Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 20

My Guest Post For The WordCrafter Poetry Treasures Blog Tour

This week is the blog tour for "Poetry Treasures" - the poetry anthology I contributed to, which was published in April 2021.  And today I'm the author in the spotlight, with a guest post all about writing my poem, "Hello Insomnia, My Old Friend" - one of the three poems of mine included in the anthology.  So, if you'd like to read that, head over and read my post by clicking here.

 

 

 

Also, you can follow the tour and leave a comment at each stop for a chance to win one of three digital copies of Poetry Treasures to be given away. (Winners will be randomly selected following the end of the tour.)

#Kindle Edition Of "Pawfect Pet Poems" Now Available! #NewBook #Pet #Poetry

A short collection of poems of various lengths and styles, all with one thing in common: they were written for - or about - some of the various pets my hubby and I have had.
 

The poems in this collection are mainly about chinchillas and dogs, though other types of animals – in particular degus - sometimes make an appearance too. All poems are captioned with details of the pets they were written for or about.

 

As I said in yesterday's post, yesterday I started publishing the different versions of "Pawfect Pet Poems" - a short collection of poems about Lilie the Westie, Logan the Cavapoo, Mollie the chinchilla, and Joshua the degu, with a few mentions of other petkids from time to time.

 

Well, now the Kindle edition is also available, so if you prefer to grab your eBooks that way, grab yours today from Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or another version of Amazon.

It will soon also be available in paperback and audio, for the benifit of those who prefer a physical book or audio version.  I'll let you know when those formats become available.

Regardless of your prefered method of reading the book, if you'd like to add it to your Goodreads to-read shelf, you can find it on Goodreads by clicking here.

 

#Pet Themed #Poetry #Book #NewRelease - "Pawfect Pet Poems"

A short collection of poems of various lengths and styles, all with one thing in common: they were written for - or about - some of the various pets my hubby and I have had.
 

The poems in this collection are mainly about chinchillas and dogs, though other types of animals – in particular degus - sometimes make an appearance too. All poems are captioned with details of the pets they were written for or about.

The above is the description for my latest release, "Pawfect Pet Poems" - a collection of poems mainly about Lilie the Westie, Logan the Cavapoo, Mollie the chinchilla, and Joshua the degu, which I published today.

It's already available to buy from Smashwords in all formats they offer - which includes ePub, Mobi, and many other formats, and means there should be a format that works for you, regardless of your prefered method of reading eBooks, and if you can read this post, you can read the book.  So, if you'd like to grab your copy from Smashwords today, simply go to the book's Smashwords page by clicking here.

However, it will soon also be available as a Kindle version, as well as in paperback and audio.  I will, of course, let you know as each format becomes available.

Regardless of your prefered method of reading the book, if you'd like to add it to your Goodreads to-read shelf, you can find it on Goodreads by clicking here.

Keeping #Pets Safe In Hot Weather, By Mollie The #Chinchilla

 Hi everyone.  This is Mollie the chinchilla.

 

On the day I'm writing this, the weather is not very hot, and how wet it looks outside the window I can see from my cage makes me very glad I don't have to go out there, because I consider water just something to drink from my bottle, and the only baths I enjoy are sand baths, thank you very much.

But...

We're getting to the part of the year where hot weather might come soon.  At least, we are in the part of the world where we live.  So, I think it's time for a reminder about safety in hot weather.

~

Remember: it's up to you to keep not only yourselves and any human pups you might have from suffering in extreme weather conditions, but also the non-human members of your family.  In fact, us especially, since we can't speak your language to tell you what we need to keep us happy, comfortable, and healthy.

The other thing you need to remember is that different animals can tolerate - and need to be kept at - different temperatures.  For example: 20 degrees C might be a perfect temperature in your opinion, but that's too hot for a chinchilla like me, and yet a tortoise like Artemis would consider that kind of chilly.  So, make sure you take our species - and sometimes also breed, since that makes a difference with some of us - in to consideration when deciding what you may or may not need to do to help us deal with hot weather.

If you're not sure what you should do to keep your pet safe and happy during hot weather, talk to your vet.  If your vet doesn't know, you should probably go find a different vet, and it would be a good thing if you found that out now, rather than when there's a life-threatening emergency.  Just saying.

