Author Archives: Reynard

About Reynard

I'm the Pub Manager for the Green Man Pub which is located at the KInrowan Estate. I'm married to Ingrid, our Steward who's also the Estate Buyer. If I'm off duty and in a mood for a drink, it'll be a single malt, either Irish or Scottish, no water or ice, or possibly an Estate ale or cider. I'm a concertina player, and unlike my wife who has a fine singing voice, I do not have anything of a singing voice anyone want to hear!

A Kinrowan Estate story: Eggnog

Posted on 1st December 2024 by Reynard

A Québécois band introduced eggnog to this Estate back in the Fifties by its French name lait de poule (literally, “hen’s milk”). Eggnog’s a deceptively easy drink to make and consequently a bit hard to get precisely right. They were … Continue reading →

Posted in Stories | Comments Off on A Kinrowan Estate story: Eggnog

What’s New for the 24th of November: Norwegian winter holiday music, archival jazz, new roots music from around Europe, and more; books and what not about things fictional & medæival

Posted on 24th November 2024 by Reynard

The voices of cold reason were talking, as usual, to deaf ears. — Brother Cadfael’s Penance (Ellis Peter’s Chronicles of Brother Cadfael series) That lovely aroma is the smell of apple pumpkin tarts baking in the Kitchen a few hundred or so … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on What’s New for the 24th of November: Norwegian winter holiday music, archival jazz, new roots music from around Europe, and more; books and what not about things fictional & medæival

What’s New for the 13th of October: Elizabeth Bear tends a pot of turkey stock, Groot and Rocket Raccoon, A Video and Fiction set in India, Tasty music reviews, and music from Irish trad band Clannad

Posted on 13th October 2024 by Reynard

Nothing happened. We stitched in silence. At least we stitched without words. Having nothing else to listen to, I began to hear needle points puncturing cloth, threads drawn through, again and again, as rhythmically as breathing. Our breaths mingled with … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on What’s New for the 13th of October: Elizabeth Bear tends a pot of turkey stock, Groot and Rocket Raccoon, A Video and Fiction set in India, Tasty music reviews, and music from Irish trad band Clannad

What’s New for the 15th of September: Autumn on the Estate is here

Posted on 15th September 2024 by Reynard

bury my bones in the midnight soil / plant them shallow and water them deep / and in my place will grow a feral rose / soft red petals hiding sharp white teeth —V.E. Schwab’s Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil Autumn … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Comments Off on What’s New for the 15th of September: Autumn on the Estate is here

What’s New for the 1st of September: A grab bag of books, music, and film that touch on the theme of work

Posted on 1st September 2024 by Reynard

Remember, pain is not a test. Knowledge is not enough. Catherynne M. Valente’s The Orphans Tale: In the Night Garden The piper at gates of dawn has resumed his or her ritual after taking most of the summer off. Now from just … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on What’s New for the 1st of September: A grab bag of books, music, and film that touch on the theme of work

What’s New for the 18th of August:

Posted on 18th August 2024 by Reynard

Quote Intro riff Book reviews Culinary reviews Film reviews Graphic review Music reviews What Not Coda

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on What’s New for the 18th of August:

What’s New for the 4th of August: A raft of Cuban music reviews; Trader Joe’s chocolate peanut butter cookies; Looking at J.R.R. Tolkien; And a Cuban band documentary

Posted on 4th August 2024 by Reynard

Music is so essential to the Cuban character that you can’t disentangle it from the history of the nation. the history of Cuban music is one of cultural collisions, of voluntary and forced migrations, of religions and revolutions. – Ned … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Comments Off on What’s New for the 4th of August: A raft of Cuban music reviews; Trader Joe’s chocolate peanut butter cookies; Looking at J.R.R. Tolkien; And a Cuban band documentary

A Travels Abroad story: Truly Shitty Celtic Metal

Posted on 30th June 2024 by Reynard

They called themselves a Celtic metal band — they weren’t exactly metal, but I couldn’t in all honesty call it folk in spite of the fiddler, and they did certainly know how to mangle a jig or a reel all … Continue reading →

Posted in Stories | Comments Off on A Travels Abroad story: Truly Shitty Celtic Metal

What’s New for the 23rd of June: A special edition for the Solstice, Wales in literature and music, and yes, in film.

Posted on 23rd June 2024 by Reynard

She’s looking for the music. She can hear it but she can’t find it. There are candles everywhere. Some parts of the room are low-ceilinged and high-cushioned, just right for kissing and gossip and splitting a bottle. Some parts are … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Comments Off on What’s New for the 23rd of June: A special edition for the Solstice, Wales in literature and music, and yes, in film.

A Kinrowan Story: The Oak King

Posted on 16th June 2024 by Reynard

Oak King story as told by The Old Man We’ve had human Oak Kings down the years such as Aurthur Rackham, and in more recent years, Charles de Lint and Christopher Golden, but he was most decidedly was not human … Continue reading →

Posted in Stories | Comments Off on A Kinrowan Story: The Oak King