THE FIRST BOOK

I need to start writing my first story next year.

COWBOY BEBOP

I've just finished watching this live action series on Netflix.
I have no concept of what Cowboy Bebop is as I've never seen nor heard of the anime series before.
I really enjoyed it, I loved the storyline, the characters, the world they live in, and the actors. It's a huge shame that they cancelled this after one season, but I will now check out the Anime series on Amazon Prime.
I shall rate this series a score of 7/10.

I'LL ADMIT IF I'M THE BAD GUY OR NOT, AND I'M NOT!

THE FUTURE THAT WAS MEANT TO BE

THE IMMORTAL VULTURE

NEW YEAR

THE WISE OLD OWL

WHEELING AWAY BY MYSELF

PAST REMINDERS AND BROKEN ME

SEIDR

In Old Norse, seiðr (sometimes anglicized as seidhr, seidh, seidr, seithr, seith, or seid) was a type of magic which was practised in Norse society during the Late Scandinavian Iron Age. The practice of seiðr is believed to be a form of magic which is related to both the telling and the shaping of the future. Connected to the Old Norse religion, its origins are largely unknown, and the practice of it gradually declined after the Christianization of Scandinavia. Accounts of seiðr later made it into sagas and other literary sources, while further evidence of it has been unearthed by archaeologists. Various scholars have debated the nature of seiðr, some of them have argued that it was shamanic in context, involving visionary journeys by its practitioners. Seiðr practitioners were of both sexes, although it appears that practicing it was considered a feminine trait, with sorceresses being variously known as vǫlur, seiðkonur and vísendakona. There were also accounts of male practitioners, who were known as seiðmenn, but by practicing magic, they brought a social taboo, which was known as an ergi, upon themselves, and they were sometimes persecuted as a result. In many cases these magical practitioners would have had assistants to aid them in their rituals. In pre-Christian Norse mythology, seiðr was associated with both the god Oðinn, a deity who was simultaneously responsible for war, poetry and sorcery, and the goddess Freyja, a member of the Vanir who was believed to have taught the practice to the Æsir. In the 20th century, adherents of various modern Pagan new religious movements adopted forms of magico-religious practice which include seiðr. The practices of these contemporary seiðr-workers have since been investigated by various academic researchers who are operating in the field of pagan studies.

