Robin Hardy's Abbey Lands
The Stories of the Abbey of St. Benedict on the Sea
Random Mutterings
Scary Robotics
May 9, 2026: Click the pics to see how rapidly Chinese robotics has advanced. In weeks we've gone from this:
To this:
Guys, The future is now.
Oz the Mentalist
Oz (pronounced "Ohs") insists he's not a magician or a mindreader; he just reads people's posture and unconscious actions. But he's got some tricks up his sleeve—how else could he do it? Click the pic to watch.
This chap bears watching.
Birds' Funky Mating Displays
May 3, 2026: —Can best be appreciated when set to Cha Cha Reggae. Click the pic to watch.
Another Reader Unloads a Truckload of Thoughts
April 30, 2026: The Contact form may be the best thing on this site. Reader “Rachel (SMH)” used it to tell me this:
Just found your site and see “35 Years after Henry was assassinated….” No! He was my second-favorite character. So Sad! Please say Renee was assassinated as well. I couldn't stand it if she got to die peacefully but Henry got that. If not assassinated at least died slowly and in great pain like she deserved.
My reply is:
Oh, Rachel, I’m so sorry! If it’s any consolation, my point was that Henry ruled fearlessly in doing what he knew to be right. And of course he still lives to us. As for Renée, I believe she lived to be a bitter old woman, because girls who are beautiful think they’ll look that way forever. Aging brings such a rude shock that they usually can’t adapt.
So I’m urging you to get into the new series. I hope you’ll find Efran a worthy successor to Henry—or whoever was your first favorite character. (Spoiler alert: Efran does not die.) And I believe you’ll find an engaging new villainess in Adele. She does not die either, though you may want her to. She’s also good for comic relief.
Incidentally, in Book One, Efran stumbles onto three burial crosses on the back grounds of the Abbey Fortress. These mark the graves of men whom Renée buried and included her name in their epitaphs. Studying these, Efran has a short conversation with her. To find out what he said, you have to read it for yourself. :D
Something this fun should be illegal.
The Charms of Musick
April 27, 2026: We've all heard these lines by William Congreve: “Musick has Charms to sooth a savage Beast, To soften Rocks, or bend a knotted Oak.” (The word he used is actually Breast, but today we're going with the misquotation.)
You can watch him play for a wolf, elephants, cows, giraffes, lions, a highland cow, and many others. It's amazing.
Introducing Our New
Hall of Famer Kathy LePain
April 24, 2026: About a week ago I received this message through our Contact form:
Hello Robin
You are my favorite author! (outside of our Lord God, who just has to breathe out his words...) I started with Chataine's Guardian as a young adult and just kept going. I have read through the relationships of: Deidre and Roman, Nicole and Ares, and Minka and Efran. If that wasn't enough, I also followed the ups and downs of Marni and Sammy, and Fletcher and Adair, and then all the Salmagundi. I even traveled to outer space with The Idecis. Now I'm reading your Whimsey Reade mystery. So, do I make your Hall of Fame? I may have to refresh my memory on some books, but I think I can answer any of your questions.
Blessings in Christ, Kathy LePain
Reading it, I was thinking: Who in the world is this, who’s read just about everything I’ve ever written?—even Unknown Name, Unknown Number! NO ONE has read UnUn! When I noticed her aside about the Great Author, He seemed to whisper, Pay attention. She's important to me.
So this is what I wrote back to her:
Hi, Kathy! Honestly, technically, the Hall of Fame is intended for those who read all 36 of the Abbey Lands stories. Regardless how many of those you read, I think you absolutely do qualify. Send me a photo, and tell me what name you want me to use. With your permission, I'd like to reproduce your message in my blog, Random Mutterings.
Congratulations!
best,
Robin
I have the best readers in the world.
I'm Not Scared. Are You Scared?
April 21, 2026: The first time I watched this, it scared me to death. The second time, I realized that this dad has mastered the art of parenting.
The Brilliance of Carol Burnett
April 18, 2026: The Carol Burnett Show was a long-running comedy/variety hour that originally ran for 12 years on CBS, winning 25 Emmys during its tenure. Fortunately, sketches from the show are widely available on YouTube.
Below are two of my favorite segments. The first features Carol, Harvey Korman, Paul Lynde, and Dyan Cannon. The second features Carol, Harvey, Vicki Lawrence, and Tim Conway. Click the pics to watch.
You Don't see many like this anymore.
You could call it Chataine's Guardian 2.0