Baby Shower Family Photo

My nephew recently re-posted this and it's brought back memories. 

We are a kind of big group in this photo, missing only a beautiful sister and her equally beautiful daughter ... and the 'boys' are missing too of course (they don't really do baby showers, lol), except for the two little ones that you can see and the one this baby shower was for ... !! My mom's got five grandsons as well as all these daughters, grand-daughters, and 'greats' shown here. And there have been additions since this photo was taken some years ago!

A Man and a Dream ... Help This One Follow His ...

How I wish I could do something, anything to help this young man get to where he's going!!

This LINK will take you to information about him and his dream. Meanwhile, here's a bit from the Mearns Leader ...

07:00 Friday 24 July 2015

A Stonehaven music student is close to securing his dream of attending prestigious New York university NYU Steinhardt.

Ben McMillan (28) has been awarded the Saint Andrew’s Society of the State of New York Scholarship Fund to study in America on completion of his Masters in Vocal Composition course at the University of Aberdeen.

He has set his sights on a career as a film composer and was accepted onto the Masters in Film Composition and Music Technology at NYU Steinhardt, a specialist institution which has produced alumni including Disney’s most prolific composer Alan Menken, who has worked on films including The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, and the composer and producer Mark Ronson.

The scholarship covers Ben’s first year of tuition, however he is now faced with the task of raising the remaining funds needed to pay for his accommodation and living costs.

His family have rallied round, and with the aid of his brothers, he has organised a fundraising ceilidh in Stonehaven Town Hall, to take place on Saturday August 7.

...

For those who may not know what a 'ceilidh' is ... here's the dictionary definition:  a party with music, dancing, and often storytelling ... and it's pronounced 'KAY lee' ... if I'm wrong somebody please set it right ...

This is one event I would DEARLY love to attend; alas I cannot, but would like for Ben to know that I'll be thinking of him and his Dream, not only on August 7th but as he makes his way along his path. 

'Go with the protection and blessing of the Holy Trinity - wherever you travel - in safety and in joy!'

God bless you and keep you, Ben. Follow your heart and your dream, wherever they lead you. 

If you'd like to help this young man on his way, please use either of the addresses below.

benjamin_mcmillan@hotmail.co.uk

www.gofundme.com/vtz7us

Whole New Story Line Starting to Incubate!

I'm going to need those short stories and tall tales, and the adventures of the Younglings to keep my balance pretty soon here. 

A whole new, but totally related to our Characters, line is beginning to take shape in my head.

It's almost scary, but will be an amazing journey I think.

Back back back we'll go ... and ahead ahead ahead at the same time. 

It's that Spiral thing, and something called 'M' which I'm going to snag and call 'Mystery' I think. It's got to do with PHI. And the Orkneys. And Stonehenge. And the Sacred Yew. And of course the Sidhe and Dunnottar.

And that's all I know for the moment. 

Tell me something: Do Science and Mystery go together? I think they might. Are we not all seeking Wisdom? Truth? Knowledge?

None of which is here nor there in any practical way, but always always lurking, always here and there. Mostly there, actually. 

*sigh*

Yeh. Being as it's after three in the morning and I have a shift to fill not too many hours from now I'm going to go sleep on this and try to let it be for the next four days.

*wry smile*

I said 'try'. 

The Women Speak - and it's all about America

*laughing*
They're going to say, 'Shiela, go back to writing books!' And I will.

But ... meanwhile ... things are going on ... 

Something struck me about a set of videos that showed up on my Facebook feed just recently.

Patriotic Americans, upset with more than a few things, are using their Voices to Speak. The ones in this particular set happen to be women.

They're upset basically with our current administration's choices.

Whether or not we agree with what they have to say, we do need to be aware, and grateful, that they can and are speaking their minds. There are many and many others raising their Voices; these two just happened to fall next to one another in my feed and that got my attention. Both women, both strong in their convictions, and both with a platform from which to make their Voices heard.

I don't think it's about race, lifestyle, economic bracket, political leanings, educational level, or religious beliefs any more. Those are always a part of everything. What it's hopefully becoming is 'It's All About America.'

Like a family who disagrees on any number of things, when push comes to shove guess what. If it comes right down to it, are you really going to care if the person who is shoulder to shoulder with you, or the one who has your back, or the one who is ahead of you is a different color? A different religion? Wears a suit instead of jeans? Has a degree or not? Has a same sex mate?

