Hi Guys,

I've been really busy so not had much time lately but yesterday I finished re-editing a chapter of 'The Tessellation Saga' that I particularly like. Its called 'Boys Become  Men' and is over halfway through the book.  A quick recap to start the chapter...

Gideon, our hero, has a lot on his mind and has taken himself off to think and Jed, his best friend since childhood though still feeling guilty after being tricked into attempting to kill Gideon, follows after him as Gideon's fiancee Mayan, watches anxiously through a window.

Boys Become Men

Young Jed soon caught his friend up and the pair walked on in silence as they moved away from the hall, they crossed green and yellow fields each bursting with life, the new growth of small trees already showing promise of the great and diverse forest this would one day become.  They continued to walk until at last hot and bothered they came across the silver river they had seen from the hill and the few trees that were older than saplings.  They followed the course of the winding water and before long came to a point of land they thought they both recognised.  The river bent and spread here creating a large pool, just right for the valley children to fish and play almost exactly as they did in their own time and as children themselves they had fished for hours attempting to make sense of the world they lived in, vowing to make it better.

‘D’yer remember the time when we went off fishing on our own an’ left May at home?’  Jed asked his friend as they sat down on the soft grass, a smile playing around the corners of his tired face; sleep had eluded him for the last few nights, so much so that Lemba had spoken to Mayan about it and dearly wished she had kept a few of her sisters herbs.

‘Do You remember?’ Gideon replied with a stern look, imitating Thaddrick and the annoying way he had.

‘Ner ner ner ner ner,’ Jed sneered the schoolboy song and both boys burst into unexpected laughter, easing the tension that had been building all morning.

‘Wot am I gonna do Jed?’ Gideon asked as they relaxed on the bank.  He looked up at the cloudless blue sky and squinted against the suns glare.

‘Jus’ fink, it’s still winter at ‘ome,’ Jed replied, revelling in the warmth and knowing his friend didn’t expect an answer.

‘Hey, come swim,’ called Jonus their little friend from the previous evening as he swam up past them splashing them from the silver water.

‘Why not?’ said Jed, as he grinned at his friend and began to remove his clothing.  Before long, he was nearly naked and had thrown himself into the icy cold water.  Gideon smiled as he watched the pair splashing about and at last agreed to join them.  In his haste to undress he tried to take his leggings off over his shoes so there was no surprise when they got stuck and he was left hopping semi-naked around on the bank as he tried to extricate himself from his unruly clothing.  Finally and with much laughter coming from the water, he managed it and threw himself headlong into the cold depths to join his friend and Jonus.

A while later, exhausted, the two young men and Jonus clambered out of the river and fell onto the grass laughing.  Jonus looked at them both inquisitively.

‘Which one of you is ‘the one’?’ he asked conversationally.

‘Wot is ‘the one’, wot’s ‘e s’posed ter do?’ replied Gideon, quietly watching Jonus from beneath his lashes.

‘Thaddrick says, when he comes, we can go home once more,’ Jonus answered, his persona still that of a young boy but with a depth of character in his eyes that had not been apparent before.

‘Wot d’yer mean?’ asked Jed puzzled.

‘We’re held here, when the colony split, we came here for our safety, Thaddrick is the only one who moves around in the outside world and we wait for the one who will save us and both our worlds.’  Jonus answered, grinning once more like the child he was.

‘It’s not so bad, when Thaddrick is not here we kind of sleep,’ he added as Gideon looked on open mouthed.  ‘Actually we sleep a lot,’ he added.

‘What d’yer mean, save the worlds?’ Jed asked, looking meaningfully at Gideon.

‘Jonus…’ his mother called from the roadway, Gideon looked over at the young mother who Thaddrick had said was a child herself when she’d arrived on earth.

‘The gateway needs to be closed,’ said Jonus jumping to his feet to answer his mother’s call, ‘but Thaddrick says it has to be closed from the Arotian side as it was opened from there.  There’s a hole, like a leak, and life, the life from both our planets is seeping into the void, and slowly killing both our worlds.  Thaddrick believes there must be an area like the Bleak on Arotia too.  That’s why the Bleak keeps expanding, because the life is being sucked out.  Didn’t you know?’ said Jonas grinning, he turned toward his mother and ran to her call across the grassland waving behind him briefly as he went.

‘So that’s wot I’m supposed to do, wot I was born for, to save the world.’  Gideon began to grin insanely, ‘no,’ he corrected himself, ‘I’m supposed to save two worlds.’

Jed looked at his friend, slightly cold and still damp from their impromptu swim.  Unnoticed by Gideon his speech had begun to change just the way Jed’s own had when he had joined the army.  We’re both becoming something different, he thought and mentally shook himself.  He opened his hand and ran his finger along the old palm scar. We’re still brothers, he reminded himself fiercely.

‘Hey bro,’ he said smiling at Gideon, ‘we’ll save the worlds together jus’ like we planned when we were kids, Jed the Dark and his trusty side kick,’ he said standing up and flexing his muscles, pretending to be the hero of their childhood.  As he laughed at himself, Gideon joined in and also stood, pushing Jed out of the way and racing for the water once more screaming as he went, picking himself up and still laughing, Jed ran quickly after him.

The young men swam and played like children pulling and pushing, ducking each other under the clear water and swimming for the bottom, they played hard trying to forget who they were and that they were no longer children.