 

~

 

But, here are some things my human caretakers do for us:

Providing plenty of water.  This is essential all year, but even more so on hot days, since we need to keep hydrated. Think about how badly you need a drink on a hot day, and then bear in mind that many of us are wearing fur coats we can't take off.  Now, perhaps, you'll understand how badly we need that drink.  For animals that enjoy it, you can even provide some water to play in, such as a paddling pool.  Or, you can do what Mummy did when it was hot and we had no yard for a pool, which is to put some cold water in the bath and use that as an indoor doggy paddling pool.
Providing frozen treats.  For chinchillas, this could be something like frozen peas, frozen carrot sticks, or - as a special treat - a little frozen fruit.  For dogs, this could mean freezing their Kong ball with some peanut butter in it, or - if your dogs will eat them, which ours will - giving them some of the frozen fruits and vegetables on offer.  Don't buy and offer us ice-lollies though, because those are full of sugar.  If you want us to have our own ice-lollies, make some from scratch using natural ingredients.Making sure we have cool shady sleeping spots.  Whether it's a cooling slab in the cage like I have, or a spot to rest in the shade, we all need somewhere to rest where we can be as cool as possible, and out of direct sunlight.Providing fans.  If you have air conditioning, so much the better.  However, if you - like us - don't, make sure you have plenty of fans, and that they're positioned where we can enjoy the benifit of the air circulation they provide.Keeping playtimes short.  Some animals - dogs especially... In particular puppies - have a lot of energy.  But all that playing and bouncing around will only make us hotter.  So, keep play time short, or do it in a way that doesn't involve too much running and bouncing.  Better yet, do both.

This list is just an example of some ways to help us animals cope with the hot weather Summer often brings.  There are likely other bits of advice you can get somewhere else - such as from your vet.

~

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have any reason to be worried about your non-human family members during hot weather, or at any other time, talk to a vet immediately.  Hesitating may cost us our lives.

Stay safe, and help those you share your home with - whether human or otherwise - stay safe too.

Squeak soon,

Mollie

Join The Weekend #Braille Together Mingle

The "Weekend Braille Together Mingle" is held via Zoom.

 

Meetings are on Saturdays at 6pm ET, 3pm PT, 12pm H/T
 

But, what's it all about?

 

You love the idea of knowing Braille. You suspect learning it may be easier with a bit of support. Here is a place to ask questions, find a Mentor and find Resources Games and Tools to make learning Braille fun. We welcome Braille Learners and those of you who want to Mentor Braille Learners.

 

For more information, and the details to join the call, contact Braille Together Mingle by eMailing brl@earthlink.net

A Weather Report, Medical Mutterings, A Swingseat, And A Doorstep Delivery

The weather can't seem to make its mind up whether to be hot or cold, but other than that we're back to the usual Welsh weather: rain, with the odd dry spell - sometimes even a day or two of dry weather - in between.

 

*~*~*

 

I'm still not back to my normal, but am getting there.

 

I had several days earlier this week where I caught up on some of the sleep I'd been missing through the pain being so bad in the beginning (and not being able to take much for it) and that's helped some too.

 

~

 

But... Guess what I did?

 

I apparently failed to learn my lesson about car doors, and shut my thumb in one this time.

 

Yes, really.  And, yes, same hand.

 

Different car this time though, since this time it was my Mam's car door.

 

~

 

So, off I went to the hospital again, for doctors to x-ray and examine my right hand.

 

It was a VERY long night of waiting (because a lot of emergencies kept coming in) with no access to pain relief because they can only give the one thing I can tolerate (liquid Ibuprofen, which generally ends up being the Ibuprofen meant for infants and young children) with doctor permission (which I couldn't get until I spoke to a doctor, which is what I was waiting to do already) or on the paediatric ward, and I can’t take Paracetamol (which is a shame, because they were handing those out to anyone who needed pain relief without hesitation).

 

~

 

Anyway, thankfully, when I FINALLY – after almost 12 hours at the hospital... I kid you not – got to talk to a doctor, it was to learn that I hadn’t broken anything this time, and for the record the break from last time has definitely fully healed.  So, this time all I got was a very painful and bruised thumb.  There was some minor bleeding below the skin and nail, but nothing to worry about, and this time I’m meant to make sure to use my hand as normally as the pain will allow, and take what pain relief I can tolerate as needed.  At least I’m not back to doing things one handed.

