Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
I hope you have had a great week and thanks for dropping in today. A mixed week again here with one day with wind, sunshine, downpour, sunshine, hail storm, sunshine then calm at 8pm. Welcome to mid-summer lol.
But I was considerably brightened as always by the generous support of members of our writing community..
My thanks to Laura Lyndhurstwho has given Life’s Rich Tapestry some TLC with a wonderful review which has given both the collection and its author a wonderful boost…and you can find her review and all her others on her Reviews Page
And delighted with the review for The Missing Pieces by Yvette Prior which she posted on her blog on Friday. A wonderful start to the weekend to discover another visitor happy to have explored the garden and its inhabitants. Tales from the Irish Garden
And another wonderful review from Thomas Wikman also on his blog on Friday with his take on the shenanigans in the garden… fantastic and Thomas will be back with us on June 25th with another of his Superfacts articles The Magical Irish Garden Sanctuary
My thanks as always to the amazing contributors for their posts and support.
William Price Kingjoined me for a Big Band era and on Friday another in the Chart Toppers and Blockbuster series and we are delighted you are enjoying along with us. You can catch up with William on his own Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies will be back with another post in her series on ageing July 6th. a reblog of her most recent post in the series..and as always her Sunday Book Review which this week is Bogie in a Human World: Life, Love and Letting Go – Book 3 by Cheryl SpearsD.G. Kaye
Carol Taylor was here on Wednesday sharing recipes for Thai Noodles and on Wednesday she will be exploring the cuisine of Pakistan…you will find plenty to enjoy in Carol’s archives.CarolCook
Malcolm Allenwas here on Monday with more of his terrific funnies.
And if you have missing the photos of a certain someone…
Thank you so much for your support and shares this week again..it is always appreciated.
A small selection of posts I have enjoyed this week and I hope you will head over to enjoy in full.
Jacqui Murray is on a monumental mission to research and outline her next trilogy in the journey across the human evolution and in this update she whets our appetite for what is to come and explains some of the major earth events that accompanied this next journey.
Patricia Furstenberg shares her review for what sounds like a wonderful short story collection set in France…One Morning in Provence by Lorna Fergusson..
There are not many in our community who are not in touch with Jennie Fitzkee and her wonderful approach to teaching and storytelling. In this post she steps back in time to a schoolhouse in Groton New England which dates back to the late 1700s. As part of the a real life experience for young students who spend the day with Jennie in her role as Schoolmarm.. brilliant.
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
I hope you have had a great week and have enjoyed plenty of sunshine… We have reverted back to autumn it seems with cold winds and rain. I was going to take out the heat pads wrapped in towels from Baby Cat’s various residences but he is clearly still in need of the added warmth this morning in his penthouse suite.
Facebook update
Last week I had a bit of a rant about Facebook banning me from posting or commenting until August. With some back and forth and quite a bit of frustration I can now post and comment on my own account… but being wary of too much activity. However, I am not allowed to comment on any groups including The Litarary Divas which I co-administer with Debby Gies, until the middle of August. Debby is kindly sharing my posts from my own accounts which is great thanks Debby… However if you are posting there I cannot respond but I can like..
My thanks as always to the amazing contributors for their posts and support.
William Price Kingjoined me for a Big Band era and on Friday another in the Chart Toppers and Blockbuster series and we are delighted you are enjoying along with us. You can catch up with William on his own Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies was here with her next post in the As We Age on Monday exploring the activities we can enjoy whilst keep are brain functioning healthily. On her own blog you can find another of her features on courageous women and I have linked to the post in the Blogger weekly..and as always her Sunday Book Review – Death by Coconut by Susie Black. Happy Birthday Debby and have an amazing day ♥ D.G. Kaye
Carol Taylor was here on Wednesday exploring the cuisine of the Philippines and this coming Wednesday she will be sharing recipes for Thai Noodles and you will find plenty to enjoy in Carol’s archives.CarolCook
Thank you so much for your support and shares this week again..it is always appreciated.
A small selection of posts I have enjoyed this week and I hope you will head over to enjoy in full.
Debby Gies shares another post in her series of Empowering Women with the story of a young Belgian woman Andree de Jongh who risked her life to be part of the escape of hundreds of allied airmen over 24 trips across 800 kilometres to the safety of Spain.. and incredible story and definitely inspiring.
Lynette Cresswellhas been sharing a series about trips in their campervan around the country and this week it is West Runton in Norfolk with great walks and close to the sea…if you are thinking of a staycation in the UK this series might give you some ideas.
Cheryl Oreglia has been grandparent in charge for a couple of weeks and revisiting some interesting memories from being a mom…and all that goes with it.. these include childhood mishaps, lost sneakers, practices sessions and playdates…She explores our imperfections, something I know all about lol… you will leave as always comforted that we are all thankfully just human.
Join Cheryl as she revisits the joys of motherhood:Fond Catastrophes
And if you are thinking to travelling to Japan then I can recommend this post from Nillaof Image Earth Travel exploring the amazing Matsuyama Castle and the city of Matsuyama on Shikoku Island
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
I hope you have had a good week. There has been sunshine here and I have enjoyed some afternoons in the garden and looks like it is set fair for most of next week too.
Less enjoyable is the spat I have had with Facebook who assume that if you like or comment on more than four of five posts by other people there is ‘suspicious activity’ going on and a box comes up tell me to add the app to my mobile device and send them photographic proof that I am who I say I am.
My phone is just for calls and texts and I do go online for my GPS function when travelling but that is it. No supermarket apps, banking apps, payment app etc. There is no way I want constant notifications from FB or any other social media platform and nor do I want them to have access to my details which is what they are after.
After 15 years of posting and enjoying the community that has grown since then, I am more than a little miffed that this week has been such a pain in the butt. They get away with so much, littering our feed with an increasing number of adverts and unsolicited advice on how to eat, drink, live, love and digest from AI monks in Tibet, AI Sumo wrestlers who let you know that at 400lbs their blood pressure is normal because of one little morning ritual, and the promise of eternal life if you just watch this 30 minute video which just leads to a supplement at a vastly inflated price…. I have almost had enough.
For four days I could write a post on my own page and like posts by others but I could not comment. This also applied to the group I share with Debby Gies the Literary Divas where I could not post at all, which is frustrating as I promote authors there from the blog.
As of Saturday night most of my functions are back but still having a problem with Divas so hopefully resolved tomorrow.
I understand that Meta is bringing in a payment service across their platforms which means they will be restricting the facilities available to those who wish to remain free.
Another telling issue is the fact that Meta is sacking 8000 staff worldwide including 350 here in Ireland, which means even more AI involvement in the day to day running of the platform… after this week this does not fill me with confidence.
Rant over…for now ♥
On a very much brighter note…..
A big thank you to poet Nicole Sara for her most appreciated reviews for Tales from the Irish Garden and the Sequel The Missing Pieces and it certainly went a very long way to making up for Facebook and its shenanigans.
My thanks as always to the amazing contributors for their posts and support.
William Price Kingjoined me for a Big Band era and on Friday another in the Chart Toppers and Blockbuster series and we are delighted you are enjoying along with us. You can catch up with William on his own Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies Debby with her next post in the As We Age on Monday exploring the activities we can enjoy whilst keep are brain functioning healthily. On her own blog you can find an important post on travel security and you can find the link in the Blogger weekly below..and as always her Sunday Book Review and this week it is From B to A: Britain to Albania: The True Story of an Overland Van Life Adventure by Jacqueline Lambert . D.G. Kaye
Carol Taylor was here on Wednesday sharing wonderful recipes for rice…savoury and sweet. This week Carol will be taking us to the Philippines to explore their cuisine.And my thanks for her reblog of my Tai Chi post on her own blog where you will find plenty to enjoy in Carol’s archives.CarolCook
Thomas Wikmanwas here on Thursday with a fascinating look at poverty statistics in over the last 20 years and also the dramatic decrease in infant mortality. Amazon US
Thank you so much for your support and shares this week again..it is always appreciated.
As we head into the holiday season Debby Giesshares an important post on the latest scam which may be operating at your airport involving your coded luggage tag attaced to your bag when you checked in…
Robbie Cheadle interviews fellow author Andrew McDowell on the Latinos English Edition blog… always great to learn more about our writing community members.
I have always loved mosaics and in one of our houses we had a stain glass window which reflected beautiful light patterns across the floor… Pilar shares the mastery of Martin Cheek who has created amazing artwork.
Jennie Fitzkee makes sure Memorial Dayis given the respect it deserves by inviting in Retired Master Sergeant Michael Kennedy to share the meaning of the day to her small students.
If you missed the series on Story Empire by Jan Sikes on her mission to reclaim and republish here titles from a traditional publisher then here is a wrap up post with links to the other posts. If you are considering taking this decision to reclaim titles then this series is for you.
And finally one for all storytellers out there from Laura Lyndhurst with part three of her series Telling Tales… some fascinating backgrounds to the ancient bards including Aesop and some of the pithy sayings that survive to this day in our language.
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
I hope you have had a great week. It has been mixed here weatherwise and still quite cool for the middle of May, but sun most days in the coming days. I am hoping for some garden time to make inroads into my TBR, which is teetering at the moment.
Later in the post a note about the Summer Book Fair beginning in June and whilst as always I will be featuring as many authors as possible, there is a change to this year’s fair and I hope you will like it..
First a couple of thank you notes for the generous ongoing support from the writing community.
My thanks to author John Dolan for his review for Life’s Rich Tapestry: Woven in Words…it is lovely when an older book gets some love and Goodreads – If you need cheering up, for whatever reason, I recommend you dip into ‘Life’s Rich Tapestry’.
Jacqui Murray shared her review for Tales from the Irish Garden and so delighted she enjoyed meeting the new residents. As always, Sally shows us how to find the good in life when it seems to elude us. I couldn’t have enjoyed this story more. 5/5 Goodreads
Just to let you know that I will be keeping this series going throughout the year so if you have not yet shared an excerpt from one of your books you would like to give some love to time to get cracking…This is open to all authors who have featured here before and all I need from you is the title of the book you want to showcase and around 500 words. Email me on sallygcronin@gmail.com.
Even though for some of us the weather is not exactly warm and sunny… it will soon be time for the annual Summer Book Fair on Smorgasbord. This year something a little different. You can choose which book I share. This as always is open to authors who have previously been promoted on the blog… new authors can participate too and details are in the post.
If I have not heard from you by May 23rd I will choose one of your books as I will be starting to schedule the posts.
