Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 18

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 postAnswer the questions providedCreate 7 unique questionsNominate 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.

*~*~*

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.

*~*~*

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.

*~*~*

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.

*~*~*

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.

*~*~*

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.

 

*~*~*

 

“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

 

A Final #EBook #Sale Reminder, Barely Acknowledged Holidays, And #Roleplaying Games

Time's almost up for you to get four of my books at $0.99 each in the Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale!

 

In case you've forgotten, the titles included are:

Pawfect Pet Poems

Snowlilie's Brother

Where's Noodles?

Puppy Poems And Rodent Rhymes

 

All four of which either feature, or are inspired by, Lilie, and two of which also feature, or are inspired by, Logan.

 

So, head over to my Smashwords page and grab your discounted copies of those four titles today.  But hurry, because the sale only runs through July 31st, so you're almost out of time.

 

*~*~*

 

Despite my intentions of acknowledging, and trying to do something for, all the holidays with any significance to us, I let several slip by barely acknowledged in general, and certainly ignored on this blog.

~

As I'm sure you know, Father's Day was June 20th, and - unlike with Mother's Day - that date applied to both Canada and the UK.  So we brought Kelly's Dad a present (a new mug, at his request) and gave my Dad a card and some money (the money was at his request, since he said that's what he'd prefer).  I didn't make the card, because time got away from me, but he appreciated the gesture, even if he knew it was a card I'd brought at the last minute while out running a few errands with my Mam the day before.

 

~

 

June 21st was the Summer Solstice.  In fact, the actual astronomical event known as the solstice fell on the morning of June 21st 2021, at 4:32 am UK time.  I wished everyone a blessed solstice on social media, but we didn't plan on doing anything, since that happened to be the day Kelly was having his second Covid jab, and we weren't entirely sure how he'd be doing afterwards.  As it happened, he reacted the same as the last time: exhausted with a sore arm for about 24 hours after having the jab, and then totally fine.

 

~

 

June 24th was Fairy Day.  I'd had a vague plan of doing something on Fairy Day that could work for both the Summer Solstice and Fairy Day at the same time, but somehow never got around to deciding what I was going to do.  So, just like with the Summer Solstice, I gave it a mention on social media, but it otherwise ended up with no acknowledgement, let alone any kind of celebration.

 

I later tried to make up for it a little by theming the menu for my mad tea party around Summery kinds of foods, hence the strawberry lemonade and lavender cookies.  As a bonus, since we had extremely high temperatures for a lot of July (as you might have seen in Artemis' post from Tuesday) it was incredibly hot when I was staging it, and they were ideal things for such a hot day.  It's actually still quite warm, though thankfully not quite as hot as it was, despite some mild storms.  Well, mild storms in our area anyhow, though they were worse in other areas.  They were bad enough along the coast in places that some of the seagulls came this far inland.  Bearing in mind, we're about 12 miles away from the nearest stretch of coastline as the crow - or seagull, I guess - flies (assuming I have my facts right, though geography isn't my strong point, and it could be a little more or less than that... It's somewhere around that number anyhow, and definitely at least 10 miles).

 

~

 

July 1st was Canada Day, which I'd intended acknowledging since Kelly's Canadian.  But that one crept up on me too, and was another holiday that was ignored beyond a brief  social media mention.

~

Now we're almost in to August, and two days away from Lughnasadh, which falls on August 1st.  I'm going to try to make sure I do something for Lughnasadh, especially after having ignored the Summer Solstice in particular.  Something other than just giving it a mention on social media, I mean.  Even making a point to theme my meal for it would be an improvement on what I've done - or not done, to be more accurate - for a llot of this year's holidays so far.  But we'll see what actually ends up happening.

~

I've really not been doing well with my plan of celebrating the minor holidays and sabbats as planned, have I? Still, at least I've been remembering to acknowledge them enough to give them a mention on social media on the right dates, which is something at least.  I mean, it's better than nothing, right?

*~*~*

The group I was playing Changeling The Dreaming with did decide to start playing The One Ring, which is a Lord Of The Rings roleplaying game, set a couple of years after the events in "The Hobbit" and a long time before the events in the actual Lord Of The Rings trilogy.  We gained two extra members too, since my brother, Carl, joined in, and so did Kelly.  So now it's me, Kelly, Dad, Carl, and five other people.  Eight players is quite a few for any GM to manage, but Greg - the friend running it - is doing an excellent job so far.  I'm playing a hobbit from The Shire, and Kelly's playing an elf.

