Once more...

Once again, back after time away - and doubtless having missed much.  :(  Lots of my life (including pretty well all of those good intentions/resolutions which I started the year with) went by the board in the last few weeks - as well as all your posts on LJ/DW, and any new stories which might be out there.  I'll look forward to reading it all, and profiting from everyone's recorded wisdom and creativity!

In terms of writing, I came back to find a sudden flurry ( a small flurry, but very welcome!) of reviews and kudos on AO3, especially for The Ivory Merchants, but also for one or two others - this was beautifully cheering to find!  and I hope will help me restart writing before the year gets too old.

There's been quite a bit of tough stuff happening, but  good things have happened, too, while I was travelling.  One was lots of good reading, viz.: 

• I'm now about  half-way through War and Peace (which means I can start to read moon_custafer 's posts on W&P, too!)  and
• one day I made a lightning raid on Abbey's Bookshop in Sydney, to snatch as many books as I could of my Books I'd Like To Read list - eight, in total, I think, and
• as has happened before, while staying in other people's houses I read great things from their bookshelves, including a SF Classic that everyone but me read years ago.  :)

So that's all good, and will be posted about soon!
 
Meantime, here's from Australia, about the glorious night sky, and the dark constellation which is now riding high in the south.