Monday, August 30, 2021

Random Ramblings - August 30th 2021

Yes, it's Monday and not Friday.  But I'm participating in a bunch of blog tours, as you've no doubt noticed, and between those and tags and things my Fridays keep getting filled up, so I thought I'd put up a post today to catch you up on a few random happenings.

 

*~*

 

On the anniversary of Nan's death (August 19th) we invited Dad and Wayne to our place, and Mam picked up Chinese for us all on her way to join us.  Even the dogs got some of the chicken and rice Kelly and Wayne were eating (Izabel took hers home, and we even sent some home with Wayne for Maya).

 

We thought it would be nice to all get together, and have something nice happen on the anniversary.  I think Nan would have liked us to do something we enjoy, and we all enjoy Chinese food.


Anyway, we had a lovely evening together, it was nice to have a distraction from how much we were missing Nan (I know I was glad of it) and the food was pretty good too.

 

*~*

 

The inspection planned for August 23rd didn't happen, because the three year old daughter of the person who was meant to be doing it wasn't well, and nobody else could come in her place.  The little one is fine... It's only that any signs of them not being quite right means they aren't allowed to go to creche (daycare) and she couldn't very well be dragging her toddler around to do inspections.  Unfortunately, I got the message several hours after it was sent, when we were wondering why nobody had shown up, since signal isn't too great at my Mam's house, and I was already there with the dogs by the time the message came through.  Though I would have gotten it literally right after arriving if I'd gotten it when it was actually sent, judging by the timestamp on it.


Why was I at my Mam's place with the dogs? Because - despite the government's insistance on having as many things as possible return to how they were in the pre-pandemic days, and fact I'm glad to see some of our freedom being returned to us - I don't feel comfortable being in the house when someone I haven't been around is here just yet, especially with the combination of my not being able to have the second jab, my compramized immune system, and the Delta variant.  It's risky enough having Kelly here with them, but someone has to be, and they want the inspection done in person now government restrictions don't prevent them from doing it in person.  Personally I'd have prefered photos, like they did when we had the other inspection, but I only get to decide when they can come, not whether or not they can, if that makes sense.  Anyway, since that was the case, we arranged for Lilie andLogan to have a playdate with Izabel while Kelly (who is at least fully vaccinated) stayed home to deal with the inspection.

 

But, like I said, the inspection didn't happen on August 23rd.  Instead it was rescheduled for this week, and is happening on Tuesday August 31st.  Yes, tomorrow.  Hopefully it won't get cancelled this time.

 

*~*

 

Mam gave Kelly her Kindle, since she wasn't using it, has never really used it, and he wanted one to read PDF copies of gaming books on, since the Kindle Keyboard I'd previously given him had died.

 

The one Mam had is a Kindle Fire 7 (7th generation).  My Kindle is a slightly newer model (a Kindle Fire 8) though has been used a LOT more, but I offered him a trade anyhow, and he was happy to have whichever Kindle was on offer.  Why did I offer him a trade then? Because the couple of minor differences in the two Kindles really are minor (slight difference in storage capacity, for example) and the main one makes no difference to me, but is potentially useful for Kelly, which is the fact the Kindle Fire 8 has a slightly larger display than the Kindle Fire 7 has.

 

Plus, then I have an excuse to get the purple Kindle case I spotted on Amazon when I was replacing my iPhones case (which I had to replace, because Mollie tried to eat it, and there was a chunk missing from it in a place where it was causing issues with the case staying on).  No, my new iPhone case isn't purple too.  The new iPhone case has got unicorns on it.  But the case I'm going to get for the Kindle Fire 7 is purple.

 

*~*

 

I watched the 2017 "Wonder Woman" movie on Friday.  I started watching it with Kelly, but I had to do something that couldn't be postponed before it was over (it was time for my Zoom book club meeting, if you really want to know) so missed the end.  I'd been enjoying it enough though that I watched it myself later, and started it again, rather than just continuing from where I'd last seen.  It's a fantastic action-packed superhero movie, with some entertaining scenes.  I'm not as familiar as Kelly is with superhero origin stories, but thought the one they did was excellent, and can tell you it was close enough to the original Wonder Woman origin story to satisfy Kelly.  We both loved how it ended too.  I forgot to actually ask Kelly for his rating, but I'd personally give it five out of five stars.

 

*~*

 

My cousin, Shane, had his birthday on August 19th.  Kelly's cousin, Holly, had hers on August 23rd, and Kelly's Dad will be celebrating his birthday on September 5th.  So, happy birthday to them all.

 

Also, I know a couple of online friends celebrated their birthdays in August too.  So, happy birthday to Jeanie, Barb, and anyone else who's owed birthday wishes for recent birthdays I've missed, or who has a birthday coming up real soon.

 

*~*

 

Finally, I'd just like to take a moment to send out some positive thoughts to Rita, who is currently fighting cancer, and could use all the healing energy and positive thoughts you can send her way.

Friday, August 27, 2021

"Behind Closed Doors, A Collection Of Unusual Poems" WordCrafter Book Blog Tour – Day 5 + My #Review


 

It's day five of the "Behind Closed Doors" blog tour, which means it's my stop on the tour.  And, today I have a guest post for you from the author, Robbie Cheadle.  So, over to you, Robbi.

 


 

I have always believed that people need time to daydream and just watch the clouds floating past and changing shape, to create. One of the problems with our modern lifestyles is that we are just to busy all the time. We rush from one activity to the next, and cram as much as possible into every waking minute of our lives in an attempt to get done everything we think we must do.

By doing this and not allowing our minds time to float freely, we supress our creativity and prevent those amazing leaps of logic mixed with the impossible that have allowed humanity to progress from one generation to the next. Sometimes our progress has been made in such giant steps we are left reeling in surprise.

