Haiku – Page 3 – M J Mallon YA Author and Poet

Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge No: 86

ronovan-writes-haiku-poertry-challenge-image-20161

The prompt words this week from Ronovan are Flash and Dance.

I’ve just started a part-time job in my girls’ old primary school, a bit of a change from my last job working in John Lewis over Christmas! On Monday I was on supervisory duty in the playground mainly keeping an eye on the kids playing on the climbing frame. On my first day there were kids leaping on kids, a boy with two scrapped knees, a girl who got bark in her eye, and a group of year four girls who came and introduced themselves to me and told me all about the play they were in. They were telling me about their parts, how many lines they had or proudly boasting that their part was a baddie! How outrageous! All in all it was quite entertaining… So I said that my two children used to go to their primary school too and I asked them to guess my daughter’s ages. The first one said, ‘ twenty five! ‘ I said, ‘Do I look that old?’ Then of course the next girl said,’forty five,’ but after that the numbers started to come down, thank heavens! Cheeky devils !

It brought back a conversation I had with my youngest daughter recently. I asked her what she liked to do in the playground when she was at primary school, she said skipping, and playing games but she mainly just danced with her best friend! How very theatrical, and artistically inclined, she’s not changed a jot – she still loves to dance. Her friend likewise is still keen on performing, just recently I watched her acting, and singing with The Young Actor’s Company in their sell out performance at Cambridge Junction. Jack Drum’s Entertainment will be playing in Oxford on the 5th of March, and London on 7th March at Bloomsbury Theatre. To find out more about this play being performed by such a talented group of young actors, follow the link:

https://www.facebook.com/JackDrumsEntertainment/

I can’t say that I saw anyone dance in the playground apart from a tiny hint of a dance when one of the year four girls did a little bit of dancing from the show, just before she got called to have her lunch. That was the moment I was waiting for…… but it was gone in a blink of the eye.

So this week’s haiku is inspired by my daughter’s love of dance:

dance-674752_960_720

Primary dancers

Playground extravaganza

A duo flashdance

Here’s the link to Ronovan’s blog so you can join in the haiku challenge:

https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/2016/02/29/ronovanwrites-weekly-haiku-poetry-prompt-challenge-86-flashdance/

It’s good to know that there are some theatrical types in the playground, but perhaps that’s enough melodrama for now!

Bye for now,

bitstrips melodrama

Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

Haiku Horizons: Monkey

monkey-1176162_640

In honour of the Chinese Zodiac Year of the Monkey I thought I’d join in Haiku Horizon’s prompt which happens to be Monkey.

https://haikuhorizons.wordpress.com/2016/02/14/haiku-horizons-prompt-monkey/

I watched a very interesting TV programme last night, Chinese New Year The Biggest Celebration on Earth. I hope to complete a children’s book about Chinese New Year so I was drawn to watching this. It featured the Snub Nosed Monkey, such a charming fellow. These monkeys are an endangered species. They have been hunted to near extinction. That is beyond horrible……. but the good news is there is a rescue operation in hand. A dedicated man looks after these charming fellows and collects their nuggets of poo so it can be analysed to check their health. That must be quite a job, plastic gloves are a prerequisite, but he takes it very seriously. In fact he is so skilled that he can glance at each sample of poo and tell exactly which monkey produced it! Quite an unusual skill.. He must love those monkeys..

Do find out more about the snub-nosed monkey, he seems to be a delightful monkey full of character:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_snub-nosed_monkey

More than one billion people travel from the cities to the countryside at Chinese New Year to be reunited with their families at this all important time. Can you imagine? That is a huge migration of folk, involving all manner of transport: plane, car, motorbike, and police car…. The Hairy Bikers couldn’t rev up in their usual style in China without the necessary documentation so they ended up travelling in the back of a police car! These Hairy fellows learnt how to make Congee, a warming porridge made of pork, rice, and spring onions, served at the roadside to travellers returning to see their families at Chinese New Year.

This programme continued to fascinate me with its commentary on the Ice City, a massive winter wonderland carved out of massive slabs of ice in Harbin, the largest city of Heilongjiang province, in China. It is so cold in this province of China that the elderly locals are acclimitised to the extreme cold. These hardy pensioners dive into a swimming pool to engage in a spot of …… ice swimming! The thought just sends me into an extreme shiver ……

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbin

My haiku:

The snub nosed monkey,

Forest high flier, cool dude.

