I’m back, but even after the advertised lull I have little to say here right now. I’m reading some interesting stuff, and I could talk about that some; I have another post I mean to write reacting again to an interview in Pallares-Burke’s The New History; and I was planning to revive the blog’s oldest purpose and advertise what I’m doing in a kind of ‘my projects right now are…’ round-up, though that was supposed to come with a web-page revamp that shows no signs of imminence. At least some of these will actually happen, but I’m afraid that the past week has served a quantity of personal life disaster up, of the order of ‘drink a lot of gin and brood on the point of it all until blessed sleep descends’, and I’m just really not feeling the enthusiasm necessary to try and enthuse you in turn. Ironically, in this time Clio has been pretty good to me and several things look like making print at once in a rush at the end of the year, but, as I say, not feeling it right now. I do apologise for this melancholia; as I am burying myself in work by way of distraction, I imagine I’ll have something to spark some writing for you fairly soon.
In the meantime, have fun with the changing sidebar and if you have any relevant questions (about my subject, that is; personal life will never be exposed in more detail than this on this blog) feel free to demand answers as that will at least get me writing here…
A Corner of Tenth-Century Europe 
I am sorry that you are down. I sincerely hope you feel better soon.
*pushes beverage of choice across the metaphorical bar*
Best cure for personal woes is to drown them in academia, as far as I’m concerned.
Out of curiosity, have you put up any posts about your Pictish past?
I love you. I’m not sure quite *how* this is meant to help, but it is.
Also, weren’t you going to talk about your epic epic Epic you’ve been reading, or did you do that while I was asleep?
(ps. pp was correct: Picts solve everything. How can you be unhappy with a people who think Uurad is a sensible name?)
It’s better than some of the names Hollywood stars come up with for their poor kids. ;)
Hope you’ll get over whatever the problem is. But take the time you need.
Thankyou everyone for good wishes, and sorry for splurging emotion like this. Won’t happen again honest. But, FWIW, Gabriele, sure I will get over it but I’d rather that happened quicker than slower, and Ms Eccentric, if you continue to advance in your studies, and get yourself to the UK for some Anglo-Saxon conference or other, or if (what is less likely) I make it out to Australia for similar reasons, or something else happens that puts us within a reachable drinking distance of one another, I shall claim that beverage and buy you one back.
Questions! In fact, Picts! (How did you cotton to the Pictish past without spotting the posts, Highly?) I wrote a paper a long time ago out of my Masters thesis, and it recently got published, but in a rather, er, damaged form, and I wrote about that, and then later on apropos of a conversation elsewhere I wrote about the multifarious nature of the Picts. I think an article built out of that blog-post needs writing, in fact, and may yet do it. As for Uurad, it may look cool but in Gaelic the equivalent name is Feret, as well you know Ghoti, so how Pictish-speakers pronounced it may not relate well to that spelling…
As for epic Epic epic reading, Ghoti, I was thinking about it, and hey, may as well do it in fact, why not? The rest will flow.
So OK, let’s try normal service here.
Feel better J! I’m thinking about you and sending good medieval vibes across the ocean.
Yeah, you’re the person that’s getting the happy right now, aren’t you, I knew there must be one somewhere. May you lead us all to better times with your Pied Piper-like array of Weird Medieval Animals!
How did I know about the Pictish past? I read your profile, of course, in the hope of finding something distracting to ask you!
Also, I like Picts.
Two enigmatic beasts killed with one symbolic stone! Ravens laugh among the dead and so forth. But it’s true, everybody loves Picts. It’s because we know so little about them that we can paint onto them whatever we’d like to find in the Middle Ages, or so I have seen it argued.
I hope you have some of this sunny weather in the Fenland. Take a leisurely walk to one of Grantchester’s many pubs: it generally worked for me.
Well, it’s quite nice out there now, but I got utterly soaked on the way out to Addenbrookes and back this morning, so I think I’ve had enough outdoors for one day. I hope the weekend will be fit for a plan like your fine suggestion.