#bodensee

So it's more or less the end of the week now, and time to update people on what's been going on.

The tl:dr; version: Because of the large number of people who rolled up to buy ebooks from the Ebooks Direct store (see the earlier message here), and the very many generous folks who dropped cash into my Ko-Fi (and please bear with me while I get all the thank-you messages sent!), "Project: Escape" is a go.

And thank you all again! You folks are all, absolutely, stars. 🥲

So this is how things will now unfold (and I designed this getaway to be as stress-free as possible, so it mostly runs along lines, and routes, that I've often traveled before). Here, pretty much, is where I'll be.

On Wednesday May 6th I fly from Dublin into Zürich and catch a train to the western Austrian lakeside city of Bregenz. I'll be there for a few days, chilling as much as possible. (Though work will also be happening... as work always seems to wind up happening when I'm over there. It's a good town for that.) ...The image at the top of the post is a summertime shot of the lakeshore, not far from the Bregenzer Festspiele* and the town's Casino.

Bregenz is familiar territory, where I've spent a good bit of time both on my own (on writing trips) and with @petermorwood. We often stayed here overnight on our way in to Munich to see the folks at the production company for whom we wrote Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King / Sword of Xanten / Die Nibelungen / whatever other name you know it by. It's a small, pleasantly walkable city with an artistic bent. Yet you can also sit lunching at a cafe's outdoor table, feel a shadow pass over you, and look up to see a passing golden eagle from the nearby mountains sailing by low and idly scoping out you and your entree...

After a few days in Bregenz, I'll take a ferry up to Konstanz, a town I've been past before but where I've never stayed. (Here’s the ferry’s route…)

…There I'll sit still for a few more days (ideally taking some time to see the archaeological museum there). After that I'll grab a train back down to Züri, crash there for one last night, and then fly back to Dublin earlyish the next morning.

And after that: Back to business as usual... in, I very much hope, a somewhat improved state of mind. I mean: no way I'm going to stop missing Peter any time soon. That, I'm pretty sure, is now a permanent feature of my basic state of being. But having spent a little while in a place where it'll be impossible not to think about all the good times we had together in that neck of the woods, I think that'll make a big difference to me, especially at this difficult time.

Naturally I'll be posting here from there, every now and then, as things come up to be shared. It's a nice town: scenic. (And besides that, sometimes you see unusual things in the shop windows. (Like this...)

...Meanwhile, for the time being I'll leave the original "Seeking escape" post up, in case anyone still wants details about the ebook bundles on offer. (The prices really are low, and I feel no great urge to raise them right now... because honestly, if there was ever a time people might want cheapish distraction from the junk going on in the world, this might be it. Yet a sad reminder: we cannot sell into the UK due to Brexit.) ...And if anyone wants to drop something into the Ko-Fi toward a glass of wine or a chocolate-heavy dessert, well, don't let me stop you. 😅

Once again, everybody: thank you so much for your kindness. It's so much appreciated. ❤️

And now it's time for starting the pre-packing laundry...

ETA: attn @greggs-mistflower: The sculpture in the background, as it turns out, is called “Hommage an Brigantium (Tribute to ancient Brigantium”), and the more pictures of it I view online, the more I’m starting to think there is NO angle from which it can be viewed that isn’t at least potentially rude. And some are REALLY a lot worse than others… Bear with me a sec while I add some. Honestly, I’m starting to wonder what the sculptor was thinking of… 😏

«Explorer of Lake Constance»

This lake is one of the quietest and at the same time most powerful places I have ever seen. It feels vast and calm, almost like the sea, but with a deep inner stillness and a sense of history.This view is from the bridge leading to Mainau Island. I came there planning to paint plein air, but it was nearly impossible to stop. There were crowds of people and constant movement, and in that moment I understood that I was not a painter with an easel but an observer. So I simply walked and absorbed the light, the wind and the lines of the water.Later at home, in silence, I recreated this feeling from a photo and from memory.Mainau is known as the flower island, a living garden with centuries old parks, rare plants and a baroque castle. Its history goes much deeper, as the island once belonged to the Teutonic Order for more than five hundred years.You can feel it not in the details but in the air.For me this piece is about being alone within beauty, when you stand in the middle of movement but look inward.

Tornado over Lake Constance, July 1 2026

Palm trees in Germany???