Why do cock pheasants

[jl_merrow]

…look so much like regency gentlemen, strutting around the fields? 

And why does a bluebell wood look so heavenly?

Answers on a postcard, pls. 

In other news: have broken 25k on Feathers (subtitle now officially “An American Werewolf in Berlin” due to popular demand).  This pleases me nearly as much as the bluebells.

Comments

[josephine-myles.livejournal.com]

Because A, they're arrogant bastards, and B, because it's like a little bit of the sky has fallen down to Earth :)

All we seem to have around here are woods full of wild garlic. It's beautiful in it's own way (and tasty), but they don't half honk!

Yay! How long are you aiming for, do you think?

[jl_merrow]

it's like a little bit of the sky has fallen down to Earth

I love that! So poetic and apt. Are you a writer or something? ;)

The smell of wild garlic always reminds me of the Isle of Wight. Must get down there for a garlic festival sometime soon!

And how long? Darned if I know. I'm leaning towards "not quite novel length," but on the other hand I still feel like I'm writing myself into it. I haven't done more than hint at the origins of these particular wolves, and that's a big reason for where it's set.

[josephine-myles.livejournal.com]

I may have paraphrased that from EM Forster's Room with a View... ;)

Betcha you can prod it into novel length - just think what happened with Muscling In - that started as a short story and ended up a very respectable novella. Well, not respectable in terms of the smut, young lady! I was shocked! XD

[jl_merrow]

Ooh, I should have recognised it then! I read that when I was at university (and supposed to be revising physics in the Literature library).

just think what happened with Muscling In
That was entirely down to you, missy! ;)
And you, shocked? *chokes on wine*
*takes a large swallow to recover from such a startling and unlikely image*

[josephine-myles.livejournal.com]

Just went to read that bit again and realised Forster compared the violets to water, so I was wrong - maybe that was my own idea after all :)

Hehe, I shall happily nag you to expand on your stories if that's what you want.

Okay, I wasn't THAT shocked, but I was definitely surprised ;D

[jl_merrow]

Hey, all that sex was nothing to do with me. Sex is very important to Al! ;)

[lou-harper.livejournal.com]

In other news: have broken 25k on Feathers (subtitle now officially “An American Werewolf in Berlin” due to popular demand). This pleases me nearly as much as the bluebells.

I can sympathize - 25k is a respectable word count.

I can't comment on the bluebells though.

[jl_merrow]

Don't you have bluebells round your way, then?
*is devastated on your behalf*

[tiggothy.livejournal.com]

...because regency gentlemen modelled themselves after cock pheasants?
...because it does, although I don't tend to see too many these days - we mostly have hedges, rhodos & coniferous commercial woodland round here. Have a good few bluebells in the garden though, and some lavender-bells (well that's what I call them anyhow - they're a natural variant though we can't find any stats on how common they are...)

also: I don't tend to notice the pheasants in the fields, it's the cocks facing off against each other in the middle of the road I'm more concerned with! (Which actually, probably makes them even more like regency gentlemen, though the gentlemen would be using words rather than feathers and claws!)

[jl_merrow]

Round here we have more problems with ducks - they waddle across the roads like they've never heard of the term "roadkill".

Although come to think of it, I've never actually seen a squished duck by the side of the road, whereas I've seen countless bunnies, hedgehogs, pheasants, badgers, foxes and deer - so they may be onto something! ;)