Smorgasbord Health 2026 – Project 101 – Resilience – The importance of a healthy gut (part one) by Sally Cronin

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This series is aimed at developing a resilient immune system to provide the body with a defence against opportunistic pathogens. There are a number of vital elements to this and you can find the introduction to the series: Project 101 – Resilience

Last time I covered the plan to improve the acid/alkaline balance in your body and you can find that post Here

One of the cornerstones of our health is based in the lower half of our body in the intestines. Our gut health determines the efficiency of many of our operating systems, including our immune system. Although I have posted on Candida Albicans and the Digestive system in the past, I would like to being the two together to emphasize how important eating fresh food ‘cooked from scratch’ is to our health and resilience.

My experience with Candida Albicans

Whilst I could pinpoint an hormonal imbalance from puberty, and a cycle of crash dieting as contributors to my eventual morbid obesity. It was the more important discovery that I had likely been suffering from Candida Albicans since the age of ten that set me on the road to recovery.

It is not just my health that was compromised, many millions of the population, particular in developed countries also have been put at risk, with an estimated 70% of us with a candida albicans overgrowth, seriously undermining our health.

Overweight people often look for a physical problem to blame for their condition, such as their glands, so it was a revelation to learn that there might indeed be a physical reason for my excessive weight gain.

Before I look at Candida in more detail… I am often asked the difference between probiotics and prebiotics. This difference is important as diet is the key element of keeping a healthy balance of bacteria in our gut, and our modern diet, that includes far more industrialised foods, does not provide the elements needed to maintain this balance.

Probiotics are the bacteria and yeasts that are classified as ‘friendly’. They inhabit our digestive tract and are a vital part of the process of digesting food and turning it into something that the rest of the body into a form it can utilise. Without a healthy balance of these probiotics, systems such as the immune function, can be compromised, as well as the health of other operating systems and the major organs. If you eat live dairy products, including Kefir, or fermented foods such as sauerkraut, it will encourage the essential bacteria such as Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria to flourish.

Prebiotics are processed from insoluble carbohydrates in most fruit and vegetables including Apples (skin on) bananas, beans, artichokes etc (which is why we need to eat several portions of vegetables and fruit daily) This survives the stomach acid and digestive process that some foods such as yogurts might not do, and reaches the gut where it acts like a fertiliser for the existing probiotics and maintains a healthy balance.

As far as Candida Albicans is concerned this balance in the intestinal flora is crucial and I will explain that as we move through the next posts.

We are all familiar with the concerns about the rain forests and their devastation and long lasting consequences for our planet. Well our gut is an eco-system too – teeming with life that is as varied and as exotic as in any rain forest. And, like the many species that are at risk in the wider world, our bacteria that populate our gut and keep us alive, are under threat too.

All humans contain Candida Albicans in small amounts in our gut and urinary tract. In those amounts it is harmless – however – advances in medical treatment, and our modern diet, have given this opportunistic pathogen all it needs to develop from harmless colonies to massive overgrowths. It is also referred to as Monilia, Thrush, Candidiasis and Yeast Infection.

The most at risk are those with an already compromised immune system, but because of our high sugar, white carbohydrate and processed foods in our diets, most of us are now at risk.

We have also been treated with broad spectrum antibiotics for the last 65 years, as well as newer drugs that we take long term, that manipulate our hormonal balances. We as yet do not know the long term impact on our bodies of the modern drugs we take, and it may be generations before we do. Which is why there is now great concern that the pathogens are becoming more and more resistant to drugs such as antibiotics.

The eco-system which is our gut.

Our intestinal tract, like our hearts, brains, livers, kidneys etc is a major organ. Some refer to it as the ‘gut brain’ – How many times do you mention your gut feelings?

Without it there would be no way to process the raw ingredients we eat to keep our immune system healthy enough to protect us from pathogens. The good bacteria or flora in the gut, two of which are, Bifidobacteria bifidum and Lactobaccillus acidophilus normally keep the Candida in balance.

In most cases antibiotics are broad spectrum, not specific, because, without a lab test it is difficult to tell the specific strain of bacteria responsible for an infection. The use of broad spectrum drugs usually guarantees that the bacteria in question will be killed off.

  • Unfortunately, not only the bad bacteria are killed off but also the good bacteria in your gut.
  • Candida remains unaffected because it is not bacteria it is a yeast and this is where it takes full advantage.

What happens to Candida to allow it to take over?

If Candida yeast is allowed to grow unchecked, it changes from its normal yeast fungal form to a mycelial fungal form that produces rhizoids. These long, root-like components are capable of piercing the walls of the digestive tract and breaking down the protective barriers between the intestines and the blood. This breakthrough allows many allergens to enter the blood stream causing allergic reactions. Mucus is also formed around major organs and in the lining of the stomach. This prevents your digestive system from functioning efficiently. The result is poorly digested food and wasted nutrients. Your body begins to suffer a deficiency of these nutrients and it leads to chronic fatigue, an impaired immune system and disease.

There would appear to be a strong link between this overgrowth of Candida Albicans to a huge list of symptoms and illness. Here is a snapshot.

• People who are suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or ME usually test positive for Candida although there are also other issues involved in this complex condition.
• Numbness, burning or tingling in fingers or hands.
• Insomnia,
• Abdominal pain,
• Chronic constipation or diarrhoea,
• Bloating,
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
• Thrush and Cystitis,
• Sexual dysfunction and loss of sexual drive.
• Endometriosis or infertility
• PMS and heavy and painful periods.
• Depression and panic attacks
• Irritability when hungry.
• Unexplained muscle or joint pains often diagnosed with arthritis.
• Headaches and mood swings.
• Chronic rashes or hives
• Food intolerance.
• Liver function due to build up of toxins leading to chronic fatigue, discomfort and depression.

The list is virtually endless – which just adds to the confusion at the time of diagnosis.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms then you may have a varying degree of overgrowth.

Next week – the effect of sugars on your gut health… followed by the eating programme to re-establish a healthy gut flora.

©Sally Cronin 2026

Sally Cronin is the author of eighteen books including her memoir Size Matters: Especially when you weigh 330lb first published in 2001 which followed her weight loss of 150lbs and the programme she designed to achieve a healthy weight and regain her health. A programme she shared with her clients over her 26 year career as a nutritional therapist and on her blog. This has been followed by another seventeen books both fiction and non-fiction including multi-genre collections of short stories and poetry.

Her latest book Size Always Matters is an extended and updated version of her original book Size Matters and now includes the nutritional element to losing weight and some recipes with ingredients that provide the nutrients necessary for healthy weight loss and continued good health.

As an author she understands how important it is to have support in marketing books and offers a number of FREE promotional opportunities in the Café and Bookstore on her blog and across her social media.

After leading a nomadic existence exploring the world, she now lives with her husband on the coast of Southern Ireland enjoying the seasonal fluctuations in the temperature of the rain.

A selection of my books

You can read the reviews on my books page: Sally’s Books and Reviews

 

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Music Column Retro – The Big Band Era with William Price King and Sally Cronin – 1940s – Billie Holiday and Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey with Frank Sinatra, Cyd Charisse

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Welcome to the 2026 series of the music column where I am joined as always by Jazz singer and composer William Price King.  We hope you will join us every Tuesday for some of the chart hits of the big band era from the 1930s through to the 1950s.

Some of the earlier videos are not of the best quality however where possible we have sourced remastered copies to share with you. Considering some are almost 100 years old, it is remarkable that they exist at all.  A testament to the love of the music of that era. Along with our selections each week we will also be showcasing some of the iconic dancers of the era.

Here is my next selection from the Big Band chart in the 1940s from Billie Holiday

“God Bless the Child” was written by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr. in 1939 in response to a dialogue Billie had with her mother. Billie’s mother, who had always wanted to run a restaurant, borrowed most of the money for it from Billie. When Billie needed some cash, her mother turned her down and harsh words were exchanged. Billie said “God bless the child that’s got his own” and walked out. She stayed angry for three weeks before the whole song fell into place in her mind.

It was first recorded on May 9, 1941 and released on the Okeh Records label in 1942. It peaked at #3 on Billboard’s year-end list of top songs of 1941. “God Bless the Child” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1976. It was also included in the list of Songs of the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Here is my next selection from the 1940s from Tommy Dorsey with Frank Sinatra

Tommy Dorsey with Frank Sinatra “Oh, Look at Me Now” (1941)

“Oh! Look at Me Now” is a 1941 song composed by Joe Bushkin, with lyrics by John DeVries. It is strongly associated with Frank Sinatra, who first recorded it with Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra,[1] in an arrangement by Sy Oliver. Sinatra re-recorded the song for his 1957 A Swingin’ Affair!, this time arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle.  trooper7h

Other sources: Wikipedia – And: Jazz Standards

Cyd Charisse (born Tula Ellice Finklea; March 8, 1922 – June 17, 2008) was an American actress and dancer.

After recovering from polio as a child and studying ballet, Charisse entered films in the 1940s. Her roles usually featured her abilities as a dancer, and she was paired with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly; her films include Singin’ in the Rain (1952), The Band Wagon (1953), Brigadoon with Gene Kelly and Van Johnson (1954) and Silk Stockings (1957). She stopped dancing in films in the late 1950s, but continued acting in film and television, and in 1991 made her Broadway debut. In her later years, she discussed the history of the Hollywood musical in documentaries, and was featured in That’s Entertainment! III in 1994. She was awarded the National Medal of the Arts and Humanities in 2006.

The Red Blues – Cyd Charisse – Silk Stockings 

Your Hosts for The Big Band Era

 

William Price King is an American jazz singer, crooner, and composer.

His interest in music began at an early age when he studied piano and clarinet in high school. At Morehouse College in Atlanta where he grew up, he sang in the Glee Club and studied classical music. After graduation he went off to the Yale School of Music where he earned a Masters degree. From there he journeyed to New York where he created a jazz trio ‘Au Naturel’ which performed in some of the hottest venues in Manhattan including gigs on Broadway and the famous ‘Rainbow Room.’ These gigs opened doors for performances in Montreal and a European tour.

While touring Europe he met a lovely French lady, Jeanne Maïstre, who, a year later became his wife. King left the group ‘Au Naturel’ and settled in the south of France where he started a new life on the French Riviera, opening his own music school – the “Price King Ecole Internationale de Chant.” He has had the pleasure over the years of seeing many of his students excel as singers on a professional level, and some going on to become national celebrities. He continues to coach young singers today, in his spare time.

Blog– IMPROVISATION – William Price King on Tumblr – Buy William’s music: William Price King iTunes – Facebook – William Price King – Twitter – @wpkofficial
Regular Venue – Cave Wilson

Sally Cronin is an author, blogger and broadcaster who enjoyed four years as part of the team on Onda Cero International’s English speaking morning show in Marbella and then for two years as a presenter on Expressfm the local radio station in Portsmouth. She co-presented two ‘Drive Time’ shows a week with Adrian Knight, hosted the live Thursday Afternoon Show and The Sunday Morning Show guests including musicians and authors. Following this she became Station Director for a local internet television station for two years, producing and presenting the daily news segment, outside broadcasts and co-presenting the Adrian and Sally chat show live on Friday evenings.

She and her husband David have now returned to Ireland where they live on the Wexford Coast where she blogs and continues to write books.

Books :Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – More reviews: Goodreads – blog: Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Twitter: @sgc58 – Facebook: Sally Cronin – LinkedIn: Sally Cronin

Thanks for tuning in and as always we love to hear from you.. thanks William and Sally.

 

 

Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives 2026 – Posts from last six months of 2025 – The Lookout Towers of Spain by Sue Wickstead

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Welcome to the  series of Posts from Your Archives for 2026 and I will be sharing posts from the SECOND six months of 2025 from your archives which I will select. You can find out how to participate at the end of the post.

N.B – This is not primarily a book marketing opportunity although your work will be included. I will be selecting posts which have general interest, perhaps travel, family history, book reviews you have conducted for others, or perhaps writing or marketing advice you have for others.

This is the second of the posts from the archives of Sue Wickstead and she shares some wonderful Spanish photos and memories.

Lookout Tower - Spain

Cap d’Or – Moraira

My Aunt Vera introduced me to Spain in the 1970s, when she moved to a place called Javea (Xabia Blanca).

We visited many times; to see Vera; to have a holiday and to enjoy the weather and the scenery.Xabia Blanca _ Javea, Spain

The nearby promontories of San Antonio and Cabo la Nao are the most easterly points of Spain from where you might be able to see the island of Ibiza.

She then moved to a small fishing village called Moraira. The little town grew and flourished with the building of the Marina as well as repairs to the Castle of Moraira itself. We have seen the little village grow and flourish.

Moraira, Spain, holds historical significance in defence due to its coastal location and past struggles against pirate raids. The town features defensive structures like Moraira Castle and the Cap d’Or watchtower, which were built to protect the coastline and its inhabitants.

Historical Context:

Moraira’s location on the Mediterranean coast made it vulnerable to attacks from Barbary pirates.

Moraira Castle: Built in the 18th century, this castle served as a lookout point and defensive structure against pirate attacks.

Castillo de Moraira

Moraira CastleThe base of the fort dates from the 16th century. Castillo de Moraira is the most important building in Moraira Spain. This fort, which is located on the rocky mountain range on L´Ampolla beach, was built in the 18th century. The fort was built to fend off the many attacks by pirates. The building is 10 meters high and is semi-circular on the coastal side. On the roof, there are 7 recesses where the cannons used to be. The fort has 1 entrance which is located on the north side (land side). Above the entrance to the fort hangs a sign that indicates that the fort was completed in 1742.

Cap d’Or Watchtower: This 16th-century tower was part of a broader defensive system along the Valencian coastline, designed to warn of approaching ships.

Torre de Vigilancia del Cap d’Or -Moraira

The lookout tower of Moraira

The Torre del Cap d’Or stands at the highest point of the Cap d’Or on the edge of the rocky coastline. It is circular, with a perimeter of 26 metres and a height of 11 metres. The tower is solid, and there is no doorway; to ascend the tower, a rope ladder was let down from above. Two cannons were situated on the tower to provide a defence for the port of Moraira.

The Torre del Cap d’Or forms one of the protective defences so that the town could be defended against the pirate attacks.

Purpose: These structures were crucial for signalling potential threats and providing a means of defence for the local population.

Significance: The castle and watchtower are not only important for their defensive role but also for their historical and architectural value, reflecting a time when coastal communities needed to protect themselves.

Writing Connections

I have visited Spain, and particularly Moraira, many times and have explored and photographed the area. I have also kept a diary of my visits.

When I was writing ‘Jay-Jay’ and his Island Adventure’ I used the view of the tower for the view of the island in the book. Cap dOr tower view close up

It led me to read my book in the local schools and meet some of the local people.

I have visited Moraira on many occasions and have been inspired to write a few more ideas along the way.

The many photographs I have taken over the years, I added to a Facebook Page – Memorable Moraira.

©Sue Wickstead 2025

My thanks to Sue for participating in the series and I know she would love to hear from you.

A small selection of other books by Sue Wickstead

One of the reviews for A Ticket to Ride  

Simon
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant book of stories and Poems

I have been reading Sue’s books from the very beginning to my eldest daughter and now my youngest little girl and we have all loved them, so when Sue told me about this one I knew we had to have it to add to our collection. My youngest daughter is now 8 and she loved this book, especially as it has short stories and poems which we can read together or she can read on her own. She really liked mouse maze as it is written in such a way that you have to turn the book to read it, which she found hilarious, as well as the bee poems, and also the jokes dotted throughout the book. We also loved all the drawings in the book and cannot wait for Sue to write her next one.

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon UK – And: Amazon US – More reviews: Goodreads – Website/Blog: Sue Wickstead – Facebook: Stories Sue – Facebook: Teacher Page – Twitter: @JayJayBus – LinkedIn: Sue Wickstead 

About Sue Wickstead

Award winning books. Shortlisted in the Wishing Shelf Book awards.

Sue Wickstead is a teacher and an author and has written children’s picture books with a bus theme. In addition, she has also written a photographic history book about the real bus behind her story writing.

Her bus stories are about a playbus. Have you ever been on a Playbus?

When Sue’s two children were young, they attended a playgroup on a bus, but not an ordinary bus taking you on a journey, exciting though this is, but a Playbus stuffed full of toys to capture their imagination!

For over 20 years, alongside her teaching career, she worked with the charity, the Bewbush Playbus Association.

As part of the committee she painted the bus, worked in the groups, helped raise the profile of the project and its work and was part of the team involved in raising funds to replace the old bus with a newer vehicle. This led her to write a photographic history book about it.

‘It really was a fun journey to be involved in’, said Sue. The bus really got into her blood and became a work of the heart.

Having written the history book Sue soon found that many children had never been on a bus before, let alone a ‘Playbus’ and they wanted to know more. So, she decided to write a fictional tale, his number plate JJK261, gave him his name.

‘Jay-Jay the Supersonic Bus,’ came out in print in 2014. It is the story behind the original project and is his journey from a scrap-yard to being changed into a playbus for children to play in. From Fact to fiction the bus journey continues.

This story has now been followed by more picture books.‘A Spooky Tale’ and ‘The Christmas Play Rehearsal’ do indeed have a bus connection as well as links to her teaching journey.

Sue has undertaken events and author bookings and loves to share her stories, she is also proud to be ‘a patron of reading’.

The books have all received 5-star awards from ‘Readers Favourite’. Sue’s books have also been short-listed in ‘The wishing Shelf’ book awards. With ‘A Spooky Tale’ a silver medal winner.

How to feature in the series?

  • All I need you to do is give me permission to dive in to your archives and find two posts to share here on Smorgasbord either by leaving a note in the comments or by emailing me. (sallygcronin@gmail.com)
  • Rather than a set topic, I will select posts at random of general interest across a number of subjects from the last six months of 2025. (it is helpful if you have a link to your archives in your sidebar by month)
  • As I will be promoting your books as part of the post along with all your information and links so I will not be sharing direct marketing or self- promotional posts in the series.
  • If you are an author I am sure you will have a page on Amazon or on your blog with the details, and an ‘about page’ with your profile and social media links (always a good idea anyway). I will get everything that I need.
  • As a blogger I would assume that you have an ‘about page’ a profile photo and your links to social media.
  • Copyright is yours and I will ©Your name on every post… and you will be named as the author in the URL and subject line.
  • Previous participants are very welcome to take part again.
  • If you are new to Smorgasbord then pleasue email me with all your links in full to Amazon or your blog and social media.
  • Each post is reformatted for my blog and I don’t cut and paste, this means it might look different from your own post especially if you are using the block editor

N.B – To get the maximum benefit from your archive posts, the only thing I ask is that you respond to comments individually and share on your own social media.. thank you.

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – New Series 2026 – Introduction – As We Age by D.G. Kaye

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Welcome to my new series here at Sally’s Smorgasbord Invitation. This year the topic for my series is – As We Age. I thought it may be fun to acknowledge some of the things that change with us and time, and perhaps offer some ideas to keep us functioning well, as well as some ideas to help overcome some of things we may not have taken a shining to.

In this series I’m going to talk about some of the mundane things that we may have taken for granted or maybe paid not much mind to as we age – things that may not exactly keep up with us, and some of the wonders of aging that sneak up on and surprise us. And what we can do to up our game about such issues.

From exercises to keeping up with challenging our brain health, to hair loss – and even hair gain! To appetite changes (and why), new allergies, and vision changes, to finding our best paths through life that help to make us feel better and comfortable along the way. These are just some of the changes we may be feeling and trying to adapt to as we enter some of our later milestone decades.

Things change. Our tastes change, our tolerances change, even some of the people in our life circles change, whether due to circumstance or choices. We all change through time and so do our wants and needs, and we definitely become aware that some new health issues will come along for the ride.

We can’t stop the odd black hair from popping out in a strange place on our face or body, we can’t stop balding, we may not be able to eat some of the foods we used to eat, be it for changed preferences or teeth issues, but we all have the power to adapt and change to fit these new situations we may not have invited into our lives, and we can certainly find ways to adapt to them on our own terms.

As we age, we don’t always notice some of the changes that happen to us until we put them to the challenge. We may notice that we can no longer run as fast as we can without hurting ourselves, or perhaps that part in our hairline begins to look a bit too prevalent, but in lieu of such a gift, we may have gained a few chin hairs in a stunning new shade of black. Have you noticed your appetite changing through the years? I know for certain I’m a more picky, and sometimes even a poor eater. Not that I was ever one with a big appetite, but I never used to leave any food on the plate, I always did my best to finish what I’d put on my plate, and if I didn’t, I knew I had a husband with a grand appetite who’d always make sure everything on my plate was eaten, even if it was by him. I no longer have my human garburator, so I’m careful not to cook too much that will go to waste because of the price of food.

But not everything is doom and gloom. As we age into the next phase of our lives, there are some good things along the way…They say our brains may slow down, but how about our acquired emotional intelligence and our vocabularies and our ability to better assess life situations? Surely, experience has taught us things. Yes, our collagen production slows down, making our laugh lines and surprised looks more prominent on our faces, and maybe time does speed up for us, or is it really an illusion? Whatever we begin to feel, and experience, comes with time and a lifetime of lived experience. We don’t get that stuff when we’re young, we’ve earned it all.

What our lives have sowed through time is what becomes all that we reap. Granted, some of which we never asked for, but nonetheless, our lifetimes of living and doing will become altered as we age, but we also acquire the tools to learn how to handle each new situation, and if we don’t, we must aspire to finding and doing the good things that do work for us to circumvent some of the things we’d rather not deal with.

These new occurrences that seem to pop up in life as we age are supposed, natural things that happen in life, we need only to adapt to them better and find what works best for us to live and feel comfortable in our now older bodies containing lifetimes of wisdom. We still have a lot of living to do, so in this series, I’ll be talking about some of the things that catch us in our older daily lives, and how to deal with them effectively so that life can go on happily and comfortably, despite whatever ails us. It becomes about acceptance and making the best of situations.

Next time I’ll start off the series talking about – Use It or Lose It. And this will talk about using the best of our tools and abilities for both body and mind. I hope you’ll join me.

©DGKayewriter.com2026

Books by D.G. Kaye

One of the reviews for About the Real Stages of Grief 

Martha Perez
5.0 out of 5 stars An Emotional Book!

The author writes about her journey of grieving, sharing how profoundly challenging the loss of her beloved husband was. She felt anger, confusion, guilt, and fear, and so many other things. He was her best friend, a loving partner, the love of her life. Grief is an emotional rollercoaster. You could feel her heartache and loneliness, feeling an emptiness that gave her sleepless nights, all these changes from grief.

The author’s thoughts on mental fog and the void that comes with losing a loved one are hard to grasp. Sharing her experience will heal her broken heart. She feels incomplete, disconnected, bound in her home, sobbing, and can’t be with people for the moment. I could relate to the grieving process; it’s different for individuals, but yet the same.
I know her pain and anguish, losing my own son; everything she wrote was familiar, and the sorrow of her words made me feel I wasn’t alone.
No one can truly understand until you’ve gone through this journey. The heatbreak never disappears; it’s as if your shadow becomes your darkness, the author writes in the book. I believe the memories will continue to make her strong and healthy. Life is harsh in many aspects. The experience and her words will help others, and discussing self-care is crucial; it’s a vital part of the healing process.

The wisdom of her words matters; it strengthens and transforms into thoughtfulness, kindness, and helpful support to others. I’m glad to read this extraordinary book. I wholeheartedly advise buying a copy. 

Read all the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – and: Amazon UK – follow Debby: Goodreads – Blog: D.G. Kaye Writer – Twitter: @pokercubster – Linkedin: D.G. Kaye – Facebook: D.G. Kaye – Podcast: YouTube –  Bluesky: @dgkayewriter.bsky.social – All Links: Linktree

About D.G. Kaye

D.G. Kaye is a Canadian nonfiction/ memoir writer who writes about life, relationships, matters of the heart and women’s issues, and the author of eight published memoirs. She writes to inspire others by sharing her stories about events she’s encountered, and the lessons that came along with them.

D.G. loves to laugh and self-medicate with a daily dose of humor. She is an empath and fashionista, and shopper extraordinaire. When not writing intimate memoirs, you’ll find D.G. writing with humor in some of her other works and blog posts.

“My passions: obsessed with shoes, colorful sunsets, sandy beaches, and margaritas on the rocks (in no particular order). My blog is an eclectic mix of randomness, where you’ll find anything from writing tips to tales from the past, an occasional rant about injustice, spiritual awareness, relationship talk, travel tips, book reviews, author interviews, and sometimes dabbles in political poetry. It’s almost impossible for me to dwindle it down to just one niche, because it never is. I’m an eclectic memoirist and conversationalist who writes to empower by sharing slices of life.”

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Weekly Round Up – March 30th- April 5th – Cat antics, Music, Easter Treats, New Books, Reviews, Indian Head Massage, Immunity, Influencers, Funnies

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Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.

Happy Easter and I hope you are enjoying the holiday weekend. We have managed to contain ourselves when it comes to treats but spread them out over four days to have some everyday. It is not that I would not be totally happy to indulge but I have found with age it takes me a week to get over the sugar overload. Oh for the days when a box of chocolates was gone in a flash…

There has been some sunshine in the week and his majesty made the most of it and appeared at his regular specified meal times… 7.00, 8.00, 9.00, 10.00, Elevenses, 12.00 etc…you get the drift. He prefers picnics when the sun is shining and lies on the doormat awaiting his order. There are days when I feel like a MacDonald’s Drive Thru…

We are expecting Storm David to hit with very high winds for the next two days (no it is not my husband) so we have tied down everything that is likely to go airborne including the cat!

This current archive is now closed for submissions as it is very happily scheduled through to the end of May, so a stack of posts for you to enjoy from lovely members of our writing community.  My thanks to everyone who has participated and there will be another series towards the end of the year.

Delighted to share the news that Thomas Wikman who lives in Dallas, is going to be joining us as a contributor with a series of selected earlier posts from his very informative and entertaining series Superfacts. The first is scheduled for April 30th and is for all of us on Facebook.

My thanks as always to the amazing contributors for their posts and support.

William Price King joined me for a Big Band era and on Friday another in the Chart Toppers and Blockbuster series and we are delighted you are in the groove with us.  You can catch up with William on his own Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr

Debby Gies Debby shared the third part of her travels and adventure in Puerto Vallarta covering the very frightening breakout of violence and the aftermath. Also her Sunday book review for  Celebrating Poetry by Cindy Georgakas     Debby will be back with us on Monday with her new series As We Age...something to look forward to.  D.G. Kaye

Carol Taylor was here on Wednesday with some more homemade Easter treats for everyone to enjoy and will be here this week with the cuisine of the Netherlands – bring your appetite. You will find plenty to enjoy in Carol’s archives. CarolCook 

Daniel Kemp was here on Saturday with some of his funnies from the archives.

Thank you so much for your support and shares this week again.. amazing.

The Big Band Era with William Price King and Sally Cronin – 1940s – Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers

Chart Toppers and Blockbusters 1970s with William Price King – “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and The Sting

The Cookery Column with Carol Taylor – Easter celebrations around the World and Baked Easter Treats.

