Scrabble words; B, C

• bargee: n a bargeman
  
• barong: n a long, broad, leaf-shaped knife used as both weapon and tool by the Moros of the Philippines
  
• bathyal: adj relating to regions of the ocean bottom between the sublittoral and abyssal zones, from depths of 200 to 4,000 metres
  
• bey: n a provincial governor in the Ottoman Empire
  
• beylic: n the territory ruled by a bey
  
• bikie: n a biker (Australian)
  
• bohea: n a black Chinese tea, originally the choicest grade but later an inferior variety
  
• bort, bortz: n poorly crystallized diamonds used for industrial cutting and abrasion
  
• boscage: n a mass of trees or shrubs; a thicket
  
• bosky: adj having an abundance of bushes, shrubs or trees; relating to the woods
  
• buhl: n pieces of brass, tortoiseshell, etc. cut to make a pattern and used as decorative inlays esp. on furniture
  
• buhr: n a burr; a protruding, ragged edge raised on the surface of metal during drilling, shearing, punching or engraving



• cark: v to burden or be burdened with trouble; worry
  
• casbah: n a castle or palace in northern Africa; the older or native quarter, or area of a northern African city surrounding the citadel
  
• cenobite: n a member of a convent or other religious community
  
• ciborium: n a covered receptacle for holding the consecrated wafers of the Eucharist
  
• cirrose: adj bearing tendrils, as of a leaf
  
• clerid n a beetle of the family Cleridae, predacious on other insects, usually brightly coloured or metallic
  
• conodont: n a member of an extinct group of small primitive fishlike chordates, preserved primarily in the form of their conelike teeth; a fossil tooth of this chordate, widespread and important in dating rock strata
  
• corium, pl. coria: n dermis; the deep vascular inner layer of skin; armour composed of leather; the elongated, thickened basal portion of the forewing of true bugs
  
• crofter: n a tenant farmer (Scottish)
  
• curacy: n the office, duties, or term of office of a curate

Love, to you

I'm preparing to desktop publish a small chapbook of original poems. I did this once before, in 2000, around the time I participated in several local readings. A few copies sold. It was entitled The Water Lover: Selected Poems of Nature, and contained some of my favourites at the time.

The theme of this second booklet will be love poetry, and the title is still under consideration. It will include a few pieces posted on LiveJournal the past three years, older ones never published, and, if inspiration hopefully strikes in the next few days, new material. The purpose is to gear myself up for promoting my work more. If I start doing readings again, it would be handy to have something to sell.

I intend to set up payment by PayPal, and hope you will consider buying a copy. That way you can read original Van Waffle verses to your lover while sitting somewhere more romantic than in front of the computer. Or pour a hot bubble bath with candles and read them to yourself. Imagine me there with you, if that's what it takes. If I get my act together, this might be delivered in time for Valentine's Day.