Colleen’s Weekly #Poetry Challenge – my #Tanka – Calm & Wild

I’ve been scarce on social media of late as it was my daughter Natasha’s graduation this week and we had several days in Brighton enjoying the seaside and celebrating her success.

It’s been a time tinged with a touch of sadness and oodles of happiness too. Sadness that she is leaving Brighton and her much-loved university – Sussex – but happiness and promise to come. I can’t believe that it has been three years. It seems like yesterday that we dropped her off at her student accommodation. Her time at Sussex University has had its up and its downs – her first year was tough, especially as she fractured her ankle early on (just before Valentine’s day!) and she lived in a third floor flat on campus, (not a good idea on crutches) at what seemed like the furthest point from her seminar and lecture theatres. More about that here: An Unusual Valentine’s Adventure!

But, she didn’t come home; she carried on, braved it out and showed great character. I admire her resilience greatly, and couldn’t be a prouder mum!

I’m so glad she studied in Brighton, as this has meant several wonderful visits there! I have a great affinity to the sea, I’m always happiest when I can walk on a beach – even the squawking sea gulls don’t faze me!

So my Tanka this week is with that in mind, and the promising future that awaits my daughter and graduates this year. Seize those opportunities guys before the seagulls snatch ’em up!

I was particularly struck by an inspiring speech that Sussex University’s chancellor, the well-known comedian Sanjeev Baskar gave. He said that he took ten long, difficult years of struggle before he became successful. More about that here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/11814805/Sanjeev-Bhaskar-They-called-me-Paki-at-school-but-Goodness-Gracious-Me-was-cathartic.html

So don’t be disheartened if you are back home living with your parents, have a pile of debt or are not successful straight away. To begin with Sanjeev Baskar @TVSanjeev wasn’t even accepted as a student at Sussex University, but look at him now. Such inspiring food for thought.

https://colleenchesebro.com/2017/07/18/colleens-weekly-poetry-challenge-haiku-tanka-haibun-calm-wild/

Do comment, has your son or daughter graduated recently? Do you love the sea too?

Bye for now… much love,

My social media links:

Facebook: Authors/Bloggers Rainbow Support Club

Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon
Twitter: @curseof_time

Instagram

Facebook

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Fellow Administrators of our Authors Bloggers Rainbow Support Club #ABRSC on Facebook, myself, my good friends Colleen Chesebro and Debby Gies. Click on Colleen’s and Debby’s photos to be directed to their awesome blogs. These ladies rock!

https://mjmallon.com

https://colleenchesebro.com/

http://dgkayewriter.com/

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July 20, 2017 16

#10thingsIlove

To balance out the good with the bad #10thingsIhate here are my #10thingsIlove.

1. Spending time with friends and family. There’s nothing quite like this, I’m definitely a social animal. Love going out for coffee, dinner or just hanging out at home with my family. Friends both on and offline are the best for supporting and encouraging you to pursue your dreams.
2. Eating tasty food. This just had to be on my list! LOL… I love food, any food, but especially spicy meals, as I grew up with a diet of Malaysian fare – my mum is from Kuching, Malaysia.
3. Travelling. Absolutely, would love to travel more. I grew up with a father who had a penchant for travel so this isn’t entirely surprising. Recently, I entered Dan Alatorre’s recent Word Weaver writing competition with the first chapter of my dad’s travelling adventures. Sorry, the competition is now closed, but Dan has a great blog so go follow! I’ve been to many places in the world but there are still many to explore.
4. Going to the Theatre to see drama and dance. Where would we be without the theatre to make our imaginings take form? I adore going to the Edinburgh Festival and try to go every year if I can. The buzz is fantastic.
5. Visiting Edinburgh to see my mum, dad, brother and extended family. Love Edinburgh, it is one of the best cities in the world Edinburgh ranked Second in the World for Quality of Life and is my home from home.
6. Writing prose and poetry, and reading books. Of course, this has to feature here. What has writing done for me? So much, it has given me such confidence, and so much enjoyment. I wish I had started writing decades ago! Reading books and going to Book Festivals ranks pretty highly up there on my favourite things to do. Books make me cry, they make me smile; they delight me. Where would we be without books? I daren’t contemplate such a fate. And book festivals, again, my favourite is the Edinburgh Book Festival
7. Tai Chi. I have been attending classes in Taoist Tai Chi for many years, and I love it. I find it helps me relax, keeps me balanced and gives me a terrific boost. I would recommend it. Start young and you’ll stay fit well into your old age! Start older and it will keep you young! It’s a win, win situation… Recently, we had a Tai Chi intensive at my local branch. Here’s the link to the Facebook page to see photos: Taoist Tai Chi Intensive in Cambridge. What’s a Tai Chi Intensive? It’s a special lesson when a particularly awesome instructor comes along to impart their knowledge to us Tai Chi enthusiasts. We partake of a bring and share lunch and generally have a lovely time.

