Page Scrawler

My latest work-in-progress: Arthur, a young man from London, is discharged from the British Armed Services, having been deemed "generally unfit and lacking the necessary vigor for basic training." Fed up with his father's chronic criticisms and disappointment, Arthur answers an advertisement for a mail courier service, making his own path to the Scottish islands of Hebrides. Once there, Arthur meets Lachlan, the young pilot responsible for delivering letters and parcels across the islands. Lachlan is a bright soul with wild energy and even wilder hair---but he's also hampered and harried by the enormous burden left on his shoulders after the sudden death of his mentor. The moods of Arthur's new supervisor are as ever-changing as the weather, but he is ready and willing to meet the challenge. As the two young men work together, pilot and navigator, they forge connections with the residents of the Hebridean archipelago, and with each other. Before long, Arthur believes he may have found a home---and possibly more---in the cottage he shares with Lachlan. There may or may not be an external threat in the form of German U-boats. I'm still deciding what form I want the conflict to have.

It's meatloaf for us, with mac and cheese and a salad on the side.

You just proved Spikey's point about the perviness. That's all your own doing. Sorry, Clo, but the truth hurts.

Awww, what a cutie! And he has good taste in room decor.

I've seen the trailer.

In the UK, there are several electrical power plants which were built to handle the extra load when everyone turns on their tea kettles. Engineers at the power plants study TV guides to ascertain when they should activate the generators, so the power grid doesn't descend into cascade failure. In the USA, the only phenomenon that might come close is the use of HVAC (indoor climate-control) systems during the summer and winter, but our power grid already has those factors accounted for.

@dughlas I saw this clip of Mason Ramsey, and I can't believe he's so tall now. Reminded me that Max is turning 13 in just eight weeks.

I have standards to uphold.

Isn't the meat, ummm, stringy?

Some more cute young chefs starting on their journeys.

Jamie Oliver's son, Buddy, cooks a few eggs, including an ostrich. Also, I recently learned that he's published his own cookbook.

France also has snails. Max would love it, but the rest of us, not so much.

I'm ordering four passports for the family. I had a thought that it would be a great opportunity for us to take a trip over summer vacation, and there are a lot of destinations to research. I think maybe Norway or Sweden would be nice to see.

What kind of toys are you thinking?

@dughlas Hey, Dugh and Mum.

My first celebrity crush was Jeremy Sumpter. When I saw him flying rings around Captain Hook as Peter Pan, it felt like I was struck by electricity. It made my chest hurt quite a bit, somewhere around my heart. I was probably nine years old, maybe closer to ten. That mischievous smile with the freckles on his cheeks, the gray-green eyes, and the honey-colored hair were all very alluring to a helpless pre-adolescent boy. I had this idea in my head that I wanted to see him take off that suit made of leaves and go swimming in the lagoon. I started fantasizing that Peter Pan would take me away to Neverland, and we could go swimming every day (and do other things, though as a nine-year-old, I didn't know yet what 'other things' entailed.) Then, relatively more logistically, I started wishing that I could meet Jeremy Sumpter and he would take me off to Hollywood, or whatever town he lived in. I held onto that fantasy for two years, until I made friends with a particular boy in Fifth Grade, who, oddly, looked nothing like Jeremy Sumpter at all. I guess having someone next to you every day, someone who sends shivers down your back every time their arm brushes against yours, will dispel any vapid fantasy.

@clochette How Drew and Spike sound to newcomers.

I'm not touching that one.

Sorry that you have to go through this, Clo.

Power bottom.

Max and Colton are helping me make dinner tonight. It's blueberry-cream cheese French toast, baked in a casserole.

For Comsie. I hope you enjoy this one, buddy, wherever you are!

I think you're confusing 'orator' with something else.

Well, Happy Belated Birthday! Sorry I didn't get you a present. A bit unusual, moving your birthday to the previous year, but it IS you we're talking about here, so I'm not going to question it.