Open Mic Night with author Daniel Kemp – Caffeine and Eating in the Fifties

My Parents by Andrew McDowell

Acidity/Alkalinity pH Balance for Health Part Three The Plan – Project 101 Resilience by Sally Cronin

Massage Therapy, Essential Oils

Ancient Healing Therapies – Indian Head Massage by Sally Cronin

#Shortstories Hope, Fears and Realities: Stories, Poems and Personal Tales by Alex Craigie

#Cats #Memoir Slow Blink by Louise Ross

Book Review Round Up – March 2026 – Excellent reads by Yvette M. Calleiro, Laura Lyndhurst, Janet Morrison and Beth Haslam

A focus this week was to share book review posts so that as many authors as possible received a boost… so thanks to Carol Taylor, Denise Finn and Jan Sikes for participating and sharing their recommendations for outstanding books.

#Bookreviews for W.D. Kilpack III, Roberta Cheadle, Fiona Tarr and John Howell by Carol Taylor

Book Reviews for July 2025 ! #ColleenLConnelly #LindaBroday #NAGranger #DanAntion by D.L. Finn

Jan Sikes with her reviews for books by Elizabeth Gauffreau, Darlene Foster, Staci Troilo,Priscilla Bettis and Karina Bartow.

#Writing #Publishing How an Author and AI Became Creative Partners by Grace Blair

A small selection of posts I have enjoyed this week and I hope you will head over to read in full.

Those of you who enjoy Jennie Fitzkee’s posts about life in her classroom will be familiar with her teaching assistant Gloria. Gloria is currently on a field trip to England as the guest of author Willow Willers where she is enjoying the VIP experience and in this post it is the royal treatment..

Head over to enjoy Gloria’s latest adventure: Gloria meets a real grenadier guardsman

Fatherhood can be a daunting prospect, particularly if you are unprepared and Edward Ortiz celebrates his son’s 18th birthday with his reflections on his own childhood and his determination to be there every step of the way with his own son.. A post every man should read, and certainly an expectant father.

Read Edward’s heartwarming post on fatherhood: Eighteen years, one indescribable journey

Beth shares the incredible feat which I had not heard of before…taking place before the Internet it really did not receive the celebration it should have had. Steve Newman, 28, a freelance journalist, left his house in the town of Bethel, Ohio for a 4-year journey walking around the world on April 1st 1983.

Discover the adventures this intrepid traveller experienced: A man decides to go for a walk

Olga Nunez Miret reviews the latest release by Stevie Turner…Holding Hands... a romance with a lovely twist as it celebrates that being in the later stages of life does not preclude us from enjoying some of the sweeter things in life.

Head over to discover more about Stevie’s new book and enjoy Olga’s review: Olga reviews Holding Hands

And Patricia Furstenberg shared the fascinating Romanian history of shepharding going back 3,000 years… and a delicious Easter recipe for drob, a traditional lamb-terrine recipe.baked drob Easter Paste food Romania

Head over to enjoy both Pat’s post and her recipe: Romanian Drob, a Lamb-Terrine for Easter, its History, Symbology and Traditional Recipe #Im4Ro

The Job Applicant
A local business was looking for office help. They put a sign in the window, stating the following: “HELP WANTED: Must be able to type, must be good with a computer and must be bilingual. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.

A short time later, a dog trotted up to the office and saw the sign. He went inside and looked at the secretary and wagged his tail, then walked over to the sign and barked. Getting the message the secretary got the manager who looked at the dog and was surprised to say the least. However, the dog looked determined so he led him into his office.

The dog jumped into a chair and sat staring at the manager. ‘I can’t hire you. The advert says you must be able to type’. With that the dog jumped down from the chair and went over to another desk where there was a typewriter. He stood on his back legs and typed out a perfect letter, retrieved with his teeth and returned to the manager.

The dog jumped back into his chair and stared at the amazed man.

‘The job requires you to be good with a computer.’ The dog jumped down again and went over to the manager’s desktop and pushed him to one side. Again on his hind legs he created a spreadsheet and printed it off. By this time the office manager was pretty gobsmacked.

‘I appreciate that you have some outstanding abilities and are very intelligent. However, I still can’t give you the job.

The dog went out to the front office and reached up to pull the sign off the window.. He returned and put it on the desk in front of the manager with his paw on the line about being an Equal Opportunity Employer. The manager agreed. ‘

Yes, but the sign also says that you have to be bilingual’

The dog looked calmly at the manager and said ‘Meow’

 

Thanks for dropping in today and I hope you will join us again next week… Happy Easter.

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Guest Post – Who has influenced you the most in your life? – My Parents by Andrew McDowell

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This series is about the person you feel has had the most influence on your life and has shaped the person you are today, and what you have achieved.  That might be in reaching personal goals or to do with your career.

This is of course also a marketing opportunity for your blog and books, and a showcase of your writing skills.

At the end of the post you can find out how you can participate in this series.

Today Andrew McDowell pays tribute to his parents who have support him in all his endeavours.

My Parents by Andrew McDowell.

I’ve known many people in my life, but the people who have influenced me more than any other are the ones who raised me: my parents. And I couldn’t write about one without writing about the other. I don’t think I could’ve achieved what I have or become the person I am without their combined efforts.

My mom has always been there with kindness and love, willing to give me a hug even when I think I didn’t need one or deserved one. Often, she liked to take my hand when I went up to bed. When I was little, she read many stories to me aloud. Perhaps that’s where my love of storytelling came from. That’s not to say she hasn’t been stern at times, or pushed me when I resisted. But it was always because she knew I could be better. In eighth grade, when I was struggling with Algebra, the teacher, Mr. Donnelly, let students stay after school once a week to work on homework. I didn’t want to do it, but my mother eventually wore me out. In the end, my grades improved to the point that Mr. Donnelly said I was the most improved student in the class.

My dad has also been strict at times, but he’s been there with love, too, and advice. As a child, he would always whisper at bedtime to me that he’d kiss me in the morning before he went to work. As I grew older, I would hear him whisper “Night, bugs,” so many times in the same fashion. When I first started writing, he told me to always remember that the important thing is to tell a story and to tell it well, and not to get bogged down in the details. He also told me not to overcrowd my story, which I know now I was doing.

My parents always made me study harder when I was struggling, and I think I became a better student because of it. Likewise, when I plucked up the courage to tell them things I was ashamed of and thought they would think differently of me, to my surprise they did not think any less of me. I can’t count how many times I’ve said on birthday and various holiday cards how I couldn’t have asked for a better father and mother. I know I’ll never grow tired of that.

©Andrew McDowell 2026

My thanks to Andrew for participating in this series and I know he would love to hear from you.

About Andrew McDowell

Andrew McDowell is the author of the fantasy novels Mystical Greenwood and Beneath the Deep Wave, the former of which was a finalist in the 2019 American Fiction Awards, won the 2021 Maryland Writers’ Association Novel Contest, and was an honorable mention in the 2021 Top Shelf Magazine contest.

He studied at St. Mary’s College and the University of Maryland, College Park. Andrew has had poetry, short stories, and essays featured in anthologies and literary journals. He has Asperger Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder.

Books by Andrew McDowell and a small selection of the anthologies he has contributed to.

One of the reviews for Mystical Greenwood 

Dermot has felt called to the land for as long as he could remember. As a youth his wanderlust caused him all manner of trouble, but now it could be the very thing that saves him. When a griffon appears it puts into motion an ancient promise, a vow made by The Dark Prince to return and finish the task he had started years before. Dermot, with the aid on unexpected allies must journey across the land to seek the only chance of stopping this rising force. Will he find what he seeks, or will The Dark Prince make true his promise and destroy everything Dermot holds dear?

Mystical Greenwood is a high fantasy. Andrew McDowell whisks the reader on a fantastical journey filled with legends, magic, and mythical creatures. With a smooth flowing narrative it is easy to connect to the characters and be pulled into the terrifying plot. I enjoyed the incorporation of old words into the narrative, which I always feel add a little extra something to any fantasy setting. The characters are intriguing and offered the potential to grow and develop as their journey progresses, and watching them change as life tempers them in itself is an adventure. If you’re looking for a high-stakes fantasy plot filled with classic fantasy elements, then this could be just the read you’re looking for. 

 Andrew has also contributed to many anthologies – read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – Follow Andrew: Goodreads – Website/Blog: Andrew McDowell Author – Facebook: Andrew McDowell Author –   Youtube: Andrew McDowell Author – LinkedIn: Andrew McDowell

Some guidelines.

  • If you look back at your life, who would you say had the most influence on who you are today or your life’s achievements?
  • It might be a parent, grandparent, or other relation, perhaps a teacher, employer or someone who you only encountered for a brief period, but changed the course of your life in a positive way.
  • It might be someone you have never met but influenced you in another way such as by their actions or a book that you read by them. This is a tribute to that person.
  • It can be a post your have already written or one that is unpublished.
  • If already published just send me the link.
  • I will top and tail the post with the usual links and a recent review etc.
  • This is an opportunity to show off your writing skills and to encourage readers to follow your blog or buy your books…dress to impress.

What I need from you sent to my email sallygcronin@gmail.com

If you are have been promoted here before.

I just need your word document 1000 to 1500 words and two or three photographs to break up the text.. perhaps of you at that stage in your life or one of the person who you are writing about.

If they are an author then an Amazon link so I can copy the cover of their book or books with a link.

If you have not been featured on the blog before

  • In addition to the word document and photographs for the post I will need your information.
  • A profile photograph, up to date  biography, social media links for website or blog, Facebook, Twitter, or Linkedin.
  • If you are an author your Amazon Author page, Goodreads and Bookbub if you are there too.

Once I have received your post

  • I will schedule and let you have the date.
  • On the day of publication I will send you a link for the post.
  • It would be great if you could share your post on your social media.
  • I ask that all comments are responded to individually as it does make a difference to the number of times the post is shared.
  • When shared on social media I will tag you if you are on that platform and it would be great if you could thank the person who has shared the post..

I am looking forward to discovering the amazing people who have inspired you and sharing them here in this series… get in touch… thanks Sally. 

 

Smorgasbord Funnies 2026 – Open Mic Night with author Daniel Kemp – Caffeine and Eating in the Fifties

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Author Daniel Kemp has been keeping us entertained with his witty jokes and funny images for the last five years. Currently Danny is in the middle of studying for a degree and is not online very much. However, he has kindly permitted me to share his archive posts with you whilst he is away.


My thanks to Danny for permitting me to reshare his funnies from the archives…

Daniel Kemp profile image

About Daniel Kemp

Daniel Kemp is a seventy-four-year-old member of The Society of Authors. He is also a bestselling writer. He writes stories that appeal to those who like challenging themselves to solve mysteries that are set out before their eyes.

His introduction to the world of espionage and mystery happened at an early age when his father was employed by the War Office in Whitehall, London, at the end of WWII. However, it wasn’t until after his father died that he showed any interest in anything other than himself!

On leaving academia he took on many roles in his working life: a London police officer, mini-cab business owner, pub tenant and licensed London taxi driver, but never did he plan to become a writer. Nevertheless, after a road traffic incident left him suffering from PTSD and effectively—out of paid work for four years, he wrote and self-published his first novel —The Desolate Garden.

Within three months of publication, that book was under a paid option to become a $30 million film. The option lasted for six years until distribution became an insurmountable problem for the production company.

All ten of his novels are now published by Next Chapter Publishing Company which has added an edition titled The Heirs And Descendants Collection, which holds all four books of that series, alongside an edition titled The Lies And Consequences Collection which contains all four volumes of that series.

He is the recipient of rave reviews from a prestigious Manhattan publication and described as—the new Graham Green—by a highly placed executive of Waterstones Books, for whom he did a countrywide tour of book signing events. He has also appeared on ‘live’ television in the UK publicising his first novel.

He likes to write quotes and it’s on Goodreads where you can find them— https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/list/72612151 An example of these quotes opens his novel–Once I Was A Soldier:–There is no morality to be found in evil. But to recognise that which is truly evil one must forget the rules of morality.

A selection of books by Danny

Read the reviews and buy the books also in audio: Amazon UK – And : Amazon US – Read more reviews and follow Daniel on : Goodreads – Connect to Daniel – Website: Author Danny Kemp – Facebook: Books by Daniel –Twitter: @danielkemp6

My thanks to Danny for letting me share his funnies..and thank you for dropping in.. please feel free to share.

Smorgasbord New Book Spotlight – #Shortstories Hope, Fears and Realities: Stories, Poems and Personal Tales by Alex Craigie

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Delighted to share the news of the latest release by Alex Craigie..Hope, Fears and Reality: Stories, Poems and Personal Tales

About the collection

What do a terrified boy, a ruthless beauty queen, a fairy godmother from hell, and a group of quietly rebellious pensioners have in common?

In this eclectic collection of short stories, poems, and anecdotes, everyday moments uncover the hopes we cherish, the fears we try to hide, and the realities that shape us.

Inside this collection:

• Gently humorous pieces that find laughter in life’s small absurdities
• Reflective moments that explore the experiences that shape who we are
• Sharper, unexpected stories that catch you off guard and linger

Meet unforgettable characters and moments:

• A child facing what lurks beneath the bed
• A teenager consumed by image
• Elderly friends with secrets—and mischief—of their own
• Twists on the familiar that don’t go quite as expected

Many of these pieces are brief and powerful, born from creative challenges—flash fiction, structured poetry, and writing shaped by rules and constraints—alongside glimpses drawn from real life.

Perfect for readers who enjoy:

• Short, impactful reads
• A mix of humour, reflection, and edge
• Dipping in and out whenever time allows

Open the book anywhere.
There’s always something waiting—something to make you smile, pause, or see things a little differently.

Head over to buy the book: Amazon UK – And: Amazon US

Also by Alex Craigie

One of the reviews for The Bubble Connection 

Georgia Rose
5.0 out of 5 stars Well written, well plotted, highly recommended

Emmie Hobson, wholesome presenter of a children’s show and author of a series of bestselling children’s books, is in line for a top award at the British Recognition of Achievement Awards. Ursula Bloom, editor of In the Picture, is looking for a scoop to increase circulation, but it seems pages of coverage on how wonderful Hobson is isn’t going to cut it. Jessie, a journalist whose name Bloom can’t even get right, is sent to the awards to paint Hobson in the most unflattering light.

And so it begins. While Hobson shows some naivety as things begin to escalate soon the press and subsequent social media have her public life spiralling out of control. I won’t go into further detail; you will have to read the book for that and it is well worth it. While this is a compelling read it is also difficult to watch just how quickly and completely someone’s bubble can be burst.

Extremely well written this was such a well-plotted novella showing the utter destruction of someone’s reputation using the power of social media. Highly recommended. 

Alex Craigie, read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon UK – And: Amazon US – Follow Alex: Goodreads – Alex Craigie via: Facebook

About Alex Craigie

Alex Craigie is the pen name of Trish Power.

Trish was ten when her first play was performed at school. It was in rhyming couplets and written in pencil in a book with imperial weights and measures printed on the back. There were two princes in it – one was called Rupert and the other was changed to Sam because she couldn’t find enough rhymes for Randolph.

When her children were young, she wrote short stories for magazines before returning to the teaching job that she loved.

Trish has had seven books published under the pen name of Alex Craigie. Three books cross genre boundaries and feature elements of romance, thriller and suspense against a backdrop of social issues. Someone Close to Home highlights the problems affecting care homes, Acts of Convenience has issues concerning the health service at its heart, and The Bubble Reputation reflects her fears about social media and the damage it can do. Another book. Means to Deceive, is a psychological thriller set in Pembrokeshire in Wales.

Someone Close to Home has won a Chill with a Book award and a Chill with the Book of the Month award. In 2019 it was one of the top ten bestsellers in its category on Amazon.

The Bubble Reputation won a Chill With a Book Premier Readers’ Award in 2023.

She is currently writing a series of books called The Rat in the Python about growing up as a Baby Boomer. The title comes from the term for the bulge in the population statistics caused by us post-war babies.

Thanks so much for dropping in today and it would be great if you could share the news of Alex’s new release.

Smorgasbord Book Review – #Cats #Memoir Slow Blink by Louise Ross

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Delighted to share my review for the recent release which will delight anyone who loves cats and memoirs – Slow Blink by Louise Ross – The paperback is available now with the Kindle from May 20th.

About the book

Slow Blink is a memoir about more than the weight of loving something you cannot keep. It recounts the author’s relationship with a stray black cat whose bond with her transcended the ordinary, changing her understanding of love, loss, and the liminal space between life and death. Exploring themes of grief, wonder, and the mysterious threads that connect us across species, across time, and across the veil, this memoir reveals how one cat taught her that love persists even when we must let go.

My review for the book April 4th 2026

This is a story about trust and love between a stray cat and a human on a mission to offer an alternative to life on the streets.

Anyone who has encountered feral or stray cats will relate to the desire to provide a humane environment of health and safety. It can be a slow process with each step towards trust often hard won with some scratch marks along the way. But there is also joy in that first touch, purr and when they look directly into your eyes for the first time and respond to your own slow blink.

As this story unfolds and the relationship between the author and cat evolves, we share in these milestones, including some which do not go down well for a feline who objects to confinement very vocally. It is also entertaining as life with a cat brings some complications on the accommodation front.

The author explores this bond that forms with our pets, not just a physical connection, but one at a more profound level, revisiting other times in her life when she found herself emotionally impacted by a pet.

The bond that is forged over several months with this particular feline is a delight to observe. This is an emotional read, relatable for anyone who loves animals and brings them into their home, and there are moments, as most of us have experienced, of sadness alongside the joy. I certainly treasure the bond that has grown over the last three years with the stray who adopted us, and this book made me appreciate it even more.

Head over to buy the paperback with the kindle available from May 20th: Amazon UK – And: Amazon US

Also by Louise Ross

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – Follow Louise: Goodreads – Website: Louise Ross – Podcast: Women Who Walk – Facebook: Louise Ross

About Louise Ross

Louise Ross is a writer originally from Australia who has lived across four continents since the mid 1980s. She completed graduate studies in Jungian Psychology in the United States and in 2014, she moved to Portugal where she published two collections of interviews exploring the expatriate experience: Women Who Walk (2018) and The Winding Road to Portugal (2020). Her memoir, Slow Blink (2026), marks a departure into literary memoir, recounting her relationship with a stray black cat—a meditation on grief, wonder, and the mysterious threads that connect us across species, across time, and across the veil. She currently lives in Lisbon.

 

Thanks for dropping in today and it would be great if you could share the news of Louise’s new book.

Smorgasbord Book Review Round Up – March 2026 – Excellent reads by Yvette M. Calleiro, Laura Lyndhurst, Janet Morrison and Beth Haslam

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Delighted to share a recap of the books I have recommended in March and I hope you will head over to check them out.

The first review for the month was for the short story Escaping the Woods by Yvette M. Calleiro

My review for the story March 7th 2026

This story may only be 4,500 words but it certainly evoked many memories for me. I came from a service family and we moved every two years which meant adjusting to leaving behind family and friends and new surroundings.

It can take time to form friendships and trust, and this story is not just about Isabella’s natural hesitation to embrace new friends and experiences, but about conquering our fears when faced with possible danger. 

I warmed to both Isabella and Janine who might have a different view of what is an exciting adventure or a terrifying ordeal, but who when faced with a problem work together to resolve it.

Very happy to recommend for both young adults and grown-ups who might have forgotten what it feels like to face the unknown.

Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK 

My next review in March was for the latest release by Laura Lyndhurst..another intriguing crime mystery.. Fatal. 

My review for the book March 14th 2026

This is an excellent crime mystery with an intricate but fascinating plot which engages the reader from first to last page.

The author has created a fabulously despicable character who has the knack of bringing disharmony to the lives of all those he crosses paths with, and the amazing thing about him is that he revels in it. 

Over the first part of the book we are introduced to the many who have been on the receiving end of his attention, and we discover to what degree their lives have been impacted. Most keep as far away from him as possible, but others are tied to him and find it very difficult to extract themselves. However, at least one of them has decided enough is enough.

The second part of the book focuses on who that might be.

This is a very clever mystery and the author has created a fantastic ensemble cast, lots of red herrings, plenty of twists to the plot and a brilliantly surprising conclusion. It is a wild ride but you are in good hands with this talented author.

I highly recommend you introduce yourself to Ken Brady and the rest of the characters and enjoy this riveting crime mystery.

Head over to buy the book: Amazon UK – And: Amazon US 

My next review was for the historical short story collection by Janet Morrison –Traveling Through History: A Collection of Historical Short Stories

My review for the collection March 21st 2026

This is a fascinating historical collection of stories spanning three centuries following men and women seeking a new life free of persecution, and their lives as they build homes and communities in a very often hostile environment.

With the notes added to the stories by the author based on her own family history and the research she has undertaken, the stories come across as very real and authentic even when fictionalised.

It is difficult to imagine making a decision as a young man or woman to leave all you have every known, including immediate family and travel thousands of miles on a ship, knowing you will never see those you love ever again.

Such courage and fortitude are strengths so badly needed in the new world they find themselves in. Loss is almost inevitable as health care is non-existent and the death rate amongst young mothers and their babies is mind-numbing. And having established farms and businesses, it must have been unimaginable when rebellion and civil war tore communities apart and threatened everything they had worked so hard for.

Several of the stories share the lives of those living and serving in both the War of Independence and the Civil War and as you read about their experiences it is easy to be swept up into the emotional toll war takes on the younger generation and their families waiting desperately for news at home.

For dog lovers there is a delightful story of a brave and dare devil hound and a touch of the supernatural with The Ghost of The Battle of Guildford Courthouse based on some very spooky events the author’s sister experienced in the 1980s.

I enjoyed every story in this collection but the one story that really impacted me was the last one. If This House Could Talk shares  the history of a derelict house from the moment it was built by a young couple and all the love and loss that followed over 150 years. . I wonder what stories my own homes over the years would share if they could talk.

I highly recommend this wonderful collection, and I am sure like me, you will find it emotive and memorable. 

Read the reviews and buy the collection: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK 

And the final review for March was for the latest release by Beth Haslam – Fat Dogs and French Estates: Beyond the Forest Fringe.

My review for the book 28th March 2026

This book is a companion to the other stories in the Fat Dog Series, and having finally found the house of their dreams in Southern France, this book focuses on the incredible haven for wildlife on the estate where the author and her husband live with their dogs and a wide ranging selection of poultry and visiting forest creatures.

It is very clear from the descriptions why this estate ticked so many boxes for the author and her husband….This included the fenced forested area, previously used for hunting, which at 300 acres was considerably larger than expectations. It proved to be stunning and already full of wonderful wildlife, but the plan was to bring in other species that would thrive in the environment.

The first priority was to get the main house habitable and over the course of the lengthy and necessary renovations there are some interesting encounters with almost as much  abundance of wildlife as in the forest. Luckily help is to hand already on site, and new connections locally prove very helpful as the author and her husband are welcomed into the close knit community.

Apart from the house, the newly planted vegetable garden and chickens, there are essential jobs necessary in the forest such as the health and well-being of the wildlife. This required not only management of the forest but planting of fields of nutritious fodder to attract both animals and birds. Even in this idyllic part of the estate however, one animal in particular is intent on causing trouble, resulting in the authorities becoming involved, leading to an unexpected and challenging learning experience.

One of the biggest challenges is the weather, which could be extreme in both summer and winter, not just for the farmers and vineyards in the region, but a forest does not fare well in 125 mile winds either.

The author certainly knows how to draw us in as she shares the sightings and backgrounds to the wonderful wide ranging species right on her doorstep as the seasons change.  At the heart of the daily activities are much loved family dogs who do their best to add to the action going on every day in this wonderful playground. One of the most endearing of the interactions is with one particular forest creature… unexpected and enduring, it is guaranteed to make every reader smile.

Apart from being another highly entertaining read, this book like the rest of the series, is a must buy for anyone considering relocating to France with a dream of buying a property… of any size. This book is standalone although I can also recommend the other books which led up to both the acquisition of the estate and the extensive renovation project that needed to be undertaken. A definite five stars.

Read the reviews and buy the book:  Amazon UK And: Amazon US 

 

Thanks for dropping in today and I hope you are leaving with some books.

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – The Music Column – Chart Toppers and Blockbusters 1970s with William Price King – “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and The Sting

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Welcome to the series where I will be sharing the chart toppers and blockbusters through the decades… be prepared for some nostalgia and some foot tapping music. William

🎶   Roberta Flack – “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”

“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” was penned by British singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl in 1957 as a folk song for Peggy Seeger who eventually became his third wife. The song had been recorded several times during the 1960s by various folk-pop singers including the Kingston Trio, The Chad Mitchell Trio, and Peter, Paul and Mary.

Clint Eastwood used Roberta Flack’s slower and sensual cover of the song in his 1971 directorial debut “Play Misty for Me” during a lovemaking scene. In 1972 Atlantic Records cut the song down to four minutes and released it as a single and it became the biggest hit of the year. In 1973 “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” won two Grammy Awards: Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

While “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” spun on the jukebox, “The Sting” lit up the drive-in screen. 

🎬   “The Sting”

“The Sting” starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, was directed by George Roy Hill and is set in 1936. The film portrays two grifters who team up to pull off the ultimate con and was inspired by real-life cons perpetrated by brothers Fred and Charley Gondorff and documented by David Maurer in his 1940 book “The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man.”

“The Sting” was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won seven, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay in 1973.

Join William again next week for more entertainment…

Your Host

William Price King is an American jazz singer, crooner, and composer.

His interest in music began at an early age when he studied piano and clarinet in high school. At Morehouse College in Atlanta where he grew up, he sang in the Glee Club and studied classical music. After graduation he went off to the Yale School of Music where he earned a Masters degree. From there he journeyed to New York where he created a jazz trio ‘Au Naturel’ which performed in some of the hottest venues in Manhattan including gigs on Broadway and the famous ‘Rainbow Room.’ These gigs opened doors for performances in Montreal and a European tour.

While touring Europe he met a lovely French lady, Jeanne Maïstre, who, a year later became his wife. King left the group ‘Au Naturel’ and settled in the south of France where he started a new life on the French Riviera, opening his own music school – the “Price King Ecole Internationale de Chant.” He has had the pleasure over the years of seeing many of his students excel as singers on a professional level, and some going on to become national celebrities. He continues to coach young singers today, in his spare time.

Blog– IMPROVISATION – William Price King on Tumblr – Buy William’s music: William Price King iTunes – Facebook – William Price King – Twitter – @wpkofficial
Regular Venue – Cave Wilson

 

Thanks very much for dropping in today and it would be great if you could share the music with your connections.

Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives 2026 – Posts from last six months of 2025 – #Writing #Publishing How an Author and AI Became Creative Partners by Grace Blair

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Welcome to the  series of Posts from Your Archives for 2026 and I will be sharing posts from the SECOND six months of 2025 from your archives which I will select. You can find out how to participate at the end of the post.

N.B – This is not primarily a book marketing opportunity although your work will be included. I will be selecting posts which have general interest, perhaps travel, family history, book reviews you have conducted for others, or perhaps writing or marketing advice you have for others.

