Read and Cook with Robbie Cheadle – The Museum of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle and Toad in the Hole #fiction #cooking
Posted: March 12, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized 35 Comments
The Museum of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle
What Amazon says
Still reeling from the sudden death of her mother, Jess is about to do the hardest thing she’s ever done: empty her childhood home so that it can be sold. As she sorts through a lifetime of memories, everything comes to a halt when she comes across something she just can’t part with: an old set of encyclopedias. To the world, the books are outdated and ready to be recycled. To Jess, they represent love and the future that her mother always wanted her to have.
In the process of finding the books a new home, Jess discovers an unusual archive of letters, photographs, and curious housed in a warehouse and known as the Museum of Ordinary People. Irresistibly drawn, she becomes the museum’s unofficial custodian, along with the warehouse’s mysterious owner. As they delve into the history of objects in their care, they not only unravel heart-stirring stories that span generations and continents, but also unearth long-buried secrets that lie closer to home.
Inspired by an abandoned box of mementos, The Museum of Ordinary People is a poignant novel about memory and loss, the things we leave behind, and the future we create for ourselves.
My review
Most people have items in their lives that are special to them. Items that may not hold a high numerical value but which represent a special time and/or memory in their lives. These are the things we all try to hold on to over the course of our lives. The things stored in a memory suitcase or box that we would save first in the event of a fire or disaster. These are the things that constitute the Museum of Ordinary People.
This book is an extraordinary idea that builds on the concept of beloved possessions with which we do not want to part when someone dies, but which we may not have the space or ability to keep. The author has built a heartfelt and brilliant story around the interesting idea of a museum where these special items from ordinary people can be housed and displayed.
Jess Baxter grow up in Northampton in a single parent family. Her mother is incredibly dear to her and when she dies unexpectedly, Jess is overwhelmed with grief. Jess is left with the dreadful job of going through her mother’s possessions and disposing of them in order to empty her home, ready for sale. With the help of her best friend, Luce, Jess manages to get this task completed, but she hangs on to a set of battered and well used encyclopedias from her childhood. She takes them home to the posh London flat she shares with her boyfriend, Guy, and stores them for a period to time. A year later, Guy decides they should formalise their relationship and purchase a house together. Jess is faced with having to get rid of the encyclopedias. A search uncovers the existence of The Museum of Ordinary People and Jess decides to take the encyclopedias there where they will be safely stored. When she arrives, she finds that the owner has recently died and his business, including the museum, have been inherited by a man called Alex. Alex has terrible scars which have impacted his whole life and turned him into an introvert. Alex doesn’t know what to do with the museum and Jess desperately wants to save it. She also sees the museum as an opportunity for her to act in the capacity of curator of her own museum, a position she has dreamed of. Jess persuades Alex to give her a chance to turn the museum into a money-making venture.
Jess is a lovely character. She is anxious and full of self doubt but she has an inner strength that comes out strongly over the course of the book. She has made some mistakes including her involvement with Guy who is stifling her creativity and preventing her from pursuing her dream. Jess has the strength of character to go against Guy’s wishes and follow her dream which I really enjoyed. She demonstrates determination, a great work ethic and ability to achieve success in difficult circumstances. As the novel progresses, Jess also gets a second chance at love.
A thoroughly entertaining read with a strong female main character.
You can purchase The Museum of Ordinary People here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1538740842
Toad in the Hole, a traditional British recipe
This recipe is available for free on line from Tin Eats here: https://www.recipetineats.com/toad-in-the-hole/
Ingredients (I made double of the Toad in the Hole)
16 pork sausages (pricked on both sides)
Olive oil for cooking the sausages
Yorkshire pudding batter
500 ml egg (I used 10 1/2 eggs) – you need to measure the egg
500 grams all purpose or plain flour
375 ml milk
125 ml cold water
2 Tbspns mayonnaise
1 tspn salt
White pepper to taste
100 ml olive oil
Onion gravy (I did not double this part of the recipe)
Sausage fat and olive oil for frying
1 large red onion chopped
1 tspn garlic flakes
45 ml all purpose or plain flour
500 ml beef stock
5 ml Worcestershire sauce
Black pepper to taste
Method
In a bowl, whisk the flour into the egg. I used an electric mixer. Add the cold water, milk, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Mix until smooth. Place in the refrigerator.
In a frying pan, brown the sausages in a little olive oil. Retain the sausage fat.
Heat the oven to 220C. Place the olive oil (100 ml) into a baking pan and place in the oven for c. 10 minutes. When sizzling hot, remove carefully from the oven and quickly place the sausages all around the pan. Pour over the batter and replace in the oven to cook for c. 35 minutes until golden brown.
