#we're shown several times in the show/books that he IS soft.

[mutatiio]

You write Maul too soft.

what if maul was a person with feelings and thoughts and desires?? what if he was soft but that softness got crushed by sidious?? what if he's desperate for a connection that he knows he can't have bc sidious makes sure of it?? what if maul is more than just the villains that sidious forced him to be?? what if behind all the anger, there's a person who deeply cares about his brother and by extension, can deeply care about other people?? hmmmm?? what then??

[hunnybel]

Eridan reading light novels to Tegiri because of a headcanon I have~ Which has manifested into a fic that can be found under the cut

It was a part of himself Tegiri was ashamed of. How could one such as himself, one whose very existence was so entangled with words and reading, have that as his biggest weakness? A burden, a flaw, something that made his already uphill climb to recognition ever more treacherous. Yes, he passed it off as slow and methodical, but few knew the truth that it wasn't him over-preparing and aiming for perfection. No; shamefully he was forced to take that time to even fully read through a passage a single time. Words and compositions had a tendency to get jumbled in his head, letters mocking him as he fought to grasp the meaning behind them. He could do it; it was a tedious effort, but he was capable. 

Whether it was related to his future work or to his all-consuming hobby, the battle with literacy was a constant. Even those who, like him, were connoisseurs of the Eastern Alternian Animated Fine Arts, had gone so far as to mock his preference for the dubbed versions of that which they loved and shared. Of course they wouldn't understand, but dubs were severely underestimated regardless of it being the only real way for him to be able to watch shows without his curse bringing him untold aggravation.

The curse which he hated to name, in fear that recognising it would give more power, more credence to it. Dyslexia.

Because of the struggle, many works he had interest in tended to fall by the wayside. The original novelizations of the shows he enjoyed being one of the prime victims. And it was only recently that he had finally found a cure for that. His struggle may have been disheartening, but it ultimately led to the opportunity he had now been presented with and was even currently taking advantage of.

His matesprit reading to him.

Sure it had taken a while for him to open up about this particular fact to Eridan, but with that vulnerability came the offer, given by Eridan himself, to have the violetblood read aloud to him. Of course he was surprised by such a thing, but he would be the last one to turn down getting to hear the other's voice and at such length. 

They were currently settled in against the futon-couch in Tegiri's hive, Eridan holding the book open in front of him as he relaxed against the back of the futon, Tegiri seated next to him, head nestled back, tilted to be able to vaguely read over Eridan's shoulder, though he wasn't actually trying to follow along that way. They were close. Close enough that Eridan didn't need to raise his voice too loudly for Tegiri to hear every word; close enough that Tegiri could feel the natural coolness of the other's body temperature radiating off him; close enough that he could feel the way the other shifted against the couch as he turned pages or adjusted his sitting position. 

It was easy to get lost in these words; nothing frustrating, just the soothing sound of Eridan's voice speaking the story that was somewhat familiar, having known the anime adapted from it already. Tegiri really was completely charmed by his voice, slight speech impediment and all; in fact, it just added to how sweet it sounded to him. The way he pronounced some words was so pleasant, it almost made Tegiri smile, refraining only because that might get noticed and called out and he would be too embarrassed if questioned about it. And he didn't know how Eridan managed to bring the right intonations and dramatic flourish to every line without having read it all before or reading ahead, but he seemed to bring life to every word as he went. Maybe that was a little strange, to make such observations, but he didn't care. Tegiri felt special, privileged, lucky to have such an intimate moment, this sort of affection shown to him.

And it was then he realised he had been so focused on how Eridan sounded, he completely missed what he’d been saying. While trying to catch a familiar word or phrase on the page, Tegiri calculated he’d spaced out for about three paragraphs worth of words while listening to his voice. And now he was faced with a dilemma. Did he tell him and have to explain himself? Or did he just have to deal with having lost that part of the story? The longer he deliberated, the more story he lost, and in a moment of panic, he said a quiet "ah-" as if to interrupt. And it seemed to have gotten Eridan's attention.

"Hm? What is it?"

"Oh, uh…" Now would be the time if he was to say something. "I just remembered how that scene played out in the animated version." So that was how this was going to go. He was lying, of course. This part hadn't been animated, so he really was just missing a whole part of the story now. 

"We should watch that together later, then." The small smile that accompanied the comment made Tegiri's pusher skip a beat. Ugh, he was going to be exposed as a liar but he couldn't say no to him.

