Just finished watching the FA Cup Final. We were beaten by our biggest rivals. *Sigh.*
Here’s a little limerick about it.
United has lost the cup
From it champagne we’ll not sup.
City won the game
And now it’s their aim
To win the treble, like us.
Poet Kevin Morris’s Interview on Vancouver Co-op Radio’s the World Poetry Reading Series
If you like poetry you might like to have a listen to Kevin’s interview. His poetry is sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, but always worth reading or listening to.
On Monday 29 May, I was interviewed by Ariadne Sawyer, of Vancouver Co-op Radio’s the World Poetry Reading Series about my recently released poetry collection, More Poetic Meanderings. My interview, during which I discuss and read my poetry, is due to be aired at 1 pm (pacific standard time) on Thursday 1 June, which equates to 9 pm here in the United Kingdom. You can find details of the World Poetry Reading series here https://coopradio.org/shows/world-poetry-cafe/.
I am pleased to announce that my interview is already available as a podcast on Mixcloud and can be found here https://www.mixcloud.com/VictorSchwartzman/world-poetry-cafe-for-june-1-with-kevin-morris/. I listened to my interview using Google Chrome, however other browsers should also work.
More Poetic Meanderings is available in Kindle and paperback and can be found here https://www.amazon.com/More-Poetic-Meanderings-K-Morris-ebook/dp/B0BZT9G139/.
My thanks to Ariadne Sawyer of Vancouver Co-op Radio’s the World Poetry Reading Series for hosting me on the World Poetry…
View original post 1 more word
Bluebells. A poem for May.
It’s May, so the bluebells are out.
Image by Herbert Aust from Pixabay
Bluebells
Blue, blue,
Everywhere blue.
Bluebells your eyes they will woo.
Blue, blue,
A sea of blue
A sight you never will rue.
Blue, blue,
Woodland floor, blue
Gleaming with droplets of dew.
Blue, blue,
Bells of deep blue.
Such a magnificent hue.
Blue, blue,
Fallen sky, blue.
But under the trees they grew.
Blue, blue, all around, blue.
Such a beautiful view.
Do you like bluebells? I used to pick them from a woodland near where I lived, when I was a child. It wasn’t forbidden then!
Memories. 10 Games We Used to Play
Image by Silviu on the street from Pixabay
I wrote a post about my memories of my early days at school. That set me to thinking about the games we used to play.
At dinner time, we walked about 300 metres to the Church Hall where dinner was served. It was brought in, I think. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t cooked there.
After dinner we went outside to play.
There was a variety of games that we played.
First, there was what was commonly called ‘Mummies and Daddies’, or sometimes ‘House’. Someone would be Mummy, someone, Daddy and someone the baby. The baby would walk around in a crouched position. I can’t really remember what we actually did!
Other games involved larger groups of people. Here are some of them.
- The Farmer’s in the Dell. Someone was the farmer and stood in the centre of a ring. Then people would circle around singing a song in which the farmer chose, from the ring, a wife, a child, a nurse and a dog. Then ‘We all pat the dog’ and everyone would pat, in various degrees of hardness, the person who was the dog. The dog would then become the farmer.
- Down by the Waterside. Another ring game. The people in the ring would sing, ‘Down by the water where the green grass grows, There sits ——– washing her clothes. She sang, she sang, she sang so sweet and called for her playmate across the street.’ The person in the ring did actions according to the song, then called ‘——-, ——–, won’t you come to tea? Won’t we have a jolly time at half past three.’ The ‘friend’ then became the next person in the ring.
- What time is it Mr Wolf? One person would stand a distance away and turn their back. Everyone else was a few yards away. They would shout ‘What time is it Mr Wolf?’ and Mr Wolf would say a time. Suddenly the player who was Mr Wolf would say ‘Dinner Time and try to catch one of the others, who were all running away. If caught they would become Mr Wolf.
- May I? Similar to Mr Wolf, except the person was facing the others. He/she would tell each person in turn to do something to advance their position. 3 baby steps. 5 skips, 1 giant stride, etc. Before complying, the person told to move had to say ‘May I ?’ or go back to the beginning.
- Of course, there was the usual game of ‘tag’, which we called ‘tick’. And Chain Tick, where, when caught, the player joined hands with the others who had been caught, forming sometimes, a long chain that was difficult to avoid when it stretched over most of the playground!
- We also played a version called ‘Off Ground Tick’ where you cold not be caught if you were off the ground.
- We also played skipping with a long rope. I was hopeless at ‘running in’. Sometimes we had an elimination game where if you failed to run in, skip and run out, you were ‘out’. But we also had mass skipping in the rope.