Add some olive oil to the sausage fat and cook the onion. Mix in the flour, garlic and black pepper. Add the beef stock stirring continuously. It will thicken quickly. Add the Worcestershire sauce.
Serve immediately.
About Robbie Cheadle
South African author and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated seventeen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, and written and illustrated three poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.
Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/
_______________________________________
Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
_______________________________________
This post is sponsored by the My Backyard Friends Kid’s Book Series and WordCrafter Press.
The My Backyard Friends kid’s book series is inspired by the birds and animals that visit the author Kaye Lynne Booth’s mountain home. Beautiful illustrations by children’s author, poet, and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, bring the unique voices of the animal characters to life.
Get Your Copy Now.
Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/MBF-HeatherHummingbird
Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/MBF-TimothyTurtle
Charlie Chickadee Gets a New Home (Ages 6-8): https://books2read.com/MBF-CharlieChickadee
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In Touch With Nature – Black-backed Jackals #SouthernAfricanwildlife #Intouchwithnature
Posted: February 26, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized 95 Comments
This month, I am introducing you to the black-backed jackal, one of my favourite creatures to see in the bush. They are incredibly quick so getting a decent photograph is difficult. On our last bush trip to Babanango Private Game Reserve in Kwa-Zulu Natal, one decided to post beautifully for me and I got some amazing pictures of this small dog-like creature.
The black-backed jackal, also called the silver-backed jackal, is a medium sized canine native to eastern and southern Africa. These animals are known for their cunning and daring and are sometimes seen nipping into a lion kill and stealing a choice morsel. The black-backed jackal feeds on small mammals, reptiles, birds, eggs, carrion and fruit. They are scavengers but also hunt in their own right.
Five interesting facts about black-backed jackals:
- These creatures are highly vocal. In the early evenings, individuals frequently make high, wailing calls to one another until an unearthly chorus builds up. They also make a continuous yapping sound when tailing a predator like a lion or a leopard, often giving the predator away to its potential prey.
- Fossil deposits have revealed that the black-backed jackal is one of the oldest known dog species. It has remained in its current form for up to 2,5 million years.
- Black-backed jackals are monogamous and form life-long pair bonds. Another interesting fact is that the youngsters from the prior year’s litter often stay around to help their parents raise their next lot of pups before setting out on their own breeding adventure.
- Black-backed jackals are one of the most significant vectors of rabies in southern Africa. They have been associated with epidemics with occur in four to eight year cycles.
- In Khoikhoi folklore, the black-backed jackal frequently travels with the lion which is usually outwits due to its higher intelligence. You can read one of these stories here: https://sacred-texts.com/afr/saft/sft09.htm
My YouTube video of a black-backed jackal up close and personal:
Jackal Love
A black backed jackal couple
Dash across the road
Happy to spend his life in monogamy
He courts his future bride
And they mate for life
***
“What would you like, my dear
for your wedding feast?
How about a yummy dung beetle or two?
Or some tasty locusts?
A meal for a king”
***
Life couldn’t be better
For the newly weds
Then the lion pride makes a wildebeest kill
Leftovers for dinner
When they are finished
The above poem is from my poetry collection, Lion Scream: Syllabic Poetry about Southern African Wildlife available from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/Lion-Scream-Syllabic-Southern-Wildlife-ebook/dp/B0BXP5N766
About Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Roberta Eaton Cheadle, is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader in these genres and her writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.
Roberta has two published novels and a collection of short stories and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories included in several anthologies. She is also a contributor to the Ask the Authors 2022 (WordCrafter Writing Reference series).
Roberta is also the author and illustrator of sixteen children’s books, illustrator to a further three children’s books, and the author and illustrator of three poetry books published under the name of Robbie Cheadle, and has poems and short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
Roberta’s blog features discussions about classic books, book reviews, poetry, and photography. https://roberta-writes.com/.
Find Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Blog: https://wordpress.com/view/robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/robbiecheadle.bsky.social
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Roberta-Eaton-Cheadle/e/B08RSNJQZ5
___________________________________________
Like this post? Are you a fan of this blog series? Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
__________________________________________
This segment of “In Touch with Nature” is sponsored by the Midnight Anthology Series and WordCrafter Press.
Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories: 20 authors bring your nightmares to life in 23 stories of ghosts, paranormal phenomenon and the horror from the dark crevasses of their minds. Stories of stalkers, both human and supernatural, possession and occult rituals, alien visitations of the strange kind, and ghostly tales that will give you goosebumps. These are the tales that will make you fear the dark. Read them at the Midnight Roost… if you dare. https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Roost-Kaye-Lynne-Booth-ebook/dp/B0CL6FPLVJ
Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow: 17 authors bring you 21 magnificent dark tales. Stories of magic, monsters and mayhem. Tales of murder and madness which will make your skin crawl. These are the tales that explore your darkest fears. Read them in the Midnight Garden… if you dare. https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Garden-Where-Tales-Anthology-ebook/dp/B0DJNDQJD3
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Treasuring Poetry – Meet poet and author, Cindy Georgakas and a book review #poetry #TreasuringPoetry #bookreview
Posted: February 19, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized 59 Comments
Today, I am delighted to introduce you to poet and author, Cindy Georgakas. Cindy is one of the most upbeat and positive people I’ve ever met and her book and poetry are a delight to read.
What is your favorite style of poetry to read i.e. haiku, ballad, epic, freestyle, etc.
I love everything about spoken word poetry. The story, the inflection, the rhyming at times, the metered lines, the buildup, emotions that come with it and the message it sends. Like most of us, Amanda Gorman is so talented and hearing her spoken word resonates deeply with me. I also love Sara Kaye and Phil Kaye and they are not related I might add. I have posted about them which you can find here if you like https://uniquelyfitblog.com/2023/04/14/update-spoken-word-poetry-shark-tank-tonight/. This is a wonderful poem they did together which explains their story.
I love reading poetry or anything else for that matter that reaches my heart and soul and if it doesn’t it’s very difficult for me to engage with it. If it’s too ambiguous and I have the think too long, I’m not interested.
And although I love lot’s of styles and it fascinates me, my time is so limited, I need to adhere to what I love at the moment. Perhaps someday it could be fun to explore other forms but for now, I have to honor my truth.
I find it the same with movies. I’ll give them 10-15 minutes and if I’m not engaged, I’ll walk out. Life is too full in my world and I value my time and the people in front of me so I have to be selective to protect my sanity and those I love.
The same is true with engaging with others online and in “real life”. We can’t be all things to all people nor can we respond to everything or we wouldn’t get anything done. So do what you love and do it well and be as kind to yourself as you are to others.
What is your favorite poem in your favorite style to read?
I would have to say that freestyle/prose poetry is a favorite of mine. As you know, I am a non-poet turned poet without any formal training. Words come to me day or night and I write them down as they get downloaded to me, from where, I don’t know but deep inside my unconscious brain at times. Sometimes they rhyme, sometimes they don’t, some lines appear metered but not by intention, some I use refrain and repeat which happens if it happens but not by design. Often its stream of consciousness that appears on the page.
With your question came the opportunity to visit poets that write similar in nature or of those I respect and admire. Thank you, Robbie, for these questions that I have to say felt daunting to me at first. I even asked our friend Diana Wallace Peach https://mythsofthemirror.com/ about freestyle poets I might connect with, and she gave me some insight. In her review of my book, she said:
“Most of the poetry reflects a style I’d refer to as “delineated prose,” more conversational and accessible than poetry dense with metaphor and lyrical imagery. This style makes the collection a quick, easy read, primarily addressing “you,” the reader/seeker of a happier, more balanced life.”
This was very enlightening to me because I had never heard that term before. Digging deeper was a lesson in getting to know poets of my similar genre that I enjoy reading and writing and finding out what it is I love about each one. Many poets came to mind, each that have a brilliant way with words. Jack Kerouac, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickenson, Allen Ginsberg, Mary Oliver, Maya D’Angelo and many in our community as well, including you and Diana. Thank you, Cindy.
While there are so many amazing authors, I have to say I truly connect with Maya D’Angelo. Here writing is always aimed to connect people, stop the segregation and differences between us and look for the similarities. She was bright, witty, funny and poignant all at the same time and left a piece of her heart in every word so we might share her message to those who might need to hear it. I love this poem she wrote which is an example of her courage, compassion and love of humanity.
Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud by Maya Angelou
I’ve had so many rainbows in my clouds
I had a lot of clouds
So I don’t ever feel
I have no help
I’ve had rainbows in my clouds
And the thing to do it seems to me
Is to prepare yourself
So that you can be a rainbow
In somebody else’s cloud
Somebody who may not look like you
May not call God the same name you call God
If they call god at all
You see
May not eat the same dishes prepared the way you do
May not dance your dances
or speak your language
But be a blessing to somebody
That’s what I think.
What is your favorite style of poetry to write? Why?
I love how it flows from my brain to my fingertips, tongue and quill, otherwise mostly my computer.
What is your favorite of your own poems?
This was the poem Diana chose that was one of her favorites of my work, and I think it is a great example of words flowing through as a facet of myself and how I connect spiritually to the universe and my day. Although a short poem, one that brings peace when I read it.
