For Thursday Doors this week, I am sharing a few of my photographs from the Norwegian Folk Museum. You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2024/07/04/wlfd-carnival/

This post is a first peep into some of the traditional houses featured at this museum. There are 400 buildings on display so this will be the first of a few posts.

Wikipedia says the following about sod roofs:

A sod roof, or turf roof, is a traditional Scandinavian type of green roof covered with sod on top of several layers of birch bark on gently sloping wooden roof boards. Until the late 19th century, it was the most common roof on rural log houses in Norway and large parts of the rest of Scandinavia.

Sod is also a reasonably efficient insulator in a cold climate. The birch bark underneath ensures that the roof will be waterproof.

The term ‘sod roof’ is somewhat misleading, as the active, water-tight element of the roof is birch bark. The main purpose of the sod is to hold the birch bark in place. The roof might just as well have been called a “birch bark roof”, but its grassy outward appearance is the reason for its name in Scandinavian languages: Norwegian and Swedish torvtak, Danish tørvetag, Icelandic torfþak.

You can read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sod_roof

I first learned about sod houses when I read On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder when I was a girl. The Ingalls family live in a sod house after Pa trades their wagon and horses for a house built by a Norwegian, and his crops.

Picture caption: A variety of different traditional Norwegian houses

Picture caption: inside one of the houses

YT video: Inside a traditional Norwegian sod house

On reflection, a song parody

My song parody today is for Kay’s Let’s Go to the Museum painting challenge. This is the prompt picture: Automat, 1927 by Edward Hopper

You can join in the challenge here: https://bookplaces.blog/lets-go-to-the-museum-writing-challenge-2/

The picture brought to mind me sitting alone in the hospital coffee shop waiting for someone who is having surgery to come out of theatre. People often ask me how I manage to cope with all the hospitalisations and illnesses that cross my life path. This song parody is my answer to that question.

On reflection, a song parody of From a Distance

On reflection, our lives go up and down

With rough patches in between

On reflection, loves go right and wrong

And opportunities are not seen

***

On reflection, the road is bumpy

It effects the seeds we sew

We can be mean, or

We can be kind

It depends on how we grow

***

On reflection, we are all captains

Of our own destinies

We can choose to rise, or choose to sink

Stand tall or fall to our knees

***

On reflection, relationships can go astray

And our lives can fall apart

To succumb to grief, or

To succumb to hate

Is a decision we must make

***

Hope shadows us

Hope shadows us

Hope shadows us

On reflection

***

On reflection, relentless fear and pain

Can tear apart our hearts

On reflection, it can teach calm and patience

When anger and self pity departs

***

On reflection, trauma moulds character

Gives us the strength to soldier on

It’s a part of life

And a part of death

It’s part of being human (being human)

***

It’s a part of life

And a part of death

It’s the core of humanity

***

And hope shadows us

Hope shadows us

Hope shadows us

On reflection

***

Oh, hope shadows us

Hope shadows us

Hope shadows us

On reflection

This is the original version of From a Distance by Bette Midler

A huge thank you to talented writer and editor, Esther Chilton, for sharing my post about Te Wairoa, The Buried Village in New Zealand. This is the setting from one of the short stories in my new short story collection, And the Grave Awaits. If you are interested in seeing more photographs from this visit, please see the pictures below the link.

Esther offers Editing Services and also has some wonderful non-fiction books about writing and a few fiction books too.

Guest Writer Spot

Rotorua is known for bubbling mud pools, shooting geysers and natural hot springs, as well as showcasing Māori culture.

The above photographs are all of shooting geysers at Rotorua.

Pictures from The Buried Village.

You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2024/06/27/day-of-travel-doors/

During my 2 1/2 day visit to Oslo, TC and I visited Vigeland Sculpture Park. I shared pictures of the Tower of Bodies in a previous post. This post will share some of the doors, naturally, as well as the entrance gate and a few more sculptures.

This is my YT video of this lovely fountain:

Defiance (Tanka)

Manmade water flows

Silhouetted by dark cloud

Nature does not weep

Withholds its natural bounty

Defies humankind

More sculptures that I liked.

