Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 16

Lilie The #Westie On Sleepovers And Grooming Sessions

Hi everyone.  This is Lilie the Westie.

Last weekend, Nana went to see some humans we don't know, and her dog, Izabel, couldn't go with her.  Mummy says it's because the dog who lives where Nana was visiting doesn't like other dogs.  So Izabel came to stay with us, and we had a doggy sleepover Saturday night.

It was fantastic fun! Me and Izabel played and played, and then took short power naps - just long enough to give us the energy to play some more.  It was awesome! I was sad to see her go.  Although, I did have to nap most of Monday to recover.  But, let me tell you, it was so totally worth it!

Logan disagrees.  He was very upset to find himself dealing with two very energetic dogs all weekend - even with them being as cute as we are.  He loves us both, but for some reason kept getting upset.  Mummy says he probably wouldn't have minded quite so much if we hadn't insisted on keep running him over and jumping on him when we were playing.  Hey, it wasn't our fault he kept trying to nap where we were trying to play, was it? Anyway, unlike me, Logan was glad when Izi went home.  He says dealing with the two of us for that long is just too much.  Mummy says she understands, but I personally don't see what his problem is.  Plus,if you ask me, a bit more running around would do him some good.

~

On Wednesday me and Logan were meant to go to the groomer.

 

Well, technically we did go to the groomer.  Mummy and Nana took us in Nana's car.  But Logan didn't end up staying there.  Something about how where it took us so long to get an appointment he's got more knots in his fur than the groomer expected, and she hadn't allowed enough time to deal with him.  So Mummy took him home and said she'd make other arrangements.  You'll have to ask her about that if you want to know details though.  Either way, it meant Logan got to come for a ride in Nana's car, but still hasn't been groomed, even though he needs to be groomed.

I, however, did stay with the groomer, and got a full pampering session.  I was a bit anxious about having been left there when Logan wasn't, but I mostly loved it.  And look how beautiful I looked afterwards:

Aren't I just so super cute?

Logan was really happy when I came home.  He missed me loads while I was out getting groomed.  Clearly, even if he thinks a weekend with both me and Izi is a bit much, my little brother loves me.  But then, who doesn't? Everyone loves me... I'm adorable! Don't you agree?

Lots of licks,

Lilie

More #EBook Formats Available For "Tedi And The Soothing Snow" -A #Children'sBook About #Death, #Depression, And #Grief

 

Cover art composite by UPB

Set vector clip art illustrations of bored teddy bears(c)vectorpocket/Depositphoto

After losing his best friend, Arth, Tedi is so sad it feels like his heart is torn up inside of him. Now Tedi just sits by the window and cries, no longer caring about anything but how much he misses his friend, and seeing nothing of the beauty outside.

Mama Bear insists it will get easier in time, but Tedi’s not so sure; Tedi’s sure he’ll never be happy again. And, as Summer turns to Autumn, and then Autumn turns to Winter, it’s starting to look like Tedi might be right.

But is Tedi really right, or is it Mama Bear who’s right after all?

Unless you missed seeing last week's post about the release of this book, you will already know you can grab your copy of "Tedi And The Soothing Snow" via Smashwords in a variety of formats.

 

But, as I said in that post, I know not everyone who buys eBooks gets them via Smashwords.  So, with that in mind, you may be interested to learn that you can now also buy "Tedi And The Soothing Snow" in eBook format from other places.  Places like Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple iBooks, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada, Amazon US, and other Amazon sites.

However, as I also mentioned in that post, I do know not everyone reads eBooks.  So, if that applies to you, don't worry: I haven't forgotten about you.  "Tedi And The Soothing Snow" will be made available in paperback and audio for the benifit of those who prefer a physical or audio book - just as soon as those formats can be arranged.

Regardless of your prefered format though, if you're on Goodreads and would like to add the book to your shelves, you can find the book's Goodreads page here.

 

No matter the format, if you buy and read the book, please consider leaving a review, whether on Goodreads, your blog, or the retailer you purchased the book from.  And don't forget to tell anyone you think might be interested in the book all about it.  Remember: reviews and word of mouth help authors sell books.  And I appreciate all reviews - whether short, long, or somewhere in between.

A #NewBook + #CanadianThanksgiving + A #Chinchilla Birthday + #BadMoonRising + Some Random Ramblings

As you might have seen in Monday's post, I published a new story.  It's called "Tedi And The Soothing Snow" and is all about a little bear's struggles to come to terms with the loss of his best friend.  I'm hopeful I'll be announcing the availability of the book on more than just Smashwords soon - I'm just waiting for that to happen.  Once the eBook version is available elsewhere, I'll start the process of publishing the paperback, and then start looking for someone to do the audio version.

