raven1

Not good news! I hope there are no further cuts. Also, I hope that you will find some more sponsors. What you do is too important to so many people. I'll send my prayer your way. As for the weather, it is much the same here today.

Hi Man! How are things in Manchester today?

Hey Drew! ❤️ Nice to see you up and about!

The Carol King song, You've Got A Friend, was a perfect song for this chapter. These guys are going to be bonded for life.

I never watch Whoops Baghdad, but loved The Benny Hill Show, Monty Python and Are You Being Served during the '70s! They were so far ahead of the curve compared to the USA. I was a bit older than you, so none of the sexual innuendo or gay characters were missed by me. BBC still has some of the best comedies ever. I have a VPN and subscribe to Britbox for all the great shows. Hey @James Carnarvon! Maybe you can sell the Ravello stories to BBC! I know I'd watch them.

A very good comment with many interesting points. I think the last two sentences explain much of Blake's behaviors in his new environment. While his cousin's family are not abusive, Blake is very aware that he is a burden to them and not a welcomed member of their family. At least they are kind enough to take him in. However, I think it makes Blake feel more like he is a charity case than a member of the family.

This brought some old memories to surface. In my early teens I and several other scouts would raise money as a group to get funds for campouts. One activity to raise money was to help farmers pick the rocks out of their fields after their first plowing. That's hard work trying to walk on plowed fields, picking up rocks sometimes as big as a volleyball and tossing them on the back of a wagon being pulled by a tractor.

There are times I wish some authors would do something like James has done here. Stories that involve many characters in a family and community like Ravello can become relevant again, but the character seems familiar yet distant in my memory.

Thanks for this James. It was interesting to read about how these characters go their names as well as what each name means.

Love the gif. George was one of my favorite characters in Seinfeld. Kramer was too, and between the two of the left Jerry chafing at the bit.

It got quiet again a few minutes ago, but the balconies are all wet, including the cushions on the chairs. At least I don't have to water the plants today or tomorrow. 😄

Very interesting! The rare visits by humans certainly sounds like those visitor left very bad impressions behind. At least Beckett is not being chased out of the town. He also is better equipped and has some money to spend. Considering the spell provided by the wizardess, the trip to Brozuche probably involves traveling a great distance with no source of water. Considering he's flying, that desert must be huge!

I definitely felt the same. However, watch your back. Wayne is very, very tricky and has so many evil twists in the plot that you might find yourself looking at your own back.

Hi @weinerdog! I'm not going to give anything away. However, I think you are really going to love this story! 😃 The genres listed on the TOC fit the story perfectly.

There were some changes in the USA before I left, but British Columbia had much better Chinese food. From what my Thai friends tell me, Australia has some great Asian food restaurants. I suppose that is the result of being closer to Asia and the immigration policies of Australia. OMG! In the time it to me to write the last two comments, the weather went from calm. cloudy but warm to torrential rain with very high wind gusts!

Hi Bucket, Sorry to hear that. Hope it is just temporary. At least the weather is headed the other direction soon in the Southern Hemisphere. I do have a suggestion. Geron's newest story is posting now. The Short, Short Prince is full of fun and magic. I'm sure it will do wonders for you disposition as it posts once a day for a month more. ❤️

Again I found something I missed the first time I read. Not only are the family pulling together as a family, they are also working at keeping the family close by making sure all will be staying very near the farm in the community. With the key positions they hold in the community, it will contribute to the safety of Aric, Ethan, Eddy, Bobby and others like them in the community. I am glad I decided to read this story once more.

Short story dedicated to Clo! ❤️ I decided to start and it just flowed out. My fascination with travel began in fourth grade when the teacher taught me about Mexico. I was enchanted. Trips with my parents were limited to the beach to dig clams, and the mountains to hike and play in the snow. I wanted more. The library became my lens on the world with its collection of National Geographic magazines. I also saw a movie The King and I on TV reruns and fell in love with Thailand. Skip ahead many decades and road trips throughout the western US and Canada to my first trip outside of my own culture. I went to Belize and Costa Rica and explored snorkeling in coral reefs, sleeping in the jungle, and climbing Mayan ruins. One year later I got a great deal on a 90 day explore Asia air ticket and flew to Hong Kong, Bali and finally to Thailand. I loved Thailand the most, and started coming here as often as I could. I finally decided about 5 years later that this would be where I would retire. It took several years of planning as well as waiting until I could take an early retirement. I was here about 3 years before I met Aod. He knew some of my friends and went out drinking with us a couple of times. He was very young, and I had not even thought about anything happening. He, however, decided he wanted me and constantly flirted with me. I thought he was joking until he let one of my best friends who is German and a few years older than me that he was serious. We dated for about a year before I asked him to move in with me. We’ve been living happily together for the last 12 years. That’s it!

Hi Clo! It's a long story, but let me think on it a while. I'll need to try to give a short summary since the first part would take many pages covering most of my life since my early years when I discovered there was a world beyond my small corner in the fourth grade. Give me a day or two to compose and short and quick version! ❤️

Good on Max! I enjoy hearing about his culinary explorations. A Chinese restaurant in the USA serves American food, not Chinese. Of course like you, it was my first exploration in 'foreign' food as a child. My parents loved a place called, get this....Hung Far Lo! I learned on my first trip to Thailand/Asia that Chinese food is quite different when I spend a few days in Hong Kong. Since coming to Thailand that has also taught me that most Thai restaurants in the USA are average. Vietnamese food in the US is very close to what you find here, especially the noodle soup restaurants. Since Max wants you to try to cook at home, I'd like to recommend this site. Pailin is an excellent cook dedicated to teaching authentic Thai cooking. She also is an interesting and entertaining lady who grew up in New York, but spent summers living with her family in Thailand. https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/

A lot of interesting and comical comments on the chapter. Thanks for the laughs. @drsawzall's sent me to the net to see an old Johnie Carson show featuring and interview with Dorf. This chapter was filled with a lot of magic and love, a great combination. Jamie's skills are rapidly advancing to the point he could do what Dorf and Thorvil could not, and gave Snave a voice. I can imagine Dorf's joy at being able to talk again with people, especially his brother. The background information about Thorvil, Dorf and the boys (from Dorf's observations) was a great addition. It does make me think @drpaladin may have been very correct on his thoughts about Thorvil.

Hi Bucket! How are you doing? I hope the cold isn't keeping you locked up in your house to stay warm. It is hard to believe the interior of Australia will get snow! Gary's right about the climate change.

Hi Albert! This looks so delicious!

Awesome recap @Anton_Cloche! I also appreciate the information, because I had forgotten some of the details. ❤️

Aod, May (his niece) and I went to dinner last night. She stayed the evening with us talking to Aod. I just woke up, so not much so far. Tonight Aod is cooking dinner for a small group of our friends. Are you planting a garden this year?