 

I am, however, starting to really hate cars.  LOL!

 

~

 

Anyway, it was Friday night I spent at the hospital waiting to see someone about my thumb.  Then I slept most of Saturday and a lot of Sunday, which helped some with the feeling achy all over issue.  My head still hurts and so does my hand, but I’ll take any improvement I can get.

 

Besides, I’m lucky I’m not doing worse than I am, especially after Monday, when I had one of those days, if you know what I mean.  Honestly, with how many minor accidents I had on Monday, I’m surprised I didn’t end up back at the hospital that day.  Yeah, it was that bad.

 *~*~*

 

 I wanted somewhere to sit out in the yard while the dogs are out there.  But I wanted it to be something I didn't have to constantly set up every time I wanted to sit outside - especially given the fact they go out there several times a day - which would also be OK left out there all the time, regardless of weather.  After all, the dogs have to go out every day, regardless of weather.

So, we got me a swingseat.

 

We actually got it about two weeks ago, but I forgot to mention it last week.

 

I had one just like it before we moved down to Hastings, but got rid of it when we didn't have a yard.

 

~

 

It's sturdy enough to not blow away in anything but extreme wind, and with our yard being how it is, the wind would have to be incredibly bad gale-force wind to be strong enough to move it. Plus, it has a canopy, which keeps the worst of the rain off me when I'm out there when it's wet, and also stops the seat from becoming overly wet .  At least, it does when it's adjusted to act as a cover.  Or the canopy can be adjusted to allow the sun to reach me better on a nice day.  Given what Wales is like with rain, I'm leaving its default position as a shelter from rain though, since the time I didn't my seat got rather wet.

~

I'm enjoying sitting out there while the dogs are in the yard.  It makes it more enjoyable when I have a nice place to sit, and makes me less likely to be impatient and want to make them hurry up.

When Dad first finished putting it together for me, Logan gave it a good sniff, but then decided it wasn't interesting enough to need further investigation, so has ignored it beyond checking I've gone to it to sit down since.  But Lilie sometimes wants to sit on it with me.  Lilie especially loved when the weather is chilly, because when it got chilly for a few days after I got it, I took a blanket out to snuggle in on it, so she snuggled under it with me while Logan was keeping warm by chasing shadows and anything else that moved.  Literally.  Logan will chase anything that moves, even if it's just a shifting shadow.

 

*~*~*

 

I had a doorstep delivery of some homemade vegan-friendly dandelion honey earlier this week.

I'd hoped to snatch a quick doorstep visit with my friend, Carrieanne - the person who I got it from, and who was also the one delivering it - but the dogs had one of those days where they were barking constantly (no matter what I did to try and stop them) she couldn't wait long, and by the time I realized the dogs were barking for a good reason that time, and actually made it to the door, she'd had to just place the jar on the doorstep and go.  Last time I saw her in person was before I moved down to Hastings, so I was really disappointed to have missed her.  But at least I got the dandelion honey.

I had some on crumpets for breakfast next mornin, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Recent Important Dates, Medical Mutterings, And Random Happenings

I missed mentioning both my bookerversary and bloggerversary this year.

 

April 22nd was the 11th anniversary of when I published my first book.  It was "Mr. Pumpkin-Head And Other Poems" - in case you don't know, but are interested.  I've published more than 50 titles since then.

 

And May 3rd was the 15th anniversary of when I published my first blog post, which was on this very blog.

~

 

Also, Ostara (the Spring Equinox) and Beltane have both come and gone, with only minimal celebration, and no acknowledgement on here.  For those who don't know, and are interested, Ostara is generally celebrated on March 20th (though the astrological event that marks the equinox may not actually fall on that exact date) and Beltane is celebrated on May 1st (or, in some cases, April 30th through May 1st).

 

I'd just damaged my hand when Ostara rolled around, and still wasn't feeling too great from the issues with the jab come Beltane, so I didn't do much for either.  However, they weren't completely ignored.