~

Kelly and I are also roleplaying with another smaller group (there are five of us in total, rather than the nine playing The One Ring) who are still playing Aberrant, which is a superhero roleplaying game.  Though Kelly is playing a different character now, since he wasn't happy with the character he was playing.  He was going to just stop playing, but decided to make a new character instead.  Gareth - the friend who acts as GM for this one - was happy for him to do that, even if it did mean Gareth needed to work out a way to bring Kelly's new character in to the group in a way that made sense for the game's plot.  My character is a speedy and strong superhero, and Kelly's is a shapeshifter, in case you're interested.

~

Kelly is involved in a couple of other roleplaying games with people I don't know.  But I'm not even entirely certain what games he's playing with them.  He did tell me at one point, but I forget.

Artemis The #Tortoise Talks About Enjoying Watermelon In The #Heatwave

Hi everyone.  This is Artemis the tortoise.

 We've had what the humans are calling a heatwave.  It's been so hot here that some days even I've thought it's a bit warm, and tortoises like me love hot weather.  In fact, Mummy says something called the met office - which she says is something to do with weather warnings - issued its first ever amber alert for extreme heat in the UK.  Apparently it usually only has to do those amber alert things for storms, because it doesn't get hot enough in the UK to need them for heat usually.  But there was one of those amber alerts for all of last week.

~

 

Being a tortoise, I haven't minded it too much (though, like I said, even I thought it got a bit hot from time to time) but the rest of them have been hating the heat.  Mollie especially hated the heat.

 

Chinchillas aren't built to cope with hot weather, and even with everything Mummy was doing for her, Mollie was hot and miserable.  So much so she started refusing to eat and drink, and Mummy and Daddy both got really worried.  But luckily Mummy managed to figure out before Mollie got sick from it that one thing Mollie will accept in hot weather like we've been having is watermelon.  In fact, that's the only thing she'll accept.  Even that she won't eat loads of, but she's eating enough that she's doing OK and staying hydrated, which is all that matters.

~

Since Nana fetched lots of watermelon for us as soon as she learned Mollie would at least eat that, the rest of us have been getting some too.  Even Lilie and Logan like it, which is good since Logan is another one who doesn't drink well enough to deal with the heat, so the watermelon has been helping him stay hydrated too.  Personally, I absolutely love watermelon, so I'm very glad I got to share Mollie's watermelon supply.  In fact, here are some photos and a video of me enjoying some:

Mummy and Daddy didn't get any photos or videos of Mollie enjoying her watermelon, because she was so miserable with the heat they didn't want to bother her more than they had to.  And the dogs' share was gone so quickly there wasn't time for photos or videos of them with it.

~

If it's been as hot with you as it has with us, I hope you've got something as tasty as watermelon to keep you hydrated too.  Cucumber is a yummy option for staying hydrated as well, in case you're interested.

~Artemis

Mad Tea Party 2021

Come in.  Come in.

 

You're just in time for tea.

 

Although, perhaps since it's so hot, you'd prefer some strawberry lemonade...

Of course, you'll need something to eat too, won't you? So, help yourself to a cucumber sandwich or two...

And maybe one of these freshly baked lavender cookies...

Take more than one if you like.  I can make more.

~

Now, how about some entertainment?

 

Perhaps a little music?

 

Here's one of my favourite songs - of which I have many -  to listen to while we enjoy our refreshments...

Or we can share stories, or maybe poems.  Do you have any you'd like to share?

I certainly do, and some of them are even on sale this month.

You share yours first, and then I'll tell you all about them.

You can get "Puppy Poems And Rodent Rhymes" and "Pawfect Pet Poems" for just $0.99 each throughout July. "Where's Noodles?" and "Snowlilie's Brother" are on sale at $0.99 all this month too.  So, if you like stories or poems about pets, you can pop over to Smashwords and check those out.  Smashwords is free to join if you're not already on there, and the books come in all kinds of formats, so it doesn't matter how you read your eBooks.  Just click on the book titles to go grab your copies.

 

The stories and poems are based on some of my very own petkids, who were invited to join the party, and are around here somewhere, but are insisting it's too hot to join in whatever madness I'm up to today.  Such a shame, since the dogs love visitors.

 

But never mind.