The Way
It’s between the familiar and the unfamiliar where I meet my soul. The calling, the dance, the way, where clouds shift, birds sing, around my head buzzing in my ears and eyes and the boulders of my mind, that wake to what’s important in this uncharted territory.
Please tell us about your poetry book, Celebrating Poetry. What is your main intention with this collection of poems.
My poems are a culmination of poems moving the reader from dark to lightness in 4 Steps mirroring my first book, Re-Create & Celebrate: 7 Steps To Turn Your Dreams Into Reality.
Step 1 Finding Your Path
Step 2 From Darkness to Light
Step 3 Ignite Your Light
Step 4 Celebrate
My intention and hope is that as one of my word press friends says “reading Cindy’s books to find a warm embrace on a dark night”. That really hit home with me as the writer of my own words and as a reader when I heard them in a review. My hope is that we can heal the wounds of our past, grow from obstacles in our path, light a way to the future and celebrate each moment of our lives and hold ourselves through each facet of joy, pain, sadness and happiness by loving ourselves and others. There is a place to write your own reflections and maybe even write a poem of your own. Life takes us to places we least expect as I have found that keep unfolding before my eyes.
About Cindy Georgakas
Cindy is a San Francisco native and currently lives nestled in the trees in a small community with her husband. She is a health and wellness professional, a certified life coach, personal trainer, yoga/meditation teacher,and bodyworker. She draws inspiration from her clients, friends, four children, 4 legged furry kids and nature.
Her new book Celebrating Poetry is a #1 New Top Release on Amazon. It is a companion guide to her book, Re-Create & Celebrate: 7 Steps to Live the Life of Your Dreams, has over 41 5 Star Reviews. She was voted Author of the Month on Spillwords Press in April 2023 and Publication of the Month on Spillwords in October 2022.
She is a co-author of #1 Amazon Bestseller, Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women, #1 Best Seller of Hidden In Childhood: A Poetry Anthology and is also a Treasured Contributor to MastecadoresUsa.
You can read more of Cindy’s work at Unique Times by Cindy Georgakas.
Author New Release Re-Create & Celebrate: 7 Steps to turn your Dreams in Reality Amazon
Author Of The Year 2024 Spillwords Press
Co-Author, #1 Amazon Bestseller, Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women
Co-Author, #1 Amazon Bestseller, Hidden in Childhood, A Poetry Anthology
Co-Author, # 1 Amazon New Release, Petals Haiku: An Anthology
Monthly Contributor, 2022/23, MasticadoresUSA
Website: uniquelyfit.net
My review of Celebrating Poetry by Cindy Georgakas
This delightful book of poetry is a companion to this poet and author’s motivational book, Re-Create & Celebrate: 7 Steps to turn your Dreams into Reality. Celebrating Poetry shares the same helpful and uplifting messages on how to help yourself make the most of life and find joy. Celebrating Poetry is divided into four distinct sections, namely, Trusting Your Path, From Darkness to Light, Ignite Insight, and CELEBRATE! Each of the sections starts with a motivational message of how the author has achieved the goal set out in the section title. The main messaging being as follows: “It is my hope that you move through these poems and grow more in acceptance and self-love so you can enjoy life to the fullest.”
The poet is an exceptional person with a strong character and ability to guide and provide strength to others. These characteristics shine through in every poem in this collection. I finished reading this book feeling revitalized and ready to take on the world and make the most of every opportunity presented to me.
One of my favourite poems in this collection is Enjoy the Music of Silence. This is an extract:
“Enjoy the music of silence
where stillness resides:
Feel your heartbeat,
your very first instrument.
Some days it might be out of tune,
and other times, in perfect harmony.
March to the beat of your own drum,
For you are the conductor of your life.”
These are words to live by, for me.
The collection finishes with this empowering quote: “The length of our life is love, not length of time or years, and as we love, eternity appears.”
A most delightful collection that I highly recommend.
You can purchase Celebrating Poetry from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/Celebrating-Poetry-Cindy-Georgakas-ebook/dp/B0DNBPC4GP
About Robbie Cheadle
South African author and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated sixteen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, and written and illustrated three poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.
Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/
________________________
Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
__________________________
This segment of “Treasuring Poetry” is sponsored by WordCrafter Press and the Poetry Treasures series.
Get Your Copy Today!
Poetry Treasures: https://books2read.com/PoetryTreasures
Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships: https://books2read.com/PT2-Relationships
Poetry Treasures 3: Passions: https://books2read.com/u/b5qnBR
Poetry Treasures 4:In Touch With Nature: https://books2read.com/PT4-Nature
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Reasons why you may want to self-publish.
