Tis the Day of Fools

It’s April 1st!!! What pranks have been played on you today? Or are you the prankster? I went to the dentist – what a way to spend April Fool’s Day for once I was hoping that they were pranking me and my appointment was a joke! But sadly it was not the case….. Enjoy this reblog of a bit of April Fool’s poetry via Charles Yallowitz – Legends of Windemere.

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 Tis the Day of Pranks
Where nothing is what it seems
Or everything is true
Paranoia settles in
With no escape until the dawn
Traps are lurking
Yet maybe they are not
Is that friend genuine
Or coaxing you into their web?
For one day
Everyone is out to get you
Unless they are not
The real truth is
You will never know

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Thursday Doors: The Fitzwilliam Museum

Today I’m opening a new door so to speak and having a go at Norm’s Thursday Doors #ThursdayDoors which ‘ is a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing it, between Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time), by using the blue link-up button on Norm’s blog: 

https://miscellaneousmusingsofamiddleagedmind.wordpress.com/2016/03/31/thursday-doors-march-31-2016/

This week Norm is doing a special Anniversary addition with two parts:

Special Anniversary Edition – Church of the Holy Trinity (Part 1) – Toronto and the second part is by his blog buddy Joanne Sisco over at My Life Lived Full. So do pop over to their Norm and Joanne’s blog to find out more.

I’ve been meaning to do this post for ages and I’ve had just the door in mind.

It’s the magnificent entrance door to The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge:

 

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I’ll think that you’ll agree that’s a pretty striking door.

I went there just recently with my eldest daughter to go to see The Death on the Nile Exhibition and indulged in a very fine Chelsea Bun just before the museum visit – in Fitzbillies Cafe, more about that scrumptious delight here:

Chelsea bun heaven: https://kyrosmagica.wordpress.com/2016/03/24/hughs-weekly-photo-challenge-week-18-sweet/

I’m looking forward to walking through the magical portal of the Fitwilliam Museum again soon http://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/–   I’m stewarding for one of the Cambridge Literary Festival events there during the Spring Festival this April. I’m looking forward to taking part in this – I’ve never been a steward before – I’ve been to many book festivals but never as a helper. So that should be interesting. The event is ‘A very special event to celebrate the life of feminist trailblazer and literary visionary, Charlotte Brontë who was born 200 years ago this April. Claire Harman joins us to discuss her acclaimed biography, Charlotte Brontë: A Life. Audience members can also enjoy a display of Charlotte Brontë’s personal letters from 1845 to her death in 1855 and cover the period during which Jane Eyre, Shirley and Villette were published, as well as her marriage to Arthur Bell Nicholls in 1854.’

As well as this I’m stewarding at a couple of other events at the Festival so no doubt there will be more about that later on my blog. Do check out the following link to the festival:  http://www.cambridgeliteraryfestival.com/

Doors hold such fascinating potential…. In fact I’ve opened a new door just recently on Wattpad. The prologue and the first few chapters of my novel The Curse of Time are now on Wattpad so do click on the links to find out more. Please feel free to comment, add feedback, share, I would really appreciate it.

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https://www.wattpad.com/myworks/67166165-the-curse-of-time

Bye for now.

I’ve been a busy bee today, trying to catch up on the daily grind… cleaning really is a curse!

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Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

 

 

HELP!!!! Please Share:Wattpad: The Curse of Time Prologue

Hi all,

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I have some exciting news for you!!!

I have shared my Prologue of my manuscript on Wattpad:

https://www.wattpad.com/237280069-the-curse-of-time-prologue

Second piece of news is I’ve decided to change the title. For ages I’ve been thinking of The Crystal Cottage, Krystallos…. but after much thought and some feedback from friends, family, and my blogging buddies, I’ve decided on – The Curse of Time..

The prologue is a recent development, so I would appreciate it if I could get some feedback  – prologues tend to be a bit of a pain in the ***. Comments, positive critiquing, are welcomed so I can make this beginning to the story the best it can be. With that in mind, I’m doing a gentle ask here – if you could please share this post on social media, and reblog.  This request is doing the rounds on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Google+ and might even make it to the photographic shores of Instagram!!

I would be so grateful. You can count on lots of shout outs, hugs, and Easter eggs in return. I promise.

Thanks so much,

 

Happy Easter Sunday…. love ya!!

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Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

Easter Eggy Limerick

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I’ve been having some computer problems and I’ve re-written this post twice. (I lost my first attempt!) So Mr Erase Limerick Pencil is laughing at me… how foolish can you be?

Anyway, perhaps losing the plot like this was meant to be as my first attempt was most probably worse than this one….