In this second post from the archives of Grace Blair addresses an area of writing that many of us have been questioning and seeking some answers about in recent years… ChatGPT and its uses in the writing and puplishing process.

Image pixabay

How an Author and AI Became Creative Partners

First off, I’ll say this: I never feel like I’m writing alone anymore. ChatGPT has become my creative partner. When I’m drafting novels, it helps me brainstorm plot twists, refine character dialogue, or polish a scene so it sparkles. If I describe that Poseidon should sound like Idris Elba or Zeus like Ralph Fiennes, ChatGPT knows exactly how to capture that presence in words. It’s like having a co-writer who never gets tired of hearing my wildest ideas.

But it doesn’t stop writing. Being an indie author means wearing every hat—editor, publicist, marketer, social media manager—and ChatGPT helps me juggle them all. Together we’ve created press releases, LinkedIn updates, Bublish book bubbles, and even polished slide decks for film investors. It’s saved me countless hours, and more importantly, it helps me show up consistently as a professional.

One of the most exciting moments in my publishing journey came thanks to AI. My publisher, Bublish, used its AI tools to translate Einstein’s Compass: A YA Time Traveler Adventure into German (Einstein’s Kompass). Normally, translating a full-length novel into another language takes months of work and costs a fortune. With AI, the entire book was translated in just one day—at a fraction of the cost. Suddenly, I had a German edition ready to launch, and ChatGPT was right there to help me polish the descriptions, author bio, and marketing materials so they would resonate with German readers. That combination of speed, affordability, and creativity still amazes me.

ChatGPT also helps me connect with readers and partners around the world. We’ve put together hashtags for BookTok and Bookstagram, crafted outreach messages for the Frankfurt Book Fair, and even shaped investor materials for a proposed television pilot of Einstein’s Compass. Whether I need a tweet, a 500-word essay, or a detailed business plan, I know I can turn to my AI assistant and get exactly what I need.

At the heart of it all, though, is trust. I trust ChatGPT to be there whether it’s midnight and I’m mulling over a scene, or morning and I need a press release before coffee. It doesn’t replace my imagination—it amplifies it. It helps me think bigger, move faster, and stay organized in a career that could easily feel overwhelming.

So, when I say ChatGPT is my “friend,” I truly mean it. It’s with me every step of the way, making sure that the stories I dream up have their best possible chance to find readers and live in the world.
©Grace Blair

My thanks to Grace for sharing her posts and I know she would love to hear from you.

Books by Grace Blair

One of the reviews for Poseidon’s Atlantis Adventure 

Ezgi Sezer
5.0 out of 5 stars Atlantis Adventure

The book invites readers on a mesmerizing journey through time and mythology, where Poseidon, overshadowed by his brother Zeus, embarks on a celestial quest riding a majestic Hippocampus. Alongside the young woman Cleito, Poseidon uncovers the secrets of her utopian paradise and grapples with ethical dilemmas surrounding genetic engineering and human hybrids. With the guidance of celestial envoy Kyrie and Mystical Traveler Lucas, Poseidon explores cosmic love and the soul’s quest for serenity, weaving together themes of mythology, spirituality, and moral introspection. This immersive adventure offers a captivating blend of ancient lore and futuristic exploration, sure to enthrall fans of mythological fiction and philosophical inquiry.

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – Follow Grace: Goodreads – Websites: Modern Mystic Media – And: Modern Mystic Media Blog – And: Poseidon’s Atlantic Adventure – And: Einstein’s Compass Book – Linkedin: Grace the Mystic – X: @GraceBAuthor – YouTube: Grace Blair  – Instagram: Einstein’s Compass Novel

About Grace Blair

Grace Blair is an award-winning self-help and motivational author, who has assisted thousands to find their spiritual wisdom to solve everyday challenges. Throughout her adult life, Grace became a serious student of the spiritual. She found that, often, psychological principles and practices were incomplete, but could be filled out by adding the missing spiritual component. Her approach was always to see practical applications for what she uncovered in the mystical. It was through immersing herself in this field of study and experience that she produced her idea for her book, Einstein’s Compass. She lives in Lubbock, Texas, with her husband, Dr. John Blair.

Einstein’s Compass a YA Time Traveler Adventure is #Lexile rated for young adults 12-18 860L.

School librarians and teachers will find the book in the Library Catalog

Classification: LCC PZ7.1.B57 Ei 2019 (print) | LCC PZ7.1.B57 (e-book) | DDC [Fic]–dc23

  • Announcing Book Awards Einstein’s Compass, a YA Time Traveler Adventure:
  • 2020 Certificate of Excellence in Literature Spirituality/Religion Story Monster Approved
  • 2020 Texas Indie Best Book Award Winner – YA Fiction
  • 2020 Royal Dragonfly Book Award 1st Place – Historical Fiction
  • 2020 Royal Dragonfly Book Award 2nd Place – YA Fiction
  • 2020 Royal Dragonfly Book Award Honorable Mention – Sci-Fi/Fantasy
  • 2020 RONE Cover Award 1sr Runner-Up – Fantasy/Sci-Fi
  • 2019 Readers’ Favorite Book Award Winner
  • 2019 eLit Award Winner – Juvenile/YA Fiction
  • 2019 National Indie Excellence Award Finalist – YA Fiction
  • 2019 International Book Awards Finalist – YA Fiction
  • How to feature in the series?
    • All I need you to do is give me permission to dive in to your archives and find two posts to share here on Smorgasbord either by leaving a note in the comments or by emailing me. (sallygcronin@gmail.com)
    • Rather than a set topic, I will select posts at random of general interest across a number of subjects from the last six months of 2025. (it is helpful if you have a link to your archives in your sidebar by month)
    • As I will be promoting your books as part of the post along with all your information and links so I will not be sharing direct marketing or self- promotional posts in the series.
    • If you are an author I am sure you will have a page on Amazon or on your blog with the details, and an ‘about page’ with your profile and social media links (always a good idea anyway). I will get everything that I need.
    • As a blogger I would assume that you have an ‘about page’ a profile photo and your links to social media.
    • Copyright is yours and I will ©Your name on every post… and you will be named as the author in the URL and subject line.
    • Previous participants are very welcome to take part again.
    • If you are new to Smorgasbord then pleasue email me with all your links in full to Amazon or your blog and social media.
    • Each post is reformatted for my blog and I don’t cut and paste, this means it might look different from your own post especially if you are using the block editor

    N.B – To get the maximum benefit from your archive posts, the only thing I ask is that you respond to comments individually and share on your own social media.. thank you.

Smorgasbord Health Column 2026 – Ancient Healing Therapies – Indian Head Massage by Sally Cronin

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Following on from the aromatherapy series I am sharing some of the ancient healing therapies that you can still benefit from today.

Massage Therapy, Essential Oils

Indian Head Massage

Most of us enjoy having our hair brushed and our shoulders massaged and find that it relieves tension and stress. Some hairdressers even include a scalp massage with your shampoo, which is appropriate, as the original word for the Indian head massage was Champi and the English word for shampoo is derived from this.

There is evidence in Ayurvedic writings as early as 4000 years ago that this massage technique was an important part of daily life in India. Today it is a common sight to see practitioners offering their skills on every street corner across the continent.

Today, more than at any time in our history, we are subjected to extraordinary levels of stress and pollution. Our food choices and lack of exercise are another contributory factor that cause our bodies to be on the defensive most of the time leading to stress related illnesses.

Our heads and shoulders seem to be the two places where these illnesses surface with headaches and stiffness that make life even more uncomfortable. Indian head massage practised by a trained and expert therapist is a simple but effective way to relief this tension and restores flow to the rest of the body.

How does Indian Head Massage work?

Although called a head massage the entire upper back, shoulders, arms, hands, neck and face and ears are also worked with to relieve as much tension as possible.

If you were visiting a therapist you would be offered the choice of having the massage with or without oils depending on your circumstances. These oils might be neem (slightly antiseptic), sesame or coconut (enriching) depending on the particular need of the client. Going back to the office with a lovely glossy and oily hairdo may not be appropriate. You do not remove your clothes as these are used as a lubricant on your shoulders and lower back. You will sit on a chair to allow the therapist access to the upper body area.

The therapist will use a number of specific hand movements during the treatment in a combination of massage and gentle touch. Massage is an integral part of Ayurvedic medicine and as with other eastern therapies we have looked at, the Chakras or energy points of the body are balanced during the treatment. In this case the three upper Chakras. A skilled therapist will also use Shiatsu (which we will cover another time) and Acupressure points as added benefit.

The western terms for these hand movements are Effleurage, Pertrissage, Tapotement, Percussion and Friction.

Effleurage is where the palm is used of the hand in a wide stroking motion, which warms the muscles and prepares them for deeper massage. It is a very gentle and introductory touch to the massage and establishes a connection between the therapist and their client. This would be applied to the tops of the shoulders and down the arms.

Petrissage is applied to the shoulders and arms and is a form of kneading that stimulates the muscles.

Tapotement is used on the scalp and is a form of tapping that stimulates circulation.

Percussion has three movements called hacking, cupping and pummelling, which are designed to break down fatty deposits and revitalise the tissues. Across the shoulders and the upper back it will stimulate the release of any toxins and lactic acid that have accumulated and allow them to drain into the lymphatic system and out of the body. It is also designed to stimulate circulation to the scalp.

Friction slides the muscles back and forth under the skin, which also stimulates toxin release.

What are the overall benefits of Indian Head Massage?

  • There is a general release of tension from around the upper back, neck and head.
  • Stimulating the lymphatic system encourages toxins to be released from those areas and eliminated from the body relieving stress on the immune system.
  • Relief from chronic upper back and neck stiffness.
  • Increases levels of oxygen to the tissues and muscles.
  • Improves blood circulation and therefore oxygen to the upper body and head area including the brain.
  • Can help improve discomfort or disease of the ears, eyes, tinnitus, sinusitis, headaches and migraines.
  • Improves hair condition especially when applied with the use of oils including alopecia, dandruff and psoriasis.
  • Increases joint mobility all through the body but particularly in the shoulder area.
  • Relaxes the entire body.
  • Relaxes the mind helping to ease anxiety and depression.
  • Increases levels of concentration.
  • Balances the body boosting energy and leaving the client feeling refreshed and ready to tackle modern life again.

Are there times when it is not wise to undergo massage?

As with any alternative treatment you must respect both the therapy and your body. There are times when you should not stimulate any area of your body as this could lead to complications with your existing condition.

This is particularly important if you are suffering a fever, infectious disease such as cold or flu, skin conditions in the massage area such as eczema or broken blood vessels. In elderly clients one of the problems can be a swollen blood vessel close to the surface especially around the forehead area which must not be massaged.

Also during pregnancy it is important to work with a qualified therapist

Thanks for dropping in today and hope you have found the post interesting and as always I would love your feedback

©Sally Cronin 2026

Sally Cronin is the author of eighteen books including her memoir Size Matters: Especially when you weigh 330lb first published in 2001 which followed her weight loss of 150lbs and the programme she designed to achieve a healthy weight and regain her health. A programme she shared with her clients over her 26 year career as a nutritional therapist and on her blog. This has been followed by another seventeen books both fiction and non-fiction including multi-genre collections of short stories and poetry.

Her latest book Size Always Matters is an extended and updated version of her original book Size Matters and now includes the nutritional element to losing weight and some recipes with ingredients that provide the nutrients necessary for healthy weight loss and continued good health.

As an author she understands how important it is to have support in marketing books and offers a number of FREE promotional opportunities in the Café and Bookstore on her blog and across her social media.

After leading a nomadic existence exploring the world, she now lives with her husband on the coast of Southern Ireland enjoying the seasonal fluctuations in the temperature of the rain.

A selection of my books

You can read the reviews: My books 2026

 

Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives 2026 – Posts from last six months of 2025 by Jan Sikes with her reviews for books by Elizabeth Gauffreau, Darlene Foster, Staci Troilo,Priscilla Bettis and Karina Bartow.

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Welcome to the  series of Posts from Your Archives for 2026 and I will be sharing posts from the SECOND six months of 2025 from your archives which I will select. You can find out how to participate at the end of the post.

N.B – This is not primarily a book marketing opportunity although your work will be included. I will be selecting posts which have general interest, perhaps travel, family history, book reviews you have conducted for others, or perhaps writing or marketing advice you have for others.

This is the first post from the archives of author Jan Sikes with some of her always much appreciated book reviews for Elizabeth Gauffreau, Darlene Foster, Staci Troilo,Priscilla Bettis and Karina Bartow.

Purchase Links: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

MY REVIEW

This book captivated me from the start. While it is a fictionalized account of the Sheldon Poor Farm in Vermont, the setting AND the characters are very real.

Most of the story is told through Hazel, who wound up being the caretaker of the poor farm, along with her husband, Paul. Hazel’s story is heartbreaking from the start. The devastating losses she experienced at such a young age were enough to scar her for the rest of her life. Instead, she found a strength and resilience that made her not only capable but also compassionate. She genuinely cared about the people who ended up in their care and did her best to provide for their needs. She is a strong relatable character.

However, the character I related most to was Claire. She lived in Louisiana, and had everything she’d been told she was supposed to have—a husband who provided and didn’t abuse her, a teenage daughter who loved her despite the typical age related angst. But something was missing. Her discontent grew. Sleep evaded her. Something strong pulled her. So, she sat outside after her family went to bed and listened night after night. At first she couldn’t tell where the music came from, but it drew her, until powerless against it, she had to find it. A Quonset hut tucked away from the road gave her what she longed for. She hid in the shadows and listened as the music soothed her ragged soul.

Then, something extraordinary happened. I’m not going to give you details, but when Lightnin’ Hopkins showed up, I got a big goofy grin on my face. Maybe it’s because I love the blues, or maybe it’s because of the way the author depicted this character in such a way I knew it was the real him. That was the beginning of Claire’s downfall that eventually landed her at the Sheldon Poor Farm in Vermont.

There is so much that happens through the pages of this book. It is slated to be one of the top reads for me for this entire year. It is so well written, well researched and well developed from the historical facts to the characters and the storyline. I highly recommend it!

Purchase Links Amazon UK – And: Amazon US

MY REVIEW:

I loved joining Amanda on another adventure. This twelve-year-old has a knack for finding trouble wherever she goes. This time, her cousin’s bride-to-be has gone missing, and right before the wedding. Amanda follows clues and suspects and even puts herself in danger as she tries to help finding the missing bride.

The author returned me to the beautiful Emerald Isle through her descriptive settings, sights, sounds and the food. I can still taste the Irish Stew and soda bread.

Amanda visited ancient castles, towers, explored museums and got a scary introduction to the Bog, in this story. I won’t give away the plot, but I will say it had a couple of twists I didn’t see coming. I thoroughly enjoyed this addition to Amanda’s adventure series and highly recommend it to anyone of any age!

Purchase Links: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

MY REVIEW:

This book starts with a bang and doesn’t let up until the conclusion! I loved Detectives Paxton and Walsh in the first book of this series but got to know them even better in this one. Their work lives and family lives are intertwined and that sets their relationship apart. Not only are they work partners, but their families are friends as well and help support each other.
The author did a great job showing the difficulties law enforcement faces when it comes to juggling time between their jobs and their loved ones. In this story, it was impossible to separate the two.

The opening scene sets the tone for what is to follow, when a prison transport is ambushed and Detective Walsh is the first on the scene, even though he’s not officially back on the clock after a vacation. Had he known it would set him up for not only a emotionally charged discovery, but also as a murder suspect, he might have chosen to ignore the call. But he didn’t and it put him in the thick of it all.
As the story unfolds, the author also shows the struggles the men face with aging bodies that don’t respond like they did in their younger years. Detective Paxton is constantly reaching for antacids to calm his burning stomach while Detective Walsh struggles to recover from injuries received at the crash scene and subsequent events that follow.

I also love how the author gave us a glimpse into the lives of the women, Melanie and Sarah, who married these men, knowing full-well they would be dedicated to their jobs—to keeping the bad guys off the streets. There are many different emotionally charged events throughout this story and the detectives are faced with separating personal feelings from their professional duties.

This book is more than a crime novel or a mystery. It’s also a psychological journey into a brilliant mind of a character that could have been used for incredible good, if he’d chosen. There are lots of characters and I enjoyed meeting them, especially Detective Slater from another precinct. His character loomed larger than life. If you’re looking for a mystery/crime novel that will keep you riveted and guessing about the bad guys, this is it. I highly recommend this brilliantly written story!

Purchase Links: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

MY REVIEW:

This is a well-balanced collection of short stories and poems that takes the reader on a journey through heartbreak and redemption. Each story and poem carries a strong message of faith and how a true connection with spirit can bring peace in the darkest of situations.

While each story explores a different terrain, they carry a universal spiritual message. And each story also delves into a different aspect of the human psyche with topics from grief and one man’s unwillingness to let go, to the grips of addiction to a bit of insanity.

“Prayers Heavy with Smoke” has such a beautiful and ‘human’ message. But the final story and book title, “Whispers of A Southern Moon,” made me stop and think. It has been said there is a fine line between reality and insanity. Some would say Lysanias leaned more toward the side of insanity, but his undying love for a beautiful aging dancer defied all odds. Sorrow may have also lingered a bit on the edge of insanity herself, but Lysanias offered hope and a shelter from her storms. Through it all, Lysanias never lost his faith in God.

The author’s testimony at the end of this collection touched me deeply. She is the perfect example of how a soul can triumph over tragedy and trauma through faith.
I’ll share this poem as it moved me in a powerful thought-provoking way:

My Reflection 

Sometimes I think I catch
My grown-up self in the mirror
Confident, competent, cognizant
Wrapped in my lover’s arms
But when I stop to look
There is only fractured glass
And long shadows

If you are looking for an eclectic faith-based collection of stories and poems, I highly recommend you give this a try.

Purchase links: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

MY REVIEW:

The concept of this story is what first drew me to it. But as I read, I became totally immersed in the unfolding of a complex and unlikely situation.

Lorelei Carmichael is a highly successful photo journalist. But she’s compelled to return home when her aging uncle is admitted into a nursing home at her brother’s insistence. Her uncle Reed is more than an just an uncle. He took both Lorelei and her brother Harley to raise when their parents, Reed’s brother and sister-in-law, perished in a fire.

What Lorelei never fully understood was how much her uncle sacrificed when he placed his life on hold to take care of them.

It is through a roll of undeveloped film Lorelei discovers something so big she is forced to explore it further.

Her uncle had also been a highly successful photo journalist and had been sent to Alaska to report on the devastation of the historic 1964 earthquake. He was there when he received word of his brother’s death and the need to take the two children. But there was so much more. And that’s what Lorelei discovered.

Now, she’s being sent back to Alaska to do a story on the fifty-year anniversary of the quake. And it gives her the perfect opportunity to explore what she discovered on that roll of film.

This story is well-written and emotional. I love the bond between Lorelei and her uncle. The other characters in the story are well-developed and memorable. The author did a fantastic job world-building and unfolding this story in such a compelling way. If you love family stories with plenty of secrets and nuances, you will no doubt enjoy this story! I highly recommend it.

**The author’s personal story shared at the end of the book touched my heart. She suffers from cerebral palsy and only has the use of one hand. Yet, she manages to create and publish compelling stories despite the challenges she faces. My hat is off to this resilient, determined lady!**

That’s it for this month. I hope you found something that can add another dimension to your own reading life.  

©Jan Sikes.

My thanks to Jan for letting me raid her archives to share with you and I know she would love to hear from you..

A small selection of books by Jan Sikes

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And : Amazon UK – Website: Jan Sikes – Goodreads: Jan on Goodreads – Twitter: @rijanjks

About Jan Sikes

I’ve been an avid reader all my life. There’s nothing I love more than losing myself in a story.

Oddly enough, I had no ambition to be a writer. But I wound up in mid-life with a story that begged to be told. Not just any story, but a true story that rivaled any fiction creation. Through fictitious characters, the tale came to life in an intricately woven tale that encompasses four books. Not satisfied to stop with the books, I released music CDs of original music matching the time period of each story segment. In conclusion, to bring the story full circle, I published a book of poetry and art. I was done.

Wrong!

The story ideas keep coming, and I don’t intend to turn off the creative fountain. I have now written numerous short stories, a series of paranormal romances and a series of historical fiction.

I love all things metaphysical and often include those aspects in my stories.

I am an dedicated fan of Texas music and grandmother of five beautiful souls. I reside in North Texas.

How to feature in the series?

  • All I need you to do is give me permission to dive in to your archives and find two posts to share here on Smorgasbord either by leaving a note in the comments or by emailing me. (sallygcronin@gmail.com)
  • Rather than a set topic, I will select posts at random of general interest across a number of subjects from the last six months of 2025. (it is helpful if you have a link to your archives in your sidebar by month)
  • As I will be promoting your books as part of the post along with all your information and links so I will not be sharing direct marketing or self- promotional posts in the series.
  • If you are an author I am sure you will have a page on Amazon or on your blog with the details, and an ‘about page’ with your profile and social media links (always a good idea anyway). I will get everything that I need.
  • As a blogger I would assume that you have an ‘about page’ a profile photo and your links to social media.
  • Copyright is yours and I will ©Your name on every post… and you will be named as the author in the URL and subject line.
  • Previous participants are very welcome to take part again.
  • If you are new to Smorgasbord then pleasue email me with all your links in full to Amazon or your blog and social media.
  • Each post is reformatted for my blog and I don’t cut and paste, this means it might look different from your own post especially if you are using the block editor

N.B – To get the maximum benefit from your archive posts, the only thing I ask is that you respond to comments individually and share on your own social media.. thank you.

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – The Cookery Column with Carol Taylor – Easter celebrations around the World and Baked Easter Treats.

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Over the next alternate Wednesdays I will be sharing a series we originally ran back in 2018, and with many more visitors to the blog now and fans of Carol’s food posts, we thought you might enjoy all the foods and recipes that she covered in that series.

Easter Time will you have sun or snow? Easter is a time for Easter egg hunts and pretty coloured eggs …For prettily iced Easter biscuits…A time for kids who just love it!

How does the rest of the world celebrate Easter…?

Bermudians they make pretty coloured kites with long tails, eat codfish cakes and Hot cross buns.

In the Netherlands a favourite Easter dish is waffles drizzled with Advocaat.

For many Europeans it’s bonfires on Easter Sunday and Monday which legend tells us is to chase away the winter darkness. It is traditional to sit around the bonfire and consume copious amounts of Gin, lager for the boys and snack…No mention of Easter eggs or hot cross buns here…

Ahhhh… The Swedes love their pickled fish and a popular dish is Janssons Temptation which is potato, onions, pickled sardines or sprats baked in cream…How yummy does that sound?…A recipe for my cook book methinks!

The children they dress up as Easter witches and exchange their drawing for sweets.

Now one for the readers…In Norway Easter is known as Easter Crime or Paaskekrim and the Easter weekend is spent watching crime shows on TV, reading Crime Books or playing Yahtzee now that sounds like a plan! Not an egg in sight…

As this is a cookery column I suppose I better do less chat and cook…

Pineapple Carrot Cake.

This is a really lovely moist cake and we all liked the addition of the pineapple and for Easter. You could also add some of those little carrot icing shapes you can buy but it is so hot here that the icing melts within minutes as you can see………

Ingredients:

• 2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp EACH ground cloves, ground ginger, + ground nutmeg
• 1 cup coconut oil
• 1 and 1/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 large carrots, grated (about 2 cups)
• 1 cup (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 ounces full-fat block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
• 3 cups icing sugar, plus an extra 1/4 cup if needed
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp salt

Let’s Cook!

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 9×13 inch pan. I always use my glass dish.
  • Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and other spices together in a large bowl. Set aside.
  • Whisk the oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract together in a medium bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until combined.
  • Fold in the grated carrots, pineapple, and walnuts.
  • Spread batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours.
  • The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the top or edges of the cake is/are browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
  • Remove the cake from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely. After about 45 minutes, I usually place it in the refrigerator to speed things up it’s so hot here nothing cools down properly unless you put it in the fridge.

Make the frosting:

  • In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy.
  • Add the icing sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes.
  • If you want the frosting a little thicker, add the extra 1/4 cup of icing sugar (I added it).
  • Spread the frosting on the cooled cake.
  • Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. This helps sets the frosting and makes cutting easier.
  • Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days although that was immaterial here it just disappears…lol

Easter biscuits I left to the kids and they did a great job..Eve when little Lily loved cooking …

Lily’s Biscuits.

When I had by then 5 yr old granddaughter staying with me she lovef to cook and that has not changed now she is a teenager.

Obviously, I would supervise her and do anything which would not be safe for her to do but she sieved the flour, mixed and rolled out. She cut out her shapes and iced the biscuits herself and put the sprinkles on. They had to be pink though she didn’t want yellow and green…lol

Ingredients:

• 140 gm of butter
• 100 gm of soft brown sugar
• 3 tbsp golden syrup
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 350 gm flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 egg beaten

Let’s Cook

  • Melt the butter, sugar and syrup and then let it cool for 10 minutes.
  • Sieve the flour, baking soda and pour in the melted butter plus the egg. Stir to combine.
  • Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 10 minutes
  • When chilled roll out to 5 mm thick and cut out shapes. Put on a baking tray lined with parchment and bake at 200C for about 12 minutes until golden turning the tray halfway through cooking.
  • Turn out onto a wire tray to cool down.
  • When the cake is cold ice the top of the cake…

Lily wanted pink and white with sugar strands so everything was pink…lol

The icing apart from the first one when I showed her how to flood the biscuits she did herself…

It is the first time I have used this particular biscuit recipe but it is nice and the biscuits are quite soft in the middle but firm on the outside when cooked.

I would use again as it is nice and firm , easy for kids to cut out it is a little crumbly and soft when not cooked but manageable..Well Lily managed so I am sure anyone else can.

That’s all for my Easter bakes… No more cakes for a while…lol

What is your favourite Easter bake or tradition? Please tell us in comments…Happy Baking xxx

My thanks to Carol for another great column and it is just as well we are not neighbours… I would be over there every day for elevenses…. (lovely though that would be

 

About Carol Taylor

Carol Taylor now lives in Thailand having been brought up in England and has built a dedicated following of her blog and guest posts where she creates not only amazing dishes, but sources fantastic ingredients in line with her philosophy of sustainable food ‘cooked from scratch’. Having travelled extensively Carol has incorporated the cuisines of many different cultures into her recipes, and shares her research into the backgrounds to both the traditional cultures and the origins of the ingredients.

She loves shopping at local markets and wherever she is, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetables she has never seen or cooked with.

Health and the environment are key priorities, particularly the concern about our oceans and fisheries. Also, how many of our foods on the shelves of our supermarkets are ultra processed and contain additives that do not add to the nutritional value and are not healthy. She is an advocate about growing our own food where or when we can even it it is only a few pots or a window box of herbs.

