Cameron's and HP and Proclaimers, oh MY!

OK so this just happened in my car...

I had just gotten some sausage rolls, meat pies and bridies from my favorite Scottish market...and 500 Miles came on the radio.  A big bag of Scottish goodness...HP in the cup holder...Proclaimers on the radio...

It was like the Scottish Perfect Storm!  :) 

Last Minute Scottish Halloween Costumes

The following costumes are STILL available on Amazon Prime, for one or two-day delivery...if you or your significant other are considering dressing as some cool Scots for Halloween this weekend:

Drinkin', Partyin' Scottish Dude...

Hot, Bare-chested Scottish Dude who's probably going to end up at Drinkin', Partyin' Scottish Dude's killer party after he finishes Highland dancing at the Bachelorette party...








"WTF Scottish Dude" who's miserable because his wife made him dress up fancy and go to his in-laws'.  He secretly wishes he could be at Drinkin', Partyin' Scottish Dude's house, innocently flirting with Hot, Bare-chested Scottish Dude's leftovers...

 






"WTF Scottish Dude's Wife" who is constantly checking to make sure he is still talking sports with her father and hasn't snuck out to go to Drinkin', Partyin' Scottish Dude's house to flirt with Hot, Bare-chested Scottish Dude's leftovers...







Laoghaire's Ho-bag Scottish Friend who is trying to get with Hot, Bare-chested Scottish Dude.









Hot, Bare-chested Scottish Dude's Fiance who has no idea he is dancing at night, in addition to working at the mill, to pay for the overpriced engagement ring her mother insisted she's entitled to.




There ya have it!!  Go check 'em out!!!  :)

The Bastard Executioner: Droughtlander Methadone

I have become extremely hooked on a new show by the awe-inspiring Kurt Sutter called The Bastard Executioner.  It takes place in 14th century Wales, and those of you who love English rule period pieces (and don't mind some blood and gore) will love it.

And let's just say there may be a certain massive redhead named Lee Jones who may help to fill the Jamie Fraser void over the next few months.  He happens to be the lead character who is fighting to save his country from English atrocities (sound familiar?)...and to say he reminds me of "Exile Jamie" at times is an understatement.  Just look at those cat eyes!!

The yummy Stephen Moyer (True Blood "Sookayyy!") and the hella-cool Katey Sagal (Mother of all mothers on Sons of Anarchy) are also leads on the show and are both very different from their characters on True Blood and Sons. SO different that you will forget all about Vampire Bill and Gemma Teller Morrow and completely lose yourself in the story.

Another lead is the plainly beautiful Flora Spencer-Longhurst...a virtual unknown (in the US) who is beyond realistic as the Baroness Lowry and is referred to by most characters as "Lady Love." The show's make up and costumes department - as well as casting directors - should all be given Emmys...because this woman is so authentic, she looks like she stepped right out of a medieval painting.  And they might as well give her one as well...because she's so believable, you can't take your eyes off her during every moment she's on the screen.

Note: the show takes a few episodes to really get under your skin, so make sure you watch a few before making up your mind.  It's on FX on Tuesday nights at 10PM Eastern.

And let me know what you think!

Scotland Fever: The Bay City Rollers are BACK

I just sat in my car in the driveway, much longer than necessary, listening to the Bay City Rollers' "I Only Want To Be With You." I found myself straining to hear the slightest whisper of a Scots accent and delighting in the little up swoop whenever they sang "what you doooo."

(I never thought to do this as an 8 year old, bopping around my house and singing their songs at the top of my lungs with my sisters, mind. Tracey and I will gladly give you a repeat in our next video.)

The fact that the Bay City Rollers are touring again brought a wee bit of warmth to my wame, that is for sure.  Tracey, Third sister, Jill and I will no doubt buy tickets if they show up in NJ/PA.

(Eric Faulkner was my absolute fave.  What about you?

Belinda, Westmoore Pottery, and Other Such Fabulousness

It has taken me WAY TOO LONG to properly THANK longtime MOP friend, Belinda...for sending me the most amazing gift on the PLANET, yo...

Do you remember the glasses Claire, Jenny, Jamie and Ian were drinking from at Lallybroch??

How could anyone forget, really...when Jenny was being all bitchy sweet to Claire...and making her feel so awful welcome.  ;)

I - in typical Carol fashion - raved about them to Tracey in a MOP video...and told the world I MUST HAVE THEM.

And Belinda MADE MY DREAM COME TRUE!!!

Belinda's awesome friend, Mary Farrell has a Pottery shop called Westmoore Pottery in Seagrove, North Carolina...and sells STUNNING glasses like the ones shown here.

Per Belinda:  "She does a lot of work for Old Salem, which is near our precious Fraser's Ridge, where I know Claire did her shopping, therefore, having pottery that looks very similar to Mary's."

These are one of a kind pieces, y'all...so I don't know what she has in stock in the store these days.  You'll just have to stop in - or go to her website - to find out!