My thanks as always to the amazing contributors for their posts and support.
William Price Kingjoined me for a Big Band era and on Friday another in the Chart Toppers and Blockbuster series and we are delighted you are enjoying along with us. You can catch up with William on his own Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies Debby with her next post in the As We Age on June 1st. On her own blog you can find the first post in a wonderful new series celebrating women and their courage and of course her Sunday Book Review and this week Hopes, Fears and Reality: Stories, Poems & Personal Tales by Alex CraigieD.G. Kaye
Carol Taylor was here on Wednesday with fabulous summer recipes and on this Wednesday she will be taking us to Oman explore the cuisine...On her own blog you will find plenty to enjoy in Carol’s archives.CarolCook
Malcolm Allen was here earlier today with some of his great funnies.
Thank you so much for your support and shares this week again..it is always appreciated.
A small selection of posts I have enjoyed this week and I hope you will head over to enjoy in full.
Laura Lyndhurst writing for Story Empire explores how many words should you be aiming for when you write a book… it varies depending on genre… but you also need to edit effectively whatever the length.
Pete Johnson offers some wonderful funnies and also some interesting facts… do you know the emergency number to call if you are visiting other countries?… a good thing to swat up on before you go on holiday.
Debby Gies has begun a wonderful new series on her blog celebrating the courage and power of women and in her first post the extraordinary story of a young French woman Alice Arteil
Another wonderful good news story from John Howell… this week he shares how Dawn Zuidgeest-Craft fulfilled a life long dream to qualify as a doctor at 72 years old. So inspiring and a reminder you are never too old to achieve success.
Judith Barrow writes a compelling post about a meeting she had with a man who puts some ideas into ChatGPT, takes the story it produces, does a bit of a tidy then publishes it… Judith shares the conversation they had which is very disturbing for those of us who put heart and soul into our books… Judith does however also share some amazing photos taken on Arran..
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
I hope you have enjoyed the week so far and if you are one of those who might have been hoarding sunshine, please think of those of us living under a grey dome and kindly send some our way.
This week marks 10 years since we returned to live here from Madrid. We viewed our house a week after we arrived and moved in a few weeks later. An abandoned B&B that took six months to modernise and make liveable and then another few years to add to the infrastructure such as solar panels to make it cost efficient. We never intended to run as a B&B and to be honest we live in the rooms downstairs with much of the upstairs unused.
We keep threatening to downsize .. but then we look at the cost of decent care homes if two of us needed to move into one, and decided it would be more realistic to have a carer live in if we need round the clock attendance. The average cost for a carehome in Ireland now is around 1200 Euros per week so for two of us 2400 Euros a week or nearly 125,000 a year. Plus you lose control of many of the areas of your life that result in a loss of independence, and even the food you eat. Something that is very important to both of us.
Hopefully we both will stay active and mobile for many years to come but it is something we need to bear in mind. The costs of the carehomes are not going to come down…only up, so by the time we might need one, it will be a great deal more expensive.
And then of course there is Baby Cat… he is only still about four years old and they don’t allow pets in these homes. I am not moving anywhere without him. Amazing how a creature so small can have such an influence on what you do with your life lol.
The two series currently running, Posts from the Archives and Share an Excerpthave been very popular so there will be some gaps in the health series etc but I will pick them up in a couple of weeks. They are both scheduled out into May but whilst the archive post is now closed to submissions, I will be running the Share an Excerpt post all year. So if you have a book you would like to give a boost to, check out the posts in the series below.
As I woke up Friday morning to another grey day and put my mind to finding something to cheer me up, I opened my email to find a notification from Laura Lyndhurst..Well what a wonderful tonic I found… not only some beautiful promo images I can use, but a fabulous review for Sam, A Shaggy Dog Story. Also some lovely comments from friends that warmed my heart… I am so buzzed.
And at the end of the post… there is an image of some of my book covers, including a sneak preview of my latest due out in the coming weeks..
My thanks as always to the amazing contributors for their posts and support.
William Price Kingjoined me for a Big Band era and on Friday another in the Chart Toppers and Blockbuster series and we are delighted you are enjoying along with us. You can catch up with William on his own Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies Debby began a new series on Monday which I am sure will benefit us all As We Age...and also shared a moving tribute to her dear friend in the Influencer series. On her own blog an important post for anyone tackling the issues associated with Windows 11 and how many are looking to a viable alternative. As always you will find a book review on Sunday.D.G. Kaye
Carol Taylor was here on Wednesday with the cuisine of the Netherlands and this coming Wednesday she will be working her magic with mince.. You will find plenty to enjoy in Carol’s archives.CarolCook
Thank you so much for your support and shares this week again.. amazing.
A very small selection of posts I have enjoyed this week and I hope you will head over to enjoy in full.
If you have been to a wedding or perhaps a relative is planning on including their pet dog in the ceremony, this article on Thomas Wikman’s site is a great guide to how to ensure the event goes off without a hitch…Thomas used some of his own photos of Le Bronco in the post.
Audrey Driscollrecently bought some books at Smashwords and some red flags showed up on some of the books and she explored their origins and is certain they were created by AI… she also shares these red flags you should look out for too when buying books by authors you perhaps are unfamiliar with.
Discover more about how to identify an AI generated book: Sucked in by AI
Judith Barrow shares her review for the recent release by Alex Craigie and I am now looking forward to reading even more…
Jennie Fitzkee attended the performance of Mama Mia starring one of her former students Emma in a lead role. What struck me was how emotional it was for them both when they met up after the show, another demonstration of how much Jennie is revered by her students long after they leave her classroom.
Head over to enjoy the reunion and the performance:Mamma Mia
Well more like a few funnies as there hasn’t be room for a post this week..
Age memoire…
How old are you Grandma?’ asked little Rebecca.
‘Oh, I don’t know dear,’ said Grandma with a smile. ‘I’ve had so many birthdays, I’ve lost count!’
‘Well, why don’t you look in your knickers,’ said Rebecca. ‘Mine say three to four years old.’
Psychiatry
A young man laboured under the delusion that he was a Yorkshire terrier. His friends persuaded him to seek professional help and he went to a psychiatrist for a course of treatment. Some weeks later, he met one of his friends in the street. ‘And how are things now?’ asked his friend. ‘Did the psychiatrist cure you?’
‘Oh yes,’ said the young man. ‘I’m quite okay now. Fit as a fiddle – here, feel my nose.’
Diet Pills
‘I’m prescribing these pills for you,’ said the doctor to the grossly overweight patient, who tipped the scales at 300lbs.
‘I don’t want you to swallow them. Just spill them on the floor twice a day and pick them up one at a time.’
Dog shows-
Miss Smythe was miffed… Her pet a Chihuahua was consistently second in dog shows throughout the country… One day she decided to investigate by asking the judges why this was happening. It was explained to her that the true Chihuahua breed had smooth coats and her dog, despite being perfect in every other way, had a shaggy coat.
Miss Smythe decided to take action and popped into a local pharmacist to buy some hair remover.
The chemist handed her the latest product. ‘When you slap this on, it’s best to keep your arms up for two or three minutes,’ he said.
‘Oh it’s not for my underarms, it’s for my Chihuahua,’ she explained.
‘In that case,’ said the chemist, ‘don’t ride a bike for 30 minutes.’
And here is my new composite cover image… with an advance look at my latest book due out in coming weeks… Tales from the Irish Garden: The Missing Pieces.
Thanks for dropping in today and I hope you will join us again next week.
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
Happy Easter and I hope you are enjoying the holiday weekend. We have managed to contain ourselves when it comes to treats but spread them out over four days to have some everyday. It is not that I would not be totally happy to indulge but I have found with age it takes me a week to get over the sugar overload. Oh for the days when a box of chocolates was gone in a flash…
There has been some sunshine in the week and his majesty made the most of it and appeared at his regular specified meal times… 7.00, 8.00, 9.00, 10.00, Elevenses, 12.00 etc…you get the drift. He prefers picnics when the sun is shining and lies on the doormat awaiting his order. There are days when I feel like a MacDonald’s Drive Thru…
We are expecting Storm Davidto hit with very high winds for the next two days (no it is not my husband) so we have tied down everything that is likely to go airborne including the cat!
This current archive is now closed for submissionsas it is very happily scheduled through to the end of May, so a stack of posts for you to enjoy from lovely members of our writing community. My thanks to everyone who has participated and there will be another series towards the end of the year.
Delighted to share the news that Thomas Wikman who lives in Dallas, is going to be joining us as a contributor with a series of selected earlier posts from his very informative and entertaining series Superfacts. The first is scheduled for April 30th and is for all of us on Facebook.
My thanks as always to the amazing contributors for their posts and support.
William Price Kingjoined me for a Big Band era and on Friday another in the Chart Toppers and Blockbuster series and we are delighted you are in the groove with us. You can catch up with William on his own Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies Debby shared the third part of her travels and adventure in Puerto Vallarta covering the very frightening breakout of violence and the aftermath. Also her Sunday book review for Celebrating Poetry by Cindy Georgakas Debby will be back with us on Monday with her new series As We Age...something to look forward to. D.G. Kaye
Carol Taylor was here on Wednesday with some more homemade Easter treats for everyone to enjoy and will be here this week with the cuisine of the Netherlands – bring your appetite. You will find plenty to enjoy in Carol’s archives.CarolCook
Daniel Kemp was here on Saturday with some of his funnies from the archives.
Thank you so much for your support and shares this week again.. amazing.
A focus this week was to share book review posts so that as many authors as possible received a boost… so thanks to Carol Taylor, Denise Finn and Jan Sikes for participating and sharing their recommendations for outstanding books.
A small selection of posts I have enjoyed this week and I hope you will head over to read in full.
Those of you who enjoy Jennie Fitzkee’s posts about life in her classroom will be familiar with her teaching assistant Gloria. Gloria is currently on a field trip to England as the guest of author Willow Willers where she is enjoying the VIP experience and in this post it is the royal treatment..
Fatherhood can be a daunting prospect, particularly if you are unprepared and Edward Ortiz celebrates his son’s 18th birthday with his reflections on his own childhood and his determination to be there every step of the way with his own son.. A post every man should read, and certainly an expectant father.
Bethshares the incredible feat which I had not heard of before…taking place before the Internet it really did not receive the celebration it should have had. Steve Newman, 28, a freelance journalist, left his house in the town of Bethel, Ohio for a 4-year journey walking around the world on April 1st 1983.
