Welcome to Thursday Doors, 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 your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time).
During our January road trip we visited the town of Graaff-Reneit in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa for 24 hours.
Graaff-Reneit is the fifth oldest town in South Africa and was the starting point for two of the groups which participated in the mass migration of the Afrikaner people into the interior of South Africa to escape British rule in 1836, know as the Great Trek. These two parties were led by Gerrit Maritz and Piet Retief, both well-known Great Trek leaders. Piet Retief and a delegation of trekkers were massacred by the Zulu King, Dingaan, during a negotiation meeting. The Zulus went on to exterminate several Voortrekker camps in the area. These circumstances led to the famous Battle of Blood River on 16 December 1838 when 464 Voortrekkers successfully defended their camp against an estimated 10,000 Zulu warriors. You can read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blood_River
The song, The Warrior, included in the musical Ipi Tombi memorializes this famous battle. You can listen to it here:
The Town of Graaff-Reneit is shaped like a wagon wheel and you can see it clearly from viewing points in the Camdeboo National Park which also features the famous Valley of Desolation.
An original house in Graaff-ReneitAnother original houseDutch Reformed ChurchClose up of the door of the Dutch Reformed ChurchGate to the Camdeboo National Park
Are you ready for the Valley of Desolation?
Viewing point for The Valley of Desolation
The town of Graaff-Reneit shaped like a wagon wheel
This review was supposed to go out on Wednesday this week, but the wheels fell off the work bus and I had to work late. Better late than never, so here is my review of No Such Luck by Staci Troilo.
What Amazon says
Seeds of luck usually wither. The rare one grows and blooms.
Piper Seidel has one thing going for her—a red carnation given to her by Tommy Burnett in the tenth grade. It might have dried over the years, but it’s still her good luck charm. Losing it sets her life in a downward spiral, forcing her to return to her hometown where she comes face to face with her high school crush.
The years have been kind to Tommy, who looks better than ever. Unfortunately, Piper is at her worst, continually embarrassing herself whenever he’s around. The only plus? Her long-time friend, Jack Rhodes, still lives in town. Since she last saw him, his legs have grown longer, his biceps thicker, and his shoulders broader. He was always the brother she never had, but now she can’t help noticing him in an unsisterly way. Jack is every bit as caring as he’s ever been—until her bad luck drives him away, maybe forever.
Piper needs a new good luck charm, and fast, before she loses her final chance at happiness.
My review
No Such Luck is a delightful romance about a young woman coming to terms with a teenage romance and finding adult love.
Piper is a feisty character who is very good at her job, but bad at office politics and the ‘playing the game’ necessary to get on in an office job. She firmly believes that her skills and excellent journalistic skills are enough to secure her place in a financially stressed job environment, but she is wrong. An inability to work well with others proves to be her downfall and Piper is fired. I related well to Piper and felt bad for her when a cherished momentum is lost when security pack up her desk and she is left feeling she has lost everything. Piper decides to go home to her father and her step-mother for the Christmas holidays.
Back in her home town, Piper runs into her best friend from school, Jack, and an old flame, Tommy. Piper must reassess her past relationships in order to plot her own best path forward.
This book is well writing and the story is enjoyable with a satisfying conclusion.
Welcome to Thursday Doors, 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 your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time).
Entrance hallMaster bedroomDoor from the green roomCupboard in the sitting roomDoor into the green room from the sitting roomRed doorDoor to storage roomJars of crushed glass in storage roomDoor into the bathroomFireplaceCeiling in kitchenKitchen door
Welcome to Thursday Doors, 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 your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time).
This week, I’m sharing some pictures of the lodge, which really was very nice.
Door from the dining roomEntranceDoor to the outside showerGreg outside the door to the vehicleDoor to our room
We saw some wonderful animals, including this warthog.
Last week I mentioned that the single young elephant bull got a fright when the vehicle started. This is the story in 99-syllables.
Elephant scare
The bull elephant stands Passive aggressive Perceiving no threat from the six vehicles The people drawn like flies To view real nature *** He continues to feed Desecrating trees Trying to satisfy his ceaseless hunger One eye on the people One eye on the leaves *** The engine turns over It’s time to move on No regard for the animal – he takes fright Rears and trumpets his shock Driver reacts fast
In case you’ve forgotten, this is how close the elephant was – the vehicle roof support can be seen to the side of the picture. These vehicles are open.
One of my favourite sightings was seeing a dung beetle rolling a ball of dung across the road. You can watch my short video here:
Be it born to darkness and sacrifice, or be it raised amidst love and hope; for those who dwell under light and freedom, and those who are shackled to ways preordained, the cruellest curses stem from our greatest blessings. And yet some are cursed, so that others may be blessed.
Kamau is born to a people who repress all emotion, but his first experience of grief shakes the foundations of all his beliefs. It thrusts him on a journey for answers, and ultimately pits him and a few unexpected companions against an ageless power.
My review
Realms of the Mist is a fantasy story set in the beautiful and majestic mountains of eastern Africa. The writing has a lyrical and poetic style which suits the mystical subject matter of the book.
The protagonist, Kamau, is a member of a tribe of people called the Hadiza. They are the Guardians of The Veil which separates the afterlife from life on earth. Their positions as Guardians come with gift and the Hadiza are able to transform into animals. There is also a price to be paid and they are expected to control their emotions and serve the spirits without emotional burdens. To this end, siblings are separated from their parents and from each other and grow up cared for by communities of people. This system failed for Kamau and his younger sister who accidently end up in the same community. Kamau succumbs and takes on the responsibilities of an older brother despite this being contrary to the beliefs of his people. The unexpected death of Kamau’s sister unbalances him and results in him nearly committing a terrible sin. Despite his failing to remain detached from his sister and his near failing, he is chosen to go on an important mission to save The Veil and his people. It is believed he is the only one who can fulfil this mission and his relationship with his sister and her death influence his behaviour and decisions.
