Robbie Cheadle's Blog, page 51

Miriam & Robbie Visit the Bar – SoCS

Dan Antion from the superb blog, No Facilities, hosted Miriam Hurdle and I at his local virtual bar to discuss poetry and the new WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships anthology. If you haven’t visited Dan’s blog before, you are missing out. He has a terrific blog and shares all sorts of interesting conversations and photographs as well as hosting the Thursday Doors weekly challenge.

No Facilities

Today is a poetry dayI should open with a poemBut I got zipStill, bonus points are on the lineStream of Consciousness SaturdayNothin' zeroRobbie and Miriam have poemsNot here - in the anthologyMe? Nada - zilch!

Because today’s post required more planning than Linda allows, I was going to skip the SoCS part. But then she offered bonus points.

“Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is ‘zip, zero, zilch.’ Use one, use ’em all, bonus points if you use all three. Have fun!”

If you follow my blog, you know I like poetry and I appreciate the work of poets. I have always had an interest in poetry, but only through the friends I’ve made blogging have I gotten to know poets. I have said it numerous times, but poets are the true artists in the writing world. The make…

View original post 2,456 more words

Robbie’s Inspiration – Recipes from around the world, seafood chowder (a la Robbie)

Hello everyone, last week there was no recipes from around the world post as we were away on a mini-break. The Ukutula Conservation Centre had a large number of statues of African wildlife. I’ll share some pictures at the end of this post. If you’d like to see a few of the pictures and videos I took of tigers, baby leopards, and baby cheetahs, you can see them here: https://robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com/2022/04/29/roberta-writes-thursday-doors-ukutula-conservation-centre-ukutula-babyleopards-babycheetahs-lionmelody-poetry/

We ate a lot of red meat while we were away as the venue offered a set menu and, unless you said you didn’t eat it, that is what was served. The food was very good, but more red meat than I would ordinarily eat.

As a result, I needed a break from meat this weekend and decided to make this tasty seafood chowder. It turned out really well with the improvisations I made to the recipe.

Ingredients

250 gram packet of back bacon

1 onion, chopped finely

10 ml black pepper

7 cups chicken stock

900 ml milk

500 grams white fish (I used hake)

450 grams haddock

500 grams large, shelled prawns

3 tablespoons plain cake flour

2 x 700 gram bags baby potatoes (halved)

60 ml double thick yoghurt

Method

In a small amount of vegetable oil, fry the onion and the chopped bacon for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock, flour, black pepper and, finally, the potatoes. Bring to the boil and then simmer for approximately 15 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.

While the potatoes are cooking, heat the milk in a large pan. When the milk starts to boil, add the haddock and hake. Turn down and simmer for 6 minutes. Remove the fish from the milk. Pour the milk into the chicken stock mixture. Flake the fish. In a frying pan, cook the prawns for about 5 minutes until they are pink. Add the fish and the prawns to the pot, followed by 60 ml of double thick yoghurt.

Stir until combined and serve with crusty bread.

Day 7 of the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships blog tour – Introducing poet, Colleen Chesebro

Today, I am delighted to host Colleen Chesebro for Day 7 of the WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships anthology blog tour. Colleen is an accomplished poet and a leader in the blogosphere of poetry and new poetry forms. I am grateful to Colleen for everything she has taught me over the past few years.

Thoughts on relationships by Colleen Chesebro

Writing poetry about the theme of relationships for the second Poetry Treasures anthology took me on a thorough analysis into my past. It took me years to figure out I was an introvert.

Extroversion and introversion are at the opposite ends of the spectrum. How you receive and give out energy determines where you fall on this spectrum. But people can fall anywhere on the spectrum.

The other huge myth? Introverts are shy and extroverts are outgoing. Not so. In my younger years, I was an extroverted introvert, often slipping into the role of the life of the party. Now, I’ve grown into my introversion. It shows in my poetry in ways I never expected.

Being an introvert helped me connect with my feelings, which drew me to writing senryu. Senryu are a Japanese poetry form that is written about love, and the human condition. Most senryu contain a bit of irony. These poems deal with anything that touches on the pain we experience from simple everyday living. We often leave emotions open and raw. But we don’t deal with sentimentality in these poems.

I wish you could see

in me, what I saw in you—

our friendship destroyed

© Colleen M. Chesebro

Relationships can be difficult. The senryu above, I wrote about a friend I lost many years ago. People often come and go in our lives, some leaving deep wounds and scars. This is the beauty of senryu poetry. I learned some valuable lessons in that relationship. And I also learned forgiveness.

Thanks for stopping by.

About Colleen Chesebro

Colleen M. Chesebro is a Michigan Poet who loves crafting syllabic poetry, flash fiction, and creative fiction and nonfiction. Colleen sponsors a weekly syllabic poetry challenge, called Tanka Tuesday, on wordcraftpoetry.com where participants learn how to write traditional and current forms of syllabic poetry. A published author, Colleen is also an editor of “Word Weaving, a Word Craft Journal of Syllabic Verse, also found on wordcraftpoetry.com.” Her poetry has appeared in several online publications. Colleen’s mission is to bring the craft of writing syllabic poetry to anyone who thinks they can’t be a poet.