 

On the afternoon of March 20th I attended the monthly crafting Zoom I've started going to.  I couldn't do any crafting, but figured I'd go along for the company and a chat anyhow, and still managed to enjoy myself.  That evening I attended a live Facebook concert by a Pagan musician named Damh The Bard.  If you'd like to check him out, his YouTube channel can be found by clicking here.

For Beltane I attended a Zoom Beltane gathering an online friend was hosting.  Patty - the host - was a little surprised I did manage to make it, since it started at midnight here in the UK, but with my sleep pattern I'd actually woken up from a nap not too long before.  I'd said I'd go if I was up, and I was up, so I went.  And we had a great time.  OK, so it technically wasn't Beltane any more with me by the time it was happening, but never mind.  It was something I did to celebrate, I enjoyed it, and that's what matters.

I'd also attended a Zoom book club on the evening of April 30th, which is a weekly thing also hosted by Patty.  I had a great time with that too.  I've never been in an actual book club before.

 

~

 

There's also been one more important date: Kelly's 50th birthday.

His birthday was on May 2nd.

We'd hoped all restrictions would be lifted before his birthday, so he could avoid having another lockdown birthday.  Especially with it being a big one.  But with some restrictions still in place, and my poor health and dietary issues causing even more restrictions, it ended up being a quiet birthday at home again, with take-away: Chinese for me, and pizza for him.

 

My Mam arranged some chocolate cake for him for me though, and he had a few cards, as well as plenty of money, which he spent on some figure gaming stuff he wanted, including the newest codex for the army he plays for Warhammer 40,000, and a set of files to help with putting the figures together (since we can't find his existing set... We assume it's among the things not yet unpacked).

 

Anyway, here are the cards he got from my Dad and Grandma:

And here's the one I made for him:

 

 

~

 

Making Kelly's card is the only crafting I've so far done since damaging my hand, but I hope to get to do more soon, since I have an ever-growing pile of craft kits, a couple of projects of my own on the go, and a few projects of Nan's I'd like to try and finish up for her.  And that's if you only focus on kits and partial projects, without thinking about all the potential options all those craft supplies present.

 

Soon.  Very soon!

 

~

 

For now though, Kelly wanted to show you all some of the figures he's been putting together.

 

They're some of his figures for his Space Marines army for Warhammer 40,000, and here they are:

*~*~*

For anyone wondering: I'm still struggling with recovering from the effects of the Covid jab.  In fact, last Friday morning (April 30th) the doctor sent me to the hospital for tests, since it had been five weeks since I had my Covid Vaccination, and I was - and still am - still suffering badly.

 

Amazingly, though I ended up with a nasty bruise, and my arm still hurts like mad in that spot (despite it being done a week ago) the nurse taking blood from me managed to get blood first time, which was a relief, and a welcome change from the usual fight to get my veins to co-operate.

 

Anyway, according to the results (which I got yesterday) my kidney function is  on the low end of the normal scale, but not a cause for concern right now,  which is fantastic for me, since I've had kidney problems literally since my conception.  And pretty much everything else is clear/normal for me too.  So, that's excellent news.

 

The only cause for concern is a slightly low platelet count, which could be just that we caught it at the point in its cycle where it's naturally low, could be a sign of a compramized immune system, or could be something worse.  With it only being a bit low, the doctor is thinking one of the first two options, but I'm to have it checked again in five weeks (six weeks from when it was done before) so he can see what it is then to get an idea of if it's staying the same, or see if it increases or decreases, and if so which direction it goes in, and by how much.  He's not overly concerned, but does think it worth checking to be sure, and I'm inclined to agree with him.

What this essentially means is that my body has finally - despite me still feeling otherwise - decided to step up and finish fighting the effects of the shot like it's meant to, but was slow enough doing so that I'm not recovered yet, but I should, in theory, go back to my normal in a few more weeks (apart from the now worse asthma).  I sure hope so.  It's so far been six weeks since I got the jab, and I have yet to do so, but that's hardly surprising with how bad of a reaction I had.  Fingers crossed it won't be much longer, because these headaches especially are really getting to me.

Of April #Snow, Medical Mutterings, #PetKid Antics, And Home Organization Progress

We had some April snow this year.  Not a lot of it, but still.

