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!

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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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What’s New for the 9th of June: Some beach reads — dark fantasy, superhero romance, comic fantasy and teen aliens; Finnish fiddles, Swedish-American jazz, and an Earl Scruggs tribute, and a grab bag of archival music; glam rock on film; an Alan Moore tribute

Posted on 9th June 2024 by Reynard

We keep our cats as happy as we can. — Anna Nimmhaus Whats Iain drinking, you ask? That’s Mozart dark chocolate liqueur.   Cat reviewed the first two books in a dark fantasy series by Stephen Dedman, The Art of … Continue reading →

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What’s New for the 12th of May: a Terry Pratchett edition: Discworld and other worlds, adult fantasy, YA stories, and lit-crit; new Karelian, Canadian and Big Band music; and Smithfield Fair from the archives

Posted on 12th May 2024 by Reynard

Cats have a way of always having been there even if they’ve only just arrived.  They move in their own personal time.  They act as if the human world is one they just happened to have stopped off in, on … Continue reading →

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What’s New for the 28th of April: Tull, Ian MacDonald, Finnish candy and The Wicker Man

Posted on 28th April 2024 by Reynard

One day I walked the road and crossed a field to go by where the hounds ran hard. And on the master raced: behind the hunters chased to where the path was barred. One fine young lady’s horse refused the … Continue reading →

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What’s New for the 17th of March: A grab bag of fantasy and folklore including American Gods; some fantastic graphic novels; a grab bag of CDs including Scottish Traveler stories & songs, and folk songs from all over;

Posted on 17th March 2024 by Reynard

In a circle of stones they placed the pot, In a circle of stones, but barely nine They heated it red and fiery hot ‘Till the burnished brass did glimmer and shine. They rolled him up in a sheet of … Continue reading →

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A Kinrowan Estate story: Apple Brandy

Posted on 10th March 2024 by Reynard

A letter from Lady Alexandra Margaret Quinn, Head Gardener here in the Reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, Empress of India, to Tessa, her botanist friend who … Continue reading →

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A Kinrowan Estate story: Our Pub

Posted on 25th February 2024 by Reynard

It was a fairly typical evening in our Green Man Pub. The weather had turned sharply colder even for this time of year  and that meant a steady flow of custom her which kept Finch, my lead barkeep, busy along … Continue reading →

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