Wednesday 31 July 2013

Herbsttag / Laa Fouyir

Herr: es ist Zeit. Der Sommer war sehr groß. Hiarn: t'eh traa. She sourey mooar v'ayn.
Leg deinen Schatten auf die Sonnenuhren, Skeayll dty scaa er y chlag greiney,
und auf den Fluren laß die Winde los. As seyr ny geayghyn er ny lheeantyn.
 
Befiel den letzten Früchten voll zu sein; Cur sarey appee er ny messyn meen;
gib ihnen noch zwei südlichere Tage, lhig daue daa laa elley lesh y jiass,
dränge sie zur Vollendung hin und jage greinn ad dys creenaghey chooilleenys blass
die letzte Süße in den schweren Wein. as feoiltee miljid cooie er yn 'eeyn.
 
Wer jetzt kein Haus hat, baut sich keines mehr. Cha troggee nish nagh leshyn thie erbee.
Wer jetzt allein ist, wird Es lange bleiben, Chamoo goaill sheshey ta ny lomarcan,
wird wachen, lesen, lange Briefe schreiben agh doostey, lhaih dy kiune, screeu screeuyn liauyr
und wird in den Alleen hin und her as wandrail noon as noal er raaidjyn fouyir
unruhig wandern, wenn die Blätter treiben. tra huittys duillagyn ny biljyn buigh.

Ta'n daan aalin shoh screeuit ec Rainier Maria Rilke, as hooar mee eh er blog charrey dou. She mish hene ren eab er y lhieggan Gaelg. Agh cha nee agh blass y daan hene t'aynsyn.

Monday 29 July 2013

Shalee lhaih 2013: Shiaghtin 30

Jerrey jeihoo hiaghtin as feed ny Shallee Lhaih. Shoh ny lhiah mee yn çhiaghtin shoh chaie:

The kite rider (Geraldine McCaughrean)

Lioar elley nagh row er y rolley aght ennagh! Cha mie lhiam feddyn magh lheid y red er chor erbee! She skeeal contoyrtyssyn gilley aeg ayns eash ny Sheen as ny Mongolyn kiart er chur fo haart ny Sheenee. T'eh gynsaghey, dy moal as lane angaish, nagh vel biallys ghlen ny freggyrt cooie da surranseyn bea. V'ee mie dy liooar, screeuit dy mie as anaasoil dy liooar. Er y laue elley, va mee jerkal rish red ennagh ny smoo eddrym as lane aitt, as cha nel ee er chor erbee - she lioar sherriu as folley t'ayn, bentyn rish bree stroailtagh moyrn as sondid, er paitçhyn erskyn ooilley. Er y fa shen cha nel mian er lheh aym ny smoo liorish McCaughrean y lhaih.

The age of absolutism (Max Beloff)

Lioar hennaghys da'n theay (foddee) bentyn rish yn eash 1660-1815, dy ghra myr shen, eash tra va cooid smoo ny h-Oarpey fo smaght reeaghyn ard-phooaral, as va ard-phooarlys hene coardit rish myr aght-reill mie. Ta Beloff soilshaghey magh ny scanshyn v'eddyr oc, ny faghyn v'ad ayn, as ny obbraghyn sheshoil, argidoil as politickagh hug jerrey orroo fy-yerrey (ga nagh vel eh gra monney er y fer s'jerree). Anaasoil dy liooar, foddee, agh by chreoi eh douys as mish gyn fys erbee er yn eash hoshiaght; as t'ee çheet dy ve beggan çhiu ny keayrtyn fo enmyn as taghyrtyn gyn soilshaghey, as sampleyryn gyn yss aym. Dynsee mee red ennagh, gyn ourys, as cha nel ee feer liauyr noadyr, myr shen er lhiam dy nee lioar 'ondagh t'ayn ny yei trimmid as beggan eash (chlou ad ee ayns 1963).

Player's guide to Eberron (James Wyatt etc.)

Lioar choonee son cloie Dungeons and Dragons 'sy teihll noa Eberron. T'ee anaasoil dy liooar as lane reihyn da'n chloieder jannoo ymmyd jeu. Dennee mee nagh row eh ro-aashagh toiggal dagh ooilley red, as shen cooish chadjin 'sy lheid; ta enmyn sleih, buill, taghyrtyn as cretooryn cruinnaghey dy tappee do nagh dod oo cur enney orroo foast. As shen ga dy lhaih mee lioar heihll Eberron er y gherrid, lane fys er shennaghys as nheeghyn y teihill. Ny yei shen v'ee mie dy liooar as er lhiam dy vel ram stoo anaasoil as feeu 'sy lioar. Gyn çheet er reddyn elley, she sampleyr mie t'ayn jeu 'jannoo reddyn noa as shenn eaddagh'.


The end of week thirty of the Reading Project. Here's what I've read this week:

The kite rider (Geraldine McCaughrean)

Another one that wasn't on the list, somehow! Not a pleasant discovery. It's about the adventures of a young Chinese boy at the beginning of the Mongol rule; he learns painfully and slowly that simple obedience to elders and the teachings of others isn't an answer to all life's challenges. It was a decent read, interesting and well-written. However, I was expecting something much lighter and more fun when I picked it up (a long time ago, but I remember) and had a bit of a shock. This is a pretty bloody book, and one full of bitterness and pain for the characters. That being the case, I'm not especially inclined to look out more of McCaughrean's work.