*~*

This past Monday (October 11th) was Canadian Thanksgiving.

 

We didn't really do anything for it other than acknowledging it on social media and having a Thanksgiving-ish themed dinner, which in my case was garlic mashed potatoes, sweetcorn, green beans, carrots, onion gravy, and cranberry sauce.  But at least we didn't completely ignore it.  Besides, since Kelly and I are actually the only ones in the immediate family to acknowledge Canadian Thanksgiving (or try to, with varying levels of success from year to year) which we only do because Kelly's Canadian, there wasn't a whole lot more we could have done for it anyhow.

*~*

Tuesday (October 12th) was Mollie the chinchilla's birthday.  She's now six years old.

 

I gave her some oatmeal with berries in it for breakfast, which she seemed to decide was a great way to celebrate her birthday.  Really there isn't much more to be done to celebrate the birthday of a chinchilla.  Especially one who - despite opening up a lot since we moved to this house almost a year ago - will only tolerate human company and interaction for a short time, and then only when she's in the mood for it.

*~*

October is Teri Polen's "Bad Moon Rising" event - like it is every year.

 

I've joined in the fun with my book "Vinnie The Vegetarian Zombie" again.  My interview post went up yesterday (October 14th) and - if you missed seeing it, but would like to read it - ccan be found here.

 

*~*

My Mam got me a waffle maker as an early Christmas present.  Yes, I asked for it.

 

I wanted to be able to make waffles.  Plus, it's not only a waffle maker.  It has removable plates, and the spare plates that come with it transform it in to a doughnut maker, toasted sandwich maker, or small grill.

 

I told Mam she could keep it aside until Christmas, even though I knew about it, but she told me to go ahead and have it now.  So I did.

I've tried out all the different plates at least once, making veganized versions of waffles with maple syrup, doughnuts with chocolate on top, and cheese and bean toasties, all of which are pictured below:

I also grilled tofu, made vegan cheese and tomato toasties a couple of times, and made waffles again; this time with coconut creme fresh, banana, and agave syrup.  But I didn't get photos of those, even though I got better at judging cooking time, so my later attempts have been better than the first ones.

*~*

As you might have figured out from the doughnuts, toasted sandwiches, and waffles, the dental issue I was dealing with is no longer bothering me.  The abscess is gone, and there's no longer any pain.

The viral and chest infections seem to have cleared up too - I think - so I now appear to be back to just my usual level of tiredness, and the health issues I just have to put up with on a daily basis. 

~

Oh, and I forgot to tell you that I learned when I was dealing with blood tests recently that they neglected to tell me something strange back in April, which I should have been told, and which remains the case in my blood now... I'm missing the antibodies to Covid my body should have created with my having the Vaccination back at the end of March.  I literally have none, which shouldn't be the case, even if we look at the time between now and then, and definitely shouldn't have been the case only a month after I had the shot.  But there it is.

 

The whole point of the Covid jab is to help your body form antibodies to fight Covid if you're later exposed to it.  My body, however, didn't form any.  In short, I've gone through all this with issues from having nasty reactions from the jab, and it's for nothing.  I've got no protection against Covid, and the health issues aggrivated by my having had the jab appear to be remaining aggrivated.

All I can say is: I guess it's a good thing I don't see many people or go out much anyhow, and that my low resistance to infection, and inability to have the second jab, meant I'd been continuing to be cautious, and interacted physically with as few people as possible.

 

~

 

Anyway, last week, while I was still recovering, I got a call from the receptionist at the doctor's surgery to ask if I'd like my flu jab this year, and if so  could she make me an appointment to go to the surgery for it.  I get asked every year, even though I know for a fact my history of bad reactions to the jab that made me stop having it is mentioned in my notes a couple of times.  I can only assume they're just giving me the oppertunity to decide to risk it if I want to.  Either that, or they just automatically call everyone without bothering to read their medical notes, which is a strong possibility to be honest.

I said, "No.  I don't need a bad reaction to a jab right now, thanks.  I'm suffering enough from the last one."

She just calmly said, "OK.  I'll put that in your notes."  There was the sound of typing for a few seconds, and then she said, "Goodbye," and hung up.

Now I'm wondering if she just wrote that I refused it, or actually put exactly what I said in my notes.  LOL!