Here’s the instructor considering what to teach us next:

8. Sea air and sunshine. These two I’ve combined, as I enjoy the seaside best when the weather is nice. If the sun is out, I can swim, (not in the UK!) sunbathe, eat an ice-cream, walk and explore. When it’s cold I still enjoy it, but I have to wrap up in many, many layers!
9. The blogging community. Have been a blast, so helpful, supportive and amazing. Love you! In fact I love you so much that I set up a special community on Facebook for authors/bloggers and bookish souls. Please do investigate and join …. Authors/Bloggers Rainbow Support Club. My fellow administrators of the group are Colleen Chesebro, and Debby Gies.
10. And last but not least, crystals and cats. I collect crystals and write about them too. My current manuscript is entitled: The Curse of Time – The Bloodstone. I intend to release this YA fantasy this summer. Cats, well I like their independence, and cats always seem to like me! Unfortunately, I don’t own one as both my husband and daughter are allergic but I get my fix over at Samantha Murdoch Blog. Samantha and I are good blogging friends and she has kindly been providing me with lots and lots of photos of her cat Lily who looks like the cat Shadow in my book.

Here are the latest photos of Samantha’s lovely cat Lily.

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In life, there is always good and bad but it is always nice to end on a high note. There is much more to enthuse about when writing about what I love. The list could have gone on and on…

Bye for now,

My Links:

Authors/Bloggers Rainbow Support Club

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May 4, 2017 13

Colleen’s Weekly #Tanka #Poetry Challenge #17 – “Storm & Color”

My Tanka for Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday Challenge this week has been inspired by a shared video I saw on a friend’s Facebook page, showing how the sea can be a bit rough and choppy one minute, and so dangerous the next.

This video shared on the Redcar RNLI Facebook Page really shows how powerful and scary the sea can be… An ordinary day can quickly turn into a very frightening day !

What’s even more apparent is this could happen to anyone. It really is terrifying, isn’t it?

The sea can pick you off your feet and carry you away in its pocket of ruthless waves.

I love the sea but have always been respectful of its power too. The sea is not to be trifled with, we truly are at its mercy.

So with that in mind, here’s my Tanka:

If you’d like to join in Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday here’s the link up: Colleen Chesebro Tanka Tuesday

Stay safe, love the sea, but respect it too.

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January 17, 2017 11

Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Solitude

This is my photo for Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge – the theme this week is Solitude.

It is of Brighton beach – I took it ages ago when I went there with my hubby for a weekend away. So I wasn’t alone, but the beach was pretty deserted. Just me and my man! This photo really captured a moment of solitude to me, as I stared out to the ocean and surrendered my thoughts to the power of the sea. It is never to be taken for granted, the sea is a mighty force, even on Brighton seafront!

If I had to be alone anywhere it would be beside the sea.

To join in with Hugh’s challenge follow the link:

http://hughsviewsandnews.com/2016/04/05/hughs-weekly-photo-challenge-week-20-solitude/

On Saturday I will be featuring Brighton in my #WeekendCoffeeShare post so do keep an eye out for that…….

