal writer’s magnum opus.

Filled with the kind of beautiful pros anyone familiar with Stewart’s work has come to expect, this series gives us a look into a far more grounded Arthurian world than is normally portrayed. And most amazing of all, it manages to do so without making its subject boring, cynical , or depressing.

For anyone looking into why people are still drawn to tales of Merlin, Arthur and his knights of the round table – I would recommend this series above anything else.

If you’ve enjoyed the final instalment of “The Seven Knights of Arthurian Media” why not follow the Wee Blog if you haven’t already. Also check me out on Twitter, Instagram, Mastodon, Pinterest, Tumblr, TikTok, Facebook, Goodreads and Kofi. Until next time Wee Reader, keep safe and have a very bonny day.

The Wee Archive: Three Works of Great Fiction

3. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court

I was first introduced to the myth of King Arthur by Mary Stewart’s Merlin Series – check it out, it’s fantastic – thus Merlin is a character that’s fairly close to my heart. In fact, he’s my favourite Arthurian character, second only to Mordred and Morgouse. And this is not the book for fans of Merlin; full disclosure, I couldn’t even finish it. In fact, by the time “Hank” blows up Merlin’s tower I was so angry by the treatment of my magical favourite that I was kind of glad I was listening to an audiobook instead of a hard copy, so I wouldn’t be tempted to throw it in the fire. However, if you don’t mind seeing Merlin turned into a butt monkey and the rest of the court made to look like idiots, you will find a well written book, with at least a mildly interesting plot. I hated it, but I will freely admit that I am a very biased party.

2. The Midwich Cooks

This is a very weird book…well written, and I think I would read it again (though maybe only on Halloween), but very, very weird. I don’t think the BBC Adaption – which is the only addaption I’ve seen – quite prepares you for it.

1. The Great Gatsby

The Language was beautiful, but the movie was better. It doesn’t matter which version you’re talking about, the movie was probably betterIf you’ve enjoyed this little tidbit of my reviews why not check me out on GoodReads, where I have much more like them. Also go and check out the original post if you haven’t already. And also dive into my feed on Twitter, Instagram, Mastadon, Pinterest, Tumblr,TikTok, Facebook, and Kofi. Until next time Wee Subscribers, keep safe and have a very Bonny day.

The Wee Archive: The Final Glory

The Nine Glories Of the Rings of Powers: The Nineth Glory

What Ho, Wee Subscribers and Welcome to the Final Post in The Nine Glories of the Rings of Power blog series.

The Continuation of Tolkien’s Mythology

Whether it was through the choice to set it in the less exposed Second Age of Middle-Earth, the idea to diversfy the cast so that the world starts to look more real, the decsion to include Races – such as the Harfoots – that have not really been explored before, or just the fact that as a series rather than a film( even an extended one) it has more time to devote into exploring all these deifferent facets of Middle Earth;the fact stands that The Rings of Power has shown a very different Middle-Earth than the one we’ve grown used to.

And my argument is that this is not only a good thing, for both the francise and the fandom around it, but that Tolkien (the orginal creator) would not have actully disapproved. He did not view his work as a solid, unchanglbe text of facts about Middle-Earth, but rather as modern Mytholgy that would twist and shape itself into new forms over the years. With each new writer or telling, the story would grow, the world would expand not become less.
Was it a perfect show, by no means. Where there some things the books did better? Of course, all I’m saying is before you post that comment complaining about the scruffiness of the Harfoots, or the fact that the Lady Dwarves did not have hair on their chins (I feel your pain in that regard) remember that it’s very unlikely Tolkien would actually have minded.

So why should we?

After all, we were all able to live through the Ents becoming tree-like beings in the Peter Jackson Films, instead of the troll-like ones from the books. Oh yes, we all loved that change now didn’t we.I’m sorry if I’m seeming overly empassioned about this subject. I guess a story that takes a new and darker look at Middle-Earth, with an emphasis on the strange culture of the hobbit like creatures, is something that sticks close to my heart.