The age of absolutism (Max Beloff)

A history book that may or may not have been intended as pop history. It covers the 1660-1815 period, when a lot of Europe was under the sway of absolute monarchs and the ideology of absolutism. Beloff illustrates how these various countries came to be that way, the differences between them, and the varying social, financial and political processes that would eventually undermine them (although he doesn't really touch on the downfalls themselves). It's fairly interesting, though having no previous knowledge of this chunk of history I found much of it hard going - there are a lot of names, events and places that I simply don't recognise, and it's assumed that you will. However, I certainly feel like I've learned something, and it's not a very long book, so I rate it fairly well despite its age (1963 publication) and dryness.

Player's guide to Eberron (James Wyatt etc.)

A handbook for playing Dungeons and Dragons in the new (well, compared to the original setting) world of Eberron. It's interesting and has guidance and options for player characters, as well as useful things like what their characters may know about particular things. I felt the name soup was a bit overwhelming despite having read the campaign guide recently, which is a common issue with books like this: continents, cities, kings, species, they all blend together. However, I still thought it was a decent example of the genre, and it had some good stuff in there. Apart from anything else, it's a good example of making something novel from old components.

Thursday 25 July 2013

Shalee lhiah 2013: Jerrey Jerrey Souree

Jerrey hiaghtoo vee ny shalee.

Hoshiaght ny bleeaney: 128 lioaryn

Hoshiaght ny mee: 93 lioaryn

Myr shen, ta mee er scryssey 7 ass y rolley as ta 86 faagit er.

  • Lioaryn lhaiht aym y vlein shoh (y chied cheayrt): 69


End of the seventh month of Reading Project.

The Beginning: 128 books

The start of this month: 93 books

So that makes 7 books removed from the list, leaving 86.

  • Books read (for the first time) this year: 69

Monday 22 July 2013

Shalee lhaih 2013: Shiaghtin 29

Jerrey nuyoo hiaghtin as feed ny Shallee Lhaih. Shoh ny lhiah mee yn çhiaghtin shoh chaie:

Yr un yw'r frwydr (Mair Wynn Hughes)

Skeeal fansee da paitçhyn - yiarrin paitçhyn, cha niarrin sleih aegey, er y fa nagh vel cooishyn cadjin lioaryn sleih aegey ry-akin. Cha nel caarjys ny cochiangley 'sy chooish, ny appeeaght noadyr, agh t'eh goaill stiagh beggan boirey as atçhim. Myr shen, yiarrins paitçhyn 8-12 foddee? She skeeal neuchramp Sollys as Dorraghys t'ayn, as ny braaraghyn cochianglt rish y Tollys rere fadeyrys dy vow ad daa yeantane scanshoil. Ta ny reddyn cadjin ayn: shenn druiaght kenjal, fannagyn drogh-vonney, markiaght dorraghey (y Markiaght Dorraghey!) ta skeaylley olkys, shirveishagh "firrinagh" ta ny vrahder... oh, as cha nel ad marroo y Markiaght, t'eh goll er seiy harrish oirr slogh ec fer quaagh fo-hallooin. Mestey Star Wars as Lord of the Rings, myr shen... Nish, cha nel mee son gra dy row eh gyn feeu. She lioar phaitçhyn t'ayn, as ga dy vel mish er vakin lheid ny h-eieyn reesht as reeshtagh, shegin da cagh goaill toshiaght raad ennagh. Chammah's shen, v'ee screeuit mie dy liooar, ga dy row Bretnish y skeeal beggan trome da'n chooish ny keayrtyn, er lhiams. Va ny taghyrtyn baghtal dy liooar, as hug MWH blass baggyrtagh urree.

Er y laue elley, shegin dou gra dy row immeeaght y skeeal beggan ass ynnyd, er lhiams. Ga dy vel eh fo ny gillyn shirrey er ny jeantaneyn, cha nod ad jannoo shen derrey treen s'jerree ny lioar, as eisht gyn monney fys er c'raad t'adsyn. Derrey'n traa shen, t'ad fo ghlass 'sy ghowaltys er y fa dy vel y Markiaght er chur cowraghyn çhingys yn ollee er ny beiyn, as ta'n skeeal jeeaghyn er taghyrtyn y caggey fansee. Rish shen,t'ee ceau ram traa er y turrys, as caghlaa dy tappee eddyr ocsyn as caggey mooar ec cashtal ny Sollysh. Mie dy liooar. T'ad goll er shelg ec y Varkiaght hene ayns curragh; fondagh. Agh eisht, ta fer quaagh fo-hallooin feddyn ad as coadey ad, t'eh dyn leeideil dys ooig raad ta'n stoo tashtit, t'eh ceau y Markiaght ayns towl dowin, as t'ad "feddyn" ny jeantaneyn as cur jerrey tappee er y skeeal. Er lhiam nagh row monney bree ec y jerrey hene, as cha row monney bree ny jeantaneyn do-akin noadyr. Dy firrinagh, s'goan dy vel ad MacGuffinyn. Dennee mee nagh row fys ec MHW er cre'n jeantane v'ayn ny c'red oddagh ee jannoo maroo. Lhaih mee ny va taghyrt, agh cha dennee mee eh.

