Birds at the Feeder and Merry Christmas to All

I finally got around to filling up the bird feeder and putting it out on the deck for those poor little fellows searching for something to eat.

Then this morning, I was delighted to see four little chickadees flitting about, obviously drawn to the chance of a feast. But were they checking out the seed in the bird feeder? No. They spent their time chasing each other. One bird sat on the top of the hook, waited for others to flit up to the feeder ledge, then dive-bombed them. It looked like fun, but no one was getting much to eat.

The best way to start The Last War series is with Book One, and guess what? Khandarken Rising, Book One is free for the next few weeks.

Major Dante Regiment must find a way to protect Beth, as the Emperor is not the only one causing chaos in Khandarken

The Emperor has been defeated. New countries have arisen from the ashes of the old Empire. The citizens swear they will never need to fight again.

Bethlehem Farmer is helping her brother Abram run Farmer Holdings in south Khandarken after their father died in the final battles. But when Abram takes a trip with Uncle Jade into the northern territory and disappears without a trace, suddenly things are not what they seem and no one can be trusted.

Major Dante Regiment is sent by his father, the General of Khandarken, to find out what the situation is at Farmer Holdings. What he sees shakes him to the core and fuels his grim determination to protect Bethlehem at all cost.

https://books2read.com/u/bQBBq6

Merry Christmas to you and yours! Wishing everyone a much better New Year in 2021.

Free book to start Last War series, get you through the pandemic

Did you get it?

Khandarken Rising, The Last War: Book One

is free with one click

https://dl.bookfunnel.com/52m0ugmlm6

Khandarken Rising, Book One by SylvieGrayson

The best way to start this series.

Sci fi/fantasy at it’s best. Here’s a way to escape for a while 🙂

Major Dante Regiment must find a way to protect Beth, as the Emperor is not the only one causing chaos in Khandarken

The Emperor has been defeated. New countries have arisen from the ashes of the old Empire. The citizens swear they will never need to fight again.

Bethlehem Farmer is helping her brother Abram run Farmer Holdings in south Khandarken after their father died in the final battles. But when Abram takes a trip with Uncle Jade into the northern territory and disappears without a trace, suddenly things are not what they seem and no one can be trusted.

Cabin fever setting in? Here’s a free read…

Dear Readers,

How are you holding up? Is cabin fever setting in? I have to admit I took a drive the other day just to get out of the house. What alarmed me was there were no cars on the highway. Well, okay, there were some cars, but so few I hardly noticed them. And most of the vehicles were delivery trucks—probably making sure we don’t run out of toilet paper, which is a good thing.

My question today is – Do you need something to read?

These are tough times and I’m happy to send you a link for a free download of the first book in The Last War series

Khandarken Rising, The Last War: Book One.

Just click on the link and download your copy – https://dl.bookfunnel.com/52m0ugmlm6

Khandarken Rising, Book One by SylvieGrayson

Major Dante Regiment must find a way to protect Beth, as the Emperor is not the only one causing chaos in Khandarken

The Emperor has been defeated. New countries have arisen from the ashes of the old Empire. The citizens swear they will never need to fight again.

Bethlehem Farmer is helping her brother Abram run Farmer Holdings in south Khandarken after their father died in the final battles. But when Abram takes a trip with Uncle Jade into the northern territory and disappears without a trace, suddenly things are not what they seem and no one can be trusted.

Readers comments

5 Stars – . I could not put this down. This is full of mystery, romance, obsession. I can’t wait for the second book. It kept me guessing, with all the twist and turns. Will we get our happy ending ? No spoilers here means u gotta read this, I promise you will enjoy it

5 Stars – Major Dante seeks justice for Beth in the tough world of Khandarken. Loved this book and couldn’t stop reading. Ready for more in this superb story.

5 Stars – I couldn’t help but think to myself while reading this a feeling of deja vu. Like I had heard this story before or like it reminded me of something. And then it hit me. It sounded similar to the fall of the Ottoman Empire after WW1. The new countries that came forth. The battles. The new rulers and emperors fighting to keep their territory. And the citizens, adjusting to the new normal. When I made that connection, I instantly became more excited to keep reading. And then I realized that this story is one of a kind in its own and couldn’t be truly compared to anything but itself. It has so many unique characteristics to it. The personal relationships are intriguing and different from many other fictional relationships. The names are cool, the plot gets thicker with each page, and I loved the author’s style. It became evident that I was addicted to reading the book once I was sad to be finished. I’m going to give this a strong recommendation. It’s my kind of book.

Just click on the link and enjoy the read. Let me know what you think.

https://dl.bookfunnel.com/52m0ugmlm6

Till next time— Stay safe

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Click the ‘Follow’ button in the lower right corner if you haven’t already. You get to see all the latest news. Or you can email me at sylviegraysonauthor@gmail.com.

Love when we connect.

All my best,
Sylvie

*** ~ ~ ~ ***

Spring Has Sprung

Spring has sprung, the grass has riz,

I wonder where them flowers is?

My father quoted this every year in spring, usually when the snow was still in the process of melting on the ground, no flowers in sight. However, wonder no more. Here are some flowers from around my garden. Can you name them? (the answers are at the end of the post).

The first one is  of daffodils, of course. I thought I’d start you off easy. 🙂 Next is heather. This plant likes less water than most of my garden so it grows on the side of the stairs going up to the driveway, where the irrigation doesn’t reach it. The third one is mahonia, or oregon grape, an extremely prickly bush that grows wild in the pacific northwest. The berries have a strong, slightly unpleasant flavour, but if you mix them with blackberry and a bit of apple, they make the best jelly. Next is hellebores. I have about six such plants in my garden, each a different shade of rose to wine tones–one of the earliest plants in my garden. After that is the trillium, you knew that. I don’t know the name of the following plant, but love the look of the little green buds in the spring. Perhaps you can tell me what it is. The last plant is a cranberry bush. I had one planted when the garden was first developed, but it died last year. I was devastated. the blooms are beautiful, have a lovely scent, and  it is the first bush to flower in the spring, usually in late February. I searched everywhere, no one knew what it was, let alone had one to replace it. Then a tiny bush bloomed last spring, and i realized the dead bush had populated a new branch below it in the garden. It is still small, but I will put some good earth around its roots to encourage it to grow tall like it’s daddy did.

Ducks gather at Rithet’s Bog

Went for a nice walk yesterday, around Rithet’s Bog (named after Robert Patterson Rithet, a prominent businessman in Victoria, late 19th C, early 20th C). The ducks had abandoned the bog for some reason and gathered on the other side of the walking path that circles the marshy water.

Here are two beautiful males, the feathers on their heads are iridescent.

We didn’t encounter too many other walkers, most people isolating, I imagine. What we did notice was of the 8 or 10 we saw, most would not make eye contact. Perhaps they feared that eye contact would make them vulnerable to the pandemic. There were several, however, who like us, wished those they saw a good day as they passed. Very heartening.

Stay safe, keep well. How are you keeping busy as you isolate?