And in possibly unrelated news, I invite you all to pop over and have a look at my own recently completed Middle-Earth work (sadly not cannon at all) The War of the Dead . I think you’ll enjoy it, it’s got Zombies 😁

If you’ve enjoyed this little gem from a Tolkien obsessed fan girl, and would like to see the rest of them why not follow the Wee blog if you haven’t already. And check me out on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Mastodon, Tumblr, TikTok, Facebook and Kofi. Until next time Wee Subscribers, stay safe and have a very bonny day

Wee Archive: Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

What Ho, Wee SubscribersWell here are the promised pictures, never before seen anywhere on the internet – and pried from the vault of my desktop. Enjoy and remember to follow the Wee blog if you haven’t already.If you’ve enjoyed this barrage of previously unseen pictures, why not check out the Wee Blog and give it a follow if you haven’t already. Also check me out on Twitter, Instagram, Mastodon, Pinterest, Tumblr, TikTok , Facebook, and Kofi. Until next time Wee Subcribers, keep safe and a have a very Bonny day.

The Wee Archive: Christmas Folklore – the Final Days

The Tenth Day

This Newsletter is a continueiotion of this blog series.

On the Tenth day of Christmas the universe gave to…ten candy canesA traditionally white and red peppermint sweet made in the shape of a shepherd’s crook, Candy Canes were often given out on Saint Nicholas Day celebrations. As they were said to represent the crosier of a bishop – like the one Saint Nicholas would have carried.

Folkloric tales say that candy canes first came into being in 1679 when a German choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral – wanting to make the children in his church shut up for a service, commissioned a local candy maker to make the children “sugar sticks”. And to justify bribing children in church, he ordered the sweets to be made in the shape of Shepherd Crooks to symbolise the shepherds who visited Jesus in his cradle.

I’d usually now go into some official history, but honestly nothing could top that.

The Eleventh Day

On the Eleventh day of Christmas the Universe gave to me…Eleven Shining Cards.The first recorded Christmas Card was actually sent from Michael Maier to James I of England and his son Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales in 1611. However it wouldn’t be until 1843 before Christmas Cards became commercially available to the general public.

Interestingly these early Christmas Cards did not often feature the kind of images modern people would recognise as a Christmas Cards. No Winter Wonderlands, or Santa Claus, or even religious scenes for that matter – which I found surprising. No instead they featured things like fairies or flowers, or other things heralding the coming of spring.

in the 1840s Queen Victoria began the tradition of “official Christmas cards” – that is cards sent out from important places, like the palace or Ten Downing Street. Which the American Presidents quickly snapped up. However it wouldn’t be until Franklin Roosevelt before they began using the card format instead of just personalised notes.

Which is kind of neat.

The Twelfth Day

On the Twelfth day of Christmas the Universe gave to me….12 creepy elves sitting in my chimney.

This is by far the most recent of the Christmas Traditions we’ve talked about in this series – spanning little more than 15 years in total. The Seemingly Strange notion of leaving little elf-shaped dolls around the house – at least as a globally embraced Christmas tradition – first began with the 2005 book “The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition”. Written by author Carol Aebersold and based on a tradition she began for her own children.

The book tells the story of one of Santa’s ‘scout elves’. Who’s task it is to spy on the children of the world for the big fat man. Each Elf is assigned a family and hides in a different part of their house each day during the Christmas season. The rules say that the family – i.e. the children – can speak to the elf, but they must never touch it. Otherwise the Elf’s magic will vanish and Santa will never know if the family have been Naughty or Nice.

If this tradition / story seems a might creepy, or as The Atlantic columnist Kate Tuttle noted “bullying one’s child into thinking that good behavior equals gifts” – well…it’s not as if that hasn’t been a factor in the Santa Mythos from the very start. I mean taken out of context this is all just breaking and entering.

If you’ve enjoyed this Christmas Folklore / tradition titbit, why not Follow the Wee blog if you haven’t already. And remember to check me out on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Goodreads, Tumblr, TikTok, Kofi and Facebook. Until Next time Wee Subscribers, have a very bonny day and a very merry Holiday season.