De Profundis (Michal Oracz)

Lioar reillyn da gamman... cha nel gamman cloie paart dy jeeragh, agh red ennagh eddyr shen as co-screeu skeeal liorish lettyryn. Ta shiuish goaill erriu hene paartyn karracteyryn rere aght Lovecraft, sleih ta surranse reddyn quaagh, as co-screeu er ny cooishyn shen. Ta ram stoo 'sy lioar son shen, screeuit 'syn aght shen. T'eh caghlaait ass y Pholannish, as er lhiam dy vel beggal er coayl er y fa shen - scansh cultooragh ennagh, foddee. Ghow mee taitnys jeh, agh t'ee beggan liauyr son ny t'aynjee, er lhiams, as t'ee gra ny reddyn cheddin reeshtagh ny keayrtyn. Er lhiam dy beagh eh aitt dauesyn as traa dy liooar oc, as ta mee er groo skeealyn marish sleih elley ny keayrtyn. Ny yei shen, cha bee'm goaill ayrn. Gyn çheet er y fa nagh vel caarjyn aym by vie lhieu lheid y gamman, she goaill ort hene paart peiagh ta goll ass e cheeall liorish feddyn magh reddyn agglagh eh bun y gamman, as ta shen ro-vie er enney dooys, gura mie ayd.

The Dragon in the Sea (Frank Herbert)

Shoh lioar nagh row er y rolley er fa ennagh, agh cha row fys aym er shen derrey lhaih mee ish! She skeeal far-skeealaght heanse t'ayn, ga nagh vel monney sheanse sheiltynagh aynjee trooid as trooid. Ta blass lajer y Chaggey Conrieugh urree - she lioar ny 1960yn t'ayn as shen baghtal dy liooar. Ta fovooiranee Americaanagh caggey noi sleih Hiar gyn fa baghtal, myr t'ad ayns lheid ny lioaryn, as t'ad skeeal mychione shickloayllee ta goll nyn mast'oc dys feddyn magh cre'n fa dy vel ad goll er coayl dy cadjin. T'eh çheet er baanrid caggee as dooghys keeayll as y lheid, as lane aggle fo goulraghey as tranlaase-aggle. V'eh castreycair; er lhiam dy row eh ro-liauyr son y chooid t'echey, as ta eash trome er. Chammah's shen, cha nel eh cur freggyrt da'n 'eysht meanagh, ga dy vel eh lhiggey er shen y yannoo: cre'n fa dy vel ny fovooiraneyn goll er coayl? Baanrid? Laccal mian dy hannaghtyn bio? Shirrey jerrey erbee da'n turranse? T'eh jus quaagh, rere lioaryn elley ny 1960yn dy cadjin. My she sampleyr cadjin obbyr Herbert t'ayn, cha lhaimyn ny smoo jeu.


The end of week twenty-nine of the Reading Project. Here's what I've read this week:

Yr un yw'r frwydr (Mair Wynn Hughes)

A children's fantasy book. I say children's, because there's none of the usual indicators of YA fiction here: relationships, achieving maturity, moral complexity. However, it does have some sinister touches and moments of worry, so I'd say maybe for 8-12 year olds? It's a fairly simple story of Light and Darkness, with two brothers linked to the Light by a prophecy that says they'll find the two MacGuffins. It has a lot of common elements: old kindly wizard, sinister crows, a Dark Rider (honestly) who spreads evil, a treacherous "faithful servant"... and rather than killing the Rider as such, he gets pushed over a cliff by a bizarre troglodytic bloke the kids meet near the end. So a bit of a Star Wars-LOTR mashup. But though I say that, everyone has to get started somewhere; I may be over-familiar with all those elements, but children won't be. It's also written fairly well, although I occasionally felt the language was a bit stiff for the content. The actual story was clear enough, with a faintly sinister air to it.

On the other hand, I have to say I found the pacing a bit off. Although the boys are supposed to find the artefacts, they don't get to do anything whatsoever until the last third of the book, with screen time spent either on the fantasy battle, or on a Rider-spawned "foot and mouth" outbreak that keeps the family confined to the farm for days. When they do finally get started, with only the faintest idea of where to go, the action switches rapidly between them (hunted by dark creatures) and the battle and betrayal - decent enough technique. The Rider pursues them through a misty swamp, which is fine by me. However, at this point the ending gets skewed. A strange troglodyte finds them and shelters them, then turns out to know where the artefacts are and leads the boys to them. The Rider comes after them and gets thrown in the pit. Then the whole artefact plot just sort of fizzles into a generic victory, without the artefacts doing anything or even getting the spotlight, and without any more scenes from the fantasy setting to show the effects there. It just felt weirdly abrupt to me, and a bit like MHW didn't really have any idea what to do with it.