Olga Nunez Miretreviews the latest release by Stevie Turner…Holding Hands... a romance with a lovely twist as it celebrates that being in the later stages of life does not preclude us from enjoying some of the sweeter things in life.
And Patricia Furstenberg shared the fascinating Romanian history of shepharding going back 3,000 years… and a delicious Easter recipe for drob, a traditional lamb-terrine recipe.
The Job Applicant
A local business was looking for office help. They put a sign in the window, stating the following: “HELP WANTED: Must be able to type, must be good with a computer and must be bilingual. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.
A short time later, a dog trotted up to the office and saw the sign. He went inside and looked at the secretary and wagged his tail, then walked over to the sign and barked. Getting the message the secretary got the manager who looked at the dog and was surprised to say the least. However, the dog looked determined so he led him into his office.
The dog jumped into a chair and sat staring at the manager. ‘I can’t hire you. The advert says you must be able to type’. With that the dog jumped down from the chair and went over to another desk where there was a typewriter. He stood on his back legs and typed out a perfect letter, retrieved with his teeth and returned to the manager.
The dog jumped back into his chair and stared at the amazed man.
‘The job requires you to be good with a computer.’ The dog jumped down again and went over to the manager’s desktop and pushed him to one side. Again on his hind legs he created a spreadsheet and printed it off. By this time the office manager was pretty gobsmacked.
‘I appreciate that you have some outstanding abilities and are very intelligent. However, I still can’t give you the job.
The dog went out to the front office and reached up to pull the sign off the window.. He returned and put it on the desk in front of the manager with his paw on the line about being an Equal Opportunity Employer. The manager agreed. ‘
Yes, but the sign also says that you have to be bilingual’
The dog looked calmly at the manager and said ‘Meow’
Thanks for dropping in today and I hope you will join us again next week… Happy Easter.
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
Whilst we might not be quite into spring yet, there has been the bonus of a few more extras hours of daylight which helps boost the spirits. We have even had the odd half hour of sunshine but I don’t want to jinx it by getting over excited.
In the meantime here is a little calypso music and some of the animals at Battersea Park children’s zoo eager to get out into the sunshine.
My thanks as always to the amazing contributors for their posts and support.
William Price Kingjoined me for a Big Band era and on Friday another in the Chart Toppers and Blockbuster series and great to hear you are enjoying them both You can catch up with William on his own Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies is now on her winter break until April but will be back with more of her wonderfully helpful posts….However there is plenty to enjoy in her archives until she returns.. D.G. Kaye
Carol Taylor was here on Wednesday with her secret recipes for delicious roast lamb, flatbreads and hummus and next Wednesday she will be taking us to Malaysia . On her own blog you will find her latest A-Z for the cuisine of Nepal...CarolCook
And thank you for your support during the week it is much appreciated.
A follow on series from my own recollections of people in my life you have made a difference and an opportunity to promote your books and blog as well.
Now for a small selection of posts I have enjoyed this week… and I hope you will head over to enjoy in full.
Noelle Grangermet with Pat Spencer in person for brunch and shared their chat about life and writing which I can highly recommend you head over to read.
Terry Tyler shares a wonderful celebration of her mother’s life, and looks back over the decades to some memorable moments and what life was like at the time.
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
I hope you have had a great week… nothing much to report from here except for some progress made on my WIP Tales from the Irish Garden two… I will be focusing on this for the next few weeks and hope to have the book out in the spring.
An update on my soundcloud activities… my husband went ahead and subscribed for another year… so each week I will share some of the shorter recordings with you in the round up…I hope you enjoy… This one is a tribute to nature…Rain and the Wisdom of Trees. You can listen to all the other recordings Sally Cronin Soundcloud
Laura Lyndhurst explores the anamolies we find in books, in the theatre, television dramas and films.. and even in the classics. Clearly in many cases there has been little or no research with a ‘never let the facts get in the way of a good story’ approach.
Jennie Fitzkeeshares a post about the power of reading aloud to children and in particular one student who years after leaving Jennie’s class is passing along that gift to his younger brother… another amazing story.
As we approach Halloween, Teri Polen is sharing her annual horror fest and this week Diana Wallace Peach joined her for an interview and responds to her question…Have you ever felt like there may be someone – or something – else in the room with you even though you’re alone?
As always my thanks to the wonderful contributors.
William Price King On Tuesday in a break from our usual programming there is a special movie themes post especially for Jennie Fitzkee…. He will also be here with his scheduled movie themes post on Friday. Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies will be here on October 20th with her next post in the Health and Safety series, and you can catch up on any posts in the series you might have missed on this page The Health and Safety Series. In the meantime keep an eyes open for the launch of her latest release…On her own blog Debby shares her frustrations on the traffic and restrictions in Toronto with a possible change on the horizon and her Sunday Book Review . D.G. Kaye
Carol Taylorwill be here this week to explore the cuisine of the Lebanon. If you head over to her own blog you can find her book reviews for Robbie Cheadle, John Howell, W.D. Kilpack and Fiona Tarr. .CarolCook
Malcolm Allen was here on Thursday with some new funnies on some heavenly expectations.
Danny Kemp entertained us again with a post from his archives on Saturday.
And of course many thanks to you for your visits, shares and comments… they keep me motiva
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
I hope you have had a lovely week… autumn is here with very erratic weather but still some sunshine, but also some lovely colours in the trees in the garden. I managed some time in the sunshine and it was an opportunity to reflect on how the blog might evolve as it enters its 15th year.
As I read the International headlines each day and also comments on social media and also on the funnies here on the blog, that people do want some light hearted relief from what is mostly doom and gloom.
To that end I have decided to include more humour and having conferred with both Malcolm Allen and Danny Kemp they are happy for me to share their retro humour going back 5 years so you will find two posts a month now from them both…Terry Tyler has sent me a new batch of funnies to take us to the end of the year… and I will be of course sharing the funnies hosted by me and my co-host Debby Gies.
I also want to continue with the author promotions as I feel that is an important feature to support writers, so you will continue to see new releases, my reviews and the book fairs. My intention is to up the number of reviews I post as I am way behind with my TBR and it is now a priority. So many wonderful books waiting for me…
Health will also continue once a week with the series Health in the News as there is some amazing and life-changing research and treatments being brought into the mainstream medicine, but also some disturbing research into both the foods and the medications we are consuming on a daily basis.
And of course, there will always be music with William coming up with a wonderful new series in the New Year… and the Big Band Erafollowing on from the Breakfast Shows of the 1940s and 1950s.
I also want to continue to support the wonderful blog posts in our community and so I have decided to include links to the posts I have enjoyed during the week in the round-up with a brief description and the link directly to their posts… starting this week. The links mean you can open up their posts in another tab so you can continue reading here (if you wish to) xx
Terry Tyler shares her review for The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom..sounds like a riveting read…
Stevie Turner is spending time at their holiday home on the Isle of Wight… land of my maternal ancestors…Some great photos and some ideas of what you might see and do if you visit the island.
And another island which has long been on the wish list by Judith Barrow, off the Welsh Coast and a bird sanctuary… Skomer Island with part two to come.
As always my thanks to the wonderful contributors.
William Price King William joined me for the latest Breakfast show with the of the retro shows where we step back into the 40s and 50s for the next few weeks. He was also here with his movie themes post on Friday. Delighted to have William back after his summer break. Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies will be here on September 22nd with her next Health and Safety post on September 22nd, and you can catch up on any posts in the series you might have missed on this page The Health and Safety Series. In the meantime…Debby was here on Monday with an intriguing post from her archives on the passage of time…On her own blog check out her Sunday Book Review Bad Date: A short story by Ellery Lloyd. D.G. Kaye
Carol TaylorThis week Carol will be taking us to Laos (Land of a million elephants) to explore their cuisine.If you head over to her own blog you will find the latest A-Z cuisine for Liechtenstein…and you will find lots of food and recipes in her archives .CarolCook
And of course many thanks to you for your visits, shares and comments… they keep me motivated.
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
I hope you have had a good week… The weather has been mixed and there have been days when I have just settled down with a book in hand, and cat at my feet in the sunshine, when a large dark mass passes overhead and dumps a week’s worth of rain. I have perfected the fold, grab my director’s chair, with reader and glasses under arm, dash into the house, closely pursued by Baby Cat moaning and groaning. However, it all adds up to a little bit extra exercise for us both!
If you follow me on Facebook you might have already seen my new acquisition… my old chair has become rather worn after 8 years and so my husband treated me to a new one. It is officially for gamers and is very swish… it also has a massage function and for watching television I can recline and unfold the foot rest.
I am hoping that my renewed comfort will motivate me to get on with some writing in coming weeks…
N.B... a number of you have mentioned here and on FB that you quite like this chair.. actually compared to most gaming chairs this was very good value (149 Euros) and here are some links you might like to follow if you are interested in trying one out…it is self assembly… and I am not on commission… just impressed. There are varied seat dimensions so do check before buying.
Next week sees the start of the Summer Book Fairwhere I will be sharing my personal recommendations for the books I have read which I would like to give a boost to. I will also be featuring any new books published during the summer in the series.
If you have a new book due out in the next couple of months please let me know, particularly if on pre-order. I have several already scheduled which is great… if you have not been featured here before, then please let me have the Amazon link if on pre-order or already available, and your website or blog, plus any social media links. My email is sally.cronin@moyhill.com.
I was delighted to be the guest of Laura Lyndhurst this week chatting about life, writing, publishing, and philosophy…. I hope if you have not already been over you will join in the conversation.
In a slight change you will also find I have created a new page in the menu for blog posts I would like to recommend. Normally I would do a weekly post but in the next two to three months with the Posts from Your Archives and the Summer Book Fair, space is a bit tight. So I will update the page during each month with recommended blog posts and share regularly to social media…
As always my thanks to the wonderful contributors.
William Price King William is back from his break and joined me for the latest Breakfast show with hits from the 2000s and was here with his movie themes post on Friday. Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies will be here with another post from her series Health and Safety on this coming Monday. She also joined me for some funnies on Tuesday. Check out her blog including her monthly Writer’s Tips… and her Sunday Book Review – Nine Black Lives by Resa McConaghy – D.G. Kaye
Carol TaylorThis week Carol explored the cuisine of Iceland..with some interesting reactions to some of the food on the menu…..Check out her posts on her own blog ….CarolCooks2
My thanks this week to Malcolm Allen for another entertaining post.
Thank you for your visits and comments they mean a great deal.
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
Happy Easter weekend. I hope you are getting some sunshine, our heavens opened on Friday Morning and clearly they are not planning on shutting anytime soon.