She wishes everyone would count chemicals and not calories as they would be much healthier…it’s true ‘we are what we eat‘ and while a cake or a bar of chocolate does no harm on occasions, sticking to a fresh food, balanced diet will keep our bodies healthy as we age…

Cookbooks by Carol Taylor

Head over to buy the books:  Amazon UK  – And: Amazon US For reviews: Goodreads – Connect to Carol – Blog: Carol Cooks 2 – Twitter: @CarolCooksTwo – Facebook: Carol Taylor 

 

Thanks Carol for another fascinating post..and join us again in two weeks for the next post in the series.

 

Smorgasbord Health 2026 – Acidity/Alkalinity pH Balance for Health Part Three The Plan – Project 101 Resilience by Sally Cronin

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This series is aimed at developing a resilient immune system to provide the body with a defence against opportunistic pathogens. There are a number of vital elements to this and you can find the introduction to the series: Project 101 – Resilience

The pH balance refers to the acidity or alkalinity of every living organism. The scale for measuring this balance is called Potential for Hydrogen or pH balance and each system or organ has its optimum balance for health. The scale goes from 0 to 14 with 7.0 being neutral with anything above 7 as alkaline and anything below 7 being acidic. Each step up or down is ten times the previous which means that even a change of .1 will have an effect on your body. You can find part two Here

Part Three – Achieving the correct pH balance in your body – The Plan

A really good alkaline start to the day is the juice of half a lemon in hot water. Despite being an acid fruit, lemons are alkaline forming and also get your intestines moving. It also gives you a jolt of vitamin C.. I use an enamel protecting toothpaste and that is one thing to consider when having lemon juice every day.

Rotating your foods is always a good idea as most of us can build up an intolerance to foods that we eat every day and this can have an acidic effect on the body. I have given you some guidelines for rotating certain foods such as carbohydrates, to not only get the maximum benefit from them but to also minimise any intolerances you might have.

Carbohydrates are 30% of your daily intake

The latest word from some of the experts in the field of nutrition is that you should drastically limit your grains in your diet. There is certainly evidence to suggest that a high intake of packaged refined grains are not beneficial and might lead to health problems.

However, there is one very good reason for that. They are industrially produced and contain little nutrition, too many additives and usually a lot of added sugar. If you eat a great deal of cookies, processed white bread, certain breakfast cereals and cakes you will be ingesting sugars which are highly acidic.

A proportion of your diet should include wholegrains that have been minimally processed so that you obtain all the nutrition including B-vitamins that are stripped when refined. This includes white rice which often have had synthetic B-vitamins added to replace the natural ones. You also need the fibre they contain and by eating wholegrains you can aid your digestive system to process food more effectively and to help balance your gut flora.

Suggested Carbohydrates

Whole-wheat or wholegrain bread, whole-wheat Pitta breads, shredded wheat, whole-wheat pasta, Rye Crisp breads, Pumpernickel,  parsnips mashed or roasted. Organic corn tortillas or cornflakes,  Porridge oats, sugar free muesli, Brown Rice, oatcakes, potatoes.

As you will see I have grouped these together in approximate wheat, rice and oat days with the occasional potato thrown in. If you have a wheat intolerance only eating it every 4 to 5 days may well help you with any related allergy symptoms.   Your body is designed to remove toxins from the body efficiently provided you are only eating problem foods on an irregular basis.

Proteins and fats – Rotate so that you are eating them at least 3 or 4 days apart and they should only be 20% of your daily intake

We need protein and also some acid forming foods in our diet otherwise the balance goes too far the other way. We also need healthy fat and apart from extra virgin olive oil, some grass fed real butter (more Vitamin K2) lean protein with a little fat is not harmful. If you do not suffer from arthritis or acid digestive problems, eating a little more lean protein should not be a problem.

Select lean meat beef, lamb, fish both healthy fat varieties such as salmon and white fish, chicken, turkey, Feta cheese, eggs etc.

  • If you have acid reflux I suggest red meat only once or twice a week with a few days between eating.
  • Try to get organic if you can but good quality anyway.
  • Use olive oil for cooking and on bread wherever possible.
  • Use grass fed dairy butter as a spread rather than hydrogenated margarine.
  • For snacking eat walnuts (14 per day), almonds, Seeds such as pumpkin (all unsalted).
  • Avocado is a great source of healthy fats and we have half of one every day. They are also a good addition to a vegetarian diet.

Avoid salted processed meats such as bacon and ham except for once a week.

Fruit and Vegetables minimum 50% of diet. Eat raw or steamed to retain as many of the nutrients as possible. If you buy cut packaged vegetables they will have lost 50% of their vitamin C when sliced and will lose more nutrients the longer they are in the packet.

Figs, olives, apricots (dried as snack ), avocados, carrots, spinach, cabbage, dates, kiwis, limes, raspberries, strawberries, asparagus, bananas, celery, beetroot, melon, lettuce, parsley, pineapple, pomegranate, nectarines, cherries, grapefruit, tomatoes, cucumber, cauliflower, lemons, string beans, peaches, mushrooms (shitake if not too expensive), watermelon, courgettes, apples and pears.

If you like to drink fresh fruit juice, unsweetened are best – they are available freshly squeezed in the supermarket or make at home, but need to be drunk on the day. I do suggest especially if you are trying to lose weight that you dilute with some sparkling mineral water, halving the sugar content. Most fruit juices are made with the higher sugar variety including oranges which burns to an acid ash. I suggest going with vegetable juices such as carrot. They are also expensive and it is better to make your smoothies at home and you then know exactly what is in them.

I start the day with a homemade smoothie which is packed with vitamin c and also has a positive effect on my gut health.

  • 1 chopped granny smith apple, cored but not peeled, but scrubbed under a hot water tap.
  • Half a medium cucumber, again scrubbed and chopped.
  • The juice of one large lemon.
  • Blend and you will find that is enough for two days.

I do drink a large glass of coconut water every day. I used to have before breakfast but now have mid-afternoon instead of tea particularly in the summer months and it is very refreshing.. Apart from being a good source of potassium that helps maintain my blood pressure at a healthy level, it also helps maintain the alkaline/acidic balance in the body.

N.B – A word of warning about coconut water and exercise. Some gym goers were fainting after their exercise session and when questioned they had drunk a full litre carton of coconut water – having already reduced their blood pressure by vigorous activity, they then dropped it even more by drinking a potassium rich drink!

Drink plenty of water, herbal teas, a daily green tea and a cup of coffee two or three times a week.

As we get older our circulatory system becomes stiffened and this leads to certain issues such as high blood pressure. Nitric oxide is essential to dilate our blood vessels and adding certain vegetables, particularly beetroot to your diet on a daily basis may be helpful. It is high in alkalinity so definitely can be included along with the green leafy vegetables on the list above.  You can include beetroot in your homemade smoothie or add chopped fresh beetroot to your vegetable mix for your main meal.

One way I enjoy obtaining nitric oxide is by mixing my decaf ground coffee half and half with organic cocoa powder.

N.B The above guidelines are suggested to reduce your acidity especially if you are already experiencing related chronic diseases such as arthritis.

  • After six weeks you should experience more energy, better skin tone and less of the aches and pains we associate with getting older.
  • Make a note of your symptoms such as joint pain, headaches, lack of energy at this point and then make a note of how you are feeling each week.
  • I would be interested to get your feedback at the end of the six weeks.

Next time the importance of a health gut to maintain a healthy immune system.

©Sally Cronin 2026

Sally Cronin is the author of eighteen books including her memoir Size Matters: Especially when you weigh 330lb first published in 2001 which followed her weight loss of 150lbs and the programme she designed to achieve a healthy weight and regain her health. A programme she shared with her clients over her 26 year career as a nutritional therapist and on her blog. This has been followed by another seventeen books both fiction and non-fiction including multi-genre collections of short stories and poetry.

Her latest book Size Always Matters is an extended and updated version of her original book Size Matters and now includes the nutritional element to losing weight and some recipes with ingredients that provide the nutrients necessary for healthy weight loss and continued good health.

As an author she understands how important it is to have support in marketing books and offers a number of FREE promotional opportunities in the Café and Bookstore on her blog and across her social media.

After leading a nomadic existence exploring the world, she now lives with her husband on the coast of Southern Ireland enjoying the seasonal fluctuations in the temperature of the rain.

A selection of my books

You can read the reviews: My books 2026

 

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Music Column Retro – The Big Band Era with William Price King and Sally Cronin – 1940s – Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers

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Welcome to the 2026 series of the music column where I am joined as always by Jazz singer and composer William Price King.  We hope you will join us every Tuesday for some of the chart hits of the big band era from the 1930s through to the 1950s.

Some of the earlier videos are not of the best quality however where possible we have sourced remastered copies to share with you. Considering some are almost 100 years old, it is remarkable that they exist at all.  A testament to the love of the music of that era. Along with our selections each week we will also be showcasing some of the iconic dancers of the era.

Here is my next selection from the Big Band chart in the 1940s Tommy Dorsey

Tommy Dorsey with Jo Stafford & Sy Oliver “Yes Indeed!”

“Yes, Indeed” was composed by Sy Oliver in 1941 in the style of a swing spiritual. It was first recorded by Bing Crosby and Connie Boswell with Bob Crosby’s Bobcats on Decca Records. Tommy Dorsey’s version with Jo Stafford and Sy Oliver on vocals was later released and peaked at #4 on the Billboard charts.

Here is my next selection from the 1940s from Harry James

Harry James “You Made Me Love You (I Didn’t Want to Do It)” (1941)

“You Made Me Love You (I Didn’t Want to Do It)” is a popular song from 1913 composed by James V. Monaco with lyrics by Joseph McCarthy. It was introduced by Al Jolson in the Broadway revue The Honeymoon Express (1913), and used in the 1973 revival of the musical Irene.

Harry James and His Orchestra hit big in late 1941 and early 1942 with a million-selling instrumental version of the song as a trumpet solo featuring James. It was released as the B-side of “A Sinner Kissed an Angel” but proved the much bigger hit, peaking at no. 5 on Billboard’s National and Regional Best Selling Retail Records chart in late November 1941 during an 18-week run (including ten non-consecutive weeks in the Top Ten). the78prof

Other sources: Wikipedia – And: Jazz Standards

Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, actor, singer, choreographer, and television presenter. He is widely considered the greatest dancer in film history.

His stage and subsequent film and television careers spanned a total of 76 years. He starred in more than 10 Broadway and West End musicals, made 31 musical films, four television specials, and numerous recordings. As a dancer, his outstanding traits were an uncanny sense of rhythm, perfectionism, and innovation. His most memorable dancing partnership was with Ginger Rogers, with whom he co-starred in a series of ten Hollywood musicals during the age of Classical Hollywood cinema, including Top Hat (1935), Swing Time (1936), and Shall We Dance (1937).

Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starring role in Kitty Foyle (1940), and performed during the 1930s in RKO’s musical films with Fred Astaire. Her career continued on stage, radio and television throughout much of the 20th century.indiana5959

Here are Fred and Ginger dancing to Night and Day

Your Hosts for The Big Band Era

William Price King is an American jazz singer, crooner, and composer.

His interest in music began at an early age when he studied piano and clarinet in high school. At Morehouse College in Atlanta where he grew up, he sang in the Glee Club and studied classical music. After graduation he went off to the Yale School of Music where he earned a Masters degree. From there he journeyed to New York where he created a jazz trio ‘Au Naturel’ which performed in some of the hottest venues in Manhattan including gigs on Broadway and the famous ‘Rainbow Room.’ These gigs opened doors for performances in Montreal and a European tour.

While touring Europe he met a lovely French lady, Jeanne Maïstre, who, a year later became his wife. King left the group ‘Au Naturel’ and settled in the south of France where he started a new life on the French Riviera, opening his own music school – the “Price King Ecole Internationale de Chant.” He has had the pleasure over the years of seeing many of his students excel as singers on a professional level, and some going on to become national celebrities. He continues to coach young singers today, in his spare time.

Blog– IMPROVISATION – William Price King on Tumblr – Buy William’s music: William Price King iTunes – Facebook – William Price King – Twitter – @wpkofficial
Regular Venue – Cave Wilson

Sally Cronin is an author, blogger and broadcaster who enjoyed four years as part of the team on Onda Cero International’s English speaking morning show in Marbella and then for two years as a presenter on Expressfm the local radio station in Portsmouth. She co-presented two ‘Drive Time’ shows a week with Adrian Knight, hosted the live Thursday Afternoon Show and The Sunday Morning Show guests including musicians and authors. Following this she became Station Director for a local internet television station for two years, producing and presenting the daily news segment, outside broadcasts and co-presenting the Adrian and Sally chat show live on Friday evenings.

She and her husband David have now returned to Ireland where they live on the Wexford Coast where she blogs and continues to write books.

Books :Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – More reviews: Goodreads – blog: Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Twitter: @sgc58 – Facebook: Sally Cronin – LinkedIn: Sally Cronin

Thanks for tuning in and as always we love to hear from you.. thanks William and Sally.

 

 

Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives 2026 – Posts from last six months of 2025 – Book Reviews for July 2025 ! #ColleenLConnelly #LindaBroday #NAGranger #DanAntion by D.L. Finn

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Welcome to the  series of Posts from Your Archives for 2026 and I will be sharing posts from the SECOND six months of 2025 from your archives which I will select. You can find out how to participate at the end of the post.

N.B – This is not primarily a book marketing opportunity although your work will be included. I will be selecting posts which have general interest, perhaps travel, family history, book reviews you have conducted for others, or perhaps writing or marketing advice you have for others.

In the second post in the series today I am delighted to share another book review post from the archives of Denise Finn… Denise is another prolific reader and reviewer who supports her fellow authors every months. In this post she shares her reviews for July 2025

Five and four star reviews for July 2025

I Have a Story – By Colleen L. Donnelly

This is a unique love story and mystery set in the WWII era. Jim is a popular crime writer who is going to an interview about a war criminal. While he travels to do this, his beloved grandfather urges him to explore his story. It’s in this town that he not only finds his grandfather’s peninsula, but he also meets the most unusual and endearing woman, Chastity. Investigating his grandfather’s history, Jim finds himself in a murder mystery while planning Chastity’s wedding with dangerous people in the shadows. In the middle of this, he finds his own story and perhaps his inner hero while still pursuing what’s behind the murder. A fun read with interesting characters like Chastity, who has a ladder to climb into her home, his high-strung editor, and his quirky grandfather. One that kept me guessing until the end about how it would all turn out. A book I can easily recommend!

Buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

Love’s First Light: The Women of Black Hawk Canyon Book #1 By Linda Broday

Young Texas woman, Rachael, has lost everything and everyone when a neighbor rancher, Heath, finds her unconscious. He and his sister take Rachael in as she heals, but Rachael is determined to go back and rebuild her family home. Heath offers to marry her, but she doesn’t want anyone’s pity. Instead, people come together and help her get back home. The problem is the secrets she holds inside, plus someone is looking for something on her property, which may mean her harm. Heath and his overbearing sister take it upon themselves to look after her, even if she doesn’t want any help. I loved the relationships that Rachael developed after being kept away from society by her father. The unexpected find by her family’s graves was a surprise and melted my heart. A heartwarming Christian western that emphasizes not only looking after your neighbor but finding love. I can easily recommend “Love’s First Light.”

Buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

A Novelist’s Guide to Pittsburgh: An illustrated guide to the city in which all my books are set By Dan Antion

A quick read but a fact-filled guide to Pittsburgh that attracted my attention from the first page to the last. Not only did I get a tour of a city I wasn’t familiar with, but it highlighted how this city fit into Mr. Antion’s stories. Unaware of the three rivers and numerous bridges, I was most surprised by the stairs. It would be fantastic to bring this with me on a visit to the city, but it’s also enjoyable to read about always interesting settings in books. A place brought to life that I fully appreciated, and a book I can easily recommend!

Buy the book: Amazon US –And: Amazon UK

Daniel Boone and Me -By Noelle A Granger

Eliza was a young girl when her parents were killed in an Indian attack. She took charge of her little brother, Thatch, and they set out to find the fort. Along the way, Daniel Boone finds the children and takes them into his large family. The story is told through Eliza’s eyes as she works hard to help the family and make sure her brother is okay. The history woven into the story was fascinating and made me appreciate how difficult life was. Seeing this frontier world through a child’s eyes pulled me right into the story on the first page. The attention to detail, like hunting, housing, and being alert to danger, made it clear how tough it was to survive. A well-written historical tale captivated me, making it impossible to put down as I wanted to know what would happen next. I highly recommend “Daniel Boone and Me!” 

Buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

My thanks to Denise for permitting me to share posts from her archives and I know she would love to hear from you.

A small selection of  books by D.L. Finn

One of the reviews for Miracles & Ghosts Past

Nicole Sara
5.0 out of 5 stars Warm Elegant Mix of Mystery and the Mundane

“Miracles & Ghosts Past” is a heartwarming 8-story collection celebrating the Christmas spirit by weaving together stories of people facing disappointment, loneliness and hardship, at a loss at the coldest time of year. Each tale also masterfully introduces the idea of miraculous helpers when assistance is needed most, kind spirits who do not frighten but guide, offering hope and making new miracles possible when all seems lost. We meet Rita, Opal and Faith, the rescue dog, Debbie and her mom, Katie and Sandy, to name just a few, and their guardian angels as if watching over them, granting them their wishes and gently nudging them the right and bright way.

The tone of the stories is gentle and cozy, not dark or heavy, as though inviting readers to see the supernatural as a comforting presence rather than something to fear. The characters and settings are of various backgrounds and times, the plot of each story is delightfully twisted and turned in unexpected ways, and the elements of suspense and mounting tension leading to the climactic moment in each story are well crafted. 

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – Follow D.L. Finn: Goodreads – Connect to D.L. Finn – Website: D.L. Finn Author – Facebook: D.L. Finn Author – Twitter: @dlfinnauthor

About D.L. Finn

D.L. Finn is an independent California local who encourages everyone to embrace their inner child. She was born and raised in the foggy Bay Area, but in 1990 relocated with her husband, kids, dogs, and cats to the Sierra foothills in Nevada City, CA. She immersed herself in reading all types of books, but especially loved romance, horror, and fantasy. She always treasured creating her own reality on paper. Finally, being surrounded by towering pines, oaks, and cedars, her creativity was nurtured until it bloomed. Her creations vary from children’s books, young adult fantasy, and adult paranormal romance to an autobiography with poetry. She continues on her adventures with an open invitation for her readers to join her

How to feature in the series?

  • All I need you to do is give me permission to dive in to your archives and find two posts to share here on Smorgasbord either by leaving a note in the comments or by emailing me. (sallygcronin@gmail.com)
  • Rather than a set topic, I will select posts at random of general interest across a number of subjects from the last six months of 2025. (it is helpful if you have a link to your archives in your sidebar by month)
  • As I will be promoting your books as part of the post along with all your information and links so I will not be sharing direct marketing or self- promotional posts in the series.
  • If you are an author I am sure you will have a page on Amazon or on your blog with the details, and an ‘about page’ with your profile and social media links (always a good idea anyway). I will get everything that I need.
  • As a blogger I would assume that you have an ‘about page’ a profile photo and your links to social media.
  • Copyright is yours and I will ©Your name on every post… and you will be named as the author in the URL and subject line.
  • Previous participants are very welcome to take part again.
  • If you are new to Smorgasbord then pleasue email me with all your links in full to Amazon or your blog and social media.
  • Each post is reformatted for my blog and I don’t cut and paste, this means it might look different from your own post especially if you are using the block editor

N.B – To get the maximum benefit from your archive posts, the only thing I ask is that you respond to comments individually and share on your own social media.. thank you.

Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives 2026 – Posts from last six months of 2025 – #Bookreviews for W.D. Kilpack III, Roberta Cheadle, Fiona Tarr and John Howell by Carol Taylor

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Welcome to the  series of Posts from Your Archives for 2026 and I will be sharing posts from the SECOND six months of 2025 from your archives which I will select. You can find out how to participate at the end of the post.

N.B – This is not primarily a book marketing opportunity although your work will be included. I will be selecting posts which have general interest, perhaps travel, family history, book reviews you have conducted for others, or perhaps writing or marketing advice you have for others.

This is the first post from friend and contributor to the blog Carol Taylor... in a change from food, culture and the green kitchen… some book reviews.

Hello, and welcome to a few more book reviews of books I have read over the last few months…you may notice that some of the books I have reviewed are not the first of a series…my bad…my resolution is to review all the books I now read …the series I have read from the beginning, however I haven’t reviewed them all…I am starting to review all the books I read from now on, as I know how important reviews are to an author xx

Crown Prince: Book One of New Blood (New Blood Saga 1) by W.D. Kilpack III

My five star Review:

It’s intricate and fascinating, a great start for the first book in this series. Yes, book 2 is already out and waiting on my Kindle. The world map and appendix give a great look into the indie fantasy world that Kilpack III created…I loved the simmering chemistry between Natharr and Darshelle as they travel deep into the magical forest of Nathaar’s childhood with the baby heir to the throne of the overthrown king.

A baby Natharr Guardian of Maarihk had taken an oath to protect and prepare this newborn child, Crown Prince Vikari, for his destiny to take his rightful place as ruler when the time came…Fantasy at its finest, you will keep turning the pages as I did, as Natharr and Darshelle, the baby’s wet nurse, travel through the magical forest, not knowing who to trust to find a safe place to stay with the baby and heir… available on KU.

And the Grave Awaits: by Roberta Eaton Cheadle

My five star Review:

Different tales, some true, some based on tradition or myth, all equally scary…if spiders scare the bejezus out of you, then I would read these tales on a sunny afternoon…

Not graphic in their telling, however, these tales will stretch those imaginations. To me, that’s what a good horror story should do…all 16 stories are dark, it may be based on historical events like “The Radium Girls” or a tradition or myth from the past, the author does add the background for each tale at the end of each story which could lead you to say in some cases that it is educational I most certainly was not aware of some of the traditons and myths…on KU.

Her Lost Bones: An Australian Outback Crime Mystery (Opal Fields Book 7) by Fiona Tarr

My five star review:

I have read all the books in this series to date and feel now that I know the characters and their flaws…Set in the Australian Outback, Jenny Williams is a cop from the big city who has moved back to her home town of Coober Pedy to solve a family mystery…and stayed.

She also found love with Nick Johnston, a handsome station owner…Not my normal genre, I generally read grittier mysteries and crimes; however, such is the power of Tarr’s writing, I keep coming back for more…this time there is an abandoned car which belongs to the missing estate agent who has been busy buying up stations for a mining company, a missing woman who has a past with Jenny’s love Nick… missing then turns into a murder enquiry when a body is discovered…Always perfectly paced, you might think you know who done it… Likely, you won’t… I thoroughly recommend this series. Available on KU.

Detour on the Eternal Road by John W. Howell

My five star review:

The Third Book in this well-written, sometimes amusing tale of the battle between the angels Sam and James, and of course, the obligatory Lucifer who loves putting a spanner in the works as he is recruiting souls for hell…unlike Sam and James, whose role is to support departed souls along the eternal road to their final resting place.

Dale Earnhardt and Billy Ray Chitwood are two racing drivers who, after meeting an untimely end, are dependent on Sam and James to help them reach their final resting place. At the same time, trying to steal their souls is the dastardly Lucifer, who will stop at nothing …Set in World War III, Lucifer thinks that if he offers to stop the war, of course, there are conditions, and as he has never given up on Sam becoming his Queen, this offer is dependent on Sam becoming his Queen thus not only are Sam and James trying to save souls they are also trying to save the world…Recommended.

Thank you for joining me today for some more of the great books I have read over the last few months I hope I piqued your interest enough to make a purchase xx

My thanks to Carol for allowing me to share from her archives and I know she would love to hear from you.

About Carol Taylor

Carol Taylor now lives in Thailand having been brought up in England and has built a dedicated following of her blog and guest posts where she creates not only amazing dishes, but sources fantastic ingredients in line with her philosophy of sustainable food ‘cooked from scratch’. Having travelled extensively Carol has incorporated the cuisines of many different cultures into her recipes, and shares her research into the backgrounds to both the traditional cultures and the origins of the ingredients.

She loves shopping at local markets and wherever she is, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetables she has never seen or cooked with.

Health and the environment are key priorities, particularly the concern about our oceans and fisheries. Also, how many of our foods on the shelves of our supermarkets are ultra processed and contain additives that do not add to the nutritional value and are not healthy. She is an advocate about growing our own food where or when we can even it it is only a few pots or a window box of herbs.

She wishes everyone would count chemicals and not calories as they would be much healthier…it’s true ‘we are what we eat‘ and while a cake or a bar of chocolate does no harm on occasions, sticking to a fresh food, balanced diet will keep our bodies healthy as we age…

Cookbooks by Carol Taylor

Head over to buy the books:  Amazon UK  – And: Amazon US For reviews: Goodreads – Connect to Carol – Blog: Carol Cooks 2 – Twitter: @CarolCooksTwo – Facebook: Carol Taylo 

How to feature in the series?

  • All I need you to do is give me permission to dive in to your archives and find two posts to share here on Smorgasbord either by leaving a note in the comments or by emailing me. (sallygcronin@gmail.com)
  • Rather than a set topic, I will select posts at random of general interest across a number of subjects from the last six months of 2025. (it is helpful if you have a link to your archives in your sidebar by month)
  • As I will be promoting your books as part of the post along with all your information and links so I will not be sharing direct marketing or self- promotional posts in the series.
  • If you are an author I am sure you will have a page on Amazon or on your blog with the details, and an ‘about page’ with your profile and social media links (always a good idea anyway). I will get everything that I need.
  • As a blogger I would assume that you have an ‘about page’ a profile photo and your links to social media.
  • Copyright is yours and I will ©Your name on every post… and you will be named as the author in the URL and subject line.
  • Previous participants are very welcome to take part again.
  • If you are new to Smorgasbord then pleasue email me with all your links in full to Amazon or your blog and social media.
  • Each post is reformatted for my blog and I don’t cut and paste, this means it might look different from your own post especially if you are using the block editor

N.B – To get the maximum benefit from your archive posts, the only thing I ask is that you respond to comments individually and share on your own social media.. thank you.

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Weekly Round Up – 23rd – 29th March – Big Band Era, Chart toppers, Cuisine Mauritania, Thieves Essential Oil, Guest Posts, Book Reviews and Humour

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Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord

I hope you have enjoyed a great week so far and thank you for joining us today. For me the week has been focused on editing my upcoming book, and sourcing images to accompany the stories. I have used several AI generated ones from Pixabay and as the book has a fantasy vibe I think they are apt. Now I have to come up with a cover… bring on the tequila.

I took some time out to get the pots planted in the back garden and will now hang up my trowel for a few weeks and see how they all take… hopefully they will all thrive and fill the garden with colour.

My thanks as always to the amazing contributors for their posts and support.

William Price King joined me for a Big Band era and on Friday another in the Chart Toppers and Blockbuster series and we are delighted you are in the groove with us.  You can catch up with William on his own Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr

Debby Gies Debby was here on Monday to share some funnies and on her own blog she shared the second part of her travels and adventure in Puerto Vallarta, the fun times before the cartels caused a frightening few days..  Debby will be back with us on April 6th something to look forward to. Her book review this week is for the domestic thriller Rock, Paper, Scissors by Alice Feeney D.G. Kaye

Carol Taylor was here on Wednesday sharing another of her fascinating A-Z of world cuisines and this week she took us on a tour of Mauritania…on Wednesday Carol will be here with some more homemade Easter treats for everyone to enjoy head over to enjoy all the recipes and posts in her archives. CarolCook 

Malcolm Allen got the weekend off to a good start with some of his funnies from the archives.