De Profundis (Michal Oracz)

A gamebook - not quite an RPG, but something between that and a joint epistoliary novel. You take on the roles of Lovecraftian characters, suffering strange events and writing about them. There's a lot in the book, written in the style it wants you to adopt. It's translated from Polish, which I think has lost a little something in the translation; perhaps a slight cultural nuance? I enjoyed it, but it seems a bit long for what it is, and occasionally repetitive. It would probably be fun for someone with the time and inclination. I certainly used to make up stories with people. Nevertheless, I won't be going for this one. Apart from the fact I don't think any of my friends would be interested, it's a game about adopting the part of someone going slowly insane. That's a little bit close to home, cheers.

The Dragon in the Sea (Frank Herbert)

For some reason this wasn't on my list, but I didn't spot that until I'd read it. It's a sci-fi story, though with very little speculative science in it, to be honest. There's a very strong Cold War note to it, being a 1960s book, with American submariners fighting Eastern Powers for no apparent reason. The story itself is about an undercover psychologist joining a crew to see why so many are disappearing (presumably destroyed, though you never find out). It's full of stuff about the nature of sanity, the madness of war, paranoia and a horror of radiation - all very of-its-time. It was okay, I suppose. I found it too long for the actual content, but I suppose he wanted to emphasise tone. Also quite dated. Also, the central mystery of the book never really gets an answer, as much as it acts like it does. Is the problem full-blown madness? Loss of survival instinct? Seeking any end to the horror of war? It just feels a bit strange and somewhat portentious (and pretentious), to be honest, as so many books of that era do. If this is a representative sample of Herbert's work, I won't be reading any more.

Friday 19 July 2013

Robotyn karree corryl

Er y gherrid, ta mee er chur cooney da kuse dy hroddanyn Indiegogo, as nyn mast'oc troddan as yn ennym Coralbots echey. Ga dy row dagh troddan anaasoil, ta mee son loayrt er ny robotyn rish tammylt.

Skerryn corrylagh

S'cosoylagh dy vel oo er glashtyn nagh vel skerryn corrylagh ayns slaynt vie. T'ad troggal ad hene dy moal, pollyp er phollyp, rish bleeantyn. Agh ta ro-eeastaghey, cur stiagh sampleyryn, lhongvrishaghyn as reddyn elley jannoo assee dy tappee (as trawlal grunt erskyn ooilley), as ta stroos orroo myrgeddin bentyn rish faarkaghyn goll sharroo, ny sollaghey.

Aachouyral

Ta sleih gobbraghey hannah dy aachouyral skerryn, liorish çhaglym meeryn corryl brishtey ta bio foast, as ad y aachiangley rish y sker hene: ta shiartanse dy ghooieyn corryl surranse shen. S'cosoylagh eh shen e skerryn thanney ta so-roshtyn ec thummeyder scuba (wheesh as 600t fo'n eaghtyr), agh t'eh moal agglagh as lane doilleeidyn, er y fa nagh dod oo tannaghtyn 'syn ushtey rish foddey, ny roshtyn skerryn dowin. Shimmey sker jeeylit t'ayn er grunt ny marrey ass roshtyn thummeyderyn. Haink yn eie da'n Olloo Lea-Anne Henry (Ollooscoill Herriot-Watt)dy nod ad jannoo ymmyd jeh robotyn 'syn obbyr (as lhig dou gra s'treih lhiam nagh row lheid yn olloo breeoil gynsaghey y coorse bea-oaylleeaght ayms).

Robotyn

Ta fwirran dy oaylleeyn as çhaghnoaylleeyn gobbraghey er robotyn seyr-obbree aachouyrys skerryn corryl. Ta lheid ny robotyn ry-akin hannah: t'ad tayrn caslyssyn-hallooin er grunt ny marrey, shirrey mianee, patrolaghey ayns ynnydyn coadit, ronsaghey cooishyn marrey as reddyn elley. Ta oayllee gobbraghey er armyn son robotyn noa, do nod ad cur lhieu erash nheeghyn scanshoil: sampleyryn, jeantaneyn ny kishtaghyn recortys etlan. Ta armyn ry-akin er robotyn fo smaght foddey voue ta cummal seose croanyn ooill, karraghey piobyn as cur lhieu ny nheeghyn heose, agh t'adsyn fo stiurey sleih, as ta stiureyderyn schlei goan as deyr! Chammah's shen, cha nel radio gobbraghey dy mie fo ushtey, as myr shen s'doillee eh cummal seose kiangley rish y bot; t'ou croghey er caabyl fysseree (as e ghoilleeidyn hene echeysyn) ny er kiangley er lhag-venkid ta feer voal. Liorish cur armyn er robotyn seyr-obbree, oddagh oo jannoo foddey ny smoo, ny s'tappee as ny sloo deyr. As shen gyn gaue da deiney: ta feanish ayn dy vel thummey gaueagh, ga nagh vel sleih coardail er y ghaue t'ayn. Ayns ayrn, shen er y fa nagh vel fys baghtal er wheesh dy 'leih ta thummey, ny cre cho liauyr. Rere ooryn jeant, t'ad credjal dy vel eh mysh 96 keayrtyn ny smoo gaueagh na imman, agh rere baaseyn 'sy vleih t'eh ny sauçhey, dy baghtal.

