Thank you to Nonnie Jules and the team at RRBC for this lovely post for Random Acts of Kindness Day. I am delighted to be a contributor to RRBC’s latest anthology, Memories of Mom, with a short story about my memories of the premature birth of my sister, Catherine.
I’m sure Robbie Cheadle has been at my place before, but today, I’d like to shine a light on her and her written works, in honor of RRBC’S RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS DAY!
Friends, meet my dear friend, Robbie…
Robbie is such a generous, loving and caring person, there was no way I was going to let this day go by, without sharing her (again) with all of you!
Robbie has so many books, that I can’t list them all here for you, but click…
This month, I will be sharing information about Zulu beadwork and the messages contained therein as well as a traditional story.
Zulu beadwork
The Zulu people of South Africa have a rich tradition of beadwork. Originally, bone, small horns, shells and small pieces of polished wood and stone were pierced to make beads that were strung together as necklaces and belts.
When the Zulus started trading with the Europeans at the end of the 18th century, glass and ceramic beads were introduced into their beadwork.
Traditionally, both men and women wore beaded belts called umutsha to which a piece of cloth was attached to cover the pubic…
Meet Linda Lockwood: fifty, fat, frumpy and bullied by her horrible husband Ron and the vile students and principal at the school where she teaches English. But her life is about to undergo a total transformation.
Linda suffers a breakdown after a traumatic classroom incident, and that brings out the worst in Ron and devious principal, Wayne Forsythe. Then she is rocked to discover her husband has a shocking secret.
With her own determination and the help of friends and family, she starts to turn her life around. She begins to succeed, but there are still some more surprises in store Linda.
A feel-good and inspirational romance for older women who love second chances and chick lit.
My review
Despite its heavy title and topic, this book is a fairly light and entertaining read. Linda is married to a selfish inconsiderate man, Ron, who takes great pleasure in belittling her in public. He throws a party for her 50th birthday and goes to great lengths to humiliate her in front of everyone she knows. In addition, to her dreadful relationship, Linda’s job as a teacher has degenerated over the years into an unfulfilling daily challenge to deal with unruly and rude teenagers. The principal of the school is “new age” and has some unrealistic views on discipline which has worsened the poor behaviour of some of the students. It is the last straw when Linda has a traumatic experience at school and suffers a nervous breakdown. Her neediness does not suit Ron who decides to leave her.
I enjoyed the character development undergone by Linda from the beginning to the end of this short novel. She is a bit weak and wishy washy in the beginning, allowing everyone she knows, and especially Ron, to walk all over her. After Ron leaves, Linda makes a conscious effort to pull herself together, losing weight and making changes to her life that position her to achieve some success for the first time in her life. I thought the slow progression of Linda’s changing personality and attitude to life was well done and realistic.
Ron is a dreadful man who is a bully. He uses Linda as his emotional punching bag because he is not happy with his status in life. He thinks he deserves more, but that is very debatable. He is a completely unredeemable personality and you can only feel pleased when things go wrong for him.
This book is perfect for readers who enjoy reading stories about overcoming obstacles and making the most of life. There is also a sub-theme of a sweet romance.
Toni Pike is a multi-genre author who enjoys writing page-turning fiction for adults, hilarious books for children, and non-fiction. She also loves travelling and being with family and friends. She lives in Australia and firmly believes that coffee and long walks are an essential part of any day.
Do you like books that you can’t stop reading? Pike is the author of LINDA’S MIDLIFE CRISIS, DESOLATION BLUFF, DEAD DRY HEART and The Jotham Fletcher Mystery Thriller Series: THE MAGUS COVENANT, THE ROCK OF MAGUS, THE MAGUS EPIPHANY and HOLY SPEAR OF MAGUS.
The Brody Cody Series is for children aged 6-9: BRODY CODY AND THE STEPMOTHER FROM OUTER SPACE and BRODY CODY AND THE HAUNTED VACATION HOUSE.
She’s also the author of two non-fiction books. THE ONE WAY DIET is a no-nonsense guide to losing weight. HAPPY TRAVELS 101 is a short book of travel tips with advice for anyone who wants to travel overseas.
This is the second bobotie recipe I have tried and this one was much nicer than the previous one. I used a traditional South African recipe as the basis for this meal. The addition of the lemon gives the meat a lovely light lemony flavour which I found very pleasant. This recipe is enough for 8 adults.
Ingredients
1 kilogram good quality beef mince
In a teacup mix together 4 teaspoons curry power (I used medium), 1 teaspoon mixed herbs, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1 tablespoon garlic flakes, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper
Olive oil for frying
2 large onions, chopped
In another cup mix together 1/2 cup (125 ml) fruit chutney, 1 60 gram tin tomato paste, 1 tablespoon apricot jam
Zest of a small lemon and 10 ml lemon juice
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups + 3/4 cups milk
4 slices sliced bread
Method
Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius. In a small basin soak the bread in 1 1/4 cups milk. Most of it will be absorbed.
In a heavy-bottomed pot heat a little olive oil and fry the onions until soft. Mix in the cup of spices and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the minced beef and brown all over. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, chutney, apricot jam, and tomato paste and mix well.
Squeeze the bread to remove excess milk and mix into the mince. Cook for approximately 15 minutes.
Prepare a baking dish and layer the bottom with the mince.
In a cup beat the 2 eggs and the 1/2 cup of milk. Pour over the mince layer. Add a few bay leaves on top of the egg mixture.
Bake in the oven for 50 minutes until the top is golden brown.
Today, my Treasuring Poetry guest is the lovely Yvette M. Calleiro. Do go over to Writing to be Read and read her excellent poetry choices and my review of her book, Hype. Thanks for hosting, Kaye Lynne Booth.
Today, I am delighted to introduce you to poet and author, Yvette M. Calleiro. I have read and enjoyed a few of Yvette’s lovely books and I am also a fan of her poetry.
Which of your own poems is your favourite?
This is such a difficult question because I’m quite critical of my poems, most likely because many of them come from deep within my soul and scrutinize aspects of my mind and heart which have spent a long time being hidden. One of my favorites is “The Battle Within.”
The Battle Within
I am brave.
I am strong.
I am confident.
My reflection tells me so
Every morning and every night.
I believe her
Until at some point in the day
My inner voice awakens
And slithers through the slopes of my cerebral cortex,
Robbie's inspiration 