A veritable deluge of post!

[rosiespark]

Thank you, nolivingman, inlovewithnight and semyaza for your lovely cards! I"m feeling loved! :)

semyaza, the bookmark made me snort appreciatively, as did the suggestion of a glitter-coated Archie. Not that I don't already think he shines brightly enough, but out-of-uniform-and-lightly-dusted-with-glitter Archie is well worth pondering...

And inlovewithnight, Lee's Saturnalia address cracked me up! I'm still giggling at how pleased he is about the Tighs getting left troublesome unidentified packages - and his "don't write that down" asides to Dee. LOL! And the snipped corners! ::loves::

And my very own unidentified package at the post office was your parcel, fajrdrako. Ooh, present! And a pretty card - thank you! I'm resisting opening the present till Christmas Day - am resolved to be good. ::hugs you::

Comments

[inlovewithnight.livejournal.com]

Hee! Glad it arrived, and glad you liked! ::dances you::

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

Of course I liked it - it had a cat on it! *g*

None of my cards have made it across the Atlantic yet, though one card to the UK got there last week. ::crosses fingers::

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'm delighted that it arrived and I am astounded that it arrived before Christmas just like the man at the Post Office said it would. I guess I shouldn't be so skeptical!

I got your parcel too and it is sitting under the tree, tempting me. Only a week to go! (And many things to do before then....)

Now I feel the urge to write a Christmas story. But when?

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

Hurrah - the post is proving to be unexpectedly efficient this year! *g*

Did you open the envelope, or did you put the whole thing under the tree? Because there's a wrapped something as well as unwrapped stuff and the card, inside the outer envelope. I think you could get away with opening the envelope before Christmas - but you probably have already! :)

Did you get my emails with the revised fic and comments? 'M not harassing you for a reply, just want to know whether my emails got there. And okay, yes, I do admit to wanting to post the fic... *g* But will wait impatiently till I get your comments on the latest draft. I sorted out the ship's bells question with black_hound - it's seven bells, since eight bells marks the end of each watch, and the two dog watches count as one 4-hour stretch. This, and the likely sources of biscuit in the early 1800's, mark the extent of my research for this fic. *g*

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I think you could get away with opening the envelope before Christmas - but you probably have already! :)

I opened the outer envelope and put the stuff in Christmas wrappings under the tree (yup, it's still there). The Twistees were great to see and I'm going to take them to the party I'm going to this evening - well, one of them - to share one of Malta's finer cultural creations with my friends.

As for the revised fic: I should have time to do it this afternoon or this evening. We'll hope!

Research: very impressive.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I think you could get away with opening the envelope before Christmas - but you probably have already! :)

I opened the outer envelope and put the stuff in Christmas wrappings under the tree (yup, it's still there). The Twistees were great to see and I'm going to take them to the party I'm going to this evening - well, one of them - to share one of Malta's finer cultural creations with my friends.

As for the revised fic: I should have time to do it this afternoon or this evening. We'll hope!

Research: very impressive.

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

Yay for Twistees! Though I'm not sure I'm overjoyed at the thought of a cheesy (in more senses than one?) snack being considered as one of Malta's finer cultural creations. LOL. What about rabbit, or the elusive lampuki pie? Or even pastizzi?!

Re. the fic, whenever you have time is fine by me. Really - it won't kill me to have to exercise some patience! In fact it will probably be good for me. :) I'd rather you took your time and enjoyed the discussion!

As for "research", it was all done online. And I found a mention of the Birgu naval bakery while Googling, but needed two large and well known ones located near Plymouth and the mouth of the Thames, so couldn't fit it in, much as I would have liked to. I also checked a couple of words in the Online Etymology Dictionary (http://www.etymonline.com/), since I like to avoid obvious anachronisms where possible. The meaning of "waspish" as I used it surprisingly dates from 1566! And then I found info. on watches and ship's bells here (http://www.navy.mil/navydata/questions/bells.html) and black_hound confirmed that it was the same in 1802. I love the internet!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

What about rabbit,

I'll make that one of these days. It's rather expensive here - but worth it!

or the elusive lampuki pie?

I never actually tried that....

Or even pastizzi?!

When I'm feeling brave and have time to cook it! Meanwhile, Twistees will have to do.

Some of the words that look like anachronisms turn out to be very old and some words that sound old, aren't. I like to look things up as much as possible and my usual rule of thumb for settings after 1600 is: if it's in Shakespeare, it's okay. Luckily I know Shakespeare well enough for this to be useful.

There are two caveats to that. One is that there is a whole class of words that are perfectly legitimately old but don't sound it, and readers tend to think they are very modern even though they're not. I try to avoid these too - after all, in a story, the important thing is the mood and the effect, not the literal reality.

The other problem is that some old words simply sound archaic and obscure and I don't want to confuse readers or come off sounding like Sir Walter Scott (whose writing I do not admire, with apologies to Judith Wilt). So they may be okay in terms of history, but they aren't okay in terms of writing style.

I don't really apply any of these notions when I'm writing with a medieval or classical setting - I figure that's in translation to the modern anyway and actual words have to be evocative rather than accurate. In other words, I may be able to read Anglo-Norman and Palestinian Old French or Latin, but I'm sure not going to write in those languages!

[simhedges.livejournal.com]

Hmm. You get promised and promised lampuki pie. But does it ever actually appear? No. It's a con. btw, in Venice in 2009 I want a talk on the Crusades. In English.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

You are actually asking for a talk on the crusades?

You mean I can talk about the crusades all I want? With a captive audience?

HOORAY!

As for lampuki pie.... Do you think it really exists, outside of cookbooks? Perhaps it's a huge hoax perpetrated by the Maltese people on the rest of the world. rosiespark would know but she isn't telling.

[simhedges.livejournal.com]

Well, if the Dunnett Carnival of Venice ever gets of the ground (um, wrong metaphor there, I suspect) you can talk about the crusades - but not *all you want*! And the audience will be permitted to leave. And you'll probably have to mention in passing that crusade where the stuff got nicked from Alexandria. But you can wittily and informatively entertain us about Baldwin & Richard & Saladin & the Lusignans & Co. btw, have you ever seen the musical 'Blondel'. Set in 1189.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Well, if the Dunnett Carnival of Venice ever gets of the ground (um, wrong metaphor there, I suspect) you can talk about the crusades - but not *all you want*!

Sigh. I know there's be restrictions. There always are.

And you'll probably have to mention in passing that crusade where the stuff got nicked from Alexandria.

The one St. Francis was on, you mean?

btw, have you ever seen the musical 'Blondel'. Set in 1189.

No, though I'd certainly like to.

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

It has just occurred to me that my beta request is screwing up your chances of finding time to write your own holiday fic. Oh dear. Sorry!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Don't worry about it - if I'm going to write, I'll find the time. Betaing your stories is always a pleasure!