 

I'm sure you could use another drink.  

 

More lemonade?

 

Or do you want me to make us a pot of tea despite the heat? I mean, it is a tea party, after all, and perhaps my little purple teapot is feeling slightly neglected over there on the kitchen counter...

And do feel free to help yourself to more sandwiches or cookies.

 

Don't be shy.  I know you can't resist helping yourself to another lavender cookie or two... Go on.  You know you want to, and there are plenty more...

It's such a delight to have you here.

What's that? You have to go?

 

How sad.

Ah, yes, there are other parties to get to.  Of course.  How could I forget?

Well, thank you for coming to my tea party.  I hope you had a wonderful time.  It was so nice to take a few moments to just relax, and enjoy some good food and pleasant company.  Don't you agree?

Leave me a comment so I know you visited, and do come back again soon, won't you?

 

Now, click on the banner below to head over to A Fanciful Twist and check out the other wonderful tea parties.

 

Artemis The #Tortoise Gets Desert And Dinosaur Themed Vivarium Accessories

 Hi everyone.  This is Artemis the tortoise.

 

Mummy kept her word, and I got some new stuff for my vivarium.  Here's what my vivarium looks like now:                

 

 

Sorry if the background looks a bit crinkled in one or two places.  Grandad did his best, but it's not easy putting those backgrounds in after the vivarium has already been set up.  If he and Mummy had realised how hard it would be, they'd have made sure to sort that first.  But never mind... They'll know to have the background ready for when they're putting the vivarium together if they ever need to be setting up another vivarium (eventually they will have to replace mine, after all, given how long I should live).

Anyway, as you may be able to tell from the photos, she went with a desert theme, and got me some vines (which you might be able to just see behind my cave) and two different kinds of cactus: a star cactus and a finger cactus.  My favourite is the finger cactus... It feels nice against my shell...

As well as the obvious - like my cave, log tunnel, basking slab, gnawing/beak grinding stone, and rockpool design food and water bowls - all of which I had already (though I got the bigger cave and log tunnel last month when I got the bigger vivarium) I also have a bit of random wood Grandad gave me to play on, and a couple of rocky things, which Mummy says are dinosaur bone replicas.  She figured they'd be more interesting for my desert themed vivarium than just plain rocks, and given the whole reptile connection between tortoises and dinosaurs, she just couldn't resist.  To me they're just something interesting to climb on or rub against, but she says they're a random dinosaur bone, and a small T-Rex skull, in case you're interested in spacifically knowing what kinds of dinosaur bone replicas they are.

 

And, yes, the purple thing that looks like a ball is one.  It's a solid plastic ball with a bell in it.  I don't play with it a lot, but I do sometimes like to push it around my vivarium for a little while.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my new setup.  But right now I need a nap...

 

~Artemis

An #EBook #Sale Reminder, #Audiobook Production, And #Crafting Related Updates

Don't forget: the 13th annual Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale is still on, and four of my titles are available for just $0.99 through July 31st.

 

Those titles are:

 

Pawfect Pet Poems

Snowlilie's Brother

Where's Noodles?

Puppy Poems And Rodent Rhymes

 

Head over to my Smashwords author page to find and grab your copies.

 

*~*~*

 

I have chosen narrators for both my recently released poetry books.

The narrator for "Born From Stardust And Other Poems" is Giselle M Chatelain.

And the narrator for "Pawfect Pet Poems" is Liza Marie Johnston.

 

Clicking on their names should take you to their ACX narrator profiles.

 

I'll let you know when either or both of them have completed the projects, and the audio versions of those two titles are available.  Depending on whether they stick with the schedule or get it done sooner, it will be some time in either August or September.  September if they make use of all the production time I've given them.  At least, that's when it will be assuming there are no production issues.

*~*~*

My Grandma's friend, Ann, loved the knitted dog I made her.  In fact, she loved it so much she sent me a thank you card in appreciation.  Here's the card:

*~*~*

I finished making the little crochet scarf that was my first ever attempt at doing crochet.  The tension is all over the place, but I don't think I did too badly.  Anyway, I asked Kelly to take a photo, and then was so busy doing whatever I was doing on the computer that I didn't notice until after he'd done it that he'd folded the scarf and draped it on my shoulder to take the photo.  He offered to do another one or crop me out if I wanted, but I went ahead and put it up in my craft album on Facebook anyhow, and will also post it here.  So, here it is:

*~*~*

If you're interested: I ended up making 15 squares for the charity thing I was doing with the group I do the Zoom crafternoons with, which I've now sent to the person in charge of organizing it, who will be passing them - along with the squares made by herself and other members of the group - on to the charity that will be turning them in to much-needed blankets for the homeless.  I'd kind of hoped to make a few more than that (my plan was to make 24) but needed to get them sent off to her, and ran out of time.  Every square helps though, right?