Also I’d like to mention that the first few chapters of my novel, The Curse of Time are now on Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/myworks/67166165-the-curse-of-time

Thanks to everyone who has visited me on Wattpad and tweeted about it, I really do appreciate it.

Before I go I’d just like to ask: Do you love the sea too? Do you have a favourite seaside town? Happiest beach memory?

Bye for now,

https://www.instagram.com/kyrosmagica/

Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

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April 8, 2016 25

Quote Challenge: Day 3, Nikos Zazantzakis

Welcome to the third day of Heena’s 3 Day Quote Challenge:

My focus today is on happiness in its simplest form.

“I felt once more how simple and frugal a thing is happiness: a glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a wretched little brazier, the sound of the sea. Nothing else.”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek

Yes this charming quote says it all, happiness doesn’t have to be anything fancy and elaborate in fact often it is the simplest things that give us the most pleasure. We’ve all had those little moments of happiness that leave us breathless in their simplicity, they’re the ones that remain the longest in our memories, such sweet moments to treasure.

Here’s the Goodreads synopsis – Zorba The Greek.

The classic novel, international sensation, and inspiration for the film starring Anthony Quinn explores the struggle between the aesthetic and the rational, the inner life and the life of the mind.

The classic novel Zorba the Greek is the story of two men, their incredible friendship, and the importance of living life to the fullest. Zorba, a Greek working man, is a larger-than-life character, energetic and unpredictable. He accompanies the unnamed narrator to Crete to work in the narrator’s lignite mine, and the pair develops a singular relationship. The two men couldn’t be further apart: The narrator is cerebral, modest, and reserved; Zorba is unfettered, spirited, and beyond the reins of civility. Over the course of their journey, he becomes the narrator’s greatest friend and inspiration and helps him to appreciate the joy of living.

Zorba has been acclaimed as one of the most remarkable figures in literature; he is a character in the great tradition of Sinbad the Sailor, Falstaff, and Sancho Panza. He responds to all that life offers him with passion, whether he’s supervising laborers at a mine, confronting mad monks in a mountain monastery, embellishing the tales of his past adventures, or making love. Zorba the Greek explores the beauty and pain of existence, inviting readers to reevaluate the most important aspects of their lives and live to the fullest.

RULES OF THIS CHALLENGE:

Post three consecutive days
You can pick one or three quotes per day
Challenge three different bloggers per day

MY THREE NOMINEES FOR TODAY ARE:

Jade @ Scatterbooker: https://scatterbooker.wordpress.com/

Val @ http://findyourmiddleground.com/

Geoff@ http://geofflepard.com/

Don’t forget to stop by Heena’s lovely blog too, here’s the link:

http://heenarathorep.com/2016/02/27/quotes-challenge-2/

Love Nikos Kazantzakis’s quote – hope you did too.

Bye for now, time for some happy thoughts in a simple meadow of daisies…

Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

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March 7, 2016 7

Ronovan Writes BeWoW, Haiku Challenge, and Writer’s Quote Wednesday

Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Poetry PromptChallenger #71: Cover and Colour: https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/2015/11/16/ronovanwrites-weekly-haiku-poetry-prompt-challenge-71-covercolor/

For this week’s Haiku Challenge Ronovan has suggested two words beginning with the letter C that kind of sound like each other….. the letter C sounds like Sea, so, let me tell you all about my long love affair with the sea!!

From a very young age I have always loved the sea, always will, there is something about the sea that makes me very contented and joyful, so this haiku is to celebrate the sea, in all its strength and vitality. Of course sometimes the sea has a dark side too and can be a destructive, violent force, claiming lives in great tragedies but it is also a source of great joy, perhaps that is why I love the sea so much, you never can begin to imagine what the sea is thinking, and you must always, always respect its power and majesty. So this haiku is my post for Ronovan’s #BeWoW, which sets out to: (“Be Writing on Wednesday to Be Wonderful on Wednesday and make the world a better place to visit.”) For this #BeWoW I’d like to celebrate the world around us, and the beauty that lives in the deep oceans of our world: https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/category/bewow-2/

Cover Seven Tenths of My Heart

Cover seven tenths of my heart

Colour me with all your floats

Don’t leave me drowning

Colourful splashes

Spread to golden sunset dreams,

Substance of delight

Cover me with love,

A colourful breath away,

Home in the oceans.

