"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 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/

 

 

#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

Random Ramblings - August 20th 2021

We got the motivation we needed to get back to work on sorting the craft room, and getting the boxes of books and things that were still unpacked - including some more boxes of stuff Dad had given us - unpacked and at least sort of where they belong.  A lot of it still needs us to actually properly organize it (books aren't in their proper order, I need to properly organize the contents of some of the craft supply boxes, etc).  But at least everything is either put away, or - if putting it away isn't really an option right now, like with the ornaments I have yet to get shelves for - organized in to neat piles of as few boxes as possible near where it will eventually be going.

 

Of course, as you no doubt know, especially if you're a regular on this blog, we had been meaning to deal with those boxes.  But with one thing and another it wasn't being considered a priority, and what little was being sorted was being dealt with incredibly slowly.

 

Until I learned our landlord (well, the agency we deal with the landlord through) wants to come do their six monthly inspection on Monday (August 23rd).  And, with most Covid restrictions no longer applying, this time they want to do it in person.  As you can no doubt imagine, we suddenly found the motivation to get those things in boxes that we'd been dragging our feet about organizing sorted out.  Amazing how much motivation you find when you know your landlord is coming to do an inspection, isn't it? LOL!

So, that's a big part of what's been keeping us busy.  And the house looks loads better for it.

I'll try and get Kelly to get some updated pictures of how things are looking.  Especially of the craft room, which I know some of you will definitely want to see.  It's looking like a craft supply shop, but is at least now reasonably tidy and mostly organized.  Mostly.

 

*~*

Yesterday (August 19th) was the one year anniversary of when Nan (Dad's Mother) died, and eight days before that (August 11th) was the seven year anniversary of when Kero died.  So I'm glad I've had so many things to keep me busy during this past week and a half.  Even if a lot of it was dealing with the contents of the various boxes.  Not all of it though... There was book club and roleplaying too.

*~* 

I haven't been watching much in the way of movies or TV shows lately, despite my intentions to do so, the fact I have three streaming services at my fingertips (Disney+, Netflix, and Prime) and my to-watch list being about as long as my to-read list.  Which, let me tell you, is incredibly long.

 

But I watched the 2011 version of "Wuthering Heights" on Netflix last weekend.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either.  I love the book, and I don't feel like it did the book justice.  I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

 

*~*

The weather reports keep promising me some good thunder storms, but I'm not getting them.  Plenty of rain, and a bit of wind, but no storms.  They have them close enough for the seagulls to come this far in land again, because I've heard the gulls.  But I'm still waiting for my storm.  Never mind, Autumn storms will be here soon, so maybe I'll have better luck with those.

*~*

We've never been able to have Mollie running around loose.  We had a playpen when we had both chinchillas, since Maizie liked to come out and play, but was terrible for getting behind things and chewing things she shouldn't.  Mollie hated going in it though, and would kick up a fuss during the picking up phase (and mostly just hide behind things while she was in the playpen anyhow) so after we lost Maizie we never ended up using it.  We held on to it for ages afterwards, but since Mollie would either not want to be touched or just want a few moments in my arms and then want to return to her cage, it stood unused for a couple of years, so when we were moving last year we got rid of it.

Since we've been here though Mollie has started being more interested in interacting with us.  I'm not sure if it's something she likes about the move, her bigger cage, or her being older.  All I know is she's much more eager to interact with us - me especially - and will often even get up in the day to see what's going on.  So when she was acting like she wanted to come out and play the other day, we decided to try her and see what she'd do, expecting to have to get her from behind something when she hid, and carry her squealing back to the cage.

But no.

She ran around a little, exploring.  And when I sat on the floor and called her over, she came and climbed on my legs.  I had some treats with me for her, and I offered her one, which she took happily, backed off a bit to eat, and then came back to me looking for more.  And when it came time to put her back in the cage, she let me pick her up with only the slightest protest.

