Question meme
Nov. 24th, 2022 09:31 pmI have finished the draft of my Yuletide story! \o/ Now to work on the treat I have also started on…
Questions from
regshoe:
1. What was the first book that you really loved or became obsessed with?
Of course I may have forgotten some, but Lord of the Rings is what stands out in my memory. I was perhaps nine, I think? I found it quite scary (the black riders!) but was absolutely riveted. And of course went on to nerdily obsess.
2. Do you have a favourite folk song, or otherwise share a folk song that you particularly like?
I’ll share one I have a long history with: De två systrarna, which is the Swedish version of The Twa Sisters. Or versions, I should say--of course there are many of them, and I collected them, along with English versions. I'm sure you have heard the Folk och Rackare version. That's the version which I myself learned first, and my sister and I would perform it together, singing the verses in turn. Since I was the oldest sister, I always sang the evil one.
3. What do you most like about bryophytes—the plants themselves, and/or learning about them and observing them?
Well, they are quite beautiful up close. I also like that when you look at them under the microscope, most of the time you don't have to spend a lot of time preparing the specimens. Often it's enough just to strip some leaves off with sharp tweezers, or put a whole shoot in some water on a slide (but this is not to say that it's necessarily easy to determine the species). By contrast, lichens and fungi are usually easier just at the beginning, when you’re just using a hand lens, but then the learning curve grows steep quickly. Fungi are just so messy and difficult under the microscope!
4. Who is your favourite fictional Jacobite, apart from Ewen Cameron?
I flailed around for a few seconds thinking of possible candidates, but then realized the obvious answer: Alison Grant. : ) She is certainly the fictional Jacobite I’ve spent the most time writing and thinking about, besides Ewen.
5. What is the most beautiful and/or memorable bird you've seen in Sweden?
Since you say beautiful, my answer must be fjällabb (long-tailed skua, or long-tailed jaeger). It’s an incredibly graceful bird in the air, and very beautiful with its slim body with gradations of white, grey and black. Arrgh, I can’t describe it well! But its temper is not graceful—it will dive aggressively at your head. Had you said charming, I would have chosen the Siberian jay. : )
Feel free to ask for questions!
Questions from
1. What was the first book that you really loved or became obsessed with?
Of course I may have forgotten some, but Lord of the Rings is what stands out in my memory. I was perhaps nine, I think? I found it quite scary (the black riders!) but was absolutely riveted. And of course went on to nerdily obsess.
2. Do you have a favourite folk song, or otherwise share a folk song that you particularly like?
I’ll share one I have a long history with: De två systrarna, which is the Swedish version of The Twa Sisters. Or versions, I should say--of course there are many of them, and I collected them, along with English versions. I'm sure you have heard the Folk och Rackare version. That's the version which I myself learned first, and my sister and I would perform it together, singing the verses in turn. Since I was the oldest sister, I always sang the evil one.
3. What do you most like about bryophytes—the plants themselves, and/or learning about them and observing them?
Well, they are quite beautiful up close. I also like that when you look at them under the microscope, most of the time you don't have to spend a lot of time preparing the specimens. Often it's enough just to strip some leaves off with sharp tweezers, or put a whole shoot in some water on a slide (but this is not to say that it's necessarily easy to determine the species). By contrast, lichens and fungi are usually easier just at the beginning, when you’re just using a hand lens, but then the learning curve grows steep quickly. Fungi are just so messy and difficult under the microscope!
4. Who is your favourite fictional Jacobite, apart from Ewen Cameron?
I flailed around for a few seconds thinking of possible candidates, but then realized the obvious answer: Alison Grant. : ) She is certainly the fictional Jacobite I’ve spent the most time writing and thinking about, besides Ewen.
5. What is the most beautiful and/or memorable bird you've seen in Sweden?
Since you say beautiful, my answer must be fjällabb (long-tailed skua, or long-tailed jaeger). It’s an incredibly graceful bird in the air, and very beautiful with its slim body with gradations of white, grey and black. Arrgh, I can’t describe it well! But its temper is not graceful—it will dive aggressively at your head. Had you said charming, I would have chosen the Siberian jay. : )
Feel free to ask for questions!