And this isn't just your average pottery shop.  Mary runs amazing events like 18th century cooking demonstrations in her shop's large fireplace.

So my sincere thanks go out to Belinda...for being such an amazing participant at MOP over the years.  It's kindof scary to jump into this blogging thing...but sometimes people come along and "hang out" with you online and discuss the books/show...and giggle at your videos, and the next thing you know, YEARS have passed...and it's still so much fun to blog about all things Outlander.

Thank you, Belinda, for being so incredibly generous and sending me something I will treasure forever.  :)

Outlander Starz: Season one - Volume Two

Have you ordered Outlander: Season One - Volume Two yet????  

Preorder the Outlander Coloring Book!

Only $10.59 (US) for the Outlander Coloring Book, y'all!

Scottish Bands by Wee Scottish Lass

Not only is this pretty cool info about Scottish bands, but I could listen to her awesome accent all day.  She could be reciting the Scottish Guide to Prairie Dogs, and I'd be riveted! Enjoy!

Is Target an Outlander Fan?

REMEMBER PAOLI!

SPOILER ALERT:  Dinna read if ye havena read An Echo in the Bone and Written in My Own Heart's Blood. 

"The British certainly meant it to be a surprise. They marched in the middle of night and captured all civilians living along their path to prevent word of the attack from reaching the Continentals. The British commander, Maj. Gen. Charles Grey ordered his troops to be quiet under threat of the death penalty. He also ordered that all flints be removed from firearms to prevent accidental discharges, earning him the nickname of “No-Flint” Grey. However, American Gen. Anthony Wayne received a report about the possible attack through a farmer who was at the Paoli Inn. Another local told him that he had been "with the enemy" and had heard British soldiers say they would attack that night. Wayne put out additional pickets and prepared his soldiers to maneuver and possibly retreat from a potentially larger British force."  An excerpt from ushistory.org's Battle of Paoli page.

Today marks the 238th anniversary of the surprise attack of British troops on the Colonial Army during the Battle of Paoli or "Paoli Massacre" during the Revolutionary War.

It is also the anniversary of the day that sparked my visit to the Paoli Battlefield (and subsequent various googling) which resulted in my blogging about The Battle of Paoli...which resulted in Diana Gabaldon seeing my amateur photos and info on the term "Remember Paoli."  Diana later wrote a chapter entitled "Remember Paoli" in Written in My Own Heart's Blood...and mentioned My Outlander Purgatory in the acknowledgments, basically making my life, let alone my year, month or day.

Click here to see those photos and the info from my visit.  And please...

REMEMBER PAOLI! 

MOP Monday Night Outlander Chat TONIGHT

MOP Outlander Chat Tonight - MONDAY NIGHT - at 9PM Eastern!  

Tracey is iffy but I will be there, so be there or be square!!! :) 

Monday Night MOP Outlander Chat TONIGHT

MOP Outlander Chat Tonight - MONDAY NIGHT - at 9PM Eastern! 

Tracey and I are iffy for this evening due to some schedule changes this week...but really want to be there to commiserate Droughtlander with y'all.  So talk amongst yourselves (I'll give you a topic:  Fergus Lamaze is neither Fergus - or Lamaze...discuss!) and at least one of us will be there just as soon as we can.  :) 

*If you receive MOP email updates: This post will most likely show up on your email feed on Tuesday. I apologize for the delay. It seems whenever I post after 2PM, it shows up a day late!  

Outlander POP Figures

OMG Shut...UP!!!  LOOK HOW CUTE THEY ARE!!!!

I have Daryl and Carol from The Walking Dead...but never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I could have Outlander POP figures!!  LOVE!!

A Stroll Down MOBY Memory Lane (SPOILERS!)

Was in my hometown area in PA the other day...and felt compelled to take a few MOBYfied pictures.  :)

New Music for New (and Old!) Readers

Every once in a while I have to stop and promote the Lifescapes Scottish Moors CD from Jeff Victor.  I read the ENTIRE Outlander series while listening to this CD.  I set it to loop and read and read and the haunting sounds seeped through my body and made me feel as if I were there in Scotland with Jamie and Claire.

Trust me; you want this music.   It's almost an out-of-body experience!

MOP Chat Canceled Tonight!

Sorry y'all!  Tracey's on vacation (near the Ridge!) and I have Third Sister Jill visiting with her kids!  We hope you're having a fantabulous week...and we'll "see you" next Monday! :)

Awesome Outlander Book-Reading Newbies

Karen over at Outlandish Observations is running a poll to see how long fans have been reading the Outlander series.  She has run these polls before...but her current motivation?  The Starz TV series!  The show has brought so many new fans to the Outlanderverse...and Karen wants to see just how many TV-to-book fans there are!

MOP Video: Outlander Emmy Nominations 2015

Congratulations BEAR MCCREARY On Your 2015 EMMY Nomination!