FREYJA

Freyja, whose name means “Lady”, “Woman”, or “Mistress”, is a major deity in Norse cosmology. She was worshiped in all of Scandinavia and in the Germanic tribes, as well as by many of the Celtic tribes. The Viking Age was approximately 790 CE – 1100 CE during which Freyja was widely worshiped. Because Her name in Old Norse translates to such a general title or noun, it is believed that Her real name is lost in time. She was one of the most powerful deities in all those regions and throughout those centuries – and even beyond.
From the epic poems called The Eddas, written over the course of 50 years between 1220 CE and 1270 CE come all the stories we know now of the Norse Gods and Goddesses. The Viking culture was almost evenly divided between exploring, battling, and farming. The were astonishing sailors and terrifyingly fierce warriors. And they had a strong spirituality in every aspect of their lives. Of course, their spiritual concepts included shamanism and magic. Even their writing, the Runes, are magic and can be used for all manner of purposes from healing to protection to attracting wealth to blessing the family unit, and so much more.
Freyja is the Goddess of Love, Fertility, Marriages, All things Sexual including Sex Magic. She is the Source of Treasure, fine material possessions, and Wealth. She is Goddess of Abundance, the Harvest. She is Goddess of the Sea, and as such was invoked by the Viking sailors who set out on years-long journeys of discovery and looting. She is Goddess of Warriors, Battle and the Battlefield. Freyja is the Goddess of Fate, Destiny, and Death. She and the All-Father God Odin each take half of all fallen warriors to their respective halls of happy afterlife. Freyja's hall is Sessrumnir. Odin's is Valhalla. Freyja's difference in Her hall is that when the families of the warriors She has chosen come to their deaths, She brings those souls to reunite with their husbands, fathers, brothers. Or in the case the warrior was a woman, her children, husband, etc. Otherwise these souls would go to the dark Underworld ruled by the Goddess Hel.
There are two tribes of Norse Gods: the Vanir and the Aesir. Freyja is of the tribe of the Vanir, but was given honorary membership in the Aesir, as well. She was Leader of the Valkyrie, the three supernatural beings who flew over the battlefields and took the souls of the dead to their happy afterlife after they had proved their bravery and courage there.
Freyja is also the source of half the Runes. She is the Source of, and the archetype of the practitioner of, Norse shamanic magic called Seidr. Women who practiced this magic, Seidr, were called Volva (pronounced vuul-vuh). They were what we would call today shamans, sorceresses, seers, witches. Because She devised it, Freyja was the ultimate expert in this practice, manipulating and controlling the desires, health, and prosperity of humans. As such, this reflects her role as Fate Goddess. As an emanation of Her in this role, Germanic war chieftains' wives were diviners, and manifestors by means of magic. They held a cup of liquor distilled with magic and runes from which all the warband drank before going into battle.
Freyja holds objects and possessions of great power. She has a cloak made of falcon plumes which allows the wearer to shapeshift into a falcon. She created flax which when made into linen wedding dresses made the wearer fertile. She drives a chariot drawn by two large cats named Bygul and Trjegul. She rides a boar named Hildisvini, which is a shape of Her mortal lover Ottar whom She helped find his parentage in the Giants. And of course, Brisingamen, the fabulously beautiful and magical necklace She wore always after She acquired it from the dwarves who crafted it.
She had temples and shrines built to Her whose place names are preserved to this day in Sweden and Norway. Horses were kept at Her temples as they were also sacred to Her, along with cats and boars. She was said to have had a hand in creating the magical horse Sleipnir with eight legs on which Odin rides.
Some of Freyja's other names were:
- Gefn which means “Giver” which points to Her being the Goddess of plenty and abundance.
- Horn, which means “flax”
- Syr, which means “to protect” or “to shield.”
She was married to a God named Odr whose role is unclear but He was gone from their home often as he had the wanderlust and roamed far and wide. She always cried when He left. If Her tears fell on land they turned into gold. If Her tears fell on the water, they became pieces of amber. There is some well grounded speculation that Odr and Odin are one and the same, but it is not certain. Freyja and Odr had two daughters, Hnoss and Gersimi. Both of those names are translated as “treasure” or “preciousness”. This reflects Freyja's role as Goddess of Treasure, Wealth, and fine material possessions.
Even though Freyja was married and loved Her husband, She had a very independent sexual nature and would follow her sexual desires however and whenever She wanted. The trickster God Loki accused Her once of having slept with, had sex with, every God and dwarf. Clearly this was an insult, but Freyja just laughed. She was particularly lusted after by the Giants and one of those, Thrym, tried everything to get Her to marry him, to no avail. The story of how She acquired the necklace Brisingamen is an illustration of how She sometimes used Her sexuality as a kind of currency. When She passed by the cave of four dwarves, She noticed they made adornments for the body. She ducked into the cave and asked to see their work. When they showed Her the dazzling Brisingamen, She immediately wanted it for Her own. The dwarves at first said that it was not for sale because of the time it had taken to create it and the power it contained. It could not be duplicated; it was one-of-a-kind. She was determined to get them to sell it to Her and after beginning to haggle about a price, the dwarves huddled. The result was they told Her She could have the necklace if She spent the night with each of them in four consecutive nights. She immediately agreed and afterward She had Her signature piece which She rarely removes from Her neck.
To the Norse and Germanic peoples, Freyja was also in the stars. The prominent constellation we now identify as Orion, they saw as Freyja. She was actively worshiped even as Christianity got a foothold in Scandinavia as late as 1000 CE, and beyond. There is one documented story of a Christian man speaking disparagingly of Her in public who was clapped into jail and charged with the equivalent of heresy in the 1100's. Indeed rural Scandinavians knew Her as a supernatural being well into the 19th century. And now, as the Pagan pantheon of the Norse are again being worshiped in places such as Norway, Sweden, and Denmark there are holy places being dedicated to Her once again. Further evidence of Her lasting presence is that She is mentioned in the first stanza of the national anthem of Denmark.
If you would like to know Freyja in a personal way, sing to Her. She is captivated by love songs and they please Her very much. She loves Her people with Her whole heart and seeks to protect them from harm, famine, and lack. It is She who brings back the Spring each year. The Goddess never dies. She is always there for those who honor Her.