This is all new to me – I have never written a limerick before. As I had no idea how to write a limerick I resorted to a kids website, (thought a basic approach would help me!) :

Here’s the link:

http://www.poetry4kids.com/blog/lessons/how-to-write-a-limerick/

There are some rules -:

Limericks, like all poetic forms, have a set of rules that you need to follow. The rules for a limerick are fairly simple:

  • They are five lines long – keep it short….
  • Lines 1, 2, and 5 rhyme with one another … Tricky.
  • Lines 3 and 4 rhyme with each other…. More Tricky.
  • They have a distinctive rhythm, oh my goodness!!
That goes da dum-ing  along like this:
da DUM da da DUM da da DUM
da DUM da da DUM da da DUM
da DUM da da DUM
da DUM da da DUM
da DUM da da DUM da da DUM
  • They are usually funny. I hope …..

 

Here’s my limericks with and without the word chocolate in them! 

 

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EGGY LIMERICK  No. 1

Pink egg is so big it is vast,

So vast it is such an egg blast,

I eat it in one,

Seems a lotta fun,

Oh them hiccups come kinda fast!

 

Esther’s challenge was to write the limerick with the word chocolate in it so here goes:

 

EGGY Limerick No. 2

Pink egg is so big it is vast,

Chocolate is such an egg blast,

I choc it in one,

Seems a lotta fun,

Them Choc Hiccups Come Kinda Fast!

 

That’s my effort, (ha, I tried!) for Esther Newton’s  writing Challenge, do check out her blog to find out more.

Here’s a link to Esther’s blog : https://esthernewtonblog.wordpress.com/2016/03/24/my-weekly-writing-challenge-93/

 

Happy Easter, don’t eat too much chocolate!

Time for a bit of da dum da da dum Chillin’ Kyrosmagica Style… What you doing this Easter? Da dum da dum….. munch, munch..

Bye for now,

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Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

 

 

 

Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge Week 18 – Sweet

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I’ve taken the perfect photo for Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge, except it’s not Easter related, so no Easter eggs, bunnies, or such like. Never mind,  you can’t get more sweet than this sticky, tasty Chelsea bun which I had the pleasure of eating at Fitzbillies in Cambridge. Ooh, I’ll definitely be going back…. Look at that –  doesn’t it make your mouth water?… heaven. Talk about sweet perfection. Yum.

Fitzbillies Chelsea buns are famous, now I can see why. It’s so glossy, and beautiful it’s almost criminal to eat it – but I did and it was de -li- ci-ou-s!

I went to Fitzbillies with my eldest daughter, adding to the sweetness of the day. She’s just back home from university. I took a lovely photo of her but she asked me not to put it on my blog as she didn’t like it! Humph. So instead I thought I’d put up this old photo of my  two daughters taken many years ago looking particularly sweet. My youngest Georgina is on the left posing for the camera and Natasha is on right looking all sweet and smiley. This cute photo graces my desk as I write.

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Here’s me looking hungry just before I was about to devour my Chelsea bun.

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I’m so glad I visited Fitzbillies: http://www.fitzbillies.com/

The café features in the novel I am currently editing. As well as my daughter’s lovely company, a visit there gave me an opportunity to check out the ambiance, the buns, the décor and perhaps add some finishing touches to that particular chapter… Wannabe authors are always up to something!  Obsessed, we are obsessed! But that’s okay as my daughter Natasha writes too. She understands!

Now I am personally acquainted with Fitzbillies scrumptious Chelsea buns, it’s bound to add a certain something to the writing mix I reckon.. Don’t you?

It was a lovely day, and we followed it with a visit to the Fitzwilliam Museum to see their current exhibition: Death on the Nile: http://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/news/secrets-ancient-egyptian-artisans-show-death-nile

Very fascinating.. Death on the Nile: Uncovering the afterlife of ancient Egypt runs from now until 22 May 2016. Admission is free. Before you go don’t forget to have a Chelsea bun!

I came across a review of the Death on the Nile exhibition on WordPress.

Here’s a link to that:

https://semperexplorandum.wordpress.com/2016/03/11/exhibition-reviews-ancient-egypt-special/

Do pop over to Hugh’s blog to join in his photo challenge: http://hughsviewsandnews.com/2016/03/22/hughs-weekly-photo-challenge-week-18-sweet/

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Do you have a favourite sweet that you like? Or a café that is your no. 1 haunt? I’d love to hear your views.

Bye for now.

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Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

My links: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Marjorie_Mallon/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kyrosmagica/
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/kyrosmagica/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/20419289-marje-mallon
Tumblr: http://kyrosmagica.tumblr.com/

 

Writer’s Quote Wednesday, BeWow, and Weekly Smile.

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This is a triple whammy post – a smile that knows no blogging boundaries, in fact this smile has been released into the atmosphere – it’s a soaring balloon of a smile!