*~*~*

This is only loosely craft related, since it's baking., and some people might not count it as a craft.  But...

I had a go at making vegan marshmallows entirely from scratch.

 

I love marshmallows, vegan marshmallows are quite expensive, I always think homemade is best where possible for anything, and I had everything I needed to try, so I decided I'd do just that.

It sort of worked.  I mean, they tasted like marshmallows.  Even Kelly agreed they did.. He's not a big fan of marshmalows, but agreed to taste a little anyhow.  But I didn't add enough thickener.  I was using arrowroot as a substitute (since it's an option, though not the one the recipe recommended) and it didn't set properly.  Which means eitherI didn't add enough, or arrowroot isn't the right choice.  I'm going to try again using more arrowroot, since it's my prefered thickener for things that will be chilled, and if that doesn't work I'll try it with cornflour instead, which is what I use when arrowroot isn't an option.  In the meantime, I made a poppyseed cake and used the marshmalow fluff as icing, which was super tasty.

I forgot to get a photo of the cake, but here's one I got of the marshmallow fluff after we put it in the pan to try and get it to set.  The plan had been to follow this photo with one of it cut in to squares, but it wouldn't set enough for that.  Like I said though, I made good use of it anyhow... It made a great icing.  Anyhow, here's the photo:

*~*~*

Lastly, this has nothing to do with the post title, but we took this photo of Artemis back on July 1st, just because she was looking so content, so I'm going to finish this post by sharing it.  Here you go:

Day 5 of the WordCrafter "In The Silence Of Words” Book Blog Tour

 

Today is my stop on the blog tour for "In the Silence of Words" by Cendrine Marrouat, and I have a guest post for you from the author, who is thinking about the actors and actresses she'd love to have playing her characters.  So, over to you, Cendrine.

*~*~*

 

A(Very) Improbable but Dreamy Cast ofActors for ‘In the Silence of Words’

by Cendrine Marrouat
 

“It's the beginning of September. 30-year-old Cassandra Philip has just lost her mother. The secret she uncovers shortly after the funeral resurrects the ghosts of the past, while threatening the present and shattering her pre-conceived notions of what the future is supposed to hold…”
 

 

 

I remember crafting the synopsis of In the Silence of Words, very vividly because a question kept popping up in my mind: “If you ever directed this play, what actors would you choose to be part of the project?”
 

Several people asked me the same question over the years.
 

Some characters were easy to pair with an ideal actor. But it was another story for the rest. That is why it took a long time for me to come up with a complete answer. I had to re-read the play many times and watch movie after movie. Well, a good problem to have, anyway. ;-)
 

So, without further ado, today’s post is my list of dream actor picks. But, first, here is a very brief description of each character in the play:
 

-Cassandra Philip: main character. She is 30.
-Daniel Philip: Cassandra’s father. He is 58.
-OliverAuffret:Cassandra's fiancé of five years. He is 31.
-Amadi Crawford: Cassandra’s best friend. She is 30.
-Angelica Helori: Cassandra’s aunt and mother’s twin sister. She is 56.
-Celeste Davison:Apoet and writer. She is 55.
-Myriam Philip-Helori:Cassandra’s mother andAngelica’s twin. She died afew days ago. She is 56.
-Father Gibrerson: a priest who conducts the funeral service.
 

 

 

 

And now, the Dream Team of actors for In the Silence of Words!
 

-Natalie Portman (Cassandra) -One of my favorite actresses! She is at her best portraying conflicted characters, giving them real-life depth. She did that extremely well in V for Vendetta and Black Swan.
-Janelle Monáe (Amadi) -I saw Janelle in Hidden Figures and Antebellum and found her a force to be reckoned with! When I think of her, I see wit and empathy, two words that sum up Amadi’s character really well.
-Charlize Theron (Angelica / Myriam) -Charlize is one of the most talented actresses of her generation. I have liked all her movies. Like Hilary Swank, she immerses herself in her characters completely, allowing us to see and sympathize with their flawed, but relatable humanity.

