I’ve had a lot of people ask me what’s happening with my now traditional annual pre-Xmas exhibition, so I thought it was time I let you all know. I won’t be holding an exhibition this year, but over the coming weeks I’ll be posting pictures of a few limited edition pieces.

Here’s the first instalment – on location in our mock orange tree! These birds are all 18cm long and 13cm high, filled with fabric scraps (so they have a nice weight to them) and all have hand-embroidered embellishments. Each design is limited to an edition of three, except the figbirds (one edition only). To see the name of the bird and its price, hover your mouse over each picture below. If you want anything you see, you can either post a comment or email me directly and I’ll organise to get it to you.

I’ve set up a Xmas gallery page (look in the menu bar at the top of this page) where you’ll find more goodies as I make them. Make sure you check back regularly to see what else ends up in the Xmas gallery over the next nine weeks.

Perhaps, as you read the title, you may be thinking: ‘He’s writing about the Romans again? He must be fascinated by them.’ You’d be correct, and this is what led me to Harry Turtledove’s writing in the first place. I found the book, with a cover including a Roman officer and a Gallic noble clashing swords, with lightning bolts and a bubble of light enveloping them, and I thought: ‘Hmm…why not?’

Harry Turtledove has a PhD in Byzantine history and he turned to writing alternate history novels as well as science-fiction/fantasy novels which often have a historical basis. In this case, he has transported three Roman cohorts (roughly 1500 men) and their commanding officer, the tribune Marcus Aemilius Scaurus (a good Roman name at that!) to a fantasy world where magic is real and where the Empire of Videssos (which bears more than a passing resemblance to 11th Century AD Byzantium) struggles for survival. Marcus Aemilius Scaurus steps into a world where Rome is not authority and where his Romans are viewed as pagan barbarians in a monotheistic empire that worships Phos (champion of good and whose avatar is light and the sun) and hates Skotos (an evil god who rules an icy and frozen realm). His troops are viewed as quaint in a world where the only other infantry are the equivalent of Vikings (who fight as the emperor’s bodyguards) while the heavily armoured or skirmishing cavalry view the Romans, mistakenly, as pushovers.

This is the first of four books in this series which chronicles the Romans adapting, surviving, and ultimately emerging victorious into a world which they have to make their own. There is intrigue among the various mercenaries and native troops which make up Videssos’ armies and Scaurus must try to navigate them carefully without making the emperor suspicious of his loyalty.  There is also the Princess Alypia, the only daughter of the Emperor Mavrikios, and the Namdalener woman Helvis. Scaurus also manages to make enemies with Avshar, a Skotos-worshipping evil sorceror and representative of Videssos’ greatest enemy: the Yezda. The novels are light reading and fun with some ironic twists. Some of the situations involve Scaurus observing Videssians and thinking ‘At least Rome will never become like this!’

I do have to turn off my Roman historian mentality when I read this but it’s not too hard and I just think, with disappointment, ‘If only more Romans ended up in Videssos!’

Del Rey 1987, 323 pp. ISBN 0-345-33067-6

Those that are asleep will not prevent those who are alive and remain. (I Thess 4:14-17)

Therefore, the remnant (144,000 of Israel) shall be raised (Rev 7:1-8; Isa 66; Isa 8 ) 

showing the glory of God (like Lazarus rising from the dead, John 11)

during the same time frame as the change of the body. (1Co 15:51)

Why? The angels need to put the seal of God upon their forehead

before the four winds are released bringing the havoc of the great tribulation upon the earth.

Right now, the Jews are sleeping or spiritually dead,

without the Light of Revelation to quicken them to life.

In order to know who they are, they need to hear

the voice of the turtledove (So 2:12), the voice of the Bride and Bridegroom.

She has the wine of Revelation upon the roof of her mouth

to make those that are asleep to speak and sing (So 7:9;Isa 26:19-21).

The world will see the name of the Lord hallowed in Israel.

(Ezek 28:25-26; Ezek 39:21-29; Isa 29:23; Hos 11:10-11;Mic 4:6-7; Zeph 3:17-20)

The raising of Israel in this way is an ensign to the Gentile kingdoms of their fall

and an indicator to the “wise virgins” that time is no more and

they are going home to be forever with the Lord.

The change of the body of “those who are alive and remain” shall take place.

Just after this, the great tribulation will begin and all hell will break loose on the earth.