Posted: December 19, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentShare this:
Day 2 of the WordCrafter “The French Winemaker’s Daughter” Book Blog Tour
Posted: December 17, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment
For Day 2 of the WordCrafter The French Winemaker’s Daughter Book Blog Tour, we’re over at Carla Reads with a guest post from author Loretta Ellsworth. I hope you’ll join us.
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In Touch With Nature – The African Spoonbill #Africanbirds #InTouchWithNature #poetry
Posted: November 27, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized 46 Comments
Today, I am sharing about the African Spoonbill bird, which is found across Africa and Madagascar, including Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe using the format of a rensaku tanka poem. A rensaku is a series of tanka poems (syllabic poems using the form of 5/7/5/7/7) to tell a story.
I have included some of my photographs and videos to embellish the story.
African Spoonbill
Long tapering legs
Atop a pure white body
African Spoonbill
Red legs match its red eye mask
No crest adorns its sleek head
***
African Spoonbill
Named for its spatulate bill
Long and coloured grey
From side-to-side its bill swings
Open to catch tasty food
***
Living in marshes
With open shallow waters
African Spoonbill
Hunts water loving creatures
Including fish and molluscs
***
African Spoonbill
Builds its nest in colonies
In trees or reedbeds
From sticks and reeds lined with leaves
And breeds during winter months
***
To woo a female
Males develop bright plumage
She then lays five eggs
African Spoonbill males help
With incubation and care
***
Unable to fly
African Spoonbill youngsters
Are dependent for
A twenty-day period
Before leaving their parents
My YouTube video of an African Spoonbill hunting for food with the typical swaying motion:
About Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Roberta Eaton Cheadle, is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader in these genres and her writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.
Roberta has two published novels and a collection of short stories and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories included in several anthologies. She is also a contributor to the Ask the Authors 2022 (WordCrafter Writing Reference series).
Roberta is also the author and illustrator of sixteen children’s books, illustrator to a further three children’s books, and the author and illustrator of three poetry books published under the name of Robbie Cheadle, and has poems and short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
Roberta’s blog features discussions about classic books, book reviews, poetry, and photography. https://roberta-writes.com/.
Find Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Blog: https://wordpress.com/view/robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobertaEaton17
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Roberta-Eaton-Cheadle/e/B08RSNJQZ5
___________________________________________
Like this post? Are you a fan of this blog series? Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
__________________________________________
This segment of “In Touch with Nature” is sponsored by the Midnight Anthology Series and WordCrafter Press.
Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories: 20 authors bring your nightmares to life in 23 stories of ghosts, paranormal phenomenon and the horror from the dark crevasses of their minds. Stories of stalkers, both human and supernatural, possession and occult rituals, alien visitations of the strange kind, and ghostly tales that will give you goosebumps. These are the tales that will make you fear the dark. Read them at the Midnight Roost… if you dare.
Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow: 17 authors bring you 21 magnificent dark tales. Stories of magic, monsters and mayhem. Tales of murder and madness which will make your skin crawl. These are the tales that explore your darkest fears. Read them in the Midnight Garden… if you dare.
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In Touch With Nature: Halloween special – Elephant graveyard: fact or fiction #InTouchWithNature #Elephants
Posted: October 23, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized 60 Comments
What is an elephants’ graveyard?
According to legend, an elephants’ graveyard is a place where old elephants instinctively go when they reach a certain age. In essence, it is a place where old elephants are believed to go to die.
Fact or fiction?
The concept of an elephant’s graveyard is a myth. However, elephant remains are often found in specific areas due to their favourable geographics. Injured or older elephants often settle in areas with easy access to water and food leading to concentrations of carcasses in those areas. In addition, group killings by hunters have also led to the discovery of numerous bones in one spot. In these cases, the tusks of the elephants are missing.
The concept of an elephant graveyard first appeared in The Ivory Child by Sir Rider Haggard (the 12th of the 18 Allan Quatermain adventures). This is a short extract of Haggard’s description of the elephant graveyard:
“Ten minutes or so more brought us to the eastern head of the lake, where the reeds whispered in the breath of the night wind like things alive. As I expected, it proved to be a bare, open space where nothing seemed to grow. Yes, and all about me were the decaying remains of elephants, hundreds of them, some with their bones covered in moss, that may have lain here for generations, and others more newly dead. They were all old beasts as I could tell by the tusks, whether male or female. Indeed about me within a radius of a quarter of a mile lay enough ivory to make a man very rich for life, since although discoloured, much of it seemed to have kept quite sound, like human teeth in a mummy case. The sight gave me a new zest for life. If only I could manage to survive and carry off that ivory! I would. In this way or in that I swore that I would! Who could possibly die with so much ivory to be had for the taking? Not that old hunter, Allan Quatermain.