Ta fo'n wirran Coralbots robotyn y chroo nod cooilleeney y lane obbyr gyn feme er deiney. Ta daa ghean ec yn çhalee. Hoshiaght, lhisagh ny robotyn feddyn meeryn corryl ta er nyn mrishey voish y sker, ny meeryn er nyn troarey ayns ymmyr corryl; nee ad shirrey ynnyd cooie da'n veer 'sy sker, as ad y aachiangley rish. Agh erskyn shen, ta fo'n wirran ny robotyn y chiangley ry-cheilley myr scruin. Lhisagh ad co-obbraghey rere sniengagnyn ny shellanyn, as 'syn aght shen ta ymmyrkey neuchramp cooilleeney obbraghyn cramp: shen yn aght ta shellanyn ny dooarchooghyn troggal thieyn yl-chast. T'adsyn co-reaghey dys feddyn bee, troggal clein as fendeil yn edd noi beiyn elley. Ga nagh vel monney fys ec unnaneagh erbee, as cha nod ad fakin y lane obbyr, t'ad troggal strughtooryn foawragh as lane vynphoyntyn scanshoil. Ta shen taghyrt gyn ard-reiltagh, liorish biallys da reillyn neuchramp t'er nyn reaghey ec aafilley. Ga nagh vel unnaneagh erbee scanshoil, ta co-obbraghey ymmodee jeu (as co-obbraghey ny reillyn shen) cooilleeney eiyrtys fondagh.

Ta'n olloo David Corne, fer jeh'n wirran, ronsaghey claareyn co-earrooder ta cochiangley jeshaghtyn myr scruin. T'eh jannoo ymmyd jeh co-earrooaght aafilleydagh son shen: croo ymmodee claareyn, scryssey adsyn ta falleil, as croo straih noa rere ny fir hare. Rish jannoo shen ymmodee keayrtyn, t'eh feddyn claare ta fondagh as ta cooilleeney'n dean dy mie. 'Sy chooish shoh, nee eh reillyn vennys rish cur enney er nheeghyn, rheynn obbraghyn eddyr y 'cruin, as feddyn ynnydyn cooie da meeryn corryl. Shegin da Corne feddyn magh paramateryn cooie da'n obbyr, as ny mooadyssyn share daue. Myr sampleyr, ta corryl gaase dy mie my t'eh cour y stroo ushtey (dys beaghey), as ta s'mie lesh kuse jeu soilshey ny greiney. T'eh er Corne ronsaghey as shareaghey algorithmyn bentyn rish laueaghey, fakin as stiurey ny robotyn. T'eh fo y 'wirran robotyn Nessie 4 y chaghlaa son yn obbyr.

Er y fa dy bee ny robotyn lane gollrish y cheilley, t'ad shassoo noi doilleeidyn ny share. Foddee fer erbee jeu caghlaa yn obbyr echey, as cha nel fer erbee femoil. Myr shen, my ta fer jeu brishey, cha nel eh ro-hrome; ta ny fir elley gobbraghey foast as goaill orroo hene yn obbyr v'echey. Cha bee bot erbee stiurey, agh nee ad nyn mriwnys hene er quoi jinnys c'red. Er lesh yn olloo Henry dy nod ad karraghey sker rish ymmodee meeghyn, foddey ny sloo na deiney. My ta ny h-oaylleeyn cooilleeney'n dean shen, er lhieu dy nod oo cur geill da deanyn freayllagh elley: glenney trustyr ass y cheayn, ny marroo deill "attey dy ghrineyn" ta cur naardey y Rinn Vooar.

Cre'n fa?

Gyn çheet er eieyn freayllagh, ny er kiedyn deiney dy chur naardey y seihll mygeayrt y mooin, ta skerryn feer scanshoil son slaynt ny marrey, son coadey slystyn marrey (jeeagh er y ny caslyssyn) as myr oayllyn ymmodee eeastyn as cretooryn marrey elley.

Er raad elley, s'cosoylagh dy nee yn çhalee shoh feddyn magh reddyn scanshoil mychione co-obbraghey robotyn, as shen y traa ry-heet, nagh vel? Scruinyn dy robotyn ta karraghey raadyn, cuirr troaryn, ny aachuirrey keyljyn ny red erbee by vie lhiat, gyn feme er peiagh erbee dyn stiurey. Ny jannoo coloin er seihll elley, my share lhiat.


Er lhiam dy nee shalee feeu as lane anaase t'ayn, as freayllym shilley er y 'wirran shoh.

(Oh, as jus rish screeu yn art shoh, hug mee my ner dy vel y skeeal er y Veeb nish. Jeant dy mie!)

Monday 15 July 2013

Shalee lhaih 2013: Shiaghtin 28

Jerrey hoghtoo hiaghtin as feed ny Shallee Lhaih. Shoh ny lhiah mee yn çhiaghtin shoh chaie:

Greyfriars Bobby (Eleanor Atkinson,)

Foddey ny share na row mee jerkal, dy firrinagh. T'ee gaainsh y skeeal gyn rouyr meiyghid, as s'mie lhiam yn aght-screeuee t'eck. Chammah's shen, s'feer vie lhiam cooid Vaarle Albinagh ny lioar; t'ee lane choloayrtyssyn 'syn çhenn aght, as ta aght er lheh ec cagh bentyn rish troggal as stayd. Jeant dy mie.

