Brieuc Martin-Onraet from Equinoxio, A blog about magic, fiction, and art, kindly allowed me to share this post. You can find Brieuc’s (aka Brian) latest blog post here: https://equinoxio21.wordpress.com/
Brieuc is also a contributor to This Is How We Work: Stories, Memoirs and Poems about Social Dimensions of Work anthology compiled by contributing editor, Yvette Prior. You can find my review of this meaningful collection on Amazon USA here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R2VAZFX1HLTANS
Argentina had only one god: his name was Maradona.
Thank you to Nolcha Fox for sharing Part 8 of my WIP, The Soldier and the Radium Girl.
Jake Tanner
9 October 1917
For seven days after leaving Halifax, the convoy traversed the continuously heaving ocean. Aside from twenty short minutes a day stretching their legs and taking the air on deck, the men passed the time playing cards in cramped, confined conditions.
Throughout this time, the confinement chaffed at Jake. Being below deck was like being jailed in a mausoleum with no natural light, airflow, or freedom of movement.
From time to time, a terrible yearning to get out of this horrible place rose within him, making swallowing difficult and constricting his airways. Sometimes a scream fought to escape, and he clamped his jaw tightly shut, holding it back. If he started screaming, he might never stop.
Stormy weather struck two days out of Halifax, and the ship had rolled and lurched ever since. Many men were struck down by seasickness, but, thankfully, neither he nor Joe was affected. Mike took to his bed early on, and they took him water and food at mealtimes.
“No soup.” He pushed his lunch away again today. “The smell makes me sick.”
His hand trembled as he pointed at a small basin. Jake held it under his chin as he retched weakly.
“Water,” he whispered. Jake held the cup to his mouth, and he drank a few sips before sinking back onto the lumpy pillow.
“I’ll eat his soup,” Joe took the bowl and started shoving spoonsful into his mouth. “You’re lucky to get this,” he said to Mike. “You should see the swill we get. Boiled pork and worse yet, boiled rabbit. English food!”
“The foods not the worse part,” Jake added. “The British and French officers are the most stuffy and pompous assholes I’ve ever met.”
“How’s the voyage going?” Mike’s papery voice was reedy.
I’m a bit late with this post but it’s been a tough week. My big transaction went live at 5.08pm tonight after four days of manic rushing about tying up loose ends and getting all the deliverables ready. This is the end of 10 weeks of hard work and I’m glad it’s done. I have another three on the go but those are smaller and more manageable.
Anyhow, on to the writing challenge. Esther’s prompt was angel. I had an idea last week which I didn’t manage to write up. Then I read Freya’s final post in her Dragon Scales poetry style series, and the following poem came all at once. So, this poem is for Esther’s challenge and is my first Dragon Scales poem. I’m not sure I got it quite right per Freya’s directions, but I’m pleased with the result. You can read Freya’s poem here: https://freyanrites.wordpress.com/2025/12/02/hollowness-verse-7/
When I was five, we moved into a house in Blairgowrie in Johannesburg. At the time, it was a typical suburban house with a low wall separating the front garden from the grassed pavement. Mom was very busy with my sister, Cath, you was only one and I spent a lot of time playing by myself.
That Christmas, Mom gifted me some old tinsel which was bald in patches. I could play with it and even cut it up into smaller pieces to use for my creative projects. I made one piece into an angel halo.
I was a good singer and was already singing in the school choir by the end of my first school year. I took it into my head to dress up as an angel and sing Christmas carols on the pavement outside my house.
I remember wearing a long white nightdress and borrowing one of my mom’s glittery evening shawls for wings. I put the halo on my head and took up a position on the pavement on my knees. Mom found me there several songs later, entertaining a gathering of pedestrians who had stopped to watch my show.
Mom was not pleased with me making an exhibition of myself.
These pictures are of the reception main door at Champagne Sports Resort Hotel where my family spent three days in early January this year. The Christmas lights and decorations were still up at that time.
The picture below is of the hotel rooms where we stayed. Ours were the bottom units.
Today, I am highlighting Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans written by Kaye Lynne Booth and illustrated by me.
What prompted you to write a book for children?
