Photography

Discover the National Trust Moated House from the 1340s

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I wanted to visit this house for some time, so when my brother-in-law and his wife came down last summer we eventually went to visit.

Here are some photos I took.

Part of the gardens. Not exactly a walled garden, but the same idea.

This is the entrance

The courtyard, just inside the main gate.

This little window intrigued me. It was from one room to another, but I’ve no idea what it was originally there for.

The music and entertainment room.

I took very few inside the house. I don’t know why, really.

The house was built in the1340s around a courtyard. All four sides are surrounded by a moat. There were alterations made in the 15th, 16th and 17the centuries.

It is now owned by the National Trust, a body that owns many of the UK’s great houses and also land. It is a Charity.

I don’t know of any other houses that are completely moated, but there are likely to be a few as many houses in the middle ages were fortified.

Do you know of any?

Please add any comments to the comments box.

Poetry, Uncategorized

Ode to Rain. A poem

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In response to Rebecca Cunningham’s s poetry challenge to write an ode in praise of rain, I came up with this.

We’ve had such a lot of rain during winter, spring and summer.

Ode to Rain.

Sweet and gentle rain does fall
Giving flowers what they need
To bloom beneath the garden walls
Making nectar, bees to feed.

Dusty, dry, the desert sleeps
Waiting for the rain to come
Now the thunder, downpour seeps
Desert blooms and insects hum.

Rain fills rivers, lakes and streams
Essential for all life to live.
Be grateful for the sunlight beams
But also thanks for rain, we give.

The Arts

IT MAY ONLY BE TWO LETTERS LONG BUT IT’S STILL SCARY

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I recently read this post by Owen Elgie about AI.

IT MAY ONLY BE TWO LETTERS LONG BUT IT’S STILL SCARY

Would AI be less scary if it’s got a name? Are people scared of Alexa, or Siri in the same way as the unnamed AI? Many people are quite happy to have them in their house.

Like you, I am more worried about the effect of AI on the Arts, especially writing. There are already books being churned out ‘written’ by AI.

I feel, that at the moment, AI can’t tap into the nuances of human behaviour and emotions. It doesn’t understand ‘feelings’. A bit like Mr Spock in Star Trek, only more so. As a result, the books written by AI aren’t that good.

But will it learn about these things, and the nuances of language? In English, we have words that have very similar in meaning, but have a subtly different sense. Can it learn when to use run or sprint? Can it learn about interpreting body language?

And art. Will it be able to add those subtle things that turn a painting from a simple realistic scene to one that stirs the emotions? And the same for an abstract.

One poet of my acquaintance (and I’m sure he’s not the only one) wrote a poem, and gave AI the same brief. His was so much better.

I expect things will develop as AI learns, but it’s got a long way to go, as yet. Mind you, judging by a few badly written books that have become best sellers in recent years, I’m not entirely convinced that many of the reading public are bothered about the writing.

Of course, we already use AI. Many people use it for research, although I’m unsure about that as I understand it’s not always as accurate as it might be.

What about spell checkers and programs such as Grammarly and Hemmingway? They are AI, too.

And games programs, too, many of which learn. Even my car learns about my style of driving and how it differs from that of my husband. (It knows which key has been used to unlock and start it.)

How do you feel about AI? Does it scare you?

book reviews

Review of Heidi, a Puppy’s Progress by Brian L. Porter

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Overview

A lovely recounting of a very small puppy’s first year.

Blurb

In May 2023, Brian Porter and his wife added a new member to their family of rescue dogs: in this case, a tiny Dachshund puppy who they named Heidi.

She had been the runt of a litter and barely survived her first day of life. Only the love and devotion of the lady who bred her managed to literally breathe life into her lungs, and proceeded to hand-rear her for the first two crucial weeks of her life. Having recently lost their beloved Muttley, the Porters decided to give this beautiful puppy a home.

This book chronicles Heidi’s first year with the family and how she was accepted immediately by the rest of the dogs, despite some initial worries by Brian and Juliet. Anyone who’s ever raised a puppy will recognise many of the trials they went through in those early months: the laughs, the utter mayhem and the satisfaction that comes from seeing an undersized, weak and vulnerable puppy dog grow and learn to love life.

Review.

