Luzula

As always happens lately, sanguinity and I matched. Not that this is in any way a hardship! I wrote a Flight of the Heron fic which was very obviously by me--I scarcely bothered to pretend. I was quite occupied at the time with sowing and pre-cultivating various crops, which of course is something that might also happen at Ardroy. Seeds are light and can go in the mail, which is how I got the idea to include them in an epistolary exchange, but also, I liked the similarities with a long-distance relationship, the way you plan and anticipate and care for your seedling to come to fruition. Thus, artichokes, which take a lot of nourishment. I also learned the delightful word "melonry" in an 18th century gardening handbook. (Also, I see we are not even bothering any more to put "Character Death Fix" on fics in this fandom...)

Worth Waiting For (1466 words) by Luzula
Fandom: The Jacobite Trilogy | The Flight of the Heron Series - D. K. Broster
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Ewen Cameron/Alison Grant/Keith Windham
Characters: Ewen Cameron, Keith Windham, Alison Grant (Jacobite Trilogy)
Additional Tags: Epistolary, Domestic, Long-Distance Relationship, Post-Canon, Gardens & Gardening, Established Relationship

sanguinity made more of an effort to be sneaky, writing in a new fandom! I nevertheless guessed it was her, partly from the likelihood that we would match, but also from the style and the one nautical metaphor she no doubt couldn't help put in it. But I really appreciated it--I didn't think that request would be filled, let alone with such a lovely story! I haven't been reading much lately, and it's been a while since I felt such sheer enjoyment in it. Do go read it! Also, there is now a bonus prequel.

Another Opinion to Set Beside One's Own (4146 words) by sanguinity
Fandom: Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Fitzwilliam Darcy/Colonel Fitzwilliam, Elizabeth Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy
Characters: Colonel Fitzwilliam, Elizabeth Bennet, Fitzwilliam Darcy
Additional Tags: Epistolary, Missing Scenes, Canon Divergence, Polyamory, metamours
Series: Part 2 of A Message Will Bring Me
Summary: If there is one comfort in all this, it is that you never had the opportunity to propose your arrangement to her. What a disaster it would have been if you could have had her but for your attachment to me…

Colonel Fitzwilliam's correspondence with Miss Bennet and his cousin Darcy.

Today Egon was taken by a goshawk, which ate at his body for a while before we discovered it had happened. I hope he died quickly. We will mourn you, Egon: you will never again cuddle with Eva, nor mate with a flirty female. I have tears in my eyes as I write this.

E and I took what was left of his body and salvaged his heart, liver, kidneys, one half of his breast, and one leg for us to eat. Although afterwards we discovered this page and realized there was more we could have used. I also examined what I realized must be the gizzard, which was quite interesting--I totally see now how they can swallow whole oat and barley grains and have them be crushed by the gravel in that strong hollow piece of muscle. It's strange to look at the other ducks now and know what they look like inside.

I made a three-course meal tonight, containing four things I have never cooked before, marked by numbers:
Starter: Duck heart, liver, and kidneys (1), fried with soy sauce, sesame oil, Sichuan pepper, garlic, rice wine, and a little bean paste. Thank you, Egon, it was delicious.
Main course: Hamburgers with acorn patties (2) and homemade French fries (3), with carrot slaw, homemade mayonnaise, grated homemade cheese, and chili sauce. The acorns had been leached for a long time and made quite a good base for minced "meat".
Dessert: Crème brûlée (4) flavored with rum, seared with E's new gas burner. It is really for killing weeds that have just sprouted, but why not take advantage?

Dear Correspondent, thank you so much for writing something for me! : D

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Candy Hearts Exchange has been revealed, and I now know (well, I was already pretty sure) that sanguinity wrote my lovely gift fic There My Heart Forever Lies! It is a 16K (for a 300 word minimum exchange!) Flight of the Heron story that riffs off the musical Brigadoon, which I had never heard of before, where Ardroy is saved by being taken out of time. I especially appreciate that the story took time to develop Keith's relationship with Francis as a counterweight for his eventual choice.