Eventually, tired of the games Jed swam lazily for the shoreline leaving Gideon floating on his back his ears covered by the cold water, floating in his own silent world with the crystal clear depths below him and the warm sun above.  There he began to think more deeply on how his life had changed, from a woodsman’s son, which was all he had ever wanted to be, to a king’s son, with a line of magicians behind him as far as he could imagine.  Magic blood, all it’s done so far is kill, he thought, thinking of the deaths of the soldiers he’d killed when Toby had raped Mayan.  If I’m supposed ter be this saviour of worlds aren’t I supposed ter think like one, shouldn’t I know what to do? he asked himself.

‘You ok Gid?’  Jed called from the riverbank as he pulled his discarded clothes toward him.

‘Yer, I’ve ‘ad enough now.’  Gideon replied as he swam slowly over to join his friend.  From the water he watched as Jed dressed, his stomach rippled with muscle and his arms bulged, he looked toned and strong all over.  Reaching the shore himself he climbed onto the grassy bank and sat drying in the sunlight subconsciously comparing himself to Jed.  He was fair and Jed was dark  and his arms were almost, if not as full as his friends, years of working in the forest had given him his father’s physique, strong and manly, he had slight blonde hairs on his chest and full thick thighs just as Jed did.

‘Jed, when did we grow up…?’ he asked, as he realised he had up until now played at being a man.  His father had always told him that being a man held responsibilities; he had thought that meant taking care of Mayan and the forest, settling down and having a family.  Pulling his trews up over his legs and under his rear and with his shirt loose he sat looking toward the water his elbows on his knees and his toes entwined in the lush green grass.

‘Jed, from a tactical point of view, as a soldier, wot should we do…, wot should I do?’ he added quietly, a silver fish jumped up out of the water to catch a long legged fly as it attempted to lay eggs below the surface film.  The sun caught the fish reflecting the silver scales and lighting it up for a brief moment before it fell back into the cold water with a gentle splash.

Jed sat down beside him. ‘The question was right first time bro, what are we gonna do?’ he said as once more Gideon lay back on the grass and stared at the sky, soft willowy white clouds were forming as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.  Jed lay beside him; he could feel the worry emanating from his friend and he knew he had added to that worry, he had caused his best friend, his brother, pain and with his heart heavy with guilt and sorrow he also closed his eyes.

As Gideon slept his head swirled with emotion and his heart felt heavy, no, it isn’t me heart it’s me chest and the amulet, he thought as his dreams continued.  He saw himself struggling in the water; the weight of the pendant dragging him under, the world began to turn black as he struggled to breath, deeper and deeper he dropped into the murky depths.  Strange creatures swam toward him with evil in their eyes and soft cold tentacles brushed against his skin.  He could not feel the fleshy arms as they stroked and caressed his body but the stinging pain they left behind made him open his mouth to the viscous fluid he was sinking into.  The thick, sticky water flowed into his lungs and the creatures backed off just watching as he struggled, they seemed to be waiting for him to die, no they waited for his soul.  Struggling against the weight of the amulet, he knew he was indeed dying.

Suddenly the weight lessened, and the world began to turn bright once more.  He could no longer feel the pain from the stings and the pain in his body also began to fade, he felt the water turn from sticky, thick claws pulling him down ever deeper, to light silky caressing fingers easing his hurts and soothing his mind.  In his dream, he thought he was dead.  Me journey is beginning…, he mused as the silky water left his body and the amulet around his neck stopped pulling him under.

A tinkling laugh interrupted his thoughts.

‘My journey…not ‘me’ journey,’ Gideon opened his eyes and realised he had slipped into the ether, he looked on the girl he had seen once before as she held his hand lovingly.  She was wearing the same clothes she had worn previously, white and blue robes that seemed to float as she moved, her golden hair long and thick, the colour of Gideon’s own and eyes, also as blue as his own smiled back at him.

‘Even bein’ dead don’t stop folk from correctin’, sorry, correcting me,’ he grinned at her.

‘Gideon, you are not dead, you are sleeping, look,’ she smiled as Gideon continued to stare at her.  ‘Look,’ she said again, turning his face with her pale cool hand.

‘Should I know you?’ Gideon asked.

Again the girl smiled and pointed, Gideon sighed and turned his head in the direction she indicated.  He could see himself and Jed fast asleep on the green grass with the silver river rushing by.

‘Jed looks uncomfortable,’ Gideon said as he watched his friend tossing and turning his brow creased in worry.

‘Jed does not sleep well anymore,’ the girl replied, adding, ‘would you like to see his dreams…?’ Gideon looked up at the girl as she smiled at him; he had never seen such love and depth of feeling in another person’s eyes before.

‘Who are you?’ he asked.

‘Look Gideon,’ she said again.  Gideon tore his eyes away from the deep blue pools and looked around.  The scene before him had changed, he could still see himself and Jed, only, his body was now being held on the ground against the bole of a large tree, blood was pouring from a wound in his neck and running like a river flowing away fast and deep for as far as Gideon could see.  In the river were people, people from his village, they were all staring at Jed begging him to save them, they were drowning under the weight of golden chains.

‘So much blood,’ Gideon whispered.

‘Watch,’ the girl replied as Jed wielded the knife, his face full of conflict.

‘I love yer Gideon,’ he was saying as he pushed the knife to bite deeper into Gideon’s neck.  A second figure of Jed appeared and knelt in the blood before the first, it seemed to be pleading with the one holding the knife.  Gideon could see the mouth open and close but no sound came forth, tears of rage and pain mingled with sorrow and regret poured from the face of the pleading figure, the tears coursed down his cheeks, silver rivers running fast and furiously as they joined and mingled with the river of deep red blood.  The people began to disappear into the blood red water.

