Amanda’s Adventures in Holland ARC
Posted on: May 7, 2019
- In: Books | Travel | Writing
- 60 Comments
We are almost there. Amanda in Holland – Missing in Action has been edited and edited and edited some more. How could I miss so many commas and how did all those ‘ly’ words sneak in? And what is with the word just? I just use it too often. However, I am very happy with this book and am pleased to announce it is available on NetGalley for a free e-version for those of you who would like to read an ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) and possibly write a review. You can access the e-book here.
Amanda is in Holland to see the tulips with her best friend, Leah. She travels the canals of Amsterdam, visits Anne Frank House, checks out windmills and a wooden shoe factory, and takes pictures of the flowers of Keukenhof Gardens. She is keen to find out what happened to her great uncle who never returned from WWII and was declared missing in action. What she doesn’t expect to find and fall in love with is Joey, an abandoned puppy. While trying to find a home for him, she meets Jan, a Dutch boy who offers to help, a suspicious gardener, a strange woman on a bicycle, and an overprotective goose named Gerald. Follow Amanda around the charming country of Holland, filled with colourful tulips, windmills, and more bicycles than she could have imagined. Once again, intrepid traveller Amanda encounters danger and intrigue as she tries to solve more than one mystery in a foreign country.
Here is a short excerpt
They disembarked at the next stop in front of a shop with large wheels of cheese piled high outside the door. Once inside, the sour milk scent of cheese greeted them.
A cheerful girl in a pointy white hat with wings on each side handed out samples.
“Yum, this cheese is so good.” Amanda smacked her lips. “Let’s buy some for a snack later.”
Mr. Anderson took out his wallet. “Good idea. We’ll take a wedge of Gouda and one of that one we just sampled.” He pointed to the cheeses.
“You mean the Edam?” asked the sales clerk. “These are good choices.”
While Leah’s father paid for the purchase, the girls went outside. Amanda heard a whimpering sound. “Did you hear that?” she asked Leah.
“Did I hear what?”
“A sound like a baby or a baby animal. I think it came from over there.” Amanda pointed at a large garbage can across the road. “There it is again!” She stepped off the curb.
“Amanda, watch for bikes!” Leah shouted.
One whizzed past, barely missing Amanda. She didn’t even notice. She headed for a cardboard box sitting beside the smelly garbage. Bending over, she opened it. Curled up in the bottom, a brown and white puppy, with the biggest chocolate brown eyes she had ever seen, stared up at her.
The puppy whimpered and put his head between his front paws.
Amanda in Holland – Missing in Action will be released on September 1, 2019 and is available for pre-order.
An example of the gorgeous flowers Amanda sees while in Holland.
Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives – #PotLuck – #CWILL BC Group Rewards by Darlene Foster
Posted on: May 4, 2019
A nice surprise to see this blog from the past. CWILL BC is an amazing group to belong to and this was such a great event. I have been a member for the past nine years. Thanks, Sally for bringing it out of the archives.
Welcome to the series of Posts from Your Archives, where bloggers put their trust in me. In this series, I dive into a blogger’s archives and select four posts to share here to my audience.
If you would like to know how it works here is the original post:https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/04/28/smorgasbord-posts-from-your-archives-newseries-pot-luck-and-do-you-trust-me/
Children’s author and travel writer Darlene Foster is a regular visitor to the blog and has shared some amazing posts. She gave me permission to explore her archives in search of more treasure. The first post that I selected was from 2013….I have checked all the links and you can find current activities for the organisation by clicking through.
Group Rewards by Darlene Foster.
I have been a member of a wonderful organization, CWILL BC (Children’s Writers and Illustrators of BC) for the past three years. This organization provides information and support to local children’s authors and assists in…
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Lorca Easter Parade in Video
Posted on: April 30, 2019
- In: Events | Spain | special occassions | Travel
- 28 Comments
I promise this will be the last post about the fabulous Lorca Easter Parade. It’s just that the pictures didn’t entirely depict the excitement so I thought I would share a few of the videos I took. Performing horses and chariots need to be shown in action. So here are a few short videos to make you feel like you were there. Try watching in full screen if you can.
Trick riding, impressive!
Chariots in action, so exciting.
Fabulous performing horses and marching band.
Women displaying their horse handling skills.
I do hope you enjoyed these videos. Thanks for all the great comments on this event.
Lorca Easter Parade 2
Posted on: April 26, 2019
- In: Events | Spain | special occassions | Travel
- 60 Comments
Easter week, Semana Santa, provides the most impressive and emotional fiestas here in Spain. Processions and parades around the country mix historic, biblical, artistic, cultural and social themes. Members of the different brotherhoods, dressed in their characteristic robes, parade through the streets while dozens of costaleros on foot carry ornate religious icons called pasos. This is a spectacular sight whether you are religious or not. No where do they do this better than in the town of Lorca where in 2007 their Holy Week was declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest. Its origin dates back centuries ago. I was lucky to have witnessed this event last week and wrote about what we saw before the parade started in the previous post.
As promised, here are some pictures of the actual event.
I was especially in awe of the horse-drawn chariots and performing horses. At times I felt like I was watching a scene from the movie Ben Hur.
The magnificent robes depict biblical and historical scenes
The lavish floats were incredible and kept me spellbound as they passed by.
I found the religious icons and penitents very moving
Nazarenos or penitents
Costaleros,wearing the colours of their brotherhood, carrying ornate religious icons
Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane
All ages take part in these events
The youngest parade participant representing the White Brotherhood, Paso Blanca
A number of brotherhoods participated in the parade, the two largest being Paso Blanca (White Brotherhood) and Paso Azul (Blue Brotherhood). There is much friendly competition between these two fraternities trying to out do each other with costumes, floats and icons each year. Onlookers are encouraged to cheer for a group creating fun audience participation. We sat on the Paso Blanca side where we all waved white handerchiefs and yelled, “Viva Blanca”, cheering as the white group passed by. The drums and marching bands added to the excitement. You couldn’t help get caught up in the atmosphere.
