Day 5 Of The WordCrafter Poetry Treasures Blog Tour + My #Review

 

 

It's Day five of the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures Blog Tour, and time for us to spend a little time with poet, Kevin Morris, and learn about his inspiration for one of the poems he included in the "Poetry Treasures" anthology.  So, over to you, Kevin.

 

 

 

I have long been soothed by the sound of rain. It’s sound reminds me of my own mortality. I will “go my way” to the grave, but others will stay behind listening to the eternal rain.

 

---

 

I Hear the Rain:

 

 I hear the rain again.

How it does pour

Over city street and moor.

When I go my way,

The rain will stay.

And others will remain,

Listening to the rain.

 

---

 

Author biography:

 

Kevin Morris was born in Liverpool, on 6 January 1969. He attended the Royal School for the Blind and Saint Vincent’s School for the Blind (both of which are located in Liverpool). He has happy memories of leafing through “Palgrave’s Golden Treasury”, “The Oxford Book of English Verse” and other poetry collections in the school library. It was during his time in the school library, together with the many hours spent sitting on his grandfather’s knee as he read to him, that Kevin derived his love of literature and poetry in particular.

Kevin read history and politics at University College Swansea and graduated with a BA (joint hons) and a MA in political theory.

In 1994 Kevin moved to London where he now lives and works. He is lucky to live close to an historic park in the Upper Norwood/Crystal Palace area (a suburb of greater London). Upper Norwood derives its name from the Great North Wood and is one of the greenest parts of greater London.

Kevin uses a standard Windows computer equipped with software called Job Access with Speech or JAWS, which converts text into speech and braille enabling him to compose his poetry and perform other tasks on his computer.

You will find some of Kevin’s poetry on his lovely blog here: https://kmorrispoet.com/

K Morris Amazon US author page: https://www.amazon.com/K-Morris/e/B00CEECWHY

The five poems presented in this anthology first appeared in The Further Selected Poems of K Morris published on Amazon on 27 February 2021 in Kindle and paperback.

 

 Links:

 Author’s blog - https://kmorrispoet.com/

Author’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/drewdog2060_

Author’s (UK) Amazon author page - https://www.amazon.co.uk/K.-Morris/e/B00CEECWHY/

Author’s (amazon.com) Author page - https://www.amazon.com/K.-Morris/e/B00CEECWHY/

Author’s Goodreads page - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6879063.Kevin_Morris

Author Newsletter sign up page - https://mailchi.mp/426d57064ebd/sign-up-to-my-newsletter

 

 

 

Blurb

A collection of poetry from the poet/author guests of Robbie Cheadle on the "Treasuring Poetry" blog series on Writing to be Read in 2020. Open the book and discover the poetry treasures of Sue Vincent, Geoff Le Pard, Frank Prem, Victoria (Tori) Zigler, Colleen M. Chesebro, K. Morris, Annette Rochelle Aben, Jude Kitya Itakali, and Roberta Eaton Cheadle.

 

Purchase links for Poetry Treasures

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Poetry-Treasures-Sue-Vincent-ebook/dp/B0933KSJR9

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Poetry-Treasures-Sue-Vincent/dp/B093QLNGC5

Don't forget, you can follow the tour and leave a comment at each stop for a chance to win one of three digital copies of Poetry Treasures to be given away. (Winners will be randomly selected following the end of the tour.)

 

***~~~****

 

Since when I contribute to an anthology is the only time I make an exception and review a book containing my writing, and this is one of those times, I have a review of "Poetry Treasures" for you today too.  So, here you go:

 

Poetry Treasures 

 My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't like to review my own work, but am reviewing this book since I'm one of many authors who have contributed to it. And what a talented group of authors; I'm honoured to have my work featured in a collection with so many amazing poets. I'd read the work of some of them before, while others were new to me, but all were a delight to read. There's quite a mixture of styles and topics explored among the poems in this collection, but there wasn't a poem among them I didn't find a pleasure to read, and it's impossible for me to pick favourites. The only reason I don't give this book the full five stars is that I don't feel it would be fair for me to review my own poems, so don't feel I can justify giving the book a full five stars when I'm not reviewing three of the poems that make up the collection. However, had it not been for that, I would have given this book the full five stars.