The Children (Tanka)

Shelter the children

Protect them from treachery

Retain innocence

So easily imploded

By the hands meant to guide them

My YT video of some of these sculptures on the bridge:

Fun fact about me! This is the song I walked down the isle too over 23 years ago:

A huge thank you to the marvellous Sally Cronin of Smorgasbord blog for sharing this wonderful promo post for my new paranormal short story collection, And the Grave Awaits.

Sally’s blog is packed with book promotions, book reviews, music, health advice and all sorts of other articles in the manner of an on-line magazine. Do go over and take a look around. Sally also has some excellent books which you can find here: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/my-books-and-reviews-2024/

Smorgasbord New Book Spotlight – #Shortstories #Paranormal – And the Grave Awaits by Roberta Eaton Cheadle

My June In Touch With Nature post features African honeybees, and their relatives Africanized honeybees, also known as African killer bees. Thanks to Kaye Lynne Booth for hosting.

In Touch With Nature – African killer bees, friend or foe? #intouchwithnature #Africankillerbees

What Amazon says

A daring and thrilling adventure with the jailer’s daughter

In this mystery set in 1968, Christi, a shy and awkward teenager, never expected to get sucked into helping her cousin, Lily, the “double-dare-you” daughter of the county jailer, try to solve the grizzliest murder the town of Roselyn, Mississippi, had ever seen. Then again, Christi had been entangled in her misadventures before. So a whirlwind week of spying, lying, crawling through tunnels and sneaking into the jail should have come as no surprise to Christi.

Lily, a vivacious prankster, loves adventure. It’s not hard to find when you live in a house connected to the jail. Christi, a city girl, is self-conscious and afraid of everything. Still, she’s drawn to the excitement and adventure that Lily always seems to provide. Christi arrives for a visit in time to help her cousin discover what happened the night Lily observed a county deputy drop a pair of women’s bloody shoes from a bag. After a chance meeting with the accused, they learn new information that sheds doubt on his guilt. Seeking justice, Lily sets a plan in motion that takes them on an adventure of risk and surprising twists. They not only discover unexpected truths about the case, but about themselves as well.

My review

I really enjoyed this entertaining and fast paced story about two young cousins, Lily and Christi, who become embroiled in a murder investigation.

Lily is the daughter of the head warden at a large prison. Her home is attached to the prison, and she has interacted with prisoners and the legal system all her short life. Christi is her less confident and more introverted cousin and is visiting because it is the two girls’ grandparents 50th wedding anniversary celebration. The night before Christi’s arrival there is an upheaval at the prison and Lily glimpses some compromising and fascinating evidence in the form of a pair of bloody woman’s shoes. Lily is determined to learn more about these shoes and drags Christi with her along the investigatory path.

This book is a great mystery and is also an excellent read for teenagers with its sub-themes which revolve around issues like trust, family relationships, boyfriends, and respect for authority. I liked that these important concepts were woven into this story in an interesting way that helps set a good example and standard to young readers without being remotely preachy. You hardly realise these subthemes are there and that subtlety makes the writing and storyline of this novel perfect for its intended audience.

In addition, Lily is a strong female character who is determined to follow her instincts. Christi acts as the voice of reason, a sort of Jiminy Cricket (talking cricket from The Adventures of Pinocchio), and tempers Lily’s impulsive strong headedness. Christy grows a lot as a character during the course of this story and learns to be brave and take a stronger stance on issues that concern her.

As an adult, I enjoyed this story, and I would certainly give this book as a gift to young readers.

Purchase The Bloody Shoe Affair: A Daring and Thrilling Adventure with the Jailer’s Daughter by Joy York: https://www.amazon.com/Bloody-Shoe-Affair-thrilling-adventure-ebook/dp/B00TUJTWEC

Joy York Amazon US Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Joy-York/author/B094NX7H8Q

Today, for our Poetics, write a poem sharing with us your train travel experience. It can be the daily metro/tube/subway/local you take to work/study or the inter city train or it can be the cross-country train. Tell us, in any poetic form, why you love or hate commuting by trains. You can join in here: https://dversepoets.com/2024/06/18/poetics-travelling-by-train/

This challenge is hosted by https://paeansunpluggedblog.wordpress.com/2024/06/19/vignettes-of-train-travel/

From Knysna to Cape Town

Clickety clack! Clickety clack!