Keep him protected.

Hope all you Monkeys out there are having a very Happy and Prosperous New Year. I’m a rabbit in the Chinese zodiac…. I like to hop about and put my feet up with a good book. What about you?

unnamed

Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

Ronovan Writes Haiku Prompt Challenge: Crystal and Hope

ronovan-writes-haiku-poertry-challenge-image-20161[1]

Well with a prompt like that from Ron there is just no way that I wouldn’t join in with the Haiku prompt challenge this week. Who could say no? Not me for sure.

Here’s a link to Ron’s blog if you’d like to join his weekly challenge:

https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/2016/01/11/ronovanwrites-weekly-haiku-poetry-prompt-challenge-79-crystalhope/

I just love Crystals, and they feature in my writing.

Hope and Crystals kind of go hand in hand don’t they?

But perhaps with light there is always a touch of darkness, so with my haiku I am going to focus on the idea of unrequited love.

We all have at some time in our lives experienced differing degrees of unrequited relationships. In my experience I remember one such case when I was very young, it wasn’t love, it was a touch of infatuation. I fancied this young chap, and to be honest I kind of made it pretty obvious that I liked him. We did go out on a date but it was no fun at all, he just dumped me in the middle of the night in Edinburgh not caring how I got home or if I got home. In his eyes I think it was a bit of a prank to play on me, he must have thought I had been chasing him and perhaps he didn’t even fancy me. Anyway it was very upsetting and the memory of it still remains with me to this day. But it did teach me one thing, anyone that behaves in such an uncaring and unpleasant way can’t be worthy of my attention let alone of a relationship with me. So this curly haired young chap did me a favour in a way, his behaviour made me a little more reticent perhaps in chasing after a boy. I never went out with curly haired boys ever again! Instead I chose dark haired guys with straight hair, played it cool, let the boys do the running and the boys seemed to like that! So girls, take a tip from me, keep an aura of mystique and let the guy do the chasing.

Thereafter nobody broke my heart, not that he did, but he dented my pride. I have been lucky in love, and for that I am very blessed, so the haiku at the end of this blog post ends on a positive note.

So with that in mind let’s return back to Ron’s prompt words Crystal and Hope, by introducing you to a photo that I took of a very special crystal grotto, isn’t it spectacular?

get-attachment Kyrstallos picture

I wrote a post way back about this amazing place called Juniper Artland where I photographed this grotto, “The Light That Pours Out Of Me,” by Anya Gallacio, so perhaps if you’ve been following my blog for a long while you will remember it. If not, then here it is, (it’s always worth a multiple visit, so do click on the link):

https://kyrosmagica.wordpress.com/2014/06/15/jupiter-artland-the-light-pours-out-of-me/

Juniper Artland is a must see recommendation f you are ever in Scotland, it really is an amazingly inspiring place, here’s some of the other links on my blog in which I feature my response to sculptures at this wonderful Artland (via my photography and poetry) :

https://kyrosmagica.wordpress.com/2015/02/06/my-friday-image-juniper-artland-sculpture-firmament-by-anthony-gormley/

https://kyrosmagica.wordpress.com/2015/02/27/my-friday-image-and-poem-landscape-with-gun-and-tree-cornelia-parker/

https://kyrosmagica.wordpress.com/2015/02/20/my-friday-image-and-poem-a-worldwide-web-shane-waltener/

https://kyrosmagica.wordpress.com/2015/02/13/my-friday-image-and-poem-the-weeping-girls-laura-ford/

So this is my haiku inspired by Anya Gallacio’s magnificent Crystal grotto:

The Grotto of Unrequited Love

;

His promise ring sits,

Crystal bright on my finger,

Mockery of hope.

In tearful pieces,

Hope’s sweet embrace lost in stone,

Cruel, a clear cut edge.

Pain’s ocean rages,

Knife to fortune’s longing heart,

Hope’s pathway crumbles.

Crystal deep ridges,

Bury far inside my soul,

Desire groaning.

Luminous moment,

Lips lock hope’s tomfoolery,

Final kiss goodbye.

Fool I, to want you,

Curly haired lover,

Hope’s cheeky prankster .