View all my reviews

#Pet Themed #Poetry Book "Pawfect Pet Poems" Now Available From More eBook Retailers

 My pet-themed poetry book, "Pawfect Pet Poems" - which I posted about the Smashwords and Amazon versions of on Sunday and Monday respectively - is now also available to buy as an eBook from other online retailers, for those who have other eBook shopping preferences besides Smashwords and Amazon.

You can now also buy it from places like Apple iBooks., Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and find it on many other retailers Smashwords distributes to.

 

Simply click on the name of your prefered eBook retailer to go there and grab your copy.

My Guest Post For The WordCrafter Poetry Treasures Blog Tour

This week is the blog tour for "Poetry Treasures" - the poetry anthology I contributed to, which was published in April 2021.  And today I'm the author in the spotlight, with a guest post all about writing my poem, "Hello Insomnia, My Old Friend" - one of the three poems of mine included in the anthology.  So, if you'd like to read that, head over and read my post by clicking here.

 

 

 

Also, you can follow the tour and leave a comment at each stop for a chance to win one of three digital copies of Poetry Treasures to be given away. (Winners will be randomly selected following the end of the tour.)

#Kindle Edition Of "Pawfect Pet Poems" Now Available! #NewBook #Pet #Poetry

A short collection of poems of various lengths and styles, all with one thing in common: they were written for - or about - some of the various pets my hubby and I have had.
 

The poems in this collection are mainly about chinchillas and dogs, though other types of animals – in particular degus - sometimes make an appearance too. All poems are captioned with details of the pets they were written for or about.

 

As I said in yesterday's post, yesterday I started publishing the different versions of "Pawfect Pet Poems" - a short collection of poems about Lilie the Westie, Logan the Cavapoo, Mollie the chinchilla, and Joshua the degu, with a few mentions of other petkids from time to time.

 

Well, now the Kindle edition is also available, so if you prefer to grab your eBooks that way, grab yours today from Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or another version of Amazon.

It will soon also be available in paperback and audio, for the benifit of those who prefer a physical book or audio version.  I'll let you know when those formats become available.

Regardless of your prefered method of reading the book, if you'd like to add it to your Goodreads to-read shelf, you can find it on Goodreads by clicking here.

 

#Pet Themed #Poetry #Book #NewRelease - "Pawfect Pet Poems"

A short collection of poems of various lengths and styles, all with one thing in common: they were written for - or about - some of the various pets my hubby and I have had.
 

The poems in this collection are mainly about chinchillas and dogs, though other types of animals – in particular degus - sometimes make an appearance too. All poems are captioned with details of the pets they were written for or about.

The above is the description for my latest release, "Pawfect Pet Poems" - a collection of poems mainly about Lilie the Westie, Logan the Cavapoo, Mollie the chinchilla, and Joshua the degu, which I published today.

It's already available to buy from Smashwords in all formats they offer - which includes ePub, Mobi, and many other formats, and means there should be a format that works for you, regardless of your prefered method of reading eBooks, and if you can read this post, you can read the book.  So, if you'd like to grab your copy from Smashwords today, simply go to the book's Smashwords page by clicking here.

However, it will soon also be available as a Kindle version, as well as in paperback and audio.  I will, of course, let you know as each format becomes available.

Regardless of your prefered method of reading the book, if you'd like to add it to your Goodreads to-read shelf, you can find it on Goodreads by clicking here.

Keeping #Pets Safe In Hot Weather, By Mollie The #Chinchilla

 Hi everyone.  This is Mollie the chinchilla.

 

On the day I'm writing this, the weather is not very hot, and how wet it looks outside the window I can see from my cage makes me very glad I don't have to go out there, because I consider water just something to drink from my bottle, and the only baths I enjoy are sand baths, thank you very much.

But...

We're getting to the part of the year where hot weather might come soon.  At least, we are in the part of the world where we live.  So, I think it's time for a reminder about safety in hot weather.

~

Remember: it's up to you to keep not only yourselves and any human pups you might have from suffering in extreme weather conditions, but also the non-human members of your family.  In fact, us especially, since we can't speak your language to tell you what we need to keep us happy, comfortable, and healthy.

