Another Barmy Word Quiz.

Put your ‘thinking caps’ on! It’s time for another word quiz. The answers will be revealed in the next blog.

Yes, these are all real words, I didn’t make them up. Impress your pals at the Super Bowl Party. Jim really wants to be asked the meaning of edacious, with a mouthful of nachos and salsa dripping from his chin onto his 49ers jersey.

Win your date’s heart by complimenting her beautiful oxters. You’re welcome!

Time to play. As in the last word quiz, please practice ‘Googlestraint.’  (I coined that one, no copyright permission required). You can write your answers in the comments section.

Here we go!

Ulotrichous

A: An act of disrespect towards royalty

B: Having wooly or crispy hair

C: Parent or guardian who is abusive towards his/her children

D: One who is difficult to reason with

 

Doodle Sack

A: A satchell used to carry odds and ends

B: Offensive slang term for male genitalia

C: Bagpipe

D: A term for one who paints or draws graffitti everywhere

 

Tittynope

A: Slang term for refusal to enter an area where creepy, crawlies exist. Such as cellars, attics, and seedy drinking establishments.  Basically, “Not going in there!”

B: Hemp rope used on ships from 16th to the early 19th century

C: A small quantity of something leftover

D:  Slang term for a part on a train coupler, officially called a ‘Hole Cap’

 

Kakorrhaphiophobia

A: Fear of being watched

B: Fear of failure

C: Fear of insects that hop

D: Fear of rejection

Thanks for playing!

 

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Heed The Wise

That road ahead, the warning signs placed by those who’ve gone before,

I sense deception, they cannot be trusted, they guide to the mundane

A life of fun, adventure, my way, anything else is a bore

Ignore their words, their banal minds have grown far too lame

Steer my life away from stoicism, only frivolity satisfies my core

Nothing untoward shall happen to me, it’s all a silly game

Help! Your advice had merit, should have heeded, mired forever I’ll be

Shake your heads, when I open my eyes, that’s what I’ll see

No? Wait! With rope and chain you’re all coming back for me

You rescued me, despite my mockery, set me on a clear road

My family, friends, because of you, I will live each day, gratefully.

Sunshine Blogger Award

I came off a few long days of work to find a wonderful surprise when I checked the comments on my blogsite.

I’ve been nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award! I was pleasantly surprised and honored!

The award is given out by members of the blogging community in recognition of their inspiring, creative, and motivational blogs.

I would like to thank Chris, whose informative and motivational blog Living Healthier  and Happier    is full of helpful articles that give great advice on diet, mental/physical health, financial issues, and everyday challenges. I highly recommend a visit, just click on the link above.

Chris has asked me to answer eleven personal question, so here goes:

1. How long have you been blogging?

Two years.

2. What inspired you to start a blog?

I’m working on my second novel, and novel writing is a marathon. I wanted a way to connect with people in a more consistent way. I also enjoy reading the works of other bloggers and have learned so much from them.

3. How  much time do you spend blogging each week?

It depends on the subject and blog length. In general, I devote around two hours.

5. It’s The Sunshine Blogger Award so how do you spread rays of sunshine on your blog?

I try to focus on the positive things in life. People need a break from the negativity in  media, such as the news. There are still so many good experiences, and people, in this world. For the most part, I write about those. If I can make someone smile, or brighten their day in even a small way, my blog has done its job.

6. If you were to impart some words of wisdom about blogging, what would they be?

I don’t mean this in a bad way, but people are busy.  Most readers are probably enjoying more than one blog. What I’ve found is that shorter blogs, with a few impactful  paragraphs and some interesting photos, receive the most positive feedback.

7. What has influenced your blog most?

Personal experiences and ideas that I want to share.

8. What do you like best about blogging?

The connection with readers and hosting guest bloggers. I enjoy giving a boost to others.

9. Describe your blog using five adjectives.  

fun/ unique/ emotional (at times)/ encouraging/ thought-provoking

10. What advice would you give a new blogger?

Read, read, read! Before you type the first words of your new blog, find and follow those of the experienced and successful. Learn from them, like and COMMENT  on their posts. It takes awhile, but if you give support, you will reap the benefits. Do not copy the voice of others, find your own and be consistent in your posts and loyal to your followers.

11. Which blog topics are your favorites to read?

Travel blogs . . . I would love to travel more, but time and resources do not allow for this. I enjoy living vicariously through those blogs!

Here are some inspirational bloggers that I nominate for the Sunshine Blogger Award. I chose them because they are committed to blooging excellence!  

