S. M. Carrière

Day 8…ish? Of doing yoga to ease my back. The entire back of my body is hideously tight. There seems to be nothing I can do to fix this. I shall, however, persevere.

Well, I had planned to do my laundry tonight, but the machines aren’t accepting my card (anyone know what error 04 means on a laundry machine?). Luckily the situation isn’t desperate, but if it’s not fixed soon, it will be!

Join me, won't you? A new blog post.

The Dusty Shelf Book Club Good morning, Readers!

I would like to maintain that BBC's Sherlock is by far the superior Sherlock... despite all the troubles around it.

It me.

Spent all afternoon cleaning. Not as thoroughly as I'd like, but it looks so much better now. Tomorrow - bathroom, laundry and a good vacuum. Maybe a mop, if I'm feeling cheeky... Also, I've had one meal today. I should probably eat something...

I vote we bring this tradition over here! This seems awesome!

Nollaig na mBan Shona Daoibh!

On this day it is the tradition in Ireland for the women to get together and enjoy their own Christmas, while the men folk stay at home and handle all the chores. It is also common for children to help their mothers and grandmothers with household chores and extra help.

The Nollaig na mBan tradition has regenerated tremendously in many parts of Ireland and on the west coast, the tradition is still very strong. Many establishments note that they are quite full with happy women celebrating this day, as they meet up with girl friends, sisters, aunts and mothers to celebrate their own little Christmas with Nollaig na mBan.

Approximate pronunciation guide
Nollaig – nul-laig
na mBan – nah mon/man (depending on the dialect)
séimhiú – shay-vu
sona – son-ah
shona – hon-ah

From Selected Poems: Seán Ó Ríordáin, translation by Theo Dorgan

‘Oíche Nollaig na mBan’

Bhí fuinneamh sa stoirm a éalaigh aréir,
Aréir oíche Nollaig na mBan,
As gealt-teach iargúlta tá laistiar den ré
Is do scréach tríd an spéir chughainn ’na gealt,
Gur ghíosc geataí comharsan mar ghogallach gé,
Gur bhúir abhainn shlaghdánach mar tharbh,
Gur múchadh mo choinneal mar bhuille ar mo bhéal
A las ’na splanc obann an fhearg.
Ba mhaith liom go dtiocfadh an stoirm sin féin
An oíche go mbeadsa go lag
Ag filleadh abhaile ó rince an tsaoil
Is solas an pheaca ag dul as,
Go líonfaí gach neomat le liúrigh ón spéir,
Go ndéanfaí den domhan scuaine scread,
Is ná cloisfinn an ciúnas ag gluaiseacht fám dhéin,
Ná inneall an ghluaisteáin ag stad.

Read more 🔗 https://wp.me/p3XCMr-KUS

FINALLY!! SNOW!

Okay, I’m being very cryptic here. There are only two people in the whole world who will understand this outburst, but…

120? What the actual f[redacted]?!

That’s a good way to end the week, I suppose.

Okay. I’m really loving this so far.

I didn’t get any writing done at lunch today, but I stayed up late to hit today’s target.

Damn! Of all the times The StoryGraph app decides to not work, when I’m finally able to unlock the first of the read-along forums for my current read has got to be the least convenient! Hopefully, it’ll be up tomorrow. I’ll just find a piece of paper for now.

I am done for today. I might just make my goal this week…

I am now where I should have been on Christmas Eve. Onward!

I am indeed!

The StoryGraph: To Help My 2024 Goals. Join Me? – Black Gate The StoryGraph: To Help My 2024 Goals. Join Me? The StoryGraph: To Help My 2024 Goals. Join Me? Tuesday, January 2, 2024 S.M. Carrière Comments 7 comments Hello, Readers! It’s 2024 already. How? How did that happen?! Like many of you (I suspect), I’ve added ‘read more’ to my goals for this ...

These poses are not supposed to be difficult. Holy hell, my back is in rough shape!

Yoga For Back Pain | Yoga Basics | Yoga With Adriene YOGA FOR BACK PAIN. BACK TO BASICS and NEW YOGA ROOM! Hooray! With so many requests for back relief and an over-arching need for self care and SUPPORT - I ma...

Well, I am quite a bit over a week behind in my goals, but I plan on catching up as much as possible before my schedule fills up again next week.

I came home to find my robot vacuum stuck beneath my recliner. I did not activate my robot vacuum. Guys, it’s starting…

The problem with writing online is that sometimes the website just doesn’t work. Come on, Reedsy. I have a lot of words to catch up on! Get it together!

What, another blog post? It's your lucky week... Though, my subscribers already have this one.

Where I Hope to Be S.M. Carrière, a Celtic Studies enthusiast, writes fiction. And this blog.

Are you reading ‘Winterset Hollow’? Join me on Storygraph, and we can read along together!

Readalong for Winterset Hollow, hosted by smcarriere | The StoryGraph By using The StoryGraph, you agree to our use of cookies.We use a small number of cookies to provide you with a great experience.

Uh… so… yes.

Introduced my dad to Blue Eye Samurai… forgot all about the scenes that make watching it with a parent awkward AF. Great show, though. He likes it so far!

My friends are wonderful. I already have their support on my new (launched today) monthly membership thingy. It might not seem like much, but it means the world.

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Oh, and before I forget…

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Good morning, lovely readers!

So it begins. Just some fun to accompany my walks to work.

So, today was kinda productive. I was social (shocking, I know) this morning, and wrote up two blog posts (one for me and one for Black Gate) and my newsletter ready to send on Monday. Did I remember to eat? No. Listen, I take what victories I can get, alright? I’ll have a big dinner to make up for it… or something.

You’ll want in on this! Trust me!

Marie Bilodeau Bound by a blood oath and harboring a deadly secret, she’s out of time. Don’t miss the start of a brand new epic fantasy series with kickass middle-aged heroines, complicated family dynamics, and the long shadows of past battlefields. Find out more Make a new book BFF. Shop all books Stay up to ...