Brian and his wife, Juliet, have dedicated their lives to rescuing many dogs who have suffered terrible things. Those who have read Mr Porter’s previous books about these dogs will know how dedicated they are to this project. This is number 11 in the series.

Sadly, one of the six rescue dogs, Muttley, became ill and died at the age of thirteen. Juliet decided that, in order to help her husband to get over the loss, a new puppy would be the right thing. But her suggestions fell on deaf ears.

She suggested a dachshund, as the first two dogs Brian had were two dachshunds, Sophie and Candy. (You can read about them in Sophie and Candy. A tale of two dachshunds.)

It took a while, but eventually, Brian went to look at a litter and fell in love with a tiny scrap of a puppy. She had almost died, being so small, even for a dachshund, and only lived thanks to Julie, the owner of the mother. Brian decided to buy Heidi, as he named her.

When the day came to bring her home, both he and Juliet were concerned about how the other dogs would react. But I’m saying no more about that here, as it would be a spoiler.

The book goes on to tell of how Heidi grows from a tiny puppy to a happy, confident little dog. We learn of her antics, and how her personality develops throughout her first year.

There are lots of pictures of both Heidi and the other dogs, as well, so we know exactly what they look like, which is lovely.

There are some typos, but that did not detract from my enjoyment of the book.

This is a very readable book. I fell in love with Heidi, as I am sure all readers will.

I give it 4*.

My ranking of books.

In order to get a particular number of stars, it is not necessary to meet all the criteria. This is a guide only. This guide refers to fiction, as you will notice, but I think it gives the general idea of my thinking.

5* Exceptional. Wonderful story. Setting well drawn, and characters believable–not perfect, but with flaws. Will keep you up all night. No typos or grammatical errors.

4* A thoroughly enjoyable read. Great and original story. Believable setting and characters. Very few grammatical errors or typos.

3* I enjoyed it. Good story. Characters need some development. Some typos or grammatical errors.

2* Not for me. Story not very strong. Unbelievable and flat characters. Setting not clearly defined. Many typos or grammatical errors.

1* I hated it. Story almost non-existent. Setting poor. Possibly couldn’t finish it.

Have you read any of Brian Porter’s A Family of Rescue Dogs? Please leave your comments in the comments box. I love to hear from you.

fantasy, novel

Jovinda’s Court Presentation at Aspirilla: A Noble’s Exciting Experience

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I asked Jovinda to tell us about her visit to Aspirilla, the captial of Grosmer, when she went to be presented at court. Here is what she told me.

Me: Hello, Jovinda. I hear you recently went to court and met the king, queen and Crown Prince Gerim.

Jovinda: Oh yes! It was so exciting. I’d recently celebrated my sixteenth birthday and so I was now of age. When girls of the nobility, or from other important families, come of age, they usually get presented at court.

Father received a letter with the Royal Seal on it. He wouldn’t say what it was and took it to his study to read. I was jumping up and down, wanting to know what it said, but he made me and Mother wait until dinner time to tell us.

When he read it out, my stomach turned over. I was included in the guest list! I could hardly eat my dinner for excitement.

The next day, we went to see Madame Frimb, the best dressmaker in Bluehaven. She made a wonderful dress in green velvet. It set off my auburn hair perfectly.

The dress had a high neckline with small pearl buttons sewn around it. The buttons ran down the centre of the bodice and the sleeves stopped at my elbow with pearl buttons around the cuffs. The skirt flared from my waist to give my feet room to move during the dancing. And it had more pearl buttons around the hem.

I was so excited I hardly slept that night. Nor the others before the banquet. I was dreaming of dancing with the prince. I thought I would look so beautiful that he would fall in love with me at first sight.

That didn’t happen, of course, but something even more wonderful did. I met my true love, Nolimissalloran, know as Noli. He was an elf, and so beautiful.

But that’s another story. If you want to learn about what happened, you need to read Jovinda and Noli.

It’s available in all formats by clicking the link on the name, or the book cover in the side-bar.

Here is a short extract from the book:

Jovinda and her parents stood at the top of the stairs leading down to the reception room in the Palace. Jovinda scanned the room looking for Prince Gerim. The prince was not quite sixteen, but would be at such an important banquet as the heir to the throne. She frowned slightly as she noticed a young elf watching her as she descended the stairs.