HOSPITAL HOLIDAY

I know this post is late, but I was at James Cook Hospital between Monday 6th to the Friday 10th. of December.
I had to go in for an intense IV drip of anti-biotics for my infection in my left stump, and I was supposed to have seen the TVN team but they refused to see me.
I spend the whole week on the bed which helped the shape of my stumps and the drugs helped me too, but they did go through my tummy really badly and I visted the toilet quite a lot.
I made a few friends in there as well -Scottish Rob, Jay the male nurse, and Sam, a sweet female student nurse from Cambridge.
Anyway, back home now and hopefully things will get better.

WHAT WAS ONCE WAS IS.

7 years ago today, a beautiful event happened.
I miss those days, I miss Candy.
Things will never be the same again.

GYM

SKINWALKERS

THE WILD HUNT

STAN LEE DAY!

Today is STAN LEE DAY!
Happy 99th Birthday to the Master of the Marvel Universe.
A legend with or without clothes on.

THE LEGEND OF SANTA CLAUS

The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. Much admired for his piety and kindness, St. Nicholas became the subject of many legends. It is said that he gave away all of his inherited wealth and travelled the countryside helping the poor and sick. His feast day is celebrated on the anniversary of his death, December 6. This was traditionally considered a lucky day to make large purchases or to get married.
The name Santa Claus evolved from Nick’s Dutch nickname, Sinter Klaas, a shortened form of Sint Nikolaas (Dutch for Saint Nicholas)
Sinter Klaas was described as everything from a “rascal” with a blue three-cornered hat, red waistcoat, and yellow stockings to a man wearing a broad-brimmed hat and a “huge pair of Flemish trunk hose.”
In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore, an Episcopal minister, wrote a long Christmas poem for his three daughters entitled “An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas,” more popularly known as “‘Twas The Night Before Christmas.” Moore’s poem, which he was initially hesitant to publish due to the frivolous nature of its subject, is largely responsible for our modern image of Santa Claus as a “right jolly old elf” with a portly figure and the supernatural ability to ascend a chimney with a mere nod of his head
In Sweden, a jolly elf named Jultomten was thought to deliver gifts in a sleigh drawn by goats. English legend explains that Father Christmas visits each home on Christmas Eve to fill children’s stockings with treats. Père Noël is responsible for filling the shoes of French children. In Russia, it is believed that it's an elderly woman named Babushka. In Italy, a similar story exists about a woman called La Befana, a kindly witch who rides a broomstick down the chimneys of Italian homes to deliver toys into the stockings of lucky children.
The English Father Christmas dates back as far as 16th century in England during the reign of Henry VIII, when he was pictured as a large man in green or scarlet robes lined with fur. He typified the spirit of good cheer at Christmas, bringing peace, joy, good food and wine and revelry. As England no longer kept the feast day of Saint Nicholas on 6 December, the Father Christmas celebration was moved to 25 December to coincide with Christmas Day. The Victorian revival of Christmas included Father Christmas as the emblem of good cheer. His physical appearance was variable, with one famous image being John Leech's illustration of the "Ghost of Christmas Present" in Charles Dickens's festive classic A Christmas Carol (1843), as a great genial man in a green coat lined with fur who takes Scrooge through the bustling streets of London on the current Christmas morning, sprinkling the essence of Christmas onto the happy populace. Prior to Christianization, the Germanic peoples (including the English) celebrated a midwinter event called Yule. With the Christianization of Germanic Europe, numerous traditions were absorbed from Yuletide celebrations into modern Christmas. During this period, supernatural and ghostly occurrences were said to increase in frequency, such as the Wild Hunt, a ghostly procession through the sky. The leader of the wild hunt is frequently attested as Odin (‘Yule father’) There are many old Nordic stories of children leaving straw and carrots in their boots as a gift for a hungry Sleipnir fresh from the Wild Hunt. In exchange, they would find their boots filled with gifts in the morning.