 

*~*

Dad's started coming over to spend Tuesday evenings at our place, to do something together and have dinner here.  He'll be bringing my brother, Wayne, with him some weeks, but this week it was just Dad.

 

While Dad was here, we got the supplies I'm storing for his craft projects properly organized.  You probably saw them with my various projects waiting to be completed when I showed you the finished craft room and the stuff in the bedroom; he asked me to keep them here with mine.  But, though I had the stuff all nicely put together, I wanted him to properly organize them himself, since he had some things kept together for certain projects he wanted to work on, and I didn't want to mix things up.  Anyway, they're sorted now, and the couple of items among them he didn't need - or that weren't meant to be with them, but got mixed in with his stuff - are put in their proper places in the craft room now.

 

Then, after dinner, we watched the first two episodes of "A Discovery Of Witches" on DVD.  Dad loves the show so much he was eager to see it again, even though this is his fifth time watching it, but I've never seen it before.  Though I'm enjoying it a lot, I'm not sure I completely share Dad's enthusiasm; I don't exactly love it quite as much as Dad does, but I can see why he loves it so much, and am definitely enjoying it.  I'd give it a five out of five stars so far, but it's because I round up, since it's somewhere between a four and five star for me.  I know Dad wouldn't hesitate to give it the full five stars though.

*~*

I finished the blanket I was working on knitting that my Nan had started.  Not sure if you remember me mentioning that there was a half-knitted blanket among the craft projects I inherited from Nan (Dad's Mother) along with her craft supplies? Well, anyway it's that blanket.  I've been trying to finish it for several weeks, and finally did on Sunday.  So, here's a photo of it now that it's finished:

Nan had knitted all of the green part, and some of the yellow.  I finished the yellow, and also added the blue stripe.  I don't know if Nan intended adding another colour after the yellow, but I decided to do so.

*~*

Tomorrow is my brother's birthday.  Carl almost never reads my blog, but just in case... Happy birthday, Carl!

#KidLit #NewRelease "Tedi And The Soothing Snow" - A Book About #Death, #Depression, And #Grief

Cover art composite by UPB

Set vector clip art illustrations of bored teddy bears(c)vectorpocket/Depositphoto

After losing his best friend, Arth, Tedi is so sad it feels like his heart is torn up inside of him. Now Tedi just sits by the window and cries, no longer caring about anything but how much he misses his friend, and seeing nothing of the beauty outside.

Mama Bear insists it will get easier in time, but Tedi’s not so sure; Tedi’s sure he’ll never be happy again. And, as Summer turns to Autumn, and then Autumn turns to Winter, it’s starting to look like Tedi might be right.

But is Tedi really right, or is it Mama Bear who’s right after all?

The above is the book blurb for my latest release, "Tedi And The Soothing Snow" - published late last night.

You can already grab your copy of "Tedi And The Soothing Snow" via Smashwords in all formats they offer, which means there's a format that works for you, regardless of your prefered method of reading eBooks.  In fact, if you can read this post, you can read the book.

However, I know not everyone reads eBooks, or likes to buy from Smashwords.  So, if that applies to you, you'll be interested to know the book will soon become available via other retailers such as Apple iBooks and Barnes & Noble.  Plus,  a Kindle version will be coming soon for those who prefer to get their eBooks exclusively via Amazon.  And paperback and audio versions will also become available as soon as they can be arranged, for those who prefer either a physical book or an audiobook.  So, if you'd like to grab a copy, but Smashwords isn't your retailer of choice, or eBooks aren't your format of choice, just watch this blog for news of the book becoming available elsewhere and in other formats.

Regardless of your prefered format though, if you're on Goodreads and would like to add the book to your shelves, you can find the book's Goodreads page here.

 

No matter the format, if you buy and read the book, please consider leaving a review, whether on Goodreads, your blog, or the retailer you purchased the book from.  And don't forget to tell anyone you think might be interested in the book all about it.  Remember: reviews and word of mouth help authors sell books.  And I appreciate all reviews - whether short, long, or somewhere in between.

Visiting Dan Yr Ogof National Showcaves In Wales

Though - as some of you might already know - my birthday’s not until mid November, at the end of August my Mam booked me a birthday outing that would be happening in early October.  The reason for the early outing being that where she was taking me wasn’t going to be open by the time my birthday rolled around.  And it’s somewhere not too far from where I'm now back to living, where I’ve wanted to go for years: Dan Yr Ogof National Showcaves and Dinosaur Park.