"O-of course. When we finish the light novel series, we can watch the animated show." That seemed to satisfy Eridan and he went back to reading. Well, that had broken him out of his semi-dazed trance at least. He sat up a bit straighter to try and focus himself better. On the words this time and not just the voice saying them. 

 ーーーー

Maybe they would have to start cutting these reading sessions into shorter, more manageable snippets. Not because Tegiri got tired of listening, no, not at all. But he really was having a hard time keeping his attention on the content and words. Was he truly so hopeless that the sound of his matesprit's voice managed to entrance him more than the story that, had it been anyone else reading, would have him listening with far more than keen interest?

But he didn't want to seem unappreciative and tell Eridan to stop. He was at a bit of an impasse yet again. His determination to avoid saying or doing anything that might make Eridan feel as though he didn't love the kindness he was being given put him in a position where he didn't know what to do. 

Tegiri liked to think he was generally level headed and not at all prone to impulse. Yet another lie he told himself. So in this second burst of panic, not wanting to lose any more of the story and being too cowardly to just tell him they should take a break, he distracted him in the quickest way he knew how. Sure he was still learning how to initiate and engage in physical affection, but that didn't mean he didn't have the desire to do so. And using it as a panic-induced interruption was apparently the way it manifested. 

Pressing his lips against the soft, thin skin of the other's earfin was more pleasant than he expected. And the reaction was immediate. The reading stopped mid-word and Eridan seemed to jerk back at the sudden affection. Tegiri had a moment of fear that he had done something wrong, but the flush of violet in Eridan's cheeks and the cute way his earfin fluttered before he pressed a hand over it made the worry disappear. 

"...What are you doing?!"

"Well, you see, I… Wanted to?" There was a hesitation in his tone which earned him a skeptical frown and a scoff. 

"Were you too distracted to pay attention or somefin." Now it was Tegiri's turn to flush, his cheeks burning teal as he cleared his throat in the embarrassment of being caught. 

"That… May have been the case. Sorry, I just found myself taken by your voice and my attention was far too much on that to really…. Take in what you were saying."

He had already gotten called out, how much more embarrassing could the truth be? His voice did trail off as he spoke, though, hints of sudden uncertainty creeping in at the edges. 

"Are you serious?" It was more incredulity than annoyance in the violetblood's tone and Tegiri hoped that meant he wasn't upset. "You mean to tell me that you're too busy listenin' to my voice to pay attention to this series you've gushed about?" 

"Well, when you put it like that…" It was just as embarrassing being worded that way as the thoughts he'd had about it himself. "...Yes, that is exactly what I am saying." 

A pause. "We're just gonna have to reread it all again later then." With the book closed, it was safe to say they were done reading for the night. Tegiri still felt a bit bad, but it didn't seem as though Eridan felt any resentment for being, essentially, ignored. 

"Alright… Sorry." Tegiri hung his head a bit, eyes turned away, a bit embarrassed and slightly ashamed. At least until he felt something gently grip his chin. His eyes darted to Eridan.

"We've been interrupted already, might as well go with it. I'll give you a reason to be distracted." The accompanying smile said all he needed to know as the space between their lips vanished.

[boatsyourfloat]

Ok! This is why Zuko's redemption arc in ATLA is my all time favorite redemption arc, so let's talk!

Zuko's redemption arc works in several ways. 1) We're shown early on in the story that he's capable of being good. 2) It's something he has to actively work for and change himself for. 3) It's not linear.

Let's break this down. We're shown fairly early on that Zuko is a multidimensional person. In The Storm (Book 1, Episode 12), we're given his backstory through Uncle Iroh. (This is also the episode I point to to show exactly when ATLA first sets itself apart from the pack as something truly special, but that's another essay). In this episode, we see that Zuko isn't necessarily acting out of malice, but because he's a victim of circumstance. He spoke out in favor of showing mercy to troops that Fire Nation generals were so willing to throw away, and he suffered for that kindness. He was publicly humiliated, disowned, and essentially tortured before being kicked out and told by his only remaining parental figure that the only way to earn his love again was to capture the avatar. Zuko is undeniably a dick to the Gaang in Book 1, but as the audience we also know that there's a spark of something else in him. We know that in the past he has tried to protect others from harm and is really just looking for love and a place to call home. This alone sets the stage for us to want him to do better and for us to believe he is capable of it.

