Tag: nove

When we went for our regular grocery shopping trip on Wednesday, I was surprised to find the store so busy. Of course, I had forgotten about the predicted snow storm but was quickly reminded when I noticed the eggs, milk, bottled water, and bread had all but disappeared from the shelves. The storm was anticipated to begin around 1pm on Saturday and last for twenty-four hours. As of midnight, there hadn’t been any precipitation, but by 8am this morning we had a bit of a dusting of snow. Will be interesting to see if we get more as the day progresses.

The Detroit Pistons played three games this week, winning two and dropping won. They are now 32-11in the Eastern Conference’s Central Division, with a seven-game lead over 2nd place Cleveland. Hopefully, their winning ways will continue!

The Michigan Wolverines moved up to 3rd in the NCAA rankings after winning last week. They won two games this week, improving their record to 18-1. Meanwhile, the Michigan State Spartans moved up to 10th in the rankings. They also played two games this week, winning both of them. Last night, they rolled past Maryland, 91-48. Good luck to both teams as they continue their winning ways!

“When I sit down to write a book, I do not say to myself, ‘I am going to produce a work of art.’ I write it because there is some lie that I want to expose, some fact to which I want to draw attention, and my initial concern is to get a hearing.” — George Orwell. Compliments of https://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/72-of-the-best-quotes-about-writing. 

So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on January 25th, the 4th Sunday of 2026 and the fourth and final one in January. (Compliments of https://www.onthisday.com/birthdays/).

Gaspar Fagel, Dutch statesman and writer; Robert Burns, Scottish poet (Auld Lang Syne) considered the national poet of Scotland; Arne Garborg, Norwegian writer and playwright (Bondestudentar); Julije Kempf, Croatian historian and writer; W. Somerset Maugham, British novelist and poet (Of Human Bondage);  Virginia Woolf, British author (Jacob’s Room, To the Lighthouse); Kitahara Hakushū, Japanese poet and children’s writers; Diego Valeri, Italian author and poet (Le Gaie Tristezze); Yojiro Ishizaka, Japanese writer; Gerard Knuvelder, Dutch literature historian (Vocation, Kitty); Frans Goedhart, Dutch journalist (Het Parool); Lord Iliffe, English publisher (Coventry Evening Telegraph/Autocar); Michael Duane, British progressive educationalist and author; Russell Reading Braddon, Australian author; Jules de Palm, Antilles writer; Raymond Baxter, English television presenter and writer (Fast Lady); Eva Zeller, German poet and novelist; Paavo Haavikko, Finnish poet and writer; Kathleen Tynan Halton, Canadian-British journalist and author; Shotaro Ishinomori, Japanese manga author; Silvio Blatter, Swiss writer; John Cooper Clarke, English performance poet;  Gloria Naylor, American author (Women of Brewster Place), born in New York City; and Geoff Johns, American comic book writer.

Any names familiar to you? There were two for me this week: Robert Burns (today is the anniversary of his birth) and Virginia Woolf. Whether you recognize anyone on the list or not, if today’s your special day I hope you have a great one!

My Work in Progress

Work slowly continues on Temples of Abydos as I’m dealing with multiple external activities.. Over the past week, there have been an additional five chapter reviews, bringing the total to forty-one. As always, plenty of positive suggestions to improve my writing.

Here’s the next snippet:

To: Charles Rennie

From: Finley Burness 

Many thanks for the invite, Uncle Charles. Egypt sounds cool. My mum and dad said I could go as long as I’m helpful and don’t get in the way. I’ve read all the information about the Temples of Abydos on the links you sent me. I’m terribly excited and look forward to the trip. Thank you and Auntie Isabella for inviting me. I’ll be ready to go on Friday.

Charles smiled as he reread Finley’s email before sending the details about the firearms training. He typed a second email, this one to his sister, Grace.

Hey, Sis. Many thanks for allowing Finley to participate in our excursion. This will give him a leg up when he starts his archeology training after his gap year. I promise to keep him out of trouble and teach him everything I can about being an archaeologist.

After booking a flight from Edinburgh to Cairo, he sent a final email—this one to Ali, with their flight information for a Friday evening arrival in two weeks.

“I’m gagging for a tea.”

Charles glanced up and smiled when Isabella entered the office. “Don’t sit down. I’ll get you one and meet you in the living room. You need to sort through the myriad of Amazon packages that arrived this afternoon. What on Earth did you buy?”

Isabella laughed. “We can’t go on an archeological dig without being properly attired. I bought clothes, hats, and shoes for all three of us, along with matching backpacks and belts.”

Oh, great! She must have watched Raiders of the Lost Ark again! “Yes, dear. Let me get your tea and freshen up my coffee. I’ll meet you in the living room.”

When he joined Isabella, she had most of the boxes opened. He studied the stack of clothing, shoes, and hats she bought for him. “Very impressive. I expected you to dress me like Indiana Jones, and I’m relieved you didn’t.”

Isabella rolled her eyes. “It did cross my mind, but I thought it would be better to be prudent. After all, I wouldn’t want you to look like a complete imbecile.” She handed him a final package.

He shook it—something moved inside. “What’s this?”

A mischievous smile crossed her face. “Nothing an experienced archaeologist should be without. Go on—open it.”

They both burst into laughter when he opened the box and pulled out a whip similar to the one used by Indiana Jones. He went to the balcony, stepped outside, snapped the whip in the air. “Now, I’m ready.”

More next time.

This brings us to an end for another week. I hope you found something of interest. If you have any suggestions for a topic you’d like to read about, please let me know. Until the next time, thank you for reading and hope you drop in again.