What the heck.

No,  you're not going to care about any of those things. 

When the time comes, and it will, there won't be any African Americans or Hispanic Americans or Muslim Americans or Gay Americans or Native Americans or White Americans or Rich Americans or yada yada yada ... when the time comes, none of those things are going to matter a whit. What will matter is the word 'American'. We will realize that we are Americans, each and all.

Just so you don't get too shocked when that rich white fat American executive has a sudden loss of racism and anti-female attitude once he realizes that the girl standing next to him is going to save his life, risking her own Asian American self to do it.

We will yammer and we will yowl; we will holler and we will howl ... and so be it. When push comes to shove, we will also Unite and United we will take our stand. Woe to those who fail to understand this.

From around this Nation, if you'll pay attention, from all backgrounds, has been coming the phrase 'Bring It On!' ... I'm not necessarily in favor of what those words indicate, but I surely respect the sentiment that lies behind them. Enough is enough already.

I am but a little old gramma lady who lives in a tumble-down cottage on Main Street of Small Town USA - and I'm a pacifist by nature - but if this push should happen to come to shove in my lifetime I will step in front of that girl who risks her life to save that man. Because that's what being an American is all about. 

Just sayin' ... 

Anyway ...

Both of these clips are about what happened in Chattanooga recently.

Tomi

Here is a girl called Tomi. She is but 22 years old yet her Voice is loud and clear.

Judge Jeanine

Here too, a woman called Jeanine, older and a judge. She wants our military personnel armed, wherever they are, in consistency with our own Constitution.

If You Want The Ugly Things In Our World To Stop ...

Add your Voice.

Pass it on.

VOICES ARE CALLING - USE YOURS

Scroll down to the Celtic Thunder Song link and listen to them Sing while you read this.


THIS shreds my soul. The link takes you to an article about a young person committing an atrocity while his elders stand by in approval.

And you know what?

I'm not really caring a whole lot about 'political correctness' at the moment. What is portrayed in the photo (couldn't watch the video itself, I just could not) is beyond any word I have at my command.

And yes of course I realize I'm just a little old gramma lady who lives in a tumble down cottage on Main Street of Small Town USA in the middle of nowhere. I realize that what I think or say or do doesn't matter a whit to anyone except me and possibly a handful of others.

Even so, although it is small, I do still have my Voice.

Excuse me folks, but our world is being bullied in the most horrifying way possible - and what are we going to do about it?

Where now all those Voices who have been so strident about 'taking a stand against bullying in our schools'? Where now those Voices that rant and rave about being offended? Where the Voices of those who speak out against Domestic Violence? Where the Voices that rail against injustice in our judicial and incarceration system?

WHERE ARE OUR VOICES?

A child commits murder and we condone it with our silence?

NO.

I tell you:  NO.  

The perpetrators are using religion as a weapon. No it is not the first time but this is happening in OUR time. OURS. Not way back in history somewhere but NOW and HERE.

We are being baited by a bully with a mean streak a mile wide.

Islam denies culpability, guilt by association. Christianity likewise; Judaism likewise; Buddhism the same; and Hinduism. 'We are victims!' Well, and so we are, all of us. And we are letting our own divisions get in our way. Islam cannot control this bullying 'child'; Christianity cannot; Judaism cannot; Buddhism and Hinduism cannot. Together, we could.

I write fiction, yet the times of which I write are not fictional.

Times and weaponry are different now but people are not. Peace too often comes at a price ... a dear price ... 

From Mamm of Dunnottar:

"  ...  Stilicho breaks the silence.

‘We know you, young warriors.’

His words make Ataulf smile.

‘We are healers more than warriors, Stilicho. We would have peace in this land and in all lands.’

‘Ah yes. So would we all. Going to battle for the sake of peace, does this not sit ill with you, Man of Peace?’

‘No. It is too often necessary.’  ... "

And ...

"  ...  Her Voice sounds hollow and the two men turn to look first at one another and then at Joan.

Davidson speaks quietly.

‘Joan, what see you? Can you tell us?’

‘Death. I see death, Davidson. Death and mourning. I see great wrath unleashed, and the Mercy of the Mother. Victory yes but at what price; Davidson my husband, what price are we willing to pay for a Peace that will be long in coming?’