The cat is currently in the lounge on his sofa (one of three covered in decorative linens for him to choose from). He will from time to time venture out and ask for the back door to be opened, but if it is still raining he gives me a disdainful look as if the downpour is entirely my fault, then saunters back to the lounge.
At night (by choice) he sleeps outside in his purpose built condominium which has two rooms, one insulated at the back, and a penthouse conservatory which he usually chooses to occupy at this time of year. It has a projected roof which stops any rain being driven in and he can view his domain and all who live within it.
First thing in the morning I open the kitchen door, and he is in like a whippet… he skips breakfast in favour of half an hour cat therapy and then he sleeps the day away when raining, popping into the kitchen for second breakfast, first lunch, second lunch… a brief visit into the garden, then back in for tea, high tea, supper and then out for the night.
First making sure that his human has left his favourite salmon filled treat biscuits in his conservatory for a midnight snack.
There is an upside to this. We have a thriving bird community despite having a cat patrolling the grounds. He is so well fed he has no inclination to hunt them in the hedges around our garden or any other neighbouring garden, and simply looks on as they court, nest and produce their babies. His presence also deters other cats from coming hunting in his territory and if they dare to trespass he sends them off with a flea in their ear…Consequently, judging by the 5.00 am. dawn chorus I will have to stock up on birdseed and suet blocks ready for the upcoming hatchings.
If the sun is out he will be found lying face up on the grass or in the shade of the hedge but appearing on the doorstep at the appointed times for refreshments. He accompanies me during any garden work I might be doing, occasionally inspecting my efforts and passing comments…his favourite time is when I am outside with a book and he lies at my feet sunning himself. He is spoilt rotten…I hold my hands up.
As always my thanks to the wonderful contributors.
William Price King William joined me for the latest Breakfast show with hits from the 1990’s and began a brand new series on Friday sharing the wonderful themes from hit movies over the decades… I hope will join pop in to enjoy Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies Debby will be back with another post in her new series on Health and Safety on May 5th..she joined me for some funnies this week on Thursday and on her own blog.. she shared the link to the first post in the new series and also her Sunday Book Review Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez. Check out her posts D.G. Kaye
Carol TaylorThis Wednesday Carol took us to Honduras to explore its cuisine which appealed to many of you who read it..On her own blog Carol shared this months Green and Healthy kitchen which I linked to in the Blogger Weekly .You these and other amazing posts on food and recipes in her archives CarolCooks2
Thank you too for your visits, comments and shares… they are much appreciated.
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
I hope your week has gone well despite plenty going on around the world. There are days when I don’t even want to read the headlines. But if you are on social media, then you witness the impact on those who are unavoidably caught up in the political issues and the lack of peaceful resolutions in war zones.
We might live in a quiet backwater in rural Ireland, but the disquiet and anger is still heard and understood. There is also a deep sense of powerlessness to help change any of it, and wonderment that 8 billion people on our earth are controlled by a handful of self-appointed autocrats. I don’t usually get involved in the discussions because I have nothing to offer except support. I wish I did.
On a brighter note we have had some lovely sunshine this week and I have made a start on my flower pots at long last… and one of our trees has started to blossom, which is always a good sign. Rain today but the new plants need it and the sun is back again for most of next week.
As always my thanks to the wonderful contributors.
William Price King William joined me for the latest Breakfast show with hits from the 1990’s and was here with his series of iconic live Duets on Friday. Next week William begins a brand new series sharing the wonderful themes from hit movies over the decades… I hope will join us Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies was here on Wednesday with a brand new series… Health and Safety… the first is about how important it is to be aware of your surroundings when out and about… on her own blog Debby wrote a letter to her 100 year old self… very poignant.. Also her Sunday Book Review Give Her Credit: The Untold Account of a Women’s Bank That Empowered A Generation by Grace L. Williams . Check out her posts D.G. Kaye
Carol TaylorThis Wednesday Carol will be taking us to Honduras to explore its cuisine..You will find amazing posts on food and recipes in her archives CarolCooks2
Thank you too for your visits, comments and shares… they are much appreciated.
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
What a difference a bit of sunshine makes… this first four months of the year has been more than gloomy and wet so our current warm and sunny weather is most welcome. I have been spending most afternoons outside with a book or music and feel rejuvenated.
I have to say my morning cat therapy sessions have kept me going. It is a calm time before starting the day online and I feel a lot better for it. Baby Cat also enjoys and goes through a cycle of mutual grooming then purring, snoring and dreaming (the cat not me!). He then wakes up and I pick him and his towel and furry blanket up and pop him on his cushion where he rolls into a ball and sleeps for another two hours.
Excuse me… no photos this is a private therapy session…..
As always my thanks to the wonderful contributors.
William Price King William joined me for the latest Breakfast show with hits from the 1990’s and was here with his series of iconic live Duets on Friday. Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies is going to be back with us next Wednesday April 9th with a brand new series… Health and Safety… the first is about how important it is to be aware of your surroundings when out and about… on her own blog Debby takes issue with AI and the intrusive actions of the programmes we use… and a reblog of her excerpt post last week. Also her Sunday Book Review Check out her posts D.G. Kaye
Carol TaylorThis Wednesday Carol took us to Haiti to explore its cuisine..On her own blog she shared her reviews for two amazing books by Diana Peach and Jacqui Murray.Check out her posts CarolCooks2
Thank you too for your visits, comments and shares… they are much appreciated.
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
I hope your week has gone well… some brighter days here and more evidence that the garden is coming to life. It will be a couple more weeks before I feel condident enough to redo the empty pots but in the meantime a certain someone has been sitting on a bunch of bulbs waiting to hatch… he is so helpful!
Yesterday was International Women’s Day and apart from a celebration and the raising awareness of the inequality many women still face even in our modern world, it is a day to appreciate all who support us each day… not just amazing women but also those men in our lives who champion our efforts and stand by our side.
I would also like to thank Robbie Cheadlefor her review for Size Always Matters and it gave me a lovely boost… it motivates me to keep writing health books when someone feels it can make a difference.
As always my thanks to the wonderful contributors.
William Price King William joined me for the latest Breakfast show with hits from the 1990’s and was here with his series of iconic live Duets on Friday. Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies Debby joined me for some funnies this week on Thursday and will be back soon, bronzed and raring to get back into it, with some tales to tell I am sure.D.G. Kaye
Carol TaylorThis Wednesday Carol took us to Guyana to explore its cuisine…On her own blog Carol has an amazing archive filled with recipes and sustainable foods and product information .Check out her posts CarolCooks2
Thank you too for your visits, comments and shares… they are much appreciated.
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
I hope you have enjoyed the week… St. Valentine’s Day was celebrated around the world and I am sure there were more than a few proposals. This one is certainly up there with the best…! Thanks to Dan Bogue
On the home front it was my birthday on Thursday… and it was home cooked steak fajitas followed by ice cream… scones for tea and truffles. Thanks very much to everyone who wished me happy birthday on Facebook and Linkedin.. very touched by all the messages. Lovely to get some from friends going back 40 years and catching up with them.
I have to admit when I thought (briefly) about my 70s when I was still in my 50s, I had no idea I would be still doing what I love and contemplating doing it for some considerable time to come. I do think the reason I still get up every morning and switch on my PC is not just because of the enjoyment I get from the activity, but the people I know I will interact with every day around the world…
I remember thinking how old my parents suddenly became when they were certainly in their mid 70s but they and their contempories where indoctrinated during their lives as to what happened when you retired. It wasn’t just from work but in many cases from life too.
Today with the Internet and the facility we have to write on every subject that interests us and books, and the continued connection to the outside world and the people in it, our lives in our 70s, 80s and 90s are very different.
Anyway… on my birthday a certain someone was adamant I take some time off and pay attention to more important things… I am considering renaming him from Baby Cat to MiMi…
As always my thanks to the wonderful contributors.
William Price King William joined me for the latest Breakfast show with hits from the 1990’s and was here with his series of iconic live Duets on Friday. Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies Debby joined me for some funnies this week on Thursday and on her own blog Debby shared her writer’s links for February and her reminder of her upcoming winter break in Mexico and blogging break. D.G. Kaye
Carol TaylorThis Wednesday Carol joined me for a Cook from Scratch to make sure you are getting sufficient manganese in your diet. She also brought a guest to coffee on Tuesday. This coming Wednesday she will be taking us to Grenada to explore its cuisine…On her own blog you will find a Green and Healthy Kitchen and also her most current A-Z of World Cuisines to Kiribati...Check out her posts CarolCooks2
Thank you too for your visits, comments and shares… they are much appreciated.
NB: Allan has a technical problem which is affecting several people at the moment who are trying to leave comments on WP Blogs. He has tried the cut and paste approach for a second attempt but it is not working.
He would like to thank everyone who has commented and apologises for not doing so individually.
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
I hope your week has gone well. Despite still being cold the sun has been out and I was even able to sit our wrapped up a couple of afternoons which was amazing.
I have been busy on the writing front but it is likely to be late summer before I will be able to get it finished but enjoying being back in creative mode after a long winter.
Not everyone is as supportive as they might be, with a constant demand for attention. This includes a new behaviour for our aloof former feral feline. He has decided I am in need of at least half an hour cat therapy first thing in the morning, which involves me sitting on the sofa whilst he lies on my lap enjoying a full body massage. He has also decided that sitting on a mouse mat is the best way to thwart any inclination to do any work…
On the blog front
Time for another series of Share an Excerpt and this time it is a 400 to 500 word excerpt from your first or last book.
It is for authors who have already been promoted here on the blog… but if you haven’t been here before, then email me so we can set up a spotlight to introduce you to the writing community here and you can join in the other promotions.
Head over to find out the details of how you can participate, and I have used my latest book as an example as I wanted to give it a boost.:
As always my thanks to the wonderful contributors.
William Price King William joined me for the latest Breakfast show with hits from the 1990’s and was here with his series of iconic live Duets on Friday. Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies Debby joined me for some funnies this week on Thursday and on her own blog Debby shared her insightful poem about how switching on to technology is switching us off from the real world D.G. Kaye
Carol TaylorThis Wednesday Carol took us to Greece for some wonderful insights into their cuisine. This week she joins me for a Cook from Scratch to make sure you are getting sufficient manganese in your diet. Check out her archives on her own blog CarolCooks2
Thank you too for your visits, comments and shares… they are much appreciated.
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
A much calmer week on the weather front after the last of four storm fronts moved through and despite all the wind and rain I noticed yesterday that some daffodils have poked their heads above ground and there is actually a small rose appeared on one of my bushes. Nature is amazing and determined to carry on regardless.