Reverberating,

Darkness fills my soul, echoes,

Past sorrows return.

Transient moments,

Now, forgotten, forgiven,

Replaced by love’s light.

In Crystal Grotto,

Forever, hope, sparkles bright,

Love finds its sweet way.

Do comment and let me know what you thought of my haikus, and of course the amazing Juniper Artland.

Today I’m off work, so I’m doing a bit of blogging this morning, then off to Tai Chi, later in the day I have lots of chores to catch up on, sigh, if only I could do them like this!

Bye for now,

file (8)

Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

Ronovan Writes Haiku Prompt Challenge: Vast and Clear

haiku-challenge-image

This week Ronovan’s prompt words are Vast and Clear let’s see, what can I come up with…. tricky… I’m feeling melancholy today, not a usual state for me, but one that often follows the aftermath of all the Christmas festivities. I tend to be prone to a large dollop of the New Year blues!

Instead of fighting against this like I usually do I thought it might be interesting to try to focus on this sense of sadness and despair because like an actor, an author has to get into role and use feelings to good effect!

I intend to utilise this in some of my New Year writing so please do forgive the less humorous approach! Kyrosmagica blog is all about the lightness and darkness in life, in my experience both go hand in hand, and the interplay between the two fascinate me.

I’ve called my miserable haiku Nothing New, Kills Me.

I made a mistake when writing this I thought the prompt words were vast and new instead of vast and clear so apologies Ronovan, I’ve edited most of the haikus with the word clear!!

Nothing New, Kills Me

Your words lodge bitter,

Vast oceans of clear sadness,

Nothing new, kills me.

New heartbreak lodges,

Vast cruel, unsurmountable.

Terrors playing friends.

A new morning comes,

Light Trickling through clear windows,

Whispering vast nonsense.

New and old mingle,

Clear, lengthy fragments, spoken,

Vast, unstoppable.

New light promises,

Vast, clear, illuminating,

Ruin of darkness.

New guilty footsteps,

Clear no one will find me love,

Vast oceans away.

Hope you liked the angst laden haiku! I feel a lot better, writing sad haiku is so therapeutic… enough melodrama for one day, now it’s time to do the washing…

Bye for now,

bitstrips melodrama

Marje @ Kyrosmagica x

https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/category/haiku-prompt-challenge/

RonovanWrites #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge #77 Year and New

InstagramCapture_0940be22-d13a-4063-b5ac-3823e1cdd390[1]

This week for Ronovan Writes Haiku Prompt Challenge I’m going to share with you some photos of myself and my family that I took on the 1st of January just before the fireworks were scheduled to be set off the award winning pier at Cromer. If you managed to see my previous post you will have seen that we are taking a short New Year’s break in Cromer. https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/12/31/happy-new-year-2/

The photo above is of one of the finale fireworks, isn’t it absolutely wonderful?

Here we are huddled together trying to keep warm, we stopped for a quick hot chocolate, just before the display.

InstagramCapture_b7c40bfc-af83-45f6-923e-29868051b1cc[1] InstagramCapture_aaa0479c-2bd7-43fb-b0ff-1a7ff73f772c[1].jpg InstagramCapture_52fe5ac4-17db-4c21-a784-5f17767a663d[1]

The fireworks were spectacular, and my only regret is that I didn’t have a good enough camera to do justice to their beauty but nevertheless here they are in all their wonderment:

I just loved how this one turned out, to me it looks like a pretty present with a sparkling lid, and the one immediately after it resembles some kind of beautiful sea creature.

InstagramCapture_81e6e213-f597-48d0-a0eb-42a0dba906da[1]

And this particular fellow is an explosion of flowers.

InstagramCapture_6c9b49ea-7aa3-49cc-a354-5f7743682e15[1]

And this the biggest fizzing lollipop you are ever going to see!

InstagramCapture_27a0b4d1-1631-4f58-8e28-f4518438e581[1]

As to this one, it looks like a giant creepy crawly to me!! What do you reckon?

InstagramCapture_f1cc16dd-aee4-4157-993f-a428b2393e6e[1]

They were all so amazing that they inspired me to write a haiku with them in mind:

A New Year Divine

A New Year divine,

So sublime the heavens smile!

Fireworks in motion.