 

The advisability of my still going with being unwell was questionable, but I didn’t have anything that would put others at risk, so the two of us were determined to still go, despite my not being well, and the fact it was absolutely pouring with rain on October 2nd.

 

We’ll ignore the fact that because of my fever I spent half the time feeling like I was so cold I wished I had another layer of clothing I could put on, and the other half feeling so hot I wished I could remove some layers.  We’ll also pretend Mam and I weren’t in so much pain from all the walking that it was pure willpower that gave us the energy to push on and see everything that wasn’t closed because of the weather (parts of the caves are closed in heavy rains for safety reasons) and that we weren't so exhausted by the time we made it to the end and walked in to the gift shop that the gift shop woman told us to take the fire exit to get from there to the cafe, since the only difference in the route from that door or the official exit to the cafe was that leaving via the fire exit gave us less distance to walk from the shop to the cafe.  Because, if we ignore those things, as Mam and I did our very best to at the time, we can focus on the fact we had a fantastic day, since – other than those things – we really did.

 

 

 So, here are some photos and videos from when we were exploring the dinosaur park:

 

 

 

Here’s an Iron Age farm that was also there:

 

 And a mammoth:

Next, here are some photos and a video from the caves themselves:

 

 

Of course, we had to get stuff from the gift shop, didn’t we? So here are photos of the crystals and rocks I got to add to my collection, as well as the cuddly triceratops and plastic t-rex:

 

 

Finally, here I am enjoying a cup of tea in the cafe:

 

 

We weren’t sure if we’d be able to eat there or not, since it depended if they had anything we’d eat (between me being vegan and Mam being one of those people who will eat a limited variety of food items, it’s sometimes difficult to find things to eat when we’re out).  But we needed the chance to sit down, and figured we’d check.  As it turned out, the cafe catered to vegans, and also had something my Mam would eat.  So I was able to have a nice cup of tea with soy milk in it, as well as some tasty veggie nuggets (vegan nuggets made from potatoes and finely chopped vegetables) with chips.  Mam had some hot chocolate and a ploughman’s sandwich (a cheese and pickle salad sandwich, basically).

 

Oh, and before anyone comments on the fact we aren't wearing masks: both of us carry mask exemption cards, and have done since soon after the pandemic began last year.  Actually, I carry two cards, since I also have one that says social distancing rules don't apply to me in situations where my being blind means I need to ignore them for whatever reason.  You may be able to see both badges hanging around my neck in some of the photos.  One of them is on a blue lanyard, and the other is on a purple one.

Organized Craft Room Clutter & Medical Mutterings

We still need to get some things - in particular the DVDs and most of the books - in their correct order on the shelves.  But other than that we're done with the unpacking and organizing; there are no longer boxes everywhere, and the house looks more like a home than a storage facility.

And... I FINALLY finished organizing the craft room!

 

Well, like with the books in the computer room, the papers and books - while on the correct shelves - need to be sorted properly.  But the actual craft supplies are organized.  The room is cluttered - though it's organized clutter - and I had to put some of the stuff in the bedroom in the end, but it's done: I now have a craft room I can actually work in, and a rough idea of where to find what I want or need for whatever craft project I might want to work on at any given time.  Including having all the partially completed projects and various craft kits in one place so I can see what I have that needs working on.

Anyway, like I promised back when I first started working on the room soon after we moved in here, I have some photos Kelly took of the craft room for me to share with you.  They aren't fantastic, because the size of the room made it tricky for him to get good angles for taking better photos, but at least you'll get to see what it looks like in there now.  I don't have photos of the other rooms at the moment, so you'll have to wait for those.  But here are the photos of the craft room:

And here are photos Lilie and Logan wanted to be involved in, where you can see the various craft kits and partially completed projects (mine, Dad's, and ones I inherited from Nan) that ended up in the bedroom, because there just wasn't space for any more shelves in the craft room.  Getting photos in the bedroom is a bit easier, but where the shelves are still makes getting great shots tricky, so again they might not be the best of photos.  Most of the stuff on the shelves are the various craft kits - some I got from my subscriptions, some I got elsewhere, and some that Nan had - and the rest of the stuff on the shelves (the stuff on the top two shelves) are craft projects of mine and Nan's in various stages of completion.  The stuff in the box and bags beside the shelves is Dad's collection of projects in various stages of completion.  Anyway, here are the photos:

*~*

 

In other news:

 

A couple of weeks ago, a tooth I’d been having some issues with broke.  It wasn’t bugging me though, so it just reminded me I needed to sort out a new dentist some time soon.  But a few days later an abscess formed above it, which was incredibly painful, and I spent that night in agony and feverish.