- Playing ball against the wall, or catch, with a variety of ball games.
- And there was always ‘Jacks’ that could be played with stones as well as bought metallic 3D cross things. Bounce a ball and pick up the jacks before catching it. I think that was the general gist.
- Finally, marbles. There were two games we played with them. One we had to try to hit other people’s marbles. Any hit were yours. Then there was a game which involved getting the marbles into a hole. Someone won all the marbles in the hole, but I can’t remember how that went.
Image by InspiredImages from Pixabay
Did you play any of these games? Or did you play others. there may be some that I’ve completely forgotten, or maybe people in other countries played different games. I would be fascinated to find out what games you played.
Answer in the comments please.
If you would like to receive an exclusive, free short story by me, called The Haunted Table, simply click the link. This will take you to the page where you can download it.
Maria and Tom have bought an antique table for the old cottage they have bought. When they hear strange noises in the night that sound like crying, they worry their house is haunted, but the sounds seem to come from the table.
They set about trying to find what is causing the disturbances. The answer is stranger than either of them had thought.
(Clicking the link will add your email address to my email list, but don’t worry, you can unsubscribe immediately if you wish. Nor will you get any spam. I only send out an email each quarter, or if I have any exciting news–like a new release.)
How I became a writer, and some of the books that led me here.
Image by Lubos Houska from Pixabay
I’ve always been a writer, although I didn’t understand that until late in my life. I wish I had realised earlier, but I didn’t. Nothing I can do about the past, but I can make up some of the time now.
I’ve always loved stories from being tiny. I can still remember my favourite story. It was about two little pandas called Pink and Ponk. I can still quote the first few lines, but I do remember the story quite clearly.
Later, when I could read myself, I devoured Enid Blyton books. Early on it was Noddy and The Faraway Tree. Later I loved Shadow the Sheepdog. I remember that the first ever story I wrote was about a dog, inspired by this story. I was only young–probably about seven or thereabouts – because my spelling was a bit dodgy. I spelled ‘of’ as ‘ov’ , all the way through.
I also really enjoyed her Famous Five books, and the Adventure series. And although I read a couple, I was never really enthusiastic about Mallory Towers books.
Another book I loved reading was Black Beauty, about the life of a horse. It told of his life from his early days with his mother, through different owners, some good, some bad, to his retirement.
When I graduated from the children’s section of the library, I discovered Jeffrey Farnol and Mary Webb. Later, I read many Agatha Christie books, and other books in that genre, and I loved Georgette Heyer and other historical novelists.
Of course, there were the classics. I always loved the Brontë sisters’ books, especially Wuthering Heights.
I remember making a little fairy out of grass and telling my younger sister stories about him/her.
At school, I loved it when we were given a title, or first line to write about. I can’t remember any of the stories I wrote then, but in my teens I wrote a very bad romance that I read to my friends. They said they liked it, but I suspect they were just being kind.
At Teacher Training college, I began my poetry writing. I had my first ever publication in the Manchester University Institute of Science and Technology magazine. The poetry era ended until I was teaching in 1990 when I wrote a poem for the staff Christmas party. I had to write one every year, by popular demand, after that. Sadly these have all been lost except the one in the UMIST magazine.
I loved reading Science Fiction, too and read all the well-known writers.
Then I found Fantasy. A young boy, by the wonderful name of Fred Spittal, asked me if I’d read The Lord of the Rings. He was reading it, but said I should start with The Hobbit. I found it in the college library and from then was hooked on fantasy.
I won’t go into all the fantasy books I’ve read. It would take too long.
Since writing Book 1 of my Wolves of Vimar series, I have published almost a dozen books. I have also drifted into historical fiction and begun writing poetry again. My first published poetry book is called Miscellaneous Thoughts.
So you see, I have always been a writer, but didn’t know.
Do you remember books that influenced you as a child? Tell us about them in the comments section.
Unique and Critically Endangered Axolotl
Charles Yallowitz shares some information about the interesting axolotl, and some pictures and videos.
So, what are some axolotl facts?
- They have a rare condition called neoteny. This means that they don’t lose their larva features when they become adults.
- The larva features they keep include feathery exterior gills and a rear dorsal fin.
- Axolotls still grow lungs, which they use to get air from the water’s surface.
Review of Missing Thread by June V. Bourgo
Overview.
This is Book 3 of the Georgia series by June V. Bourgo. Although it is the third book in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone novel. Anything that occurred in the previous books that is needed in this one is explained.
Story.
Georgia is a young woman who has gained fame by writing about her previous experiences. In this book, Georgia goes to a writer’s conference where she is to speak. While there, she uses a hire car to visit places, but is caught in a torrential rainstorm. She is forced off the road by a vehicle and into the river. Although she manages to escape the car, she is swept away and into a nearby lake.