They'd predicted some to go with the dip in temperatures during the first full week of April, but I didn't expect us to actually get any.  I mean, it's April in the UK.  But we did, on April 6th.  Like I said: not a lot of it.  It was just a light dusting, and only just qualifies as snow.  But Kelly got a video when it was snowing anyhow, and here it is for anyone who wants to see.

 

*~* 

My right hand (the hand with the finger I broke by shutting it in a car door) has healed well, and I can use it again.  I've still been trying - admittedly not always successfully - to avoid using it to carry anything with any real weight to it, or to do anything fiddly, but other than that I've been using my right hand normally for a couple of weeks now.  And, since it's now been over the six weeks, intend to start attempting to do crafts again soon - maybe even this weekend.

~

Unfortunately, I'm still dealing with some issues from my bad reaction to the Covid vaccination - even though it's now a little over five weeks on from when I had it

 

My asthma nurse had to switch me to a stronger inhaler, since it seems the jab has triggered something that's made my asthma worse.  Hence the elephant on the chest feeling I had.  The asthma nurse is calling to check it's helping in a couple of weeks time, but I personally think the new inhaler is definitely helping, since the elephant has wandered off to go sit on someone else, and I can breathe again.  Well, other than at times that are known triggers for me, which are apparently more likely to trigger a full on asthma attack these days, as I learned the hard way a few days ago.  But the inhalers are doing their job well enough that we got it under control without a hospital trip, so that's the main thing.

I'm also still getting headaches, but it's not one constant headache any more (like it was for the first couple of weeks after I had the jab) and I’m mostly able to cope with it. At least it’s some improvement. I’ve always had headaches from time to time (because of having Glaucoma, which causes pressure build-up around the optic nerve) but I haven’t suffered with them this badly since I was losing the last of my sight.

I'm still easily exhausted and still ache everywhere too, so working on much fewer spoons than I was before I had the jab. But at least there’s some improvement from a couple of weeks ago, and I can function these days, even if a lot of naps are required to make it happen.

And, before anyone asks: no.  I'm still not going to have the second jab.

~

Kelly's parents have had their first shot too.  They also had the Pfizer vaccine (which is what Kelly and I had) and went through it with as little issue as Kelly: sore arm and tiredness for the first day or so, and that's it.

 

I hope, when everyone goes for their second jabs, they all go through it that smoothly again.

 

*~* 

Mollie's missing me having the bandage on my hand.  She looks for it every time, and seems disappointed it's gone.  Silly chinchilla! The good thing is though, her wanting to check out my hand means she often climbs in my arms for a cuddle, especially when I'm checking on her in the evening and she knows the babygate is closed (which means the dogs can't get in the living room, where her cage is).

~

Lilie has decided she loves a particular carseat Mam has in her car.  It's not exactly a dog carseat, but can work as one, while allowing the dog sitting in it to be able to see out of the window.  We tried Lilie in the actual dog carseat, but she hated it, and Logan ended up in there instead.  We tried her just clipped to the seatbelt with a car clip, but she hated that too.  She kept trying to jump in this carseat though, so we decided to try her in it.  As you may be able to tell from this photo Mam got of her, she loves it:

~

Logan's become more vocal since he turned two.  On the one hand, this is good because he's more likely to actually make a noise to tell me when he wants to go out, rather than just staring at me sadly like he was doing.  On the other hand, this is bad because it means he's more likely to bark at random noises and such.  I'm using the same method we used for Lilie to attempt to stop it becoming too bad, which involves putting him in puppy jail for a couple of minutes to calm down when he gets carried away.  Hopefully he'll be as quick as she was to grasp the concept that we mean it when we say enough.

~

Artemis has grown enough that we're thinking about getting her a bigger vivarium.  She technically still fits in her little three foot one, but we're sure she'd like the extra space.  Here's a recent photo of her in her vivarium so you can get an idea of what I'm saying:

The purple ball in with her is a solid cat ball.  Yes, she plays with it.  I got it for her after hearing about someone whose tortoise played with one, and she seems to really like it.  I managed to get my Mam on a video call watching her play with it, but we've had no luck getting a video or photos I can share with you.  What she does is shoot her neck out as if grabbing for food (but with her beak closed) so she hits the ball and makes it roll, and then she chases after it, only to repeat the process.  We'll keep trying to get you a video, but she doesn't play for long at a time, and keeps stopping just as we get the camera ready.  The one time she didn't, I'd aimed the camera completely wrong, so she's not in the shot at all

*~* 

Our tumble dryer died just as we moved, so we had my Dad drying our laundry until we could get a new one, which we finally did a couple of weeks ago.  It's black and a Beko, like our washing machine.