 

The next morning I called 111, which is the number to call here if you need emergency medical care, or medical advice, but the situation isn’t life-threatening (if it is you call 999).  My intention was just to have them help me get in for an emergency dentist appointment as soon as possible.

 

However, after my answers to a few of the general health questions they insisted I went to the hospital.  I protested that I’m never 100% healthy, and if I can get the tooth sorted I’m sure I’ll be fine – or as close to it as I get – in a few days.  But they were having none of it, and basically told me I had a choice between getting myself to the hospital and having them send me an ambulance.  Since I didn’t want to take up an ambulance slot that could be used for someone who really needed it, and my Mam was on standby to take me to the dentist appointment I was trying to get anyhow, I agreed to have her take me to A&E to get looked at.

 

When we got there and it was busy, I told her to go home and I’d let her know when I was ready to be picked up.  Good thing I did too, since she dropped me off there soon after 2:00pm on that Saturday afternoon, and – between all the people already in front of me and all the emergencies that came in and needed to be prioritized – it ended up being around 6:30am on the Sunday I finally saw a doctor.

 

~

 

To cut a long story short, after an ECG, a chest x-ray, and some blood tests (the latter of which took them eight attempts to achieve) I learned I had a nasty viral infection that had a chest infection to go along with it, as well as the dental abscess I knew about.  They also told me my haemoglobin was low, and I’d need to come back in a few days later to have it checked again, because if it didn’t show signs of rising I’d need a blood or iron transfusion – maybe even both.  In the meantime I was to take some antibiotics they gave me, and call 111 again on the Monday morning, and tell them the hospital had given me permission to go see an emergency dentist.

 

So, I called about the dentist the following morning, and managed to get an appointment to see a dentist just up the road from where I live that very afternoon.  The tooth was broken beyond repair, but he was reluctant to pull it at first because the abscess made the chances the anaesthetic would either not kick in at all or would wear off too quickly very high.  But when I told him it was making even drinking difficult because of the pain, he agreed to try.  It took everything he could give me, and the stuff did start wearing off before he was done, but the tooth came out.  And I managed not to hit him, even though it was a close thing (he said, under the circumstances, he wouldn’t have blamed me if I’d hit him, and was proud of me for managing not to, since the last bit of the tooth extraction was essentially with no pain relief at all).

 

Thankfully it proved to be worth it.  At least, I think so, since the pain level started to decrease from the following day, and by the Thursday both the level of pain and size of the abscess were noticeably less.

 

~

 

On Friday October 1st – so, almost a week after I first went to A&E – I went back to the hospital, only to discover they’d made a mistake when reading my results, and their expectation of seeing a low haemoglobin level meant when they saw one of my levels was low they naturally blamed my anaemia.  Except it actually turned out that wasn’t the culprit, as I learned on Friday.

 

Knowing my history with aneamia and the fact I'm vegan, they’d lectured me about not including enough B12 in my diet, so had me worrying I’d been neglecting things I should have been eating (especially with how important it is to watch that as a vegan) when, as it turned out, my haemoglobin level was actually 124, which is nicely in the normal range.  My platelet level, however, had dropped to 80, which is almost half the minimum it should be, but can't actually be blamed on my being a vegan.

 

They decided to check me again though.  But after spending the day at the hospital getting tests, they found nothing wrong with me but the infection and low platelet level – and the 38.2C temperature to go with them – so sent me home with more antibiotics, since I’d just about finished the ones they gave me in the first place, and my platelet level – while higher, at 104 – was still much too low.  Though they did also send off some blood for specialized tests to double-check the infection wasn’t anything special, which they said they’d contact me about if there was anything concerning in them.  There shouldn't be, but I agreed they could do the tests anyhow, since it doesn't hurt to check.

 

~

 

In short, my low platelet level – discovered before, and likely caused by the congenital issues I have with my kidneys – caused me to have an infection, which I didn’t notice I had.  So the infection got worse (especially once I had that broken tooth to deal with) which made the platelet levels drop even more, which in turn made the infection end up getting worse, especially with it still being ignored by me.

 

So, basically, if I'd just seen an emergency dentist like I wanted to - who would have given me antibiotics because of the dental abscess anyhow - I could have avoided the whole hospital adventure.

