Dales in the Distance
10th January 2026
still reading Paladin’s Grace by T Kingfisher
Going to build my new level one character for a D&D campaign, rolled some sweet stats.
A couple of days off together is always a treat, going to try and make onigiri this weekend along with the usual bread, etc.
But most of all it’s meant to be a rest.
↠ Cambridge Thinking Press closed???
↠ add three bookshops to bookshop directory
↠ develop Editor Q&A
↠ add writing prompts for February
☑ make peanut and gochujang noodles
☑ add three images to journal pages
☑ take donation books to library
Dales in the Distance
This was taken as I was driving home from a day out in Teesdale taking photographs, it was a quiet evening with the sun slowly dropping to the horizon and the contrasts were wonderful.
This is available to buy in my Redbubble Account
32 flavours
Vanilla, chocolate, or something else entirely?
This reminds me of the time when vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate were the only flavours of ice cream that you could generally get in the world, in supermarkets, in corner shops…
This was the early 70s before I went to secondary school.
When I eventually went to secondary the closest shops were on Niddrie Mains Road and it was here that, along with thousands of other Niddrie teenagers, I discovered Luca’s.
Luca’s was an oasis of flavours, you could get coconut ice cream, ice cream floats with root beer, it had a long service bar with leather stools, lots of booths, it was heaven.
In remembering this I also remembered Brattisani’s near the Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh, the chips were wonderful of course but it was the milkshakes we really went for!
The joy of going for a swim then chips with chippie sauce and a milkshake.
Nine of Pentacles
Today’s tarot card is the Nine of Pentacles from the Sacred Rose Tarot
abundance, luxury, self-sufficiency, financial independence
This does go with what we’ve planned for today, to take advantage of what we’ve worked years for; our comfort and financial security. Lots of little treats and a nice rest.
Take pleasure in what’s around us (we’re getting more food for the birds in the back garden today) in nature, it’s also the start of little garden jobs to get everything ready for the main growth.
But also to keep an eye on our financial independence, growth, and security.
A quiet day, pootling about in the morning getting a large donation ready for the local library, stopping off at our local patisserie for eclairs and macaroons, then having lunch at our local gelateria (some pizza).
Reading and blogging in the afternoon, then making one of out favourite noodle dishes for dinner.
All rounded out with a watch of ‘Wake Up Dead Man’