D.L Finn

Fiction Favorites with John W. Howell

Happiness Between The Tails, by DA-AL

Be Inspred . . . !! 

Daniel Kemp

Robbie’s Inspiration

Anita Dawes and Jaye Marie

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

Fractured Faith Blog

Rest & Chaos

The Indie Spot!

This is My Truth Now

For accepting the Sunshine Blogger Award nomination, there are a few rules:

• Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you and link back to their blog.

• Answer 11 questions the blogger asked you.

• List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award in your blog post.

• Nominate 11 new bloggers & their blogs. Leave a comment on their blog to let them know they received the award and ask your nominees 11 new questions.

I love to know what makes people ‘tick’ so here are 11 questions for you. I promise, nothing embarrasing. If there are any questions you do not wish to answer, please feel free to give them a pass.

1. What is the most extreme “sport” you’ve done (if any)? 

2. Do you have a favorite travel destination? If so, where?

3. What is your favorite blog topic? 

4. Do you have a prefered time of day to blog? When?

5. Do you drink coffee while you blog?

6. Do you have pets?

7. If you were trying to fix a broken shovel handle and a 500 pound gorilla came up to you with a roll of tape, what would you do? 

8. Do you prefer to swim in a pool or a natural body of water? 

9. It’s Thanksgiving- turkey, some other type of meat, or no meat?

10. Given the choice, would you prefer a spider or a snake in your home? 

11. What type of music do you listen to? 

That’s it! All done! I wish you all the best in 2020! Keep writing those wonderful blogs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Wishes for you in 2020

New Year’s Day, along with another decade, is now in the history books. I wanted to get a blog out yesterday, however other commitments prevented this from happening.

Just a short one today, and at the risk of sounding cliché, I offer you three wishes for the upcoming year.

Peace

Triumphs and challenges will come this year. In either, may you find true solace and rest. Discover whatever, or whomever, nurtures you and seek shelter there.

 

Joy

May you find happiness in whatever circumstance life throws at you. As with peace, this is not always easy, but you know what they say about every cloud.

There is so much we cannot control and letting them go can be a struggle. However, tidbits of wonderful things exist everywhere. A great cup of coffee and conversation with a friend. The loyalty of a beloved pet. Appreciating these blessings is one of the best therapies.

 

Hope

May you remain optimistic and resilient. Uplift the downtrodden and take the hand that reaches to help you up. We need each other!

This list is not exhaustive, and I could go on, but your time would be better spent ‘getting out there’ and living your life to the fullest! All the best in 2020 and beyond!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guest Post by Robbie Cheadle

Welcome back! As Christmas fast approaches and (some of us) are looking for that ‘perfect gift,’ might I suggest a great book? Today I have the pleasure of hosting talented author, Robbie Cheadle! I’m sure her books would make a wonderful stocking stuffer! Today, she will be discussing her children’s book, While The Bombs Fell. If you like what you see here, purchase and social media links can be found at the very bottom of this blog. Thank you, Robbie, for visiting me today, and thank you, dear reader, for your visit, as well. Enjoy!

While the Bombs Fell, a fictionalised biography.

What I intended when I wrote this book for children.

While the Bombs Fell is a fictionalised account of my mother’s life growing up in Bungay, East Anglia in England during World War II.

My mother, Elsie Patricia Eaton nee Hancy was only one year old when Britain declared war on Nazi Germany on 1 September 1939. This book commences in June 1942, when she was just over three and a half years old. My mother has some very clear memories of her childhood, but she cannot recall all the detail as she was too young.  Even if she had been a bit older, I doubt she would have known the name of the Dig for Victory campaign for example. She can, however, remember all the vegetable gardens her mother and their neighbours had in and around the town.  She can remember that the nearby city of Norwich was badly bombed during the war but she doesn’t recall specific details such as the  women and children evacuating the city in the early evening and passing the night in the countryside, away from the bombing. This was in May so the conditions would have been cold and miserable. It is for this reason that I say this book is a fictionalized biography. I have had to fill in the gaps in my mother’s memories with research and a bit of fiction.

I wrote While the Bombs Fell for children so that they could visit the days of this war in a fun and simple way and experience what life was like for children living in this time. My hope is that will remember the experiences and anxieties of Elsie and know that war is a terrible thing for everyone involved, not just the soldiers on the fronts.

I wrote this book along similar lines to the Little House on the Prairie series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder which give an account of her life growing up as a small girl in the United States of America in the late 19^th century. Her books provide all sorts of interesting details about life at that time and how her mother did different household tasks on different days and made butter, cheese and bread from scratch. Food was very important for the settlers and Ingall’s books include detailed accounts of killing a pig and preserving the meat as well as hunting and killing deer and a bear in the woods. One day her father discovers a honey tree and the family delight in this unusual treat. Her mother also has to pickle and preserve of fruit and vegetables to see the family through the winter.