Zuko also has to actively work for his redemption. We see him as a very angry teen in Book 1 with Iroh trying to curb his violent tendencies. And on occasion, it works. He shows mercy to Zhao on multiple occasions (Agni Kai and again at the North Pole), chooses to let the Gaang go in favor of helping his crew, and of course he has a soft spot for Iroh. Through Book 2, we see Zuko struggle to survive in a world that doesn't want him. When things get bad, he turns to crime and violence to get what he wants. He takes on the persona of the Blue Spirit to steal from the poor so him and Iroh can live more comfortably, when confronted in Zuko Alone (Book 2, Episode 7) he resorts to fire bending and his former Fire Nation titles to assert control, and is very angry at the world in general about his situation. This comes to a head at Lake Laogai when Iroh confronts Zuko and convinces him to set Appa free in order to be a more whole person. In Book 3, Zuko has to struggle with his own self image and fight off everything he was told to be on order to become the person he actually wants to be. His transition from antagonist to supporting protagonist takes two and a half seasons of a three season show. And every step of the way, he has to work to change his behavior and recognize that what he's doing is wrong.

Speaking of Book 3, let's go back to that final point: Zuko's transition is not linear. Zuko completely changes himself as a person and that takes a lot effort. As anybody that has ever recovered from anything can confirm, healing is not linear. Fiction tells us that the road from point A to point B is a clean line, but that's simply not true. Change is hard, especially when it's something you have to actively work for. At the end of Book 2 in the Crossroads of Destiny (Book 2, Episode 20), Zuko has become a more whole overall better person who has found peace in his simple life. However, as soon as he gets the chance to get everything he had wanted before, he relapses and immediately switches back. More importantly though, he lives to regret that decision. Through the first half of Book 3, Zuko questions if the decision to betray his uncle and go back to the Fire Nation was really worth it and of he's happy that way. He gets that reality check. He worked so hard to be a better person. Would that have been better than what he did? Did he really want to be the person he was before that effort? Of course, we know what he decides.

The thing with Zuko's redemption is that we know it's inevitable the entire show. We know early on that he knows how to do the right thing, so we spend the entire show rooting for him to fight through his circumstances to become that person. That's what makes it so satisfying to watch. He earns that redemption every step of the way. He stumbles and he falls, but he gets back up again until he finally is able to stand up against Azula, the embodiment of everything he could have been.

I feel like the problem ppl have when constructing redemption arcs is people make 'the character realizes what they've done is wrong' the end step instead of like...one of the earliest ones. a satisfying redemption arc doesn't resolve when the character first feels sorry, it resolves when a character has really journeyed towards atonement and made enough change in themselves to achieve some kind of symbolic victory over who they used to be

[aaeternam]

UWMA Series Trailer Reaction/Thoughts

The reactions and thoughts that will be given here are from someone who’s read the novel several times but I will not be giving any spoilers. The full trailer for UWMA came out this Monday, October 7 and I just...lost it. I have been waiting for it ever since the first teasers came out (actually even since this series was officially announced) and I was expecting it to be good because it’s P’New (come on, LBC? Perfection) but I never expected it be THIS good. I just want to say that I became in love with P’New as a director ever since I watched LBC because his cinematography is just soooo beautiful. I have high expectations for this series because the story is good and it’s directed by P’New.

The trailer starts out with a man (not gonna say his name for the people who haven't read the novel) telling Dean that the people he asked him to look into died on the same day and Dean tells him that he believes that he was Korn that shot himself that time. I think the guy is a new actor? All I know is that his name is Phachara Suansri. So we're already getting the hint of the reincarnation part here (for people who didn't know). He shows him a picture of KornIn as well, with Korn’s side probably burned away. The picture is so soft though, look at In clinging on to Korn’s arm. I’m sobbing 😭

This scene shows up and I swear to god this scene! It breaks my heart every single time and actually seeing it happening on screen is just…it pains me. Korn and In loved each other so much but their story was very heartbreaking and didn't end happily. Honestly Earth did such a great job at this part! He really conveyed the pain and hopelessness that In felt after Korn shot himself. But seriously this boy is crying every time (LBC) but we can already see how well he'll be able to portray his character. An's singing actually made this 100 times sadder! Ahhhh. It hurts so much, imagine the pain she had as well!