Ellire had decided the best style for her dress for the banquet would be, not like the elaborate dresses they saw hanging in Madame Frimb’s workroom, but a simple style.

Jovinda saw the green velvet fabric and fell in love with the colour. Ellire agreed it would look good on her, and then went to discuss a style with Madame Frimb. The dress she now wore had a high neckline with small pearl buttons sewn around it. The buttons continued down the centre of the otherwise plain bodice with sleeves that stopped at her elbow. They also had pearl buttons around the cuffs. The skirt flared from her waist giving room for her feet to move when dancing, and more pearl buttons graced the hem. She wore small pearl drops in her ears and a white orchid in her hair.

The family walked down the stairs as a butler announced them. Jovinda stared around. The stairs descended from the balcony where they had entered, and flared out towards the bottom. A red carpet ran down the centre. Large floor to ceiling windows to her right opened onto the palace gardens, and doors carved with vines and fruits stood open on the opposite side. Torches in sconces lit the room, and glinted on the gold-leaf that covered the cornice. More gold covered a few chairs scattered around for those unable to stand for long, and at the opposite end of the room was a dais with two thrones, again, covered in gold leaf.

A waiter brought a tray of drinks.

Jovinda took a glass of Perimo, a sparkling wine from the islands, as she chatted with many of her parents’ friends and acquaintances, feeling very grown up.

Suddenly, a horn sounded. Everyone stopped talking and looked towards the stairs. The Royal Family entered and made their way through the crowd to the dais.

As they passed, people bowed their heads or curtseyed.

Once the king and queen settled onto their thrones, the butler announced the first of the young people to be presented.

As it was her first social occasion, Jovinda was one of those young people. When the butler called her name, she looked at her father who mouthed “Go on, Jo”.

Her mother gave her a little push to start her on her way.

She took a deep breath to try to calm her racing heart, and ascended the dais where she curtseyed to the king and queen.

The king smiled and his eyes twinkled. “We are delighted to meet you, Jovinda. Enjoy the occasion. There’s nothing quite like your first ball.” 

Then she moved on. Prince Gerim smiled at her and shook her hand. “Pleased to meet you, Miss Jovinda.”

Jovinda curtseyed. He’s quite good-looking. I wonder if I can attract his attention? He may even ask me to dance. I wonder what kind of girls he likes?

If you decide to buy and read this book, I would be grateful for an honest review.

Warning: It contains adult themes that some might find upsetting.

book reviews, fantasy, novel

RJ’s Dragon Saga: Engaging Fantasy Adventure with Surprising Twists

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Blurb

Jaiden’s simple act of freeing Skye, the blue dragon, along with her family became a movement to free all dragons. And that escalated to a rebellion. Now, all-out war seems to be the only solution.

Jaiden and friends Tristram, Wyetta, Gorn, and Aleena represent the surge of humanity who joined the fight for Dragon Freedom. Skirmishes, ambushes, intense battles and undercover operations transform everyday reality. Uncertainty surrounding the strength and weaponry of the Dear Leader’s human army adds to the tension.

 Mysteries, surprises, unexpected revelations and shocking outcomes mark the Final Dragon War.

Story

This is a story aimed at teenagers, but it is equally enjoyable for adults who enjoy the fantasy genre.

Jaiden has joined with the dragons to try to end their enslavement once and for all. But the only way to do this is by all out war. He discovered in the previous books that he could hear dragon speech via the means of telepathy. This ability he uses to interpret the dragons’ orders to the people who have come to help.

Many people believe the dragons to be simply dumb beasts, and despise those who go to help them.

I don’t want to reveal any more here, except to say that there are a number of twists that genuinely had me saying ‘I didn’t see that coming.’

Characters

Jaiden is the main protagonist. We see the action through his eyes as it’s written in 1st person. He has already developed in the first two books into a young man with more confidence than he had at the beginning of the series, although he still has doubts about his abilities.

During this adventure, he becomes much more confident.

The dragons. Skye is the main dragon protagonist in this book, although Trigger and Dog play as big a part. Skye is a blue dragon, the biggest and cleverest of the dragons. Trigger is a silver, and Dog a gold. The gold are the smallest and least clever.

I liked these last two dragons. Dog is small enough to get into places others can’t go, and he plays a big part in rescuing Jaiden when he’s been captured.

