It has to be said that one of my more regular tasks is the entertaining of convalescents. After all, when you think about it, whereas a lady is normally busy, with many tasks and obligations, when illness claims her, she has to lay all that by. But then, if she is wise, even when she … More Convalescence.
Never let it be said that I do not have a wide circle of acquaintance. There are times when I cannot walk across Port Naain without being accosted by persons of all walks of life, (only a small minority of them creditors, bailiffs, or similar riffraff). It seems that my proud boast that a great … More A little light rustling
Tiddal, Lord of Muchness Tower, was one of the old Partannese nobility. He was born, luckily for himself, in the more civilised part of Partann where it is not merely possible, but expected, for a son to follow his father into the Lordship of a territory. Not only that but whilst his lands were far … More The seventh concubine.
Garstang Shearwater was a freelance. By this I mean that whilst he was a man-at-arms, he wasn’t under contract to any of the great condottieri. He owned his own horse and arms, and signed his own contract with an employer. To be honest there aren’t many genuine freelances. A lot are actually jobbing brigands who … More A modest proposal
There are many issues which inconvenience a temple warden. To be fair, the biggest difficulties can be caused by members of the congregation. A shrine without worshippers (but with some other, more reliable, source of funding) would be a remarkably easy shrine to run. It would remain pristine and ever ready for inspection by even … More Sacrilege, despoliation, and desecration
Welcome to the Hotseat of Truth, a device in which a protagonist is trapped. The only way to escape is to answer five searching questions completely honestly or the Hotseat will consume them to ashes! Today’s victim is Tallis Steelyard, the creation of Jim Webster. Tallis is the leading poet of his generation. Married to Shena, he lives … More Protagonist in the Hotseat of Truth – Tallis Steelyard
It has to be admitted that illness had laid Maljie low. It finally forced her to admit that not only was she no longer eighteen, it was most unlikely that she would see thirty-five again. In all candour this rather irritated her. After all, she felt that for a young woman of her age, she … More The anchorite
To be fair, the gentlemen of this society have never referred to it by this name. Initially I think they were called the Dilettantes, until somebody pointed out the full meaning of the term. They were then called the Silvan Connoisseurs. Again there was a hiatus in their nomenclature when it was pointed out to … More The Port Naain gentlemen’s naked swimming society.
The formation of the Port Naain ladies’ naked swimming society was not attended with any real controversy. Admittedly there was some discussion about the apostrophe, and one group of ladies preferred the term ‘undraped,’ feeling it was a little more reserved. The discussion was widened as the ladies discussed the terms, ‘nude’, disrobed,’ and ‘stark … More The Port Naain ladies’ naked swimming society.
I feel that it ill-becomes a chap to take advantage of another person’s illness, but sometimes you just have to stand back and admit that you have witnessed true genius at work. One truly unsurpassed example of this I came upon during Maljie’s illness. I was in the area and wondered about dropping in to … More How ill?