And then they show Korn and In inside the caskets! MY HEART IS BREAKING INTO PIECES. And the red thread! Ahhhh! 😩

We move to the scene with Parm in his bed seemingly having nightmares (PARM'S ACTING IS AMAZING!) and then we cut to a scene with Dean and Parm. That tear that flowed out of Fluke’s eye my god, he’s such a great actor. He has very expressive eyes that makes it easy to see how he’s feeling. I love how you can see in the picture that Dean is just really beside Parm, his love for him in the novel was so moving and from the videos I’ve seen from the workshop, Ohm is so gentle (at least to Parm) and it seems he’s really embodied Dean’s character.

And then we see Parm meeting and hugging an old woman who is actually an old An (I will not say what her relation to Parm is) who asks him if he's In. And then the song plays! I SWEAR! I have not stopped talking about how I am soooo in love with Boy Sompob's OST for this series! I already want the whole song to be released! P’New I’m begging you! The placement of the song is wonderfully done! It hits you right when you’re at your weakest so it really gives a great impact. P’New is really great at this I swear 😭

And then this sweet moment between Korn and In is shown while the song is playing, gahddamit it still makes me feel like crying even though it’s a sweet scene. Watch out for the luk chup, it’s gonna make a comeback.

Then the scene with a man telling In/Parm to not hold a grudge anymore and Korn/Dean kissing him on the forehead while their dialogue is playing in the background is just so...I have no words for how beautifully done this is. From the novel, I already know this scene is going to be very dramatic. And again! The tear that flowed out of Fluke’s eye (I’m gonna start stanning his tear haha) and his pained expression! Top notch acting, I swear! P’New has really gotten the best actor for Parm’s character. From the start we already knew that OhmFluke were literally DeanParm that came out from the book. I salute all that decided to get these actors as their respective characters.

I was just sobbing then the next second I’m screaming and giggling! Sammy saying the truth though, Ohm was so fucking handsome in this cut! I can’t wait for how this scene in the novel will be done in the drama 😍

What did I tell you guys! Very expressive eyes! It’s like he literally has heart eyes! Look how so in love he is with Dean but is showing a hint of shyness and also trying hard to not show his crush for him. This scene was not in the novel but I love it, I’m excited to know in which part they added this.

Aaahhhhh! Another added scene! DeanParm being so soft. Dean, your adoration for Parm is overflowing here! 🥰

Part 2

[rusticrevivals]

"What's the best of country life?" Many ask us daily "Is it the scenery, quiet, nature, veg?" Nope - it's celebrating gaily With our small communities, Like Perth or New Den-Mark It's singing, acting, being part Last week - we're angels! HARK! You've heard about the mass choir To mark 150 years You've read about the nursing home, And Pastor Ralph's old dears You know about the pageant And the summer's Founder's Days You've heard bits about Still Standing... (But in spring, to coin a phrase You'll hear lots more, for 'teasing' Is how telly's publicized- And as we're in the 'teaser' I'll be keeping you apprised.)

teaser screen shot for Season 4 of Still Standing, Julie, Leanne (visiting from Scotland) and Mom/Joy, beside the CBC logo. Ironically, Richard, who insisted we take these reserved seats for ‘Founders Day Organizers’, is out of shot to my right!   To see the full trailer/teaser, look at the Still Standing FB page, 2nd video, or try this link: https://www.facebook.com/stillstandingtv/videos/692295784304421/

I'd like to speak in detail About our church's 100th year And the celebration for it That many came to hear. And then I'll show you fun From the last two weeks of song With the Perth-Andover choir And the concerts we've put on! Back in the mid-summer, I was asked to c'ordinate The entertainment portion Of St. Peter's-at-the-Gate, Our little church up on the hill That I've shown you before (But will remind you once again With these photos I've in store:)

The Danish herring-bone wood designs covering every inch of the interior of St. Peter’s Lutheran on top of the hill just next to us

You’ve met her before in several blog postings. This is an amazing shot taken just after St. Peter’s 100th celebrations this fall, by our local professional photographer, Tiffany Christensen. St. Peter’s is on the right, just across the road from the slightly-older Anglican church called St. Ansgar’s.

To make up the fun night After a catered Danish meal We all put in our off'rings Of creative zest and zeal! It started with the Danish band That played some peppy tunes Then the "Minstrels" (or a handful of...) Sang a hymn with their soft croons, Then added another song I'd written for the night As a tribute to St. Peter's And its builders' strength and might.