Moonfleet (J Meade Falkner)

Lioar contoyrtyssyn gilley. Ta bieauid as ryddym mie eck, as er lhiam dy vel ny sleih as taghyrtyn soilshit dy mie. Ny yei shen va beggan ass ynnyd 'sy lioar aght ennagh. Ta tree skeealyn aynjee, skeeal graih beg as skeeal feddyn tashtey as skeeal er roie ushtey bea ayns balley beg, as er lhiam nagh vel ad lane chooie rish y cheilley. Ta ard-haghyrtys y skeeal tashtee ceau blass quaagh er ny taghyrtyn cadjin elley. Agh by vie lhiam eh ny yei shen, as cha cheau mee agh daa oor rish lhaih ee.


The end of week twenty-eight of the Reading Project. Here's what I've read this week:

Greyfriars Bobby (Eleanor Atkinson,)

Much better than I expected, to be honest. The story's told without excess sentimentality, and I enjoyed the style of the writing. Even better, there was a strong streak of Scots and of Scottish dialect in the book, varied convincingly with the character's background and standing. A good job.

Moonfleet (J Meade Falkner)

The story of a boy's adventures. It has a good pace and rhythym, and I found both characters and events well-written. However, I did find the book a bit disjointed somehow. It's composed of three intertwined stories - a minor love story, a treasure hunt, and the story of our hero's induction into smuggling in a small town. I felt like they didn't quite mesh, partly because the treasure elements were quite melodramatic, while the rest was fairly plain even when dramatic things unfolded. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it.

Friday 12 July 2013

C'raad ta ny lioaryn 'sy Ghaelg?

Ta mee gobbraghey ayns lioarlan, as myr shen ta mee smooinaghtyn orroo ny keayrtyn. Ghow mee toshiaght goaill yindys wheesh dy lioaryn 'sy Ghaelg ta ry-gheddyn ayndaue. Wahll, cha nel monney. Hirr mee er kuse dy lioaryn jeinagh ayns lioarlannyn ashoonagh as cadjin ny h-Inshyn Goaldagh, as shoh ny hooar mee:

  • Dunveryssyn – OS Cardiff
  • Jough-laanee Aegid – gyn
  • Te screeuit – OS Aberdeen, OS Edinburgh
  • Skeealyn (Crellin) – National Library of Scotland, OS Edinburgh
  • Skeealyn Aesop (2010) – gyn
  • Reks Carlo – Bodleian (Oxford)
  • Skeealyn Vannin – Bodleian (Oxford), OS Limerick, OS Dublin, OS Aberdeen, NUI, OS Edinburgh, OS Glasgow; Canada
  • Manannan’s Cloak – OS Cork, OS Glasgow; Germany, Canada, USA
  • Yn Gruffalo – gyn
  • Skeealyn-ferrish ass Mannin – gyn
  • Bun-ry-skyn lesh Orry – gyn
  • Kemmyrkagh – gyn

Ta shenn lioaryn 'sy Ghaelg oc, as lioaryn mychione Mannin, lheid as Placenames of the Isle of Man. Agh ta ny lioaryn s'jeinee caillt oc.

Er lhiam dy vel shen treih as scanshoil myrgeddin. She çhengey ghoan t’ain, as mannagh vel ny lioaryn t’aynjee ry-gheddyn ayns buill erbee, cha nel shen cooney. Chammah’s shen, ta ny lioaryn shoh currit magh er earroo beg ayns ellan veg, son y chooid smoo; ta feer ghaue ayn dy jed ad er coayl. Shen y fa dy dug sleih bun er lioarlannyn coip-chiart hoshiaght.

Ta mee guee erriu, ughtaryn as soilsheyderyn: goaill shey coipyn jeh’n lioar t’ayds as cur ad dys lioarlannyn coip-chiart ny h-Inshyn Goaldagh: British Library, Bodleian Library, Cambridge University Library, Library of Trinity College Dublin, National Library of Wales as National Library of Scotland. Cur maroo screeuyn beg ta soilshaghey magh dy nee lioar ‘sy Ghaelg t’ayn (cha nel fys oc er cre’n çhengey whaagh t’ayn, atreih) as quoi y screeu eh (t’ad credjal, dy cadjin, dy nee ennym cadjin Vannin eh “Liorish”!). My ta mian ayd, cur coipyn elley da ollooscoill ny ghaa ta jannoo studeyrys er çhengaghyn Celtiagh.

My ta peiagh erbee shirrey fys er yn aght shen y yannoo, cur çhaghter dou as failt ort.

