It’s been a while since I joined in Sunday Stills. The main reason is that I stopped posting over weekends last year in order to spend more time with my mom. This year, I am spending my Sunday afternoons with her and we are doing creative projects together. I am currently making the flowers for my new cake project for Terence’s birthday in May. Yes, I know May is weeks away but each flower takes me six hours to make and there are six big ones and twenty small ones plus a number of cakes to bake and leaves and stems to model. This year’s birthday cake is my most ambitious project to date. Mom is knitting a fairy and its coming along beautifully.
Anyhow, this week’s challenge is red for Valentine’s day and I have some pictures to share with you as well as a link to an amazing post about Michael and my Sir Chocolate books and our new Sir Chocolate High Days & Holidays Sir Chocolate book which is all about Valentine and includes some delicious themed recipes, just in case your prefer to give a book to any children in your lives instead of chocolate or sweets.
You can join in Sunday Stills here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2023/02/12/sunday-stills-monthly-color-challenge-are-you-ready-for-red/. Terri has kindly shared two of my haikus in her post which was a delightful surprise.






The wonderful Resa from Graffiti Lux Art & More blog has shared the most amazing post about Michael and my Sir Chocolate Books here: https://graffitiluxandmurals.com/2023/02/09/sir-chocolate-childrens-books-by-robbie-and-michael-cheadle/
Resa shares beautiful posts about street art, books, and other artistic and literary topics that are works of art and a great adventure. I hope you go over and take a look around.
Last but not least, Michael and I have a new Sir Chocolate book which is available on Kindle Unlimited here: https://www.amazon.com/Sir-Chocolate-Valentine-Toffee-Cupid/dp/B0BTBPZ9GT. It is also available as a paperback and an ebook.
Michael helped me create this video which I like very much:
It’s delightful
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Thank you
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The video is amazing. Well done both of you!! I enjoyed the interview as well.
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HI DArlene, Resa created a marvelous post. I’m glad you liked the video. I was pleased with it.
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Love the red flowers.
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Stunning Robbie! 🌹
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Thank you, Cindy.
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You’re so welcome Robbie! 🌹
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Gorgeous! I’m happy you’re spending time with your mother, Robbie. Since I retired, I’m spending my weekdays with mine.
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HI Jill, I have seen pictures of you with your mother. You never know how long you have with them, so it is a great idea to spend the time now.
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Hooray, so happy to see your post, Robbie! I get it, time is precious and we all have to pick the best options for our lives. I’m glad you can spend time with your mom doing fun things together–you are very lucky! Your fondant flower project sounds super ambitious but I know you can pull it off! Thanks for sharing your reds today. I was pleased to share your haikus from Tanka Tuesday–it’s quite fun to share my images as inspiration to be a small part of the fun.
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Hi Terri, it was a lovely image. I like the poems written for images weeks best.
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you put lots of TLC into your creations Robbie! Can’t wait to see the final creation!
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HI Wayne, yes, there would be no point (in my opinion) in doing this artwork if I didn’t give it my best.
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Good choices for the challenge, Robbie. Well done!
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thank you, Pete. I had a few good red flower pictures this year.
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You hit upon my favorite color, just in time for Valentine’s Day! My tablescape in the dining room is decorated with red hearts and candles now. Year-round, my stainless steel and gray/black kitchen has red accents galore.
Sir Chocolate snowman is adorable. Thanks, Robbie! 😀
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My pleasure, Marian. Your kitchen sounds lovely. Red is a cheerful colour and certainly makes a room happy and bright.
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You know how to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Robbie! Great interview, fabulous video, stunning photography, and a book to share. What a party!!!
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Hi Rebecca, I have just listened to your lovely recital for Valentine’s day. I will try to do a recording of Annabel Lee by Poe.
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Oh Robbie!! That would be absolutely wonderful! I LOVE that poem and your voice would bring the words alive. I will be following closely!!! THANK YOU!!!
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Hi Rebecca, I’m not going to make today – Michael is sick! I am going to do it soon.
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I wish you Roberta and your mother many precious hours creating these beautiful flowers together!:) Happy birthday to Terence in May.
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Hi Martina, thank you. We inspire each other, my mother and I. We always have. I am lucky.
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I am inspired by your ambition. It is wonderful that you and your mother have such a great relationship. That May birthday guy of yours is one lucky duck! Love your red photos (edible or not) Sprinkle fairies are special…
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Hi Annette, I love those fairies, among my favourite creations. My mom and I have always been companions. I am lucky.
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I hope you will post a photo of the finished cake! (K)
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Hi Kerfe, I am sure I will in due course. It is going to be a year of cake paintings. Mom and I picked a Renoir for her birthday this year – she will be 85.
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That sounds wonderful too.
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I do love a red amaryllis. It’s such an in-your-face flower. Congratulations on the latest Sir Chocolate video! It turned out great. I really, really want to eat chocolate now.
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Haha, pictures of food have a way of making people think of food, don’t they?