 

~

 

Oh, and just to make things even more interesting: I've been told that I should avoid taking Ibuprofen - the liquid form of which was the only pain relief I was able to take - since it's likely not helping my platelet issues.  So that's me unable to use any actual medications for pain relief now.

 

All natural pain relief suggestions welcome, since I dare say I'm going to need them at some point.

My #SeptemberSmallThings Full List

Throughout September I participated in the “September Small Things” challenge, where I shared one small/simple thing each day that had given me pleasure that day.  I found out about the challenge at the very end of August via Jo Kneale of “How ToHygge The British Way” who was doing it herself, and thought it would be an excellent thing to participate in.  By the way, you should check out Jo's blog, assuming you aren't already a follower, especially if you're interested in the concept of hygge.

 

Anyway, if you follow me on Twitter, or are friends with me on Facebook, you might have already seen some or all of my list, since I posted my small thing for each day on both Twitter and Facebook.  But I thought I’d post the full list here for the benefit of anyone who either doesn’t have those platforms, isn't following or friends with me on either of them, or missed seeing some/all of the posts.

 

So, here are the 30 small/simple things that gave me pleasure during September:

 

The reactions of Artemis and Mollie when they were presented with a bowl full of dandelions I'd picked from Dad's garden for their breakfast.Snuggling back under the covers with Kelly to watch a show on Netflix after breakfast.The "Free To Be Me" call I participate in on Fridays with Patty Fletcher.An afternoon nap.A nice soak in the bath with rose scented bubble bath (one of my favourite scents). Snuggle time with Logan.The arrival of my monthly Audible credits. A very productive writing session.The arrival of this month's craft subscription boxes from Makerly Crafts and Cosy Craft Club.Homemade blackberry crumble, which was made using fresh blackberries picked and hand delivered literally the day before by a family friend named Kelly (yes, we have a friend with the same name as my hubby) and served with Oatley oat custard.The feeling of accomplishment on finishing a project. An afternoon relaxing and reading.A roleplaying session with family and friends.Watching a favourite TV show.Having 10 minutes to relax, completely without interruption, in an otherwise hectic day.The arrival of my scented candle subscription box from Sara-Jane Candles.Singing along to some favourite tunes.The arrival of my Bird & Blend Co. and The Vegan Kind subscription boxes.
The soft tinkling sound of wind chimes.  A crafternoon session with Rachel Kember and some of the members of Cosy Craft Club community.The sound of birds singing their dawn chorus.The slight chill to the air that tells you it’s Autumn, bringing to mind all things pumpkin-related.Lilie's happy wiggle dance, which she enthusiastically greets us with, whether we've been gone for seconds or days.Quality time with the petkids, whether playing ball with Lilie and Logan, petting Mollie, or having some quiet time with Artemis.The kindness of strangers.Caring friends.The comfort of knowing someone is there when you need them.The soothing sound of rain.A warm blanket to snuggle in on a cold day.A delicious home-cooked hot dinner to warm you up from the inside on a chilly Autumn evening.

Celebrating #Mabon And #HobbitDay

Mabon - more commonly refered to as the Autumn Equinox - was last week.  In fact, the exact date and time of the astronomical event known as the Autumn Equinox took place at 8:21pm UK time on September 22nd 2021.  But for simplicity's sake I always celebrate the Equinox on September 22nd anyhow, even though it can fall any day between September 20th and September 23rd (in rare years even as early as September 19th).  I'm going to go ahead and assume I don't need to explain what this particular holiday is, since most people know of the existance of the Equinox and its link to harvest time, and - depending on your beliefs - the start or middle of Autumn.

Anyway, as usual my celebrations were pretty quiet, with a private meditation-based ritual and a themed meal being the main things I did to celebrate.  I'm nowhere near as good as I used to be at meditating regularly, and don't do it daily any more (despite frequent attempts to restart that habit) but I make more effort for special dates.  Even then there have been times I've failed to do it, but I do mostly at least do a meditation ritual for the holidays I acknowledge (or try to acknowledge) even if I do little or nothing else to celebrate them.

 

I'm also doing something that could be considered a month long Mabon celebration in the form of a "Small Things September" challenge I'm participating in, since gratitude is a big part of Mabon, and being grateful for those small things that give me pleasure and a feeling of hygge is the whole point of that challenge, so I'm counting it as part of my Mabon celebrations.  I'll tell you more about that on Friday.