Followed by a Tanka:

A pretty present

All wrapped in shimmering light

Perhaps it is real?

A momentary delight

Sending our senses reeling.

A tanka consists of 5 lines and 31 syllables.

Each line has a set number of syllables see below:

Line 1 5 syllables

Line 2 7 syllables

Line 3 5 syllables

Line 4 7 syllables

Line 5 7 syllables

Here’s the link to Ronovan’s blog to join in with his weekly haiku prompt:

https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/category/haiku-prompt-challenge/

And his excellent advice on how to write a haiku, I like to refer to this from time to time to refresh my memory:

https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/2014/07/03/how-to-write-a-haiku-poem/

Bye for now, hope you liked my haiku and tanka.

A most glorious and Happy New Year!! I know Christmas is over but I couldn’t resist this farewell cartoon!!

file (6)

Love Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

RonovanWrites #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge #74 Cake&Wolf

Ah, Ronovan you have me well and truly stumped this week. Whatever can I write about using the prompt words cake and wolf? A difficult combination, this calls for a bit of wolfish humour and gluttony methinks……

Somehow I can see a wolf turning up at a fancy dress party in a cake costume…. Could be a shocker.. A party with a creamy strawberry, mousse, santa bite! Look at those eyes, it’s a dead giveaway. Okay, that’s totally daft, a cake wolf a la mousse, but that’s alright because it’s cute and cute works for me… especially combined with contrasting nasty Mr. Wolf.

Cake A La Sharp Fangs Santa

Wolf in mousse costume

Every creamy slice bites back

Ouch! Cake fangs Santa

And more cake humour……. with a feminist twist.

No Wolfish Sexism Allowed

Wolfish sexism,

Splatter cake on windscreen sign,

Feminism rules.

Link to Ronovan’s blog:

https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/2015/12/07/ronovanwrites-weekly-haiku-poetry-prompt-challenge-74-cakewolf/

And his excellent advice on how to write a haiku, I like to refer to this from time to time to refresh my memory:

https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/2014/07/03/how-to-write-a-haiku-poem/

Hope you liked my double dose of cake haiku with a Wolfish theme!

Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

Ronovan’s Haiku Challenge #72: Life and Give

This week Ron’s words are Life and Give. I was struggling with these two words but this morning I had a eureka moment, which was quite strange considering I had a few too many glasses of wine last night and I didn’t expect to wake up full of ideas! Amazingly I didn’t have a hangover, in fact I felt quite clear headed, strange indeed. I made myself a cup of tea and then I looked at my birthday cards sitting by the windowsill, and my friend Christine’s card caught my eye, with these cheeky words:

“The Older you Get The Better You Get Unless you Are A Banana.”
www.urbangraphic.co.uk

Typical Christine she likes to have a giggle! Well I’m grateful for her funny card reminding me that I’m getting on a bit, as it has given me an idea for this week’s haiku words, Give And Life. Her card is very appropriate too as I happen to love bananas, but having said that there is nothing quite as unappealing as an overripe banana. This squirrel knows he’s munching away at a very tasting looking banana, but could it be his last banana? Do any of us know when our time will come? So enjoy every mouthful of life that’s what I say, don’t just nibble half hearteningly go at it with a big bite!

Banana Love

Give me one big bite
Before your jaws clench honey
Adios sweet life

Poor squirrel I hope I didn’t knock him off his happy munching spot, he looks pretty healthy so I’m sure he will munch his way through many more tasty bananas.

The next haiku is not cheery in nature perhaps its the result of my reading The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King, my current read.

If you’re interested in writing a short story here’s a link to the Stephen King Guardian Short Story Competition, closing date is 18th December, 2015.

http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/oct/30/stephen-king-short-fiction-competition-send-us-your-stories

Car of death

I can’t embrace life

This car gives death bites

I’m a murderer.

My mind really does work in mysterious ways! All this from a birthday card, it’s amazing where inspiration can take you to, so keep an eye out for those unexpected sources lingering everywhere.