This poem, Can you see the butterflies? is about letting go and finding time to relax and spin creatives webs.

Can you see the butterflies?

Can you see the butterflies?

Bright splashes of vibrancy

daubs of colour

against an azure sky.

 

Can you see the butterflies?

On near transparent wings

they flutter and fly

deliciously light on the breeze.

 

Can you see the butterflies?

A cloud of beauty

acting as one

a gossamer pool of delight.

 

I can see the butterflies

through half closed eyes

my dreams form shapes

with fluttering wings.

 

I can see the butterflies

as they develop in my mind

elusive thoughts grow wings

and they fly.

If you prefer to listen to me reading this poem, you can find it on my Youtube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhxR7czXGZw

Do you fit time to daydream into your busy life? Let me know in the comments.

Book blurb


 

What goes on behind closed doors: in the boardroom, after death, in the home, during lockdown, and in nature? This collection of poems, ranging from rhyming verse to twisted nursery rhymes, captures the emotions and thoughts people hide behind the masks they present to the world.

 

                                                                                          What thoughts are hidden

                                                                                          Behind her immobile face

                                                                                             Quite expressionless

                                                                                           Eyes cold and indifferent

                                                                                          Scrutinising me – hawk like

 

This book includes some of Robbie Cheadle's spectacular fondant art and cakes.

Robbie Cheadle author bio


 

Robbie Cheadle is a South African children's author and poet with 9 children’s books and 1 poetry book.

The 7 Sir Chocolate children's picture books, co-authored by Robbie and Michael Cheadle, are written in sweet, short rhymes which are easy for young children to follow and are illustrated with pictures of delicious cakes and cake decorations. Each book also includes simple recipes or biscuit art directions which children can make under adult supervision.

Robbie has also published 2 books for older children which incorporate recipes that are relevant to the storylines.

Robbie has 2 adult novels in the paranormal historical and supernatural fantasy genres published under the name Roberta Eaton Cheadle. She also has short stories in the horror and paranormal genre and poems included in several anthologies.

Robbie writes a monthly series for https://writingtoberead.com called Growing Bookworms. This series discusses different topics relating to the benefits of reading to children.

Robbie has a blog, https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/ where she shares book reviews, recipes, author interviews, and poetry.

Social Media Robbie Cheadle

Robbie Cheadle

Website

https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/

Blog

https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/

TSL Books Author Page

https://tslbooks.uk/robbie-cheadle/

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15584446.Robbie_Cheadle

Twitter

https://twitter.com/bakeandwrite

Purchase links

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09BBR94NC

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Behind-Closed-Doors-Robbie-Cheadle/dp/B099C8R3T4

 

 



*~*

I read this book a few days ago, so thought I'd include my review in today's post. So, here it is:

Behind Closed Doors

Behind Closed Doors by Robbie Cheadle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I'm reviewing a book of poetry, I try to pick a poem or two to mention. Ones that stuck out for me as being the b est of the collection. But I'm finding that task impossible in this case, since each poem was fantastic in its own way, and I simply can not decide on a favourite. In short, this is an excellent collection of poems, which I highly recommend.

View all my reviews

 

 

*~*

 

Check out the other posts in this tour:

 

Aug. 23 – Writing to be Read – Intro./Guest Post

http://writingtoberead.com/2021/08/23/welcome-to-the-wordcrafter-behind-closed-doors-book-blog-tour/

 

Aug. 24 – Undawnted – Review

http://www.undawnted.com/2021/08/wordcrafter-blog-tour-robbie-cheadles.html

Guest post

http://writingtoberead.com/2021/08/24/day-2-wordcrafter-behind-closed-doors-book-blog-tour/

 

Aug. 25 – This is my Truth Now - Guest Post/Review

https://thisismytruthnow.com/2021/08/25/blog-tour-behind-closed-doors-by-robbie-cheadle-w-review-guest-post/

 

Aug. 26 – The Showers of Blessings – Guest Post/Review

https://theshowersofblessings.com/2021/08/25/blog-tour-behind-closed-doors-a-collection-of-unusual-poems-by-robbie-cheadle/

 

 

Monday, August 23, 2021

#Poetry #Book "Born From Stardust And Other Poems" Now Available As An #Audiobook


 

A selection of poems of various lengths and styles, exploring a variety of themes and subjects.

 

Topics explored in the poems that make up this collection include – but are not limited to – animals and nature, writing and creativity, death and grief, as well as the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

 

"Born From Stardust And Other Poems" is now available as an audiobook, narrated by Giselle M Chatelain.

 

If you'd like to get your hands on a copy of the audiobook, you can grab your copy via Audible, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, and the Amazon sites for several other countries.

 

However, if you'd prefer an eBook, you can buy the eBook from Smashwords in all formats they offer, which means there's a format that will work for you, regardless of your prefered method of reading eBooks, whether it's with a Kindle, Nook, your computer, or whatever.  In fact, if you can read this post, there's a way you can read the book.  Alternatively,if you prefer to buy your eBooks elsewhere, you can grab your copy via other retailers such as Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and a few other places my books get distributed to, including many of the Amazon stores for other countries.

 

Or, if you're one of those people who prefers a paperback, you can grab your copy via Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, as well as the Amazon sites for several other countries.

 

Regardless of your format of choice, to grab your copy, just click on the link for your prefered retailer, or go there and search for it if I haven't listed it in this post.

 

Also, if you'd like to add the book to your Goodreads to-read shelf, you can find the book's Goodreads page here, where all available formats will be listed.


Oh, and... Yes, the cover image is an actual NASA image.  One of the ones the public is free to use however they want, as long as NASA gets credit for it.  So, here's the copyright information for it:


Cover art Hubble Discovery of Runaway Star Yields Clues to Breakup of Multiple-Star System © NASA