You can find Colleen’s books on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Colleen-M-Chesebro/e/B01N9MV2RX

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ColleenChesebro

Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships

Relationships are golden and each of the poems of Arthur Rosch, Elizabeth Merry, D.Avery, Robbie Cheadle, Harmony Kent, Lauren Scott, JulesPaige, Leon Stevens, Collen M. Chesebro, Miriam Hurdle, M.J. Mallon, and Lynda McKinney Lambert pay poetic tribute to their most intense personal moments.

https://books2read.com/u/3kP8aK

Giveaway

To be entered in the drawing, you must leave a comment at all eight tour stops. Follow the tour and leave a comment at each stop to be entered in a random drawing for chance to win a free digital copy of Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships.

Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships – April 25 – May 2

Monday (25)  – Opening Day Post – Writing to be Read/Lauren’s post

Tuesday (26)  – ShiftnShake – Robbie’s post (Deanne host)

Wednesday (27)  – The Showers of Blessings – Lynda’s post

Thursday (28)  – Baydreamer – Miriam’s post

Friday (29)  – Zigler’s News – Review/Marje’s post

Saturday (30) – This Is My Truth Now – Spotlight on the publisher/Kaye

Sunday (5/1) – Robbie’s Inspiration – Colleen’s post

Monday (5/2) – Writing to be Read/Closing post – Leon’s Post

Ask the Authors 2022 is here!

Ask the Authors 2022 is now available and includes industry wisdom from Mark Leslie Lefebvre, Kevin Killiany, L. Jagi Lamplighter, Bobby Nash, Paul Kane, Nancy Oswald, Chris Barili, Jeff Bowles, Mario Acevedo, Kaye Lynne Booth and myself. It was an interesting experience for me to participate in a non-fiction book of this nature that offers writing advice. It made me think hard about my writing journey. It was also useful and interesting to read about the writing journeys of other authors.

Writing to be Read

Ask the Authors 2022

That’s right. The writing reference you’ve all been waiting for has arrived. Ten talented authors and industry experts have gathered together with me to share their writing tips and advice in essay and Q&A, creating a writing reference anthology like no other.

Where can you find publishing industry experts willing to share their secrets?

Ask the Authors 2022 is the ultimate writer’s reference, with tips and advice on craft, publishing and marketing. Eleven experienced and successful authors share what works for them and offer their keys to success in traditional publishing, hybrid, and indie. You’ll learn industry wisdom from Mark Leslie Lefebvre, Kevin Killiany, L. Jagi Lamplighter, Bobby Nash, Paul Kane, Nancy Oswald, Chris Barili, Jeff Bowles, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, Mario Acevedo and Kaye Lynne Booth.

This book offers up-to-date and tried-and-true ways to improve your craft, explores current publishing and book marketing worlds. Take a…

View original post 136 more words

Robbie Cheadle reads! Poetry Treasures 2; Relationships

I am over at D Avery’s lovely blog with a post about why I like poetry anthologies and reading of three poems from WordCrafter Poetry Treasures 2:Relationships anthology. D Avery is a contributor to the anthology and I’ve read one of her poems, A Jar, as well as The Red Petticoat by Elizabeth Merry and She lives yet she is dead by myself.

ShiftnShake

Why I enjoy poetry anthologies

By Robbie Cheadle

I have always enjoyed reading poetry. My love started with nursery rhymes which I read repeatedly when I was a child. I had some personal favourites including The Owl and the Pussy-Cat, There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, and Who Killed Cock Robin. My enjoyment of nursery rhymes developed rather naturally into a delight in poetry.

When I was at school, we were made to learn certain poems off by heart. This was required for both English, my first language, and Afrikaans, my secondary language.

Astonishingly, some of the poems I learned impacted me so much, I can still recite them. Do you recognise these lines?

“When you hear it languishing

and hooing and cooing, and sidling through the front teeth,

the Oxford voice

or worse still

the would-be Oxford voice

you don’t even laugh any more, you can’t.”

View original post 581 more words

Robbie’s Inspiration – I’m going on an adventure

I’ll see you all next Tuesday. Have a wonderful weekend.

Treasuring Poetry: Meet poet and author, Chris, Hall and a review of Following the Green Rabbit

Today, I am delighted to host poet and author, Chris Hall, as my Treasuring Poetry guest. Do go over and read about her favourite poems and my review of her fabulous fantasy book, Following the Green Rabbit. Thank you for hosting, Kaye Lynne Booth.

Writing to be Read

Today, I am delighted to host poet and author, Chris Hall. Like me, Chris is UK born and South Africa is her adopted country. We both love the bushveld and many of Chris’ poems and books reflect this love.

Which of your own poems is your favourite?

Call of the Maiden is a poem I wrote in response to a call for submissions to a poetry anthology by the wonderful poet and all-round creative, Tara Caribou. I was delighted when this, and another four of my poems, were accepted to be published alongside a whole host of amazing poets and artists in Creation and the Cosmos, edited and published in 2021 by Tara’s micro-publishing company, Raw Earth Ink.