‘Jed loves you, and hates himself deeply; he wants to help his family too but does not know how.  Help him Gideon, as only you can.’

‘How?’ Gideon asked, his heart reaching out to the clearly distraught figure below him.  ‘You do not need me to tell you my son,’ the girl said as she released his hand.  Without hesitation, Gideon stepped into his friends dream and kneeling in the blood that pooled around him, Gideon took his friend into his arms.

‘Speak to me Jed’, he said as the figure continued to plead silently as if it couldn’t see Gideon beside him, couldn’t hear his words.  ‘Lady...,’ Gideon called feeling helpless.

‘You do know the way Gideon, look into your heart,’ he heard her say, into my heart... my heart, I carry me ma’s pendant against my heart, Gideon thought.  Suddenly a vision of the bloodstone, the deep red bloodstone he had given Jed on the night of his eighteenth birthday so long ago sprung into his mind.  He pulled open the sobbing figures shirt.

‘This was for love and protection Jed,’ he said, as he held the bloodstone in his hand, tears formed behind his eyes and his voice choked with emotion as his friend sobbed silently, his body shaking with the pain and depth of the emotion.  ‘I gave this ter yer because I love yer, you could not, would not hurt me as I would not hurt you.  We are brothers, we’ll help the villagers too Jed, we’ll find a way, I promise,’ he vowed, as the tears fell unashamedly from his eyes.

The silently pleading figure of Jed seemed not to have heard, he continued to beg the form of himself holding the knife against Gideon’s neck.  Gideon felt as ineffective with the weeping, pleading Jed as he imagined the figure felt, as he pleaded with himself.

‘Please Jed,’ Gideon wept.  ‘You are more than a brother to me, you are part of my soul and together we can do anything, I love you...’ he said, not noticing his speech had altered once again. The weeping figure suddenly turned slightly in Gideon’s arms and he spoke slowly.

‘I love you too Gid, but I’m still not going to kiss yer.’ Gideon grinned slowly through his tears at his friend.

‘I hope not, I’d rather have Mayan kiss me, if there are any kisses going that is,’ he said, his voice trembling with feeling.  Jed held his friends hand tightly.

‘I am so so sorry Gideon, please, please forgive me,’ he sobbed as the tears continued to fall.

‘Brother, there’s nothing ter forgive, my life is your life, my blood your blood.’  Gideon said and swallowed, desperately trying to rid himself of the hard lump in his throat, he had not realised how hard his friend was punishing himself.

The figures beside the tree and the people in the red water slowly began to fade, finally they disappeared, the river of blood and tears changed into a river of flowers, light and sweet smelling amongst the green, green grass.

‘Sleep well now my friend,’ said Gideon as he gently pushed his friend into a more comfortable position amongst the flowers and watched as he drifted off again, this time to a deep and healing sleep.

‘Gideon,’ the lady called, Gideon smiled at the lady who was once more beside him.  ‘You truly are my son,’ she said.

‘Am I ‘the one?’’ Gideon asked quietly as she took his hand once more, the movement causing her amulet to move and twinkle in the bright light that seemed to surround them both.

‘The way will be hard for you Gideon, but Jed will be with you, I also will be with you, for as long as I can be,’ she answered as she kissed his brow and slowly began to fade, as she did so, Gideon too fell into a dreamless sleep.

The sun had begun to lower in the sky when Gideon opened his eyes again; Jed was still beside him watching the silver water as it played and ran.

‘Wherever you go Gid, I will go,’ he said, without looking at his friend.

‘It would make me proud to have yer beside me.’  Gideon replied with emotion, not realising his speech was almost correct.  In his mind, he could see the lady, his mother, smiling.  Understanding between the two men at last complete, Gideon stood and offered his hand to his friend.

‘C’mon Jed, let’s get back, the others will be worrying,’ he said.  Jed placed his hand in Gideon’s as he allowed himself to be pulled to his feet and together they walked back toward the low white halls in the distance.

They had gone to swim as children and they returned as men.

                                                              .-.-.-

Well, what do you think? I hope you like it, its one of my favourite chapters. I'll write again soon...

Oh and thanks for the emails. 

xxx :)

A Trifle Stretched!

Hi Folks,

As usual its my second day off and I was wondering what to do with my time, apart from the usual chores etc...

So, for today's disaster...
I finished the washing, where I managed to stretch a jumper... (the pink one is the right size!)

It'll be good as a Sloppy Joe jumper now so not such a catastrophe, but will hubby ever wear it again? Especially if I wear it in and give it boobs! lol  To be honest it was my first and only attempt at knitting and although pleased with the result it took for ever to finish, so no, I'll not be picking up knitting needles again.

Also,
I've replied to an email from an author called Tim Davis whose book 'Sea Cutter' I finished yesterday. I really enjoyed it and it took me way back to a child again enjoying my first adventure story. I really recommend it if you have kids who need a little help in 'wanting' to read. This book will keep kids involved at the right level until the last page and have them wanting to go to the library/book shop for number 2.

http://www.amazon.com/Sea-Cutter-Chronicles-Nathaniel-Childe/dp/0615719015/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363774257&sr=8-1&keywords=sea+cutter

I've also been whiling away my time searching around different blogs and found some amazing images on a blog called Earth Blog... take this one,

Apparently its the Orian Nebula. How beautiful is that? 

This one is the Aurora over Norway! I've never been but I'd love to see it for real.