Ronovan’s helpful links:

https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/haiku-challenges-guidelines/

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

For Colleen’s Writer’s Quote Wednesday: http://silverthreading.com/2015/11/18/writers-quote-wednesday-bewow-paulo-coelho-magical-places/

I’d like to shout out about this fabulous quote about the sea:

(The above photo was taken in Portugal, on a family holiday.)

“There was a magic about the sea. People were drawn to it. People wanted to love by it, swim in it, play in it, look at it. It was a living thing that was as unpredictable as a great stage actor: it could be calm and welcoming, opening its arms to embrace it’s audience one moment, but then could explode with its stormy tempers, flinging people around, wanting them out, attacking coastlines, breaking down islands. It had a playful side too, as it enjoyed the crowd, tossed the children about, knocked lilos over, tipped over windsurfers, occasionally gave sailors helping hands; all done with a secret little chuckle”
― Cecelia Ahern, The Gift

Cecelia Ahern was born on September 30, 1981 in Dublin, Ireland. She is the daughter of the former Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. On 14th December 2009 it was announced that Cecelia had given birth to her first child with partner David Keoghan, a girl named Robin. She was secretly married on 11 June 2010 in County Kildare, Ireland. Her older sister, Georgina Ahern is married to Nicky Byrne of Irish pop group Westlife. Cecelia was a member of the Irish pop group Shimma who finished third in the Irish national for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2000. She attended Griffith College Dublin and obtained a degree in Journalism and Media Communications.

Cecelia Ahern wrote her first novel, PS. I Love You when she was twenty-one. It was published in 2004, the number 1 bestseller in Ireland for 19 weeks and sold in over forty countries. The book was adapted as a motion picture directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler and released in 2007 in the United States.

Her second book, Where Rainbows End (US title: Love, Rosie or Rosie Dunne) won the German CORINE Award in 2005. She contributed with short stories to charity books and is also the co-creator and producer of the ABC comedy Samantha Who?.

Her other works include If You Could See Me Now (US title: A Silver Lining), A Place Called Here (US title: There’s No Place Like Here) Thanks for the Memories (US title: Desire Lines) The Gift The Book of Tomorrow.

Hope you enjoyed my post, celebrating the sea in all its wonder, bye for now,

Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

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November 18, 2015 14

The Three Day Quote Challenge – Day 2 – Thomas Aquinas

The things that we love tell us what we are.

Thomas Aquinas

So true, I’ve always had a deep fondness for the sea, and sandy beaches. So if Thomas Aquinas is right I must be a mermaid! Being near the sea, makes me feel alive, and very happy. One day I hope to move to a pretty bay somewhere, read, write and blog! It’s a recurring dream of mine, hope it comes true!

What about you? Do you love the sea too? Or are the mountains your favourite place to be? My husband loves the snow capped mountains, and the sea too, so we’re at least half compatible on that!

Thank you to Swagata Mukherjee from Kolkata, India, for nominating me to take part in this 3 day Quote challenge. Swagata is a PhD student in Physics. She loves to travel and is passionate about photography. Here’s the link to her blog: https://physicsswagata.wordpress.com/2015/08/07/3-day-quote-challenge-day-33/

Rules for Three-Day Quote Challenge

Thank the blogger, who nominated you.
Publish 3 quotes on 3 consecutive days in your blog. It can be your own, or from a book, movie or from anyone who inspires you.
Nominate 3 more bloggers to carry on this endeavour.

My nominations will continue on in the same vein as before I will be nominating fellow #BlogBattlers from Rachael Ritchey’s weekly #BlogBattle writing challenge.

My nominees:

https://solveigwerner.wordpress.com/

http://icameforthesoup.com/

https://anniehow.wordpress.com/

Do take part in the challenge if you’d like.

Thanks for stopping by, do drop by again soon.

Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

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August 14, 2015 14