Folklorist Margaret Baker maintains that "the appearance of Santa Claus or Father Christmas, whose day is the 25th of December, owes much to Odin, the old blue-hooded, cloaked, white-bearded Gift bringer of the north, who rode the midwinter sky on his eight-footed steed Sleipnir, visiting his people with gifts.
So, is Odin, the ‘Yule Father’, possibly an influence to the fictitious character of Santa Claus (Father Christmas)? I'll leave you to decide…

ODIN'S RAVENS

In Norse mythology, Odin is a complex god associated with many emotions and facets of life, including witchcraft, poetry, knowledge, death, and war. Odin was married to the goddess Freya, who was associated with beauty and fertility. Odin rarely traveled without his two ravens, who were named Muninn and Huginn. The name Munnin means “mind” or “memory,” and the name Huginn means “thought.” The ravens, like Odin, are intelligent and perceptive creatures bestowed with special powers. As Odin’s pets, their role was to fly around the world (Midgard) and retrieve knowledge on people, places, and subject matter. Because of his strong connection with the two ravens, Odin is also sometimes called the “Raven God.” Munnin and Huginn appear in many forms throughout the book Prose Edda. Rarely is there a scene where Odin is pictured, either in words or in illustrations, without his ravens. The ravens are generally portrayed sitting on Odin’s shoulders. Their images are also sometimes engraved onto Odin’s brooches, battle helmet, and sword. Regardless of their differing portrayals, however, the ravens’ mission always remains the same. Odin releases them each morning to circumnavigate the world. The birds essentially act as his eyes and ears, as they accumulate a wealth of information and relay it back to Odin. The sheer volume of information that the ravens return to Odin is enough to make him a powerful god with dominion over many aspects of life. The birds are loyal to their owner, but there are also written accounts of Odin worrying that the day will ultimately come when the ravens will leave and never return. One of the main connections that Odin and the ravens share is explained through the cycle of life and death in Norse mythology. Ravens are scavenger birds commonly associated with battle, as they enjoy feasting on decaying and dead matter. In many Norse battle scenes, the sacrifice of human life was considered a gift of life to ravens, who would in turn respond with loyalty and faithfulness to the individual who gave them sustenance. Odin, who was a god of war, presided over the death of men in battle, as he sacrificed their remains for his birds. Sometimes, especially when long periods of time went without a major battle, Odin’s enemies were sacrificed to give food to the ravens. Ravens are also considered to be remarkably intelligent birds. Their role of acquiring information for Odin is therefore especially important, as Odin trusts the birds to return accurate news. Odin’s identity, independent of the birds, is one of intellect and complexity. For that reason, the ravens enhance Odin’s image as a wise and knowledgeable god.