The Wee Archive: An Interview with Ailish Sinclair

A Frustrating Interview with Ailish Sinclair

At the end of my original post – read here if you’re interested – I realised that Ailish Sinclair had stepped into the witch’s stone, using it to travel through time to research her historical romances. I concluded that this was cheating and then ran away screaming for all my life was worth – I didn’t reveal that last part but that’s what happened.
Of course, you can’t publish books if you’re traveling through the eras they’re set in, at least not by your real name – so of course Ailish did not stay away long. She has denied that she is a mermaid, and that she has a pet bear in her own blog here. But notice that she does not deny the time travel accusation.
This filled me with new hope, so determined to prove that I was neither crazy nor stalking her, I decided to conduct an interview with the time traveling author. Below are the four questions she agreed to answer on the subject.

4. Now that you have returned from your adventures in time, what have you most enjoyed about being back in the 21^stcentury?

Writing historical fiction certainly is rather like adventuring through time, you’re right. I love the periods my characters inhabit, but chocolate cake and flushing toilets are great bonuses of the modern world.

3.When did you first realize that you could travel through time using the Witch Stone?

Emm… I do contemplate my writing as I walk in the woods and sit by the stone. I’ve been doing that for over ten years.

2. What Era have you most enjoyed travelling through?

It’s quite hard to pick one. I loved the medieval world and the 18^th century, but 1^st century Scotland is my current favorite, maybe just because it’s the most recent time that I’ve written, or as you say, travelled through. There’s a natural wildness to it that I love. I may have to go back there again… in writing, you understand.

1.Now that you’re back, what can we expect next from Ailish Sinclair.

My feet are firmly back in the current day now as I edit a series of three very naughty and dark contemporary romance novels. There’s no research needed to know what people might be eating or wearing, but there are other *blushes* tricky and intricate scenes to work through.

That’s is all very well, but I know what I saw…

Ailish Sinclair refused to answer anymore of my questions on the grounds that they were becoming “ridiculous” and or “insane”.

If you’ve enjoyed this Wee interview of mine why not check out the original blogif you haven’t already, and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook, Goodreads and TikTok. And if you’ve enjoyed Ailish’s much pained answers why not check out her blog and give it a wee follow. Also check her out on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Goodreads , LinkedIn , Facebook ,Kofi, and TikTok as well. Why not subscribe to her newsletter while you’re at it. And remember, Ailish Sinclair’s latest book ‘Sister’s at the Edge of the World‘ is available now on Amazon . Until next time Wee Subscribers, keep safe, stay positive and have a very Bonny day.

The Wee Archive: Vegan Food Pictures

Vegan, Vegan, VEGAN, VEGAN!!!!!

Well…I promised you all some nice vegan pictures, so I better go ahead and deliver on that promise, else they better start calling me The Wee Lying Lassie.

Vegan Chilli with Bake PotatoesVegan Roast Dinner. Including: Roast Potatoes, Sprouts, nut roast and home made red current jelly.Brunch.Chocolate Birthday CakeVegetables in smokey tomato saucePloughman’s lunchBeans and ToastTomato and Sweet Potato PastaVegan McDonaldsFancy SaladThree Curry FeastCarrot and Coriander SoupChips and Battered MushroomsVegan Chinease FoodIf you’ve enjoyed these delicious pictures – don’t forget to check out the original post here. And why not follow the Wee blog if you haven’t already. And check me out on my Instagram- where most of these photos come from – , Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, TikTok and GoodReads. Until next time Wee Subscribers, stay safe, stay sane and have a very Bonny day.

The Wee Archive: The AudioBook

Check out the adjoining post here.

11. The Maid

This was a very good book, I want to make that clear before I say anything else. The characters were both fascinating and endearing – or at least the ones we were meant to like. The plot was well thought out, and it contained a fascinating mystery and a good fun whodunit. However, the ending felt cheap…and unsatisfactory.

Okay maybe I should explain, be warned here there be spoilers from now on. First the book’s blurb:
I am your maid
I know about your secrets. Your dirty laundry. But what do you know about me?

Molly the maid is all alone in the world. A nobody. She’s used to being invisible in her job at the Regency Grand Hotel, plumping pillows and wiping away the grime, dust and secrets of the guests passing through. She’s just a maid – why should anyone take notice? But Molly is thrown into the spotlight when she discovers an infamous guest, Mr. Black, very dead in his bed. This isn’t a mess that can be easily cleaned up. And as Molly becomes embroiled in the hunt for the truth, following the clues whispering in the hallways of the Regency Grand, she discovers a power she never knew was there. She’s just a maid – but what can she see that others overlook.