Monday 8 July 2013

Shalee lhaih 2013: Shiaghtin 27

Jerrey hiaghtoo hiaghtin as feed ny Shallee Lhaih. Shoh ny lhiah mee yn çhiaghtin shoh chaie:

Die Stadt der Träumenden Bücher (Walter Moers)

Skeeal fansee feer anaasoil, lane aitt meein. Ta coraa baghtal ec yn ard-charracteyr Hildegunst, as ta beiyn as cummaltee y teihill ta Moers er ny chroo noa as taitnyssagh. T'eh er groo seihll as blass shennaghys so-chredjal echey, as ta ny caslyssyn (jeant echeysyn) jeant dy mie as bioyr dy liooar. Er y laue elley - t'ee liauyr. 476 duillagyn 'sy lhieggan ayms, as shen 'sy Ghermaanish - cheau mee quoi-ec-ta-fys-wheesh ooryn rish daa hiaghtin (er seyrey!) lhaih ish, as va'n liurid shen croghey er-my-skyn er feie yn traa, as leodaghey'n taitnys ghow mee jee. Er lhiams dy dod oo er ngiarrey sheese y chooid 'ocklyn t'aynjee. Va kuse dy "chabdilyn" ayn nagh dug monney bree da'n skeeal hene - v'adsyn mie dy liooar, agh jus soilshaghey cooid ennagh jeh'n teihll shoh v'er ny hoilshaghey dy mie hannah 'sy lioar 'oawragh shoh. As gyn scansh da caghlaaghyn foalley, as ny smoo drogh-ourys, cha nel Hildegunst caghlaa monney rish ooilley ny t'eh er surranse.


The end of week twenty-seven of the Reading Project. Here's what I've read this week:

Die Stadt der Träumenden Bücher (Walter Moers)

A very interesting fantasy story, full of gentle humour. The protagonist Hildegunst has a pleasant, distinct voice, and the various denizens of Moers' world are novel and enjoyable to encounter (well, not for the protagonist). He's created a world with a believable veneer of history, and illustrated it himself with lively and characterful drawings. On the other hand, this is a long book. My version is 476 of dense German, which I've spent who-knows-how-many hours reading during two full weeks (and those holiday weeks); the sheer size of the book weighed on me (physically and literally) throughout, and I think the knowledge of just how much was left was diminishing my pleasure in it. I think you could probably have cut down the word count somewhat. There were various sections that didn't really add much to the story - fine in themselves, but just expositing more of Moer's world which was already getting plenty of screentime in this mammoth book. And despite ending up fitter and more paranoid, Hildegunst doesn't really develop much despite his adventures.

Sunday 7 July 2013

Caslyssyn souree

Pairk eggoaylleeagh ennagh faggys dou - cha dooar mee eh derrey'n çhiaghtin shoh. Boayl beg agh she laa feer çheh v'ayn, as mee son soie sheese, myr shen ren mee caslys beg jeh.

Barje ennagh roish y thie ayms.

Four "solutions" to the housing crisis

The Guardian just posted something called Ten Solutions to the Housing Crisis, which I expected to be moderately interesting, but it was disappointing. Rather than an article by a housing specialist, it's a photoset - a mildly interesting one, to be sure, but still.

Plus, I felt like its approach was too house-centric.

The "housing crisis" in Britain seems to boil down to a few points:

  • Most of the jobs and money are in the South-East, so people move there
  • The supply of housing in the South-East doesn't meet demand
  • People tend to prefer living in houses to apartments
  • Parents rarely downgrade to a smaller house once children move out; in any case there aren't usually enough small properties for people to do that on a large scale.
  • Building large houses is vastly more profitable than affordable houses or small apartments, even though much of the housing demand is from young working people without children. Even where plans originally offer affordable housing, it's rarely actually built when push comes to shove.
  • Apartments are bizarrely expensive compared to houses, so moving from house to apartment - or getting a small flat as your first place - is very suboptimal.
  • People don't really want more houses building on green land, and don't want their own towns expanding.

Of course, there are apparently 330,000 long-term empty homes in the UK, plus at least 300,000 flat above shops that bizarrely don't have residential use permission, plus many thousands of homes (5,000 in Bradford alone) that aren't currently in usable condition. But many of those are not in London. How selfish of them.

I think part of the problem is the general argument seems to insist on several incompatible key planks. More housing is needed. Greenbelt land should not be built on. People shouldn't have to live in big blocks of flats. Free movement of people must be maintained. And the economic dominance of the South-East must not be interfered with - though the Government at least never mention that last one.

As far as I can see, there are really only a handful of ways to cope with this, and all of them involve sacrificing one of these ideals.

One rather undesirable option is to reduce the population: this would probably reduce demand to some extent, but involves a lot of interference one way or the other. Neither one-child policies nor tough immigration limits are very welcome. Even on a purely pragmatic-for-housing view, though, it'd take a good while and might not produce a more even distribution.

Another one is to accept the inevitable draw of the rich, job-filled South East with its constant fawning from the Government, and supply the houses. You wanted fields? Tough. Concrete over the Home Counties, ruthlessly build the houses demanded by the population dynamics sustained by economics and policy. This would significantly reduce the appeal of the place for many people, and is probably environmentally disastrous, but it would provide the necessary housing.

Next, you could change planning and building regulations - or have the Government take over entirely. Stop building large properties, which are pretty abundant these days, and instead build only terraces and blocks of flats. Provide small properties for young workers, childless couples and those whose children have moved out, and provide the infrastructure (transport, libraries, bike hire, community spaces) so that the shortage of space isn't much of an issue. There isn't enough space in London for that right now, so you'd almost certainly have to develop not only brownfield sites, but also existing housing. Knock down existing inefficient 4-bedroomed houses and building 10-storey blocks of flats.