Since living in the Colorado mountains, I’ve become somewhat of a birdwatcher. The birds and animals which visited my yard inspired me to write Charlie Chickadee Finds a New Home with a true incident which occurred when a family of chickadees were chased out of the nest they had built in a tree in my yard. The Heather Hummingbird and Timothy Turtle characters were inspired by watching live hummingbirds and an incident which occurred with a live turtle, although the events in their stories are fictional.
Which writers of children’s fiction influenced you as a child and as an adult?
As a child, my favorite book was Little Bear’s Visit, by Else Holmelund Minarik, illustrated by Maurice Sendak. I always laughed when Little Bear gets scared and runs away from his own shoes, and the tale about how Momma Bear found the injured bird always touched my heart.I also enjoyed humorous books like “Stand Back,” Said the Elephant, “I’m Going to Sneeze”, by Patricia Thomas and Wallace Tripp. But, Dr. Suess was probably my favorite author. His books and those of Shell Silverstein were heavy influences in my poetry, and perhaps in my children’s books as well. I have always been a sucker for rhyming and alliteration.
As an adult, I read all those same books to my children, but I think our favorite was Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. My kids and I had the words memorized and they would help in the reading of the story. We even told that story camping, without the assistance of the book. I love words. I love playing with words and sounds. Writing children’s stories and poetry are my outlets for that sense of playfulness and humor, as well as my love for rhyming and alliteration. Those don’t always sit well in adult literature.
My review of Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans
Picture caption: cover of Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans
Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans is a delightful story about animals that could inhabit a child’s backyard. Timothy the turtle discovers a collection of colourful sweeties that a young girl has discarded as they are too sweet for her. The girl’s cat, Katy, warns Timothy that these sweets gave the girl a tummy ache, but he proceeds to eat the sweet treats anyway. There is a lesson to be learned by Timothy, but he has lots of helpful friends to aid him in his distress. This book includes a subtle message about the benefits of healthy eating.
The book also introduces young readers to beavers and nuthatches and includes realistic drawings and paintings of these creatures.
I enjoyed this delightful and well written story for children.
My illustrations
I had only been drawing for about a year when Kaye approached me about illustrating these three books. I was still finding my feet as an artist and trying out different mediums. This book includes some drawings and also some of my first paintings as I discovered what has become my favourite art medium.
Picture caption: This is one of my favourite drawings. I love the turtle I managed to create and the colours of the background and jellybeans.Picture caption: This is one of my first watercolour paintings ever. I really loved how it came out. A delightful Becky the Beaver.
Discounted pricing
Kaye’s My Backyard Friends books are available at discounted prices from 1 to 25 December at the links below.
Kaye Lynne Booth is a multi-genre author who has had a whole collection of children’s stories just waiting for the right illustrator.
The books in the My Backyard Friends series are inspired by the birds and animals that visit author Kaye Lynne Booth’s mountain home. The first three books in the series are Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend, Charlie Chickadee Gets a New Home, and Timothy Turtle Discovers Jelly Beans.
Author poet and illustrator Robbie Cheadle does the beautiful illustrations that bring this series to life.
About Robbie Cheadle
Picture caption: Robbie Cheadle profile picture
South African author, photographer, and artist, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated seventeen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, written and illustrated four poetry books and written and illustrated one celebration of cake and fondant art book with recipes. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.
Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
This week’s challenge by Melissa, is to write a Double Ennead poem on the theme of gratitude. The syllabic count for a Double Ennead poem is 3 x 3 verses of 6/5/11/6/5.
I am late with last week’s CFFC and Thursday Doors post so I’m including it here with this week’s CFFC post.
The four photographs below are of the wharf at Westminster Bridge in London. This is where tourists leave for tours of the River Thames. You can see the London Eye in the background. These are for Dan’s Travel Hubs challenge which you can join in here: https://nofacilities.com/2025/12/01/travel-hubs-cffc/
Last week’s CFFC challenge was Places where people work. I have a selection of doors from my trip to London.
The slideshow below is of the entrance and door of a bank in Westminster, London. I thought the door was beautiful.
Picture caption: Entrance to The Institute of Civil Engineers in LondonPicture caption: Entrance to The Royal Courts of Justice, London
roberta-writes.com 