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They sure do, and I am the unfortunate owner of a sweet tooth.
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I love that you are spending time with your mom doing creative projects. Those are moments you’ll never regret. The photo of the rose is stunning! I can almost smell it! Happy Valentine’s Day!
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Resa’s post is amazing and congrats on this series and best wishes with the cake for your hubs
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Thanks, Yvette, the flowers are coming along nicely for this cake.
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🙂
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It’s lovely that you and your mom spend time together being creative. Other than baking I’ve done little in the creativity department this year..
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Strangely, Terence’s illness inspired a spurt of creativity. Michael and I put together this new Sir Choc book and I’ve finally finished my new poetry book about the Sixth Mass Extinction. I’m also writing a collection of South African based historical short stories. Anxiety has to go somewhere.
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Good use for the anxiety!
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Hi Robbie, Fabulous red photos. It’s wonderful that your spending Sat afternoons with your Mum – such a good daughter. Toni x
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Hi Toni, my mom is a good companion and the afternoons are lovely. We create lovely things together.
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Robbie, this is all truly amazing. I love the video. x
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Thank you, Judith, I am delighted to know that 💗
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Fine pictures of creative work
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Thank you, Derrick
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That video is amazing.
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Thank you so much, Jacqui. I am pleased with this video so it’s lovely that you like it.
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Delighted to read this excellent post Robbie. Hearty congratulations to you and dear Michael. Loved the video too. Thanks a lot for your great share ❤️❤️
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Hi Kamal, I am so pleased you enjoyed the post and the video.
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You are most welcome Robbie ❤️
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Love, love, love red! My favorite color most days! I just snipped the last bloom off my Christmas amaryllis!
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HI Dorothy, that is lovely. My favourite colours are yellow, pink and orange.
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I love them all!!!! Red, of course, but I really love orange too, and teal, and lavender, and baby blue….
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Love your photos, Robbie! Do you get your creativity from your mom?
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Hi Jacquie, my biological father was a chartered accountant who wanted to be an artist. He studied in Paris for a year but his father forced him to do something practical. My mom is also quite creative. She does a lot of knitting.
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That’s heartbreaking, though from your grandfather’s side he probably wanted the best for his son.
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Yes, people always think that earning more money is the path to happiness. I’m pretty sure it isn’t from my seat in a corporate for over 25 years. I’m glad I didn’t chose to chase top positions. You have to give up to much else in your life.
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Six hours for one flower! I admire you, Robbie – I don’t have the patience, talent, or dexterity to even attempt one, lol.
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Hi Teri, I find it calming and my mom and I have a nice afternoon together.
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Your photos are fabulous for red, Robbie, and your cake project is amazing and admirable, and it’s so nice for you and your mom to work side by side. I love the video too, so fun, and I’ve just ordered your book. Happy Valentine’s Day! 🥰
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Hi Lauren, that is very nice of you. These books are my Amazon self publishing experiment. I am pleased with the artwork in them which is a little different from our other books. I’ll be interested in your thoughts on it. Have a wonderful day.
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Great photos and I’ve always wanted to make meringues
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I enjoy pavlova and it looks impressive when served. Thanks for visiting.
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Thank you for the shout out, Robbie! What fun I had making the post. Congrats on the new Sir Chocolate book!!! Congrats to Michael on that sweet video! 👏👍
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Thank you, Resa, it was good fun and I’m delighted you enjoyed our books and my artwork. I like this video, it makes me smile.
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Makes me smile, too!
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I can’t wait to see that birthday cake. Here we have one April(30)four May(8,15,16,22) and one June (1) birthdays all within 32 days! I couldn’t make that many cakes.
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That is a lot of birthdays all close together. It is interesting how often this happens in families.
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And my daughter’s significant other just came into the family five years ago bearing the May 15 date. Too funny.
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Wonderful that you are sharing some creative space with your Mum Robbie… oh and I hope you share that Knitted Fairy.. 🙂
Cyril I am sure would love to meet her… 🙂
I can only imagine the painstaking time it takes to create each flower for your cakes.. and I am sure this cake is a creation of art in itself…
Love the images… and the Roman Soldier helmet … cake….
Sending LOVE and well wishes to ALL dear Robbie… ❤ ❤
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Hi Sue, thank you so much. I will definitely share the fairy. I should share her other knitted dolls. She knitted all the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit characters and they are delightful.
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Oh wow… they sound like a total work of art.. ❤ Yes, you really must share, would LOVE to see them.. 🙂
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That rose is beautiful!
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Thank you, Stevie
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Congratulations to Michael and you on the new book. It sounds delightful and delicious, as usual, and your suggestion of giving a book for Valentine’s instead of sweets is an excellent one. I love the pics, and I am not surprised it takes you that long to do your flowers. I am not creative in that way, but I love to watch baking and cake decorating programmes, and the flowers take so long to make, even for people who do that day in and day out… Mind you, you create pretty beautiful flowers. I am looking forward to seeing that cake in a couple of months’ time, Robbie.
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