Then I forgot about the ivory, for there in front of me, just where it should be, just as I had seen it in the dream-picture, was the bull elephant dying, a thin and ancient brute that had lived its long life to the last hour. It searched about as though to find a convenient resting-place, and when this was discovered, stood over it, swaying to and fro for a full minute. Then it lifted its trunk and trumpeted shrilly thrice, singing its swan-song, after which it sank slowly to its knees, its trunk outstretched and the points of its worn tusks resting on the ground. Evidently it was dead.”
You can read The Ivory Child for free on Project Gutenberg here: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2841/2841-h/2841-h.htm.
The concept of an elephants’ graveyard was then popularized in some films, including Disney’s The Lion King.
Do elephants mourn their dead?
Yes, elephants do mourn their dead. They also mourn any elephant bones they come across during their long marches. They gather around and touch the dead or bones with their sensitive trunks for long periods of time.
Elephant mothers have been known to lift the bodies of their dead calves up with their trunks and put them in a place where the body is then covered with twigs, sticks, and dirt. The other female members of the herd assist in this ritual.
On a happier note, here are a few pictures of elephant calves that I saw during my recent trip to Madikwe Game Reserve:
The above painting is in Michael and my new children’s book called Sesi says goodbye to Granny. The ebook is available for preorder from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/goodbye-Granny-Southern-African-Adventures-ebook/dp/B0DKCD2Y7X
I created this ebook in landscape orientation because that better suited the pictures. It was a difficult process and the cover doesn’t show on Amazon. This is the cover:
I am now battling with the Zone over the print book. Watch this space.
Extract from Amahle’s Demon
I love elephants and they fascinate me. So much so, that my short story in Midnight Garden is also about an elephant. I wasn’t able to prepare a post for the recent tour due to my aunt’s lengthily illness (she is much better now), so I’m sharing a short extract here.
“The crunch of steps on the gravel path outside the elephant enclosure caused Amahle to look up. A young man was approaching, his stride long and loose. His broad smile displayed a set of large, straight teeth that shone whitely against the dark skin of his round face. He wore the khaki uniform of an elephant carer.
“Amahle,” the familiar voice greeted her. “I’ve brought you a treat.
Out of the corner of her left eye, Amahle saw an apple moving towards her on the outstretched palm of Themba, her primary carer.
Taking the apple, Amahle crunched it with relish, apple juice squeezing out from between her large, flat molar teeth. The man’s arm reached out again to stroke her soft trunk.
“Hello, Amahle,” Themba said. “I see you’ve been enjoying …”
Through blurry eyes, Amahle saw a snake approaching. Backing away from the potential threat, she flapped her ears in distress. Her left foot rocked up and down, kicking up a cloud of red dust.
The snake disappeared. Not knowing where it had gone, Amahle raised her trunk and trumpeted loudly.”
About Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Roberta Eaton Cheadle, is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader in these genres and her writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.
Roberta has two published novels and a collection of short stories and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories included in several anthologies. She is also a contributor to the Ask the Authors 2022 (WordCrafter Writing Reference series).
Roberta is also the author and illustrator of sixteen children’s books, illustrator to a further three children’s books, and the author and illustrator of three poetry books published under the name of Robbie Cheadle, and has poems and short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
Roberta’s blog features discussions about classic books, book reviews, poetry, and photography. https://roberta-writes.com/.
Find Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Blog: https://wordpress.com/view/robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobertaEaton17
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Roberta-Eaton-Cheadle/e/B08RSNJQZ5
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This segment of “In Touch with Nature” is sponsored by the Midnight Anthology Series and WordCrafter Press.
Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories: 20 authors bring your nightmares to life in 23 stories of ghosts, paranormal phenomenon and the horror from the dark crevasses of their minds. Stories of stalkers, both human and supernatural, possession and occult rituals, alien visitations of the strange kind, and ghostly tales that will give you goosebumps. These are the tales that will make you fear the dark. Read them at the Midnight Roost… if you dare.
https://books2read.com/MidnightRoost
Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow: 17 authors bring you 21 magnificent dark tales. Stories of magic, monsters and mayhem. Tales of murder and madness which will make your skin crawl. These are the tales that explore your darkest fears. Read them in the Midnight Garden… if you dare.
https://books2read.com/MidnightGardenAnthology
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Read and cook with Robbie Cheadle – Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice and New Orleans Gumbo #bookreview #recipe #Readandcook
Posted: October 9, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized 59 Comments
Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice
This book is a fascinatingly different take on the traditional vampire story. Louis, a vampire, decides to share the story of his life’s journey as a vampire with a young journalist. The journalist is scared of Louis but is so interested in the story, he remains to hear it all.