Seeing the woman with her children (Is 8 )

will be the ensign of the Lord’s Day and increase the faith

of every believer for the change of the body to be forever with the Lord.

Wisdom is justified by all of her children. (Lu 7:29-35)

Wisdom has food, bread, wine, and provisions for her maidens. (Pr 8, 9, & 31)

She supplies this to them for lift off. Wisdom gives her maidservants a portion.

She hews her seven pillars (the seven churches) and

sends off her maidens (those who resurrect to be before the throne

and those who are alive and remain to be caught away.)

Remember, Ruth did arise and thresh in the field during the evening time,

through the night, unto the morning light.

Just as Ruth, she (the Bride) is better than

seven sons (seven messengers of the seven church ages, Ru 4:15)

to Naomi (the Jews.) Just as Ruth listened to Naomi,

His Bride has found what to do through the Old Testament, showing her the way.

Shalom,

Sis Shoshana Joy

Copyright 2009 Shushan Eduth – Rise Up My Love

we are soulmates

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Who Leads?

The Chameleon Flower

Seem to have been reading quite a lot in the run up to the Christmas break, but also started and stopped a couple of books not worth persevering with, and yes I will name and shame them, most nobody gonna agree with my opinion anyway so what’s the harm…

For some reason I decided I hadn’t read enough from the DC Multiverse in recent years (I dropped Batman single issues 10 years ago I’m guessing) so decided to pick-up ‘52′ in trade-paperback (a decision helped by discount offers on vol.’s 1 & 2) Despite, or maybe because, this title manages pretty much without featuring the big three (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman) of the DC multiverse, this manages to be pretty exciting stuff, giving prominence to some less well known but interesting characters, e.g. The Question (in fact one of my fav’s for many years – but completely unknown to anyone outside of comic fandom). The Black Adam storyline was one of the best aspects of this undertaking and the ‘Great Ten’ team created by the Peoples Republic of China the most exciting new characters for me – more of them please DC !

Around, in, and amongst these I also read:
‘Behind the Scenes of the Museum’ by Kate Atkinson – fabulous, evocative, charming;
‘Cold Moon’ by Jeffrey Deaver (A Lincoln Rhyme / Amelia Sachs book) – twisty, formulaic, ocassionally thrilling, fun;
‘The Hunted’ by Elmore Leonard – classic, complicated characters = real characters, Dutch’s expected flair for dialog;
‘Aftermath’ by Peter Robinson (DCI Alan Banks) – brilliant, one of the highlights of this series;
‘The Colour of Magic’ by Terry Pratchett, again, (1st Discworld) – a pale comparison to the great craft he brings to later books in this series, the beginning but not a great place to start for new readers – he doesn’t even start to get into his stride until ‘Mort’;
‘Angel Confidential’ by Mike Ripley (1st Roy Angel – Trumpet playing, Taxi diving London rogue and incidental PI) – witty, dated (80’s), enjoyable even 2nd time around;
‘Playing With Fire’ by Peter Robinson (Banks again) – police procedural, good but not great;
‘Sharpe’s Honour’ by Bernard Cornwell (no. 16) – one of the poorest, least credible of the stories so far, too much suspension of disbelief required of the reader here, and way too far from the historical events in which this character functions best, still a romp;
‘Guns of Amber’ by Roger Zelazny (book 2 in the ‘Amber’ series) – some good developments here and great Zelazny-esque touches;
‘Angel Touch’ by Mike Ripley (2nd Roy Angel) better and a touch more believable than the first, still fun tho;
‘10 Days That Shook The World’ by John Reed, contemporary account of the 1917 Russian Revolution(s), valuable perspective, highlights the lack of heroism and almost blundering way a country’s whole political system was ‘changed’ almost overnight;
‘Sharpe’s Regiment’ by Bernard Cornwell (no.17) – not altogether convincing follow-up to ‘Honour’, features truly unbelievable denoument;
‘Fifth Woman’ by Henning Mankell (4th Inspector Kurt Wallander) – fabulous, everything he does so well, plus a serial killer;
‘How Few Remain’ by Harry Turtledove (alternate history American Civil War vol 1) Disappointingly difficult to get into, I persevered but still came unstuck very early on, too dull, such a pity as I wanted to like this so much, unfinished(!);
‘Human Croquet’ by Kate Atkinson – nostalgic, confusing, clever but slightly unsatisfactory;
‘A Spot of Bother’ by Mark Haddon (unconnected follow-up to the great and wonderful ‘Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time’) disappointing, unfinished;