 

For those who might be curious: my meal was a vegan adaptation of a recipe my Mam mentioned remembering doing us for Halloween several years ago - way back before I stopped eating meat, so it's got to be at least close to 15 years ago now, if not further back than that.  It was called a "Hubble-Bubble Cassarole" and involved sausages, bacon, mushrooms, onions, and some seasonings we couldn't remember (though when I looked up the recipe it said garlic and paprika) cooked with tinned tomatoes and baked beans.  So I veganized it by leaving out the sausages and bacon.  I also decided to use sage as the seasoning (even though I'd looked up what it was meant to be) since sage is a herb associated with Mabon.  The actual recipe also calls for the addition of sugar and worcestershire sauce, but I decided not to add sugar to my version, and didn't have any vegan worcestershire sauce (normally I'd use soi sauce in place of that, but decided not to bother in this case).  Anyway, then I served it over baked potato.  I also had some grapes as a dessert, which are a fruit associated with Mabon.  Apples would have been a better dessert choice, but I neglected to add those to the shopping list, so grapes had to do.  The potatoes and onions that were involved in my meal are also foods associated with Mabon - in case you're interested.

 

Artemis and Mollie got to have some of the sage and grapes as part of their food that day too, which both of them were extremely pleased about - I think they were especially glad they got to share my grapes.

 

September 22nd was Hobbit Day too.  So I celebrated that with some cake and tea in the afternoon - just because I could.  For those who like to know these things: the cake was some of the lemon cupcakes I had left from the ones I'd made a few days before, and the tea was peppermint tea.

"Where Spirits Linger" WordCrafter Book Blog Tour Day 5 + My #Review + A #Giveaway

It's day five of the "Where Spirits Linger" WordCrafter book blog tour, which means it's time for my stop on the tour.  I have an excellent guest post for you from one of the authors who contributed to the collection, a review, and details of how you can get your hands on a free digital copy of the book.  So, let's see what Stevie Turner has to say about writing "David's Revenge" shall we? Over to you, Stevie.

Writing “David’s Revenge”

by Stevie Turner

 

I have had a lifelong interest in the paranormal, ever since living in a haunted flat as a child and seeing ghosts and having to dive under the bedclothes during the night when my bed would lift up of its own accord.  In the mornings my mother used to tidy my bed to her exacting standards, and hey ho, the imprint of a body would appear with alarming regularity (and no, it wasn’t me).  My parents eventually discovered that a previous tenant had committed suicide in my bedroom.  I remember I would never go to sleep unless one of my parents was there in the room with me.  

 

We moved out of the flat when I was seven, and the paranormal activity stopped.  However, when I was in my fifties, I woke up in the night, put the light on to get a drink, and there was a lady sitting at the end of my bed wearing a doctor’s white coat.  I have no idea who she was, but she looked a bit like my oncologist.  She smiled at me and there and then I had the feeling I would recover from my stage IV cancer.  I did. 

 

I have been to various demonstrations of clairvoyance over the years.  My short story ‘David’s Revenge’ is the culmination of many meetings with spiritualist mediums, some of which have passed uncannily accurate messages to me from a few of my loved ones in the spirit world.  I attended a meeting one night and the medium told me that my uncle was there and that he could see I was having constant trouble day after day trying to unlock the door to my flat that I shared with a workmate.  My uncle told me that from that moment on I’d have no more difficulty with the key.  When I returned home the key slid easily in the lock as though it had been oiled and I never had any more trouble with it.

 

I have learned over time that genuine mediums always have a spirit guide to watch over them who on the earth plane was usually from a Red Indian tribe.  This very spiritual (but now deceased) guide bridges a gap from this world to the next and is an invaluable help to the medium.  In this way my character ‘Medicine Horse’ was born.

 

In the story, David Nelson died when only ten years old, and appears to medium Rae Cordelle (via Medicine Horse) at a clairvoyant meeting.  David has some terrible news to impart to Rae concerning the way in which he died, which involves David’s stepfather, Mick Curtis.  Rae has no choice but to pass on the news to David’s mother Karen at a private reading.  Karen is distraught.  Mick is aghast at information he considers to be completely false, but Rae is very gifted and knows that Medicine Horse would never lie. Karen and Mick must discover for themselves exactly what is going on.

 

 

There is scepticism as to whether mediums are genuine, but I believe in the spirit world because I’ve had proof, I’ve seen ghosts for myself, and I’ve lived in a haunted flat.  If doubters would only pay for a private reading with a good medium, then the messages they receive would convince them that the spirit world exists.  We are only on the earth plane briefly, but there are so many wonders waiting for us when it’s our turn to travel over to the ‘Other Side’.