On the blog front I just want to remind you to let me know when you have a new book available either on pre-order or available to buy on Amazon. Views for the spotlight posts accumulate over the weeks following and in the case of John Howell’s spotlight and my review for the book, it now has over 200 views and has been shared multiple times on social media.. If you are new to the blog and have not been promoted here before then take a look at John’s post and if you like what you see get in touch with me on sally.cronin@moyhill.com.
There is usually a two week lead time on available slots so the sooner you can let me know the better.
I will need your Amazon author page link as I also share any other books you have published… plus website/blog link, Goodreads and your main social media platforms.
The only thing I ask of authors I promote is that they respond to comments individually and share on their own social media.
As always my thanks to the wonderful contributors.
William Price King William joined me for the latest Breakfast show with hits from the 1990’s and was here with his series of iconic Duets on Friday. Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies Debby joined me for some funnies this week and on her own blog Debby shared a reminder of her Poet of the Week post and you can read her Sunday Book Review for the new release by Nicholas Rossisfor children Everyone Hates This Restaurant... D.G. Kaye
Carol Taylor Carol was here this week with some wonderful recipes to make sure you are including sufficient magnesium in your diet..This Wednesday Carol is taking us to Greece for some wonderful insights into their cuisine. On her own blog shares a post that I am sure most of us can relate to with regard to the negativity surrounding the world and politics… plus a reminder of all the ingredients in store bought bread… Head over to enjoy CarolCooks2
Welcome to the round up posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
A bit chaotic this week with the first of the storms reaching us Friday morning. The power went off at 2 a.m. and did not come back again until early evening. Thankfully we are prepared with two camping stoves and plenty of prepared vegetables etc. But over 1 million homes lost power and many thousands their water supply as treatment plants lost power too. There are three more storms due in the coming week with the next one reaching us today, apparently not as fierce.
I hope if you are in Ireland or the UK which was hit hard too, you came through okay without too much damage.
The cat was in all night and throughout the day except of a quick dash outside for business purposes… he is a sun lover but has decided the best place to warm up quickly is under the nearest radiator…
After the storm…
As always my thanks to the wonderful contributors.
William Price King William joined for the latest Breakfast show with hits from 1990 and was here with his series of iconic Duets on Friday. Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies Debby was our Poet of the Week on Tuesday sharing a poem that will touch your heart. On her own blog Debby asked what we might do if we won the lottery? And you can read her Sunday Book Review and this week The Conjurer’s Wife by Sarah Penner. .. D.G. Kaye
Carol Taylor Carol was here this week with the A-Z World Cuisine series and took us to Finland..This week on Wednesday Carol joins me to make sure you are including sufficient magnesium in your diet..On her own blog she shares some of her kitchen disasters and good to know even Carol has them occasionally…She also supported Jacqui Murray in her book tour for the wonderful book Endangered Species Head over to enjoy CarolCooks2
Malcolm Allen joined us this week with some more of his always hilarious humour from Australia.
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
I hope your week has gone well so far. I have been getting on with my WIP, getting some walks in under grey skies but at least dry, and obliging the many demands of ‘he who must be obeyed’…I knew cats were canny about getting their own way, but he certainly has it down to a fine art. But does he have to be so snooty with it?
Editing reviews on Amazon
I am sure most of you already know about this facility but if you are new to Amazon you might find this useful. I discovered recently when I posted a review on Amazon that I had left off the final paragraph when I cut and pasted from the blog. If you have ever discovered a typo or some other need to edit your reviews on Amazon you can do so quite easily.
When you run your cursor over Account and Listsyou will see an option come up below for Managing Profiles, click on this and it will take you to a new page.
Click on View and this will take you to your profile and right at the bottom is a link to view your posts, reviews and other public content. Click on this and you will be offered the option to check all posts and reviews – click on reviews and then you will be able to see every review you have made on Amazon.
Click on the three dots to the right of the review you want to edit… this will bring it up and you can then alter and save. They will have to approve again but at least your review will as you want it.
As always my thanks to the wonderful contributors.
William Price King William joined for the latest Breakfast show with hits from 1990 and was here with his series of iconic Duets on Friday. Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies Debby will be taking her usual winter break from her column but will be back in the spring with her column. She is however, Poet of the Week on Tuesday sharing poem that will touch your heart. On her own blog Debby shared her January Writer’s links which are always very helpful and her Sunday Book Review.. and this week the stunning fantasy by D. Wallace Peach, The Tale of the Season’s Weaver. D.G. Kaye
Carol Taylor Carol will be here this week with the A-Z World Cuisine series and will be taking us to Finland…On her own blog a terrific post in Caro’s Green and Healthy Kitchen. Head over to enjoy CarolCooks2
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
I hope you enjoyed your Christmas and New Year and thank you for spending some of that time here with me on the blog. I know many of you have had snow and we have it expected here but it seldom settles long. I have however stocked up for the week, especially a certain feline’s favourite duck in jelly..
I have had a few emails this week from those embarking on the annual after holidays weight loss missions. As you know I don’t believe in crash diets as they only cause the body to rebound afterwards and put the weight back on with extra… Yo-yo dieting scares the body into storing since it is uncertain when the next famine is going to come along which makes it even more difficult to lose weight going forward.
I devised a weight loss aid, particularly for anyone wanting to lose 10lbs or less but also a reminder to those who want to lose a great deal more, how much certain foods contribute to the extra pounds. This is mainly down to our perception of how big a portion size we are consuming, and when you are plastering a couple of ounces of butter on your two pieces of toast for example, it is easy to misjudge how many calories you are consuming which is around 600 calories.
If you need to lose some weight and would like to check this list, you might be surprised how just moderating (not giving up completely) your intake of certain foods will help the weight drop off steadily over weeks and months, depending on how much you need to lose.
Obviously, these do not usually consist of fresh vegetables, fruit, proteins, healthy fats or moderate wholegrain carbohydrates. And even butter is something I refuse to give up but I just watch how much I use… Anyway something for you to consider. As always I am available by email if you have any questions and also if you would like a copy to print out. sally.cronin@moyhill.com
My thanks to Pat Spencer for my first review of 2025… for Tales from the Irish Garden. What a lovely start to the year and you can Pat’s review A Charming and Fanciful tale
On with the show….and as always my thanks to the wonderful contributors.
William Price King William performed for us in the New Year’s Eve party and was here with his series of iconic Duets on Friday. Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies Debby will be taking her usual winter break from her column but will be back in the spring. Debby will be posting on her own blog including her Sunday Book Review and this week her review is for the short read Canada was a Cakewalk by John Dolanand you can explore her archives too . D.G. Kaye
Carol Taylor Carol is here this week with the A-Z World Cuisine series and we are off to Fiji. Head over to enjoy Carol’s posts on her own blog CarolCooks2
Danny Kemp supplied some humour to get the year off to a good start. Author Danny Kemp
Thank you for dropping in today and for your comments and shares… they are all appreciated.
Welcome to the last round-up of 2024 with the posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
I hope you have had a lovely Christmas and I have enjoyed seeing the photographs of the festivities on social media. We were quiet but certainly indulged in our favourite foods and treats with a modicum of restraint….. in the gap before New Year’s Eve and the next bout of indulgence it has been dry so I there has been an opportunity to get some walks in every day.
I chuckle at the doom and gloom articles and posts that appear in papers and online over Christmas with the horror stories about how many hours you will have to walk to work off the treats… such as a small mince pie being 310 calories resulting in the need to walk 3 miles.
I work on the principal that a little of what you fancy does you good. In fact if you are still consuming plenty of nutrients and fluids and you keep up the exercise any extra weight usually drops off after a week or two. Life is for living and scrumptious food is a simple pleasure we should all be able to enjoy…..from time to time.
This week William Price King has joined me in the Breakfast show and presented us with some lovely Christmas music and iconic duets… as always so grateful we connected on Twitter 11 years ago and the blog would not be the same without him.
This week my gratitude for all the contributors is to be found on New Year’s Eve and includes a special performance by William along with other music and news of 2025 series on the blog. I hope you will join us.
In the meantime… here is a reminder of this week’s posts.
Delighted to introduce you to a new series for 2025 where you can not only promote your own work, but someone else’s you believe deserves a boost. As an example I asked someone who has always supported not only my blog but many of you on a daily basis.. Annette Rochelle Aben. I hope you will enjoy and participate
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
I hope your week has gone well. It has certainly been a stormy one here with 75mph winds across two storm fronts including Storm Darragh… Darragh appears to have been heartily hacked off and whilst we didn’t lose our power as thousands did, our garden was pretty mangled.
As regular readers know we have an adopted cat who started off feral and anti-humans, and now answers to Baby Cat and lets me rub his tummy (I promised I wouldn’t make that name public so keep it quiet). Anyway he comes and goes inside and has two bedrooms which he has claimed, one in the ironing room on a single bed, and a sheepskin rug on the landing. However at night he likes to go out around 10.30 and roam his territory before retiring to his purpose built house in the garden. This is when he has not found a perch in places he is not supposed to be!
David built Baby’s house to a plan on the Internet uploaded by a guy from Alaska so the specifications meant it was built to withstand that climate. Two rooms with a back one for sleeping which is doubly insulated and lined with fleece. Baby cat sleeps in there from September to May before opting for a penthouse suite more open to the elements where he can enjoy the summer months. His choice entirely.
When I pulled up the blinds yesterday morning and saw the destruction my first reaction was…OMG where’s the cat. Despite losing his roof plants, the extra waterproofing on top of his house and his stairs having detached themselves… he was sitting in his back bedroom looking through his window calmly waiting for the call to breakfast. He strolled in and we had the usual greeting, which involves killing my slippers, enjoying a full body massage and a few verses from Amazing Grace and Sweet Chariot… no titters please. He then ate his breakfast and sauntered upstairs to leave us to clear up and restore his house to its former glory.
I have also been working on a few new promotional ideas for 2025 and one is an opportunity to not only promote your own blog or books but someone else, who has been a support to you in some way and who you would like to give a boost to. More about the series in the week after Christmas but get your thinking caps on now.