Louis story begins in 1791 when he is the owner of a plantation, Pointe du Lac, outside of New Orleans. Louis is grieving the death of his younger brother for which he feels responsible. While deranged with grief, Louis meets a vampire named Lestat and falls under his charismatic spell. In a state of semi-entrancement, Louis allows himself to be turned into a vampire by Lestat who is searching for a companion in his immortality. After his conversion, Lestat pushes himself into Louis life, moving into the manor house and living a life of luxury at Louis expense. Lestat happily feeds on and kills humans, but Louis cannot bring himself to adopt the ways of the vampire. Louis exists by drinking the blood of animals. He resents Lestat and his vampirical ways disgust Louis.
The plantation employees eventually work out that the pair are vampires and attack the manor house, intending to kill them. The two men escape but the planation is burned to the ground. With the help of a woman whom Louis is passionately in love with, the vampires escape to New Orleans. Before Louis leaves, the woman tells him she believes him to be evil and a devil. These words wound Louis deeply and in New Orlans he attempts to give in to his vampire nature. He feeds on a five year old girl, Claudia, but he doesn’t kill her. Lestat finds out about Claudia and decides to turn her into a vampire, despite her young age, to bond Louis to him. He knows that Louis will take responsibility for their young charge.
The trio life in relative peace for many years but Claudia becomes very frustrated as she matures into a woman trapped in a child’s body. She develops a hatred for Lestat and kills him. Knowing the murder of one of their own is against the vampire law, Louis flees to Europe with Claudia in order to protect her. In Europe, the pair seek other vampires and try to build a new life.
Louis is a tragic and conflicted character. He was unhappy as a human and he remains unhappy subsequent to his conversion into a vampire. He is completely morally conflicted and cannot bring himself to feed on and kill humans for many years. Feeding for vampires is described as being almost sexual in its intense joy and Louis is completely miserable as a result of his self denial. He is also resentful towards Lestat who trapped him into the immortal life he despises. Louis is intelligent and learned, but he is intensely lonely. He wants to find a community of similar minded vampires to live with. Unfortunately, all the other vampires he meets are animalistic and driven by blood lust and a desire to live the high life. Louis becomes embittered and lonelier as the years pass by. I finished the book feeling incredibly sorry for Louis and even having some feelings of pity for Lestat.
Interview with a Vampire is well written and an interesting examination of themes of loyalty, the nature of evil, immortality and its meaning, and the link between violence and death and eroticism and desire. The settings are all dark and gothic and fit well with the themes of the book and its horror genre.
I recommend this book as an excellent Halloween read for readers who enjoy books with strong characterisations and dark, gothic settings.
Purchase Interview with a Vampire from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345476875
Quotes from Interview with a Vampire
“Evil is a point of view. We are immortal. And what we have before us are the rich feasts that conscience cannot appreciate and mortal men cannot know without regret. God kills, and so shall we; indiscriminately He takes the richest and the poorest, and so shall we; for no creatures under God are as we are, none so like Him as ourselves, dark angels not confined to the stinking limits of hell but wandering His earth and all its kingdoms.”
“It was as if the empty nights were made for thinking of him. And sometimes I found myself so vividly aware of him it was as if he had only just left the room and the ring of his voice were still there. And somehow, there was a disturbing comfort in that, and, despite myself, I’d envision his face.”
“It was as if this night were only one of thousands of nights, world without end, night curving into night to make a great arching line of which I couldn’t see the end, a night in which I roamed alone under cold, mindless stars.”
New Orleans Gumbo with a South African flavour
I’ve paired Interview with a Vampire with New Orleans Gumbo which I gave a South African flavour.
Ingredients
Olive oil for cooking
1 x brown onion, diced
8 x spring onions, sliced
2 x medium eggplants (bringal or aubergine), diced
1 x large pepper, diced. I used a yellow one
150 grams dried sausage, I used South African Chili droewors
30 ml (2 tablespoons) Cajun seasoning
15 ml (1 tablespoon) garlic flakes
1 kg deboned and skinless chicken breasts cut into quarters
500 grams peeled prawns
For the sauce:
250 grams butter
500 ml cake flour
1 litre chicken stock
1 litre milk
Extra:
10 grams chopped fresh parsley
Method
Heat olive oil in a wok or large frying pan. Fry onion, spring onion and celery until golden. Add the eggplant and green pepper and fry for a further 5 minutes. Eggplant should be turning golden. Add the dried sausage, Cajun seasoning, and the garlic flakes. Fry until cooked through and then set aside.