 

 

Stevie Turner is a British author of suspense, paranormal, women's fiction family dramas and darkly humorous novels, and likes to find subjects to write about that are not often covered. Stevie is married and lives in the wilds of East Anglia, England, and enjoys cycling about the countryside when she is not busy writing.  http://www.stevie-turner-author.co.uk

 

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Spirits linger in strange places for unexpected reasons.
Kaye Lynne Booth’s spirits care and want to be cared for in “The People Upstairs”.
Robbie Cheadle’s spirits have unfinished business in “Listen to Instructions”.
Stevie Turner’s spirits are out for revenge in “David’s Revenge”.
Enid Holden’s spirits linger in a house with a history in “The Chosen Few”.
Sharon Kretcshmer’s spirits linger on a battle field in “The Final Portrait”.
Crysta Planko’s spirits linger in an estate long gone in the winning story, “Olde Tyme Village”.

 Now available from Amazon US, Amazon UK, and Amazon sites for some other countries.

 

*~*

 

I was given a copy of this book to review for you, so here's my review:

 

Where Spirits Linger by Roberta Eaton Cheadle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a fantastic and well-written collection of spooky stories, which would be a perfect read for near Halloween, or any time of the year you fancy a bit of a creepy read. All the stories were excellent, and it would be impossible for me to pick a favourite, so I won't even try. Kaye Lynne Booth's "The People Upstairs" is a very believable and chilling tale. Robbie Cheadle's "Listen to Instructions" is an unusual story with a cautionary lesson. Stevie Turner's "David's Revenge" is a heartbreaking but excellent tale with a twist. Enid Holden's "The Chosen Few" is an interesting story with a surprise ending. Sharon Kretcshmer's "The Final Portrait" is a sad story with a beautiful ending. And Christa Planko's "Olde Tyme Village" is an incredibly spooky story that was the perfect one to end on. All in all, I loved these stories, and would highly recommend this collection to lovers of paranormal tales.

*NOTE: I was given a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This fact has in no way influenced either my opinion of the book or the contents of this review, and all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

View all my reviews

 

*~*

 

GIVEAWAY ALERT!

 

Want a free digital copy of this book? Then follow the tour and comment on the posts for your chance to win a free digital copy of the book.  Every comment earns you a chance to win in a random drawing, so the more posts you comment on, the higher your chances of winning.

 

To make sure you don't miss any posts, here's where you can find them all:

Day 1: https://writingtoberead.com/2021/09/20/welcome-to-the-wordcrafter-where-spirits-linger-book-blog-tour/

Day 2: https://theshowersofblessings.com/2021/09/20/where-spirits-linger-book-blog-tour/

Day 3: https://pattysworlds.com/day-3-of-the-wordcrafter-where-spirits-linger-book-blog-tour-blogtour-wordpresswednesday/

Day 4: https://robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com/2021/09/23/roberta-writes-wordcrafter-where-spirits-linger-book-blog-tour-featuring-christa-planko/

Day 5: https://ziglernews.blogspot.com/2021/09/where-spirits-linger-wordcrafter-book.html

Day 6 (will be found on writingtoberead.com - post link to be added once it goes live tomorrow, so check back for it later).

#Autumn Trivia

Mabon - more commonly just refered to as the Autumn Equinox - is just two days away, so I thought I'd share these Autumn and Halloween themed trivia questions and answers I found recently.  Enjoy!

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Q. How heavy is the heaviest pumpkin ever recorded in the world?
Answer: The pumpkin currently holding the Guinness World Record for the heaviest pumpkin is 2,624.6 lb (1,190.49 kg) and was grown by a man in Belgium.
 

Q. What makes leaves change to either a red or purple color?
Answer: Sugar is trapped in the leaves causing the red and purple colors.
 

Q. In what city was the first OktoberFest held?
Answer: Munich, Germany in 1810. It started as a celebration for a royal wedding between a prince and princess. The celebration became a yearly tradition every year afterward.
 

Q. What country did Halloween originate from?
Answer: Ireland. Halloween originates from a Celtic festival celebrating the new year on November 1. Traditions were to light bon fires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts.
 

Q. What state in the USA is home to the largest corn maze in the world?
Answer: California. In Dixon, California, Cool Patch Pumpkin holds the Guinness World Record for the largest corn maze in the world at 60 acres. It’s common for people to call 911 because they can’t find their way out.