Lauren Scotthas been celebrating the release of her children’s book and as part of the festivities also shared a review for some books she has read recently including by Anneli Purchase, Barbara Harris Leonhard and D.L. Finn and a most welcome one for Size Always Matters… a lovely boost for the book.Baydreamerwrites
As always my thanks also goes to my friends who contribute to the blog
William Price King William joined me for the Breakfast Show on Tuesday and his series of iconic Duets on Friday. You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies will be here with the next in her series Life Lessons 101 on Monday and the perfect end of year ‘pick me up’. On her own blog Debby explores the difference in values between the generations and how easy it is to forget how much we now have and of course her Sunday Book Review and this week for the entertaining and very informative The Rat in The Python by Alex Craigie with the focus on Fashion. D.G. Kaye
Carol Taylor On Wednesday Carol will be joining me for the A-Z World Cuisine and this week we are off to France. Head over to enjoy Carol’s posts on her own blog and some more culinary festive spirit with her green and Christmasy kitchen CarolCooks2
Thank you for dropping in today and for your comments and shares… they are all appreciated.
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed on Smorgasbord this week.
I hope you have had a great week. All quiet here although we did indulge on Friday for our wedding anniversary. I have kept every anniversary card we have ever sent each other including our wedding day cards and telegrams. As you can imagine I have a drawer full in the filing cabinet after 44 years and this year we decided to not buy anymore. It is not the cost or even trying to find one that is meaningful, it is simply we don’t really need them to show how much we love each other.
We went out for coffee and cake…. and then lunch was taken care of by the two air fryers which kindly prepared rib eye steak, onion rings and chips without me having to do much except fill and empty them.
It was a special day when we talked about the wedding and the five people, now long gone, who were there, and our adventures over the years. In the top photo my lovely mother-in-law Joan and my best friend Joan and my mother.
It’s official… with the registrar Mr. Evans after he pronounced us man and wife….
Here is the groom and then my father and I sharing a moment together along with the hotel cat trying to get next to the fire…
My father-in-law Geoff who some of you are familiar with over the years on the blog with his stories about Ireland is not in the photos I scanned because he took them…so here he is on is own wedding day. Considering David and I met and married in six weeks and I had only met his parents once on a quick visit to Ireland two weeks before the wedding, they welcomed me with open arms. I couldn’t have wished for lovelier parents-in-law.
As for the cards in the filing cabinet, I do get them out from time to time for us to enjoy all over again and they are a reminder of how wonderful our life has been together. With much more to come we fully intend, provided we don’t eat too many onion rings and chips lol…
As always my thanks also goes to my friends who contribute to the blog
William Price King William joined me for the Breakfast Show on Tuesday and his series of iconic Duets on Friday. You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies was here with the next in her series Life Lessons 101 on Monday and this month she explores forgiveness… On her own blog she shared her November writer links and of course her Sunday Book Review The Answer is No: A Short Story by Fredrik Backman. D.G. Kaye
Carol Taylor This week in the A-Z World Cuisine Carol took us to Estonia where the recipes were both interesting and out of some people’s comfort zone… On Wednesday Carol will join me in the Cook from Scratch to prevent nutritional deficiency of the essential vitamin C….head over to enjoy Carol’s posts on her own blog too as she celebrates the release of her new cookbookCarolCooks2
Thank you for dropping in today and for your comments and shares… they are all appreciated.
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed on Smorgasbord this week.
I hope you are safe and well. I know some of you live in Spain and have been experiencing some dreadful rain and floods and I hope you have not been too badly impacted by it. We visited Valencia and the other areas hit by the worst of the flooding during our 17 years we lived in Madrid and it is tragic to see the devastation and loss of life.
We continue to live under the grey cloud dome of gloom as does most of the UK and it looks like the high pressure causing it is going to last at least another week. We apparently will be getting half an hour of sunshine on Wednesday but they have not informed us of which half hour in the day…
It would be great if there was a little bit of sunshine on Friday as it is our 44th wedding anniversary…although it was pouring with rain on the day in Wales and a little chilly in my chiffon two piece. Considering we got engaged on our first date and married 6 weeks later, we did quite well to get an engagement photo done two weeks before the big day.
And more celebrations.
I have been made most welcome on two wonderful sites this week and a huge thank you firstly to Emmy award winning journalist and author da-Al – Daal Praderas of Happiness Between Tails who kindly asked me to write a post. I chose to feature memoirs and their ability to inspire, inform, comfort and entertain us and how it is not necessary to be a celebrity to share experiences and wisdom from a life well lived. Da-Al also shares some wonderful dog moments and a video demonstrating that age does not, nor should it limit us.
I was also the guest of author J. Arlene Culiner yesterday with an excerpt from Size Always Matters and one of the recipes from the book… the Irish Soda Bread. Jill is the author of both amazing romantic novels and non-fiction and I have enjoyed reading her books and can highly recommend.
And my huge thanks to authorSmitha Vishnawithwho shared her epic review for Size Always Matters on her blog, which blew my socks off…I hope you will head over to read and enjoy as much as I did.
As always my thanks also goes to my friends who contribute to the blog
William Price King William joined me for the Breakfast Show on Tuesday and his series of iconic Duets on Friday. You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies will be here with the next in her series Life Lessons 101 on Monday. On her own blog she shared the searing heat of the resort in Mexico and the adventures she and her friend enjoyed and of course her Sunday Book Review for Secrets of the Galapagos by Sharon Marchisello.D.G. Kaye
Carol Taylor Tomorrow a new book spotlight for Carol’s latest cookbook along with my review…On Wednesday Carol joined me on Wednesday with a Cook from Scratch to prevent a deficiency of B12 and Vitamin E. Coming up this week in the A-Z World Cuisine she is taking us to Estonia… looking forward to that. You can also find her Green and Healthy Kitchen post for November featuring Fruit Trenches, Stir Up Sunday, Jelly Fish a sustainable food, homemade plant fertilizer, Salmon Krapow CarolCooks2
Thank you for dropping in today and for your comments and shares… they are all appreciated.
On with the show
Today is remembrance Sunday, and it is a time to remember those we have lost during conflicts around the world. Also the women who waited at home waving off the love of their lives, never to see them again, as did my grandmother during the first world war, left with a 12 month old baby to bring up alone. The world was very different for women in so many ways after that first conflict and this poem reflects this..
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
A chilly morning here today for my walk… the first really cold day and I suppose with November around the corner it is to be expected. The sun is out though and that makes a difference.
I have been busy on the blog front as I have begun to schedule the Christmas book fair posts so I include as many authors as possible. So many amazing books and I wish I had time to read all of them but those I have read this year have been outstanding. The first post is going out a little earlier this year on November 6th.
My thanks to John Dolan for his review for my first short story collection Flights of FancyGoodreads And if you would like to listen to one of the stories… here it is Curtains….
And toIvy Logan for her delightful and much enjoyed review for Just an Odd Job GirlGoodreads
As always my thanks also goes to my friends who contribute to the blog
William Price King William joined me for the Breakfast Show on Tuesday and his series of iconic Duets on Friday. You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies will be here with the next in her series Life Lessons 101 on November 11th On her own blog news of Debby’s short brea to a new part of Mexico and looking forward to seeing photos and details on her return. D.G. Kaye
Carol Taylor On Wednesday Carol joined me in the Cooking from Scratch series with Vitamin B6. On her own blog a lovely post about her recent trip home to see family in the UK. You can also find some great posts in her archives CarolCooks2
Malcolm Allen was here with some prehistoric humour that hit the spot.
Thank you very much too for all your support today and during the week.
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
It has certainly been a traumatic week for thousands in Florida and it makes me appreciate how our occasional high winds and torrential rain is nothing compared to the viciousness of hurricanes on a rampage.
As I read the headlines, I really do understand how lucky we are living in rural Ireland for many reasons and despite loving the people and places we have lived in the last 44 years, we are where we need to be for the future.
I used to have itchy feet and was very used to selling up and starting a new life at a click of the fingers. Today we have no inclination to move again, not to mention a certain former feral feline who has his claws into us emotionally. He loves our garden and his purpose built house but more and more he is inside, lying in spots of sun as they move across the carpet over the course of the day. Not to mention frequent meals served in a china bowl with some shredded chicken for dessert.
Or as in yesterday when it began to rain and he decided that the three sofas I was carefully covering so he could sit on one of them were not to his liking and decided where I had stored the cushions temporarily was more fitting! HRH (His Royal Haughtiness)
I have been the recipient of much kindness again this week too.
My thanks to Sue Wickstead for her lovely review for Sam, A Shaggy Dog Story: Amazon
On the subject of Size Always Matters, I am so pleased to have been receiving some feedback offline about how some readers who are following the programme are doing.
This means a great deal to me thank you and keep them coming. Also I have had one or two questions about the programme and nutrition in general and please feel free to email me privately and very happy to help if I can.. sally.cronin@moyhill.com
As always my thanks also goes to my friends who contribute to the blog
William Price King William joined me for the Breakfast Show on Tuesday and his series of iconic Duets on Friday. You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies will be here with the next in her series Life Lessons 101 tomorrow and this week sometimes our happiness is dependent on knowledge and asking questions is a good way to do that. On her own post Debby celebrates her 25th Wedding Anniversary with a lovely tribute to the love of her life who changed her life…and the Sunday Book Review this week is for Beem Weeks and his short story collection Slivers of Life. D.G. Kaye
Carol Taylor is on a summer break for another week but joined me on Wednesday for our Cook from Scratch for vitamin B5 deficiency. She will be here on Wednesday with her World Cuisine A- Z and this week it is Egypt. On her return she will be preparing to launch her latest cookbook which of course will have a spotlight here. You can find some great posts in her archives CarolCooks2
Daniel Kemp was here on Tuesday with his brand of humour….which is legendary.
And a huge thanks for your visits, comments and shares during the week…the keep me motivated.
Coming up this weekas well sharing excerpts from their books are Terry Tyler, Sue Wickstead and Thomas Wikman. Nettles are the focus of the herbal medicine post on Tuesday, Vitamin C in the anti-aging on Thursday along with a new book by Lisette Brodey. My book review on Saturday is for Dr. Thomas E. Levy a leading authority on nutrition and his research into Vitamin C and a new book by Jan Sikes. Sunday is another episode of Just an Odd Job Girl… hope to see you there.
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
I hope everyone is doing well and having a good weekend. Nothing much to report on the home front, a couple of nice days and one coincided with a full day powercut in our area for maintenance, so we headed off to Powerscourt House and Gardens, one of our favourite spots. Their cafe serves fresh homemade hot mains plus a choice of three salads filled with fresh local produce, never a disappointment and with a view that is fabulous. Wonderful shopping too for a wide range of Irish made or inspired clothes, books, houswares and food. Recently they have added their own whisky distillery that you can tour and so if you are visiting Dublin well worth making this a stop on your travels. Powerscourt House and Gardens
Here is the view from the cafe with avian diners and the Japanese Garden.