The Earth is rather a small place and on that note, I've a story for you...

Last December my son and his lovely lady married in Antigua. (not that that's funny lol) Anyway, most of the family went and had a ball, its a great place. On the Sunday before we came home we went to a place called Shirleys Heights. The top of a mountain that used to be a guard point covering the open sea. Now its become a local tourist attraction, not just for the amazing views but for the Caribbean oil drum music that is played into the wee small hours. The place gets very noisy and packed with holiday makers and Local people all enjoying the wonderful ambiance.
Being a tourist I panned my camera around videoing everything and stopped short almost dropping the camera to be trampled by the dancing hoards...  In my view finder was a face I knew! Believe it or not a couple I work alongside occasionally were there too. 2.5 thousand miles from home and I bump into work colleagues. Kind of makes your 'own doorstep' pretty small don't you think?

Us going into the sea in all our finery! (and my Phase Eight dress survived to live another day!)

I kind of like this one too, I told my son 'he was lucky I didn't lick the tissue'! lol

Anyway, 'Tempus Fugit' and all that, need to go shoppping...

The Attic

Hello Folks!

As always I've really enjoyed my time off. Yesterday I spent as usual doing chores and shopping. This morning I spent typing (still re-editing The Tessellation Saga,) and playing with my grandsons. This afternoon I crawled into the attic space in our house ostensibly to look for a paticular bag containing some speakers.  Little did I know I would find a treasure trove just full of memories, some made me smile, one or two made me weep and a few made me think,  why on earth would I have kept that? Apart from the fact that I once had an attic clear out and threw away a whole box of old T-Shirts. How was I supposed to know there were fifty years of Chelsea Shirts stored in the box. I'm telling you my husband nearly divorced me, he'd spent his life collecting them.  Every single Chelsea shirt for the last 50 years... and I took them to the charity shop! He didn't speak to me for a week. At least his Roy Of The Rovers collection is still intact... lol

Anyway, my house was built so long ago it had gas lighting at one time and the attic is full  of pipes of varying colours and uses from old gas pipes  to rusty water ones leading to old metal tanks full of old newspapers. In fact the upper floor in my house still has three inch pipes sticking out from the ceiling where once gas flowed to lights! I've always left them in as I think they are quirky, I do remember though at one time my girls used the one in their room to hang a mobile from. It was pop related if I remember correctly, you know, each picture a different pop star and all twisting and turning in the, ( I'd like to say breeze but I would mean draft!). If you look at the pic you can just see the gas pipe!






I've always loved attics, apart from being dusty, full of sticky cobwebs and always cold, one always finds bags and boxes that you once stored thinking, I might find a use for that one day. Why I would think I might ever find a use for an old fashioned straw hat with a dull gold band of tinsel encircling it, a pair of skates, or my eldest sons set of Sabbuteo bits ranging from the rolled up pitch to a set of stands complete with lights I don't know. Even my husbands no.1 RAF Regiment uniform and his hat which is still in its box! (I wonder if it would still fit? I always liked a man in uniform... lol)

The Purple People Eater!

I also found my middle daughters purple monster that she absolutely adored and slept with for almost ever. The monster I couldn't avoid as it seems to have been perched between the rafters surveying its territory!







Anyway, I didn't find the speakers but did find my younger sons numerous stamp albums, and his set of Mighty Max figures and the Mighty Max tower. I found the walking doll my youngest pushed around in a pram, I found the pram too! I also found some old Scout uniforms belonging to my hubby and I from way back.  He was a leader for years and I, for my sins enjoyed being one of his assistants. It was great fun and something I would recommend to any youngster venturing out into the big wide world, I know its changed a lot since we were leaders but the values, I believe are still the same.

What made me weep? well, I found some old pictures of my eldest and I sitting on the grass in our garden, she was about 30 months and she had just eaten a worm. In her hand she was holding its other half. I wept with laughter, remembering the panic I felt as she smiled proudly. Well, shes still here and has babies of her own so maybe the worm was good for her... Immunities and all that lol!

Got to go, speak soon. xxx

Scary dark hole in the ceiling leading to untold treasure!

Tessellation Saga excerpt!

Hi, I posted this once before but my eldest suggests I do it again as it was before she sorted out my messy blog problem, have a read. I hope you enjoy the excerpt from Tessellation Saga.
I chose an excerpt from Chapter 5, its the chapter in which our hero, Gideon is born. I chose it because although not the first chapter in the book it is the first one I actually wrote.