I hope you like the quote that I wrote:

There’s nothing quite like a smile. It’ll brighten the day for you, and you and you. It’s infectious, a bug with no cure, so rush out and crack open a smile today. Don’t delay! Make it stay! Don’t delay! Make it Stay! Allow it to sashay, party and play…. Let it fly, float and frolic on your mischievous lips…. 

This Wednesday I’m doing this triple smiley post for Colleen’s Writer’s Quote Wednesday, Ronovan’s #BeWow, and Trent’s #TheWeeklySmile.

It’s true what they say about a smile, it is the universal language of happiness. So today, being that it is the end of the school term, and as of Wednesday afternoon I’m on holiday… Yippee…. I thought I’d test it out in the playground while I’m supervising the children and see what kind of response I get… Can you be firm but smiley? Is that possible? Would they pay attention if I tell them off/ask them to do something with a smile? This might be quite a challenge…

Well what happened?

I had a really bad sleep and I was feeling a bit grumpy and tired!! And not very smiley at all. Typical. The sun went behind a cloud and the day was cold, grey and overcast. But on the bright side it didn’t rain.

Luckily I managed a few smiles, no one was particularly naughty, at least I didn’t notice any behaviour that warranted telling off. But, I tend to be a pretty chilled out kind of lass and don’t get bothered by much. Though I did come across a few problems, there was a young girl on the verge of an asthma attack, another girl cut her knee, a boy complained someone hurt him, and there was the case of a book of puzzles left on the bench…… Who did it belong to? Why had it been left? A mystery in the making…….

Here are some wonderfully smiley quotes  from The Fresh Quotes to get you in the smiley mood for half term….. or just to give you a bit of a lift mid week.

All people smile in the same language.

Use your smile to change the world don’t let the world change your smile.

You are never fully dressed without a smile.

A laugh is a smile that bursts.

The world always looks brighter from behind a smile.

Courtesy of The Fresh Quotes: http://www.thefreshquotes.com/goodbye-quotes-farewell/dont-cry-because-its-over-smile-because-it-happened/

And Dr Seuss, is a fund of great advice:

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
― Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss really does know a thing or two…

And I came across this wonderful quote – which really sums it up – we’re alive… isn’t that something?

“If you’re reading this…
Congratulations, you’re alive.
If that’s not something to smile about,
then I don’t know what is.”
― Chad Sugg, Monsters Under Your Head

So true!

Goodreads synopsis and Author Bio of Monsters Under Your Head:

Monsters Under Your Head is a poetry book about life in the words of someone who’s just as lost in it as you.

Chad Sugg’s first poetry book, Monsters Under Your Head, is often quoted to great lengths since its release thanks to the internet age. The book is one of two self-published poetry collections Chad has released over the past half-decade.

Chad was able to launch his poetry from the success of his musical career, where since 2004 he has been releasing original music under the moniker Backseat Goodbye, as well as most recently under his real name.

Do join in Colleen’s Writer’s Quote Wednesday and Ronovan’s BeWow:

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http://silverthreading.com/2016/03/02/wqw-writers-quote-wednesday-bewow-be-writing-on-wednesday-poet-mary-webb/

And don’t forget Trent’s weekly smile – here’s the link:

https://trentsworldblog.wordpress.com/the-weekly-smile-weeklysmile/

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Bye for now, keep on smiling!

Even if you come across a few prickly cacti moments during your day!

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Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

#WeekendCoffeeShare

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If We Were Having Coffee I’d have so much to say that quite possibly I might lose my voice!

It has been some week. My husband has been away skiing on his annual trip abroad with his male friends. This year they went to Ischgl in Austria , and unfortunately one of them had to get air lifted off the mountain in a helicopter. The poor chap had broken his shoulder in several places. So that wasn’t a particularly good start to the holiday week. Men and adrenalin! Speeding skis can be dangerous…

My mum and dad have been visiting Cambridge which has been very nice. We’ve been out for a lot of meals, and coffees this week. I was sad to see them go on Saturday, particularly when my dad said, “Bye my lovely girl,” as he left. That really touched me and I felt kind of weepy as they went. But I’m seeing them again soon, (it’s my mum’s birthday on 2nd of April and we are having a weekend away in Brighton to celebrate…)

We had a very odd dinner out on Friday night. My mum, dad, and my youngest daughter and her boyfriend came out with me for a meal to a local pub nearby. On the way there the car decided that it wasn’t really in the mood, and a nasty looking symbol lighted up on my dashboard, an engine warning light. This wasn’t looking good. Fortunately we managed to make it to the pub without incident. We began looking at the menu,  and then suddenly Georgina’s boyfriend alerted us to the fact that my mum had inadvertently popped the menu on top of a tiny little tealight candle and it was burning a perfect hole right through. There was much commotion, but we managed to put out the burning circle, thanks to G’s boyfriend’s quite wittedness! My dad went of on a mini tirade about how they shouldn’t put candles on tables as they are fire hazards…..  in between laughing and calming down dad we managed to decide on our chosen meals.