THE LEGEND OF LA BEFANA

The legend of la Befana began thousands of years ago and remains to this day a tradition practised by Italian children and their families. As the story goes, one day, the three Magi left their country bearing special gifts of gold, incense and myrrh for the new-born Jesus Christ. They were guided by a star across many countries. At every village that they passed, people ran to meet them and accompany them in their journey.
But there was one old woman who did not join the Magi. She claimed to be too busy with her housework and promised to join them later when she had time. The next day, she realized her mistake and frantically ran after the Magi with gifts for the child, still clutching her broom. But it was too late – the Magi were long gone.
Ever since then the old woman has been known as “La Befana” or simply “Befana.” On the eve of January 6th, Befana flies from house to house on her old broomstick and delivers all the gifts she didn’t give to the Holy Child to good girls and boys.
In fact, Befana’s name is the Greek word “epifania” or “epiphany,” and is significant because the religious feast of the Epiphany is celebrated on January 6th. This Christian celebration, in remembrance of the Magi’s visit to Jesus, can include purifying rites and benedictions with water. Water prepared on the eve of the Epiphany (the night that Befana flies the skies) is said to have sacred properties that can ward off evil spirits and is used in critical moments of a family’s life. Celebration of the Epiphany can be traced as far back as the 13th century and is one of the most popular Italian feasts.
In the time when our grandparents were children, Befana was tremendously popular and was awaited with a mixture of joy and anxiety. Children hung hand-knitted stockings on the fireplace and wrote long letters to her expressing their wishes. Often they were disappointed as their families had little money to spend on gifts; however, sometimes they found little hand-sewn dolls and puppets in their stocking. If they had been bad, their stockings were filled with onions, garlic and coal. Although there were no traditional dishes to celebrate this day, people would gather together and eat chestnuts, nuts and fruit pancakes.
Children of today know Befana as an old woman who flies a broom and wears a black shawl over a dress dirty with soot from the chimneys she climbs down to deliver her gifts. For the good children she brings sweets, toys and books. And, as in the past, she brings onions, garlic and coal for the bad children. In modern-day Italy some shops sell carbone or black rock candy that actually looks like pieces of coal.
Many people believe in La Befana’s existence, while others believe it is a fanciful story created for children. But the question of her existence is irrelevant. Either way she still fulfils her function, which is to reaffirm the bond between family and ancestors through an exchange of gifts.

Chant Used by Italian Children
La Befana comes at night
In tattered shoes
Dressed in the Roman style
Long live la Befana!!
She brings cinders and coals
To the naughty children
To the good children
She brings sweets and lots of gifts.

DRAGON DAY

I watched this real lame thriller last night.
The Chinese launch a massive cyber attack against America and all tech with a "made in china" computer chip in them stop working and chaos across the United States breakdown the society.
To be fair, America deserved it as they refused to pay back the multi trillion dollar debt they borrowed from China.
Not a single Chinese person appeared in the movie as they only ad a bunch of backwater rednecks working for the People's Republic instead.
The story was stupid, there was no acting at all, and it was so rubbish, but I stayed until the end to see what happens. my mistake.
I shall rate this film a score of 0/10.

THE NISSE

In Norway and Denmark the little creature called The Nisse is deeply ingrained in winter solstice and Yule traditions. The legends of the nisse dates back to ancient pre-Christian times, even before the Vikings, and is a treasured part of folklore. Nisse is a household spirit that is responsible for the care and prosperity of a farm or family. Nisse live in people's houses or barns inside the so-called Nowhere Space; a pocket dimension made up of the spaces behind bookcases, the tops of cupboards that you can't quite reach, and other such unused space. They are ancestor spirits and often seen as the farmer who cleared the forest to build the farm and who in pre-Christian times would have been buried on the farm in a mound. The name Nisse in Old Norse means ‘dear little relative’, and their Swedish counterpart, tomte, means ‘the building ground. According to tradition, they secretly live in a house or barn and act as its guardian. If treated well, they protect children and animals from evil and misfortune, and they also help with chores and farm work. Despite their size, the nisse possess an immense strength. They are also believed to be shapeshifters able to take a shape far larger than an adult man. Although Nisse are connected to farm animals in general, his most treasured animal was the horse. Belief had it that one could see which horse was the nisse’s favourite as it would be especially healthy and well taken care of. Sometimes the tomte would even braid its hair and tail. Sometimes actually undoing these braids could mean misfortune or angering the tomte. If anyone spills something on the floor in the house it is wise to shout a warning to the nisse below. It is also a requirement to please the spirit with gifts – a particular special gift was a bowl of porridge on Christmas Eve. It is thought that if the Nisse doesn’t get their porridge or beer, they will steal your happiness and play havoc with your farm – their trickery could contribute to crop failure and sickness for both animals and people if he was not treated well. Many farms believe very strongly in this and make up beds for the nisse on Christmas Eve and have an honorary place at the table stood ready and waiting for him. Nisse are deeply ingrained in Norwegian culture and tradition and to this day, children grow up with stories of the nisse with family members masquerading as nisse by putting on a mask and a costume on Christmas Eve asking the children if they have been good. Instead of giving Santa Clause milk and cookies on Christmas Day, children in Norway and Denmark prepare rice porridge for the nisse and leaves it for him outside the house on Christmas Eve. And of course the porridge has to be topped with lots of butter, sugar and cinnamon