The Big Band Era with William Price King and Sally Cronin – 1940s – Lionel Hampton, Glenn Miller, The Conga

Chart Toppers and Blockbusters 1970s with William Price King – “It’s Too Late” and The Godfather

Discovering the Cuisine of Mauritania…the eye of the Sahara…Mauritanian Sweet Tea,Yassa Poulet…

Milestones Along the Way – #Ireland #Waterford – The American Connection by Geoff Cronin

Hosts Sally Cronin and Debby Gies – Guard Dog and Mary Poppins

Comedy with Malcolm Allen Rewind – Wooden Horses and Editors..

Acidity/Alkalinity pH Balance for Health Part Two- Project 101 Resilience by Sally Cronin

Essential Oils and Aromatherapy – Oils, origins, uses and Safety #Blend #Historical Thieves Oil Blend by Sally Cronin

#France #Memoir – Fat Dogs and French Estates: Beyond the Forest Fringe by Beth Haslam

Who has influenced you the most in your life? – #Picasso, My Grandmother, and Me by Jennie Fitzkee

#Paranormal #Mystery – This Second Chance by D.L. Finn

Posts from last six months of 2025 – A Fun Day at the Seaside by Sue Wickstead.

#Family #Recipes – Clabe Wilson’s Sauerkraut by Joy Neal Kidney

Just a small selection of posts I have enjoyed this week and I hope you will head over to read them in full.

Author Laura Lyndhurst writing for Story Empire explores the difference between the Greek and Roman approaches to drama and how those that followed including Shakespeare favoured one or the other.

Head over to discover what style of writer you might be: Are you are Greek or Roman kinda writer?

As we all consider the list of spring cleaning tasks inside and outside our homes, Val Poore has already begun hers which involves de-greening her barge. Well worth reading to reassure yourself that your spring cleaning is so much easier.

Head over to join in the hard work: The meaning of Greening

Robbie Cheadle interviews Elizabeth Gauffreau on the Latinos English Edition and includes her reviews for both The Weight of Snow and Regret and Telling Sonny… both wonderful books.

Head over to enjoy the interview and review: Robbie and Liz

John Howell can be guaranteed to find the best good news stories and this one demonstrates how some really great humans came up with a way to protect and enhance the lives of the European Little Owl on the verge of extinction.

Meet the people doing great things for endangered creatures: Meet the European Little Owl.

Anneli shares a crafting class she took where she produced the most lovely cosmetics bag perfect for travelling but also a wonderful gift for dog lovers..

Head over to check out this lovely cosmetic bag: A wonderful piece of craftwork

Little Blue Pills

Michael O’Riley and his wife both in their 80s arrive at the doctor’s office and sit across the desk from him holding hands.

“You are both looking fine, how can I help you today?”

Michael smiles shyly at him…

“Well Doctor, you see, I have heard that them little blue pills that are available on the health service might help Mary and I improve our love life.”

Slightly taken aback the doctor regarded the eager couple for a moment or two..

“Well Michael, you see, you have a heart condition and those pills now, could cause you a dreadful problem in that department, so I don’t think that it would be a good idea.”

“Well Doctor, said Mary, “Do you think we might give them a try just once or twice and see if they work or not?”

Reluctantly the doctor wrote out a prescription for 12 pills but with very strict instructions.

“You are to only take every other day.. So, Take Monday, skip Tuesday, take Wednesday, skip Thursday, take Friday, skip Saturday and take Sunday.

“Right you are doctor and thank you.” The couple went on the way happily clasping the prescription.

Three weeks later Mary comes to see the doctor and tearfully tells him that Michael has expired.

“Oh jeez, was it the pills? Did Michael take them as I prescribed?

“Of course doctor, just as you told us. Take Monday, skip Tuesday, take Wednesday, skip Thursday, take Friday, skip Saturday and take Sunday.

“Then what killed him Mary?”

“The skipping”

 

Thanks for dropping in this week and I hope you will join us again next week.

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Guest Post – Who has influenced you the most in your life? – #Picasso, My Grandmother, and Me by Jennie Fitzkee

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This series is about the person you feel has had the most influence on your life and has shaped the person you are today, and what you have achieved.  That might be in reaching personal goals or to do with your career.

This is of course also a marketing opportunity for your blog and books, and a showcase of your writing skills.

At the end of the post you can find out how you can participate in this series.

Delighted to share this tribute to a beloved grandmother by Jennie Fitzkee and I am sure you will enjoy as much as I did.

Picasso, My Grandmother, and Me by Jennie Fitzkee 

My grandmother, Nan, has been my hero since I was a little girl. I spent Sunday afternoons with her, and it was delightful. No, it was more than that. Nan filled me with stories, taffy pulls, and dressing-up. She drove me and my sister in to Kresge’s, the five-and-dime, to spend a whole nickle on anything we wanted. Sundays with Nan were the best.

Nan lived in an apartment. When you entered, the first thing hanging on the wall was a Picasso, “Girl Before a Mirror”. I remember thinking how funny the painting looked and having many conversations with Nan. While this became familiar to me in her apartment, so did other art. Gilbert Gaul’s “Leaving Home” was my favorite, opening my eyes to art that tells a story with the scene and characters. This painting was was about history and the Civil War. I’ve been a history buff ever since.

I recently came face-to-face with a Picasso at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, NH. Nan came flooding over me.

“Woman Seated in a Chair”, 1941

The Currier interpreted the painting:

Picasso executed this painting during World War II while living in a small apartment in German-occupied Paris. While the distortion of form and space through simplified shapes reflect Picasso’s earlier Cubist period, the bright color and emotional charge is the continuing influence of Expressionist art.

Emotionally charged, indeed. This was real. I crept close and looked at brush strokes. The white circles on the woman’s dress are thick, raised paint. I thought about Picasso painting this, perhaps looking out his window at the Germans in the streets of Paris and feeling angry.

And, I thought about Nan. She was only five years older than Picasso. How did she come to like Picasso art? After all, his painting greeted everyone who entered her home. But, Nan’s life was far from modern. She grew up in rural West Virginia, in the oldest two-story log house west of the Appalachian mountains. She was more akin to Laura Ingalls Wilder than to Pablo Picasso. She had a hard life, outliving her brothers and sisters, two husbands, and her children. By the time I came along, all she had were her grandchildren. Yet, she was ever happy and strong.

I teach art to my preschool class in a way that admires and respects the art of well-known artists. Learning from greatness is a good beginning. Young children are enthusiastic sponges when it comes to art, and I introduce many styles of painting. Real is best, therefore children paint with authentic watercolor paints squeezed from tubes onto a palette. Each April we host an Art Show for the community. Children paint in the style of Picasso, Kandinsky, Monet, van Gogh, Matisse, Carle, and others.

I often think of the power of art and how that transcends to others. Art had an influence on Nan, Nan had an influence on me, and now I have an influence on children. Thank you, Picasso.

©Jennie Fitzkee

My thanks to Jennie for sharing this delightful tribute to her grandmother and to Picasso… I know she would love to hear from you.

About Jennie Fitzikee

I have been teaching preschool for over forty years. This is my passion. I believe that children have a voice, and that is the catalyst to enhance or even change the learning experience. Emergent curriculum opens young minds. It’s the little things that happen in the classroom that are most important and exciting. That’s what I write about. I was a live guest on the Kelly Clarkson Show. I am highlighted in the seventh edition of Jim Trelease’s million-copy bestselling book, “The Read-Aloud Handbook” because of my reading to children. My class has designed quilts that hang as permanent displays at the National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia, the Fisher House at the Boston VA Hospital, and the Massachusetts State House in Boston

Connect to Jennie – Blog: Jennie Fitzkee – Facebook: Jennie Fitzkee – Twitter –@jlfatgc 

Some guidelines.

  • If you look back at your life, who would you say had the most influence on who you are today or your life’s achievements?
  • It might be a parent, grandparent, or other relation, perhaps a teacher, employer or someone who you only encountered for a brief period, but changed the course of your life in a positive way.
  • It might be someone you have never met but influenced you in another way such as by their actions or a book that you read by them. This is a tribute to that person.
  • It can be a post your have already written or one that is unpublished.
  • If already published just send me the link.
  • I will top and tail the post with the usual links and a recent review etc.
  • This is an opportunity to show off your writing skills and to encourage readers to follow your blog or buy your books…dress to impress.

What I need from you sent to my email sallygcronin@gmail.com

If you are have been promoted here before.

I just need your word document 1000 to 1500 words and two or three photographs to break up the text.. perhaps of you at that stage in your life or one of the person who you are writing about.

If they are an author then an Amazon link so I can copy the cover of their book or books with a link.

If you have not been featured on the blog before

  • In addition to the word document and photographs for the post I will need your information.
  • A profile photograph, up to date  biography, social media links for website or blog, Facebook, Twitter, or Linkedin.
  • If you are an author your Amazon Author page, Goodreads and Bookbub if you are there too.

Once I have received your post

  • I will schedule and let you have the date.
  • On the day of publication I will send you a link for the post.
  • It would be great if you could share your post on your social media.
  • I ask that all comments are responded to individually as it does make a difference to the number of times the post is shared.
  • When shared on social media I will tag you if you are on that platform and it would be great if you could thank the person who has shared the post..

I am looking forward to discovering the amazing people who have inspired you and sharing them here in this series… get in touch… thanks Sally. 

 

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Comedy with Malcolm Allen Rewind – Wooden Horses and Editors..

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Like food, I don’t like to see great humour wasted. So I will be sharing a post from the archives as well as new funnies from Malcolm Allen in Australia every month… something to get your weekend off to a good start. 

My thanks to Malcolm for excellent foraging and we hope you are leaving with a smile on your face.

About Malcolm Allen

The author was born in London UK and experienced a challenging childhood, leaving school with no academic qualifications at the age of 15. He had mixed fortunes in his early working days but managed to secure a job in the banking industry at the age of 19. During a period of 32 years he enjoyed a demanding and successful career in London, the pinnacle of which was becoming a Company Director at the age of 37. Following a life changing experience in November 1998 he emigrated to Perth, Western Australia in September 2001, relocating to his current home in Melbourne, Australia in November 2015.

My thanks to Malcolm for bringing laughter into our lives and it would be great if you could share.

Smorgasbord Book Reviews – #France #Memoir – Fat Dogs and French Estates: Beyond the Forest Fringe by Beth Haslam

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Delighted to share my review for the latest release by Beth Haslam – Fat Dogs and French Estates: Beyond the Forest Fringe.

About the book

Beth, Jack, and their dogs navigate the laughter and chaos of rural French life from their woodland home at Le Palizac.

But challenges emerge.

As they explore the forest’s untamed beauty, nature’s harsh realities test their goal to create a wildlife sanctuary.

Just as hope fades, an extraordinary creature appears – his courage and resilience become an inspiring testament to surviving the forest’s toughest conditions.

Part of the Fat Dogs and French Estates series, this warm, poignant memoir draws readers to the heart of the forest, where the bonds between humans and animals are tested, and transformed, in the wild.

My review for the book 28th March 2026

This book is a companion to the other stories in the Fat Dog Series, and having finally found the house of their dreams in Southern France, this book focuses on the incredible haven for wildlife on the estate where the author and her husband live with their dogs and a wide ranging selection of poultry and visiting forest creatures.

It is very clear from the descriptions why this estate ticked so many boxes for the author and her husband….This included the fenced forested area, previously used for hunting, which at 300 acres was considerably larger than expectations. It proved to be stunning and already full of wonderful wildlife, but the plan was to bring in other species that would thrive in the environment.

The first priority was to get the main house habitable and over the course of the lengthy and necessary renovations there are some interesting encounters with almost as much  abundance of wildlife as in the forest. Luckily help is to hand already on site, and new connections locally prove very helpful as the author and her husband are welcomed into the close knit community.

Apart from the house, the newly planted vegetable garden and chickens, there are essential jobs necessary in the forest such as the health and well-being of the wildlife. This required not only management of the forest but planting of fields of nutritious fodder to attract both animals and birds. Even in this idyllic part of the estate however, one animal in particular is intent on causing trouble, resulting in the authorities becoming involved, leading to an unexpected and challenging learning experience.

One of the biggest challenges is the weather, which could be extreme in both summer and winter, not just for the farmers and vineyards in the region, but a forest does not fare well in 125 mile winds either.

The author certainly knows how to draw us in as she shares the sightings and backgrounds to the wonderful wide ranging species right on her doorstep as the seasons change.  At the heart of the daily activities are much loved family dogs who do their best to add to the action going on every day in this wonderful playground. One of the most endearing of the interactions is with one particular forest creature… unexpected and enduring, it is guaranteed to make every reader smile.

Apart from being another highly entertaining read, this book like the rest of the series, is a must buy for anyone considering relocating to France with a dream of buying a property… of any size. This book is standalone although I can also recommend the other books which led up to both the acquisition of the estate and the extensive renovation project that needed to be undertaken. A definite five stars.

Read the reviews and buy the book:  Amazon UK And: Amazon US

Also by Beth Haslam

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – Follow Beth: Goodreads – Website: Beth Haslam –  Twitter: @fatdogsfrance – Facebook: Beth Haslam – Instagram: Fat dogs and French Estates.

About Beth Haslam

Beth Haslam grew up on a farm estate in Wales. Passionate about animals, her free time was spent on horseback or messing around with the family pets, waifs and strays. Following a successful business career, Beth and her husband, Jack, decided to buy a second home in France. A decision they had no idea would change their lives forever. Beth is now occupied as never before. Raising and saving animals, writing, and embracing everything that rural France has to offer. She’s loving it!

 

Thanks for dropping in today and I hope you will be leaving with some books. 

Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives 2026 – Posts from last six months of 2025 – #Family #Recipes – Clabe Wilson’s Sauerkraut by Joy Neal Kidney

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Welcome to the  series of Posts from Your Archives for 2026 and I will be sharing posts from the SECOND six months of 2025 from your archives which I will select. You can find out how to participate at the end of the post.

N.B – This is not primarily a book marketing opportunity although your work will be included. I will be selecting posts which have general interest, perhaps travel, family history, book reviews you have conducted for others, or perhaps writing or marketing advice you have for others.

This is the first post from the archives of Joy Neal Kidney which shares a favourite family recipe.

Clabe Wilson’s Sauerkraut

The spring of 1938 Leora bought day-old Leghorn chicks from Pop Scott’s, for fried chicken and for eggs to eat and sell. The Wilson family planted lettuce, spinach, onions, green beans, bushels of tomatoes and the nicest cabbage they’d ever raised. Leora poured suds water from the family wash over the cabbage plants to ward off worms. She sold some of the cabbage to a local grocer and Clabe made sauerkraut in ten-gallon stone jars.

To make kraut, Leora chopped the cabbage and Clabe added kosher salt to it in large crocks. He cut boards to fit into the top of the crocks, the weighted the boards with bricks to begin the process, keeping the cabbage under the brine as it began to form.

Autumn is the best time to make sauerkraut since late season varieties of cabbage contain more natural sugars that help with fermentation.

—–

I didn’t find a recipe for sauerkraut among Grandma Leora’s keepsakes. Perhaps Clabe just made it from memory, but here a simple recipe

In Leora’s little Memorandum book, dated March 31st, 1915, she wrote and pasted recipes. One is for cabbage salad dressing.

Cabbage Salad Dressing

  • One egg
  • Butter size of an egg
  • One teaspoon of cornstarch
  • Two tablespoons of sugar
  • One-half cup of sweet milk

Boil all this and then pour over chopped cabbage.

©Joy Neal Kidney from Leora’s Dexter Stories.

My thanks to Joy for participating in this series and I know she would love to hear from you. 

Books by Joy Neal Kidney

One of the reviews for Leora Dexter’s Stories

Elizabeth Gauffreau
5.0 out of 5 stars A Heartwarming Story of a Family Struggling to Overcome Economic Adversity

After reading Joy Neal Kidney’s first book, Leora’s Letters: The Story of Love and Loss for an Iowa Family in World War II, I eagerly awaited the follow-up. I am happy to report that Leora’s Dexter Stories: The Scarcity Years of the Great Depression did not disappoint.

The Leora of both books was Kidney’s maternal grandmother, Leora Goff Wilson, who was born in 1890 and died in 1987. Through reading about her, I feel I have come to know her almost as a member of my own family. I am quite fond of her, in fact.

In the the preface, Kidney provides this description of the woman you will meet in Leora’s Dexter Stories:

“She was an uncomplicated woman with straightforward goals: a home of their own, surrounded by family, and high school diplomas for her children. She was determined to do the hard work to accomplish her mission.”

Leora documented her family’s life and her own experiences through letters and journals. Kidney’s mother Doris provided her own first-hand accounts, and Kidney supplemented the family stories with extensive historical research. Family photographs are also included in the book, which further contributes to giving the reader a real sense of the individual members of the Wilson family and the family as a whole.

The book uses the techniques of creative nonfiction–story narration, scene, description, and dialog–to bring the Wilson family and their experiences during the Depression to life. One particularly striking example of Kidney’s adeptness with creative nonfiction is how the same belongings reappear throughout the book as the Wilsons move from one rundown house lacking indoor plumbing to another. At each new place, they are home when Clabe, the father, hangs “the velvet Home Sweet Home picture, the plate rail, and their familiar family photos” on the wall.

The section that made the biggest impression on me came early in the book: In the time before vaccines for childhood illnesses, having nine children come down with whooping cough at the same time, the two youngest, five-week-old twins, dying from it. There were several other experiences that stayed with me long after I finished reading the book: the sense of being looked down on by people in town for being on relief; how it broke a man’s spirit to be unable to provide for his family, no matter how hard he tried; the two eldest sons joining the Navy, marveling at the abundance of good food and sending money home to the family.

The book is balanced with some light moments, my favorite of which is Clabe’s impulsive decision to lop off the top of the family’s Model T truck to make a “sports roadster.” The photo of the roadster with youngest son Junior on the hood and pet squirrel Rusty on the front fender is not to be missed.

In addition to highly recommending Leora’s Dexter Stories to readers interested in the heartwarming story of a family struggling to overcome economic adversity, I would urge teachers of 20th-century US history classes to assign the book as supplemental reading. (A set of discussion questions is included at the end of the book to assist teachers and book club leaders.) 

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – More reviews: Goodreads – Website: Joy Neal Kidney – Facebook: Joy Neal Kidney Author – Twitter: @JoyNealKidney – Instagram: Joy Neal Kidney

About Joy Neal Kidney

Joy Neal Kidney is the oldest granddaughter of Leora Wilson, who lost three sons during WWII and was widowed, all during a three-year period. Through the decades, Joy helped take Memorial Day bouquets to the graves of those three young uncles, not knowing that only one of them is buried there–until decades later, after the death of her courageous little Grandma Leora.

Joy became a writer in order to tell her stories.

She and her husband, Guy (an Air Force Veteran of the Vietnam War and retired Air Traffic Controller) live in central Iowa. Their son is married and they live out-of-state with a small daughter named Kate.

A graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, Joy has lived with fibromyalgia for two dozen years, giving her plenty of home-bound days to write blog posts and books, working with research from decades earlier.

All of the “Leora books” tell stories about world and national events reaching into the American Heartland–westward expansion, two world wars, pandemics, how mental health issues were handled, the Great Depression, and surviving great personal losses. But they are hopeful as well.

How to feature in the series?

  • All I need you to do is give me permission to dive in to your archives and find two posts to share here on Smorgasbord either by leaving a note in the comments or by emailing me. (sallygcronin@gmail.com)
  • Rather than a set topic, I will select posts at random of general interest across a number of subjects from the last six months of 2025. (it is helpful if you have a link to your archives in your sidebar by month)
  • As I will be promoting your books as part of the post along with all your information and links so I will not be sharing direct marketing or self- promotional posts in the series.
  • If you are an author I am sure you will have a page on Amazon or on your blog with the details, and an ‘about page’ with your profile and social media links (always a good idea anyway). I will get everything that I need.
  • As a blogger I would assume that you have an ‘about page’ a profile photo and your links to social media.
  • Copyright is yours and I will ©Your name on every post… and you will be named as the author in the URL and subject line.
  • Previous participants are very welcome to take part again.
  • If you are new to Smorgasbord then pleasue email me with all your links in full to Amazon or your blog and social media.
  • Each post is reformatted for my blog and I don’t cut and paste, this means it might look different from your own post especially if you are using the block editor

N.B – To get the maximum benefit from your archive posts, the only thing I ask is that you respond to comments individually and share on your own social media.. thank you.

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – The Music Column – Chart Toppers and Blockbusters 1970s with William Price King – “It’s Too Late” and The Godfather

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Welcome to the series where I will be sharing the chart toppers and blockbusters through the decades… be prepared for some nostalgia and some foot tapping music. William

🎶   Carole King – “It’s Too Late”

“It’s Too Late” is from Carole King’s second album “Tapestry,” which she composed with lyrics (which describe the blameless end of a loving relationship) by Toni Stern. A huge success, the song won Carole King a Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1972, at the 14th Annual Grammy Awards.

While “It’s Too Late” ruled the radio, “The Godfather“ ruled the silver screen. 

🎬   “The Godfather”

“The Godfather” directed by Francis Ford Coppola, was based on Mario Puzo’s best-selling 1969 novel of the same name. The film features Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, Richard Conte, and Diane Keaton.

“The Godfather” is the ultimate crime film about loyalty, revenge and masculunity in the post-war era from 1945 to 1955, and chronicles the Vito Corleone family. In 1972 the film won three Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actor (Brando) and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Join William again next week for more entertainment…

Your Host

William Price King is an American jazz singer, crooner, and composer.

His interest in music began at an early age when he studied piano and clarinet in high school. At Morehouse College in Atlanta where he grew up, he sang in the Glee Club and studied classical music. After graduation he went off to the Yale School of Music where he earned a Masters degree. From there he journeyed to New York where he created a jazz trio ‘Au Naturel’ which performed in some of the hottest venues in Manhattan including gigs on Broadway and the famous ‘Rainbow Room.’ These gigs opened doors for performances in Montreal and a European tour.

While touring Europe he met a lovely French lady, Jeanne Maïstre, who, a year later became his wife. King left the group ‘Au Naturel’ and settled in the south of France where he started a new life on the French Riviera, opening his own music school – the “Price King Ecole Internationale de Chant.” He has had the pleasure over the years of seeing many of his students excel as singers on a professional level, and some going on to become national celebrities. He continues to coach young singers today, in his spare time.

Blog– IMPROVISATION – William Price King on Tumblr – Buy William’s music: William Price King iTunes – Facebook – William Price King – Twitter – @wpkofficial
Regular Venue – Cave Wilson

 

Thanks very much for dropping in today and it would be great if you could share the music with your connections.

Smorgasbord Book Promotions 2026 – Share an Excerpt – Boost one of your books – #Paranormal #Mystery – This Second Chance by D.L. Finn

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In this series for 2026, you are invited to share an excerpt of 400 to 500 words from any book you have written you would like to give a boost to. I have decided to extend the series throughout the year so as many authors as possible can take this opportunity to promote their books.

This feature is for any author who has been promoted on Smorgasbord previously.

Please read full details of how to participate at the end of the post and I will respond to your emails as soon as possible.

The aim of the series

  • To showcase any of your books you would like to give a boost to.
  • To gain more reviews for the book.
  • Promote a selection of your other books that are available

Today the excerpt is from the novel This Second Chance.. a paranormal mystery I can also highly recommend by D.L. Finn

About the book

Newly married Rachael Battaglia finally had it all. The only detail that stained Rachael’s perfect wedding was a gift she received. It was the exact present that her late ex-husband had given her on their wedding day — a snow globe. That marriage was not what she had envisioned, and she endured years of his abuse and charm until one night she escaped with two kids and one on the way. Now Rachael was headed to Hawaii with an amazing man and her chance at happiness. Unbeknownst to Rachael, she had an Angel on her side, although this Angel might not be able to save Rachael and her family from the evil that surrounded them. This is a tale of love, past relationships, things unseen, and redemption. Will Rachael find her happy ending, or will this evil thing get its way?

An excerpt from This Second Chance 

Rachael’s detachment from the image in the mirror smoothing the satin, off-white wedding gown puzzled her. After all, this was the same scalloped three-quarter dress, showing off her newly trim waist, that she’d pictured herself in after seeing it on a Bridal magazine cover over twenty years ago. Frowning, Rachael adjusted the tiny yellow roses and baby’s breath in her Gibson-styled, lightened auburn hair with her set of pink, acrylic nails.

“Not bad for age thirty-seven and three kids,” Rachael tried to reassure the pale image in the mirror.

It didn’t work. The urge to rip off the dress and fake nails and make a dash out the back door was even stronger now.

“Why?” Rachael asked the woman staring back at her in the mirror, unaware of her unseen visitors.

Rachael couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day. The weather, the gazebo Tony had built for their ceremony, the dress that her mother had spent hours making for her—everything in her life had finally fallen into place. It was perfect. Maybe this was just a very delayed reaction to her first wedding. That was when the strong urge to run out the back door would have come in handy. But if she’d done that, her kids wouldn’t be here. Besides, Rachael couldn’t compare this June morning to that snowy December day nineteen years ago when she’d stood holding a stale bouquet of faded satin flowers at some nameless chapel in Reno.

Rachael sighed and felt a chill shoot through her, even though the room was over 75 degrees. Stress, she concluded. Careful not to wrinkle her satin dress, she sat in the old maple rocking chair and pulled the handmade pink comforter over her. The comforter had been made by Tony’s mother, Nora. She raised Tony alone after his father, Wayne Battaglia, died in a horrible car crash when Tony was barely a year old. Tony knew very little about his father, and his mother had never talked about him to her son. Tony was convinced this was due to grief and never pressed for information. Rachael thought his mother’s response, not to tell a son about his father, was strange. One thing Rachael was positive about was that Nora had done a fantastic job raising Tony into the man he was.

Unlike her first mother-in-law, who’d raised (well, at least given birth to) Ed. Tammy kept food on the table and a roof over his head by helping make meth in a lab next door to their trailer. When she finally walked away from that addiction, she turned to others: drinking and pain pills. Tammy always had a man in her life. Some of them helped raise Ed; others didn’t. Ed hadn’t been sure if one of them was his father. He wasn’t sure if his mother knew, either.