Fortunately, she is rescued by a man and taken to hospital, almost dead and suffering from hypothermia.
Eventually, she recovers consciousness, but with no memory of who she is, or her life before waking in the hospital.
The story tells of how Georgia, helped by her husband and daughters, struggles to rebuild her life with, to her, total strangers.
Blurb
After a strange accident, Georgia awakens from a coma to a sea of faces she has no memory of, in a place she doesn’t remember.
Returning to a home she doesn’t recognize, Georgia struggles to mend the strained relationship between herself and her family, and rediscover a life she can’t recall ever having.
Through life-changing events and a mental struggle that challenges the very core of their family, Georgia realizes that her accident is linked to something in her past. But can she put the pieces together and learn the truth?
Characters.
I found I liked Georgia and her family, and was rooting for her to regain her memory. Ms Bourgo does an excellent job of drawing a picture of a woman with no memory of her past life, and the anguish she goes through as she tries to rebuild her life with total strangers. We feel Georgia’s confusion and her anxiety that she won’t be able to love the stranger who is her husband and the two little girls who are her daughters.
Georgia’s husband, Sean, is another character I could relate to. Sean does his best to be understanding and patient, but on occasion, as would we all, things get too much for him.
The two girls behave like most intelligent children would. Confusion and anxiety that their mother will no longer love them if she can’t remember who they are.
I don’t want to spoil things for you and so I will say no more.
Writing
As said earlier, Ms Bourgo does an excellent job of making us feel like Georgia in her predicament. She gives us a sense of Georgia’s panic when in the sinking car, and how she feels about her unknown family.
Sadly, there are typos and grammatical errors, and while they were irritating, and did on occasion throw me out of the story, I think the story is so good, they did not detract too much.
I gave the 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.
I enjoyed this story as much as the previous two. Have you read it? Did you enjoy it if you have? Let us know in the comments.
If you would like to receive an exclusive, free short story by me, called The Haunted Table, simply click the link. This will take you to the page where you can download it.
Maria and Tom have bought an antique table for the old cottage they have bought. When they hear strange noises in the night that sound like crying, they worry their house is haunted, but the sounds seem to come from the table.
They set about trying to find what is causing the disturbances. The answer is stranger than either of them had thought.
(Clicking the link will add your email address to my email list, but don’t worry, you can unsubscribe immediately if you wish. Nor will you get any spam. I only send out an email each quarter, or if I have any exciting news–like a new release.)
Coronation Day.
Today is Coronation Day. Here’s Haiku.
We have a new king.
Coronation is today.
A new era begins.
And a limerick.
Today my mobile did ring.
When I answered, it was the king.
He said, with a frown,
‘I’ve lost the crown.
A nice hat, instead, will you bring?’
Will you be watching the Coronation, or will you go out somewhere and ignore it?
I might watch a bit, but won’t be watching everything.
Maybe I can get some writing done. I got done none yesterday!
Let us know your thoughts in the comments. I will be interested to know the consensus of people, especially those abroad.
Spring Cleaning–A poem.
Image by congerdesign from Pixabay
Not my favourite job to do, but when the sun shines in, it makes the dust more noticeable. So it’s a job that has to be done.
And the satisfaction at the end makes it all worth while.
Spring Cleaning.
The sun is now shining making everything light
So it’s time to make our homes shiny and bright.
Let’s pick up our dusters and polish all day
Till every speck of dust goes away.
We’ll clean all our paintwork and make it as new
And polish silverware so your face you can view.
Then wash all the curtains and clean all the floors
And see if we need some more paint on our doors.
‘Spiders beware, don’t you build any webs.
We’ll knock them all down with our brushes,’ I said.
Sweeping and polishing all of the day
Until the last smidgen of dirt’s gone away.
Now stand back and look at all we have done.
A shiny and perfect home. We have won.
Have you done any spring cleaning yet? I’ve washed my dining room curtains and cleaned out my kitchen cupboards. Still a lot more to do!
Homonyms with Harmony, Part 2–American and British English Conventions
Harmony Kent has given us a list of differences between American and British English. It’s fascinating.
Considering the British and Americans share a common language, there are plenty of points where they couldn’t have less in common. This isn’t only in the spelling of words, but also their usage. Where a Brit would say ‘garden’, an American is more likely to say ‘yard’ … and they wouldn’t be meaning some bare concreted area—far from it! Below, I list some of the most common differences. We’ll start with a table of the most commonly alternately spelled words …
Click on the button to see the full list.
Dragons Rule OK. V.M.Sang (author) 