The waitress came to jot down our order and take away our menus. I have to say the burning smell was still lingering a bit…. but I don’t think she noticed that the burnt menu was slotted at the bottle of the pile by G’s boyfriend! Sitting immediately behind us were a family with young children. One, or perhaps was it two children, started to howl and dad being a typical man of his generation made a loud comment about how noisy they were!

Soon our meal arrived looking tasty, so that silenced us from further comment, and we calmed down, munching away quite happily.

Oh I forgot to mention the wine shenanigans. Take another sip of extra strength coffee – I must tell you about that! Mum and dad suggested ordering some wine, but G’s boyfriend said he wasn’t allowed alcohol in restaurants because of his age, and asked for a glass of water instead. Dad, being a somewhat eccentric old chap answered this with “A glass of water in a dirty glass?” Apparently this is a well known Grandfatherly joke as G’s boyfriend then said that his Grandad says this joke too! Or perhaps he was just being polite, can’t say I’ve ever heard of that one before! The tired looking waitress came to take  our plates away and inadvertently knocked over my dad’s wine glass, which crashed to the floor shattering to tiny little shards which spread everywhere. Luckily no one was hurt but the wine splashed on my black trousers! Of course I pretended that it hadn’t as she looked so mortified. It wasn’t red wine so no real harm done. She replaced dad’s glass of wine with an even larger glass of wine, that my mum and dad ended up sharing.

What a  first introduction to my extended family – I wonder whatever G’s boyfriend made of us! It was brave of him to come – he’s only fifteen, (but looks older,) my daughter’s sixteen! His age escaped my parents notice because on the way back was it my mum or dad that asked him if he’s learnt to drive yet…. Anyway, I’m glad to report that we got home safe and sound, with me at the wheel. It was a bit of a worry as we had to cross a railway track. I had visions of the engine cutting out just as we were crossing, and us having to abandon the car to the approaching train while we made a run for it. Which would be a frightening thought as my dad and mum can’t run but fortunately this didn’t happen. Cars, ugh, looks like the nuisance engine will have to make a visit to the garage….

That sounds like it should be the end of my If I Was Having Coffee post but no it’s not quite.. On Saturday I popped into town to meet an old friend of mine and we went to a favourite haunt of mine – Jamaican Blue, a lovely little coffee house/restaurant in Cambridge. It was nice catching up with my friend. Our daughters have been friends since infants so the pair of them went off shopping, while we sipped our lattes and had a chat. Anyway after a time I began to talk to my friend about the title of my novel, several possible names came to mind: The Crystal Cottage, Krystallos, The Golden Healer,  and then after we chatted some more I came up with a new possibility : The Curse of Time. She liked it. I liked it. Somehow The Curse of Time has a certain ring to it … do let me know if you like the sound of it.

So that’s it more or less, my first If We Were Having Coffee post. I’ve been meaning to do one of these for ages. I am a right old chatterbox once you get to know me…

If you’d like to join in with Diana’s Weekend Coffee Share  at Part Time Monster here’s the link:

http://parttimemonster.com/2016/03/19/weekendcoffeeshare-31916/

Bye for now, time to chill, it’s Sunday after all. Have a lovely restful day.

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Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

 

 

16 Facebook Groups for Writers You Don’t Want to Miss

Via Colleen at Silver Threading – 16 Facebook groups for writers You Don’t Want to Miss. She isn’t joking. This lady knows her stuff!

#Read about Guest #Author Judy Martin

A very interesting interview on The Story Reading Ape about our very own Judy Martin, (blogging as the delightfully witty and engaging Edwina’s Episodes,) who has recently released a poetry book – Rhymes of The Times. Do share and spread the word.

Chris The Story Reading Ape's avatarChris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

Judy Martin 01What a privilege it is to be here on Chris’ blog amongst all these wonderful people. It is a wonderful opportunity for me to tell you a little about myself.

Well, my name is Judy. Actually, it is Judith but no one EVER calls me that, except perhaps my mum when I was younger and she was mad. My family and most of my friends call me Jude except one of my nieces who calls me Scrude sometimes (she likes to rhyme as well)! I get a bit cross though if my nieces and nephews they forget to add the ‘aunty’ on most of the time (even though some of them are in their 30s)!

Talking of my family, I am the second youngest of six children, which meant that I didn’t really get much of a chance to get a word in edgeways, especially as I was a shy…

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