But the most sensible option is surely the social engineering one: stop obsessing about London. It is neither necessary nor inevitable that London and the South-East are where everything happens in the UK, parasitically sucking in people. The Government could actively discourage the growth of London, and encourage (not just with the usual token carrot, but with stick) more even distribution across the UK, where many more houses are available and there are often brownfield sites that could be redeveloped into flats (whereas those in the SE tend to have been used already). This would not only help with housing shortages, but also reduce obscene housing prices - though it would probably hurt the pockets of many politicians, who tend to own property in the SE even if they're not in property themselves. It would stimulate the economy of other parts of the country, not only from having more going on, but because having prestigious companies with high-level employees tends to create jobs serving those companies and employees.

But short of a new crop of politicians emerging who aren't enslaved to the lights and noise of the London Beast, and to companies and executives who shrink with horror at the prospect the regions, I don't imagine that will ever happen.

Monday 1 July 2013

Shalee lhaih 2013: Jerrey Mean Souree

Jerrey heyoo vee ny shalee, as mean ny bleeaney. Cre'n stayd t'ayn, myr shen?

Hoshiaght ny bleeaney: 128 lioaryn

Hoshiaght ny mee: 94 lioaryn

Myr shen, ta mee er... agh, cha scryss mee agh un lioar; ta'n jees elley lhaiht aym gyn ve rieau er y rolley!

Ny yei shen, er lhiam dy vel mee er nyannoo obbyr vie y vlein shoh derrey nish. Ta ram lioaryn er nyn geau magh aym, fy-yerrey, erreish dou jannoo briwnys nagh vel mee son nyn lhaih. Gyn y çhalee shoh, veagh ad er vuirraghyn er y skelloo er son dy bragh, s'cosoylagh. Ta mee er lhaih 60 lioar - shen ram lioaryn! As ga dy vel mee er ngeddyn ny smoo na 30 lioaryn noa, ta mee er ngiarrey seose y carnane lioaragh aym dys 93; cha nel eh orryms agh 43 jeu y lhaih nish dys cooilleeney'n dean v'ayms. As ooilley shen fo lhag-chreeaght. Lhig dou beggan moyrn, myr shen.

  • Lioaryn lhaiht aym y vlein shoh (y chied cheayrt): 60

Y carn noa, as y carn toshee. Cha nel wheesh scansh as by vie lhiam eddyr y jees! As ta'n aghtallys-shamraig aym er ny leodaghey myrgeddin, s'baghtal.

The old and new piles, sadly not as different as I'd like! Looks like my photography's getting worse too.


End of the sixth month of Reading Project, and the halfway point of the year.

The Beginning: 128 books

The start of this month: 94 books

That is not good progress. With good excuses, I've nevertheless only read three books this month - and all of those were newly-got. I've only really struck one book off the list, and that by slinging it out.

On the other hand, let's consider the year as a whole. I've done pretty darned well, to be honest. For a start, I've thrown out quite a few books that'd probably otherwise still be lurking on my shelves; the project gave me the impetus to decide no, I wasn't actually ever going to read them. I've read 60 books in six months, which is a lot by most standards - and that's not including comfort rereading. Even though I've picked up more than 30 books in that time (mostly gifts around Christmas) I've still cut the list down to 93, which only calls for reading 43 more in the next six months, which should be doable. And considering the depression and associated issues I'm dealing with, I think I can allow myself just a small measure of pride in that.

  • Books read (for the first time) this year: 60

Shalee lhaih 2013: Shiaghtin 26

Jerrey sheyoo hiaghtin as feed ny Shallee Lhaih - as lieh ny bleeaney! Shoh ny lhiah mee yn çhiaghtin shoh chaie:

Judge Dredd: The Dark Judges (John Wagner)

Currit dou myr gioot Laa ny Lioaryn anmagh. Skeeal mie, lane aitt dorraghey as dorraghys lieh-vongey. Ta'n ellyn trome-chooishagh ny sheshey cooie da'n skeeal, as t'ad coyannoo obbyr ta croghey dy fondagh eddyr trome-chooishaght neuchredjallagh as aittys bolvaneagh gyn leaystey rouyr rish y jerrey fer ny'n fer elley. Un red moal: 'sy lioar haglymit shoh, er lhiams, ta ny skeealyn coayl beggan; t'ad ro-chasley rish y cheilley as beggan ry-yerkal. Er lhiams dy row ad ny s'niartey 'sy 'traih bunneydagh as skeealyn elley eddyr oc.


The end of week twenty-six of the Reading Project, and the halfway point. Here's what I've read this week:

Judge Dredd: The Dark Judges (John Wagner)

A late National Book Day present. A good read, with plenty of dark humour and tongue-in-cheek grimness. The serious style of the art is a great companion to the story, and they combine into a work that hovers pleasantly between suspension-breaking seriousness and pure silliness, without ever leaning too far into either territory. One downside: I think this collected volume is a little weakened because of the similarity between the stories, which can also seem a bit predictable. I think they probably had more impact in the original magazine, mixed between other adventures of the judges.