~

My brother, Wayne, offered us a table and chairs he didn't want, which is the same style as ours, but slightly bigger and more solid.  Both tables are ones that can be extended if required, and came with four chairs, but one is easily big enough for four and gets big enough to seat eight, while the other only seats three comfortably and gets big enough to seat six.  We decided to take it, since it meant we could then take our little one - which now only has three chairs, since the back broke on one of them, so Dad turned it in to a stool for me to use with my bureau - to put upstairs for crafting and such.

 

Unfortunately, there's not really space for it in the craft room though, and we didn't want to go through the hastle of swapping the craft room and computer room over (and need the bigger room for the computers and books anyhow) so it's in the computer room.  That's only the next room anyhow.  Plus, it will then be available for Kelly to potentially use it for gaming in the future too.  He's already been making use of it to put together some of his figures, and repair a couple that got damaged during the move.

 

 

~

Speaking of the computer room and craft room: there has been a little progress with sorting stuff in those, but with how my health has been we haven't done much more in either room during this past month, let alone actually finished completely.  I expect that doesn't surprise you though.

 

There are two small-ish boxes to sort out in the craft room, and maybe about three or four medium sized ones in the computer room.  That's it., unless Dad discovers more craft stuff when sorting the rest of Nan's stuff out.  But at least if that happens everything else in the craft room will be organized enough that I'll have some idea where to put anything else as it arrives.  In theory anyhow.  Either way, I'll get you photos when we've sorted the last few boxes.  I'm scared to say when that might be though, since the last time I mentioned a potential timescale I ended up with an injury and medical issues getting in the way.  Plus, I seem to be functioning on less spoons these days, so there's that to consider too.

Anyway, once we've sorted those few boxes, we'll just need to finish sorting the bedroom and living room.  Not that there's much to do for either of those rooms... The computer room and craft room were definitely the bigger projects. Not helped by the need to change some things around after we learned I was inheriting all Nan's craft supplies.  Which I'm totally not complaining about, by the way.

#Poetry #NewRelease "Poetry Treasures"

 

Open the cover

and you will discover

the Poetry Treasures of

guests on Roberta Eaton Cheadle’s 2020 “Treasuring Poetry” blog series on Writing to be Read.

 

Included are treasures from: Sue Vincent, Geoff Le Pard, Frank Prem, Victoria Zigler, Colleen M. Chesebro, K. Morris, Annette Rochelle Aben, Jude Kirya, and Roberta Eaton Cheadle

 

 

 

The "Poetry Treasures" anthology is now available to purchase from a variety of online retailers.  To find it at your prefered retailer, simply click here to buy your copy.

Day 5 of the WordCrafter “A Ghost and His Gold” Book Blog Tour + My #Review

 It's my stop on the tour for "A Ghost And His Gold" by Roberta Eaton Cheadle today, and Robbie has written a fascinating post for me to share with you.  I'll also be sharing my review for the book at the end of this post.  So, over to you, Robbie!

 

 

***~~~***

 

The Siege of Kimberley Background

The Siege of Kimberley, a diamond mining town in the Cape Colony, took place during the Second Anglo Boer War when Boer forces from the Orange Free State and the South African Republic (Transvaal) besieged the town.

Cecil John Rhodes, a British mining magnet and politician in Southern African and who served as the Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896, was in Kimberley during the siege. Rhodes’ presence in the town was controversial as he was one of the main protagonists behind the war due to his involved in the botched Jameson Raid. Despite his arrogance and constant disagreement with the military personal charged with the defence of Kimberley, Rhodes was instrumental in organising the defence of the town.

The Boers tried to force the British garrison in the town to surrender by shelling the town with their superior artillery. The first British attempt to relieve Kimberley failed and it was only on the 5th of February 1900 that the siege was finally relieved by a cavalry division under Lieutenant-General John French. After relieving the siege, the British forces immediately continued to battle the Boers under General Piet Cronjé at Paardeberg.