The other thing you need to remember is that different animals can tolerate - and need to be kept at - different temperatures.  For example: 20 degrees C might be a perfect temperature in your opinion, but that's too hot for a chinchilla like me, and yet a tortoise like Artemis would consider that kind of chilly.  So, make sure you take our species - and sometimes also breed, since that makes a difference with some of us - in to consideration when deciding what you may or may not need to do to help us deal with hot weather.

If you're not sure what you should do to keep your pet safe and happy during hot weather, talk to your vet.  If your vet doesn't know, you should probably go find a different vet, and it would be a good thing if you found that out now, rather than when there's a life-threatening emergency.  Just saying.

 

~

 

But, here are some things my human caretakers do for us:

• Providing plenty of water.  This is essential all year, but even more so on hot days, since we need to keep hydrated. Think about how badly you need a drink on a hot day, and then bear in mind that many of us are wearing fur coats we can't take off.  Now, perhaps, you'll understand how badly we need that drink.  For animals that enjoy it, you can even provide some water to play in, such as a paddling pool.  Or, you can do what Mummy did when it was hot and we had no yard for a pool, which is to put some cold water in the bath and use that as an indoor doggy paddling pool.
  
• Providing frozen treats.  For chinchillas, this could be something like frozen peas, frozen carrot sticks, or - as a special treat - a little frozen fruit.  For dogs, this could mean freezing their Kong ball with some peanut butter in it, or - if your dogs will eat them, which ours will - giving them some of the frozen fruits and vegetables on offer.  Don't buy and offer us ice-lollies though, because those are full of sugar.  If you want us to have our own ice-lollies, make some from scratch using natural ingredients.
• Making sure we have cool shady sleeping spots.  Whether it's a cooling slab in the cage like I have, or a spot to rest in the shade, we all need somewhere to rest where we can be as cool as possible, and out of direct sunlight.
• Providing fans.  If you have air conditioning, so much the better.  However, if you - like us - don't, make sure you have plenty of fans, and that they're positioned where we can enjoy the benifit of the air circulation they provide.
• Keeping playtimes short.  Some animals - dogs especially... In particular puppies - have a lot of energy.  But all that playing and bouncing around will only make us hotter.  So, keep play time short, or do it in a way that doesn't involve too much running and bouncing.  Better yet, do both.

This list is just an example of some ways to help us animals cope with the hot weather Summer often brings.  There are likely other bits of advice you can get somewhere else - such as from your vet.

~

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have any reason to be worried about your non-human family members during hot weather, or at any other time, talk to a vet immediately.  Hesitating may cost us our lives.

Stay safe, and help those you share your home with - whether human or otherwise - stay safe too.

Squeak soon,

Mollie

Join The Weekend #Braille Together Mingle

The "Weekend Braille Together Mingle" is held via Zoom.

 

Meetings are on Saturdays at 6pm ET, 3pm PT, 12pm H/T
 

But, what's it all about?

 

You love the idea of knowing Braille. You suspect learning it may be easier with a bit of support. Here is a place to ask questions, find a Mentor and find Resources Games and Tools to make learning Braille fun. We welcome Braille Learners and those of you who want to Mentor Braille Learners.

 

For more information, and the details to join the call, contact Braille Together Mingle by eMailing brl@earthlink.net

A Weather Report, Medical Mutterings, A Swingseat, And A Doorstep Delivery

The weather can't seem to make its mind up whether to be hot or cold, but other than that we're back to the usual Welsh weather: rain, with the odd dry spell - sometimes even a day or two of dry weather - in between.

 

*~*~*

 

I'm still not back to my normal, but am getting there.

 

I had several days earlier this week where I caught up on some of the sleep I'd been missing through the pain being so bad in the beginning (and not being able to take much for it) and that's helped some too.

 

~

 

But... Guess what I did?

 

I apparently failed to learn my lesson about car doors, and shut my thumb in one this time.

 

Yes, really.  And, yes, same hand.

 

Different car this time though, since this time it was my Mam's car door.

 

~

 

So, off I went to the hospital again, for doctors to x-ray and examine my right hand.

 

It was a VERY long night of waiting (because a lot of emergencies kept coming in) with no access to pain relief because they can only give the one thing I can tolerate (liquid Ibuprofen, which generally ends up being the Ibuprofen meant for infants and young children) with doctor permission (which I couldn't get until I spoke to a doctor, which is what I was waiting to do already) or on the paediatric ward, and I can’t take Paracetamol (which is a shame, because they were handing those out to anyone who needed pain relief without hesitation).