The hollow Voice goes silent and again the three stand looking out over the fires of their people.

Come the dawning all is still and silent in the camps of Alaric.

Even the birds have silenced their Voices.

The Dogs of War, from Chattan and Perth and Tarnos, sit themselves near their masters and do not stir.

No whicker or neigh is heard from the horses.

It seems not a creature moves – neither bird of the air nor beast of the forest, nor even the ever-active insects.

On a high place stand Mamm and Alaric.

Hands clasped together before them, their eyes, one pair so green and the other such a deep blue, have locked once more.

Catan, the Silver Sword, and Glisten stand motionless alongside of them.

Here they have stood in prayer through the night.

Here will they stand in prayer through this day.

The sun rises past the dawning and from a distance at once too near and too far comes the Voice of the Carnyx of Chattan, clear in the morning.

Davidson flinches but a grim smile touches his mouth.

‘The Voice of Chattan is first to Speak,’ he murmurs.

Too near, too near.

Too far, too far.

Hear now the Horns of Iona.

Hear now the Horns of Tara.

There Sounds the Voice of Perth; and again; and again.

Now come the Voices of the Horns of Tarnos, carrying shrill and high in the dawning of this day.

And here the bellow of the Voice of Dunnottar; the Horns of the Fienne have chosen it on this day and send it before them into Battle.

The Bells of Andorra give Voice.

Too far, too far.

Too near, too near.

Ataulf, Davidson, and Joan carrying Sma'David and Mari at her side, come to stand near to Mamm and Alaric.

Silent they are; silent they remain.

And Alaric and Mamm break not their trance.

The Black Wolf approaches to stand silent at the shoulder of Ataulf; here comes also Plusa to side Davidson, and the pretty red mares of Joan and Mari whose names are Gala and Ghia.

Here too come the blood-red War Dogs of Chattan, of Perth, of Tarnos.

Through the air come the Voices of the Horns again and again.

Chattan.

Iona.

Tara.

Perth.

Tarnos.

Dunnottar.

Andorra.

They are now joined by the Voices of more Carnyx, more Horns of many places and peoples.

And the Voices of the Horns flow through the air in a medley, distant but clear, bitter but proud at the dawning of this day.

Too far, too far.

Too near, too near.

The army of Alaric stands silent and still, in prayer, on this day.  ... "

A battle, ostensibly in the name of 'religion', and not even the 'religion' of the army whose Story we are reading - but fight they do, because more is at stake than who believes what. The Freedom to believe, and to live, as they choose - in peace - is what brings this particular army to a war that 'is not really theirs'. It is for this ultimate Freedom they lose fully half of their warriors in the two days of this battle. 

More than fifteen hundred years ago - before there was any such thing as Islam in our world - people were taking their stand and losing their lives on behalf of a principle which maintains that individual Freedom is worth fighting for.  

YouTube Book Trailer

I'm not a natural at much of anything, nor skilled ... 

I did not set out to write a bunch of books, just so you know. They just kind of happened.

And now this stuff going on in our own time, our own world ... it makes me feel the way our Characters had to have felt when the same sorts of things were going on in their time, their world.

They took their stand, they held it against all odds, they protected and preserved what was theirs to protect and preserve.

And they did it for US. For us ... 

Excuse me, but have we not inherited any of their strength along with the Legacy? Have we not got any of their gumption? That army was comprised of many and many an ethnic group, many and many a different belief system - from across Europe they came, not just the one family whose history we happen to be following through the Mamm Books.

And I don't give a darn whether or not you ever in your life read any of those books - what I WANT is for you YOU YOU to give a darn and to pay attention to what's going on in YOUR world.

You know that symbol thing at the end of the book trailer? This one:

It's a warning. If we keep going the way we're going we'll wind up at a dead end and our civilization will have to work its way back to where we got off track. Not in our lifetime probably, maybe not in our children's ... but unless we do something pretty darned soon as human beings (not as Muslims, or Christians, or Jews, or Buddhists, or Hindus, or Atheists, or Futurists, or anything else but as Human Beings) that dead end might well BE a dead end, literally, for us.

Yeah, I'm more than a little upset by the actions of one 'child'. It's triggered the 'preacher' in me.