She even ignored the fact the dogs were just the other side of the baby gate, and Logan (who seriously hates being unable to get to his Mummy) spent the whole time crying because there was a barrier between us.

It's just a shame the camera was too far away, and Kelly can't work the one on my phone, so we have no photos or videos.  We'll try and get a video or some photos one of these times, though that might take a bit.  Mollie has never been one to want attention all the time, so - unsurprisingly - isn't interested in coming out of her cage too often.  But that's fine, and it's nice she'll come out to play sometimes.  She's come a long way from the scared and depressed chinchilla we brought home a little over five years ago.

*~*

Lilie and Logan were meant to have a grooming appointment yesterday, but all they got was a car ride, because we got there to find a note on the door telling us the appointment had been cancelled.  Apparently she'd tried calling us all morning to tell us, but for some reason we didn't get those calls, and can only assume she wrote the number down wrong.  As it stands at the moment, they don't have a new appointment, and I don't even know for sure why this one was cancelled, since we haven't been able to get hold of the groomer.  So I don't know when they'll end up getting groomed next.  They're going to need it badly by the time they get done though, I know that much

The (Very Late) 2021 Mid Year Book Tag - #AmReading #Reviews

As you've no doubt noticed, the year is more than half over, and I've had a lot to post about, so have ended up using days besides Fridays to post as it is.  With that in mind, originally I wasn't going to bother doing this tag.  But then Darlene did it on her blog, and tagged any of her readers who wanted to join in, and... Well, my regular readers will be familiar with my weakness for these tags, so won't be surprised to hear that was all I needed to hear to convince me to stop resisting and just go ahead and do the tag anyway.  I wanted to post it before we get too much further in to 2021 though, hence having it go live on what's officially not a posting day for me.

 

Of course, despite the fact we're already in August, if you want to play along too, you should feel free to do so.  I mean, it's never too late to share book recommendations, is it? So, feel free to play along, either in the comments section of this post, or on your own blog.  And, don't forget, if you do the latter be sure and let me know, because I'd hate to miss your post.

Now, on to the questions, as well as my answers and reviews for them.

~

1. Best Book You’ve Read So Far in 2021
 

 Kingfall (The Kingfall Histories, #1) by David Estes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My review: "I've been longing to get to read this book, and let me tell you, it was well worth the wait, and I was not disappointed. Vivid descriptions, well-rounded characters, excellent worldbuilding, and a gripping plot, all merge together to make this an amazing read. The story captured me from the first words, and only the essential nature of real life commitments, and the need to sleep, prevented me from devouring it from start to finish, otherwise it wouldn't have taken me nearly so long to finish reading. Now I'm eagerly anticipating the second book in the series, and strongly considering ensuring I clear my calender for a couple of days after its release so I can binge read it in the way I would have liked to do with this one. If you love a good fantasy story - especially one filled with magic, demons, and dragons - you need to read this book. And if you get the audio version, I can assure you the narrator does a fantastic job."

2. Best Sequel You’ve Read so far in 2021
 

 Skin Taker (Chronicles of Ancient Darkness, #8) by Michelle Paver

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My review: "This is an awesome continuation of the series, as well as being an excellent book in its own right. I have absolutely loved these books so far, and this one was most definitely no exception. The characters are well rounded and believable, the plot is exciting and gripping, and the world building is amazing. I had planned to take my time with this book, reading just a small amount before bed each night, but got so into it it was difficult to put it down, and I could easily have read it all in one sitting if I’d allowed myself to do so."

3. New Release You Haven’t Read Yet But Want To
 

There are several books I want to read.  Some actual new releases, some only new to me.  It would take too long to list them all here, and even longer to try and narrow down a few to mention, so I'm not going to even bother trying.

 

4. Biggest Disappointment
 

Highfire by Eoin Colfer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My review: "The plot concept was fascinating, and the characters were intriguing. It’s just a shame that the book was spoiled for me by overuse of foul language and crude comments, which I think were supposed to be funny, but were not the least bit amusing to me. Had it been the occasional bit of cursing, and the odd crude comment or joke, I might still have enjoyed the book, but as it was I felt like most of the book was made up of those things, and it ruined it for me."