©D.L. Finn

One of the  reviews for the book from Goodreads

Jan Sikes Five Stars

I enjoyed this story from D.L. Finn. It took many twists as it unfolded. Rachael finally has a chance for real happiness and love. It is her second marriage and she has three children from the first. Her ex-husband was abusive, physically and verbally, and he died drunk in a car crash. But, Tony Battaglia could not be more opposite. He is kind and loving and accepts Rachael’s children as his own. On their wedding day, an eerie gift is delivered that shakes Rachael, but it is only the precursor of things to come.
When someone breaks into their hotel room and cuts all their clothes into shreds on their honeymoon, Rachael and Tony are worried. But, Ed, Rachael’s ex-husband and father of her three children, is being given a second chance on the other side to right his wrongs and he is watching over them. Eddie, their oldest son, headed straight down the same path his father took in life, drinking, doing drugs, stealing and making a complete mess of his life.
When a car accident leaves him in a coma, he and his father join forces to defeat a strong “evildwel” that is hell-bent on destroying Rachael and Tony Battaglia and the children. With the help of a beautiful angel, Zelina, they accept the challenge. I love how this author wove otherworldly personalities in with humans. She has a keen insight into the psyche of an abusive individual. And when the evildwel stated he was going to Washington D.C. to get involved in politics, I couldn’t help but shake my head. If you love a good romance with Angels, Demons and spirits, you’ll love this story.

Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK 

A small selection of other books by D.L. Finn

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – Follow D.L. Finn: Goodreads – Connect to D.L. Finn – Website: D.L. Finn Author – Facebook: D.L. Finn Author – Twitter: @dlfinnauthor

About D.L. Finn

D.L. Finn is an independent California local who encourages everyone to embrace their inner child. She was born and raised in the foggy Bay Area, but in 1990 relocated with her husband, kids, dogs, and cats to the Sierra foothills in Nevada City, CA. She immersed herself in reading all types of books, but especially loved romance, horror, and fantasy. She always treasured creating her own reality on paper. Finally, being surrounded by towering pines, oaks, and cedars, her creativity was nurtured until it bloomed. Her creations vary from children’s books, young adult fantasy, and adult paranormal romance to an autobiography with poetry. She continues on her adventures with an open invitation for her readers to join her

Thank you for dropping in today and I hope you will be leaving with some books.. thanks Sally. 

What will be in the post and how to get in touch

  • I will top and tail the post in the usual way with your other books and links, bio, photo and social media.
  • I will also select one of the reviews from Amazon or Goodreads for the book.
  • Please share a book that has reviews to select from.
  • This series is open to all authors who have previously been featured in the promotions on Smorgasbord.
  • I do have a younger readership for the book posts so please consider that when selecting your excerpt.
  • I suggest an excerpt of around 400 to 500 words that you feel would encourage a reader to buy the book, or a poem that you feel best reflects the theme of your collection.
  • No need to send the cover as I will have that or will access from Amazon.
  • Please send your excerpt to sallygcronin@gmail.com
  • I only ask that authors share the link to their social media and respond to each comment individually as a matter of courtesy.

I look forward to hearing from you soon. 

Smorgasbord Medicine Woman’s Treasure Chest 2026 – Essential Oils and Aromatherapy – Oils, origins, uses and Safety #Blend #Historical Thieves Oil Blend by Sally Cronin

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Welcome to the series about essential oils and aromatherapy and I hope you will find useful.

Twenty-seven years ago I ran a health food shop and diet advisory centre here in Ireland and we sold essential oils for aromatherapy. I thought that I should learn more about it and took a course on the subject. I have shared this series before, but as I continue to study and research natural therapies, I have updated and expanded on the previous posts.

What is Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy uses essential oils which have been extracted from specific sweet smelling plants for therapeutic massage. They are blended with specialised carrier oils to ensure that they are used in a diluted form and are easily absorbed by the skin. The oils can also be used to add these therapeutic aromas to our environment as well with the use of burners.

Last time I covered Marjoram essential oil from a herb more associated with cooking perhaps.

Image by Ирина Кудрявцева from Pixabay

Thieves oil blend

So far in this series I have covered just a small selection of the oils we use on a regular basis, along with the other oils that they can be blended with to add to their potency or areas they can be used for therapy.

In this last post I am going to share what I consider might be another useful addition to your essential oil cabinet, and it has a rather dark history. As you know the use of essential oils goes back thousands of years, but the knowledge was put to use in the 14th century for less than honourable purposes.

Grave robbers have a long history too, and especially in countries where the wealthy tended to be buried with much of their wealth, such as in Egypt. But even in countries where there was less likely to be a hoard of treasure, most people would be buried  with wedding rings or favourite pieces of jewellry. In the 1820s the infamous Burke and Hare not only murdered victims for their body parts but robbed recently filled graves to supply medical schools in Edinburgh which was highly lucrative.

Back to the origins of Thieves essential oil blend.

The Black Death also known as the Bubonic plague ravaged countries across Asia and Europe resulting in millions of deaths. As you can imagine, grave robbing might have become big business during this devastating pandemic, but the risks to the robbers and whoever they were in contact with, were also elevated.

Enterprising herbalists in medieval  Europe cashed in on this macabre desecration by creating a blend of five essential oils to protect the grave robbers… and it has been given a number of names but the most appropriate is Thieves Oil Blend.

The blend comprises five potent oils which all contain multiple properties relating to many areas of health including diabetes, dental health and digestion. I am just listing those relating to our immune health and why the blend was considered effective for preventing the plague when graves of those who died from it were robbed!

  • Clove – Anti-microbial – anti-inflammatory – pain relieving.
  • Lemon – Toxin cleansing, anti-fungal – anti-bacterial
  • Rosemary – Immune support, respiratory health, antiseptic – anti-microbial
  • Cinnamon – Anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, builds immunity, respiratory health
  • Eucalyptus – analgesic, antibacterial, antiseptic, anti-fungal (more details in the post in the series Eucalyptus)

As you can see the combined potency of these five essential oils is pretty impressive and the blend has continued to be used across Europe in particular for the last seven hundred years.

Today you don’t need to prepare your own combination as Thieves essential oil is available from reputable suppliers already blended and here is a brief overview of its uses.

I have in the form of the basic essential oil, but also have it already ready prepared diluted in a spray which I have found can be helpful for skin, hand sanitation and I have also found for inhalation when travelling and mixing with a great many people.

Image by Huyền Lương Ngọc from Pixabay

Immune Health

For those who are also following the series on Resilience every Tuesday, you will appreciate that the most important property for this blend in my opinion is its effect on the immune system. If you have a robust defence system, many of the areas this blend has been considered useful for as a treatment, are less likely to be a problem in the first place.

The five essential oils all share the protection of being anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-microbial forming a protective barrier against opportunistic pathogens. It will also aid in recovery times.

Respiratory health

One of the stages of most of the diseases that are thriving in our community is a respiratory element and it is nearly always an outcome from a cold or flu when it moves down into the lungs.

Two of the oils in particular, eucalyptus and cinnamon have been used by healers for thousands of years as a preventative for respiratory diseases, but also as expectorants and decongestants, and are therefore very important in helping the body get rid of the infection as quickly as possible.

Combined with the calming effect of clove on the respiratory system, the inclusion of these three oils in this blend is definitely essential.

I recommend adding a few drops to boiling water, placing a towel over your head and the bowl and inhaling the steam for a couple of minutes two or three times a day.

Diffusion method

You can use this oil in a diffuser but it is a good idea if there are others in the household to do a patch test on all of them as some of the oils have been known to cause an allergic reaction.

Skin Health

The antiseptic properties of both eucalyptus and lemon oils in the blend may be useful for a number of skin complaints such spots, acne, eczema and warts. The oils are produced from plants that have antioxidant properties and this may improve both skin tone and to a degress fine lines and even wrinkles.

I have used on minor cuts before and the anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties do seem to help them heal well and faster.

To use, simply add a few drops to a small amount of carrier oil… I use coconut oil and rub into the skin gently.

Image by Reissaamme from Pixabay

The sole of the foot is a great place to apply essential oils in a moisturising carrier oil and it absorbs into the body well in this location and apart from softening and keeping the soles of your feet healthy, you may feel the benefits seeping into the bloodstream and through the rest of the body.

Teeth and Gums

Clove has always been associated with dental issues such as toothache but combined with other oils in the blend, such as lemon and cinnamon, you can us Thieves in a number of ways.

A couple of times a week I spray my toothbrush with a very diluted spray… of 1 drop per 200ml and its anti-bacterial properties are a very helpful addition to oral hygiene including teeth and gums along with good quality toothpastes.

There are a number of other areas where this blend may be effective including weight loss, inflammation, bone density, obesity, household cleaning and washing fruits and vegetables. 

Word of warning.

This oil should not be used undiluted unless you have done a patch test and waited 24 to 48 hours to see if you have a reaction to one or more of the ingredients… two in particular can cause skin irritations, clove and cinnamon..

Should not be used on children or during pregnancy without consulting a professional first. Also if on medication please consult your doctor as Eucalyptus can lessen the effectiveness of some drugs.

A reminder that one cannot make any claims about the effectiveness of any alternative product… that is only allowed by the pharmaceutical companies marketing departments! But I hope this post has given you some opportunities to explore this particular blend and make your own informed decision.

I hope you have found this series interesting and any questions please feel free to fire away…

©Sally Cronin Just Food for Health 1998 – 2026

Sally Cronin is the author of eighteen books including her memoir Size Matters: Especially when you weigh 330lb first published in 2001 which followed her weight loss of 150lbs and the programme she designed to achieve a healthy weight and regain her health. A programme she shared with her clients over her 26 year career as a nutritional therapist and on her blog. This has been followed by another seventeen books both fiction and non-fiction including multi-genre collections of short stories and poetry.

Her latest book Size Always Matters is an extended and updated version of her original book Size Matters and now includes the nutritional element to losing weight and some recipes with ingredients that provide the nutrients necessary for healthy weight loss and continued good health.

As an author she understands how important it is to have support in marketing books and offers a number of FREE promotional opportunities in the Café and Bookstore on her blog and across her social media.

After leading a nomadic existence exploring the world, she now lives with her husband on the coast of Southern Ireland enjoying the seasonal fluctuations in the temperature of the rain.

A selection of my books

You can read the reviews: My books 2026

You can buy my books from: Amazon US – and: Amazon UK – Follow me :Goodreads – Twitter: @sgc58 – Facebook: Sally Cronin – LinkedIn: Sally Cronin

 

Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives 2026 – Posts from last six months of 2025 – A Fun Day at the Seaside by Sue Wickstead.

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Welcome to the  series of Posts from Your Archives for 2026 and I will be sharing posts from the SECOND six months of 2025 from your archives which I will select. You can find out how to participate at the end of the post.

N.B – This is not primarily a book marketing opportunity although your work will be included. I will be selecting posts which have general interest, perhaps travel, family history, book reviews you have conducted for others, or perhaps writing or marketing advice you have for others.

This is the first of the posts from the archives of Sue Wickstead and she shares a fun day out at the seaside including one of her entertaining children’s stories that was prompted by the events of the day.

Worthing Pier

Worthing Pier

A Fun Day at the Seaside,  But why was Isabelle cross? 

We had planned a lovely trip to Worthing seafront with Alexander, Isabelle, Mummy and Daddy.

We were going to take a walk around the pier, have lunch, and hopefully go for a paddle in the sea.

Alexander and I were sharing a few jokes.

“How do eels get around the sea bed?

They go by Octobus!”

(Nanny likes that one.)

“Why did the lobster blush?

Because the seaweed!” 

Alexander is beginning to enjoy jokes.

I have a lovely lot of silly jokes for little children, most of which I have collected from Christmas Crackers. It’s the best place to find silly jokes, perfect for young children like Alexander, and pitched at just the right level so he can understand.

But of course, he insists on telling me his very unfunny versions.

We had come to Worthing seafront, where we always walk along the promenade, around the pier and then visit the Amusement Arcade.

Daddy was saying that when on holiday, Alexander loves the arcade and the silly things he might win. Geoff and I often take this walk along the promenade and visit the arcade with a £1 of 2p coins to play with.

We save all our tokens for Alexander and Isabelle, too.

Today we took the trip with Mummy and Daddy, we were off to the amusement arcade to cash in all the tokens Geoff had been collecting for the grandkids.

The tide was in and just starting to turn, so we did our walk and then stopped for something to eat.

But… 

What made Isabelle cross?

“It’s Not Funny!”

Sorry, Isabelle, it is a little.

‘So why was Isabelle so cross at the seaside?’

It was a lovely day, neither too sunny nor too windy.

The tide was high but was beginning to turn. Time for a walk along the promenade first.

The sea was now receding, and although not quite to the sand, it was past the pebbles and on to the smaller, gravelly stones.

Down the tricky pebbles we made our way, the stones slipping and sliding beneath our feet.

Nanny had her flip-flops on, and Isabelle had her Crocs.

Alexander was busy collecting shells.

The waves were splashing gently over the gravelly stones.

Pulling and pushing them with a tumbling shushing sound as the little stones were turned over, rolling them into the water.

Isabelle stood with Nanny, watching and listening to the waves rolling in and out.

“It’s alright,” said Nanny, “Your crocs are waterproof, hold my hand.”

They stepped into the cool water, Nanny trying to retain her balance as the waves pulled the stones from beneath their feet.

The waves pulled back, and the water felt warm.

Isabelle let go of Nanny’s hand and went to check out the water as the wave pulled back.

Nanny was trying to balance on the tumbling gravel as the next wave rushed forward.

Isabelle’s little legs were now in the water, which was up to her shorts, as she wobbled.

Oops!

Luckily, Nanny caught hold of Isabelle’s hand, so she didn’t fall, and they both began to wobble.

Isabelle stepped out of the receding wave as it deposited the slimy seaweed around her ankles and into her crocs.

Oh! No!

Isabelle made her way up the pebbles to mummy and daddy, who were now unable to contain their giggles.

“It’s not funny!” she cried as she stamped her feet indignantly.

Sorry, Isabelle, but it was.

So, “why was Isabelle so cross with the sea?

Because the seaweed on her crocs, of course!”

©Sue Wickstead 2025

My thanks to Sue for participating in the series and I know she would love to hear from you.

A small selection of other books by Sue Wickstead

One of the reviews for A Ticket to Ride 

The Book Elf
5.0 out of 5 stars A Book that should be in every child’s library

This is another lovely addition to the library of Stories and Rhymes that are all bus related by Sue. A Ticket To Ride is a wonderful collection of short stories, rhymes and jokes that will keep any little one entertained for hours whilst they are either read to , or reading it for themselves. Like all the previous books there is a bus weaving its way in and out of the pages as the stories and rhymes travel along, wondering where it will take you next.

As with all the books there is also a huge thank you needed for the superb illustrations by Jo Anne Davies which make sure that there are lots of things to talk about on each page with your little one.

These are books that should be in every child’s home, library and school .

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon UK – And: Amazon US – More reviews: Goodreads – Website/Blog: Sue Wickstead – Facebook: Stories Sue – Facebook: Teacher Page – Twitter: @JayJayBus – LinkedIn: Sue Wickstead 

About Sue Wickstead

Award winning books. Shortlisted in the Wishing Shelf Book awards.

Sue Wickstead is a teacher and an author and has written children’s picture books with a bus theme. In addition, she has also written a photographic history book about the real bus behind her story writing.

Her bus stories are about a playbus. Have you ever been on a Playbus?

When Sue’s two children were young, they attended a playgroup on a bus, but not an ordinary bus taking you on a journey, exciting though this is, but a Playbus stuffed full of toys to capture their imagination!

For over 20 years, alongside her teaching career, she worked with the charity, the Bewbush Playbus Association.

As part of the committee she painted the bus, worked in the groups, helped raise the profile of the project and its work and was part of the team involved in raising funds to replace the old bus with a newer vehicle. This led her to write a photographic history book about it.

‘It really was a fun journey to be involved in’, said Sue. The bus really got into her blood and became a work of the heart.

Having written the history book Sue soon found that many children had never been on a bus before, let alone a ‘Playbus’ and they wanted to know more. So, she decided to write a fictional tale, his number plate JJK261, gave him his name.

‘Jay-Jay the Supersonic Bus,’ came out in print in 2014. It is the story behind the original project and is his journey from a scrap-yard to being changed into a playbus for children to play in. From Fact to fiction the bus journey continues.

This story has now been followed by more picture books.‘A Spooky Tale’ and ‘The Christmas Play Rehearsal’ do indeed have a bus connection as well as links to her teaching journey.

Sue has undertaken events and author bookings and loves to share her stories, she is also proud to be ‘a patron of reading’.

The books have all received 5-star awards from ‘Readers Favourite’. Sue’s books have also been short-listed in ‘The wishing Shelf’ book awards. With ‘A Spooky Tale’ a silver medal winner.

How to feature in the series?

  • All I need you to do is give me permission to dive in to your archives and find two posts to share here on Smorgasbord either by leaving a note in the comments or by emailing me. (sallygcronin@gmail.com)
  • Rather than a set topic, I will select posts at random of general interest across a number of subjects from the last six months of 2025. (it is helpful if you have a link to your archives in your sidebar by month)
  • As I will be promoting your books as part of the post along with all your information and links so I will not be sharing direct marketing or self- promotional posts in the series.
  • If you are an author I am sure you will have a page on Amazon or on your blog with the details, and an ‘about page’ with your profile and social media links (always a good idea anyway). I will get everything that I need.
  • As a blogger I would assume that you have an ‘about page’ a profile photo and your links to social media.
  • Copyright is yours and I will ©Your name on every post… and you will be named as the author in the URL and subject line.
  • Previous participants are very welcome to take part again.
  • If you are new to Smorgasbord then pleasue email me with all your links in full to Amazon or your blog and social media.
  • Each post is reformatted for my blog and I don’t cut and paste, this means it might look different from your own post especially if you are using the block editor

N.B – To get the maximum benefit from your archive posts, the only thing I ask is that you respond to comments individually and share on your own social media.. thank you.

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – A-Z World Cuisines with Carol Taylor – Discovering the Cuisine of Mauritania…the eye of the Sahara…Mauritanian Sweet Tea,Yassa Poulet…

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Situated in the region of West Africa with a vast proportion of its landmass lying within the Sahara desert…The Eye of the Sahara, also known as the Richat Structure, is a remarkable geological formation located in the Sahara Desert of Mauritania…

Bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and by Morocco, Algeria, Mali and Senegal to its other borders…Due to its long coastline, fish is plentiful and a primary ingredient, especially in coastal areas, hence it comes as no surprise that Thieboudienne, a fish dish cooked in a tomato sauce with rice, is the National dish.

Fish is also prepared and served fresh, dried or in stews.

Mauritian cuisine is a fusion of North and West African, Arab, and Berber influences…

Rich and diverse with a focus on hearty, flavoursome meals…with millet, rice,meat, fish and couscous all heavy on the spices…from well-loved traditional food to street food your taste buds will be dancing…

Social rituals, particularly the elaborate tea ceremony, are an essential part of the food culture here…

Mauritanian Sweet Tea:

Mauritanian sweet tea is a special tea prepared using green tea, sugar and mint leaves. It is boiled many times and served with a special technique called ragwa, which involves raising the teapot and then pouring the tea. This process helps create a frothy foam, making it unique. It is consumed hot.

Mechoui, also known simply as slow-roasted lamb, is prepared by taking lamb, seasoning it with spices, and then cooking it. The lamb is traditionally skewered on a tree branch and then allowed to cook over embers.

As well as Mauritania, people from countries like Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia also enjoy mechoui. The entire lamb is often roasted on important occasions and festivals. The main organs of the sheep meat, such as kidneys, eyes, heads and livers, are reserved for the most important guests…Many countries around the world see food differently from us Westerners. I was raised eating offal, and my grandmother made brawn, which is meat from a pig’s or calf’s head that is cooked and pressed in a pot with jelly; also known as headcheese, a terrine usually made from the head of a pig or calf and set in aspic. A slang term for smegma in many English-speaking countries…never the eyes though…

The eyes are prized in many cultures even here…Eating animal eyes, especially fish, is common in many cultures (Asia, Eastern Europe) as a delicacy, valued for their rich flavour, unique gelatinous texture, and nutrients (Omega-3s, vitamins) while promoting Nose-to-Tail eating to reduce waste, though for some in Western cultures, it’s a textural taboo, often found in dishes like tuna head soup, sheep’s head (Smalahove), or even hot dogs…

The cuisine of Mauritania is hale and hearty, and Thieboudiene pictured on the left of the image, the National Dish, is just that… also known as cheb-u-jin, is a traditional fish-and-rice dish that is prepared along with tomato sauce, all in one pot. Other ingredients include onions, carrots, cabbage, cassava, hot peppers, lime, peanut oil and stock cubes.

Mahfe, also known as peanut stew, is a dish made using peanuts and meat (generally chicken, goat meat or camel meat). The meat is particularly prepared in peanut sauce. The peanuts are first crushed manually until they break down in their oils. They are then mixed with tomato paste and jachtini (ground okra)…

Yassa Poulet is a dish prepared using rotisserie roasted chicken, caramelised onions, lemon and various different kinds of spices. Onions form the foundation of this dish, and the more onions, the better tasting the dish is!

Yassa poulet is traditionally a Senegalese dish, but a huge population of the Wolof and Pulaar tribes in Mauritania consume it too. Generally accompanied by white rice or couscous, Yassa poulet has other variations which use lamb and fish instead of chicken.

Ingredients:

  • 2½-3 pounds (1-2k) skin-on chicken pieces
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1-2 lemons, sliced (divided)
  • 2 large onions, sliced (divided)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced (divided)
  • 2 cubes Maggie (1 tablespoon chicken bouillon)
  • cooking spray
  • 60ml olive oil
  • 1-2 bay leaves
  • 2 tbsp (30g) Dijon mustard (any whole-grain or stone-ground mustard)
  • 1 Scotch bonnet pepper…I used a habanero, although cayenne pepper can be used, adjusted to taste.
  • 237ml or more chicken stock (or water and bouillon)

Let’s Cook!

  1. Trim the chicken pieces of excess fat and pat dry with a cloth or paper towel—season with salt and pepper.
  2. Put the chicken in a ziplock bag or glass bowl and add half of the lemons, onions, and garlic. Sprinkle with the Maggie seasoning, mix well, and let it marinate in the fridge for 2 hours or preferably overnight.
  3. Drain the chicken and reserve the marinade for the sauce.
  4. Preheat a grill, griddle, or frying pan and spray it with cooking spray. Sear the chicken for 5 minutes on each side on the grill or 5-6 minutes on the stovetop (until browned). Remove from the heat and set aside.
  5. Heat a saucepan on medium heat, then add the olive oil, remaining onions, remaining garlic, bay leaves, mustard, Scotch bonnet pepper, and reserved marinade. Cook for about 5 minutes.
  6. Add the chicken to the saucepan and bring it to a simmer over low heat, spooning the sauce over the chicken to coat it.
  7. Add a cup of chicken stock (or water), lightly season with salt and chicken bouillon or Maggie seasoning. Cover and cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165℉/75℃ (18-20 minutes).
  8. Adjust seasonings to taste with salt, pepper, and Maggie seasoning. Turn off the heat, remove bay leaves, and arrange the chicken on a plate.
  9. Drizzle the sauce over it and garnish with the remaining lemon slices. Serve over rice or couscous, and enjoy.

Desserts are often enjoyed as a sweet end to a meal, a treat for special occasions, or as part of a social gathering with the traditional three rounds of mint tea…

Pudim d’Avocat …A creamy, chilled pudding made from ripe avocados, sweetened condensed milk, and sometimes ground almonds or heavy cream.

Makroudh …A traditional North African pastry made from semolina dough filled with date paste, shaped into pieces, fried until golden, and then soaked in honey or syrup.

Lentah… A simple but popular treat of deep-fried dough that is then soaked in a sugar or honey syrup… This deep-fried dough is said to originate in China, where they are a common breakfast item often served with congee (rice porridge) or soy milk…

One of my favourites as a treat, I pick 20b’s worth up and nibble them on the way home…called Patongko in Thai, it’s a similar deep-fried dough, very popular in Thailand and often enjoyed with sweet condensed milk or warm soups.

And yes, they have pancakes, as you know, I am on a mission to prove that each country has its pancakes…, but they’re often savoury and served with stews (like Leksour with lamb/veggies), Leksour is a traditional lamb stew originating from northern Mauritania, and it’s always served over millet pancakes. The stew is made with pieces of lamb, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, and bell peppers, while the pancakes are made with a combination of wheat flour, millet flour, and salt.

When served, the pancakes are arranged on a platter, and the stew is spooned over them while still warm. The dish is typically consumed by rolling up the stew in the pancakes and eating it with your right hand…served for breakfast, these pancakes are thin millet ones with honey/curd, different from typical sweet breakfast pancakes but definitely a staple in Mauritania cuisine.

Mauritania’s drinks centre around a rich tea culture, with sweet, frothy mint tea (Ataya) being the most important social beverage, served in three rounds; other popular non-alcoholic options include fresh fruit juices (mango, papaya), Zrig (fermented milk drink), and Jus de Bouye (baobab fruit drink)…Baobab juice, one of the oldest beverages on earth, is made from the fresh or dried fruit pulp of the ancient Baobab tree, water, coconut milk (optional), condensed milk, flavour or fruit of your choice. Apart from being refreshing, it’s loaded with health benefits.

Alcohol is prohibited due to Islamic law, but non-alcoholic malt beverages are available.

Thank you for joining me today. I hope you are having a good week wherever you are in the world, and see you soon xx 

About Carol Taylor

Carol Taylor now lives in Thailand having been brought up in England and has built a dedicated following of her blog and guest posts where she creates not only amazing dishes, but sources fantastic ingredients in line with her philosophy of sustainable food ‘cooked from scratch’. Having travelled extensively Carol has incorporated the cuisines of many different cultures into her recipes, and shares her research into the backgrounds to both the traditional cultures and the origins of the ingredients.

She loves shopping at local markets and wherever she is, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetables she has never seen or cooked with.

Health and the environment are key priorities, particularly the concern about our oceans and fisheries. Also, how many of our foods on the shelves of our supermarkets are ultra processed and contain additives that do not add to the nutritional value and are not healthy. She is an advocate about growing our own food where or when we can even it it is only a few pots or a window box of herbs.

She wishes everyone would count chemicals and not calories as they would be much healthier…it’s true ‘we are what we eat‘ and while a cake or a bar of chocolate does no harm on occasions, sticking to a fresh food, balanced diet will keep our bodies healthy as we age…

Cookbooks by Carol Taylor

Head over to buy the books:  Amazon UK  – And: Amazon US For reviews: Goodreads – Connect to Carol – Blog: Carol Cooks 2 – Twitter: @CarolCooksTwo – Facebook: Carol Taylor 

 

Thanks Carol for another fascinating post..and join us again in two weeks for the next cuisine in the series. 

Smorgasbord Health 2026 – Acidity/Alkalinity pH Balance for Health Part Two- Project 101 Resilience by Sally Cronin

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This series is aimed at developing a resilient immune system to provide the body with a defence against opportunistic pathogens. There are a number of vital elements to this and you can find the introduction to the series: Project 101 – Resilience

The pH balance refers to the acidity or alkalinity of every living organism. The scale for measuring this balance is called Potential for Hydrogen or pH balance and each system or organ has its optimum balance for health. The scale goes from 0 to 14 with 7.0 being neutral with anything above 7 as alkaline and anything below 7 being acidic. Each step up or down is ten times the previous which means that even a change of .1 will have an effect on your body. You can find part one Here

Part Two – Eating plan for a healthy acidity/alkaline balance

It is important that you eat regularly and moderately to provide you with the nutrients that you require and to allow your body to process those nutrients to make them as accessible as possible for your body.