Then Richard, in his debut Stepped up alone to sing Another piece I'd written Called "Where the Bells do Ring"

Thanks to Mom/Joy for taking most of these photos. To hear “Where the Bells Ring”, Richard’s first full solo (I add some background harmonies as well as the piano accompaniment), go to this link, which we recorded at home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KStOMmr8WYs

After this bit of song, The pastor had a word About the history of the church -Then, something quite unheard! We came out to do a sketch As if from 100 years from now! (So, the 200th anniversary- It gave the crowd a WOW! Not because I'd written Such a finely-honed & gifted script, But rather, 'cause our costumes Were wild, and long - Zeb tripped! As 'teased' before, back in Sept., We all wore togas white With sashes of sparkly colour And dyed sheep wigs delight!

Richard, Zeb and myself at the meeting of the 200th Anniversary committee (sketch)

Curtain call for the 200th anniversary of St. Peter’s sketch, Pastor announcing. L to R Richard, Zeb Godbout (playing my son, Ned Kram, which is Den Mark backward) Peter Jensen, and seated, myself and Barb Christensen.

We’d had many rehearsals in our living room/meeting room at the farm and while we didn’t actually have all our lines memorized, the oddness of the skit got quite a few laughs, and the pretended ‘frustration and violence’ between us as our sketch showed that meetings don’t change much from century to century, really hit home for those in the community who sit on several boards and committees!

While we changed back out of costume The band once more would play The fiddler, 93, was sick Had been in ER all that day!

But like the true-blue Danes He would not back down, be weak There he was at suppertime To fiddle with his up-beat streak! And then some poetry I'd gathered About the early N.D. times Were read by Miss New Denmark With good old-fashioned rhymes:

But for the big finale Of this 100th year divine I asked some pastors, two from past And our current Ralph, to SHINE. Miss N.D. Megan spun the wheel That Richard made that day And the crowd laughed hard as at "Pastors' Trivia" we would play I'd written 70 questions From categories galore Like Church History, Pete the Saint, General 1917, and more... The pastors, how they struggled To come up with answers right But in the meantime, they were FUNNY And the crowd enjoyed their fright

Pastor Ralph appears to ‘give up’ on the question, as the others have a giggle…

They rang in on their buzzers (One was Smitty's squeaky toy!) But often they'd not get it, And that was JUST my ploy!

The crowd would hoot and holler, And eventually THEY won By answering the questions That the pastors hadn't done. One of the questions I best liked "1917" was the 'try'... This painting of a church was done So like our own, up high:

This painting by Georgia O’Keefe was done the same year our church was built, in 1917, and is very representative of how St. Peter’s towers over rivers and valley and nestled Appalachian homes.

    So, it's my belief that all had fun, That sweet September night When St. Peter's turned 100 With audience delight:

At this table, Megan Bach, Miss New Denmark, her grandparents,  as well as Richard sitting beside Leanne (in gold top), and across from them, Mom/Joy. Being too busy and too nervous of everything to come, I am standing in the background having some punch. Behind me is the old piano, on top of which I had made a 1917 lady’s church-going display.

The 1917 Lady's Church-Going Display:

a variety of hats from my drama trunk, along with gloves, a fan, a lace hankie, a turn-of-the-century scarf and matching hand-bag, and a special contribution from Pastor Ralph – a hymnal actually FROM 1918!

There I sit, 200 years in the future, wearing a toga and some of Mom’s sheep’s wool on my head, with the full program for the Entertainment Portion of the night written out on the wall behind me.

And so, that last event was done And while the harvest kept us crazed We still went to Perth each week To practice for our concert days. The first series, in fall, was with The Youth Orch-EST-ra grand! A full 80-piece symphony Where we joined the "150 Expand" (The same voices with which we sang For July 1st's big event. They come from towns all o'er the vale And it's Glorious, Heaven-Sent!)

Richard’s bald head 4 in at back, and I’m far left, hiding behind the curtain. We sang the Howard Shore piece Shore to Shore, which was WRITTEN for this New Brunswick Youth Orchestra for the 150th, as well as our old favourite We Rise Again (also sung July 1st for the big celebrations). We sang for school groups with a chamber orchestra, on the day before, then had this enormous concert over the weekend. You can hear a small part of We Rise Again at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEezCOAVgXE     An interesting bit of trivia, and to prove how small the Atlantic provinces are, when the conductor moves aside at 0:44, you’ll see a dark, curly-haired lad playing in the first row of the 2nd violin section. My sister started him in violin in St. John’s, Nfld 15 years ago! A neat connector!