5. Biggest Surprise
 

Mech Warrior: Born of Steel (Metal Warrior #1) by James David Victor
 My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My review: "I read this book for the "Febookary" reading challenge, where you have to read a book you might not usually pick up; this book was recommended to me when I asked someone for a recommendation for my Febookary book. It turned out to be a really good read, with a fascinating plot, and interesting characters. The actual writing itself could use a little attention (there are some issues like how we're told how people are reacting, rather than being shown, for example) but it was an otherwise great book, and I'm even feeling some enthusiasm about reading the rest of the series."

6. Favorite New Author
 

I haven't read any new to me authors I've loved enough to add to my favourite authors list so far this year.

 

7. Newest Fictional Crush
 

I don't have any new fictional crushes.  Sorry to disappoint you and all that.

 

8. Newest Favorite Character
 

I don't have any new favourite characters from books I've read this year to be honest.  The books have had great characters, but no one character stands out as being my favourite.

 

9. Book That Made You Cry
 

Two books immediately spring to mind, so I'm going to mention both of them.

 

A Ghost and His Gold by Roberta Eaton Cheadle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My review: "This is a thrilling and gripping read, with a wonderful cast of compelling characters, not to mention a fantastic plot. The author clearly did a lot of research, and reading the details of the war going on when most of the events in the story take place is fascinating, despite the disturbing nature of some of the unfortunately entirely factual occurrences. I only hesitate to give this book the full five stars because the way the different stories were told required some getting used to, so it took me some time to get in to the book (though I was thoroughly enthralled by the tale once I got used to the way it was being told). Also, I felt the definitions being presented as footnotes rather than simply in a glossary of terms at the end of the book interrupted the flow of the story - something possibly more noticeable to me due to the need to rely on a screen reader to read the book."

 

And...

 

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My review: "The concept was intriguing, but the plot was a bit slower than I'd have liked in places, and many of the plot points were predictable. Not to mention the fact the young Jacob was way more naive than you'd expect a 23 year old to be in those days, and most of the characters weren't as well-rounded as they should have been. However, I did enjoy the book, even if I didn't love it anywhere near as much as some seem to, and am a little uncertain as to why it's such a, "Must read," book. Regardless, reading this book was an emotional experience, because it was difficult to read about the cruelty to both animals and people knowing that kind of thing did happen back then. Plus, my heart went out to the older Jacob, since I know what it's like to lose the ability to do certain things for yourself, and can imagine how difficult it must be for him being in his 90s, in a nursing home, and unable to do much for himself."

10. Book That Made You Happy
 

Pass the Turkey: The Small Dog's Christmas by Sue Vincent
 My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My review: "This is a delightful book filled with entertaining and sweet stories and poems."

 

11. Most Beautiful Book You’ve Bought This Year
 

 The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My review: "Even though the concept sounded sort of interesting, I was unsure if I wanted to read this when I first heard about it, and though I put it on my to-read shelf, it was with little enthusiasm. But then I was in a book club meeting where someone was gushing about how awesome it was, and literally the next day saw it as an option to get in the two for one sale on Audible, so I thought I'd grab it, and see if it was any good. I went in to it with low expectations, despite the assurances from this person in my book club that it was an awesome read, and was pleasantly surprised, because it really was. The idea of being able to explore the questions about what would have happened if you'd done even one thing differently was an interesting one, and I liked how the fact even one small difference in your life can have a domino effect was taken in to consideration when the main character was exploring all these different lives. I also found the philosophical musings and quotes throughout fascinating, and thought the concept of depression and mental illness was handled well. In short, I'm most definitely glad I did give this book a chance, because I found it to be an excellent read, which really makes you think about how you look at things in your own life."