Spoiler Alert: She’s going to get accused of killing this guest. I would feel slightly bad about ruining this for me, but honestly this is when the book really got good for me. Suddenly everyone being a bitch to the main character wasn’t just unpleasant, but a direct threat to her well being. It’s also notable that this is the part of the story where she wises up and actually connects with people that care about her, and aren’t just looking to loose her.

Now it’s not just an interest to the reader to find out who killed Mister Black, it’s vital to Molly as well.
And they do.
Sort of.
Certainly someone is arrested for the crime.
But it’s made clear by the end of the book that it’s not the person that actually killed him.
There, I’ve ruined the twist for you.
I won’t tell you which party did which, I’m not that much of a jackass.
But I will say this – the reveal of who actually did it is actually really disappointing.
And like, just a bad writing – I mean, they’re mentioned maybe once, or twice in the whole novel before the reveal.
I’m just saying, the whole thing would have been just so much more satisfying for Molly to have been the killer.
As is, it’s a good book and one I would recommend – it’s just not the greatness it could have been.

Okay rant over, now onto the ratings.

My Mum’s Scores

Story: 2
Narration:3
Production:3

Overall enjoyment: 3
Final Score: 11

Additional Notes: the maid did it!

My Brother’s Scores

Story: 4.5
Narration: 5
Production: 5
Overall enjoyment: 4.4
Final Score: 18.9

Additional Notes: The ending felt forced. That being said, it was a good story, until that darn epilogue. I liked the Molly-Jaan Manual Romance.

My scores

Story: 3
Narration: 5
Production: 4
Overall enjoyment: 4
Final Score: 16

Additional Notes: Man, talk about a good book let down by a bad ending. I’m glad we read it, but I don’t think it’s something I’d go back to.Book’s Final Score: 45.9If you’ve enjoyed this wee Rant of Mine, why not hop on over to the original post and check out the first ten audiobooks that made our list. Also check out my Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Tumblr, and Goodreads and Kofiwhile you’re at it. Until next time Wee Subscribers, stay safe, stay sane, and have a very bonny day.

The Wee Archive: Aliens

5. Asogians

Franchise: E.T / Star Wars

Planet of origin: Brodo Asogi

Most well-known Member: E.T.

Reason I chose them: The film E.T. Made me cry, and I thought it was cool that they seemed to exist in both our universe and a galaxy far, far away.

4. Darleks

Franchise: Doctor Who
Planet of origin: Skaro
Most well-known Member: Davros
Reason I chose them: I mean they are the best villains on Doctor who. Do I really need a better reason than that?

3. Ultronians

Planet of origin: Ultron
Most well-known Member: George Sunday (later Monday)
Reason I chose them: Look at them, they come from a show that’s whole premise was basically : LOL, what I’d Dougal from Father Ted was a superhero. They are spectacular.

2. Chiss

Franchise: Star Wars
Planet of origin: Csilla
Most well-known Member: Thrawn
Reason I chose them: After I decided I would only choose one – solely – Star Wars species I debated for quite a while which one I should place here. After all this franchise have no end to interesting cretures and people to dig into. Ewoks, Wookies, Gungans, to only list a few. But I didn’t want to be too obvious with my choice – as I will be with the next species on this list. So then I started thinking about the individual meme era of these species, which one was the most likeable. And the most surprising in that likability, someone so likeable you end up liking him even though he’s a blue space nazi. And then it hit me, oh yeah, Thrawn!

1. Vulcans

Franchise: Star Trek
Planet of origin: Vulcan
Most well-known Member: Spock
Reason I chose them: Honestly, check out my last blog post – and that will give you more insight than I can offer right now.

If you’ve enjoyed this short little list of mine why not go back and check out the post that inspired it. Also while you’re at it give my Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Goodreads, Tumblr and Kofi a look at too. Until next time we subscribers, stay sane, stay safe, and have a very Bonny day.