All this time I've thought that Voices, in person and in print, could turn the tide.

Our silence, mine included, and yours, hasn't been a very effective deterrent.

If I could, I would bring back that army of so very long ago, all those warriors ... men and women alike ... Pagan, Druid, Culdee, Christian  and whoever else ... and sic them on this bully among us. 

Me, a Woman of Peace ... 

Why?

What is it about this child's actions that has me up in arms?

It's because it is a child. A child who is not innocent. A child whose innocence has been sacrificed in the name of 'religion', in the name of WHAT?!?!

I do not give a darn what your personal belief system might happen to be, any more than that army clear back fifteen hundred years ago refused any who were Called to join them.

Here's another bit that I hope will make you think. It's a Song. Celtic Thunder's 'Voices' ... 

Here's the YouTube LINK

The powerful Voices of these men ... 'There's a Voice that is starting to Call us; it's Voice that we just can't ignore. There's a Bell that is Ringing to tell us - we're in a time and a place like never before ... There's a time when we're Called to be ready ... a time when we're Called to be steady ... '

Ach. Just click on the link - their Voices are much more Powerful than my words.

Even so I do give you my Voice - and I do use it to Call you. Listen to what you hear around you. Use your own Voice to answer. 

My words, my Voice, such as they are ... they're all I've got.

And whether or not anyone else Hears, my Voice and my words, and YOURS, need to be saying 'NO.' 

NO it is not okay. NO it cannot continue. NO NO NO

Because, you see, enough Voices saying 'NO' might make a difference. 

China, say 'NO.'

Russia, say 'NO.'

Europe, say 'NO.'

North America, say 'NO.'

South America, say 'NO.'

Australia, say 'NO.'

Africa, say 'NO.'

Asia, say 'NO.'

And mean it.

A Day For Photos Apparently ...

Below is the photo the above is snagged from.

Damn Your Eyes ...

Took this three years ago today, shortly after I found out how come I was seeing flashes now and then, and yada yada ... the visual field in my left eye is distorted in a sort of doughnut shape and the color perception is fading - so I see colors differently with that eye; they're literally fading. 

The years take their toll, do they not? In so many ways, I am not the woman I was three years ago ... 

I am in some ways stronger, in some ways lessened. An innocence I didn't even know I possessed is now gone from me. I'm no longer as soft as I was. It makes me stronger but I have lost something of value as well. Learning what a person can get along without, physically and emotionally, is powerfully reassuring. That doesn't diminish the loss any, though. What's lost is still gone. 

That I can do what I have to do when the time comes to do it, that I've done so, and that I can and will also cope with what yet lies ahead ... yes, I can; I have; I shall ... that's more strength than I knew I had. And I have a feeling I'm going to need every bit of it, and a lot more, before all is said and done.

There are times I have to patch that eye; those times will increase. Often I need to wear a ball-cap to protect it from bright lights. Close-up watching of fireworks is out for me, no sparklers on the Fourth of July for this woman. I'm wary of thunderstorms' lightning. 'Standard precautions' for me means avoiding bright lights, jostling crowds, and falls of any kind. It means wearing that ball-cap and having the patch handy at all times. It means constant vigilance. It means avoiding getting over-tired and/or over-stressed. It means when I'm working up on my roof I'd better not fall off. 

I've learned caution, in more ways than one, because it's not just been my eye that's been an educating kind of thing these past few years.

Dunnottar in the Works

She will be always a work in progress

Not long ago my mom asked me when I was going to get done with writing these books. I was stunned. It will take me the rest of my life to get just the ones already in my head written down. With new ones popping in all the time I have to pray for a long life and either a keyboard or lots and lots of paper and pens/pencils for this work in progress has a long way to go.

This particular work in progress is four by six feet, Prismacolor pencil over charcoal sketching on stretched cotton fabric. It has become a fairly permanent fixture in my sewing room (which has a wall the perfect size) where I can work on it at will.

The above link is to a WordPress blog post. Below is a link to the blog itself.

With Love From the Very 'Art' of Me

When am I going to be finished with these books, these Characters, these artwork pieces? Who knows? I reckon when I get Called to go Home - and I would be willing to wager that my little piece of Heaven is liable to look a lot like that photo up there.