Bear McCreary has been nominated for scoring "Sassenach", the first episode of the first season of Outlander on Starz.

Partial audio below.  Listen to full audio on Bear McCreary's site here.

Kristen Stewart + Culloden = Ain't Gonna Happen

Mhairi Calvey
Photo Credit Unknown

Tonight at MOP Chat, we were discussing an upcoming film about Culloden and Bonnie Prince Charlie (rumored to be titled "The Great Getaway.")  Someone mentioned that Kristen Stewart might play a rebel of some sort in the film.

This May 14th article in the Scotsman explains that while Kristen Stewart was considered for the role, the part of FLORA MACDONALD went to Mhairi Calvey.  Calvey is the Scottish actress who - as a child - played the young Murron MacClannough (the little girl whose character grew up to be William Wallace's love interest) in Braveheart.

POLDARK: Droughtlander Methadone

Thanks to my dear friend Tonya for reminding me I wanted to DVR a new Masterpiece series last weekend.  I saw her email two minutes before it started and made a mad dash to record Masterpiece: Poldark on PBS.  If you are not watching - and/or reading Ross Poldark: A Novel of Cornwall, 1783-1787 by Winston Graham, you have no idea what intrigue/adventure/romance awaits you!  And luckily for us, there are many more books where that came from.  (I believe there are 12 in all but if I am incorrect, please let me know.)
  

The setting of the show reminds me of The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley, with its angry seaside bluffs and air of passionate angst that runs as an undercurrent through much of the story.  I cannot speak to the book yet, as I'm only about a chapter or two in, but I will tell you this: as with most books (except Outlander, of course!) small details may be overlooked in the TV show and you'll have a lot of fun digging them up in the books.

Already reading/watching?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments!! 

Monday Night MOP Outlander Chat TONIGHT!

MOP Outlander Chat Tonight - MONDAY NIGHT - at 9PM Eastern!  

Diana Gabaldon: "No Two People Read The Same Book"

“You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time."  ~John Lydgate

THIS is a FANTASTIC interview with Diana Gabaldon by Alicia Lutes over at Nerdist.  Diana talks about her feelings on the Outlander series on Starz, her writing style, and how she feels about fan reaction.  I positively LOVE this commentary:

"In terms of popular culture and media and entertainment and so forth, everybody says “Who is the audience for this?” I didn’t really care who the audience was. The audience was me. And since that worked, I’ve always proceeded on that assumption: I don’t care what the audience thinks. Basically, it’s going to be the way I think it should be written. But the other thing is that there is no audience, there is no reader. If you’re going to have more than one person read your book, they’re going to have totally different opinions and responses. No person — no two people — read the same book. It’s always based on their perceptions, their background, their experiences, their expectations of the moment. You know, what side of the bed they got up on that day. I read some books and I thought, “This is better than sliced bread!” and a month later I couldn’t remember thinking about it. And I’ve read others that were kind of a slog and I’ve put them down and come back six months later thinking, “Wow, this is great.” So, you know, things change all the time."

This is exactly how I feel.  We're are never all going to agree...and why would we want to?  What a boring place the world would be.

This is also what I love about Diana Gabaldon; she gives interviewers and audiences insight into her writing, and what goes on inside her head about this situation or that.  When I've seen her speak at various events, I've loved hearing her talk about Outlander, but the info she shares about her writing experiences is what has had me on the edge of my seat.  If you've never seen Herself speak live, I highly recommend you do so at the next available opportunity.

Free Standard Delivery ($30 and over) in the MOP Shop Through 6/5/15!

Visit the Mop Shop for *free standard delivery on fun Outlander-themed merchandise through June 5th, 2015!

Just use coupon code FREESUMMER at check out!

*orders of $30 or more

MOP VIDEO: My Outlander Purgatory Breaks Down Outlander Starz Episode 16: To Ransom a Man's Soul

Monday Night MOP Outlander Chat TONIGHT!

MOP Outlander Chat Tonight - MONDAY NIGHT - at 9PM Eastern!  

GET READY, Y'ALL...it's going to be one helluva conversation!  

Outlander Season 1 Finale TONIGHT

Strap yourselves in, sassenachs.  "Bumpy ride" doesn't even begin to cover it.

No Monday Night MOP Chat This Week

Monday night MOP Outlander chat will be canceled this week in observance of the Memorial Day holiday in the US.

Be brave, stay strong, and get ready for one heck of a Monday night MOP chat next week after the finale!

Happy Memorial Day

Then and now...We will never forget.

Patriots - American Revolution
Howard Pyle; 1906

U.S. Army National Guard photo
Credit Sgt.Brett Miller, 
116th Public Affairs Detachment

"Over here...over there...it's the same everywhere.  A boy cries out for his mama before he dies for his home."  ~Barbra Griffin / Leah Cooney

Monday Night MOP Outlander Chat

MOP Outlander Chat Tonight - MONDAY NIGHT - at 9PM Eastern!