  The choir in quaint Perth-Andover Is directed by the mayor A lovely lass from Leamington; There's many here from there!

Our Perth-Andover choir director (and mayor, and Book Club Organizer, and…) Marianne Tiessen Bell, from Ontario, warms us up before a performance.

Our Christmas series started Just at November's end. The hospital in Perth Has become our new best friend As both Mom and Richard twice a month Have teleconference talks And oncological care, so - We sang for Womens Aux.! Then just last week-end, 'Angels' sang 6 hours in the snow To raise some funds for Food Bank. "Bethlehem"'s winds did blow For this interactive nativity That's now a big crowd-thrill We entertained the masses Lined up for miles on the hill

While I’ve been in all kinds of performances in my life, I’ve never actually been able to witness my audience approaching from this far away! Police, firemen, traffic controllers and a radio station were all involved in keeping an orderly pathway to Bethlehem!

To get a really great feel for what this whole night was about, see: LIVE DRIVE-THRU:

or, slightly less exciting – the slide show:  https://www.facebook.com/perthandoverbaptist/videos/1682963368441021/

These productions were both done by the hard-working and energetic Rev. Michael Fredericks of the Perth-Andover Baptist Church.  WHAT A SHOW IT WAS !

We sang as angels in the heavens Pointing to the stable, close While Richard posed beside the inn And I got my daily livestock dose:

I'm not sure even Bethlehem Had as many farm-yard critters Some were small, like geese and hens And some were really heavy hitters!

That's right, a choir of angels sang Beside Alpaca's Paddock And beside THAT were market stalls Of bread, and tools, and haddock!

Marianne Bell front row, far, I’m right behind her. We are both ‘gettin’ down’ kinds of angels. Richard and Marianne’s husband are a little more unbendy in near back row. Notice all the alpacas are staring up at the star over the stable. Just as they should do.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

We know not where she finds the time But Mayor M.B. also made that bread! And still remains relaxed and calm As she chats with King Herrod!

  On the Sunday night’s performance at the nativity, the snow was falling beautifully and romantically and it wasn’t even that cold! I’m crouching because we’re dancing about, not freezing – plus we had a lovely barrel of fire beside us both nights!

On Tuesday night, in Johnville, We hooked up with a choir That came from just 'downriver' In a church that did aspire To give us but a chance to sing From choir lofts above As we sang in echo'd refrain To Vivaldi's Gloria of love

more amazing totally-wood-panelled church work (like St. Peter’s) in the Johnville St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic church, where we sang opposite Peter McLaughlin’s Tuesday Night Singers from the lovely choir loft. (Vivaldi’s Antiphonal Gloria)

Finally, our last big gig Was filmed upon a Woodstock pew- (How strange that in Ontario I lived near Perth & Woodstock too!) My camera propped on hymnals On the first of many pews 'Neath Saint Gertrude's glor'ous arches Marianne led our cues: Youtube wasn't working But we hope you'll link up-- though It's hard for some not on FB- Still, we think it's 'quite a show'!

Saint Gertrudes is the lovely big church in which we sang last night, in Woodstock, along the Saint John river.

    me with hat, far left, Richard with men, far right

  stunning choir loft arches of St. Gertrude’s

the sanctuary of St. Gerts 

Like our concert Tuesday night in Johnville, we sang again with/opposite The Tuesday Night Singers, Peter McLaughlin’s choir. You may remember from reading back in July that it was he who directed us all in the mass choir (150 voices)  on July 1st in Perth-Andover.

part of our choir warming up last night. We had a strong men’s section (4 is STRONG for small town N.B.!) and 3 of the 4 are all spending a lot of their spare time with horses out in the bush! What is the connection, you ask, between men singing and horsemen? Have you an answer?

Thank you to Marianne Bell and Peter McLaughlin – some brownies I made for the wrap-up party

And so, this Christmas season, But actually all year long We owe a debt of gratitude To those who led in song. For what a year it's been Full of music, drama, prayer To get us off the farm, And join pastor, teacher, mayor!

Cast of Thousands "What's the best of country life?" Many ask us daily "Is it the scenery, quiet, nature, veg?" Nope - it's celebrating gaily With our small communities, Like Perth or New Den-Mark It's singing, acting, being part Last week - we're angels!