*smiling*

Not that I'm in any great big rush to get there, mind you. There's a lot of writing and artwork on my agenda first.

Shakespeare's Complete Works

NOT something a person can do in one sitting, believe me.

*laughing*

I was only going to read one play that I hadn't read before - ended up getting through four of them before I said, 'Okay, that's enough for the moment.'

Uh-oh They're Back

Ran into some real Characters recently ... 

*laughing*

Renegade, Rebel, Rogue, Riley, and Reckless (plus Roger) are never all that far from my mind - it's always a pleasure to see them!

Go HERE to see what this unlikely group has been up to!

Renegade is a grey-haired little old gramma lady whose main weapon are darts loaded with an un-deadly poison, ink from a very unique pen.

Rebel is a mild-mannered family man who everyone thinks is un-armed - until he unleashes his formidable mind.

Rogue is a beautiful tall brunette whose feminine form disguises enormous strength.

Riley is a petitely pretty little blonde who can easily leap over the head of her very tall side-kick, and whose own 'side-kicks' are wickedly effective against the bad guy.

Reckless is a sweet young thing who earns her name by frequently going where angels fear to tread as she is fearless herself. And so is Roger, her horse.

They wind up in some strange situations on a regular basis, catching the bad guy again and again and again.

Emergency Back-up !!

Look what I found!

These are ... yes, you guessed it ... marbles. And some old copper wire.  I'm going to use them to make some of these:

This is an emergency back-up marble.

Just lately I've been asked a number of times in a number of settings about the one I myself wear all the time.

'Is it a crystal? Does it have a special meaning?'

'It's a marble,' I say.

'A marble?'

'Yep.'

'Why are you wearing a marble?'

'In case someone tells me I must have lost all my marbles, I can show them this one.'

'Oh.'

'And there have been times I've wondered my own self if I've lost all my marbles. This proves that no I haven't.'

'I want one!'

So I dug around and found the old thin copper wire.

'Did you make me a marble pendant?'

'Umm. No, not yet. But I found the wire! Now I just have to find the marbles.'

'Good thing you wear that one around your neck, huh?'

'Yep.'

Well, I'll have you know I found the marbles!

Now I can get busy and make some pendants for those who don't want to ever have to worry about losing all of theirs.

Since it looks like I won't be able to mow my yard tomorrow after all, what with a bit of a thunderstorm in the forecast, it might be a good day to spend in one of the shelters at the park, writing fun little stories and wrapping marbles in copper wire. That way I can be 'outside' but won't get soaked when it rains!

Small Town USA has a mighty fine park, I have to say - and I don't spend enough time there. So ... tomorrow (well, later this morning when I wake up, or noonish maybe since it's already past four o'clock in the morning) I'll take my marbles and my wire over there (a whole block and a half) and see if I can cage some of the marbles so that others can have peace of mind, knowing they've got at least one of their marbles safe and sound.

If I get really ambitious I'll take some photos as I go along, in case you'd like to cage one of your own marbles.  It's not really hard, as long as you keep a good hold on the marble you're trying to capture.

The Music of the Universe - This Is To Be My Symphony

A friend's blog post reminded me of something that's been a guide to me for a long time, along with a couple of other bits from here and there.

HERE'S THE LINK to the post that set me to thinking about Music and the Universe ... 

And here is the Symphony of Alpha Chi Omega.

One of the things about Alpha Chi that's been recently on my mind is their dedication to the struggle against Domestic Violence.

Back when I was an Active member, we worked to raise funds for  something different. I'm not sure when the focus changed ... I was in an abusive relationship at the time, or perhaps busy with my own work as a DV Advocate.

When I found out what Alpha Chi was doing, I took a deep breath and tried to still my heart. It still affects me that way, thinking about it. 

They've set out to change the world they live in - and my heart does indeed swell within me.

From the depths of my soul I pray for those who are affected by DV, and for those with the courage to battle it.

Recently our own little community, Small Town USA, lost one of our own - so it's surely on my mind and on my heart. A young mother, gone. A father, the perpetrator, gone as well ... so there are two grieving families and an orphan who will not grow up with either parent. Our community is in pain. It hurts us all.

And so my prayer for this day is that we somehow can manage to make our way through this - families, communities, cultures, nations, world. 