 

 

Armoured Train: Siege of Kimberley, 14th October 1899 to 15th February 1900 during the Great Boer War. Source: https://www.britishbattles.com/great-boer-war/siege-of-kimberley/ Extract from A Ghost and His Gold

PIETER

Injured

The following day, Pieter tells his family about his time on the western front and how, after he’d been injured, the loyal Mhlopi had assisted him home to Irene.

“How did you come to be near Kimberley, Papa? We thought you were still in Mafeking. Oom [Uncle] Jannie told us he’d seen you there.”

“Willem and I were part of the Boer force that left Mafeking on the 18th of November under the leadership of General Cronjé. We marched southwards to Kimberley. Our generals considered Kimberley to be key to the war on the western front.”

“Why is Kimberley more important that Mafeking, Papa?” Estelle looked at him with interest.

“Kimberley’s the second biggest city in the Cape Colony and the centre of the diamond mining operations of the De Beer’s Mining Company. De Beer’s supplies ninety percent of the world’s diamonds, and I’m sure this fuelled our leadership’s desire to occupy this town.”

“Don’t forget, Pieter, that Cecil John Rhodes controls De Beer’s and the mining activities in Kimberley. I’m sure his being in the town was one of the reasons our generals wanted to occupy it,” Marta gently admonished him.

“Yes, you are right, Marta, Cecil John Rhodes’ presence in the town was controversial for us.”

 “Who is Cecil John Rhodes, Papa? Why don’t our generals like him?” Renette’s smooth brow wrinkled as she tried to understand the conversation.

“He was the Cape premier a few years ago and sponsored a raid by the British to try and overthrow Oom Paul and take over the South African Republic. The raid was led by a man called Dr Jameson and it is called the Jameson Raid. Luckily for us, it was unsuccessful, and Dr Jameson was sent to jail,” said Marta.

“Your mother is right. There were several reasons why General Cronjé felt it was important for us to join in the fight against the Khakis in the area surrounding the Modder River and Kimberley, and one of them was the presence of Cecil John Rhodes. Whatever the reasons, Willem and I ended up defending the area around the Modder River.”

Shifting in the bed, Pieter tried to relieve the pressure on his aching ribs.

“I was injured by falling off my horse during a fight with the Khakis’ mounted forces who were riding to relieve Kimberley. When I fell, I feared the worst and thought I would be left behind and captured. Luckily, Willem came to my aide. He managed to help me back onto my horse and we fled the scene and returned to our camp.”

“Why did you fall off your horse?” Renette asked. “You are a good rider.”

“Yes, I’m an excellent rider,” said Papa. “OomWillem and I were scouting with a group of other Burghers when we saw a thick cloud of dust approaching. To be honest, the march on Kimberley under Lord Roberts took us by surprise. The Boers at Magersfontein were engaged in fighting the Khakis under Lord Methuen so they were not able to come to come to our aide. Do you remember that name, Marta? He was the British general who was defeated at Magersfontein on 11 December last year?”

“Yes, I remember,” Marta leaned forward in her chair. “He was attempting to relieve Kimberley. We heard about our splendid victories at the church service on Christmas Day.”

“That’s right. It was a black day for us when Lord Roberts replaced Sir Buller as the Commander in Chief of the Khakis in January. Together with his chief of staff, Lord Kitchener, they have implemented massive changes to the scale, organisation and tactics of the British Army. Lord Roberts has brought all the resources of the British Empire to bear against us and numerous reinforcements have increased the Khakis’ ranks significantly.

“Anyhow, while the Magersfontein Boers were fighting Lord Methuen, a few other commandos were fighting another division of Khakis, under Major General Hector MacDonald, as he marched westward to Koedoesberg. We were unprepared for a large-scale march on Kimberley, as Lord Roberts had been successful at keeping his plans secret, and our numbers were few between the Modder River and the town. The army we faced comprised five divisions and a whole division of cavalry under Lieutenant-General John French. That equals about forty thousand men, Marta.”

Pieter stops talking and gazes into space. Memories assail his mind in a kaleidoscope of sounds, smells and visions.