DANISH FOLKLORE

Danish Folklore. Holger Danske. A viking version of King Aurthur. Its said he sleeps in a cave under this particular castle waiting to be awoken to save Denmark one day. It is said he gets woken up each Christmas Eve around Midnight by an Angel who gives him an update on the state of the country.

IT'S A FARSCAPE CHRISTMAS!

CHTHULLA-MAS

TOP 8 EVIL SPIRITS TO WATCH OUT FOR!

This is just a reminder to everyone to please stay safe, there are a lot of scary creatures out there this time of year, most of them trying to eat you, kidnap you or have a rhyming battle with you.
Here are my top 8 creatures/evil spirits to watch out for 👀
Please try not to be too naughty this Christmas eve as it will only increase your chances of getting terrorised by them. Or if you do have to be naughty, then please stay on high alert!
Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!❣️xx

F9: THE FAST SAGA

Oh My Days! That was such a disappointing bollocks of a movie!
I really do like the F&F Franchise but this latest movie was boring as hell, there was so many huge plotholes, non of the cast seemed that they wanted to be there, John Cena had no chemistry with Vin Diesel (his supposed brother), and Kurt Russell's character's story never went anywhere and he disappeared from the rest of the film.
And don't get me started on the science of this movie, I know it's a popcorn blockbuster movie and certain things need to be put on the back burner, but having a car in outer space? Seriously?
And they never really explained how and why Han survived getting murdered by Shaw, and why his death was faked.
Overall I ws looking forward to watching this but I have to give a rating score of onl a 5/10.

CANDY CANES

Just after 8am this morning, There was a noise from our hallway.
Candy went down to the front door and on the floor was two Candy Canes that some strange Christmas Elf pushed through our letterbox with no note.
It was a very lovely nice gesture, and whomever that person was, thank you!

THE 7TH DOCTOR AND ACE

THE FOREVER PURGE

Last night I rented this dystopian action horror film from Amazon Prime. The Forever Purge is the fifth installment in the Purge franchise. I have loved this franchise since it started.
Very brutal, very action packed, and very believable in the current era we are living in at the moment.
I shall rate this movie a score off 9/10.

THE IRON MASK

I watched this action fantasy flick last night on Amazon Prime.
"The Iron Mask" AKA "Viy 2: Journey to China."
It's a joint Russian/Chinese production and it is a very loose sequel to Viy 1: The Forbidden Kingdom.
It guest stars Jakie Chan and Arnold Schwarzenegger with Jason Flemyng.
The characters are good but the story is very confusing and is bit of a mess with the cast of characters not actualy meeting up with each other except for Jackie and Arnie.
I shall rate this fantasy flick a score of 5/10.

BLEEDING STEEL

Last night I watched "Bleeding Steel" on Amazon Prime. It's a Chinese science fiction cyberpunk action film.
Starring the awesome Jackie Chan in one of his best roles to date.
It includes a lot of Cyborgs, Energy Pistols, Airships, and lots of Martial Arts.
A damn good action flick.
I shall rate this movie a score of 8/10.

MERRY WINTER SOLSTICE

Merry Solstice to all as Father Winter gives you blessings and warm wishes.

BIRDS OF PREY

We watched this DC superhero movie earlier today on Amazon Prime.
"Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)" was actually quite good and I do love Margot Robbie as Harley. The action scenes were good and the story was bonkers, but it was a bit slow in parts and I can understand why it was not as succesful as other DC movies.
I shall rate this film a score of 6/10.

THE MAD MARIAH HUNGERS!

NIGHTRAVEN STRIKES!

NIGHTFALL

WINTER WOLF