Skye is a compassionate dragon who understands Jaidon’s lack of confidence, and she helps him with advice and an ear when he needs it.

Aleena is girl who had annoyed Jaiden in earlier years, always hanging around him. In this book, she grows from an annoying brat into a confident young woman.

There are many other characters I could talk about, but it would make this review too long. You’ll have to read the book(s) to find out about them.

Writing

While there are a few typos in the book, there were not enough to annoy me into giving up on it. The story kept me reading.

RJ has built his world well. I could visualise the characters and the landscape, including Big Hill and its caves, where Jaiden was held prisoner. And the cliffs where the dragons had their caves, too.

The descriptions of the action scenes were well told, keeping the tension going.

There is the possibility of further adventures. I hope RJ writes them.

I give this book 4*

My ranking of books. In order to get a particular number of stars, it is not necessary to meet all the criteria. This is a guide only.

5* Exceptional. Wonderful story. Setting well drawn, and characters believable–not perfect, but with flaws. Will keep you up all night. No typos or grammatical errors.

4* A thoroughly enjoyable read. Great and original story. Believable setting and characters. Very few grammatical errors or typos.

3* I enjoyed it. Good story. Characters need some development. Some typos or grammatical errors.

2* Not for me. Story not very strong. Unbelievable and flat characters. Setting not clearly defined. Many typos or grammatical errors.

1* I hated it. Story almost non-existent. Setting poor. Possibly couldn’t finish it.

Spain, Spain,, travel

My Visit to Cordoba

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In April, I visited the Spanish city of Cordoba. I thought you might like to see some of the pictures I took.

First, the Mesquita. This was a mosque constructed in 785 when Spain was under Muslim rule. There is some disputed history that there was a mosque earlier than that, which was also used by Christians as a church. this sharing of a building indicates to me that there wasn’t the animosity between the two religions as there is nowadays.

When Ferdinand and Isabella reconquered Spain in the 15th century, the mosque was converted to a cathedral. To find out more, here’s a link to Wikipedia.

This is the oldest gate, called the Visier’s gate and it’s decoration dates back to 855.

This gate was right opposite our hotel!

Now for some other pictures of the cathedral.

The street outside our hotel, showing the cathedral on the left.

Of course, full of tourists!

One of the chapels.

And a part of the ceiling.

Another chapel. the amount of gold was amazing. All stolen, I suppose, from South America.

I’ll post more of my pictures another time. This was the Cathedral. More of the city next time.

If you would like to post a comment, please feel free to do so. Have you been to Cordoba? What did you think of the city?

I would like to remind you of my poetry book, July to December, that came out a couple of weeks ago. It follows on from my January to June book, which is free on all platforms. July to December is only 1.99. Each book gives you one poem to read each day for a year.

Some are humerous, some based on nature, some are short, others longer and narrative.

If you purchase, please leave a review.

Here’s the latest ranking on Amazon.

Best Sellers Rank: #13,136 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)

1 in Women’s Poetry

3 in Contemporary Poetry

5 in British & Irish Poetry

announcement, Poetry

IT’S HERE!

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The second part of my One Poem a Day series is now available. It was actually published a couple of weeks ago, but as I was on holiday I couldn’t announce it!

Here is the blurb.

The second book of poetry in V.M. Sang’s One Poem A Day Series takes us through summer to midwinter.

Each day there is a poem to read. These poems are often related to the season, for example, Harvest, or the first flight by the Montgolfier brothers, and of course, Christmas.

The poems are varied in type and length. There are haiku, haibun and tanka, limericks, sonnets, odes and narrative poems among the collection. Some poems are comments on serious subjects, while others are amusing and entertaining.

Many of the poems in this collection are in the traditional vein, so if you enjoy this type of poetry, this book is for you.

An example of two of the poems.

July 4th

We recently had family to stay. Here’s a poem about families.

Family

Brothers, sisters, cousins too
Some of whom we barely knew
As one by one the family grew.

Family feuds, we all fell out
Little sister, she did pout.
Cousin Johnny started to shout.

Susie said ‘I hate you all.
And I hope that you might fall
And get caught out in a squall.’

Brother Robert raised his fist.
‘Don’t you speak to us like this.’
Narrowed eyes, voice like a hiss.

Sister Jane came rushing in.
‘They have started bullying Jim.’
Quarrel stopped. He’s our kin.