Here’s the links to Ronovan’s blog to join in the haiku fun:

https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/2015/11/23/ronovanwrites-weekly-haiku-poetry-prompt-challenge-72-lifegive/

And his excellent advice on how to write a haiku, I like to refer to this from time to time to refresh my memory:

https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/2014/07/03/how-to-write-a-haiku-poem/

Bye for now,

Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

BEWOW, Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge and Colleen’s WQW

RonovanWrites #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge #69 Haiku&Mind

As some of you will know from my previous blogging posts I’m on a bit of a blogging break so it will be a bit quiet here on Kyrosmagica, but I thought I might just share with you one little all encompassing post this week as I’m missing joining in on various blogging activities so here’s my entries for Ronovan’s Haiku challenge, Colleen’s Writer’s Quote Wednesday, and Ronovan’s Bewow!

To start with I wrote several haiku, the first few are about my blogging break!

The last few haiku are to inspire, encourage, and motivate students studying for exams this autumn.

Haiku’s On my Mind

A blogging break dear?

No, Haiku’s on my mind,

Three line rich story

Haiku Mind Games

The prompt words stump you

Enter imagination

Haiku mind games

My final haiku are for all those students currently studying for the mock exams, believe in yourself, you can do it, work hard, reach your starry dreams. My youngest daughter is currently looking at Sixth Forms for next year. Last night we went to an open evening and I was really impressed by a current six former in her final year who delivered a truly inspiring speech, and seemed to speak directly from the heart. This has inspired my daughter to set her goals quite high to go to this particular sixth form of her choice. Undoubtedly this will involve a lot of hard work to reach those all important grades that she needs, so this post is with her in mind and for all the other youngsters, and young people who are currently studying for their exams, or doing course work, at schools, colleges, and universities. It’s a tough time but persevere and remember to make the impossible become the possible. Draw this on a piece of paper, or chalk it on a chalk board somewhere you can see it. Make it your goal.

No Impossibles

Dream in possibles

Haiku enrich bright young minds

No Impossibles

Reach Your Starry Dreams

Haiku for you

Study hard expand your mind

Reach your starry dreams.

To end I’d just like to join in Writer’s Quote Wednesday hosted on Colleen’s Silver Threading blog, and Ronovan’s BEWOW.

Here’s a link to Colleen’s blog to join in the fun:

http://silverthreading.com/2015/11/04/writers-quote-wednesday-george-orwell/

The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education. Martin Luther King. Jr.

Couldn’t agree more intelligence without character is pretty pointless in my opinion, we need both…

I’ve written a quote for Writer’s Quote Wednesday and for Ronovan’s BEWOW – Be Wonderful Wednesday.

https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/2015/11/04/cesare-pavese-quote/

I’ve housed this all important quote in the following photo that I took of my ceiling when it was all lit up. The photo made quite a spectacular pattern, which turned out all green which was a bit odd but I’d just been to see Wicked at the Apollo Theatre in London so ……. that was quite appropriate!!

My Wickedly Inspiring Quote:

This is your time to shine, believe in yourself, remember to breathe, eat and rest. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t be the best you can be, reach those all important goals, and remember all the while to stay positive, focused, happy, and encourage and motivate your friends to do the same. Make the impossible, possible.

Good luck in all the forthcoming exams. I’m casting a spell on you to do well!

Bye for now,

Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

Happy Halloween!!!!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

To celebrate I’d thought I’d share with you some of the challenges and my favourite blogging activities I have done this October highlighting my Halloween Themed posts in case you’ve missed them:

So let’s start off with some photography challenges. I’ve recently joined Instagram https://instagram.com/kyrosmagica/ as has my friend and fellow blogger Hugh over at Hugh’s Views and News.

Hugh wanted to see what lurks in the shadows: http://hughsviewsandnews.com/2015/10/24/hughs-photo-challenge-week-3-what-lurks-in-the-shadows/

Here’s my contribution for Hugh’s What Lurks in The Shadow’s Photo Challenge:

https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/10/28/hughs-photo-challenge-week-3-what-lurks-in-the-shadows/

I also had a go at Ed Mooney’s Capturing History Spooktacular Challenge: https://edmooneyphoto.wordpress.com/2015/10/01/spooktacular-2015/

https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/10/26/spooktacular-2015-the-gallows-at-the-caxton-gibbett-inn/

Shadows even managed to sneak there way into my submission for Julia’s Camera Lucinda Photography Challenge, I kind of stretched my interpretation of the challenge, it was meant to be metal and rust so I cheated a bit! The guitar strings were a bit old and rusty! The shadows weren’t too spooky but I wanted to include this in this post to do a shout out for Julia’s challenge. It’s fun to join in.