The Storm and the Beginning

Away on the other side of the forest, a coach rocked heavily from side to side as it raced along one of the forest tracks. One of the last of the winter storms trying to turn back the spring raged manically all around it, the driving rain stinging the eyes of the horses despite their weather covers.
‘This is a filthy night and so cold… more like its still winter, we should never have been given this job… ‘e should ave got someone else,’ shouted the driver to his attendant over the rumble of thunder.
‘Who’s the mark anyway, an’ what’s she done that soldiers want’ ‘er?’ the attendant replied also shouting, as the driving wind tore off his rain soaked hat. ‘Journey’s sake!’ he cursed as he turned to follow its progress as it tumbled and flew far behind them, the wind now whipped through his unrestrained hair and thoughts of his lost hat paled into insignificance as the view behind them made his blood freeze.
‘We should slow down,’ shouted the driver.
‘You tell them that then,’ the attendant replied in a panic as he pointed to riders following in the wake of the coach, catching up fast despite the storm. ‘By the Journey, ‘ow the ‘eck did they find us?’ he added as a wheel jammed in a rut in the muddy ground, causing the coach to jump into the air before crashing back with a lurch. Lightning arced across the night sky lighting the track with instant daylight for a second. The attendant, thrown into the air with the coach frantically struggled to regain his fragile hold on the unstable vehicle.
‘Much more of this and we’ll all be stopping fer good, no money is worth this, they can take ‘er!’ the driver hollered in the direction of his partner as he offered a steadying hand. A crossbow bolt thudded into the back of the coach, swiftly followed by a second, narrowly missing the driver’s hand and he suddenly realised they would probably both be dead men very soon.
‘Move damn yer!’ he shouted at the horses, ‘move or we’re all dead.’
The riders following hard were intent on catching up and the frightened driver urged his horses on, trying desperately to get them to move faster, the coach pitched violently, once more unseating the attendant as he clung on to its side.
“E said as how we were ter keep her safe, ter get her ter…,’ the driver didn’t get to finish or if he did, his voice was lost as simultaneously lightning flashed across the night sky and thunder cracked eardrums leaving the party of travellers temporarily deafened. As the gap between the riders and dangerously rocking coach closed, the driver began to pray, still the gap narrowed. The forward rider came closer, forcing his beleaguered horse onward; suddenly he was up against the side of the speeding vehicle. The attendant carefully reached across and attempted to push him back with a spare bullwhip kept atop the careering carriage.
The beautifully braided twelve-inch leather handle was now slippery in the intense cold and rain and cracking the twenty-foot lash was almost impossible. Coupled with his own unsteady gait and the closeness of the pursuing rider, the handle proved as ineffective as the leather lash and the twenty-inch fall, the single piece of leather attached to the end of the lash and usually most effective when used to cut or strike a target. Now it lay uselessly coiled atop the moving boxes and in frustration, the attendant threw the whip aside, his bowels turned to water as he watched the pursuing rider’s attempt to leap the short distance between his horse and the carriage. Almost in slow motion, the wind picked up the abandoned whip and flung out its thong, the leather handle wedged sharply under a box of luggage and the lash itself wrapped around the body of the man as he readied to jump, it curled and struck his horse in the face, the long wet fall biting deeply across its muzzle. The rider went down alongside the coach as his animal shied with intense pain. Unsteadied, the soldier immediately grabbed out at the wet rope like whip, catching hold and attempting to secure himself as it untangled from his body and flew like a tail behind them. The attendant saw the man’s hands slipping and a look of horror cross his face as he disappeared beneath the coach and once more, the vehicle jumped, he wondered if the cause was yet another rut in the road or the soldier falling beneath the fast moving carriage wheels.
Time returned to normal as the body of the soldier appeared from behind the coach, dragged along by the whip that had again entangled about him. The attendant felt sick as he saw spurts of what looked in the darkness like black blood, mingling with the mud and rain, the soldier remained silent as his body tumbled and twisted behind the coach like an unsteady rudder on a boat at sea.
Almost imperceptibly, the drag caused by the soldier’s body began to slow the carriage down causing the driver to scream again at his frightened horses. In frenzy, the attendant realising what had happened tried to release the handle of the whip from where it had caught, box after bag he threw from the coach top as he dug for the pinioned handle, the pursuers avoiding the missiles with ease in their pursuit of the carriage. As he finally wrenched the handle free, the whip flew from his hands through the rain and disappeared beneath the muddy water in the roadway, the soldier’s broken body slowed and stopped, now little more than a hump in the road as the carriage took off once more with added momentum.
‘Slow and we’re dead!’ screamed the attendant as he watched the remaining soldiers also slow and gather around their fallen comrade, ‘they’ve stopped to see ter their mate..., move,’ he added, unsure if the driver had heard his screams as even shouted conversation now became inaudible. The terrain became rougher as the volume of water and slush increased, the wheels jarred and shuddered as they continued their breakneck speed pulled by the soaked, terrified and exhausted horses.
Ahead of the racing team, near a bend in the track, lightning struck again close to the route they were following, an old tree suddenly lit up and its silhouette showed in high relief for an instant as it sheared off near the base of its trunk. The tree fell across the track only to immediately disappear beneath the water that had gathered in the sludge. No trace of the trees once great bole was visible above the water line as it settled deeply into the mud and the small fire at the point of the lightning’s strike had no chance to gain hold, so quickly died out as the rain continued to pour down in torrents.
The carriage rushed on toward its fate.
The wind howled as the first of the horses caught the hidden trunk sunk deep in the mire. It stumbled and pulled its pair down slightly before they both managed to scramble over the obstacle but the damage was already done. The second set of horses caught the unfamiliar downward pull of the first pair, frightened and tired they too jumped, almost landing on the backs of the lead pair, then they too went down. Amongst the thunder and lightning, the driving rain and the mud, the horses screamed as they tried to raise their broken bodies. The exposed wheels of the carriage smacked hard into the submerged log causing the whole carriage to spin and topple trapping the coachman beneath it. Lines snapped as the body of the attendant flew, thrown high into the air by the forward momentum of the carriage, his head hit a tree and he fell unconscious, landing precariously balanced between two branches high above the scene of carnage below. The driver with his ankle broken by the weight of the carriage lay helpless in the freezing cold mud, he was trapped and unable to pull his leg free as the rain beat down and their pursuers made up time behind them.
Inside the carriage, a heavily pregnant young girl held her extended belly, she was bruised, battered and sore but her relief at the movement inside her belly caused her to smile.
‘They won’t have you, he won’t have you little one,’ she said, ‘I’ll protect you.’ Pushing hard at the door of the carriage, she grabbed her bag and heaved her large swollen body out into the cold, rain soaked night only to find amidst the screaming horses, the mud and the rain, the driver, still trying through his pain to free his ankle. In flash of lightning, he saw her watching him, indecision on her face, finally, she shouted above the storm.
‘Let me help you...’ she called as she waded uncomfortably toward him.
‘No, no my lady, go, run now, they’re coming for yer,’ he replied between gasps of pain. “Sides, I would have let ‘em take yous,’ he added harshly.
‘I can’t leave you… I won’t leave you...’ She replied, as despite her size she tried to pull the offending ankle free. The driver’s scream rivalled that of the horses as the weight of the coach shifted, settling deeper in the mud and as it rocked, the ankle suddenly shot free revealing the open fracture and the blood mingling with the mud and rain. The girl landed in the mire, now as filthy and wet as the driver himself. ‘Come on... please try…,’ she shouted through the rain lashing against her face and stinging her eyes as she tried to pull him to his feet. He struggled to stand, his entire weight resting on one foot. Slowly both he and the girl crossed through the still screaming horses to the side of the track where she tore a length off her underskirt to staunch the bleeding and cover the fracture, the bone, white and jagged as it pushed unnaturally through the skin. With the ankle bound, she again helped him to his feet and they took off into the woods, fear for their lives taking the edge off any pain and without thought for their tracks, as evidence of their passing became quickly obliterated by the rain. Deeper and deeper they went through the trees but above the sound of the unprecedented violent storm, they could now hear the muted sounds of their pursuers searching for them at the site of the crash.

