Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Location, Location, Location

Serena Stephen, whose blog I found through Jen Daiker, held an awesome blogfest last week.

As usual I'm a little late for it, but I had an awesome guest on Friday, and I stayed home sick yesterday, so there is a decent reason (unlike most other times). Please be sure to visit that post linked above to see all the other entries.

In the blogfest Serena asked that we describe a place, and that we pick one of these: Woodsville, Kingshire, Douglas Mannor, Letham Grange.


I know I don't usually put my own creative writing up here on the blog, usually saving it for sharing in other places (namely Bryan's blog) but today I've made an exception since I thought this blogfest sounded rather cool.

I've selected Letham Grange, though technically I suppose Douglas Manor could be part of it as well:

Letham Grange stands in a hollow betwixt the moors of Northumberland. The morning fog collects there like beggars outside of Mass in the longdark hours just before the dawn. Its swirling mists are ever prepared to leech all warmth and comfort from any living being caught within their bone-cold tendrils.

The main building is a manor house of stone. The round rocks seem to defy all Newton's laws as they cling precariously to each other and rest, one atop another, in a fashion that boggles all interpretations of the idea of gravity. The ivy that clings desperately to all but the south wall reaches ever toward the thick thatched roof with about as much chance at success as the tower of Babel had of reaching Heaven. The roof itself is soft and comforting, home to birds and critters of all manner, looking soft and puffy from a distance, and encompassing all twelve gables of the windows of the upper floors. Smoke rises from the chimney constantly, inviting the weary traveler in from the cold.

The outbuidings are of wood, and though kept up with as much care as can be mustered, are worn by time and wind and weather and so do not bear the sense of invitation that the manor does. There is a barn, a stable, and a granary, along with the millhouse down by the stream. Its water wheel turbine turns pleasantly with the current on a fine summer day, squeaking harmoniously along with the singing of the babbling brook.

All in all Letham Grange is a good and decent place, standing, as it does, on the borders of the north and the dangers of the hinterlands beyond.

So that's it! Please do be sure to visit and read all the other entries, you'll most likely be pleased and may even meet a new blogger or two.

Thanks for visiting!

32 comments:

Emily White said...

Very nice, Matthew! Very nice indeed. :D

DEZMOND said...

oh, now I feel like I've been there :)

Bish Denham said...

Oooo Matt. Nice. I got a feel for the place immediately.

Old Kitty said...

Very atmospheric!!! The Grange comes to life as a last bastion of refuge here for the weary and the wanderer! Well done you!

I hope you feel better and get better!

Take care
x

Creepy Query Girl said...

Oooh, very eloquently done! Sounds like a mix of warm & welcome and mystery. Love it!

Hannah said...

Well done! I loved all the entries I've read.

Sara {Rhapsody and Chaos} said...

I'm sold on anything that starts out with the word "betwixt" in the first sentence :)

Very vivid descriptions, I could totally see this in my mind while I read--and FEEL the cold! And then hear the water wheel in the summer. Way to place a reader right in the location :)

Lindsay said...

Nice Job, Matt. Love the descriptions. :)

Shannon said...

Great imagery, Matt. You did a great job painting a vivid picture. =)

Lenny Lee said...

hi mr matthew! i liked this lots. how you wrote it got me feeling like i was standing right there looking at it. it sounds like it could be a neat place for a mystry or scary story.
...hugs from lenny

kah said...

I'd like to visit!

Anonymous said...

ool. Always up for meeting new bloggers. I'll check them out. And a reminder I have you down for Tuesday November 16th for my BBT. I'm working on what I'll send you this week. Good stuff if I do say so myself. Thanks again.

Stephen Tremp

Melissa Gill said...

That sounds like a great haven for a lost soul roaming the moors.

LTM said...

excellent--Newton's laws, tower of babel... smartypants. ;p sorry you're sick. Also sorry to miss these cool blarties. All my bleeps seem to be in attendance. sigh. Buried in WIP3.

At least now I feel like I've taken a break to visit some interesting ruins. just a little cold. And damp~ ;o)

Unknown said...

Loved your descriptions, Matt! You captured the sights and sounds of the place, along with its atmospheric mood. Well done!

Colene Murphy said...

Awesomely done!

Christina Lee said...

Wow love this--I felt like i was there. You first paragraph is especially captivating!
Love THIS:"The morning fog collects there like beggars outside of Mass in the longdark hours just before the dawn. Its swirling mists are ever prepared to leech all warmth and comfort from any living being caught within their bone-cold tendrils."

Sarah Ahiers said...

Very nice!

Also, the question is - were you sick? Or were you "sick"?

Lola Sharp said...

Well done, Matt.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I could visualize it!

Jeff Beesler said...

The description in this piece has KO'ed me. I'm down for the count. If only everything I read was as powerful as that. Awesome piece, Matthew!

Bryan Russell said...

Where's my atlas? Where's my encyclopedia? I fear I would fail at this descriptive task.

This was nice, though. I like the beggars simile, in particular. But then I've always been a sucker for fog.

Lisa_Gibson said...

Very descriptive! Nice job. :)
Lisa ~ YA Literature Lover

Southpaw said...

I can see it clearly! I'm usually a day late for blogfests too.

Jemi Fraser said...

Love the line about Newton's laws - gave me a great visual :)

Serena said...

thats fantastic!! I loved it so discriptive!! your letham grange is far more captivating than the real thing i was there recently for a wedding, Its the name of a reallly small villiage just outside the town where i live thats famous for golf of all things.

For some pictures see http://www.top100golfcourses.co.uk/htmlsite/productdetails.asp?id=139

great to have you take part!!

Unknown said...

Descriptive and atmospheric, Matt.:)

Lori W. said...

Felt as if I were there. Very nicely done. That beggars simile stood out for me too.

Anonymous said...

This evoked such gorgeous imagery. I could easily imagine what a walking tour of the place might entail. Excellent piece!

Slamdunk said...

That was a challenge--you handled it well Matthew.

Robert Guthrie said...

Very cool exercise.

Unknown said...

Excellent job Matthew!!! Serena is a sweetheart and I thought this idea was brilliant!