As always my thanks also goes to my friends who contribute to the blog
William Price King William joined me for the Breakfast Show on Tuesday and his series of iconic Duets on Friday. You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies will be here with the next in her series Life Lessons 101 on October 14th. She joined me for some funnies on Saturday and on her own blog Debby shared her personal journey with faith and building a new support team and her Sunday book review the second book following last week’s review The Bookstore Sisters – Book 2 The Bookstore Wedding by Alice Hoffman D.G. Kaye
Carol Taylor is on a summer break for a couple more weeks but will be here on Wednesday joining me for our Cook from Scratch for vitamin B5 deficiency. She was here on Wednesday with her World Cuisine A- Z and this week it was Dominica…you can find some great posts in her archives CarolCooks2
Coming up this week as well, a reminder of my book reviews from October 2023, Herbal medicine with Lavender, Anti-aging and the immune system, some excerpts from authors Joy Neal Kidney, Kay Castanedaand Susie Black, some funnies from Danny Kemp, a book review for John Dolan, a new book from Denise Finn and the second chapter of Just an Odd Job Girl.
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord
It is certainly autumnal around here and the rain has returned. Nothing like the amount suffered in the UK this week and certainly far from the devastation of the hurricane that has been hitting Florida. Do hope wherever you are you have not suffered any damage or harm.
The pre-winter jobs are underway in the garden but I am doing nothing about all my plant pots until there is a dry gap for a couple of days. They are looking a bit bedraggled at the moment but the winter plants are in the garden centre now and they will soon be looking their best again.
I am not sure where September went but I think having Covid at the beginning did not help. I was still taken by surprise to suddenly see Halloween being promoted online and in the stores… how did this year get there so quickly?
The excerpt series is going well with posts scheduled so far into the last week of October so lots of great books coming up. If you would like to participate and have been promoted here before, please get your 500 words and the link to your selected book as soon as you can so I can get you included. email me at sally.cronin@moyhill.com
My thanks to Allan Hudson for his feature yesterday with a brief excerpt from Size Always Matters and some background to the reason for the book and my writing process.
As always my thanks also goes to my friends who contribute to the blog
William Price King William joined me for the Breakfast Show on Tuesday and his series of iconic Duets on Friday. You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies will be here with the next in her series Life Lessons 101 on October 14th On her own blog Debby shared a link for her previous in the series on how words can be so powerful and her Sunday book review The Bookstore Sisters – Book 1 of the Once Upon a Time Bookstore Stories by Alice Hoffman D.G. Kaye
Carol Taylor was here on Wednesday joining me for our Cook from Scratch for vitamin B3 deficiency. She will be here on Wednesday with the next in her World Cuisine A- Z and this week it is Dominica…On her own blog my thanks as always for her reposting of the Smorgasbord health posts.CarolCooks2
On Thursday Malcolm Allenshared this month’s funnies… and they certainly are…
Also coming up this week.
Sharing an excerpt from their books this week are Pat Spencer and Winona Kent, new books from Pamela Wight and Karina Bartow. A reminder of September’s book reviews, Herbal medicine sharing the benefits of peppermint, the second post in the Holding Back the Sands of Time series, a review for Eve Chase on Saturday and the first chapter on Sunday of Just an Odd Job Girl.
Thanks very much for all your visits, comments and shares this week…. and on with the show.
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
I hope your week has gone well. We have enjoyed an Indian Summer here with several warm and sunny days, more than we seemed to get during the actual summer. I took full advantage and boosted my tan and vitamin D, catching up with some reading.
It is now nearly two months since Size Always Matters was released and thank you very much to Pete Springer for his supportive review this week. It is now time for some offline marketing to the media here in Ireland. I have held off so that I could share the link to Goodreads and the combined reviews from the UK and US as these wonderful recommendations are so important when promoting the book to newspapers, magazines and radio stations. This is not to say I will hear back from all of them, but it is always a good idea to promote locally and nationally with any book you publish.
I have shared two series in the past on this, Book Marketing and Author Promotion and I have a pdf of both which I am happy to pass along if you are interested. They are slightly out of date with the changes to Twitter but the basics are there for setting up websites, author pages and promotion etc.
Anyway, that will keep me busy this next couple of weeks and I will keep you updated
As always my thanks also goes to my friends who contribute to the blog in my absence
William Price King William joined me for the Breakfast Show on Tuesday and his series of iconic Duets on Friday. You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies was here tomorrow with the next in her series Life Lessons 101 and this time she talks about the impact words can have on us and those close to us and how we need to be kind. She also joined me on Wednesday for some funnies..On her own blog Debby shared her writing links for September of course her Sunday book review and this week a short story by Jane Green, Vacation. D.G. Kaye
Carol Taylor was here on Wednesday with her informative columnthe A-Z of World Cuisine and this week Djibouti formally French Somaliland. This Wednesday Carol joins me for our Cook from Scratch for vitamin B3. On her own blog my thanks as always for her reposting of the Smorgasbord posts.CarolCooks2
Coming up this week.
Excerpts from Jan Sikes, John Howell and Annabelle Franklin. New books from Christine Campbell and C.S. Boyack. The Breakfast Showand iconic duets on Tuesday and Friday and on the health front Herbal Medicinewith Thyme and the first of the new anti-aging series Holding Back the Sands of Time, where I look at some of the specific nutrients and strategies which I have been researching over the last couple of years. All rounded off with some funnies from Malcolm Allen on Thursday.
Thanks again for your support this week… as always appreciated.
Welcome to a brief round up of this week’s posts you might have missed on Smorgasbord.
As you know I have been away for the last ten days and in the middle I went on a 3 day cruise with my two sisters which was very interesting and more about that later. However, after being lulled into a sense of complacency in our little patch of rural Ireland with infrequent interactions with more than a handful of people… even my robust immune system couldn’t withstand the efforts of 4000 revellers crammed into corridors, queues and entertainment venues. So I came home and tested positive for Covid.
I am moving through it quite rapidly but it will be a few days until I am firing on all cylinders. So a slightly abbreviated service will continue until then.
My thanks to those who have definitely cheered my up with their reviews for Size Always Matters and I will add them to the Books and Review page soon. Judith Barrow, Diana Peach, Denise Finn, Gwen Plano, Sue Wickstead, Joy Neal Kidney... so grateful for their support.
As always my thanks also goes to my friends who contribute to the blog in my absence
William Price King William joined me for the Breakfast Show on Tuesday and his series of iconic Duets on Friday. Delighted to say William is back from his summer break and will be chatting to you himself this week You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies will here on Monday 16th September with the next in her series Life Lessons 101 I am sure she has some terrific posts for you to enjoy this week including Sunday Book Review D.G. Kaye
Carol Taylor wad here on Wednesday with the next of her Cook from Scratch this week Vitamin B1 andthis week Denmark is the destination for the A-Z World Cuisines. .Catch up with her own posts this week on her blogCarolCooks2
Thanks again for your support this week… as always appreciated.
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
It has been a busy week with getting ready for my trip next week. I am leaving on Tuesday and will be online briefly until Friday when we are heading off on a mini cruise to Guernsey until the Monday. I am not taking my laptop so will be totally offline except for my mobile for calls home, which won’t do me any harm at all. Then I will be travelling back over Tuesday/Wednesday. So if you don’t see me around or I don’t respond to emails or comments… don’t worry ‘I’ll be Back‘
I have left the blog locked and loaded with the regular posts and some others to keep you entertained and hope you enjoy.
This weekend I have been on a cooking spree leaving masses of vegetables prepared in the freezer for David while I am away plus some easy cook main courses such as steak and salmon for the air fryer…I know he will be getting on with house and garden jobs while I am away and it makes life easier for him… the cat is also covered and the birds so I can rest assured that everyone is getting what they need while I am away… and peace and quiet lol! I know which of our cats below costs a lot less… and doesn’t need to be let in and out as often!
It has been a lovely week also because of the kindness of others with regard to my new book. Here is a post about some of my visits and reviews.
My thanks to Marjorie Mallon, Judith Barrow, Carol Taylor, Alex Craigie, Mary Crowley, Jacqui Murray, Debby Gies, Lisette Brodey, Stevie Turner, Sandra Coxand Denise Finn whose wonderful review was posted on Saturday and on Sunday an endorsement from Debby Gies with a follow up to her feature… I am absolutely buzzing.
As always my thanks also goes to my friends who contribute to the blog
William Price King William joined me for the Breakfast Show on Tuesday and his series of iconic Duets on Friday. William is now on his usual summer break but will catch up with your comments in SeptemberYou can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies will be here on Monday with the next in her series Life Lessons 101 and this week Living in the Now… She joined me earlier in the week with some funnies… On her own blog Debby very kindly not only featured a launch post and inteview earlier in the week for my new book but also reviewed Size Always Matters as her Sunday Book Review D.G. Kaye
Carol Taylor will be here on Wednesday with the next of her A-Z World Cuisines andthis week The Dominican Republic. She also joined me here for a rewind of our series Cook from Scratch to pervent nutritional deficiencies..On her own blog Carol’s asks for some help with her upcoming cookbook cover and also her most recent World Cuisine post on the foods of Japan..and thanks as always for sharing my posts to her blog CarolCooks2
Malcolm Allen entertained us this week with his wonderful humour.
Thanks again for your support this week… as always appreciated.
Thank you so much for your visits, comments, likes and shares and I hope you will enjoy the entertainment I have left for your this week… Forgive me if I don’t respond to your comments immediately… ♥
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
I hope you have enjoyed a good week so far and the sun has been shining. We have had two or three glorious days and some more to come in the next few days. Bliss.
With my car fixed it was time to explore newer models and our own garage we have used for the last 8 years was very helpful in scouring the dealers for a good buy within out specifications. Combined with David’s efforts it was narrowed down to three cars all around the 3 to 5 years old. We headed north on Wednesday and I had a test drive in a 2021 Nissan Note which is one of the last petrol ones they made. Slightly different in as much as it is keyless entry and push button start, most of the other controls were very familiar. So after driving around the block we paid a deposit. A couple of bonuses, a three year warranty and delivery to the door which save us making the 100mile round trip to pick it up. All going well it will be here on Wednesday. I will certainly feel more confident in driving in the UK when I visit my family in the rescheduled trip in September.
