When Trade Is A Problem

When trading’s a problem…

The soon-to-be king needs land for his house. But the only available land belongs to the eblann, an ancient shamanic order.

Detah says to deal for it using the eblann’s much valued green-feather herb which is currently in her keeping.

The soon-to-be king refuses to deal with the eblann for land that will remain in his kingly line far beyond the foreseeable future. He asks Detah to deal on his behalf.

But Detah is also an eblan, and the eblann are forbidden to deal amongst themselves.

 

90 words written for Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt: Trade

A very brief summary of Chapter 92 in my current wip: Detah And The Saramequai.

Posted in Fantasy Fiction, Mostly Micro, Mythic Fiction, Prompt | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

CCC102: Improvisation

“Jack! What have you done?”

Jack stood back, his chest collapsed. His teeth bit into his lip, almost enough to draw tears and blood. It was all there in her voice. The sarcasm. The scorn. The intense displeasure.

And all he’d wanted was to surprise her, his grandma. But since summer’s end was too early for the proper stuff he’d improvised. Clever, yea? Apparently not.

“You’re to clean that away. Bad enough that humans cover our world in plastics, without you doing it too!”

The way she breathed, that frigid huff… almost cold enough for him to do the proper frost stuff.

Posted in Crimson's Creative Challenge, Photos, Prompt | Tagged , , , , | 20 Comments

Crimson’s Creative Challenge #102

Every Wednesday I’ll post FOUR photos (if you want to get a head start you’ll find them marked in that week’s Sunday Picture Post and Tuesday Treats). Lots of choice!

And here they are:

You respond with something CREATIVE. Perhaps an  answering photo, or micro-fiction, or a poem, or just a caption

As before, there are only two criteria:

!!!!! Your creative offering is indeed yours !!!!!

!!!!! Your writing is kept to 150 words or less !!!!!

If you post a link in the comments section of this post I’ll be able to find it.

Here’s wishing you inspirational explosions. And FUN

Posted in Crimson's Creative Challenge, Photos, Prompt | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Tuesday Treats: Seaside Variety

A variety of subjects that caught my eye on our walk on 17th August 2026. Enjoy…

17th August 2026

🔼 Wild Clematis (Clematis vitalba) 🔽 Sea Bindweed, climbing up the cliff ⏬

17th August 2026

17th August 2026 

🔽 Strange rambling clinging climber? No. Polythene, shredded by the wind. But why is it all one colour?

17th August 2026 

🔽 Garden miscellany… and possibly a stunted dock plant

17th August 2026

17th August 2026 

🔼 As the tide ebbs, the shore shows the blackish-green of Bladderwrack 🔽 Close to the river-wall, Sea Purslane

17th August 2026 

🔽 Where is there a scarp of land that Ragwort isn’t able to colonise; here with Hare’sFoot Clover

17th August 2026

17th August 2026 

🔼 Things that caught my eye! 🔽

17th August 2026

17th August 2026 

🔼 Salt-tolerant Tamarix is a delightful find 🔽

17th August 2026 

🔽 And still the poppy blooms…

17th August 2026 

🔽 Buckets and spades ensure there’s always colour along the ‘beach parade’

17th August 2026 

That’s all for this week. Hope you enjoyed 😎 Now, I wonder where we’re going next week 🤔

Posted in Photos | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments

Sunday Picture Post: Ships, Steps and Sea

17th August 2026. The day might start overcast and cool, but that’s not going to last. So we’re keeping it local. And how much more local can we get than to walk along the river to where it greets the sea. Yay, seaside time! Enjoy

17th August 2026

The river Yare finds outlet between the two coastal resort towns of Great Yarmouth and Gorleston. But the two banks of the river couldn’t be more different. While Great Yarmouth was founded on a sandbank, Gorleston spills down a cliff. 🔼 In some places a lane joins town to river 🔽 In other places, it’s steps

17th August 2026

17th August 2026

🔼 Some steps give access to the houses that line the High Street 🔽 Other steps take you up

17th August 2026

🔽 Another lane…

17th August 2026

17th August 2026

🔼 In recent years a 3rd bridge was built to ease the town (Gt Yarmouth) of port-bound traffic 🔽 The Yare is not a huge river, neither in depth nor width. This limits the size of ships that can enter. Though there now is an Outer Harbour (only visible from the air. Drats!) for the bigger ships

17th August 2026

🔽 Every ship requires the services of a Port Authority pilot to ensure a safe entry and exit!

17th August 2026

17th August 2026

Another difference between the two banks of the Yare 🔼 Industrial 🔽 Kinda…Dickensian and decaying.

17th August 2026

17th August 2026

🔼A ‘celebrity’ in port today…

17th August 2026

🔼 This is the biggest ship I’ve seen in port. This one is leaving, but lack of space means it must reverse out 🔽

17th August 2026

17th August 2026

🔼 Beyond the harbour’s mouth, Gorleston’s beach stretches out at the base of the multi-layered promenade  🔽

17th August 2026

🔽 And for those easily tired by climbing cliffs…plentiful seats

17th August 2026

That’s all for today. We’ve had enough of these cliffs, we’re heading to a little cafe for lunch.

I hope you enjoyed 😎

 

Posted in Photos | Tagged , | 14 Comments

A Rippled Wake

17th August 2026

The ripples in the wake of Eden Rose’s passing cut and disrupt the ship’s otherwise perfect reflection.

R for Reflection, my August choice for Maria’s Photo Challenge.

Posted in Photos, Prompt | Tagged , | 13 Comments

It’s the Season

Image: Open ClipArt Vectors from Pixabay

Those months of deep blue sky were boring
Happy to see grey skies with weather warning
Rain that hammers the leaves don’t leave me yawning
Enthusing, exciting, but alas inviting
Wasps, jams, fruits and other sweeties wanting
Shoo them, curse them, tell them to go
So much for meals alfresco


50 words written for Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt: Alfresco

Posted in Poems (Some Silly), Prompt | Tagged , , | 27 Comments

Friday Flyers

The butterflies and dragons (and one little bird) that I managed to snap along the way on our walk of 11th August 2026 There were more. There were lots more. But it was windy.

11th August 2026

🔼 Wall Brown 🔽

11th August 2026

11th August 2026

🔼 Meadow Brown 🔽

11th August 2026

🔽 Small White

11th August 2026

11th August 2026

Common Darter 🔼 Male 🔽 Female or Immature

11th August 2026

🔽 The charming, the wonderful, Robin. Possible this year’s brood, now coming into adult plumage

11th August 2026 

Hope you enjoyed!

Posted in Photos | Tagged , , , | 38 Comments

CCC101: This Spell, This Love

The spell she cast
Was weak
It wouldn’t last
But for this one day’s length
It would give her strength
For a task she’d rather not
To dig a grave
For a love she’d never forgot
Thereafter
The weeds could grow again
To obscure the place
Where they had lain

Posted in Crimson's Creative Challenge, Photos, Poems (Some Silly), Prompt | Tagged , , , , | 19 Comments

Crimson’s Creative Challenge #101

Every Wednesday I’ll post FOUR photos (if you want to get a head start you’ll find them marked in that week’s Sunday Picture Post and Tuesday Treats). Lots of choice!

And here they are:

You respond with something CREATIVE. Perhaps an  answering photo, or micro-fiction, or a poem, or just a caption

As before, there are only two criteria:

!!!!! Your creative offering is indeed yours !!!!!

!!!!! Your writing is kept to 150 words or less !!!!!

If you post a link in the comments section of this post I’ll be able to find it.

Here’s wishing you inspirational explosions. And FUN

Posted in Crimson's Creative Challenge, Photos, Prompt | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments