Fragments from Floyd is one of the most modest, talented people I know in the blogosphere.

A few weeks before Christmas Fred contacted me to ask if I’d like his Christmas CD. You betcha. We’re buddies. We’ve sweated techy stuff together; we’ve had hosting problems, and got domain names around the same time. We anguish over our writing, and learn as we go, and we have a lot more in common that you’d think, being at opposite ends of the continent.

The CD arrived yesterday. It is marvellous. Here is what I wrote Fred in an email last night…because he is far too modest to say much himself.

I have to say how surprised I was to receive a ‘final notice’ from Canada Post today.

Final notice as is…”Hello. If you don’t come pick up this package now, we will only hold it until August.”

Sure. Not a problem. There is no point in telling Canada Post I never received a first notice. Or a second. It’s Canada Post. Some nice people work for them, but……

It was your Goose Creek Christmas 2002 CD. You really do live in Goose Creek Run like other bloggers have tried to explain. It said so on the package. I know the CD was supposed to have it by Christmas. It’s Canada Post. It did arrive.

It’s January 2 2003. What can I say? I headed straight home, and popped it into the CD player. Fred. You sound like your blog. You sound exactly like your blog. You had ‘warned’ me it might sound a ‘bit amateurish.’ I beg to differ. If that’s amateur, I think you should turn pro.

You have an accent did you know that? The room filled with this warm drawl that feels like sunlight and a favourite cotton shirt. I actually put the ‘fire’ on in my windows media player visualizations and relaxed. You are a storyteller. You paint wonderful pictures. You captured my attention from Track 1 all the way through to Track 19, which left me laughing, challenged and feeling very good about life.

Don’t you dare stop writing. Don’t you dare give up. Don’t ever let the cold pricklies win. We would all be so much the poorer for it. That soft drawl comes with a formidable intellect and old soul. My personal favourite is the snake story. I suspect I’ll be putting it on often, just to feel good, just to get inspired. I wish I were a media mogul. I’d hire you on the spot. Blog on!