Butterfly Whispers
26 April 2008















It reminded me of a butterfly’s wing; it was such a faint little flutter that whispered across my neck more and more these past few weeks. I suspected that it had something to do with age, or hormones, perhaps both.

I had everything ready for her favourite tea and knew that it wouldn’t be too long before she arrived. Rex our dog was outside darting around the leaves that had carpeted the stone flagging in the rear garden. My husband Ted was busying himself in the shed pretending as usual that her visit was just routine. I knew it was all an act; he missed her as much as I did and looked forward to these weekly visits.

Rex was quiet. She must be further away than I thought. Dogs are telepathic; there is no other way to put it.

As soon as she was at the bottom of the lane Rex started to jump around and whine giving her arrival plenty of notice . I hadn’t expected him to bark but he did, just a few seconds before the doorbell rang. Silly girl, fancy forgetting her key! Ted just raised his head and peeped through the window in the shed trying not to look too eager at her arrival.

“Hi Mum. Forgot my key. Sorry!”

With a gush she waltzed past me and through the patio doors at the rear of the house, always a daddy’s girl. The young man was left standing on the doorstep.

“Hello… can I help you?”

Our visitor flashed me one of those eternally boyish smiles, a gesture Hugh Grant has made a living out of. I returned his smile at the same moment feeling a rush of acknowledgement on both our behalves.

“Do I know you? Have we met before?”

“Perhaps... I have paid several visits here over the years. Maybe you have seen me passing once or twice?”

His hair was so blonde, thousands and thousands of light threads all perfectly cut. Not thick waves but straight smooth silk strands. I felt an urge to reach out and ruffle them but had second thoughts. Where were my manners?

“Please come in… sit down… I’ll put the kettle on.”

I felt a thread pull across my neck, delicately tickling the skin. I reached for the stray hair I was sure was there and came away with nothing. Rex barked.

“Yes…” the young man whispered softly “dogs really are telepathic. Yours knows that you are just about to die. Within a few minutes your family will know too when they walk in here and find you lying on the floor. You will look just like you are sleeping.”

“Pardon?”

“No time for that cup of tea my dear, only a moment left I’m afraid and a simple choice to make. Life is so simple really, almost a spectrum of light... dark at one end, bright at the other and a river of colours in between.”

Rex yelped.

“How many colours did you see Ruth? How many did you paint your life with?”

Involuntarily my hand reached up for my neck as the floor came up to greet me, it felt cold and hard.

“Come… come now… do not be afraid. Take my hand, we shall go together. I know you are worried but they will be alright, they are only a colour or two behind us. See the white light? Flow into it Ruth… time to leave the colours behind now. A pity you preferred to use such a limited palette when you were alive.”

When I was alive? Had I ever really been alive? Wasn’t I waiting for life to begin? Hadn't I always planned ahead? Marriage, children, Ted’s retirement and all the things we had planned to do just waiting for the right moment. I wondered if Ted would do them all without me now?

“Choice! You said I had a choice to make? What choice?” I cried.

“The colour you leave behind Ruth. What colour do you want to leave behind for others to remember you by?”

It was easy,

“The colour of your hair…” I smiled.

“I thought as much. The colour you chose now is life, many do at the end. I hope they see it before the butterfly whispers. You see we did meet before, many times… unfortunately you never really saw me before today…”

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Posted by Miladysa at 6:34 PM 39 Comments

To Other Worlds and Beyond!
19 April 2008

"Delirium gave way to insanity. Another face peered over the boat's coaming. It was small and bright eyed, with the features of a fox. A black stripe ran across its nose. The creature stood up on its hind feet and held something in its front paws, something very much like a reed pipe. It began to play, the melody haunting."

Swords of Talera


There is nothing quite like that feeling when you know without doubt that you are on the brink of an adventure and all systems are fired and ready to go. The butterflies start to flutter and the excitement is never equalled to the times when you know for sure that you are heading through unchartered territory and anything, absolutely anything could and will happen.

As a child these adventures would usually take place late on a Saturday afternoon or early in the evening when we would gather as a family to watch a film. Excitement would brew at the opening credits to such greats as Tarzan, Journey to the Centre of the Earth or something really exotic such as The Day of the Triffids.

There was a little something that could top the Saturday viewing adventure though and it could be found on any day or night of the week with a copy of a classic book between my sweaty palms. By heck! The adventures I have had with nothing but a glass of Orangeade, a Blue Ribbon biscuit and a curled up furry friend for company!

This week saw the start of the second week of the school Spring Break Holiday and huge upheaval in our home as various works took place and blogging went on the back burner. On the rare occasions when time and children permitted an opportunity arose to go on an unplanned and to be honest, an unexpectedly delicious adventure within the pages of Swords of Talera ‘Book One of the Talera Cycle’ written by fellow blogger Charles Allen Gramlich.

I stumbled upon Charles’ blog by chance, possibly through a comment he made on another blog and over the past few months I have found his blog to be one of my daily must reads and so I decided to give one of his books a whirl.