A truly impressive and unique experience.
Lorca Easter Parade
Posted on: April 22, 2019
- In: Events | Spain | special occassions | Travel
- 61 Comments
Semana Santa, Holy Week in Spain, is the annual tribute of the Passion of Jesus Christ celebrated by Catholic religious brotherhoods called cofradía and fraternities that perform penance processions on the streets of almost every Spanish city and town during the last week of Lent, the week immediately before Easter. Each place presents a different experience, from very sombre processions to lively spectacles.
On Maundy Thursday a friend and I went by bus to the city of Lorca, about one and a half hours away, to attend their Easter parade that I had heard was one of the best in Spain. Although rain threatened, it managed to stay away and we were able to watch the three-hour parade without getting wet.
It was an amazing parade, one I will never forget. As usual, the local citizens and brotherhoods went all out with magnificent costumes, fabulous floats and heart stopping entertainment.
We arrived in plenty of time to find a tapas bar for a snack and a drink. On the way we found some of the parade participants who were happy to pose for pictures.
Later, on the way to our parade seats, we encountered more participants moving toward the start of the parade and were able to get up close and personal pictures. An unexpected treat.
The Blue Brotherhood, Paso Azule, wearing their magnificent hand-embroidered robes
As usual, all ages were involved in the celebration.
All types of people from the time of Jesus were represented including Romans, Egyptians, Persians, Hebrews, and Africans.
This was so exciting and emotional. But it was nothing compared to the spectacle we were about to see. I will tell you more about the actual parade in the next post.
I wish everyone a Happy Easter!!
To be continued….
Understanding
Posted on: April 12, 2019
- In: Books | Memories | short stories
- 52 Comments
I am pleased to be part of an anthology called Understanding, An Anthology of True and Significant Life Events – compiled by Stevie Turner
Blurb:
The following authors and bloggers kindly answered questions posed by Stevie Turner regarding significant life experiences they had undergone. These events include sexual abuse, a near death experience, alcoholism, being diagnosed with cancer, depression, losing weight, getting married, being a mother to many children, being the daughter of a narcissistic mother, and many more!
Thanks to:
Alienora Browning
Sally Cronin
Dorinda Duclos
Scarlett Flame
Bernard Foong
Darlene Foster
Janet Gogerty
Debbie Harris
Lucy V. Hay
Miriam Hurdle
Phil Huston
Pamela Jessen
Joe
D.G Kaye
Lynda McKinney Lambert
Jaye Marie
Clive Pilcher
Abbie Johnson Taylor
Beem Weeks
Here is an excerpt of my contribution, about
grief after the tragic death of a family member
Did you find your brother’s death hard to believe at first?
It was incomprehensible. I forced myself to be strong for my parents’ sake. I looked after the funeral arrangements etc in a blur. I kept saying to myself, this isn’t happening, this is just a bad dream and I will wake up soon. It was much later that I would find myself crying uncontrollably, usually when I was on my own. I recall driving down the highway when it hit me that he was gone. That I would not get to dance at his wedding, to hold his babies or to have a good chat and a laugh with him like we always did. My daughter would never get to know her uncle. I started crying so hard, I had to pull over as I couldn’t see through my tears. This happened a couple of years after the accident.
Did you feel angry after the initial shock had passed?
Yes. I was angry at the unfairness of it all. He was a young man with his whole life ahead of him. He had completed school, was working and being a responsible citizen. He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.
How long did it take you to accept his death?
I am not sure if I ever really have. I do know that he has been spared the hardships and heartaches of life. But I still wish he was here with us.
Available on all Amazon sites
Amazon UK
All proceeds will go to Cancer Research.
Check it out! Thanks.
Winners!
Posted on: April 5, 2019
- In: Awards | contests | Family | short stories
- 64 Comments
I wrote about my granddaughter’s pet boarding business here and here and asked for votes for her in the Best of Medicine Hat contest. I am pleased to announce that Aunty’s Place was voted best pet boarding in Medicine Hat for the second year in a row. A huge thanks to everyone who voted! She works so hard and cares so much for the pets in her care, she deserves this.
This is what was posted on Aunty’s Place Facebook Page
I could not wait to say a big “THANK YOU” to each and every one of you for voting us the BEST OF MEDICINE HAT in our pet boarding category!!
To be recognized for our hard work and endless love for what we do, by our home town of Medicine Hat has been overwhelmingly amazing!
Taking care of pets fills our hearts full of love every day ❤️, but knowing that we have the support and recognition from our community is the icing on the cake!
To our community neighbours, pet care professionals, pet businesses, trainers, family members, our faithful clients, pet rescue workers, groomers, friends, and all of you who know that we just want what’s best for ALL pets…. Thank You SOOOO much for Voting for us in 2019!!
I also want to mention that my story Ghosts in the Attic won runner-up in Stevie Turner’s short story competition. Thank you for all the positive comments on that story. Here is the winning entry and all the others as well.
https://steviet3.wordpress.com/2019/03/01/share-your-short-story-winner-and-runner-up-for-february-2019/
Stevie is running another competition this month. So why not send in a short story. Writing short stories is a great way to exercise those writing muscles. Here are the details.
https://steviet3.wordpress.com/2019/03/23/share-your-short-story-april-2019/
I hope everyone is enjoying Spring wherever you are or Fall if in the Southern Hemisphere. You are all winners!