The wheels go round and round

Moving the train further away from home

Moving the train closer to Cape Town

A blur of green and brown countryside

Seen from the windows of our sleeper carriage

In my stomach, butterflies dance

***

Giggle! Giggle!

The high-pitched sound slides off the walls

Four high spirited girls bounce on the beds;

peek under the pillows; look under the mattresses.

Our first time overnight on a train

Our first time away from home for a week

I suck jelly sweets for motion sickness

***

Lights out! Lights out!

Sister Anne makes the nightly round

Her head looks strange in its wimpleless state

I notice that the back of her long hair is grey

Only the front is dark brown – it’s dyed!

“Hands on top of the bedclothes,” she orders.

Is dyed hair a sin? I wonder

***

Yawn! Yawn!

Droopy eyed from lack of sleep

Thirty girls take seats in the dining car

Thirty steaming plates of porridge are served

With cream and honey. The food is satisfying

Washed down with large cups of sweet tea

“Are we nearly there?” Sally asks

***

Bang! Bang!

Windows slam open; thirty heads pop out

Thirty pairs of hands clap with joy

The distant station draws closer and closer

The platform is buzzing with activity

“We’re there at last,” Sister Agatha sighs.

That must be Table Mountain, I think.

Thank you to Colleen Chesebro for sharing this lovely post about my new collection of paranormal short stories, And the Grave Awaits. I’ve included the book trailer below.

“And, the Grave Awaits,” by Roberta Eaton Cheadle

d’Verse prompt

Our challenge? Using one of the three types of liminal spaces listed above, let’s give poetic voice to what “doors” it may open to us. You can employ the liminal space as the setting and/or the subject. Write about it as an observer or participant, of how it may prepare, ground, provoke, intrigue you, unexpectedly or not, for better or worse. You may want to use an image (like those above) for inspiration. I just want you to have fun exploring the idea of a liminal space and seeing what you can come up with. To find out more about the challenge, go here: https://dversepoets.com/2024/06/11/poetry-in-liminal-spaces/

Thank you to Dora for the challenge. You can read Dora’s poem here: https://pilgrimdreams.com/2024/06/11/holy-saturday/

The Family on the Plane

Ping! The seatbelt light goes off. I unclip mine and stretch.

I’m lucky, I have three seats all to myself. The whole row.

My chaise longue is soon created. I use all the pillows and blankets.

The plane bounces. There’s a lot of turbulence, but I go with the flow.

Across the aisle is a family of five. A baby and two small children.

What luck! They have two rows to themselves. Dad rearranges everyone.

Children interest me. I watch surreptitiously as mom settles the baby

into a seat nest. I’m happy for the parents. Travelling with children isn’t fun.

Mom fascinates me. She is so calm, her movements slow and measured.

She’s nothing like me. I was a ball of anxiety when my boys were small.

It’s probably why they were so much trouble. The word that comes to mind,

as I watch the mom, is bovine. It certainly works for her; the baby doesn’t bawl.

Lunch is served. I tuck into mine hungrily. The two young children waste theirs.

Afterwards, everyone lies down. Amazing, how the children all sleep so peacefully.

Unfortunately, two hours later, the boy and girl wake up cross. Grumpy little bears.

Mom takes her daughter to the toilet, leaving dad holding the baby. Her son watches.

As soon as she’s out of sight, he starts to wail. “Mommy! Mommy!” With a seat in between

Dad is stuck. I lean towards the child, smiling. “Go to Daddy,” I encourage him, pointing

at the father. The boy stops howling, gazes at me, then shuffles across. A sweet scene.

“Thank you,” says Dad. I smile and settle down comfortably. Time for a spot of reading.

Thursday Doors

My Thursday Doors post tied in beautifully with the d’Verse prompt this week. You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2024/06/13/csc-model-trains/

Thank you to poet and editor of Masticadores USA, Barbara Leonhard, for sharing my two poems and my Into the Light: Hyena A2 watercolour painting. I am very delighted with this painting which was my first of the Into the Light series and my first A2 painting. I really hope you will enjoy it.

Do have a look around Masticadores USA while you are there. Barbara features artworks, poetry and short prose pieces by a number of talented creatives.

“Into the Light: Two Poems about Hyena” by Robbie Cheadle