Tiny House|خانه کوچک

I love tales like this one from Laleh in Iran 😉

A Voice from Iran

Once upon a time, there was a poor man living in a tiny house with his wife and five children. The house was so small that it only had one room which they used as their kitchen, living room and bedroom.

In his very small yard he had a cow, a goat and a few chickens. Their living space was putting them under pressure; it was very hard to sleep at night with all seven of them in one room, making them complain each and every night.

One day he decided to go to their village’s wise man and asks him what to do.

The wise man listened to his situation and told him: “Take the chickens to your room tonight to sleep with all of you.” The poor man said: “But we already don’t have enough space for ourselves.”

The wise man said: “If you want your problem to…

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Smorgasbord Book Promotion – Air Your Reviews – Jack Eason, Mary Smith and Pamela Schloesser Canepa

More reviews…

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

The first author today with a recent review is Jack Eason for his historical novella 1066, which I read and thoroughly enjoyed.

About 1066

Down the centuries the British Isles has always been seen by invaders as a legitimate target for exploitation. This novella concerns the last few weeks of Anglo-Saxon occupation, ending on the 14th of October, 1066. In Autumn 1066, author Jack Eason gives a great sense of ‘place’, of detail. The reader is right ‘there’ in that poignant year, marching, shivering with September cold (as ‘…no warming fires were allowed lest ‘enemy spies would soon spot their approach.’) From the very first few lines, Eason, practising his unique drycraft, begins to weave his particular brand of magic on his reader. Eason glamour’s with well-crafted dialogue, drawing his reader into the time and into the action. To accomplish this, the author proffers a gentle blend of informative nomenclature…

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A Review

Finally after almost seventy years I’ve just read George Orwell’s account of his involvement in the Spanish Civil War, fighting with the Workers Party of Marxist Unification or POUM, against the facists, until it was declared Trotskyite and therefore illegal. Inevitably this led to thousands from the International Brigade being arrested and imprisoned without trial.

Sound familiar? The same tactic is still being used today. Nothing changes…

Here’s what I had to say in my short review:

Homage to Catalonia by Eric Blair

By Jack Eason on 28 September 2017

Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

All my life I have wanted to read Eric Blair’s Homage to Catalonia. It is his personal account of fighting in the front lines against the facists during the Spanish Civil War. Blair (Orwell) fought in the Communist Brigade (POUM) and was wounded. Like most memoirs it can be a bit long-winded. But it doesn’t detract from the fact that it is a tale worth reading.

~~~

So there you have it folks. If you love a good story well told, read it for yourselves…

😉

Just Publishing Advice

Written the next best seller? Think again…

The 80th Anniversary of ‘The Hobbit’

My favourite book is eighty!!!

Literati Pulp

by Lee Cross

It’s been 80 years since The Hobbit was first published.

How do you follow a statement like that; truthfully, I don’t know, and it could be argued that every pure fantasy writer has spent the last eight decades trying to follow in the legacy of J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendary book (just a quick FYI: for me The Hobbit is part of the longer story known collectively as The Lord of the Rings).

I could write reams about how The Hobbit’s influence can still be felt, about the superb homages and in-references that I’ve come across, at those times when I have my Fant-Sci head on; and if Jeannie (who puts this site and my ramblings together) was to let me off the leash here, I could turn the air blue talking about horrifying rips offs

(There’s one particular series, by Terry Brooks, that infuriates me. I…

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The Stilt Walking Shepherds of Landes

Thanks to Léa for reposting this on her blog 😉

ALK3R

A 1938 postcard showing shepherds from the marshy region of Landes, France, getting around on stilts.

The Landes region of southwestern France, bordering the Bay of Biscay, is covered by a large pine forest.

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New Things

It’s always nice to hear from Jo 😉

Jo Robinson

Busy Birdies

After this past year of epic chaos interestingness, I am happy to say that  I have learned a lot, and strangely, even the really unpleasant lessons are now showing me their value – retrospect is a fine thing indeed. Now, tempered to the strength of old boots, while hopefully not looking too much like one of them, I am happy to say that there is quite a lot of fabulousness to come over the next few weeks. Beginning with the epic launch in the next weeks of the beginning of her public life, Cynthia Reyes’ amazing Myrtle the Purple Turtle, closely followed by some unadulterated genius of science-fiction by the one and only Joelle LeGendre there is a lot coming up – all happy and wonderful beginnings from some very talented people.

I’ve made sure this time, that failing the actual end of the world…

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Destiny|سرنوشت

A salutary tale from Laleh 😉

A Voice from Iran

I remember there was an old ruined mansion in Bushehr where people could pay a little amount to go inside. We visited the wrecked house a few times in my childhood. The story behind it was so sad but more importantly, a life lesson which was probably why they took us to the palace several times.

The story goes that the owner was a very rich merchant who was a profligate spender to show off how wealthy he was. People used to say he lit his cigars with burning bills instead of matches in front of others and when big politicians came to Bushehr from the Capital Tehran, he lit candles with bills to show how powerful and rich he was.He used to serve tea in gold tea cups and eat in silver plates and dishes. He was never friendly with anyone and found it disgraceful to talk to…

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Lincolnshire: Tattershall Castle

Whatever next – a brick castle!!

beetleypete

All photos can be enlarged for detail, and look better that way.

Across a double moat separating it from Holy Trinity Church, (see previous post) lies the imposing building called Tattershall Castle. Originally built as a defensive structure in the 13th century by Robert De Tatershales, (hence the name of the village) the present building is a fully-restored fortified house dating from 1434. It was the home of Ralph, the 3rd Baron Cromwell, famous for its double moat and drawbridges. It is by far the finest example of a Medieval brick-built structure to survive in the UK.

Closer to the castle, you can see Julie and Ollie admiring its grandeur.

In the foreground, the circular stonework is all that survives of De Tatershales’ original fortress.

The lower window allows light into the cellar.

Inside, the rooms on each floor have been left empty. However, the wonderful fireplaces in the main…

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What’s in a Name?

Meet the new addition (with attitude and sharp puppy teeth) to the Jecks’ household. 😉

writerlywitterings

It’s now a week and two days since I picked up our puppy.

When I was a youngster, my parents always had a lot of dogs. When I say a lot, I mean a pack. We had four or five all the time while I was at home. I think my mother counted once and found she had owned thirty-six dogs in her life. It was a source of pride to her.

In my time, I remember Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Boxers, a Basset Hound, Collies, Black Labs, mongrels and Chihuahuas – and a Bernese Mountain Dog and two Rhodesian Ridgebacks. I loved them all, but especially the Ridges and the Bernese.

When I managed to persuade my wife that since I was living at home we could aspire to dogs, she was reluctant at first. She came from a family where a single cat was considered adequate as a…

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