-Viola Davis (Celeste) Viola is an extraordinary actress. But what I prefer about her is her voice. When she speaks, you listen. It’s as simple as that.
-Armie Hammer (Oliver) -I adoredArmie in On the Basis of Sex. There is a gentleness and also empathy about his demeanor that make him the perfect Oliver.

-Will Patton (Daniel) -Will may not be a household name, but he has been in many movies, including Remember the Titans. He is a very convincing actor, especially in “man on the street” roles.
-Ian McKellen (Father Gibrerson) -Beyond his great acting skills, Sir Ian has a kind voice, which seems to betray a nurturing personality.
 

While I know that I would never be able to get the actors in the above list to play my characters, it is very satisfying to see their names on paper. Most importantly, it is also a fun way to imagine how the story would unfold and maybe take a life of its own with the help of those talented artists. I hope you will agree! 

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AUTHOR BIO

Cendrine Marrouat is a French-born Canadian photographer, poet, and the multi-genre author of more than 30 books. In 2019, she founded the PoArtMo Collective and co-founded Auroras & Blossoms with David Ellis. A year later, they launched PoArtMo (Positive Art Month and Positive Art Moves) and created the Kindku and Pareiku, two forms of poetry.

Cendrine is also the creator of the Sixku, the Flashku, and the Reminigram. Cendrine writes both in French and English and has worked in many different fields in her 17-year career, including translation, language instruction, journalism, art reviews, and social media.

 

Books:  - Songs in Our Paths: Haiku & Photography (Volume 2) (2021)

- Seizing the Bygone Light: A Tribute to Early Photography (2021) (Co-author)

 - 30 Creative Prompts to Take Your Art to the Next Level (2021) (Co-author)

 - Rhythm Flourishing: A Collection of Kindku and Sixku (2020) (Co-author)

 - The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: 2020 Edition (Co-editor)

 - The Auroras & Blossoms NaPoWriMo Anthology: 2020 Edition (Co-editor)

 - The Little Big eBook on Social Media Audiences: Build Yours, Keep It, and Win (2014 - Second edition 2020)

 - Blog Your Way to Success: 35+ No-Nonsense Tips for Authors and Writers (2020)

 - Walks: A Collection of Haiku (All the Volumes and More!) (2020)

 - Photography of Life and Living: The Black and White Book (2020) (Co-author)

 - Songs in Our Paths: Haiku & Photography (Volume 1) (2020)

 - Bad. Pitches. Period. 30 Flavors of Spammy Emails (2020)

 - The Heart of Space (2020) - My Twitter Workbook: 20 Tips to Get Noticed and Followed (2020) (Co-author)

  - My Positivity Journal: 100 Action Verbs and Affirmations for Daily Inspiration (2020) (Co-author)

  - My Poetry Workbook: 20 Tips to Write Great Poems (2020) (Co-author)

  - My Creative Journal: 40 Prompts to Take Your Writing to the Next Level! (2020) (Co-author)

  - My Marketing Workbook: Promotional Tips For Poets (2020) (Co-author)

  - Dans le silence des mots: Une pièce en trois actes (2019) - Walks: A Collection of Haiku (Volume 3) (2019)

  - Walks: A Collection of Haiku (Volume 2) (2019)

  - Walks: A Collection of Haiku (Volume 1) (2019)

  - In the Silence of Words: A Three-Act Play (2018)

  - Life’s Little Things: The Quotes (2017)

  - Life’s Little Things - Les petites choses de la vie (2016)

  - When the Mind Travels: A Poetic Journey into Photography (2015)

  - The Little Big eBook on Blogging: 40 Traffic Generation Tips (2012)

  - Five Years and Counting: A Journey into the Mind of Soul Poetry (2010)

  - Project: Heartbeats and Elevation (2009) - Short Poetry for Those Who Fear Death (2006)

  - And They All Rejoiced! Soul-Stirring Poetry (2006)

  - Sortons des chemins battus (2006)

 

CONTACT INFORMATION

Website: https://www.cendrinemedia.com

Blog: https://creativeramblings.com

Books: https://creativeramblings.com/books

Email: cendrine@creativeramblings.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cendrinephotography/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cendrineartist

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/cendrinemarrouat

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In the Silence of Words

 

 

BOOK DETAILS

In the Silence of Words: A Three-Act Play 

-          Formats: ebook and paperback

-          Release date: 2018 (second edition 2021)

-          Availability: Everywhere books are sold, including Amazon, Kobo, Apple, Chapters-Indigo, Barnes & Noble, and FNAC. Readers are encouraged to support independent bookstores: https://creativeramblings.com/books/.