Add the chicken stock stirring continuously and then add the milk slowly. Stir until all lumps are gone and the liquid is smooth. Continue to stir until the mixture thickens into a sauce. The sauce is ready at the point when bubble start forming on the surface. Add the chicken and the vegetables and turn down to a simmer.
In a large saucepan, cook the chicken is a little olive oil until about 2/3rds cooked. Remove from pot and set aside. Melt the butter in the saucepan. Add the flour and mix to form a thick paste, allow to cook for a few minutes (this is called a rue).
In a separate frying pan, cook the prawns in a little butter until pink all over. Add the prawns to the chicken mixture. Your gumbo is now ready to serve with rice.
My short video of the finished product:
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This post is sponsored by the Midnight Dark Fiction Anthology Series and WordCrafter Press.
Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories – https://books2read.com/MidnightRoost
Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow – https://books2read.com/MidnightGardenAnthology
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In Touch With Nature: The rare and beautiful brown hyena #brownhyena #Intouchwithnature
Posted: September 25, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized 58 CommentsDuring my recent trip to Madikwe Game Reserve, I was truly privileged to see a brown hyena. Brown hyena are rare, their status is near threatened and their population is decreasing. They are also secretive and solitary scavengers who are nocturnal. Generally, the only sign I see of brown hyena activity is their footprints in the morning dew.
Brown hyenas have pointed ears and striped legs with a dark brown to black shaggy coat. The shoulders and neck are lighter in colour. Brown hyenas are smaller than spotted or laughing hyenas, standing at 0.8 metres at the shoulders and weighing approximately 40 kilograms. They have a long cream-coloured mane which extends from the back of their necks to their shoulder blades. Their legs have brown and grey bars.
The brown hyena is a carnivore but is mainly a scavenger, feeding on the carcasses of large herbivores killed by other animals. It supplements its diet with insects, birds’ eggs, and will fruits and will occasionally kill small animals. Brown hyenas have powerful jaws and young hyenas can crack the leg bones of an small antelope in five minutes. Their teeth and jaws deteriorate with age and dental wear.
Brown hyenas live in small clans ranging from a breeding pair and their young to groups of several mature males and females. The clan defends its territory as a group but they do not forage as a group. Brown hyenas live in thick bushes, deserted Aardvark burrows or caves.
Brown hyenas mark their territory by ‘pasting’, a process whereby the hyena deposits secretions from its large anal gland on vegetation and boulders. The anal gland is located below the base of the tail and produces a black and white paste. I have seen this pasting in various places during safaris in the game reserve.
This is not my video but it is interesting. A brown hyena chases a leopard up a tree.
I wrote a song parady recently about the brown hyena and the fact they do not laugh like the spotted hyena. You can read it here: https://roberta-writes.com/2024/09/06/roberta-writes-thursday-doors-and-dverse-just-for-laughs-madikwe-brownhyenas-songparody/
About Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Roberta Eaton Cheadle, is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader in these genres and her writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.
Roberta has two published novels and a collection of short stories and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories included in several anthologies. She is also a contributor to the Ask the Authors 2022 (WordCrafter Writing Reference series).
Roberta is also the author and illustrator of sixteen children’s books, illustrator to a further three children’s books, and the author and illustrator of three poetry books published under the name of Robbie Cheadle, and has poems and short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
Roberta’s blog features discussions about classic books, book reviews, poetry, and photography. https://roberta-writes.com/.
Find Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Blog: https://wordpress.com/view/robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobertaEaton17
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Roberta-Eaton-Cheadle/e/B08RSNJQZ5
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This segment of “In Touch with Nature” is sponsored by Midnight Roost: Weird & Creepy Stories and WordCrafter Press.
20 authors bring your nightmares to life in 23 stories of ghosts, paranormal phenomenon and the horror from the dark crevasses of their minds. Stories of stalkers, both human and supernatural, possession and occult rituals, alien visitations of the strange kind, and ghostly tales that will give you goosebumps. These are the tales that will make you fear the dark. Read them at the Midnight Roost… if you dare.
On sale now for only $4.99
June 15 – August 31,2024
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Day 2 of the WordCrafter “Tales From the Hanging Tree” Book Blog Tour
Posted: September 10, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized 2 Comments
We’re ‘hanging around’ on Roberta Writes for Day 2 of the WordCrafter Tales From the Hanging Tree Book Blog Tour with a guest post from me about the inspiration for this dark anthology. Come join us.