As for me, I wrote the following for sanguinity (which of course she guessed)! We do keep getting paired up in exchanges, which is no wonder considering the rareness of the fandoms. I had fun writing Laurent being his usual earnest, passionate self, while also, well, rising to the occasion. Thanks as always to garonne for beta reading. <3

In Which Laurent Rises to the Occasion (4150 words) by Luzula
Fandom: The Wounded Name - D. K. Broster
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Laurent de Courtomer/Aymar de la Rocheterie, Aymar de la Rocheterie/Avoye de Villecresne
Characters: Laurent de Courtomer, Aymar de la Rocheterie, Avoye de Villecresne
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Pre-Poly
Summary: Aymar despairs of clearing his name and leaves France, leaving only a letter behind.

Do you want to read about our vegetable gardening plans for the year? : D Perhaps it can take your mind off less fun things for a while (of which there are unfortunately many in the world)...

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Joke stolen from the_siobhan, because it was too good not to.

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This is the final tally! Let me know if you want to check in late or I missed you somewhere. trobadora is doing January, so head over there now. Good work everyone! \o/ I didn't manage to write on New Year's Eve, though I did successfully make soufflé for the first time--turns out it isn't difficult. But I did write on the 1st, more than an alibi sentence at least.

Now back home, which is a relief. Farm things done:
- Moving part of a pile of gravel from one place to another with a shovel and wheelbarrow (gravel is HEAVY).
- Pruning down the grapevine that was already here when we came. It's a Vitis labrusca 'Zilga', very hardy, but we only got one cluster of grapes on it this year (rather sour ones). But I think that was our fault for not pruning it in the summer, so it was just a mass of leaves.
- Pruning some wild hazel bushes into a vase shape which is supposed to make them yield more nuts.
- Feeding the ducks! And talking with the ducks! Awww, I've missed them.
- Making pickled beetroots.

Tally:
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Becoming a Supple Leopard: the ultimate guide to resolving pain, preventing injury and optimizing athletic performance by Kelly Starrett (2015)
This book has changed my life. I know I sound like I'm doing a paid promotion or like someone who's joined some weird cult, and I know the book has kind of a silly title, but it's true. My mind is blown.

The thing is, I've had problems with stiffness and muscle ache for years. I've been trying to deal with it by exercise and stretching, but while exercise is obviously good for a whole host of reasons, it doesn't solve the problem of stiffness/muscle ache. And stretching doesn't do much, either. I've also gone to a massage therapist, which does partly help, but it's temporary and also costs a lot of money. And while the guy is much better in the practical application of massage than others I've gone to, and I like him, still I'm reluctant to keep going to him because he does do some things with a large application of force and I doubt his medical judgment (to say the least). In the last few years he has begun to spout conspiracy theories about vaccines and only drinks warm water because, as a man, he needs the yang energy.

Anyway, I figured the stiffness and muscle ache was just middle age and at bottom I just had to suck it up. Turns out THERE ARE EFFECTIVE TOOLS TO ADDRESS THIS THAT I NEVER KNEW ABOUT! Also they're cheap and I can apply them myself! I honestly feel like someone prone to headaches who has just, at the age of 46, discovered the existence of painkillers. But better, because this isn't a drug.

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Day 28: Alibi sentence. Still lots of family time, now at my parents' place, so no farm news. How about you?

Tally:
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Day 27: the_siobhan, badly_knitted, goddess47, trobadora, sylvanwitch, sanguinity, china_shop, chestnut_pod

Day 28: luzula, china_shop

Day 24: No writing, also I didn't have time to reply to comments because my sister's family is here and it takes up all the time (in a very good way!)

Tally:
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Day 25: luzula, sanguinity, sylvanwitch, trobadora, goddess47, china_shop,

Day 26: china_shop

Bonus farm news: I love my sister. <3 Also, she gave me heirloom bean varieties for Christmas. She definitely knows me...