 

~

 

Anyway, thankfully, when I FINALLY – after almost 12 hours at the hospital... I kid you not – got to talk to a doctor, it was to learn that I hadn’t broken anything this time, and for the record the break from last time has definitely fully healed.  So, this time all I got was a very painful and bruised thumb.  There was some minor bleeding below the skin and nail, but nothing to worry about, and this time I’m meant to make sure to use my hand as normally as the pain will allow, and take what pain relief I can tolerate as needed.  At least I’m not back to doing things one handed.

 

I am, however, starting to really hate cars.  LOL!

 

~

 

Anyway, it was Friday night I spent at the hospital waiting to see someone about my thumb.  Then I slept most of Saturday and a lot of Sunday, which helped some with the feeling achy all over issue.  My head still hurts and so does my hand, but I’ll take any improvement I can get.

 

Besides, I’m lucky I’m not doing worse than I am, especially after Monday, when I had one of those days, if you know what I mean.  Honestly, with how many minor accidents I had on Monday, I’m surprised I didn’t end up back at the hospital that day.  Yeah, it was that bad.

 *~*~*

 

 I wanted somewhere to sit out in the yard while the dogs are out there.  But I wanted it to be something I didn't have to constantly set up every time I wanted to sit outside - especially given the fact they go out there several times a day - which would also be OK left out there all the time, regardless of weather.  After all, the dogs have to go out every day, regardless of weather.

So, we got me a swingseat.

 

We actually got it about two weeks ago, but I forgot to mention it last week.

 

I had one just like it before we moved down to Hastings, but got rid of it when we didn't have a yard.

 

~

 

It's sturdy enough to not blow away in anything but extreme wind, and with our yard being how it is, the wind would have to be incredibly bad gale-force wind to be strong enough to move it. Plus, it has a canopy, which keeps the worst of the rain off me when I'm out there when it's wet, and also stops the seat from becoming overly wet .  At least, it does when it's adjusted to act as a cover.  Or the canopy can be adjusted to allow the sun to reach me better on a nice day.  Given what Wales is like with rain, I'm leaving its default position as a shelter from rain though, since the time I didn't my seat got rather wet.

~

I'm enjoying sitting out there while the dogs are in the yard.  It makes it more enjoyable when I have a nice place to sit, and makes me less likely to be impatient and want to make them hurry up.

When Dad first finished putting it together for me, Logan gave it a good sniff, but then decided it wasn't interesting enough to need further investigation, so has ignored it beyond checking I've gone to it to sit down since.  But Lilie sometimes wants to sit on it with me.  Lilie especially loved when the weather is chilly, because when it got chilly for a few days after I got it, I took a blanket out to snuggle in on it, so she snuggled under it with me while Logan was keeping warm by chasing shadows and anything else that moved.  Literally.  Logan will chase anything that moves, even if it's just a shifting shadow.

 

*~*~*

 

I had a doorstep delivery of some homemade vegan-friendly dandelion honey earlier this week.

I'd hoped to snatch a quick doorstep visit with my friend, Carrieanne - the person who I got it from, and who was also the one delivering it - but the dogs had one of those days where they were barking constantly (no matter what I did to try and stop them) she couldn't wait long, and by the time I realized the dogs were barking for a good reason that time, and actually made it to the door, she'd had to just place the jar on the doorstep and go.  Last time I saw her in person was before I moved down to Hastings, so I was really disappointed to have missed her.  But at least I got the dandelion honey.

I had some on crumpets for breakfast next mornin, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Recent Important Dates, Medical Mutterings, And Random Happenings

I missed mentioning both my bookerversary and bloggerversary this year.

 

April 22nd was the 11th anniversary of when I published my first book.  It was "Mr. Pumpkin-Head And Other Poems" - in case you don't know, but are interested.  I've published more than 50 titles since then.

 

And May 3rd was the 15th anniversary of when I published my first blog post, which was on this very blog.

~

 

Also, Ostara (the Spring Equinox) and Beltane have both come and gone, with only minimal celebration, and no acknowledgement on here.  For those who don't know, and are interested, Ostara is generally celebrated on March 20th (though the astrological event that marks the equinox may not actually fall on that exact date) and Beltane is celebrated on May 1st (or, in some cases, April 30th through May 1st).

