Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge: Magic And Stars

It has been an age since I have written any haiku. Sigh!

Recently Denis at haiku hound commented on one of my posts, but added – where are your haiku? Good point Denis – his comment prompted me to write this post! Thanks so much for the encouragement. 🙂

Denis is a keen haiku poet, photographer and also has some stunning afghan hounds – do check out his blog: Haiku Hound – Afghan Hounds

I have really missed joining in with Ronovan’s weekly challenge. Unfortunately I have just been so busy job hunting, editing my manuscript, etc, etc.

Good news – I now have a new job… More about that soon. It’s a bit of a secret. Kyrosmagica likes secrets but all will be revealed soon. But one things for certain I doubt that you will guess what my new job is, as it is quite unusual.

This weeks prompt really caught my attention… Magic and stars. Kyrosmagica is all about the magical moments in life whether it’s simply reading a book, walking and observing the beauty all around us or engaging in creative endeavours. Kyrosmagica also tries to reflect on the deeper aspects of life – you can’t have light without a touch of darkness… But today, I’m feeling lighthearted so let’s celebrate love with Ronovan’s beautiful prompt words magic and stars!

My haiku is inspired by my recent visit to Tavira, in the Portugese Algarve. To find out more about Tavira do visit this excellent website: Tavira Uncovered. In this quaint town there is a bridge dedicated to love! All along the bridge padlocks are attached, with the names of partners, husbands, wives, and lovers!

This particularly bright pink padlock caught my eye. I do hope that Stefan and Claudia are still together!

Magical Fireworks Explode

Stars twinkle brightly,

Magical fireworks explode,

When I’m near to you.

Stars padlocked our love,

In magical Tavira,

Love you forever.

The key’s ours alone,

No one else can break the bond,

Magic star of love.

This bridge links our love,

A magical star glistens,

On this pink full heart.

Tavira is such a lovely quaint place to visit, with an oldie world charm, so with that in mind here are some of my photos to tempt you:

Two views from either side of the lovers!!! bridge ….

My daughter looking tiny amongst the quaint old buildings!

There are some lovely churches in Tavira:

Of course when love hits the mark it’s truly magical, and so is Tavira. If you’d like to see my other Portugal post do visit here: Portugal Missing You

I hope you liked my haiku. Do join in with Ronovan’s challenge.

Here’s the link to find out more: Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge – Magic and Stars

Oh and see if you can guess what my new job is…

Bye for now, much love. Happy Sunday!

Sharing Options:

September 18, 2016 13

5 Things to Remember When Designing Your Book Cover With @AuthorhelenJ

Excellent post on Sacha Black’s blog about designing book covers with author Helen Jones. Sometimes it’s a no brainer to reblog!

Sharing Options:

September 16, 2016 9

My Kyrosmagica review of the Cosy Teashop in The Castle

I won a copy of Caroline Roberts The Cosy Teashop in The Castle via Suze Lavender, @SuzeLavender who blogs at http://www.withloveforbooks.com/

Book enthusiasts tip: Suze is great to follow as she does lots and lots of book giveaways!

My review:

I read this charming novel while on holiday in Portugal. More about my trip here: https://mjmallon.com/2016/09/11/portugal-missing-you/

The Cosy Teashop in The Castle is the perfect read to take away with you for a relaxing break. A light-hearted story set in Northumberland about a young women’s dream to run her own tea shop. Being a big fan of cakes, baking, tearooms, and castles, this really appealed to me. By the way there is the added bonus of a lovely cake recipe at the back of the book : Ellie’s grandmother – Choffee cake. Sounds delicious! There is also a very satisfactory dollop of romance that never goes amiss on a summer read! The only aspect of the novel that surprised me was just how steamy the romance sections were. Boy were they hot, just about as sweltering as the Portugal sun. So do bear that in mind! Obviously all that floury cake baking, combined with the chemistry between Ellie and the manager of the tearoom, Joe, really enabled the spark to light Ellie’s broken-hearted fuse. Phew….Yes, Ellie hasn’t had the best of times as far as men are concerned, making her a bit cautious, and Joe has his reasons to be a bit distant too. But the fuse well and truly does get lit, believe me!

My recommendation – Read and find out more!

My rating: 4 stars.

Have you read The Cosy Tea Shop in The Castle? Do let me know your thoughts if you have.

Bye for now, that little tea shop was surprisingly hot!

Sharing Options:

September 12, 2016 19

Portugal Missing You! #Portugal #Holiday

Missing you Portugal! We stayed at this all inclusive hotel in Porches, the Algarve – Be Live Palmeiras Village. This is the pool area with a slide – there were two pools with bars – where you could wile away the sunny day with a cocktail in hand! I’d highly recommended this hotel especially for families with young children, the entertainment on offer to keep them occupied was excellent. The poolside activities such as Water Zumba were also great fun, and there was a daily program of evening entertainment too. There were two buffet areas included in the all – inclusive price plus three extra restaurants with a small charge attached. The food was diverse, catering for most tastes. In general I’d recommend Buffet 2 as there was an outdoor seated area to enjoy your food in the sun, rather than eat inside in the other larger buffet area within the hotel itself which felt like a food hall.

We discovered this wonderful cave cut through the cliff face linking two beaches near our hotel.

It was well worth it!

Here I am with my daughters about to explore what’s beyond the cave…

And here’s the reward – a beautiful beach on the other side.

Talk about tranquil golden sand, textured with footprints of assorted humans, occasional dogs who have escaped from their owners – rolling in furry abandon on the sand, not to mention the crazy seagulls. One minute those seagulls were tranquilly standing on one leg, stretching their wings, doing a tai chi move, the next they were dive bombing us!

Striking cliffs and that sea……so rich with hues of colour. An artist’s dream.

These wonderful cliffs are everywhere in Portugal and provide a great backdrop for family photos.

A holiday to Portugal wouldn’t be complete without a boat trip. The four of us went via Albufeira on a well organised day out. We had a wonderful experience stopping at a beautiful bay for a barbeque of fresh fish, pork, salad and wine.
No wonder my hubby and I are smiling!

Here is the lovely boat we sailed on..

Perhaps I might have convinced you to visit Portugal. It is one of my favourite holiday destinations – I have been to the Algarve three times, and loved it each time!

Bye for now,

Buy Book: myBook.to/TheCurseofTime

Social Media Links

Authors Website: https://mjmallon.com
Collaborative Blog: https://sistersofthefey.wordpress.com
Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon and @curseof_time
#ABRSC: Authors Bloggers Rainbow Support Club on Facebook
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17064826.M_J_Mallon

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mjmallonauthor/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjmallonauthor/

Sharing Options:

September 11, 2016 21