-          Website: https://creativeramblings.com/silence...

-          Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfRsi...

 

BOOK BLURB

It’s the beginning of September. 30-year-old Cassandra Philip has just lost her mother. The secret she uncovers shortly after the funeral resurrects the ghosts of the past, while threatening the present and shattering her pre-conceived notions of what the future is supposed to hold…

In the Silence of Words is not just a story of loss. It also questions the validity of personal sacrifice in a world that seeks to preserve the status quo over the needs of the soul.

 

REVIEW

You know a play is well written when you can see the performance in your mind just from the dialogue. Cendrine Marrouat accomplishes this with “In the Silence of Words: A Three-Act Play”. This story is very moving with the loss of Cassandra’s mother and the resulting questions about self-sacrifice. It’s almost a mystery as we pick through the past, but the heart of the play is a moral and emotional tug of war. I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s a beautiful read, especially if you love the theatre!” – Joshua Grant

Lilie The #Westie And Logan The #Cavapoo Go To 2 Parks And A Vet

Hi everyone.  This is Lilie the Westie.

This week was super exciting for me and Logan.

~

On Sunday afternoon it was a nice day - sunny, but not too hot - so Nana, and her Cavatsu, Izabel, came to get us in Nana's car, and we went to a new park me and Logan hadn't ever seen before.  Mummy says she used to go there lots with another Westie she used to have called Kero though.  It's kind of near where our new house is, but we'd be too tired from the walk by the time we got there to walk in the park, which is why we had a car ride to get there.  Not that we mind, because car rides are fun too.

Uncle Wayne lives somewhere Mummy says is close enough to the park to walk to it, so he met us there with his Wippet x Staffie, Maya, and we all got to go walkies together, which was great fun.

 

Since Nana can't do big walkies without her special sticks or wheels these days - and, unlike Mummy, she needs two paws for her sticks (Mummy says they're called crutches) so doesn't always have a free paw like Mummy does with her special seeing stick - Nana got to be in charge of the camera while Mummy and Uncle Wayne held our leads.  We were on trace leads, because it gave us some freedom to run, but meant Mummy and Uncle Wayne could keep better track of us.  They seemed to think we might take advantage of there being four of us to keep track of and run off otherwise, and didn't believe us when we said we were cute innocent little puppies who would never do a thing like that.  Can't think why.

Anyway, here are the photos Nana got.

This is me, Lilie the West Highland White Terrier:

Here's Logan the Cavapoo (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel x Toy Poodle):

This is Izabel the CavaTsu (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel x Shitzu):

And here's Maya the Wippet x Staffordshire Terrier:

Now, here's one of me with Maya:

Here's one of Logan with Izabel and Maya:

And here's one of all four of us:

It was a great walkies! Hope we get to do it again some time.

 

~

The other exciting thing, which happened on Monday, meant another car ride to get to where we were going.  And this time we had a little walk in a different park.  This second park is in town, and is where we went to a couple of months ago when Nana took us to see the vet we now go to for the first time.

 

After a short walk in that park, me and Logan went to the vet for our yearly checkups and shots.  We didn't mind at all though, because we actually love going to the vet... We get loads of attention there, so what's not to love? As usual, we went in the vet happily, wagging our tails the whole way.  It always surprises Nana how happy we are about going to the vet.  The only way it would have been better is if they hadn't made Mummy and Nana wait outside.  But when we came back out Mummy and Nana were right where we left them, so it was fine.

Anyway, the vet trip went well.  We were good dogs for the vet, and are both happy and healthy, other than the issue I have with my itchies, which we knew about already, and is still under control with those tablets I'm taking, even if one of my ears is a bit sore right now (because I keep rubbing it on things, getting it dirty, and irritating it).  Also, we still weigh what we did when we got checked last time, which is 10.7 kilos for me, and 17.7 kilos for Logan.  That is a tiny bit more than we really should weigh, but not by enough to have the vet worried, and since we aren't gaining more the vet said it's OK.

~

 

Lots of licks,

Lilie