 

I'd just damaged my hand when Ostara rolled around, and still wasn't feeling too great from the issues with the jab come Beltane, so I didn't do much for either.  However, they weren't completely ignored.

 

On the afternoon of March 20th I attended the monthly crafting Zoom I've started going to.  I couldn't do any crafting, but figured I'd go along for the company and a chat anyhow, and still managed to enjoy myself.  That evening I attended a live Facebook concert by a Pagan musician named Damh The Bard.  If you'd like to check him out, his YouTube channel can be found by clicking here.

For Beltane I attended a Zoom Beltane gathering an online friend was hosting.  Patty - the host - was a little surprised I did manage to make it, since it started at midnight here in the UK, but with my sleep pattern I'd actually woken up from a nap not too long before.  I'd said I'd go if I was up, and I was up, so I went.  And we had a great time.  OK, so it technically wasn't Beltane any more with me by the time it was happening, but never mind.  It was something I did to celebrate, I enjoyed it, and that's what matters.

I'd also attended a Zoom book club on the evening of April 30th, which is a weekly thing also hosted by Patty.  I had a great time with that too.  I've never been in an actual book club before.

 

~

 

There's also been one more important date: Kelly's 50th birthday.

His birthday was on May 2nd.

We'd hoped all restrictions would be lifted before his birthday, so he could avoid having another lockdown birthday.  Especially with it being a big one.  But with some restrictions still in place, and my poor health and dietary issues causing even more restrictions, it ended up being a quiet birthday at home again, with take-away: Chinese for me, and pizza for him.

 

My Mam arranged some chocolate cake for him for me though, and he had a few cards, as well as plenty of money, which he spent on some figure gaming stuff he wanted, including the newest codex for the army he plays for Warhammer 40,000, and a set of files to help with putting the figures together (since we can't find his existing set... We assume it's among the things not yet unpacked).

 

Anyway, here are the cards he got from my Dad and Grandma:

And here's the one I made for him:

 

 

~

 

Making Kelly's card is the only crafting I've so far done since damaging my hand, but I hope to get to do more soon, since I have an ever-growing pile of craft kits, a couple of projects of my own on the go, and a few projects of Nan's I'd like to try and finish up for her.  And that's if you only focus on kits and partial projects, without thinking about all the potential options all those craft supplies present.

 

Soon.  Very soon!

 

~

 

For now though, Kelly wanted to show you all some of the figures he's been putting together.

 

They're some of his figures for his Space Marines army for Warhammer 40,000, and here they are:

*~*~*

For anyone wondering: I'm still struggling with recovering from the effects of the Covid jab.  In fact, last Friday morning (April 30th) the doctor sent me to the hospital for tests, since it had been five weeks since I had my Covid Vaccination, and I was - and still am - still suffering badly.

 

Amazingly, though I ended up with a nasty bruise, and my arm still hurts like mad in that spot (despite it being done a week ago) the nurse taking blood from me managed to get blood first time, which was a relief, and a welcome change from the usual fight to get my veins to co-operate.

 

Anyway, according to the results (which I got yesterday) my kidney function is  on the low end of the normal scale, but not a cause for concern right now,  which is fantastic for me, since I've had kidney problems literally since my conception.  And pretty much everything else is clear/normal for me too.  So, that's excellent news.

 

The only cause for concern is a slightly low platelet count, which could be just that we caught it at the point in its cycle where it's naturally low, could be a sign of a compramized immune system, or could be something worse.  With it only being a bit low, the doctor is thinking one of the first two options, but I'm to have it checked again in five weeks (six weeks from when it was done before) so he can see what it is then to get an idea of if it's staying the same, or see if it increases or decreases, and if so which direction it goes in, and by how much.  He's not overly concerned, but does think it worth checking to be sure, and I'm inclined to agree with him.

What this essentially means is that my body has finally - despite me still feeling otherwise - decided to step up and finish fighting the effects of the shot like it's meant to, but was slow enough doing so that I'm not recovered yet, but I should, in theory, go back to my normal in a few more weeks (apart from the now worse asthma).  I sure hope so.  It's so far been six weeks since I got the jab, and I have yet to do so, but that's hardly surprising with how bad of a reaction I had.  Fingers crossed it won't be much longer, because these headaches especially are really getting to me.