I downloaded this book last night! I read it in one sitting. I couldn’t put it down!
Lots of wonderful short stories about winter magic. It contains explanations for many Celtic terms, such as Yule, Solstice …, and the meaning of winter decorations we add to our house. And it has recipes! I can’t wait to try some of them.
And of course, being Colleen’s book it has to have poetry. Many beautiful poems in there, and the illustrations are lovely.
The poem below is an example of all the goodness you will find in this book.
Reading. I read two books at once, I mean, I’ve two books going on at the same time. One a paper book and the other a kindle book. I like to read the paper book during the daytime and the kindle during bedtime.
My two last reads were great! Both are about women carving their space during wartime. The paper book was The dictionary of lost words, you can see my little review here, and the other one, All the lights above us. The author is a fellow WordPress blogger MB Henry, and the story is about five women in Europe dealing with the horrors of WW2. It was interesting that the paper book story started years before the WW1, and when I wrote my post about it I didn’t have any idea that the story would reach wartime.
Both books are excellent. I’m glad I read them simultaneously, and the characters were strong women caring for their loved ones and for their own lives.
Spring/summer pleasures – just sitting outdoors and reading, it can be in my backyard or in one of the parks in the neighbourhood. I’m reading The Dictionary of Lost Words at the moment. It’s a lovely story based on true events about the Oxford dictionary compilation. The journey of a little girl growing up in a world of words.
“Some words are more important than others- I learn this, growing up in the Scriptorium. But it took me a long time to understand why.“
the moons of autumn was released oct 1st and i’ve 2 poems published in there! it’s wonderful to be featured in the company of many other poets. Colleen and Jules have done an awesome job of selecting the poems. i’m proud my poems were chosen! the poems capture the magical essence of the moon and i felt calm reading them.
the theme for tanka tuesday this week is poet’s choice, so i’m sharing one of my published poems in this book. hope you enjoy!
Relax. Pockets of ‘me time’ during the day, sometimes not easy to find room for self-care in the middle of the daily business, but it’s a must to be able to do so. Early ‘me time’ sometimes starts with morning pages and a cup of coffee, other times it starts with a run by the river.
early morning pleasure
Either way, these are moments for relaxing and organizing my thoughts before getting ready for the day. As an introvert, it isn’t easy to be in contact with people and socializing at the work place. I need down time, to think and recharge.
Your calm mind is the ultimate weapon against your challenges.
Bryant McGill
favourite corner in my garden
My garden is my private paradise. Taking care and admiring the flowers and the vegetables or just sitting down and looking at the sky and feeling the breeze washing over my face and my hair. When at home I make sure I have a garden walk at least 3 times per day, generally after each meal.
on the deck
Nothing more relaxing than spending a hot summer afternoon with a book and a refreshing drink.
Ah! There is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort.
Jane Austen
Sharing with WQWWC, this week’s theme is Relax. And you? What you do to relax during the summer?
I’m happy to share with you that two of my poems have been published! I’ve never thought that one day my poetry would be good enough to be in a book. And it is almost unbelievable that they were published in a book that teaches how to write syllabic poetry!
The form of published poems is Haiga, Japanese syllabic poetry that combines a written Haiku or Senryu with an image. Both written form and image should stand independently, and they should be able to transmit emotion to the reader.
If you are following me on my blog or Instagram you already know that photography is my passion, a way to express my feelings in the same way I use words to scribble details of a moment. So, Haiga is an opportunity to combine my photography and poetry together in one piece of art.
Word Craft Prose & Poetry by Colleen M. Chesebro is an educational book for poetry lovers and writers. It’s loaded with information about the poetry forms, the history of them and wonderful examples to help you compose your own poems. It has awesome poems from a variety of poets, it is perfect to have it by the bedside at hand for some bedtime poetry, or as I do, I keep mine together with my journal to consult it when I want to try a new poetry form.
I’ve known Colleen’s work for many years through her poetry challenge, Tanka Tuesday. It was by joining her weekly challenge that I’ve learnt to appreciate syllabic poetry and to write them. Some of the forms are still a mystery to me, but I’m sure that with this guide book I’ll master them at no time.
It is awarding to have my poems sharing the same space with many talented poets in this book. T
I’d like to thank Colleen, for believing in my poetry and always encouraging me to keep up with the writing.
Here are my two original poems and the link for the blog post where they first appeared.
I like to use vintage paper on my art pages and hubby has given me 3 of his old math books. The top one was published in 1960! Their pages have that yellowish vintage tone and lots of formulas and diagrams. I really want to torn them apart, but I’m not brave enough to do it. I think they were only moved from one shelf to another one!
What would you do? Keep them intact or have fun with them?
Noticing how tiny gestures brighten my day. Flowers from hubby and a ‘me gift’ that arrived yesterday! I’ve read wonderful reviews for this book, and I decided to give it a try. I’m not into mythology stories, but I couldn’t resist and ordered it. The first pages so far are great!
It’s Valentine’s Day and I’m planning on baking a few yummy treats for my family and lots of reading and writing. And you? Any plans for today? I hope whatever you do to be loaded with love and self care!
Happy mail this week! A few of the books I’ve bought arrived. I’m excited to read them. I’ve started The Book of Longings, few pages into it and I’m already in love with the main character ‘Ana’. This is the newest book by Sue Monk Kidd, her writing is loaded with emotion. I Capture the Castle was introduced to me by Jane from Fragglerocking.org and A Gentleman in Moscow by my dear friend Grace. And of course, a mystery book for October, so The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, the reviews are excellent for this mystery.
As you can see, new books are a few of my favourite things, I’m spreading kindness towards myself giving me the pleasure of holding a new book in my hands. I’ve just remember the song ‘My favourite Things’ – Julie Andrews:
Raindrops on roses
And whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things
Tea & Paper 