It's by yours truly, DJRidgway and called 'the tessellation saga' available on Amazon for kindle.

Testing Testing 1,2,3

Fingers crossed........ x

Mess Up!

Ok folks,

so the mystery is now clear, the mystery itself being, how I could write blogs and have them disappear!!!
duh duh, I was writing on two different pages. (I did say I was a bit of a technophobe)

Anyhoo, my eldest has been around and sorted it all out, I hasten to add I'm to do nothing other than write, no clicking on, pushing buttons, or anything else on pain of death. All I had to do was amuse the children whilst she worked on my pc, Albert was quite happy playing with a pair of overlarge glasses and Hendry is more than happy destroying the baddies via 'Starwars' on my kindle!!  Just love the kindle, when he gets fed up with that he can play somehing else or even read a book! Yesterday he took home a very tiny copy of 'A Christmas Carole' by Dickens. This morning he tells me its all about three ghosts, one of which is a lady!

Thursday 7th March

Hello me,

Two days off and all plans go astray... the dishwasher engineer is due so the morning spent shopping will be postponed. Not really a hardship as I've spent the entire morning so far in bed reading and chatting via the mobile to my eldest. Chores however, are still begging to be done so Ive decided to do them first, then a repair man is due, so after that I'll reward myself with a few hours of typing and working on Tessellation.

Before even that though,  I thought I'd share that I've found a release for my passion for pictures. I'm always clicking away randomly on my camera or my mobile, ask my kids, I have more than a few pictures of them with their hands over their faces because I've taken too many! Anyhoo... Instagram. its great I can take and publish my weird and wonderful pics and see other peoples too!  I'm 'knownasdede' on it, check me out!!

Obviously if I knew how to upload to here from my mobile I would and yes I know there are buttons here to help, but hey its me we're talking about! These I've pulled from my pc, a bit random I know but I love the colours!

Gotta go theres a knock on the door and so my day begins...

Soon!

:)

Friday 1st March

Hello again me,

So the four day shift went well though the earlies are a killer... but along with the earlies come the opportunity to attend a Zumba class with Alex Henry. Now that is an awesome. Love the music, the ambience and the 'hot and sweaty' feeling at the end of the workout that lets me know I have worked out and yet still feel invigorated. Check him out on Google, Alex Henry, Zumba Zcom. (of course as I assume Im still speaking to myself I'll accept the tiny voices in my head telling me I'm not only preaching to myself but I'm already a convert! ((madness creeping in))) lol WHO SAID THAT!

Now begins a two day off spell which I've been looking forward to no end as I can spend my day doing chores and washing my car, before tomorrow is spent typing and reading. Though I must confess I can't spend another entire day in bed reading, as I did last week much as I'd like too and I've just finished 'The Great Convergence' by JRLallo, which is the second book in the series I began and finished last Sunday. The Great Convergence I have to say was as good as the first book and I'll tweet the author later to let him know I enjoyed it as much as the first. On a similar note, another colleague at work has told me he also had a problem leaving a review on Amazon for 'The Tessellation Saga', my own small offering. I don't know why there is a snag for reviews but it seems there is. Sort it out Amazon please.

My daughter has suggested I put an excerpt from Tessellation Saga into this blog so I chose an excerpt from Chapter 5, its the chapter in which our hero, Gideon is born. I chose it because although not the first chapter in the book it is the first one I actually wrote.

The Storm and the Beginning

Away on the other side of the forest, a coach rocked heavily from side to side as it raced along one of the forest tracks. One of the last of the winter storms trying to turn back the spring raged manically all around it, the driving rain stinging the eyes of the horses despite their weather covers.

‘This is a filthy night and so cold… more like its still winter, we should never have been given this job… ‘e should ave got someone else,’ shouted the driver to his attendant over the rumble of thunder.