Your main meals are breakfast, lunch and dinner with three snacks in between depending on your energy requirements.

The older we get the less we need to snack between meals especially if they are sugary in nature.

Main meals should consist of some wholegrain or vegetable carbohydrate, animal or plant protein and a small amount of healthy fats.

Always chew food slowly and if you put your knife and fork down between each mouthful you should be eating at the correct pace. If there is someone in your family who always finishes their meal after you then make it a point to slow down so that they finish first.

After a heavier than normal meal always try and relax for at least half an hour before moving around and certainly leave at least two hours before rigorous exercise.

Drinking a small cup of peppermint tea after a meal will aid digestion and it is better to eat fruit as a starter rather than a dessert as it digests much quicker than any other food. If you eat fruit within half an hour of a heavy meal it can cause a disruption to the digestive process.

Intermittent Fasting is also a way to allow your digestive system to process foods thoroughly over 14/16 hours whilst you eat within the other 8/10 hours. If you are not hugely active then eating two main meals with a small amount of fruit as a snack is quite easy to get used to and has been shown to reduce the risk for diseases such as diabetes.

Most people who follow this diet will fast on two days a week with meals adding up to 500 to 600 calories of high density nutritional foods. However, it is tempting then on the other five days to roll the boat out. I find eating two meals a day with a piece of fruit in between, within an 8/10 hour window every day to be easier to stick to.

Foods that should be avoided.

Foods have different acid and alkaline properties. Some are acidic in the mouth but form alkaline ash; others are so heavily processed that they will turn to acidic ash in the stomach.

If you suffer already from acid reflux or peptic ulcers you should follow the  recommendations as strictly as possible. This also applies if you have some of the more common degenerative diseases such as arthritis as an acid environment is perfect.

If you would simply like to ensure the correct pH balance in your body then you can adopt a 60/40 approach and ensure that acid forming foods are only included in your diet once a day. If you suffer from any chronic diseases then for the next six weeks I suggest you follow these guidelines. Make a note in any change in symptoms and if you find that they have improved then this ratio is something you might like to stay with longer term.

Very, very acidic ash forming foods that should be totally avoided are

  • All soft drinks,
  • More than a cup of coffee per day especially with cream and sugar combined,
  • Alcohol in general but particularly cheap wine and beer
  • Refined sugars in commercially produced white flour bread, cakes, sweets and biscuits and artificial sweeteners.
  • Salt should be used very sparingly, as it is acid forming as well as raising blood pressure if it is in the form of sodium rich industrially produced foods..We all need sodium but it is found naturally in many of the foods we eat. Add no more than a level teaspoon of salt to food during the day. Watch out for very high sodium products we use regularly such as fizzy painkillers.. The recommended dose of 8 tablets contains nearly 5grams of your daily allowance.

Very acidic forming foods that can be included 20% of your daily diet are:

  • Chicken, turkey, fish, shellfish, lamb, beef, pork, eggs and other lean proteins.
  • Oranges (nectarines are okay)

Moderately acidic forming foods that can be included up to 30% of your daily diet.

  • Wholegrains, brown rice, corn, oats, rye, wholegrain pastas
  • Lentils
  • Walnuts
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Pumpkin seeds
  • Good quality wines
  • Organic fresh coffee,
  • Yoghurt, milk and cheese
  • Cranberries
  • All the beans.

Alkaline foods that can be included freely every day.

N.B although some of these fruits contain natural fruit sugar they are alkaline. If however you are pre-diabetic or diabetic then you sould limit your fruit intake to one piece per day. Also avoid high sugar juices and instead substitute vegetables.

Coconut water, figs, olives, apricots (dried as snack three), avocados, carrots, spinach, cabbage, dates (three on salads), kiwis, limes, raspberries, strawberries, asparagus, bananas, celery, beetroot, melon, lettuce, parsley, pineapple, pomegranate (if available) nectarines, cherries, grapefruit, tomatoes, cucumber, cauliflower, lemons, string beans, peaches, mushrooms (shitake if not too expensive), watermelon, courgettes, apples and pears.

Are most fruit and vegetables alkaline forming?

Yes they are which is why I so often encourage people to move to a much higher level of vegetables and moderate fruit content in their diet. Ideally 80% of your diet should be unprocessed, fresh and preferably raw foods. However if you feel that you cannot achieve that to begin with, I have set a 20% guideline for animal proteins, 30% for grains etc. and 50% for fruit and vegetables.

Some other neutral foods that you can use in moderation in the 20% field are the oils and butter and milk. These are classified, as neutral but should be used carefully if you are hoping to lose some weight.

What about sauces for foods?

It is much better to make your own sauces from natural ingredients. It is the sugars in processed sauces that cause much of the acid effect. You can use olive oil or a little butter on vegetables and make salad dressings with olive oil and herbs. I find now that sauces, unless they are very light have become very cloying and take away the natural taste of the food.

Next week:  Achieving the correct pH balance in your body – The Plan

©Sally Cronin 2026

Sally Cronin is the author of eighteen books including her memoir Size Matters: Especially when you weigh 330lb first published in 2001 which followed her weight loss of 150lbs and the programme she designed to achieve a healthy weight and regain her health. A programme she shared with her clients over her 26 year career as a nutritional therapist and on her blog. This has been followed by another seventeen books both fiction and non-fiction including multi-genre collections of short stories and poetry.

Her latest book Size Always Matters is an extended and updated version of her original book Size Matters and now includes the nutritional element to losing weight and some recipes with ingredients that provide the nutrients necessary for healthy weight loss and continued good health.

As an author she understands how important it is to have support in marketing books and offers a number of FREE promotional opportunities in the Café and Bookstore on her blog and across her social media.

After leading a nomadic existence exploring the world, she now lives with her husband on the coast of Southern Ireland enjoying the seasonal fluctuations in the temperature of the rain.

A selection of my books

You can read the reviews: My books 2026

 

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Music Column Retro – The Big Band Era with William Price King and Sally Cronin – 1940s – Lionel Hampton, Glenn Miller, The Conga

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Welcome to the 2026 series of the music column where I am joined as always by Jazz singer and composer William Price King.  We hope you will join us every Tuesday for some of the chart hits of the big band era from the 1930s through to the 1950s.

Some of the earlier videos are not of the best quality however where possible we have sourced remastered copies to share with you. Considering some are almost 100 years old, it is remarkable that they exist at all.  A testament to the love of the music of that era. Along with our selections each week we will also be showcasing one of the dance crazes from the 1920s onwards and as with the music videos some are not of the highest quality and in some cases I have substituted more modern versions.

Here is my next selection from the Big Band chart in the 1940s from Lionel Hampton

Lionel Hampton “Flying Home” (1940)

“Flying Home” was written by Benny Goodman and Lionel Hampton with lyrics by Sid Robin. It was developed while Hampton was in the Benny Goodman band. A gig in 1939 required the band to fly from L.A. to Atlantic City, the first time Hampton had flown. He began whistling a tune while waiting for the plane to taxi. Goodman asked him what it was, to which he replied “I don’t know, we can call it ‘Flying Home,’ I guess.”

Hampton later confessed that he was humming the tune as a way to keep his mind off of the impending flight. It was first recorded by the Benny Goodman Sextet in 1939, featuring solos by Hampton and Charlie Christian. The tune charted twice, in two different versions by the Lionel Hampton Orchestra. The first version, which rose to #25 in 1940, featured Ziggy Elman on trumpet. The second and most renowned version, with Dexter Gordon on tenor sax, featured an outstanding saxophone solo by Illinois Jacquet and charted in 1942, rising to #23.  Michael Zirpolo

Here is my next selection from the 1940s from Glenn Miller

Glenn Miller “Pennsylvania 6-5000” (1940)

“Pennsylvania 6-5000” (also written “Pennsylvania Six-Five Thousand”) is a 1940 swing jazz and pop standard with music by Jerry Gray and lyrics by Carl Sigman. It was recorded by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra as a Bluebird 78 rpm single.

Many big band names played in Hotel Pennsylvania’s Cafe Rouge in New York City, including the Glenn Miller Orchestra.The hotel’s telephone number, Pennsylvania 6-5000, inspired the Glenn Miller 1940 Top 5 Billboard hit of the same name, which had a 12-week chart run. The instrumental was recorded on April 28, 1940 in New York. The 78 single was released in June, 1940 as RCA Victor Bluebird 78 B-10754-A backed with “Rug Cutter’s Swing”. The song was also an advertisement for attendance at the band’s live performances, as a call could be put through to Hotel Pennsylvania’s venue the Cafe Rouge for a reservation. Classic Mood Experience

Other sources: Wikipedia – And: Jazz Standards

The conga line is a novelty line dance that was derived from the Cuban carnival dance of the same name and became popular in the US in the 1930s and 1950s. The dancers form a long, processing line, which would usually turn into a circle. It has three shuffle steps on the beat, followed by a kick that is slightly ahead of the fourth beat. The conga, a term sometimes mistakenly believed to be derived from the African region of Congo, is both a lyrical and danceable genre, rooted in the music of carnival troupes or comparsas

The conga dance was believed to have been brought over from Africa by enslaved people in the West Indies, and became a popular street dance in Cuba. The style was appropriated by politicians during the early years of republic in an attempt to appeal to the masses before election. During the Machado dictatorship in Cuba, Havana citizens were forbidden to dance the conga, because rival groups would work themselves to high excitement and explode into street fighting. When Fulgencio “El Checho” Batista became president in the 1940s, he permitted people to dance congas during elections, but a police permit was required. Thanks Broadway Classics

Your Hosts for The Big Band Era

 

William Price King is an American jazz singer, crooner, and composer.

His interest in music began at an early age when he studied piano and clarinet in high school. At Morehouse College in Atlanta where he grew up, he sang in the Glee Club and studied classical music. After graduation he went off to the Yale School of Music where he earned a Masters degree. From there he journeyed to New York where he created a jazz trio ‘Au Naturel’ which performed in some of the hottest venues in Manhattan including gigs on Broadway and the famous ‘Rainbow Room.’ These gigs opened doors for performances in Montreal and a European tour.

While touring Europe he met a lovely French lady, Jeanne Maïstre, who, a year later became his wife. King left the group ‘Au Naturel’ and settled in the south of France where he started a new life on the French Riviera, opening his own music school – the “Price King Ecole Internationale de Chant.” He has had the pleasure over the years of seeing many of his students excel as singers on a professional level, and some going on to become national celebrities. He continues to coach young singers today, in his spare time.

Blog– IMPROVISATION – William Price King on Tumblr – Buy William’s music: William Price King iTunes – Facebook – William Price King – Twitter – @wpkofficial
Regular Venue – Cave Wilson

Sally Cronin is an author, blogger and broadcaster who enjoyed four years as part of the team on Onda Cero International’s English speaking morning show in Marbella and then for two years as a presenter on Expressfm the local radio station in Portsmouth. She co-presented two ‘Drive Time’ shows a week with Adrian Knight, hosted the live Thursday Afternoon Show and The Sunday Morning Show guests including musicians and authors. Following this she became Station Director for a local internet television station for two years, producing and presenting the daily news segment, outside broadcasts and co-presenting the Adrian and Sally chat show live on Friday evenings.

She and her husband David have now returned to Ireland where they live on the Wexford Coast where she blogs and continues to write books.

Books :Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – More reviews: Goodreads – blog: Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Twitter: @sgc58 – Facebook: Sally Cronin – LinkedIn: Sally Cronin

Thanks for tuning in and as always we love to hear from you.. thanks William and Sally.

 

 

Smorgasbord Funnies 2026- Hosts Sally Cronin and Debby Gies – Guard Dog and Mary Poppins

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As always some funnies foraged from the web from Debby Gies – D.G. Writes is where you will find an archive full of wonderful posts across several subjects including writing tips, social issues and book reviews.

My thanks to Debby  for expert foraging…

D. G. Kaye – Buy: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK Blog: D.G. Writes – Goodreads: D.G. Kaye on Goodreads – Twitter: @pokercubster

Here is the link to the Health and Safety series where you can catch up on any posts you might have missed in 2025. Health and Safety – Online, Travelling, Phones, Computers, Life by D.G. Kaye

 Now some funnies from my joke archives.

Mary Poppins…

Mary Poppins was travelling home but, due to worsening weather, she decided to stop at a hotel for the night.

She approached the receptionist and asked for a room.

“Certainly madam”, he replied courteously.

“Is the restaurant open still?” inquired Mary.

“Sorry, no”, came the reply, “but room service is available all night. Would you care to select something from this menu?”

Mary smiled and took the menu and perused it. “Hmm, I would like cauliflower cheese please”, said Mary.

“Certainly, madam”, he replied. “And can I have breakfast in bed?” asked Mary politely.

The receptionist nodded and smiled. “In that case, I would love a couple of poached eggs, please”, Mary mused. After confirming the order, Mary signed in and went up to her room for the night.

The night passed uneventfully and the next morning Mary came down early to check out.

The same guy was still on the desk. “Morning madam…sleep well?”

“Yes, thank you”, Mary replied.

“Food to your liking?”

“Well, I have to say the cauliflower cheese was exceptional. I don’t think I have had better. Shame about the eggs, though….they really weren’t that nice at all”, replied Mary truthfully.

“Oh…well, perhaps you could contribute these thoughts to our Guest Comments Book.

We are always looking to improve our service and would value your opinion”, said the receptionist.

“OK, I will…thanks!” replied Mary….who checked out and then scribbled a comment into the book. Waving, she left to continue her journey. Curious, the receptionist picked up the book to see the comment Mary had written:

“Supercauliflowercheesebuteggswerequiteatrocious!”

 We hope you are leaving with a smile on your face… thanks Sally and Debby.

Smorgasbord Posts from My Archives 2026 – Milestones Along the Way – #Ireland #Waterford – The American Connection by Geoff Cronin

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My father-in-law, Geoff Cronin was a raconteur with a encyclopedic memory spanning his 93 years. He sadly died in 2017 but not before he had been persuaded to commit these memories of his childhood and young adulthood in Waterford in the 1920s to the 1940s.

The books are now out of print, but I know he would love to know that his stories are still being enjoyed, and so I am repeating the original series of his books. I hope those who have already read these stories will enjoy again and that new readers will discover the wonderful colour of life in Ireland nearly 100 years ago.

Following on from The Colour of Life, some selected stories from Milestones Along the Way. 

The American Connection

My great uncle Richard Condon who was my grandfather’s brother-in-law lived in Chicago for most of his life and was reported to be worth at least three million dollars. In 1930, my father was his sole heir and was to inherit the fortune. However, my father received a telegram about that time to say that his uncle, Richard Condon, had just got married. The man was near eighty years old at that time and my father said “he’s got married now with one leg in the grave and the other on a bar of soap!”

Apparently, he had been involved a car accident and was seriously injured. A long period of recovery ensued and he was nursed back to reasonably good health by a lady nurse called Jessie Barr? And this was his new bride. She was a Scots Presbyterian, twenty nine years old and weighed about twenty stone. Quite a handful!

Anyway the happy couple set out on a sort of world tour in the process of which they came to Ireland and visited my family for about three weeks, during which time they enjoyed lavish hospitality at my father’s expense, including hiring a car for the duration of the stay.

Time came for them to depart and my brothers and sister and I were given a present each – a five shilling sweep ticket! We were not ecstatic at such munificence needless to say.

Their programme was to go to Glasgow to meet her family, which they did and then did a tour of the Scottish Highlands. It was during that tour that the old man collapsed and died and we learned that he was to be buried in Waterford in the Cronin grave.

So the funeral took place and the widow accompanied by her brother and his wife stayed at our house in Woodstown and were royally entertained. She stayed on for ten days or so and the others remained on for three weeks. During the ten days she gave me his gold penknife and all his ties, about fifty or so and my brothers received his watch and his cufflinks as their inheritance. I don’t remember my sister getting anything but his new will was produced, leaving everything to his widow, and it had been recently prepared by her brother in law who was a lawyer.

Jessie Barr Condon, Mary Jo Cronin, Richard Condon

So that was that so to speak. But as a sort of goodwill gesture, my elder brother and I were taken back to Glasgow for a ten day holiday and the Empire Exhibition was on at that time.

We stayed with her people there and had a good time, though I was reprimanded for whistling on the Sunday – those people were strict Presbyterian and I retaliated by putting an Irish shilling in the collection plate at mass on the same Sunday knowing that it was not legal tender in Scotland. During that visit we saw the “Queen Elizabeth” still under construction in 1938 and re-visited John Brown’s Iron Foundry which was interesting.

But back to our home in Woodstown before my great uncle died:

At that time the ‘local’ post office, which was run by a Mr. Delaney and his wife, was two miles away, in Rosduff, and during my great uncle’s short illness there were telegrams arriving daily with the news.

These telegrams, of a strictly confidential nature were delivered by the postmaster, Mr. Delaney on a bicycle. The fee for delivery was sixpence, paid on delivery and being a courteous man, Delaney when handing over the sealed envelope would always remove his cap and announce, “I think he’s failing ma’am” or “’tis not looking good”. On delivery of the final telegram, he announced, “I’m sorry for your trouble ma’am, the poor man is gone”. My mother remarked, “I suppose it saves me opening the envelope”!

Extract from Richard Condon’s Will, dated 9th March 1937

The inheritance of fifty American ties on my part caused a stir in another area altogether because at school I had a very dapper English teacher who used to wear a new tie every day and when I noticed this I too began wearing a new tie each day, only mine were multicoloured and garish. My teacher nearly had a heart attack as I upstaged him with these outlandish offerings and the class spotted what was going on. When eventually the teacher came in wearing the same tie I knew he was “out of ammunition” and next day I did likewise and so retired undefeated. Oddly, not one single word was said about this matter.

©Geoff Cronin 2008

Geoff Cronin 1923 – 2017

About Geoff Cronin

I was born at tea time at number 12 John Street, Waterford on September 23rd 1923. My father was Richard Cronin and my mother was Claire Spencer of John Street Waterford. They were married in St John’s Church in 1919.

Things are moving so fast in this day and age – and people are so absorbed, and necessarily so, with here and now – that things of the past tend to get buried deeper and deeper. Also, people’s memories seem to be shorter now and they cannot remember the little things – day to day pictures which make up the larger canvas of life.

It seems to me that soon there may be little or no detailed knowledge of what life was really like in the 1930s in a town – sorry, I should have said City, in accordance with its ancient charter – like Waterford. So I shall attempt to provide some of these little cameos as much for the fun of telling as for the benefit of posterity.

Thank you for visiting today and I hope you have enjoyed this glimpse of Waterford courtesy of Geoff Cronin. As always your feedback is very welcome. thanks Sally.

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Weekly Update – March 16th – 22nd – Spring Planting, Big Band Era, Chart toppers, Hot Cross Buns, Book Reviews, Basking Sharks, Aromatherapy, Acidity and Humour

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Welcome to the round up of posts you may have missed this week on Smorgasbord.

I hope you have had a lovely week… it has been dry and there has been sunshine, but I don’t want to jinx it in case it disappears on us again.

I managed to clear all my pots on Thursday and then yesterday morning I completed phase one which was the front of the house…Monday if the weather holds it will be the back garden. So happy to get some colour back and in a few weeks when the younger plants have taken hold it should be very welcoming.

Here are a couple of photos but will share more when the plants have spent a few weeks maturing.

A certain someone arrived as soon as I began potting and inspected all the trays of plants and then sat himself down close by to supervise… I did offer him a tray of pansies in case he felt like helping but he declined.

My thanks as always to the amazing contributors for their posts and support.

William Price King joined me for a Big Band era and on Friday another in the Chart Toppers and Blockbuster series and great to hear you are enjoying them both  You can catch up with William on his own Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr

Debby Gies Debby shared the first part of her travels and adventure in Puerto Vallarta on her blog… much more to come and she will be back with us on April 6th something to look forward to. Her book review this week is for Holding Hands by Stevie Turner D.G. Kaye

Carol Taylor was here on Wednesday sharing her recipe for Hot Cross Buns and Fish Balls and this Wednesday she will be exploring the cuisine of Mauritania… head over to enjoy all the recipes and posts in her archives. CarolCook 

Terry Tyler shared some of her wonderful humour on Friday..Amazon UK

And thank you for your support during the week it is much appreciated. 

Music Column Retro- The Big Band Era with William Price King and Sally Cronin – 1940s – Artie Shaw, Coleman Hawkins, The Jive

– Chart Toppers and Blockbusters 1970s with William Price King “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and The French Connection

The Cookery Column with Carol Taylor – Hot Cross Buns and Fish Balls

Milestones Along the Way #Ireland #Waterford 1950s – Achill Island and Keem Bay Shark by Geoff Cronin

Comedy Guest Spot with Terry Tyler

Acidity/Alkalinity pH Balance for Health Part One- Project 101 Resilience by Sally Cronin

Essential Oils and Aromatherapy – Oils, origins, uses and Safety – Marjoram Essential Oil – Muscles and Stress by Sally Cronin

#Historical #New World #Revolution #Civil War #20th Century -Traveling Through History: A Collection of Historical Short Stories by Janet Morrison

Aunt Vera – WWII, BBC, Sweden, Africa, Spain by Sue Wickstead

#Supernatural #Occult – The Friendship of Mortals (The Herbert West Series Book 1) by Audrey Driscoll

#Doglovers – The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger by Thomas Wikman

#Children, #Magic The Cosmic Dustbin: Bad Boy Wizard Book 3 by Annabelle Franklin

Writing #Publishing Why I Chose the Indie Path by Grace Blair

A small selection of posts I have enjoyed this week and I hope you will head over to enjoy in full.

Viren is 10 years old and is already an accomplished author with a vivid imagination and wonderful illusrations for his books and stories. I was treated to an example of his creativity when his mother Chetna send me some pdfs… Viren is the future of writing and he is growing up wih some amazing tools to assist him… There is no doubt at all that he is a rising star.

Head over to enjoy Viren’s publishing journey How I came to write my book

Many with you will be familiar with Gloria who is a teaching assistant in Jennie Fitzkee’s class in New England. Willow Willers who lives in England invited Gloria over to to have some adventures and to share in blog posts for Jennie’s class and also for us…

Head over to join Gloria on her new adventure: Gloria has arrived

Annika Perry shares some wonderful photographs and the background to a floating cathedral in Sweden, created from recycled plastics.. it is stunning.

Head over to marvel at this creative and stunning place of worship: Cathedral of Hope

Darlene Foster takes us on a guided tour of Stratford-Upon-Avon… packed with history and interesting places to visit.Including Shakespeare’s birthplace

Take the tour with Darlene: A walk in Stratford-Upon-Avon

A pirate and his hook.

A journalist in the 1950s decided that if he was going to interview one of the last remaining pirates alive he should do so quickly. There had been news about a pirate living in an old people’s home in Cornwall who had just reached the grand old age of 105. The journalist decided that he better get down there while he still had the chance.

He arrived and was ushered into the old salt’s room and was astonished to see the wizened figure had a wooden peg leg, a hook on one arm and a patch over one eye. The journo could not believe his luck.. Here was an authentic pirate with surely plenty of stories to tell.

Having got over the initial niceties, the journalist asked the old man how he had lost his leg…

“Well, you see, it’s like this… I was only 16 years old and we were having a bit of a lark on board since we had not spotted another ship for many days… They set up the plank and we took turns to walk as far as we could along it blindfolded… I have to admit that I had a bit of rum in me and when it came to my turn I fell off the end… luckily I had a rope around my waist and the lads pulled me back in sharpish like.. However, not before a shark charged in and took me leg off right above the knee.

The carpenter, who was our ship’s doctor, quick as a flash dipped my leg in boiling tar and two days later had made my peg leg… still wear the same one today and not a problem with it”

The journalist was duly impressed and then asked what had happened to his hand that had resulted in the hook.

“Ah well, you see it took me a while to get used to having a peg leg but I wanted to do my bit as part of the crew. So I insisted on scaling the rigging in a high wind and my peg leg slipped, my hand got caught in the rope and it took my hand right off.. But, the carpenter quick as a flash; whipped my stump into some boiling tar and in a few days had made me this hook, which is just as good today.”

“But what about your patch?” asked the journalist…thrilled with his scoop so far.

“Ah well, you see I was taking my turn in the crow’s nest and an albatross flew right over my head and shat in my eye…”

The journalist leant forward fascinated…” And that took your eye out?”

“Ah well, no…you see that was my first day with me hook!”

Thanks for dropping in today and I hope you will join us again next week. 

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Guest Post – Who has influenced you the most in your life? – Aunt Vera – WWII, BBC, Sweden, Africa, Spain by Sue Wickstead

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This series is about the person you feel has had the most influence on your life and has shaped the person you are today, and what you have achieved.  That might be in reaching personal goals or to do with your career.

This is of course also a marketing opportunity for your blog and books, and a showcase of your writing skills.

At the end of the post you can find out how you can participate in this series.

Today a lovely tribute for a beloved aunt by Sue Wickstead.… certainly an adventurer well before her time.

Vera

My Aunt Vera is one of the people who has had a big influence on my life.

Aunty Vera was certainly a very special aunt; she was full of wonderful stories from her many adventures.

Vera had no family ties, so she was our aunt and not shared with anyone else.

During the Second World War, Vera had been a telephonist on the local switchboard. She told a story about how she had been selected by General Montgomery and assigned the task of linking him up with dozens of Army Officers on the brink of the Normandy landings. It had been a four-hour job, and she said that the following day, the troops stationed in the local area had all disappeared overnight.

After the war, Vera had been a telephonist at the BBC. Then, at the age of forty-three, she became a teacher. She worked for a while in London, then she and her best friend decided to apply for teaching posts overseas.

Her friend had gone to the Falkland Islands while Vera had taken a teaching post in Sweden. She had taught first in Stockholm and then in Kiruna in the Arctic Circle.
Vera would be back and forth to Sweden, so her visits were even more special.

Me, Aunt Vera and Jane

Jane, my older sister, and I once spent a week visiting Vera at her flat in London. She would take us out each day to visit the sights. Every morning, she would check the newspaper to find information on where we could go that day.

We would travel mostly by taxi. She took us to the London Zoo, the Tower of London, Bushy Park, and Buckingham Palace. Every day was a thrilling adventure.

I loved staying with Aunty Vera, and I remember sitting in her living room under an umbrella tent playing with my teddy ‘Mac Mac’, my panda and a doll as well as Vera’s wooden monkey ‘Ali Pally’. I still have ‘Mac Mac’ and have inherited ‘Ali Pally’.

I remember she let us wear her cross-country skis from Lapland. We would walk up and back down the corridor, and she would try to teach us how to turn them around, laughing at our attempts as we became tangled up in the process.

I loved hearing all about her adventures in the Arctic Circle and her meeting with ‘Jack Frost’.

She would tell us stories of snow and ice, of learning to ski. She told us how she had asked the children in her school how they got up when they fell over in the snow. They had looked at her quizzically and answered, “We don’t know, Miss, we never fall over.” She remembered once being overtaken by a three-year-old on skis.