“At about midday, we saw a large cloud of dust coming our way. Having no idea how many horsemen there were, ten other Burghers, Willem and I quickly set up an ambush. As they drew closer, we could make out a mass of at least seven thousand horses and men. It was a hopeless situation and we prepared to withdraw, but the Khakis saw us and started shelling our position. My horse took fright at an exploding shell and bolted. I fell and broke two ribs, but luckily my horse is well trained, and he came back to me. Oom Willem hoisted me back onto my horse, and we were able to escape.”

Marta’s pale face and the tension around her mouth and eyes suddenly register with Pieter.

Is she upset because of my injury or because the Burghers ran away?

“It was cowardly of you men to flee, you should have stayed and fought,” said Marta, her lip curled with contempt.

How does she think I could have carried on fighting with broken ribs? She’s being ridiculous; if we’d carried on fighting, we would’ve all been killed. A handful of men couldn’t hold back such a significant force.

Smiling wryly, he took a sip of water. “Maybe you are right, Marta, but I was in too much pain to influence that decision.”

 

 

The blurb

After Tom and Michelle Cleveland move into their recently built, modern townhouse, their housewarming party is disrupted when a drunken game with an Ouija board goes wrong and summonses a sinister poltergeist, Estelle, who died in 1904.

Estelle makes her presence known in a series of terrifying events, culminating in her attacking Tom in his sleep with a knife. But, Estelle isn’t alone. Who are the shadows lurking in the background – one in an old-fashioned slouch hat and the other, a soldier, carrying a rifle? 

After discovering their house has been built on the site of one of the original farms in Irene, Michelle becomes convinced that the answer to her horrifying visions lies in the past. She must unravel the stories of the three phantoms’ lives, and the circumstances surrounding their untimely deaths during the Second Anglo Boer War, in order to understand how they are tied together and why they are trapped in the world of ghosts between life and death. As the reasons behind Estelle’s malevolent behaviour towards Tom unfold, Michelle’s marriage comes under severe pressure and both their lives are threatened.

 

 

About Roberta Eaton Cheadle

 

I am a South African writer specialising in historical, paranormal and horror novels and short stories. I am an avid reader in these genres and my writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, the Bronte sisters, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.

I was educated at the University of South Africa where I achieved a Bachelor of Accounting Science in 1996 and a Honours Bachelor of Accounting Science in 1997. I was admitted as a member of The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants in 2000.

I have worked in corporate finance from 2001 until the present date and have written seven publications relating to investing in Africa. I have won several awards over my twenty year career in the category of Transactional Support Services.

I have been published a number of anthologies and have two published YA books, While the Bombs Fell and Through the Nethergate. I have recently published my first adult novel called A Ghost and His Gold which is partly set in South Africa during the Second Anglo Boer War.

Other books by Roberta Eaton Cheadle Through the Nethergate

Margaret, a girl born with second sight, has the unique ability to bring ghosts trapped between Heaven and Hell back to life. When her parents die suddenly, she goes to live with her beloved grandfather, but the cellar of her grandfather’s ancient inn is haunted by an evil spirit of its own.

In the town of Bungay, a black dog wanders the streets, enslaving the ghosts of those who have died unnatural deaths. When Margaret arrives, these phantoms congregate at the inn, hoping she can free them from the clutches of Hugh Bigod, the 12th century ghost who has drawn them away from Heaven’s White Light in his canine guise.

With the help of her grandfather and the spirits she has befriended, Margaret sets out to defeat Hugh Bigod, only to discover he wants to use her for his own ends – to take over Hell itself.

Follow Roberta Eaton Cheadle at:

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https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/

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My review:

 

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

This is a thrilling and gripping read, with a wonderful cast of compelling characters, not to mention a fantastic plot. The author clearly did a lot of research, and reading the details of the war going on when most of the events in the story take place is fascinating, despite the disturbing nature of some of the unfortunately entirely factual occurrences.

I only hesitate to give this book the full five stars because the way the different stories were told required some getting used to, so it took me some time to get in to the book (though I was thoroughly enthralled by the tale once I got used to the way it was being told). Also, I felt the definitions being presented as footnotes rather than simply in a glossary of terms at the end of the book interrupted the flow of the story - something possibly more noticeable to me due to the need to rely on a screen reader to read the book.

*NOTE: I was given a free copy of the 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.