‘Who’s the mark anyway, an’ what’s she done that soldiers want’ ‘er?’ the attendant replied also shouting, as the driving wind tore off his rain soaked hat.  ‘Journey’s sake!’ he cursed as he turned to follow its progress as it tumbled and flew far behind them, the wind now whipped through his unrestrained hair and thoughts of his lost hat paled into insignificance as the view behind them made his blood freeze.

‘We should slow down,’ shouted the driver.

‘You tell them that then,’ the attendant replied in a panic as he pointed to riders following in the wake of the coach, catching up fast despite the storm.  ‘By the Journey, ‘ow the ‘eck did they find us?’ he added as a wheel jammed in a rut in the muddy ground, causing the coach to jump into the air before crashing back with a lurch.  Lightning arced across the night sky lighting the track with instant daylight for a second.  The attendant, thrown into the air with the coach frantically struggled to regain his fragile hold on the unstable vehicle.

‘Much more of this and we’ll all be stopping fer good, no money is worth this, they can take ‘er!’ the driver hollered in the direction of his partner as he offered a steadying hand.  A crossbow bolt thudded into the back of the coach, swiftly followed by a second, narrowly missing the driver’s hand and he suddenly realised they would probably both be dead men very soon.

‘Move damn yer!’ he shouted at the horses, ‘move or we’re all dead.’

The riders following hard were intent on catching up and the frightened driver urged his horses on, trying desperately to get them to move faster, the coach pitched violently, once more unseating the attendant as he clung on to its side.

“E said as how we were ter keep her safe, ter get her ter…,’ the driver didn’t get to finish or if he did, his voice was lost as simultaneously lightning flashed across the night sky and thunder cracked eardrums leaving the party of travellers temporarily deafened.  As the gap between the riders and dangerously rocking coach closed, the driver began to pray, still the gap narrowed.  The forward rider came closer, forcing his beleaguered horse onward; suddenly he was up against the side of the speeding vehicle.  The attendant carefully reached across and attempted to push him back with a spare bullwhip kept atop the careering carriage.

The beautifully braided twelve-inch leather handle was now slippery in the intense cold and rain and cracking the twenty-foot lash was almost impossible.  Coupled with his own unsteady gait and the closeness of the pursuing rider, the handle proved as ineffective as the leather lash and the twenty-inch fall, the single piece of leather attached to the end of the lash and usually most effective when used to cut or strike a target.  Now it lay uselessly coiled atop the moving boxes and in frustration, the attendant threw the whip aside, his bowels turned to water as he watched the pursuing rider’s attempt to leap the short distance between his horse and the carriage.  Almost in slow motion, the wind picked up the abandoned whip and flung out its thong, the leather handle wedged sharply under a box of luggage and the lash itself wrapped around the body of the man as he readied to jump, it curled and struck his horse in the face, the long wet fall biting deeply across its muzzle.  The rider went down alongside the coach as his animal shied with intense pain.  Unsteadied, the soldier immediately grabbed out at the wet rope like whip, catching hold and attempting to secure himself as it untangled from his body and flew like a tail behind them.  The attendant saw the man’s hands slipping and a look of horror cross his face as he disappeared beneath the coach and once more, the vehicle jumped, he wondered if the cause was yet another rut in the road or the soldier falling beneath the fast moving carriage wheels.

Time returned to normal as the body of the soldier appeared from behind the coach, dragged along by the whip that had again entangled about him.  The attendant felt sick as he saw spurts of what looked in the darkness like black blood, mingling with the mud and rain, the soldier remained silent as his body tumbled and twisted behind the coach like an unsteady rudder on a boat at sea.

Almost imperceptibly, the drag caused by the soldier’s body began to slow the carriage down causing the driver to scream again at his frightened horses.  In frenzy, the attendant realising what had happened tried to release the handle of the whip from where it had caught, box after bag he threw from the coach top as he dug for the pinioned handle, the pursuers avoiding the missiles with ease in their pursuit of the carriage.  As he finally wrenched the handle free, the whip flew from his hands through the rain and disappeared beneath the muddy water in the roadway, the soldier’s broken body slowed and stopped, now little more than a hump in the road as the carriage took off once more with added momentum.

‘Slow and we’re dead!’ screamed the attendant as he watched the remaining soldiers also slow and gather around their fallen comrade, ‘they’ve stopped to see ter their mate..., move,’ he added, unsure if the driver had heard his screams as even shouted conversation now became inaudible.  The terrain became rougher as the volume of water and slush increased, the wheels jarred and shuddered as they continued their breakneck speed pulled by the soaked, terrified and exhausted horses.

Ahead of the racing team, near a bend in the track, lightning struck again close to the route they were following, an old tree suddenly lit up and its silhouette showed in high relief for an instant as it sheared off near the base of its trunk.  The tree fell across the track only to immediately disappear beneath the water that had gathered in the sludge.  No trace of the trees once great bole was visible above the water line as it settled deeply into the mud and the small fire at the point of the lightning’s strike had no chance to gain hold, so quickly died out as the rain continued to pour down in torrents.

The carriage rushed on toward its fate.