I enjoyed Kamau’s character and his growth from a temperamental and selfish young man to a more mature and responsible man. With his best friend and guide, Irina, at his side, he sets off to overcome the forces of evil working to destroy his world. During his travels, he meets another lovely young woman called Ninuwe, who is of the Femi tribe. Her gift is to incite love and lust in others and she competes with Irina for Kamau’s affections. This competition makes for some fun and interesting dialogue and exchanges.
This is a great adventure with lots of excitement and action. It’s African setting and interesting mythological components make this an extraordinary read.
Jude Itakali was born and lives in Kampala, Uganda. He is publishing his first collected works, “CROSSROADS (Winds of love)
When not being an athlete on the rugby field, or crunching down numbers on a computer for work, he delicately pens the epiphanies from life and its different relationships and encounters.
He writes about all sorts of topics, finding a way to relate them with each other, because no one theme exists in a vacuum.
Empathy is sometimes considered a gift, and Jude has it in abundance
I am over at Writing to be Read with Part 2 of posts about the San (Bushmen) of southern Africa. Today, I am reading a poem from IXam mythology and sharing about the Bushman Heritage Centre in Nieu Bethesda, South Africa. Thank you for hosting me, Kaye Lynne Booth.
Today, I am going to share a poem from the extinct IXam tribe and a little more about the San.
San hunting methods
The San are excellent hunters. They do some trapping of animals but hunting with a bow and arrows is their preferred method. The San arrows are smeared with a deadly poison that kills the animal slowly. As the animal takes a long time to die, the hunters have to track it sometimes for a few days.
The San make their poison from a caterpillar called ka or ngwa or from the larvae of a small beetle. Sometimes they use poison made from plants or snake venom. San poisons are highly toxic. In order to prevent accidental contamination, they reverse their…
Janice Spina from Jemsbooks has hosted me with a lovely author interview. Janice is the author of an amazing variety of wonderful books from children’s pictures books to adult novels. Do take a look around while you are there. Thank you, Janice.
It is such a pleasure to welcome a fellow author toInterview an Author on Jemsbooks.blog.Today, please help me welcome talented author/accountant/incredible baker,Robbie Cheadle!
Thank you so much, Robbie, for coming today to share a little bit about yourself and your lovely books. It’s nice to have you back again. You were here before with your son, Michael (link). I am excited to have you here again! The floor is yours!
Robbie Cheadle
Thank you, Janice, for inviting me to be your guest onJemBooks.
Please tell us something about yourself
I am a chartered accountant and have worked in corporate finance for over 16 years. I did both my degrees through a correspondence university and worked full time throughout. As a result, I completed my academics and three years of articles in six years, instead of the usual seven.
Norman Wicks is 57, overweight, and has diabetes. He is sick of his life. He has never left home, had a girlfriend, or held down any kind of job. The only friends he has are online, as he prefers to stay in the comfort zone of his bedroom. His devoted 92 year old mother Agnes waits on him hand and foot.
Norman has a secret he has kept hidden from the world for the majority of his life, but now he is desperate to bring it out into the open. He is terrified of how his family will react. However, for his own happiness and peace of mind, Norman must find a way to tell his mother and siblings exactly what they do not want to hear.
HIS LADYSHIP reached the finals and the Longlist of the 2021 Page Turner Awards.
My review
This book tackles the difficult topic of a person whose soul is trapped in the body of the wrong gender. There is a lot of controversy about which internal conflicts are gender related and which are sexuality related and I don’t feel qualified to comment on them as my upbringing was so conservative and ridged I only know a little about these topics. I can, however, comment on how this author’s characterization of Norman Wilkes, a man of 57 who has always identified as female, made me feel.
I felt terrible for Norman. He was born at a time when everything was black and white when it came to gender and his parents and siblings were conservative. There was no-one for him to talk to about his inner turmoil and confusion and so he withdrew from society, spending his life locked up his room.
Norman lives on unemployment from the government and only tries to get a job once. Because of his outwardly masculine appearance, he is sent to try out a job in a warehouse for which he is entirely unsuited. It ends in humiliation and catastrophe for Norman and is incredibly sad.
At the age of 57, when his mother is 93, Norman realises that time is running out for him and he needs to do something immediately if he wants to salvage what’s left of his life. He decides to out himself as a transgender man.
His mother and siblings reaction to his news is heartbreaking as they are initially unable to be kind or find any pleasant or supportive way of interacting with their brother. They actually are obstructive and make his life harder. Norman is determined though and goes ahead with his plans anyway which showed real strength of spirit and also desperation.
Norman is certainly not depicted as being a perfect person. In fact, he is selfish and self centred. His demanding behaviour towards his elderly mother is disgusting, but, as you progress with this novel and learn more about Norman, you start feeling more sorry for him than annoyed or judgmental. You discover the narrow-mindedness of his family and understand why he feels so trapped and unloved. No-one has ever tried to discover why Norman behaves the way he does, even his mother, despite her defense of his perceived “lazy” behaviour.
The changes to Norman’s personality and behaviour become more notable as the story unravels and you get a good insight into how much happier and kinder Norman could have been if there had been a little more understanding of his difficulties earlier in his life. It is impossible not to cheer Normal on as he starts down his new lifepath.
This book have a positive ending and is well researched and interesting.
roberta-writes.com 