For Alpha Chi Omega I have great respect and enormous gratitude. For both its gift to me of the Symphony, and for its dedication to the battle, person by person, against the horrors that affect all too many of us.

The Cast of Characters of SONG

THIS LINK is one I thoroughly appreciate.

It's been a while since I've spent a lot of time with the SONG Characters and I kind of miss them.

So it's handy for me to be able to just click on the above link to go back and remember them. It might be handy for you too. Go take a look, read a bit about the individuals who carry the Mamm Books!

The Younglings of Dunnottar are fresh in our minds because they've just started their own set of books - let's not forget the grown-ups! They are younglings too, most of them, in the course of the books that tell the Stories of their lives. LittleMamm comes to mind ... yikes! ... she and David, what a pair!

LittleMamm and David click to find out more about those two!

 

I do believe I'm going to sit myself down and read the whole of the Mamm Books all the way through! It will be good for me to visit with the Characters for a while - I really have been missing them! Well, except for the Younglings of course!

BLURBS for the Kin Cousin Books

BRANN
Brann is a youngling boy of a long ago time which was (perhaps) somewhat more adventurous than our own.

Dunnottar, where Brann lives, is a pretty special place even today. It was different back then, fifteen hundred years ago, give or take a few, but has kept its special appeal the whole way through lots of times and plenty of changes.

This book, and the upcoming ones, will bring us closer to the Younglings of Dunnottar. We met them in the Mamm Books of the 'They Are My Song' series. The Younglings have wanted some books 'of our own' for the sharing of their adventures.

Brann's Kin Cousins - Diann, Corrbed, Rua, Merri and Dothann - come to join him on Dunnottar in the next books of this set.

The bigger world has become ever more dangerous. Dunnottar is one of the very few places of safety and peace left ... and so the parents of the Kin Cousins bring this handful of younglings to Dunnottar for safety and for education.

Brann has some wonderful adventures of his own in this the first book of the Kin Cousin set, before the arrival of the others. 

He is very young; Diann, the first of the cousins to arrive, shows up when Brann is only four but his imagination is already taking him on adventures.

He meets unexpected friends in unexpected places in between living his ordinary life.

Hmmm ... maybe 'ordinary' isn't the right word to use ... 

You'll see what I mean as you read these books!

DIANN

Diann comes to join her Kin Cousin Brann at his home on Dunnottar for two reasons.

One is that she will become a Healer when she grows up, returning to her own people to help them.

The second is for her own safety. Her homeland has become dangerous; Dunnottar is one of the few places remaining where there's even a hope for peace, and so Diann's parents bring her to us.

We have already met the Younglings of Dunnottar in the Mamm Books of the series 'They Are My Song' - but, you know, the Younglings want their own books for their adventures ... and they can be quite very persuasive!

Still to come are Corrbed, Rua, Merri and Dothann.

'Diann' opens with Brann, still alone, having a bit of an adventure of his own. Then Diann gets there to keep him company.

This little book begins to hint at the struggles of the Kin Cousins to not only adjust to coming to a new home but to the hardest part of all ... knowing that their own families are going back into danger, without them.

The world of the 480s CE was not exactly safe. If you're a history buff you know what was going on in Europe at the time. It was in chaos with populations on the move, people's vying for territory as the Western half of the Roman Empire falls. And the families of our Kin Cousins are right smack in the middle of it all.

Yet our Kin Cousins must not only survive, they must become strong enough to carry on their young shoulders a responsibility for which they are (luckily) well suited. These Younglings of Dunnottar are a darned special group of kids and that's a good thing - because they must preserve and protect an important Legacy when they grow into their adult years.

Life can be difficult at the best of times, let alone the worst.

Still, with humor, loyalty, determination, and each other, the Younglings of Dunnottar make the most of their natural gifts and their imaginations to get them through some almighty interesting adventures.

CORRBED

In the third of the Kin Cousin books of the Younglings of Dunnottar, Corrbed shows up to challenge both Brann and Diann in their studies.

At the beginning of this book he has not yet arrived. Diann and Brann find themselves with an unexpected day off from lessons and spend it with a most unusual friend - having a most unusual adventure.

Corrbed's education is only part of why he studies so hard. He also needs to keep his mind off of missing his family and worrying about what they might be going through. Andorra is surrounded, in the 480s CE, by warfare and strife. He knows full well that he is not on Dunnottar simply to get an education. He is here because his home is not safe and Dunnottar is one of the few peaceful places in his world.