So we went to sort them out.
When they saw us, ’twas a rout.
They will run away, no doubt.

We fall out, of that it’s true.
And we say things that we rue.
But family is strong. We knew.

“All for One and One for All.”
We stand together or we fall.
Petty quarrels, they will pall.

July 5th.

A small bumble bee has been pollinating our raspberry plants all by herself. At least, I didn’t see any other insects around them. Here’s a Haiku.

Little bee.

She sips sweet nectar.
Proboscis deep in the flower.
Raspberries will come.

The book is available from the following retailers, currently priced at 1.99

Kobo, Barnes and Noble, Google, Apple, and Amazon

Book 1, From January to June is available by clicking the book title. It’s free, so you can get both books for 1.99

The blurb

Take a lyrical journey through the first half of the year with V.M. Sang’s FROM JANUARY TO JUNE.

This anthology captures the essence of everyday life, nature, and the world around us through the versatile medium of poetry. From haiku to narrative poems, and the humour found in limericks, From January To June is a diverse collection of poetry.

A calendar in creativity, a diary in verse; this collection is the perfect companion for daily reflection and inspiration, providing a poem for each day that resonates with the diverse experiences of life.

And a review.

Sashadoo

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever and unusual, a unique blend of poetic styles

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 December 2023

Verified Purchase

I thoroughly enjoyed this unique collection of poetry from V M Sang. I say unique because it’s rare to find such an eclective collection of different styles, forms and subjects in one one book, all by the same author. From Haiku to full length poetic pieces, covering a wide range of topics from the weather to personal feelings and the rare beauty found in the morr mundane, everyday events in the poet’s life. Definitely something for everyone and I have no hesitation in recommending the book and giving it a 5 star review.

Current Amazon ranking, June 4th 2024

fantasy, Give Away, novel

Free YA fantasy books by Kent Wayne.

2 Comments

I’ve read the first book, but have yet to get around to the second. I did enjoy book 1 though, so I expect I’ll enjoy book 2.

Tomorrow, my YA fantasy series is FREE on Kindle from 6/3 thru 6/7!
announcement, book release, Cover Reveal, Poetry

Cover Reveal

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I was going to post some pictures from my recent holiday today, but I received the preview cover from my publisher this morning and so decided to run with that. Hence the delay in posting.

Here it is, alongside the first book.

These books have one poem to be read each day for a year. Here is the blurb about Book 1.

Take a lyrical journey through the first half of the year with V.M. Sang’s FROM JANUARY TO JUNE.

This anthology captures the essence of everyday life, nature, and the world around us through the versatile medium of poetry. From haiku to narrative poems, and the humour found in limericks, From January To June is a diverse collection of poetry.

A calendar in creativity, a diary in verse; this collection is the perfect companion for daily reflection and inspiration, providing a poem for each day that resonates with the diverse experiences of life.

And a review from Amazon.

Sashadoo

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever and unusual, a unique blend of poetic styles.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 December 2023

Verified Purchase

I thoroughly enjoyed this unique collection of poetry from V M Sang. I say unique because it’s rare to find such an eclective collection of different styles, forms and subjects in one one book, all by the same author. From Haiku to full length poetic pieces, covering a wide range of topics from the weather to personal feelings and the rare beauty found in the more mundane, everyday events in the poet’s life. Definitely something for everyone and I have no hesitation in recommending the book and giving it a 5 star review.

Here is a poem from Book 2 to whet your appetite. It is the first poem in the book, dated July 1st.

It’s deep into peach season, so I wrote this in honour of that delicious fruit.

Peaches

A peach with skin so soft.
Breathe in the sweet scent
As to my nose it wafts.
Made just to tempt.

Bite into the flesh.
That scent did not lie
The flavour is so fresh.
That I cannot deny.

Juice runs down my chin.
The peach is so sweet
It must be a sin
To enjoy such a treat.

The book contains many poems of different types, like the first one. I will keep you informed as to when it will be released. It should be sometime next month.

If you can’t wait, then you can get the first book by clicking on this link, or to get my previous poetry book, Miscellaneous Thoughts, you can click here.

Or click on the book cover in the sidebar.

Do you like the cover? Does it tie in with the first book, to show they are linked?

There are dragons and magic in the world if only you look for them… V.M. Sang