 

12. Books You Need to Read by the End of The Year
 

I'm not sure how to answer this one.  I mean, there are obviously several books I want to read.  But I generally randomly pick my next read when I'm ready to start it, so I don't have an actual list of the order I plan to read them in, which means I don't know which ones I plan to read during the rest of 2021 myself, so can't really tell you.

~

So, how about you? What would your answers be?

Outstanding Blogger Award From Cat @TStrawberryPost

I got a new award from Cat over at The Strawberry Post a couple of weeks ago.  Well, it's actually over a month ago now.  Either way, you can see the post she did for it by clicking here, if you want to go check that out once you're done reading mine.  Thanks so much, Cat!

~

 

The rules for this one are:

• Have the link to the creator’s original award post in your post
• Answer the questions provided
• Create 7 unique questions
• Nominate 10 other bloggers. Neither the award’s creator nor the blogger that nominated you can be nominated
  

 

There's another thing about how people nominated will get entered in to something, but it only applied for 2020, so I'm not going to bother mentioning it in the rules list.  If you want to know what it is, go check out Cat's post, since she did bother to include that part in her own post.

~

Well, I already linked to Cat's post above, so let's get on with the questions and my answers, shall we?

1. If you could live anywhere in the real or fictional world, where would it be?
 

In the real world, I'm happy being back here in Wales.  Though I wouldn't mind going back to Canada if we had to not live in Wales.  Hastings was OK, but Canada was better, and Wales is better still.

 

Fictional is harder, since I'm torn between wanting to live in Narnia, and wanting to be able to go to Hogwarts.  Can we just move Hogwarts to Narnia? Then I could live in Narnia, but still go to Hogwarts.  I've so got to write a book with a similar concept to that, and then I can live there for a little while, even if only while I'm actually writing it.

 

 

2. Can you play any musical instruments and if not are there any you would like to?
 

 I used to be able to play, "London's Burning,," and "Mary Had A Little Lamb," on the recorder, though I haven't tried to since I was about ten, so how well I'd do now is anyone's guess.  I also tried learning the cornet around the same time, but never got any good at it, and never progressed far enough to actually learn to play anything, and I know for a fact I don't remember how to play it any more.

 

 I can play, "Frère Jacques" on the keyboard or piano too, and wish I could play more than that, but people mistook my inability to make sense of music sheets for lack of interest, so I missed my chance to learn in childhood.  The piano is one of the instruments I'd dearly like to be able to play properly, and more than once I've considered trying now that I'm old enough to explain the issue to have actual lessons, or trying to learn by myself via YouTube, to be honest.  But somehow I never seem to get anywhere with even starting the process.

The other instrument I wish I could play is the harp.  Harps have such a beautiful and soothing sound, and I wish I could have the knowledge of how to create it.  Especially with its use in a lot of Celtic music, and my being Welsh.  Like with the piano, more than once I've considered learning, but never seem to get anywhere with even starting the process.  Maybe one day...

 

3. What one book would you recommend to everyone to read?
 

I can't give just one title here, because there is no one book I would recommend to everyone.

 

The thing is, everyone has different reading preferences, which means there's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to books and reading, so what I would recommend depends on the genre and type of book the person is looking for, and what - if anything - I know about the person's reading preferences.  Even two people who like the same genre might have different preferences in that genre that would affect what I might recommend to them.  For example, two people might like fantasy, but if one prefers high fantasy while the other prefers urban fantasy, Terry Brooks' Shannara Chronicles would be something I might recommend to the first person, where as the second person might prefer J K Rowling's Harry Potter books.  And that's before you get in to different agegroups, since if we're talking about middle grade fantasy readers, I'd recommend C S Lewis' Chronicles Of Narnia books.  On the other hand, if we're talking about fans of historical fiction, I might recommend Michelle Paver's Chronicles Of Ancient Darkness series, or - for older readers who like a bit of romance in their historical fiction - I'd recommend Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series.

 

4. Do you have any favourite hobbies that you still enjoy that you started when you were young?
 

Though I've added or tweaked them as I got older, the general gist of the hobbies I enjoy are things I've loved to do since I was young.  Reading, writing, arts and crafts, and roleplaying... They're all things I started doing as a child, and still love doing now.  I mean, these days I have a long list of different roleplaying systems I've tried, where as back then I didn't even know there was anything but Dungeons And Dragons (actually, there might not have been anything other than that available at the time, but you get my point, I'm sure).  And where as drawing, painting, and the odd bit of knitting and sewing was about it for my childhood crafting, I now do a large cariety of crafts, with the potential of expanding in to others at some point in the future.  But the general hobbies are ones that have been with me since childhood.

 

5. Do you have any favourite foods?
 

My favourite foods are grapes, cherries, berries, kiwi fruit, tofu, tomatoes, mushrooms, chips (fries) and toast with vegan butter (and maybe a bit of vegan marmalade).  I'm also rather more fond than I perhaps should be of vegan marshmallows, and salt and vinegar crisps (potato chips).

 

6. What’s your favourite animal?
 

Despite the fact I was totally horse crazy as a child, my favourite animal is - and always has been - a lion.  They're just such beautiful and powerful cats.  But I love most kinds of animals. 

7. If you could go back in time to any time period where/when you would you visit and why?

 

There are several time periods I'd like to visit just for a better look at what went on during those times, or to experience things as they really happened - whether out of curiosity or for potential research for stories I may or may not write in the future, or possibly a bit of both.  But if I had to pick one particular time period I'd go with some time in what's labelled as, "Prehistoric times," when man walked the Earth, but there's little available to provide accurate information on what really happened during that time.  Why? Because it's harder to research that time, so it would be a wonderful oppertunity to learn things I can't just look up online or in a book.

 

~

Now I'm going to start not following the rules properly, because I'm going to avoid actually tagging anyone, and tell you that if you want it, and have yet to be tagged, you should consider yourself tagged.  After all, a lot of people I know don't do these things, and I don't want to tag someone who would rather I hadn't done so.  I also don't want to leave out someone who deserves it just because I ran out of tagging slots.  So, I'm going with my usual action of tagging anyone who wants to play along.  Don't forget to let me know if you do decide to consider yourself tagged, since I'd hate to miss your post. I'm also going to cheat and tell you to answer the questions Cat gave me if you're playing along, because they're great questions, and I can't think of better ones.  Hope Cat doesn't mind.

#Lughnasadh + Taste-Testing @drinkmana + Some Random Ramblings

Lughnasadh - also known as Lammas - for those who don't know but are interested, is the first harvest festival in the Celtic calender, falls on August 1st, and originally coincided with the first reapings of the harvest.

 

The God, Lugh (pronounced "Lou") who is associated with the festival is known for being a master of all crafts, as well as a lover of games, so along with the first harvest Pagans traditionally celebrate their crafts at this time too, and games and festivals are generally encouraged.

~

I'd planned a long writing session and a meal involving plenty of bread and fruit to celebrate.  But my day didn't go quite to plan.  However, I can at least link my activities on August 1st to Lughnasadh.

I spent most of the morning dealing with some poems one of my narrators had submitted for me to listen to, which - though not actually writing - is at least part of what's involved in the craft of writing.

In the afternoon I went with my Dad and Uncle Phil (Dad's brother) to help clear out my Aunty Bev's freezer, and we grabbed some dandelions from her garden for Artemis and Mollie.  So, technically some harvesting was involved, and I was certainly grateful for the bounty of veggies from Aunty Bev's freezer, which helped to fill my own.

By the time dinner time rolled around I was too tired to care what was for dinner, so Kelly fetched me some chips (fries) and sweet-and-sour sauce from the Chinese place around the corner.  I did have some bread with it though, to mop up the last of the sauce, so at least the bread made it in to my meal.

So, like I said, not exactly as planned, but I can technically link it all to Lughnasadh, so I'm counting it.

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July 22nd was my two year anniversary of becoming officially vegan.

I posted about it on both Facebook and Twitter, but when I posted about it on Twitter, I got a reply from someone at Mana™ asking if I'd be interested in a free taster pack from them.

In the interests of full disclosure, I'll be honest, I don't generally go in for meal replacement drinks, and prefer to get my protein and other vitamins from tofu, fruits, vegetables, etc.  However, I have tasted meal replacement drinks and protein powders and such in the past, it's entirely plant-based, and they were offering me it for free, so I figured I'd give it a go.  Also, all opinions expressed below are entirely my own, and the only thing I'm getting out of it is the free taster pack they sent me.

So, what's my verdict?

Taste-wise it was pretty good, though I definitely didn't love it.  It's the best tasting powder/meal replacement I've ever tried, which - considering how vile the others have been - isn't hard to beat, but should count in their favour if you're going to go by my opinion, because I'm not a fan of these kinds of things as a rule.  And it was quite filling too.  It's not something I'd continue getting, but this is because I don't generally go in for these kinds of things, and is not a reflection on the product.  Of all the ones I've tasted (especially those I've tasted because I aquired them free with other things since becomeing vegan) if I was actually going to buy one, I'd be most likely to go with Mana.

 

So if  you're looking for a meal replacement option for a liquid diet, or a protein drink (or powder to add to other things) because you work out a lot and don't feel you're getting enough from what you're eating, they're a potentially good option for you, and I'd recommend you give them a try.

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The weather's been cooler, which is nice.  I do wish it would make its mind up between warm and dry and cold and wet though, because the constant changing messes with my asthma.  It's not as bad as when we had the heatwave though, so at least there's that.

 

The petkids certainly prefer the current weather, as I'm sure you're not surprised to hear.  Especially Mollie.

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I had a review phonecall from the asthma nurse during our heatwave.

 

Considering my asthma's been worse in general since I had that bad reaction to the Covid jab, and the heat was making things really tough on me, she wanted to put me on some allergy-suppressing tablets.  Trouble is, they only, "Might help," and they have ingredients in them which would irritate other issues and allergies, so to take them I'd be irritating one issue to possibly improve another.  And even if they do help it would be only a small amount.  So I said, "No."

I think she disagrees with my decision, but I think you can appreciate why I don't want to take something to try and help one issue if it's going to just cause problems for another.  Especially when it might not help at all, and if it does any help it would give would be minamal.

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The group I roleplay with on Tuesdays is taking a break from Abarrant while the GM moves, so we're playing Pathfinder instead for now, swapping superheroes for fantasy heroes.  I'm not sure what will happen with the Pathfinder game when the GM's move is over.  Anyway, Kelly and I are both playing elves, but mine's a druid and Kelly's is a rogue.

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Mam took this photo of Logan with Izabel a little behind him when she came over the other day.  Logan was up on the back of the corner piece from a corner sofa we're currently using as an armchair, and Izabel climbed up to get a closer look at what he was doing up there.  With how tiny Izi is, especially compared to Logan (who's a big boy for his breed, having reached the maximum size a Cavapoo can reach, while Izabel is at the opposite end of the size scale) Mam says it should be titled, "Little and large."

#MondayMotivation - #Quotes About Creativity And The Beauty Of Life

I'm not officially doing my quote posts anymore, but I came across these recently so thought I'd share them.

 

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“Even in a world with much sadness, at its essence, life is beautiful.” ~ Dianne Reeves

 

“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.” ~ Omar Khayyam

 

“Being happy doesn’t mean everything is perfect. It means you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.” ~ Gerald Way

 

 “Don’t let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It’s your place in the world; it’s your life.” ~ Dr. Mae Jemison

 

“To be creative means to be in love with life. You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little more poetry to it, a little more dance to it.” ~ Osho

 

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to the sunset sky.” ~ Rabindranath Tagore

 

“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.” ~ Ashley Smith

 

“The thing that is beautiful, is your soul that sees beauty, in beautiful things.” – Aida Mitsuo