The wind howled as the first of the horses caught the hidden trunk sunk deep in the mire.  It stumbled and pulled its pair down slightly before they both managed to scramble over the obstacle but the damage was already done.  The second set of horses caught the unfamiliar downward pull of the first pair, frightened and tired they too jumped, almost landing on the backs of the lead pair, then they too went down.  Amongst the thunder and lightning, the driving rain and the mud, the horses screamed as they tried to raise their broken bodies.  The exposed wheels of the carriage smacked hard into the submerged log causing the whole carriage to spin and topple trapping the coachman beneath it.  Lines snapped as the body of the attendant flew, thrown high into the air by the forward momentum of the carriage, his head hit a tree and he fell unconscious, landing precariously balanced between two branches high above the scene of carnage below.  The driver with his ankle broken by the weight of the carriage lay helpless in the freezing cold mud, he was trapped and unable to pull his leg free as the rain beat down and their pursuers made up time behind them.

Inside the carriage, a heavily pregnant young girl held her extended belly, she was bruised, battered and sore but her relief at the movement inside her belly caused her to smile.

‘They won’t have you, he won’t have you little one,’ she said, ‘I’ll protect you.’  Pushing hard at the door of the carriage, she grabbed her bag and heaved her large swollen body out into the cold, rain soaked night only to find amidst the screaming horses, the mud and the rain, the driver, still trying through his pain to free his ankle.  In flash of lightning, he saw her watching him, indecision on her face, finally, she shouted above the storm.

‘Let me help you...’ she called as she waded uncomfortably toward him.

‘No, no my lady, go, run now, they’re coming for yer,’ he replied between gasps of pain. “Sides, I would have let ‘em take yous,’ he added harshly.

‘I can’t leave you… I won’t leave you...’  She replied, as despite her size she tried to pull the offending ankle free.  The driver’s scream rivalled that of the horses as the weight of the coach shifted, settling deeper in the mud and as it rocked, the ankle suddenly shot free revealing the open fracture and the blood mingling with the mud and rain.  The girl landed in the mire, now as filthy and wet as the driver himself.  ‘Come on... please try…,’ she shouted through the rain lashing against her face and stinging her eyes as she tried to pull him to his feet.  He struggled to stand, his entire weight resting on one foot.  Slowly both he and the girl crossed through the still screaming horses to the side of the track where she tore a length off her underskirt to staunch the bleeding and cover the fracture, the bone, white and jagged as it pushed unnaturally through the skin.  With the ankle bound, she again helped him to his feet and they took off into the woods, fear for their lives taking the edge off any pain and without thought for their tracks, as evidence of their passing became quickly obliterated by the rain.  Deeper and deeper they went through the trees but above the sound of the unprecedented violent storm, they could now hear the muted sounds of their pursuers searching for them at the site of the crash.

Hope you like it. Like I said its part of 'The Tessellation Saga' by me, DJRidgway.


Lastly,  just seen a fantastic picture by Reg Saddler, its of Red Beach, in Rio De Janeiro, its a very clever picture and well worth a view. If I knew how to link it to here I would! My niece Sylv,  would love it, as unlike me, always has a camera on her. Her blog is called, 'my fabric heart' and is great but again, unlike me she knows how to add pictures and links without getting the book for dummies off the shelf!

Chores are calling, I have a date with a mop!

Monday Morning (25th February)

Dear Diary,

How's things?  its Monday morning and today I'm back at work for the start of a four day shift, not that I'm complainng as if it wasn't Monday yesterday wouldn't have been Sunday.

And yesterday I had a Fantastic Day, I woke early, brushed my teeth, had a cuppa and then snuggled back in bed with my kindle and began to read. I had already downloaded 'The Book of Deacon' by Joseph R. Lallo and began it a few days ago but not really had time to give it a real go. I stayed in my bed all day with the world passing me by. Me my kindle and occassionally one or other of the cats. I got up only for the bathroom and to eat a really nice Sunday roast at the dining table in my P.J's. before returning to bed with another cuppa.  I enjoyed the book so much I downloaded the second in the series straight away. 'The Great Convergence!'

By  evening I must own I was feeling a little guilty as I'd done nothing with 'The Tessellation Saga' (my book) and was more than a little tired but having spent the entire day in bed I thought perhaps it would be prudent to spend just a little time with the other members of the family,  so I donned a dressing gown and went downstairs.

Yes the house was just as I'd left it after washing up after dinner. (bloomin' dishwasher on the blink!)  Family in front of TV. Fire blazing away in the hearth.

On the Tv 'Call the Midwife' was on. Its a series based on the memoires of a late 1950's midwife in London. A brilliantly written program that I'm glad I got up to watch.

After my Oh so gruelling' day and seeing the hardships and ofttimes poverty that families in those days had to live through made me glad my children were born long after then and gave me a newfound respect for my late parents who brought my siblings and I into the world not long after that time.

So back to this morning, I have made myself get up early and leave the kindle beside the bed. The Great Convergence will have to wait until I get home from work, so thats about 23:00 and from now until I have to get ready for work myself, (still in P.J's though clean ones, I hasten to add) The Tessellation Saga will have some of my attention. The Great Convergence can wait.

Just a thought, a wish really, Tessellation is enjoyed only half as much as I enjoyed Book of Deacon, I would be extremly happy!

If I knew how to post a link to my book, here would probably be a good place but its available on Amazon for kindle. The Tessellation Saga, by yours truly, D.J.Ridgway.  If you fancy a read, hopefully a good one,  so, Ta Muchly!   see you soon.

PS. I'm dead impressed I managed to post the Picture,  I'll be copying and pasting in no time! lol

Speak soon! :)

Book for Dummies (me)

Ok me, you have proved yourself a dimwit yet again!
How come my last two posts do not show here? So confused.com perhaps I need the book for dummies off the shelf after all! Mwah!