Here’s the link to Julia’s challenge: https://myredpage.wordpress.com/2015/10/16/camera-lucida-metal/

https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/10/25/camera-lucida-metal/

Some writing contests, and challenges captured my interest:

The 5th Annual Halloweensie Writing Contest, this one sounded cute so how could I say no? I found it on Susannahill’s blog: http://susannahill.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/the-5th-annual-halloweensie-writing.html

Here’s my entry: https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/10/27/the-5th-annual-halloweensie-writing-contest-aahhhrrrooooooooo/

The 79 Word Story challenge from Chris at The Story Reading Ape:

http://thestoryreadingapeblog.com/2015/10/18/more-new-79-words-story-challenge-entrants/

I went for a jog and wrote about a Halloween brooch. My mind works in mysterious ways! https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/10/12/79-words-story-the-halloween-brooch/

Rachael Ritchey’s Blog Battle Writing Challenge, a weekly fun place to hang out and do blog battle : http://rachaelritchey.com/blogbattle/

Here’s a couple of my Blog Battle stories:

A paranormal lakeside story about a hidden scar: https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/10/13/blogbattle-the-scar/

A paranormal/fantasy story inspired by the blood moon: https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/09/29/blog-battle-blood-moon-a-rip-of-a-ride/

I love to join in Ronovan Writes Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge:

https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/category/haiku-prompt-challenge/

The prompt words that Ron came up with in that particular week were Tide and Flesh and they just seemed to fit the bill so well!

https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/10/03/ronovan-writes-haiku-poetry-prompt-challenge-64-tide-and-flesh/

I’ve been taking part in the #redeyereadalong of horror YA books by Stripes publishing. This wonderful event has been run by two book bloggers, Chelle at Tales of Yesterday Blog and Heather at Heather reviews:

http://talesofyesterday.co.uk/2015/09/tales-post-red-eye-read-along-october-2015/ https://heatherreviews.wordpress.com/2015/10/27/redeyereadalong-qa-with-tom-becker/

Here are my #redeyereadalong posts:

https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/10/26/redeyereadalong-dark-room-by-tom-becker/

https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/10/29/my-kyrosmagica-review-of-dark-room-by-tom-becker/

https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/10/24/my-kyrosmagica-review-of-bad-bones-by-graham-marks/

https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/10/19/redeyereadalong-bad-bones-by-graham-marks/

https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/10/16/my-kyrosmagica-review-of-flesh-and-blood-by-simon-cheshire/

https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/10/10/redeye-readalong-flesh-and-blood-by-simon-cheshire/

https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/10/09/my-kyrosmagica-review-of-sleepless-by-lou-morgan/

https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/10/06/redeyereadalong-sleepless-by-lou-morgan/

https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/09/30/read-eye-readalong-frozen-charlotte/

https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/10/05/my-kyrosmagica-review-of-frozen-charlotte-by-alex-bell/

Do check out Colleen’s wonderful blog, Silver Threading, and her open invitation to join writer’s Quote Wednesday: http://silverthreading.com/2015/10/28/writers-quote-wednesday-a-silver-quote-2/

For Colleen’s Writer’s Quote Wednesday I had a go at some Halloween Quotations: https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/10/07/writers-quote-wednesday-halloween/

My Halloween stuff and Autumn nonsense post, amongst other things celebrated some of the wonderful blogs who enjoy Halloween:

https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/10/04/halloween-stuff-and-autumn-nonsense/

Also I just finished reading Caroline Peckham’s Creeping Shadow, a pre-release ARC and have just done a quick review on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1417107616

Phew!! I have been busy. Don’t expect me to keep this up, or I may just turn into a shadow of my former self!

Oh and with all this blogging I had my best day for likes on October 27th, thank you all so much for liking and commenting on my posts. :))))

Newsflash: I’m having a well earned blogging break soon in early November, probably starting in the first week, and extending for all of November to do some much neglected writing, and I will be making some decisions about the publication of my manuscript Krystallos. More about that to come….

So bye for now.

I hope you have a very happy fun filled Halloween!