Call of the Maiden

The breeze-caressed veld sways

sending dry waves to break on a distant shore

whirlwind dust-devils dance over bare earth

rising up to be scorched into stillness.

View original post 1,954 more words

Robbie’s Inspiration – Recipes from around the world: Oxtail casserole with red wine

My husband is an oxtail stew fan and he has passed his enjoyment of this meal on to our sons. They all asked me to make oxtail casserole in red wine sauce for our Easter celebration. Luckily, my mom and dad like this dish too. It was quite a hit with my sister and her family and her 3 year old asked for a second helping.

Ingredients

Olive oil

2.6 kg oxtail

2 onions, chopped

1 Tbspn garlic flakes

4 carrots peeled and chopped

2 Tbspn tomato paste

5 ml thyme

4 bay leaves

zest of 1/2 medium lemon

2 tsp sticky brown sugar

1 1/2 cups red wine

400 gram tin chopped tomato

6 1/2 cups beef stock

1/2 cup plain flour

Salt and pepper

8 mielies, quartered

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease a large casserole dish.

Mix flour, salt and pepper in a bowl and then coat the oxtail with the mixture. Heat 2 Tbspn olive oil in a large pot and brown the oxtail, transferring it from the pot to the casserole dish when done. Add two Tbspn boiling water to the pot to lift the excess flour. Add more oil and fry the onions for 5 minutes. Add the carrots and fry for another 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, garlic, lemon zest, and thyme. Add the red wine and allow to reduce for 5 minutes.

Add the tinned tomato, beef stock, bay leaves, and sugar. Bring to the boil. Carefully pour the liquid into the casserole dish. Add the chopped mielies.

Place in the oven and cook for three hours. Remove from oven and add 2 cups of beef stock, return to the oven. After another hour, reduce the temperature to 150 degrees Celsius and cook for another 2 hours.

I served this dish with rice and potato and eggplant bake.

Growing Bookworms – Sir Chocolate Saves Easter #SirChocolateStory #Childrensfiction

I am over at Writing to be Read for this month’s Growing Bookworks post with a Sir Chocolate Easter story and some ideas for painting candy coated chocolate Easter eggs. Thanks for hosting, Kaye Lynne Booth.

Writing to be Read

Easter is around the corner and it is a time for spending time with family. If you are Christian, it is also an important religious holiday. I thought it would be nice to share a Sir Chocolate story with you today. It’s called Sir Chocolate Saves Easter and you can download it as a PDF here: https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/free-story-sir-chocolate-saves-easter/

Fun Easter activity

Painting Easter eggs with food colouring is great fun. I used the white candy coated ‘hens’ eggs for this activity and liquid food colouring. Be careful to use aprons as the food colouring stains. Here are the Easter eggs some of the children in my Sunday School painted a few years ago.

About Robbie Cheadle

Robbie Cheadle is a South African children’s author and poet with 9 children’s books and 2 poetry books.

The 7 Sir Chocolate children’s picture books, co-authored by Robbie and Michael Cheadle, are written in sweet…

View original post 191 more words

Robbie’s Inspiration – Recipes from around the world: Supa Topcheta (Bulgarian Meatball soup)

Last week I was reading one of Carol Taylor‘s excellent World Cuisines posts about Bulgaria. In this fascinating post, Carol mentioned a Bulgarina Meatball soup called Supa Topcheta. Her comments interested me sufficiently to look up the recipe and I decided to have a go at making it with a few Robbifications. This was the outcome:

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

1 kilogram minced beef mince;

2 eggs;

15 ml (1 Tbspn) garlic flakes;

30 ml (2 Tbspn) sweet paprika;

1 large onion diced into small pieces;

5 ml ground white pepper;

5 ml salt;

1/2 cup of cake flour

For the soup (mine was a stew):

4 stalks celery chopped;

4 large carrots chopped;

700 grams baby potatoes (cut in half);

8 cups beef stock;

1 cup (250 ml) Greek yogurt;

45 ml (3 Tbspn cornflour);

15 ml (1 Tbspn) parsley

10 ml salt

Method:

To make the meatballs:

Place the minced meat in a bowl. Add the chopped onion, sweet paprika, garlic flakes, salt and pepper and mix. Add the two eggs and mix until completely blended. Sprinkle the flour on a plate. Roll the meat mixture into 2 cm round balls and roll in the flour. Set aside.

Heat 2 Tbspn olive oil in a frying pan and fry the meatballs until the are approximately half cooked.

Make the stew:

Heat 2 Tbspn olive oil in a heavy based pot on the stovetop. Sauté the onions for 5 minutes.

Add the celery, carrots and parsely and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the beef stock and then the potatoes and black pepper. Bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer and leave for 25 to 30 minutes.

Add the half cooked meatballs and bring back to the boil. Place the cornflour in a mug and add 100 ml broth from the stew. Mix well. Pour the mixture into the stew and incorporate. Simmer for a further 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add the cup of yogurt and stir through. Serve.