A physically strong boy, Corrbed takes that strength for granted and concentrates on learning everything he needs to know RIGHT NOW. He wants to get back to his own people and start teaching the younglings there.

A game of 'Treasure Hunt' reveals more treasures than any of the three Kin Cousins expected ... 

And then they're off on a rather studious adventure, finding themselves in a peculiar situation as they 'play pretend' in their very own clearing in the Forest.

Mm-hmm ... it's amazing where we can go in our minds when we put our imaginations to work!

RUA
Rua's arrival on Dunnottar is close on the heels of Corrbed's and the story that we are not told of this little redheaded four year girl is likely to make us weep.

She comes to us in a different manner than the other Kin Cousins and we don't really have to ask why; not when we take into consideration what was going on in the world in the 480s CE, fifteen hundred years ago, give or take a few.

Ah, but before we tackle our tears, we get to laugh as Diann, Corrbed, and Brann fill us in on what travel with Odysseus is really like! Their sea journey is not boring by any means. They have to get halfway around the world and a thousand years from where they start out - and they have to do it in time to get home for supper.

These three Kin Cousins are there for one another and they are equally there for Rua when she needs them to help her through a very rough patch.

The dark edges start to show in this little book of the Younglings of Dunnottar - but just as important as the darkness is the light. Our Younglings must learn to find their balance.

Rua's a powerfully strong little girl for someone her size, and quick as quick can be. She takes her Kin Cousins along with her on some fearsome and strange adventures, starting in this book.

Yet for all her rambunctious ways, our Rua has a tenderness that she can't quite always hide. It makes for a more complicated Character than you'd expect to find in a four year old and that's a fact.

Then again, none of the Younglings of Dunnottar are exactly ordinary.

  

MERRI & DOTHANN

Merri and Dothann come to us on Dunnottar in the year 487 CE to complete the core group of our Younglings of Dunnottar.

Before their arrival, their Kin Cousins Diann, Corrbed, Brann, and Rua - who have been studying geography in their lessons - land themselves in a predicament they need help getting out of. Luckily for them, help shows up in the nick of time!

Unlike the other Kin Cousins, barring Brann, Merri and Dothann are coming HOME home. Although they have spent their lives (eleven and seven years respectively) traveling with their parents as they learn and teach on the Continent, their mother Alianora grew up on Dunnottar. She is taking her own family home to her very own house among her very own sisters and parents.

The journey is long and dangerous, although we don't dwell on the dangers. We do, however, get to share bits and pieces of the places they stop at on their way HOME home.

The undiluted joy of their arrival triggers thoughts in the minds of the other Kin Cousins of less joyful arrivals - something they need to work through.

Now that Merri and Dothann have joined us, the Younglings of Dunnottar can and do begin forging the powerful team they are to become.

They start trying to change their world - at least that's what the adventure they get themselves into while discussing world events in their 'play pretend' clearing in the Forest is SUPPOSED to do.

The 'play pretend' doesn't turn out at all the way they thought it would and they are stunned at what really happens.

Some of the darkness of the world they've all had experience with creeps into their spirits. 

The Younglings of Dunnottar need to find and be able to keep their balance, individually and as a group. They have a Destiny to fulfill, a Legacy to protect and preserve - and the odds are against them the way it is.

As the darkness threatens, they must find their way to the balance they need.

Fortunately for the Younglings of Dunnottar, the rest of Dunnottar is not lacking in Power and the wisdom to wield it.

Click HERE for further information!

Come with us as we join the Younglings of Dunnottar. We're going to meet the Wee Folk, ride on the back of a giant Wild Cat, dance with the Fairies, rescue a Merling, jump onto the back of a honeybee, travel back even further back in time to meet some important personages, cope with a Sea Monster, get a little training from Scathach (who trains only the best of the best, you know), get rescued by some dragons, run from a thundering herd of elephants (well not Rua - Rua rides), and always manage to get back home in time for supper!

The Younglings have only just begun and it's kind of exciting to get to go along with them to wherever and whenever their vivid imaginations take us.

Hanging out with this bunch, you never know what's going to happen. The world of the Ancients is theirs to come and go in as they please, so be ready for anything!