From your magical good witch Marje @ Kyrosmagica !! xx

3 Day Quote Challenge: Day 3

I have been tagged by Janice who blogs at On the land to participate in the ‘3 Days, 3 Quotes Challenge’.

Many thanks to Janice for inviting me to participate in this challenge. I have thoroughly enjoyed taking part.

Janice blogs about our world and how important it is to care and nourish it: Caring About Our World; Reflecting About Life. She hopes to encourage us to move towards a cleaner, more sustainable future and away from the worst consequences of climate change.

If you pop over to Janice’s blog you will get a sense of just how passionately she feels about this wonderful world in which we live: https://ontheland.wordpress.com/2015/10/14/3-days-3-quotes-challenge-thich-nhat-hanh-love-letter-to-the-earth-bewow-writers-quote-Wednesday/

The rules for the 3 Days, 3 Quotes Challenge:

1. Thank the blogger, who nominated you.

2. Share one new quote on three consecutive days on your blog. They can be from anywhere, anyone, or anything that inspires you… Which means, it can be from yourself, too!

3. On each of the three days, nominate 3 more bloggers to carry on this mission impossible endeavor (if they dare!).

So for my final day I’m considering a much sought after emotion: happiness.

What is happiness? Can I attempt to write a quote about happiness, in a few select words?

Here’s my quote:

Happiness is simply beautiful unforgettable moments captured and shared with like minded individuals, family and friends, a life truly lived.

Perhaps it is easy to see why I have used the word shared in my quote, because as humans we have a need to love and to be loved. But why would I consider adding captured? My answer lies in the very fleeting nature of life itself, and the fact that life is often interrupted by outside influences which bombard, confuse and distract us. So we have to capture those wonderful fleeting experiences while we can!

In those moments when I am doing Tai Chi, I can sometimes drift into a state of blissful harmony. It is a shared moment, as the hall is full of other people doing Tai Chi too. Unfortunately it doesn’t always happen, if I am feeling particularly stressed before I start a class it can be difficult to achieve. Equally it can be extremely hard to master if I have drank too much stimulating coffee beforehand too! But sometimes I do manage to get into the Tai Chi zone. When this happens it is marvellous but it can have unexpected effects. Sometimes I am so relaxed after Tai Chi that I find it difficult to return to focusing on the everyday things that I need to do! The other day I was reversing out of the car park after a Tai Chi session and I nearly had an accident, I didn’t notice the car behind me backing out! So perhaps, taking a moment to re-focus is a good idea after Tai Chi, as it works on a much deeper level than normal exercise, if you do it right! I’ve been practising Tai Chi for eight years, and I am now at Continuing level. Often I find myself wanting to fall asleep after two hours of Tai Chi, it must be my bodies way of saying it wants to shut down and re-balance itself. This is also true if you go for an Aromatherapy massage, or a holistic treatment, often you feel in need of a pampering rest afterwards, and a big glass or two of detoxing water doesn’t go a amiss.

Given that it is increasingly difficult to turn off and relax in this modern world in which we find ourselves, we could all benefit enormously from finding some personal way of capturing those quiet moments of reflection and Tai Chi is my way of doing that, a bit of walking meditation if you like, a dance of the soul. A difficult dance of the soul to learn, there are one hundred and eight moves but when you do master it, it’s well worth the effort! But for everyone their quiet meditation, or blissful moment can be different, as individuals we must all find our own dance of the soul that is perfect for us.

Coming full circle is my next question.

What inspired this post? It all began with Gandhi’s simple but thought provoking quote about the nature of happiness:

Happiness is when what you think,

what you say,

and what you do are in harmony.

Gandhi

Happiness is not fame and fortune, popularity, or materialism it is simply being a much simpler person, stripping back expectations perhaps, and living in harmony.

So to finish the 3 day 3 quote challenge I’ve written a humorous haiku inspired by Gandhi’s words:

My nominees:

For the last day I’m not going to nominate anyone in particular. I’m going to break the rules a bit, because I went to Tai Chi yesterday and I slept like a log, so I’m still in fuzzy brain mode and sometimes rules can be a bit restrictive! Anyone who would like to take part, please do join in!

Or just come and chat and tell us your perfect way to find a moment’s happiness.

Hope you liked my final day’s quote and my haiku too!!

Bye for now,

Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: