Jane Spavold Tims's Blog, page 41

500th follower contest!

I have been blogging since 2011 and I am delighted to see that I will have my 500th follower sometime during the next days/weeks.

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To commemorate this milestone, I am running a contest.

Everyone who enters a comment on a post here at http://www.nichepoetryandprose.wordpress.com from now until I have my 500th follower will be entered in a draw to win a signed paperback copy of my new book “in the shelter of the covered bridge” (Chapel Street Editions), postage paid.

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I am going to try to get that 500th follower as soon as possible, so comment on every post you can! One entry per post per commenter/follower.

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Copyright Jane Tims 2017

fishing under the covered bridge

In the community where I live, there is one covered bridge, the Patrick Owens Bridge, otherwise known as Rusagonis River #2. At one time there were at least four covered bridges across the Rusagonis Stream.

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The photo below was taken in 1964 and shows my husband as a boy, fishing under the covered bridge on the North Branch of the Rusagonis Stream. In the photo, he is fishing with a home-made pole. That bridge was gone by 1978 when I first moved to New Brunswick.

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I have always loved covered bridges and I am pleased to announce that my new poetry book “in the shelter of the covered bridge” will be out later in 2017, published by Chapel Street Editions, Woodstock. The book is a compilation of my poetry about plants and animals living in the vicinity of some of the covered bridges in New Brunswick. The work was funded by artsnb and includes some of the poems that won the Alfred G Bailey Prize in the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick Writing Competition in 2016.

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“in the shelter of the covered bridge” will include poems about many of the covered bridges in the St. John River valley and is illustrated with my own pencil drawings. I’ll let you know as soon as it is available!

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Copyright Jane Tims 2017

blue jay on a fall day

Our cabin is a great place for relaxing. Sometimes we have work to do, but sometimes we just sit back, read, watch birds or talk.

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Often the birds come to us. I have had a hummingbird hover in the open door, just to check out what is inside that peculiar box on the hillside. We often see waxwings in our big pine trees or catch a glimpse of a goldfinch sashaying by.

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This past week, a blue jay came to call. It perched on our grape arbour for a while and then examined our ATV trailer thoroughly. I don’t think he had a clue he was being watched and photographed.

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dark choke-cherries, scarlet keys of ash

hang, counterweight to summer

blue jays strip the branches, berry by berry

v-beaks and hollow throats

                         (from my up-coming book “in the shelter of the covered bridge”)

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Copyright Jane Tims 2017

get your free copy of Meniscus: Crossing The Churn

The first book in my science fiction series is available free in Kindle format from now until October 8th.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542342635

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What lives in the grell burrows?

Why does the Slain carry an ivory button with him?

Who gave Odymn her purple running shoes?

What plants are good to eat in the Meniscus woods?

How do Odymn and the Slain get water in the Darn’el desert?

How did Odymn get her name?

Does the Slain speak English?

What is the Slain’s occupation?

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Just a few questions you’ll be able to answer if you read Meniscus: Crossing The Churn.

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free book … Meniscus Science Fiction Series

Do you like to read? Would you like to start a new series, one with adventure and a good love story? The Meniscus Series follows the adventures of two Humans trying to build a life together on a rather nasty alien planet. The first book in the Meniscus Series, “Meniscus: Crossing The Churn” will be free on Amazon Kindle today until October 8, 2017. A good chance to give it a try.  To order, just click here.

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2017 has been a productive year for me. I completed three of the Science Fiction Series “Meniscus”. By the end of the year, I will add a forth book to the Series … “Meniscus: One Point Five”. This is a short book, intended to tell the story of the six months between the first and second books. The writing is almost done and I am about to begin the illustrations. In January, I will be publishing number four in the Series … “Meniscus: The Village at Themble Hill”.

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I am biased, of course, but I think the books tell a great story. On Meniscus, Humans have lost all the progress they have made and are slaves to the ruling Dock-winders. My books tell the tale of one Human’s search for freedom and relationship.  Against all odds, Odymn finds a partner and builds a new life in the dangerous Meniscus landscape. The books are full of romance and adventure, and the Meniscus world is packed with interesting plants and animals. Some are good to eat; some want to eat you!

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If you haven’t read “Meniscus: Crossing The Churn”, try it out. It tells the story of how Odymn meets the Slain. He is a trader and his motives are not at all consistent with his kindness. But Odymn is beautiful and capable. In the end, love is sure to win out over the Slain’s desire to keep his good reputation as a trader.

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To help introduce you to the story of Odymn and the Slain (eight books are planned for the Series), I am running a Free Book Promotion on Amazon Kindle from October 4, 2017 to October 8, 2017. You can get a Kindle version of “Meniscus: Crossing The Churn” for free. Discover what Odymn finds hidden away in the Slain’s backpack!

To order “Meniscus: Crossing The Churn”, just click here!

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red, red, red

October and autumn are upon us. I took a walk around our yard this morning and although my camera was not behaving (I bear no responsibility), I can show you some of the ‘reds’ I saw.

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the red of maple leaves turning colour (I always think they look like stained glass) …

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the red of the berries on our rose bush …

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the red of the berries of lily-of-the-valley …

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the red of the tiny apples in our flowering crab …

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the red of the Virginia Creeper leaves …

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Copyright  Jane Tims 2017

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adventure at 3:30 am and 5 degrees C

Occasionally we have an adventure, outside our usual experience. This morning was one of those times.

Call us crazy, but my husband and I joined a much younger group this morning and spent four and a half hours waiting in the cold wind and dark. Our purpose, to get a Super Nintendo Classic Mini for our son for his birthday.

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In the electronic gaming world new products are so popular, they are sold primarily in pre-release. Stores also get a few extra products … to get one of these, gamers stand in line, sometimes all night.

We have had some previous experience. Back during the Cabbage Patch Kid craze, I stood in a pre-opening line-up to get Lola Rhonda, our Cabbage Patch doll. And about ten years ago my husband went at 4 in the morning to get a popular toy at Walmart.

For today’s adventure, we arrived, not knowing what to expect, at 3:30 in the morning. It was dark and windy and cold (5 degrees C). At first, it seemed no one was there ahead of us, but then we found the line … seven brave souls, some fast asleep in their sleeping bags, down the side of the building.

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To the right of the dark building, down a side alley, are my husband and about 20 other brave souls!

We joined the line. We were warmly dressed and had a folding chair to sit on. We took turns (leave your space in the line and lose it). It was shivering cold and perhaps pneumonia will be the outcome, but gradually I found ways to keep warmer. One was to clutch my pillow (brought in case I wanted to sleep) to my core, another was to remember that your head is responsible for most heat loss (I discovered a hood in my jacket) and best of all, a cup of hot tea from a nearby Tim Hortons and a pack of jumbo raisins from home.

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Me, huddled under my newly discovered hood, trying to keep warm!

We had lots to do as we waited … the high school my husband attended was just across the way and there was a clear sky with great views of Orion and the planet Venus. At about seven, there was a wonderful, warming sunrise.

The mood in the line was good and it was fun to listen to the passionate discussion of Nintendo, games won and lost, adventures undertaken.

A cheer went up when the store folk came out to say there were products available for everyone in line (there was some doubt)! This was followed by another buzz of excitement when the store passed out tickets to each person in the line.

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The green ticket, first reward for our wait …

Then the line closed up and my husband went into the store to buy the game system.

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A happy group, in the line-up to get their game systems, after four or more hours waiting in the cold and dark … my husband is inside, paying for our new Super Nintendo Classic Mini …

The reward for our wait? Besides the game system and a gift for my son’s upcoming birthday, we had a great McDonald’s breakfast and the warmth of our home to return to. Also, an unusual adventure. It’s interesting how you go from ‘no knowledge’ to ‘expert’. I can now write the Survivors Guide to Standing in Line!

Copyright 2017 Jane Tims

cornfields and Canada Geese

I have been away for a while. Off to a driving vacation in Ontario, Canada. We saw the last of summer in the cornfields of Southern Ontario.

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Canada Geese were everywhere. They are considered a nuisance by farmers and almost everyone else. But we enjoyed spotting the flocks in the fields and the ‘V’s in the sky. And once, we waited as a group of geese crossed the road in front of us.

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I will have more about our trip in the next few days, as I check out my photos and process the memories!

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Copyright 2017 Jane Tims 

another virtual bike ride … Ireland

Those of you who follow my blog may remember my virtual bike trips across France, along the Cornwall coast and in northern New Brunswick. I have decided to go virtual travelling again … along the southern coast of Ireland. According to my DNA, some of my ancestors were Irish so this will take me to my roots!

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My virtual trip will be incentive to exercise on my stationary bike. While I am on the bike, I click along my ‘path’ using Street View of Google Earth. With the various tools in Google Earth I can plot my journey, measure the ‘distance’ I have travelled, and take some photos along the way.  I began my journey on September 4, 2017 and you can follow along if you like, by following my other website http://www.alexandra128.wordpress.com

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Hi. I would love you to have a look at my wellness blog http://www.alexandra128.wordpress.com

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Best wishes

Alexandra (a.k.a. Jane)

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The beginning of my trip, near Donegall West, Cork County, Ireland

 

 

 

low, low water

This year, in New Brunswick, we are happy to see the rain at last. The dry weather means forest fires are a concern and groundwater levels are very low. We hope for regular, soaking rains in the fall, to help recharge our groundwater.

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low water of the Rusagonis Stream, viewed through the ‘windows’ of our covered bridge

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Many streams and rivers in New Brunswick are at their lowest flows. We were in a similar situation this time last year. Low water means wading only, no canoeing in the Rusagonis Stream. Some of the stones in the photo above have never been seen above water before. Low water is of concern for fish since the shallow water means water temperatures get too high for them.

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the brown crescents in the river are sand bars, only revealed at low water

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Even the Saint John River is so low we are seeing sand bars where deep water usually flows.

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We had a good soaking of rain at the beginning of the week, and there is more rain in the forecast, so I will end this post feeling optimistic, and by showing you a photo of my husband as a little boy, fishing below the covered bridge (now gone) on the South Branch Rusagonis Stream!

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Copyright 2017 Jane Tims