I aimed to share similar details about my mother and her family’s lives during World War II.

Is there a plot?

I have had a few readers comment that this book does not have a plot and that they expected a story along the lines of a thriller or a murder mystery story. There have only been two such comments out of over thirty reviews, so a lot of readers understood my intention which was to provide historical insight into the lives of people who lived through the war in an entertaining way.

There is a plot, but it is a subtle one, as with other books in this genre, like the Little House books and I am David. The plot of the Little House books is to illustrate how Laura adapted to the many changes in her life and matured into a competent and well-rounded person. The plot of I am David is his journey to find his mother while explaining how his life in the camp had impacted on his ability to trust other people. It is a story of survival and hope.

While the Bombs Fell is also intended to be a story about hope. The hope of Elsie’s family that the war will end and they will return to their normal lives. The hope that no-one in their lives will be killed in the war and that Britain would prevail. The respect and gratitude of Elsie and her siblings towards the American soldiers, called the Bungay Buckaroos, who were stationed at the nearby airbase, clearly demonstrated how the British appreciated the intervention of the US and the role they played in fighting, and ultimately winning, this war.

About While the Bombs Fell

The Blurb

What was it like for children growing up in rural Suffolk during World War II?

Elsie and her family live in a small double story cottage in Bungay, Suffolk. Every night she lies awake listening anxiously for the sound of the German bomber planes. Often, they come and the air raid siren sounds signaling that the family must leave their beds and venture out to the air raid shelter in the garden.

Despite, the war raging across the English channel, daily life must continue with its highlights, such as Christmas and the traditional Boxing Day fox hunt, and its scary moments when Elsie learns the stories of Jack Frost and the ghostly and terrifying Black Shuck that haunts the coastline and countryside of East Anglia.

Includes some authentic WWII recipes.

A recent review

Five-star Amazon review:

What a lovely, poignant book! It’s the only one I’ve read that describes what life was like for very young children growing up during World War Two. There is also quite a bit of English history included, which I found quite interesting. The wartime recipes are a nice touch.

It’s told from the perspective of a girl aged 4-6 years old and focuses mainly on the daily life of kids living through horrendous times, without truly understanding what was going on in the adult world. Many of the stories told reminded me of my Dutch father-in-law’s descriptions of growing up during WWII in the Netherlands.

About Robbie:

Hello, my name is Robbie, short for Roberta. I am an author with six published children’s picture books in the Sir Chocolate books series for children aged 2 to 9 years old (co-authored with my son, Michael Cheadle), one published middle grade book in the Silly Willy series and one published preteen/young adult fictionalised biography about my mother’s life as a young girl growing up in an English town in Suffolk during World War II called While the Bombs Fell (co-authored with my mother, Elsie Hancy Eaton). All of my children’s book are written under Robbie Cheadle and are published by TSL Publications.

I have recently branched into adult and young adult horror and supernatural writing and, in order to clearly differential my children’s books from my adult writing, I plan to publish these books under Roberta Eaton Cheadle. My first supernatural book published in that name, Through the Nethergate, is now available.

I have participated in a number of anthologies:

• Two short stories in #1 Amazon bestselling anthology, Dark Visions, a collection of horror stories edited by Dan Alatorre;
• Three short stories in Death Among Us, an anthology of murder mystery stories, edited by Stephen Bentley;
• Three short stories in #1 Amazon bestselling anthology, Nightmareland, a collection of horror stories edited by Dan Alatorre; and
• Two short stories in Whispers of the Past, an anthology of paranormal stories, edited by Kaye Lynne Booth.

I also have a book of poetry called Open a new door, with fellow South African poet, Kim Blades.

It’s appropriate for young children as well as young readers. Fascinating read.

Purchase links

https://www.amazon.com/author/robbiecheadle

OR

https://tslbooks.uk/product/while-the-bombs-fell-robbie-cheadle-and-elsie-hancy-eaton/

Follow Robbie Cheadle at:

Blog: https://robbiecheadle.co.za

Blog: https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/blog/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15584446.Robbie_Cheadle

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/167743577260827/?source_id=362530197427007

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bakeandwrite

Follow Roberta Eaton at:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobertaEaton17

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites/?modal=admin_todo_tour

Blog: https://robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com/2019/12/16/openbook-research-resources/