David is going to have my car and sell his own Note as mine is an automatic and a better spec. So very successful week in that respect. Time for some new adventures even if mine is not a Suburu….
I have also finished the editing of my WIP. Size Matters was first published first 2001 and I have updated and added a more detailed nutritional component and some recipes. It will be in ebook and print on Amazon, hopefully in a couple of months. Once this is off on its publishing journey… I will be working on another fantasy in the Tales from the Irish Garden due for release in the autumn.
So that is the news on the home front….
As always my thanks also goes to my friends who contribute to the blog
William Price King William joined me for the Breakfast Show on Tuesday and his series of iconic Duets on Friday. You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby GiesDebby will be here on May 27th with the next in her series Life Lessons 101 You can catch up with her own posts this week including a look at corporate greed impacting the viewing public and her Sunday Book Review for Live and Let by Judith BarrowD.G. Kaye
Carol Taylor was here on Wednesday with the next of her A-Z World Cuisines andthis week Bulgaria. Head over to check out her own blog and archives. CarolCooks2
Danny Kemp entertained us on Tuesday with his usual unique brand of humour.
Thanks again for your support this week… as always appreciated.
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
Storm Kathleen is still rattling around but thankfully the wind has dropped from the gusts of 70mph yesterday. We are lucky as around 34,000 homes on the West coast were without power, flights cancelled and ferry crossings. I am due to cross the Irish Sea the first week in May and hope we will be into a calmer spell… I have been on a ferry out there in storms and on one occasion I ended up being flung across the floor of the lounge…not an experience to be repeated.
On a more positive note the dawn chorus has begun around 5 a.m as the sparrows in the hedges around the house begin to romance each other. Whilst endearing I wonder if they might move their amorous tweeting to 7.am. perhaps. They are brave little creatures and along with the starlings have battled the winds to get into the bird feeder, so important this time of year that they have access to good quality seed and fats, particularly when the weather makes foraging further afield a challenge.
Since we are missing an afternoon video again this week.. here is one I hope will make you smile. Looks like our cows will be let out into the fields late again this year…hopefully in the next couple of weeks.
As always my thanks also goes to my friends who contribute to the blog
William Price King William joined me for the Breakfast Show on Tuesday and his series of iconic Duets on Friday. You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gieswill be back with a brand new series tomorrow....Life Lessons. You can catch up with her own posts this week including the 2nd part of her Mexico adventure and her Sunday Book Review Julia’s Violinist by Anneli Purchase set in post war northern Czech Republic border. D.G. Kaye
Carol Taylor was here on Wednesday with the next of her A-Z World Cuisines and this week Bangladesh. Head over to check out her April Green and Healthy Kitchen with Almond Milk, Golden Curry and Orchids and her archives with wonderful recipes and ideas to manage a green kitchen. CarolCooks2
Daniel Kemp was here on Thursday with his usual hilarious brand of humour.
Thanks again for your support this week… as always appreciated.
On with the show…
My thanks to Pat Spencer for the lovely review for Just An Odd Job Girl.. great to see it getting some love. Review on Amazon
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
I hope you are enjoying some sunshine whether you are in springtime or autumn. We did have enough this week for me to tackle the pots around the house with around 30 now sitting empty and patiently waiting for me to get to the garden centre and stock up tomorrow. I love this time of year and I am looking forward to getting my hands dirty.
Nothing else to report on the home front and on the blog front I am going to begin a new series in May where I will share updates on the authors on the recommended authors bookshelf Personal recommendations. I will be selecting one of the author’s books and sharing a recent review along with the usual buy links etc. With three authors per post at least twice a week, it means I can give more of you a boost.
As always my thanks also goes to my friends who contribute to the blog
William Price King William joined me for the Breakfast Show on Tuesday and his series of iconic Duets on Friday. You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Carol Taylor was here on Wednesday with the next of her A-Z World Cuisines andthis week Brazil. Head over to check out her own posts on the cuisine of India and Green Tomato Chutney.CarolCooks2
Debby Gieswill be back with a brand new series on April 8th so not long now…. She was here on Thursday this week with some great funnies... You can catch up with her posts this week including an entertaining recount of her trip to Puerta Vallarta the travel, condo, increasing prices and meeting old friends. her Sunday Review for Alex Craigie. D.G. Kaye
Malcolm Allenwas here on Saturday with some fun from Down Under.
Thanks again for your support this week… as always appreciated.
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
I hope wherever you might be the sun is shining and any chance we might have it back please… don’t be greedy lol. We do consider ourselves to lucky in so many other ways living here in rural Ireland and we are grateful that compared to so many places in the world we live in a peaceful environment.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day to our family and friends who will be celebrating in style today as well as all the millions of Irish lineage who will also be turning the world green…as in Chicago…ABC 7 Chicago
I have spent quite a bit of time this week sorted through my playlist for my walking and vegetable chopping. Nothing like a bit of Status Quo when you are chopping carrots.
I got lost in nostalgia as I checked all my digital music files and rediscovered songs from across the last 70 years from the musicals of the 60s to more recent additions such as Adele.
In each decade there was at least one song that summed up the age I was at the time and the people and events I experienced. I certainly have been blessed in my life apart from the 70s when I made some poor decisions about love and marriage. Thankfully far back in the rear mirror now and with that hindsight, I know for certain without that period in my life, I would not have ended up in the 80s in the right place, at the right time, to the meet the right one. The last 44 years have been a blast and whilst like everyone, there have been times when money was tight, jobs were stressful, and there were some health hiccups…. we are still here and enjoying life to the full with a lot of laughter, music and a cat.
One song on my playlist usually ends up on repeat for the beat and the message it carries. I guess it could be classed as an anthem for me in my 70s looking forward hopefully to a couple more decades. Thanks Elton John
How about you… what song do you feel the most connected to?
My thanks to author Fiza PathanInsane Owl for her wonderful and thoughtful review for Life is Like a Bowl of CherriesAmazon US
As always my thanks also goes to my friends who contribute to the blog
William Price King William joined me for the Breakfast Show on Tuesday and his series of iconic Duets on Friday. You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Carol Taylor ill be here on Wednesday with the next of her A-Z World Cuisines andthis week Brazil. Head over to check out her archives of fabulous posts on food and recipes including this week the cuisine of India and homemade Tomato Chutney.CarolCooks2
Debby Gieswill be back with a brand new series on April 8th so not long now…. She will be here on Thursday this week with some more great funnies... You can catch up with her posts in her archives including her Sunday Book Review for Genuine Deceit by Joy York on D.G. Kaye
Danny Kemp was here on Monday with his usual take on humour… .
Thanks again for your support this week… as always appreciated.
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
I hope your week has gone well so far and I know some of you have had snow this week as another storm front sweeps through from the north. We have been lucky in that respect as the weather has been dry but we did have a minus 5 degrees night this week and that is unusual for us. We are now in the path of Storm Isha who sounds delightfully innocuous but apparently is bringing all kinds of mayhem across the Atlantic. People keep saying spring is around the corner…..
As you know we have quite a few varieties of birds in the garden, but despite being so close to the coast we only usually get seagulls flying inland when there are storms. They rarely touch down in the garden, but this week a young seagull got blown around in the winds and decided to investigate why so many birds were gathering in one place. Starlings are messy eaters so despite birdseed not being his usual diet, he spent the morning picking up their cast offs. He also had a drink and a dip in the bird bath and refreshed headed off back to sea.
As always my thanks to my friends who contribute to the blog and this week…
William Price King William joined me for the Breakfast Show on Tuesday and his series of iconic Duets on Friday. You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Daniel Kemp and Malcolm Allen supplied the funnies this week and judging by the comments they hit the spot…
D.G. Kaye will be here next week on Tuesday and Thursday joining me for the funnies and Carol Taylor CarolCooks2 is here on Wednesday with World Cuisine Antigua and Barbuda.
Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
I am sure you are very busy getting ready for the next few days of entertaining or like us preparing to put our feet up and enjoy some festive food we have been trying to keep in the cupboards for the last few days… not always successfully I might add since a few boxes of goodies have been tested already for quality purposes lol.
Over the next week there will be one or two posts if you find yourself online and in the mood for some entertainment and on 31st December there is a New Year’s Eve party to round the year off.
I wish you a wonderful holiday and I will be around on FB and Twitter catching up with everyone from time to time and perhaps I will see you there. If you are alone this Christmas and feel like a chat my facebook is Sally Cronin
As always my thanks to my friends who contribute to the blog…
William Price King joined me this week for next of the The Breakfast Show reruns with music from the 60s to the 2000s. This week Peter Paul and Mary, Lesley Gore, The Searchers and The Tremeloes- After a break William will be here in the New Year’s Eve Party before a brand new series of iconic Duets starting on January 5th. You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr
Debby Gies Debby will be taking a break in the New Year from her column here on Smorgasbord but will be back with a new series in the spring. On her own blog Debby shared some lovely reviews she has received recently for her books and all well deserved and a fabulous review for Carol Taylor’s A Homemade Christmas.. which I can also highly recommend..Head over to …D.G. Kaye
Carol Taylor shares some delicious last minute food gift ideas on her last post before Christmas.. CarolCooks2…A last Minute Gift…Next year I will be sharing the first posts in Carol’s series on World Cuisines as she continues with countries later in the alphabet. CarolCooks2
Welcome to the last round up of 2022 and the first of 2023 with the posts you might have missed during this festive week on Smorgasbord.
Happy New Year and I wish you an amazing 12 months ahead full of love, laughter, health and creativity.
I look forward to showcasing the results of that creativity and don’t forget if you have a new book coming out or available email me on sally.cronin@moyhill.com so we can chat about a promotion. It is FREE… and all it takes is a little bit of time before and during the process.
I hope you had a wonderful New Year’s Eve and yesterday there was a party here with the contributors and some music in celebration of the year passed and the year to come.
Normal service will resume tomorrow with another post from Debby Gies in her Spiritual Awareness series, this week on Karma…On Tuesday William Price King and I begin a new series with the top songs from the Big Band Eraand the popular dances from the 1930s to the 1950s. On Wednesday Carol Taylor will be back with her A-Z of culinary terms and food with the letter ‘N’
Thanks very much for your visits during the year and for your very welcome comments and shares on social media.
This blog feature amusing and heartwarming stories about our late Leonberger dog Bronco, as well as other Leonbergers. It also has a lot of information about the Leonberger breed, the history, care, training, Leonberger organizations, etc. I also wrote a Leonberger book, which I am featuring in the sidebar.
Smorgasbord Blog Magazine 
