1. As you can see I have yet another template! How Luna puts up with me is any body's guess, she is always wonderfully patient and a real Lah-Di-Dah! (Star) Thank you Luna!

2. As well as designing custom blog, wordpress and website templates Luna also has some pre-made ones and special offers on at the moment. Please support Luna in her drive to save towards a convention she dreams of attending and help spread the word.

3. Did I mention that I was on Twitter? I joined up to tweet about Refuge of Delayed Souls, writing updates etc. but I have not been able to contain myself. You can find me @Miladysa I know a few of you are also there. If I haven't discovered you already please let me know your twitter name and I shall follow!

4. I am now a Great Auntie! My lovely niece had a baby girl last week and I am looking forward to blowing raspberries on my great niece's tummy!

5. Someone tweeted this: Bank of Imagination and I am hooked!






















6. The night's are drawing in early and summer almost feels like a dream - perhaps it was!

7. Melissa has cobwebs on her blog!

8. Have you heard La Roux yet?














Aidan Turner

9. As some of you know, I have fallen in lust with Aidan Turner following his portrayal of Dante Rossetti in Desperate Romantics! I do hope the BBC film a second series soon because when I start casting for RoYds Aidan will be too busy playing the role of Grispheran to consider working for anyone but moi!

10. Did I mention Melissa has cobwebs on her blog?

Labels: Life, Miladysa, Refuge of Delayed Souls

Posted by Miladysa at 9:48 AM 16 Comments

... has returned!



Please nip over and let me know what you think of it so far



***Parts 1 - 7 now online :)***

Labels: Fiction, Miladysa, Refuge of Delayed Souls

Posted by Miladysa at 3:01 PM 9 Comments

"Death is nothing at all. It does not count. I have only slipped away into the next room. Nothing has happened. Everything remains exactly as it was. I am I, and you are you, and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged. Whatever we were to each other, that we are still. Call me by the old familiar name. Speak of me in the easy way which you always used. Put no difference into your tone. Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me, pray for me. Let my name be ever the household word that it always was. Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it. Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was. There is absolute and unbroken continuity. What is this death but a negligible accident? Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just round the corner. All is well. Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost. One brief moment and all will be as it was before. How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!" - Henry Scott Holland

Labels: Life, Miladysa

Posted by Miladysa at 12:51 AM 18 Comments

Today was the Rush Cart Festival. Two years ago the powers that be decided to move the event from an early evening celebration to a more "family friendly" Sunday afternoon outing. Looking at the numbers there today it appears to be a popular decision but personally I felt as though there was something missing. In the past I enjoyed the walk to the village square in the twilight, wrapped up warm, my breath billowing out before me in the cold night air. The dark night, twinkling lights and cheerful sounds emanating from the pub all used to add to the evening. We used to take the children and never witnessed anything that was family unfriendly. How times change.






















As usual, The Nutters were the stars of the show.
























The Manchester Morris Men were very colourful and a delight to watch.





















The Thieving Magpies crossed the border from Yorkshire to join us. Their jet black Gothic costumes were dramatic as well as unusual. I am sure I spied
Charles Gramlich amongst them!




















The Rush Cart itself looked spectacular! I made my donation and happily clutched my lucky heather all the way home. I passed on stroking the Green Man though - four children are enough for me.


I am nearly there with Refuge of Delayed Souls - its basically the same but different! I am ready to start posting it again soon - just trying to think of a good date to start. The encouraging emails have helped to spur me on. Thank you!

I must admit to there being a little niggle in the back of my mind that no one will want to read it again but I have my fingers crossed that someone will. LOL I am considering renaming it RoYds - what do you think?

Sir H is off crutches and nearly recovered - just building up muscle now. Unfortunately E on the other hand is using crutches following a fall from a wall whilst climbing. Although her knee cap is fractured we are thankful that her injuries were not of a more serious nature and that she is recovering well. I know we are not able to wrap our children up in cotton wool but accidents such as this are a heck of a way to learn a lesson!

Labels: Lancashire, Life, Miladysa

Posted by Miladysa at 9:17 PM 13 Comments

1. The postman arrived with a fabulous postcard from across the pond this morning. It is now sitting proudly on our mantelpiece. Thank you Melissa :)

2. The new school year has begun but where did the holidays go? We had so much fun that they seemed to pass in a tick. E - who is not a fan of school - has a male teacher for the first time this year. I have my fingers crossed that she settles down quickly and starts to find the whole school experience enjoyable and not just the lessons. A few times last year she became rather down-hearted with the playground squabbles.




























3. I few months ago Sir H arranged for our very talented son-in-law - L - a landscape gardener, to design and build a water feature for our garden. As you know, I am a difficult person on many levels (LOL) and can be most particular about design. This however was no problem at all for L who proved that he really is able to read my mind when he built exactly what I wanted. Would you believe the only brief he had was that it must not appear out of place in the Dell? Boy did he deliver!

4. Only a few of the stones used in the building of the water feature came from our garden, L recycled the majority of the stone from old buildings. The pieces which form the back part are door and window lintels. The ones at the side and front came from elsewhere. You can really feel the history and the whole thing fits wonderfully into the garden as if it has always belonged there. It is going to be a magical place to write!

5. As you can see from the above photograph the autumn has arrived here with a vengeance. Tons of leaves have fallen during the past two days and the garden is literally littered with twigs and small branches.

6. The idea of the water feature was to create a place for me to write in the garden. I have to confess that has not happened yet as I have been too busy. I am sure things will change in the coming months though and I am excited about returning to Refuge of Delayed Souls I hope to re post the revised story from the beginning some time soon.

7. I posted a review of The Witchery by the Castle on Trip Advisor together with the video that appeared in the post below. It is the first time that I have taken the time to write a hotel review but I just LOVE The Witchery so much I had to do it! I was both stunned and flattered when I received an email from Trip Advisor saying that they had tagged my video as "professionally produced in association with the hotel"! Bl@@dy Hell! I put them straight right away and can only hope that The Witchery are able to see the funny side of it.

8. This time of the year I am busy over at another blog Remembering Swifty helping friends to raise funds for a local hospice. Despite the number of charity events I have been involved with over the years I am still surprised and overwhelmed by the kindness, generosity, support and sheer hard work that my fellow human beings are capable of when it comes to a good cause.

9. The Web Fiction Guide has a new look - go check it out :) I'm looking forward to reading more online fiction now that I have a bit more time on my hands.























10. This is the view from Hanover Street in Edinburgh. My 4 x great grandfather Andrew used to have premises there and Hanover Street was where he died in 1852.

11. I have always loved Sunshine of Leith by The Proclaimers - my family connections with Leith go back so far that it is personal. I am amazed that it was only a couple of weeks ago that I stood on Hanover Street with the lyrics of that particular song blowing in the wind.

12. Sir H is doing well and would like to thank you all for all the wonderful kind words and support you have sent his way over the past few months.





















13. Mr Sparks is also feeling a lot Chirpier and very pleased that his schooldays are over for the time being at least :)

Labels: Edinburgh, Life, Miladysa

Posted by Miladysa at 3:40 PM 18 Comments