From the title, cover of the book and name of the lead character I think I was expecting to read a futuristic kind of Highlander. I would have not been disappointed if this had been the case and yet I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself completely embroiled in another world, in fact a mixture of worlds within another world.

Ruenn Maclang; the main character had me hooked from his first appearance and by the end of the third chapter I found myself attached to all the characters I had been introduced to thus far – this is quite a rarity for me. Each chapter was an adventure of its own and as I reluctantly reached the last few pages of the book I reassured myself with the thought that there was at least another two or three Talera adventures to follow.

I have never reviewed or recommended a book on Miladysa before but I am happy to recommend this one.

Now things have settled down around the home and I find myself back down to earth I look forward to visiting all your blogs in the next day or so and catching up with your news!

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Posted by Miladysa at 12:08 AM 33 Comments

Blogging in Support of Tibet
8 April 2008


"All that is needed for the triumph of evil is for a good man to do nothing."













I have been thinking about Tibet recently, prompted by events in the news and the heartfelt words of a fellow blogger.

My thoughts led me to think how I might be able to help, I wondered if there was some peaceful action I could take and I visited the website of the Government of Tibet in Exile. There I found a whole page dedicated to ways people can help by drawing attention to the country's plight through letter writing.

It seemed a good idea, to write a letter to my MP but I knew that if I eventually managed to sit down and write one it would probably end up behind the pottery chicken in my kitchen waiting forever for me to drive to the post office and mail it.

So I came up with the idea of 'Blogging in Support of Tibet'. A simple idea really - displaying the flag of Tibet in a post on my blog and standing up to be counted.

In doing this, I hope that my fellow bloggers would adopt the idea also - I know that many of you have already taken the lead by posting about the protests that have taken place and the forthcoming Olympic Games.

One person cannot change the world but doing something is better than doing nothing.

~Please let me know if you blog in support of Tibet and I will link your blog to those who are Standing Up To Be Counted. Thank you ~

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Posted by Miladysa at 8:01 PM 38 Comments

Snowy Sunday
6 April 2008

A day to listen to music and take photographs through the window.


































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Posted by Miladysa at 5:18 PM 31 Comments

Late WBW - BlogSires
3 April 2008


















Glass Slippers are such old-hat!


I have come to believe, or perhaps it is something that I have instinctively known, whatever the source, everything happens for a reason. The fact that we usually never understand what the reason is does not matter, the point is people come into our lives when we are least expecting them and so it was with my BlogSires.

Late in 2005, having been forced to rest through ill health, I found myself with plenty of time on my hands and limited freedom to use it, the internet was my saviour. It is amazing just how much genealogical research can be performed online these days and how much more one can discover about ones ancestors by a few choice keywords and the patience to sit and read through countless online documents.

So, there I was, forming a level of intimacy with Google that few seldom achieve when my search took me straight to my BlogFather. At first, I was baffled as to where I was and why I was there and several times I simply thought that there must be a bug with google. Then, after about the fourth of fifth time he came up in my search results I actually scanned the page I had been directed to and discovered all the words I had keyed in, although scattered throughout the page. Now that I have mastered ‘advanced’ search our paths would never have crossed.

In scanning the page my curiosity was awakened and I read what I now know to be a ‘post’ [stop giggling Parker]. Over the following days, perhaps weeks I read every post in the archives, although comments appeared at the bottom of each one I had no idea what they or the word blog meant, I was a complete innocent in that regard.

His words enchanted me, made me think, made me feel and his pain was so palpable that I wanted to reach out, put my arms around him and assure him that everything would be alright. More than anything, I recognised parts of myself in him.

Eventually I plucked up the courage to send an email and I was astonished when he replied and encouraged me to start my own blog and hence Miladysa was born. Throughout that first year or so he held my blogging hand, being the first person to link to me and always commenting and leaving the most wonderful and encouraging words. For a while he was a daily part of my life and I delighted in his presence, I still do even though his words do not appear here any longer. I hope that one day he will return to the Land of Blog.

My BlogMother is responsible for my resurrection in 2007 by encouraging me to continue writing after I took a very lengthy break from blogging. The motivation to write the RoYds series of post came from her desire to read more of my fiction and I consider her to be my best friend. Her writing both enchants and inspires me, her faith in my writing gives breath and fuel to my typing fingers.

This week I received a gift crafted by her own hands and created with such love and thought it brought tears to my eyes. I remember the first time we were introduced by a wonderful BlogAngel named Rancher.

Three years since the creation of Miladysa, I find myself posting happily amongst countless BlogStars and yes, you are not just words and images to me you are my friends as real and close as any I have met in the flesh. In many respects I have formed deeper friendship here in BlogLand where we bare our souls to each other and open our hearts.

I could tell you all how much I enjoy your blogs and receiving your comments but I know that you understand that already so we shall take it as read. Each day I thank my BlogSires for your presence in my life. Long may we all BlogOn!

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Posted by Miladysa at 10:12 AM 25 Comments