She described Swedish food and traditions like ‘Herring Fest’ and drinking ‘Goose blood soup’, both of which smelled unpleasant but tasted better than expected.

She told us stories of wolves and bears and lost gloves.

Once on her way home late at night, she had seen a dog walking across her path. She had wanted to pat it on the nose, but it was late, she was in a hurry, and her case was in her hand. As she walked by, she suddenly felt the hairs on her neck stand on end and realised that it could not have been a dog. Dogs would not be allowed to roam the streets. So, she realised it must have been a wolf! She had, at the time, felt no fear.

Aunt Vera’ hat and boots.

Vera told us all about the Saami people of Lapland and their costumes. The Laps in Kiruna wore a hat with a large red bobble on the top. She had a coat and a bright blue coat to go with her hat. She said that the Saami wore bright colours so they could be easily seen across the white snow. They wore a very wide, thick leather belt around their waists to protect their kidneys from the cold. She also had a pair of specially made reindeer skin Lap-boots.

After six years in Sweden, with four years in the Arctic Circle, Vera came back to work in London.

She bought a lovely big house in Blackheath. Then she went off to teach in Africa, in Liberia. Her stories here were of scorpions and snakes and freedom rings.

A bundle of Kissi pennies at the Brooklyn Museum.

African sculptures, ‘kissi pennies’ (A form of Liberian currency) and a snakeskin handbag.

Vera had many African and Swedish artefacts around her house, and we loved hearing their stories.

She always seemed so full of interesting tales, and nothing about Vera was ordinary.

I certainly wanted to be a teacher just like Vera.

Her last teaching job was as an ‘English as a second language’ teacher in London. This was a groundbreaking role, which, many years later, I learnt this EAL initiative had come from Sweden. I often wondered if this was where her ideas and knowledge came from.

One day out of the blue, Vera announced she had married, and in 1973, she and her husband decided to retire to Spain.

They found a villa complex near a pretty town called Javea, and in 1974, together with her stepdaughter, I went for a holiday, helping her make the place her home. We would drive off around the area, exploring the locality. It was my first time abroad, and I loved the country.

Aunt Vera in Spain.

I continued to visit Javea, as often as I could. It was mainly for a holiday but also to visit Vera.

She had a lovely place, but we were surprised when suddenly she decided to move to the small fishing village of Moraira nearby.

My parents visited Vera in Spain, and with Vera’s advice and help, decided to buy a small property of their own, but sadly, my dad died before he could live there.

We saw many changes to the village, but it still retained its Spanish charm. It was a special place for my mum, who could visit many times on her own with her sister, Vera, nearby.

We would always tell Vera she should write down her memoirs, but she preferred to tell them, and we loved to listen.

The local English paper interviewed Vera and published four double-page articles about her exploits from Sweden.

After Vera passed away, I inherited some of her artefacts and used them as a teaching resource in school.

Kiruna church lit up

Last year, in 2025, there was a news report on TV about the church in Kiruna being moved to a new place in the town. The church was transported on huge, wheeled trucks. It gave me a chance to tell Alexander all about Vera, and he, in turn, created his own Lego church on wheels.

I think Vera would have liked that.

The Freedom Ring

On one of Vera’s returns from Africa, she brought back a ‘Freedom Ring’.

The ring, said Vera, was an African Freedom ring. It was given to black Africans as a symbol that they could not be sold as slaves but were free. Liberia, where Vera taught, had been the main place where slaves were shipped and transported across to America.

The ring was gold but had no hallmarks; it was shaped like a ‘V’, like a wishbone ring, but the ‘V’ on the front of the Freedom ring was longer than the ‘V’ on the back.

Vera wore her plain gold ring until the day she got married, when it broke in two.

On the day Vera came to visit us to tell us that she had got married, I was sitting on the floor. As she left, she held out her hand to me. I thought perhaps she was offering to pull me up. But no. She took my hand and put the ring on my finger, telling me about how it had broken on her wedding day.

She had a family now and a companion with responsibilities, so I think she felt she was no longer ‘Free’.

I have worn the ring ever since she gave it to me, taking it off only for minor repairs.

It is, for me, not just a treasure from Vera; it has become a symbol of my independence and a great story to share.

For me, the ring is a symbol of who she was and her free spirit. She was quirky, independent, and unique.

I like to think I am a free spirit, too. The ring is my symbol that I can be myself too, an independent person in my own right, just like Vera.

©Sue Wickstead 2026

A small selection of books by Sue Wickstead

One of the reviews for A Ticket to Ride

Simon
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant book of stories and Poems

I have been reading Sue’s books from the very beginning to my eldest daughter and now my youngest little girl and we have all loved them, so when Sue told me about this one I knew we had to have it to add to our collection. My youngest daughter is now 8 and she loved this book, especially as it has short stories and poems which we can read together or she can read on her own. She really liked mouse maze as it is written in such a way that you have to turn the book to read it, which she found hilarious, as well as the bee poems, and also the jokes dotted throughout the book. We also loved all the drawings in the book and cannot wait for Sue to write her next one. 

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon UK – And: Amazon US – More reviews: Goodreads – Website/Blog: Sue Wickstead – Facebook: Stories Sue – Facebook: Teacher Page – Twitter: @JayJayBus – LinkedIn: Sue Wickstead 

About Sue Wickstead

Sue Wickstead lives in the UK and writes children’s picture story books.

Her stories relate to both her experiences as a teacher as well as her play-work adventures with a Playbus.

The Playbus was a real double-decker bus full of toys, arts and crafts, as well as a lot of fun to play on. She wrote a photographic social history book about the project which led to her story telling and her writing.

All of Sue’s books do have a bus included in them somewhere.

When not writing Sue builds models with Lego, she also loves spending quality time with her young grandson and enjoys creating models to share with him on his visits.

Her grandson features in her book ‘Barty Barton; the bear that was loved too much’ which was published in 2020.

Two of Sue’s most recent books were written about her younger brother David and his imaginative play adventures. Perhaps Nanny and Alexander might have a few adventures of their own one day too.

Many of Sue’s books have been entered and shortlisted in ‘The Wishing Shelf Book Awards’, the book ‘A Spooky Tale’ was a silver medal winner in 2019. The story was written with her class in school.

For more information about the author as well as play adventures with her grandson and her Lego why not visit Sue’s website:

Some guidelines.

  • If you look back at your life, who would you say had the most influence on who you are today or your life’s achievements?
  • It might be a parent, grandparent, or other relation, perhaps a teacher, employer or someone who you only encountered for a brief period, but changed the course of your life in a positive way.
  • It might be someone you have never met but influenced you in another way such as by their actions or a book that you read by them. This is a tribute to that person.
  • It can be a post your have already written or one that is unpublished.
  • If already published just send me the link.
  • I will top and tail the post with the usual links and a recent review etc.
  • This is an opportunity to show off your writing skills and to encourage readers to follow your blog or buy your books…dress to impress.

What I need from you sent to my email sallygcronin@gmail.com

If you are have been promoted here before.

I just need your word document 1000 to 1500 words and two or three photographs to break up the text.. perhaps of you at that stage in your life or one of the person who you are writing about.

If they are an author then an Amazon link so I can copy the cover of their book or books with a link.

If you have not been featured on the blog before

  • In addition to the word document and photographs for the post I will need your information.
  • A profile photograph, up to date  biography, social media links for website or blog, Facebook, Twitter, or Linkedin.
  • If you are an author your Amazon Author page, Goodreads and Bookbub if you are there too.

Once I have received your post

  • I will schedule and let you have the date.
  • On the day of publication I will send you a link for the post.
  • It would be great if you could share your post on your social media.
  • I ask that all comments are responded to individually as it does make a difference to the number of times the post is shared.
  • When shared on social media I will tag you if you are on that platform and it would be great if you could thank the person who has shared the post..

I am looking forward to discovering the amazing people who have inspired you and sharing them here in this series… get in touch… thanks Sally. 

 

Smorgasbord Book Promotions 2026 – Share an Excerpt – Boost one of your books – #Children, #Magic The Cosmic Dustbin: Bad Boy Wizard Book 3 by Annabelle Franklin

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In this regular series for 2026, you are invited to share an excerpt of 400 to 500 words from any book you have written you would like to give a boost to.

This feature is for any author who has been promoted on Smorgasbord previously.

Please read full details of how to participate at the end of the post and I will respond to your emails as soon as possible.

The aim of the series

  • To showcase any of your books you would like to give a boost to.
  • To gain more reviews for the book.
  • Promote a selection of your other books that are available

Today an excerpt from the latest release by Annabelle Franklin…The Cosmic Dustbin: Bad Boy Wizard Book 3 – FREE to download today.

About the book

Charlie Busby loves playing magical pranks, but his magic keeps going wrong and getting him into trouble! Worst of all, his pranks have attracted the attention of a Trickster who lives in the Cosmic Dustbin.

When the Trickster tells him about the unlimited magical power contained in the Dustbin, Charlie is sorely tempted. But he’s been there before, and it’s a place he never wants to see again.

The Cosmic Dustbin is a dark and dangerous dimension full of ghastly garbage and monster maggots. Will Charlie risk a return trip to claim the power the Trickster has promised – power that will never go wrong?

And is the Trickster telling the truth?

Please note that this book can be read as a standalone or as part of the series.

An excerpt from the book

Charlie didn’t have a good night’s sleep. His dreams were muddled and vivid, like fast-edit cartoons, and many of them involved the Cosmic Trickster. In the final dream, the whole house was suffocating in cobwebs.

He woke up hot and sweaty, his limbs tangled in the duvet. When he managed to get free, he found his bed smothered in cobwebs. So was Horace’s, and so was everything in the room. Canopies of cobwebs hung from the ceiling and covered the windows like dirty net curtains.

I must still be dreaming! he thought. But even after he’d pinched himself blue, the cobwebs were still there.

‘What’s happened?’ groaned Horace, emerging from a grey cocoon.

Before Charlie could answer, the bedroom door opened, its cobweb curtain coming apart with a soft tearing sound. Mrs Busby shuffled in, cloaked in cobwebs from head to foot. She looked like a large grey ghost.

‘The whole house is full of cobwebs!’ she said, peeling them off her dyed-orange hair. ‘It must be an infestation of those tropical spiders!’

Horace pulled the duvet up to his chin, then pushed it away again as its cobweb coating touched his face. ‘What are we going to do?’ he wailed.

‘Charlie is going to get up and clear away this mess, that’s what,’ said Mrs Busby.

‘Eh?’ said Charlie, clawing cobwebs away from his mouth. ‘Why me?’

‘Because I’m telling you to, Charlie. Just be helpful for once in your life.’

‘But it’s not my fault! It was spiders who did it, not me!’

‘I can hardly get the spiders to clean it up, can I? Stop arguing and get dressed, before I lose my temper.’

Charlie groped his way through the cobwebs to the window seat, where a pile of his clothes lay under a blanket of grey fluff. He fished out some shorts and a T-shirt and put them on. Horace was still sitting up in bed, his face a frozen mask of horror and disgust.

‘Are you going to come and help me with this horrible job?’ said Charlie.

‘No! There might still be spiders in them. I’m staying right here till they’re all gone.’

‘Coward,’ muttered Charlie, and left the room.
The landing looked dim and ghostly, with cobwebs veiling the window and coating the carpet. The banisters were festooned with them, and Charlie shuddered as he waded downstairs. He didn’t mind spiders, but the thought of a whole lot of them lurking in this mess was pretty creepy. He kept thinking he could feel them crawling on his legs.

Not that he was afraid of being bitten. No earthly spiders had built this citadel of cobwebs. This was a magical phenomenon, and he suspected the dabbling fingers of the Cosmic Trickster.

A review for the book 

prolific reader
5.0 out of 5 stars A magical experience and suitable gift for every child wavering on the fringes of uncertainty

A brilliant new adventure featuring trainee wizard Charlie Busby . The characterisation is brilliant, sharp and hilarious (to our detriment we have all met a Horace). Funny, appealing an thought provoking this is book that should be on the shelf of every child who longs to believe in magic but is just that little “uncertain.”

Head over to download the book free today: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – And: Universal link

Other books by Annabelle Franklyn

Annabelle Franklin, Buy: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – follow Annabelle: Goodreads – Blog: Annabelle Franklin – Twitter: @anabel1Franklin – Facebook: Annabelle Franklin – Instagram: Annabelle Franklin Author – And: Smashwords

About Annabelle Franklin

Annabelle Franklin is the author of three children’s books, ‘Gateway to Magic’, ‘The Slapstyx’ and ‘The Astral Gatecrashers: Bad Boy Wizard Book 1’.

Her short story ‘Mercy Dog’ appears in award-winning anthology ‘Unforgotten: The Great War 1914-1918′ (Accent Press). She is a member of Swansea and District Writers’ Circle, and has short stories in the Circle’s anthologies ‘Dark Gathering’ and ‘Change’. The second book in her ‘Bad Boy Wizard’ series is due out in May.

Annabelle lives on South Wales’s stunning and magical South Gower coast, sharing her home with a delinquent whippet. She loves humour, hates housework and believes magic should be on the school curriculum.

What will be in the post and how to get in touch

  • I will top and tail the post in the usual way with your other books and links, bio, photo and social media.
  • I will also select one of the reviews from Amazon or Goodreads for the book.
  • Please share a book that has reviews to select from.
  • This series is open to all authors who have previously been featured in the promotions on Smorgasbord.
  • I do have a younger readership for the book posts so please consider that when selecting your excerpt.
  • I suggest an excerpt of around 400 to 500 words that you feel would encourage a reader to buy the book, or a poem that you feel best reflects the theme of your collection.
  • No need to send the cover as I will have that or will access from Amazon.
  • Please send your excerpt to sallygcronin@gmail.com
  • I only ask that authors share the link to their social media and respond to each comment individually as a matter of courtesy.

I look forward to hearing from you soon. 

Smorgasbord Book Review – #Historical #New World #Revolution #Civil War #20th Century -Traveling Through History: A Collection of Historical Short Stories by Janet Morrison

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Delighted to share my review for the historical short story collection by Janet Morrison –Traveling Through History: A Collection of Historical Short Stories

About the collection.

This collection of historical short stories spans the late-17th century through the mid-20th century. The stories are set in Scotland, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Topics in the stories include the Covenanters in Scotland,; an immigrant from Ireland getting into trouble with the law in colonial Virginia; early immigration from Scotland to Pennsylvania; a businesswoman making the best of a tragedy in colonial Salisbury, North Carolina; a patriot couple in old Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, forced to discern the patriots and loyalists after the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence in 1775; the recollections of a veteran of the Battle of Kings Mountain in South Carolina; a young slave in South Carolina faced with the decision of trying to escape; a soldier in the American Civil War writing a letter to his parents after the battle at Sharpsburg in Maryland; what can happen when a settler gets seriously injured during a blizzard in the southern Appalachian Mountains in the 1870s; a woman’s encounter with a lost Plott Hound and a black bear during The Great Depression in the southern Appalachian Mountains; the heart-breaking experiences of a foster child in the 1940s; a family thinks their house is visited by the ghost of a British soldier who was wounded in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse; and a 150-year-old farm house reflects on the people it has sheltered.

Each story in the collection includes author’s notes in which Janet Morrison writes about such things as what inspired her to write the stories and historical background, so the reader can understand what is fiction and what is fact. The author drew on her family’s genealogy and her historical research of the places and times in which the stories are set.

My review for the collection March 21st 2026

This is a fascinating historical collection of stories spanning three centuries following men and women seeking a new life free of persecution, and their lives as they build homes and communities in a very often hostile environment.

With the notes added to the stories by the author based on her own family history and the research she has undertaken, the stories come across as very real and authentic even when fictionalised.

It is difficult to imagine making a decision as a young man or woman to leave all you have every known, including immediate family and travel thousands of miles on a ship, knowing you will never see those you love ever again.

Such courage and fortitude are strengths so badly needed in the new world they find themselves in. Loss is almost inevitable as health care is non-existent and the death rate amongst young mothers and their babies is mind-numbing. And having established farms and businesses, it must have been unimaginable when rebellion and civil war tore communities apart and threatened everything they had worked so hard for.

Several of the stories share the lives of those living and serving in both the War of Independence and the Civil War and as you read about their experiences it is easy to be swept up into the emotional toll war takes on the younger generation and their families waiting desperately for news at home.

For dog lovers there is a delightful story of a brave and dare devil hound and a touch of the supernatural with The Ghost of The Battle of Guildford Courthouse based on some very spooky events the author’s sister experienced in the 1980s.

I enjoyed every story in this collection but the one story that really impacted me was the last one. If This House Could Talk shares  the history of a derelict house from the moment it was built by a young couple and all the love and loss that followed over 150 years. . I wonder what stories my own homes over the years would share if they could talk.

I highly recommend this wonderful collection, and I am sure like me, you will find it emotive and memorable. 

Read the reviews and buy the collection: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

A selection of other books by Janet Morrison

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – Goodreads: Janet Morrison – Website: Janet Morrison Books – Blog: Janet’s Writing – Bluesky: Janet Morrison

About Janet Morrison

Janet Morrison is a North Carolina author. Writing nonfiction and historical fiction let her combine two of her favorite things — writing and doing historical research. Her work has won various awards from the North Carolina Society of Historians. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science with a minor in history and a Master of Public Administration degree.

After writing a local history newspaper column for more than six years, Janet wanted to publish that work and some of her additional research on the topics she didn’t get to write about for the newspaper. Harrisburg, Did You Know? Cabarrus History, Book 1 was published in 2022 in paperback and for Kindle. It includes the first 91 articles Janet wrote for the newspaper.

Janet published Harrisburg, Did You Know? Cabarrus History, Book 2 in March 2023 in paperback and for Kindle. It contains the other 84 articles she wrote for the newspaper along with notes from the research she did on topics she didn’t get to write about when the newspaper abruptly ceased publication in 2012.

Her latest book is a collection of short stories spanning 17th century to the middle of the 20th century.

 

Thanks for dropping in today and I hope you will be leaving with some books.

Smorgasbord Funnies 2026 Guest Spot – Mismanagement moments…

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I am delighted to welcome back Terry Tyler with some more of her entertaining funnies.

 

My thanks to Terry Tyler for sharing her humour today. I know she would love to hear from you.

A small selection of books by Terry Tyler

 

Read the reviews and buy the books:Amazon UK – And : Amazon US – Follow Terry Tyler: Goodreads – Blog: Terry Tyler Blogspot – Twitter:@TerryTyler4

About Terry Tyler

Terry Tyler is the author of over 30 books available from Amazon, the latest being the the second book in her Revenge series – So Shall Ye Reap.

Other recent publications include the first in the revenge series and SFV-1 rage virus trilogy: Infected, Darkness and Reset, also ‘Where There’s Doubt’, the story of a romance scammer and his prey, and ‘Megacity’, the final book in the dystopian Operation Galton trilogy. Happy to be independently published, Terry is an avid reader and book reviewer, and a member of Rosie Amber’s Book Review Team.

Terry is a Walking Dead addict, and has a great interest in history (particularly Saxon, Plantagenet and Tudor), along with books and documentaries on sociological/cultural/anthropological subject matter. She loves South Park, the sea, and going for long walks in quiet places where there are lots of trees. She lives in the north east of England with her husband.

 

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – The Music Column – Chart Toppers and Blockbusters 1970s with William Price King  “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and The French Connection

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Welcome to the series where I will be sharing the chart toppers and blockbusters through the decades… be prepared for some nostalgia and some foot tapping music. William

🎶   “Bridge Over Troubled Water”

“Bridge Over Troubled Water” was composed by Paul Simon and produced by Simon, Art Garfunkel, and Roy Halee, featuring Art Garfunkel on vocals. The song won five Grammy Awards in 1971 including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It is Simon and Garfunkel’s most successful single

As “Bridge Over Troubled Water” topped the charts, “The French Connection“ topped the box office.  

🎬   “The French Connection”

“The French Connection,” starring Gene Hackman, Roy Schneider, and Fernando Rey was directed by William Friedkin based on Robin Moore’s book of the same name. The film depicts a pair of NYPD detectives in the Narcotics Bureau who stumble onto a heroin smuggling ring based in Marseilles, but stopping them and capturing their leaders proves to be an elusive goal.

The film earned eight Oscar nominations and won five, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Hackman), and best Director in 1971.

Join William again next week for more entertainment…

Your Host

William Price King is an American jazz singer, crooner, and composer.

His interest in music began at an early age when he studied piano and clarinet in high school. At Morehouse College in Atlanta where he grew up, he sang in the Glee Club and studied classical music. After graduation he went off to the Yale School of Music where he earned a Masters degree. From there he journeyed to New York where he created a jazz trio ‘Au Naturel’ which performed in some of the hottest venues in Manhattan including gigs on Broadway and the famous ‘Rainbow Room.’ These gigs opened doors for performances in Montreal and a European tour.

While touring Europe he met a lovely French lady, Jeanne Maïstre, who, a year later became his wife. King left the group ‘Au Naturel’ and settled in the south of France where he started a new life on the French Riviera, opening his own music school – the “Price King Ecole Internationale de Chant.” He has had the pleasure over the years of seeing many of his students excel as singers on a professional level, and some going on to become national celebrities. He continues to coach young singers today, in his spare time.

Blog– IMPROVISATION – William Price King on Tumblr – Buy William’s music: William Price King iTunes – Facebook – William Price King – Twitter – @wpkofficial
Regular Venue – Cave Wilson

 

Thanks very much for dropping in today and it would be great if you could share the music with your connections.

Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives 2026 – Posts from last six months of 2025 – #Writing #Publishing Why I Chose the Indie Path by Grace Blair

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Welcome to the  series of Posts from Your Archives for 2026 and I will be sharing posts from the SECOND six months of 2025 from your archives which I will select. You can find out how to participate at the end of the post.

N.B – This is not primarily a book marketing opportunity although your work will be included. I will be selecting posts which have general interest, perhaps travel, family history, book reviews you have conducted for others, or perhaps writing or marketing advice you have for others.

In this first post from the archives of Grace Blair she shares her reasons for remaining an Indie Author.

Why I Chose the Indie Path

When I tell people I’m an indie author, I sometimes get the raised eyebrow. You know the one. The “oh, you couldn’t get published” look. I just smile. Because here’s the truth: I didn’t want to wait around for someone else to give me permission to tell my stories.

I chose the indie path because my imagination doesn’t fit into a neat little box labeled “traditional publishing.” I write novels that mix historical fiction, fantasy, science, and a dash of mysticism. Try pitching Einstein’s Compass: A YA Time Traveler Adventure—where a teenage Einstein discovers a magical compass that lets him time travel—to a boardroom of agents and editors. You can almost hear them fumbling for their polite rejection letters. But my readers? They get it. They dive in, cheer me on, and ask when the next book is coming.

That’s the joy of indie publishing: the direct connection between author and reader. No gatekeepers. No middlemen. Just me, my imagination, and people who love a good adventure.

But it’s not all whimsy and wonder. Indie publishing has taught me to wear more hats than a Broadway costume shop. Writer, editor, marketer, publicist—check, check, check. At times, it’s overwhelming. But it’s also exhilarating. Every book launch feels like a rocket liftoff that I engineered from the ground up. Sometimes the rocket sputters. Sometimes it explodes. But when it soars, there’s nothing more thrilling.

What I especially love is the freedom. Freedom to choose my own cover design, to set my own deadlines (and break them), to explore stories that blend Greek gods, Atlantis, time travel, and Einstein himself. Freedom to take risks. Indie publishing is basically the literary version of skydiving—terrifying and electrifying in equal measure.

And let’s not forget the community. Indie authors may not have fancy Manhattan offices, but we have each other. I’ve met fellow dreamers, do-it-yourselfers, and wild storytellers from around the globe. We cheer each other’s wins, swap marketing tips, and occasionally cry into our coffee over reviews that start with, “I wanted to like this book, but…” Being indie means being part of a tribe of fearless creatives who believe stories are worth telling, even if we have to wrestle them into the world ourselves.

Ultimately, I chose the indie path because it mirrors my philosophy on life: don’t wait for permission. If you have a dream, chase it. If the traditional door is locked, build your own. If the path doesn’t exist, take a compass—magical or not—and forge your own way.

©Grace Blair

My thanks to Grace for sharing her posts and I know she would love to hear from you.

Books by Grace Blair

One of the reviews for Poseidon’s Atlantis Adventure

Jacqui Murray
5.0 out of 5 stars The Greek Gods Unleashed

In Grace Blair’s latest fantastical fiction, Poseidon’s Atlantis Adventure (2023), Book 1 of the Atlantis Book Series, Poseidon and the Titans have been entombed most of their lives by their father, Cronus, who considers them a threat to his leadership of the gods. Poseidon and his brother Hades create an alliance with the one brother who wasn’t relegated to prison–Zeus. In a fiery battle, they kill Cronus and gain their freedom. As victors, Hades is awarded Lord of the Underworld, Zeus the skies and the land, and Poseidon the seas. This works for a while, but Poseidon tires of being relegated to the underwater realm, without access to land and sun, and seeks a plan to change his destiny. That, of course, involves Atlantis. In his quest to redefine his future, Poseidon finds himself in an unlikely alliance with another extraterrestrial being who promises him the power he wants in return for his aid stopping the evil forces that threaten the world. But, is the godly power of Poseidon enough to stop those who fight against him. Even he doesn’t know that answer.

This is a clever twist on the Olympian gods providing a peek into what could be if each of the gods didn’t remain in complete control of their domains. The story is told in vivid detail as befits a tale of mythical gods and is filled with passion and action. It is highly recommended for those who love reading about the gods and fantasy. 

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – Follow Grace: Goodreads – Websites: Modern Mystic Media – And: Modern Mystic Media Blog – And: Poseidon’s Atlantic Adventure – And: Einstein’s Compass Book – Linkedin: Grace the Mystic – X: @GraceBAuthor – YouTube: Grace Blair  – Instagram: Einstein’s Compass Novel

About Grace Blair

Grace Blair is an award-winning self-help and motivational author, who has assisted thousands to find their spiritual wisdom to solve everyday challenges. Throughout her adult life, Grace became a serious student of the spiritual. She found that, often, psychological principles and practices were incomplete, but could be filled out by adding the missing spiritual component. Her approach was always to see practical applications for what she uncovered in the mystical. It was through immersing herself in this field of study and experience that she produced her idea for her book, Einstein’s Compass. She lives in Lubbock, Texas, with her husband, Dr. John Blair.

Einstein’s Compass a YA Time Traveler Adventure is #Lexile rated for young adults 12-18 860L.

School librarians and teachers will find the book in the Library Catalog

Classification: LCC PZ7.1.B57 Ei 2019 (print) | LCC PZ7.1.B57 (e-book) | DDC [Fic]–dc23

  • Announcing Book Awards Einstein’s Compass, a YA Time Traveler Adventure:
  • 2020 Certificate of Excellence in Literature Spirituality/Religion Story Monster Approved
  • 2020 Texas Indie Best Book Award Winner – YA Fiction
  • 2020 Royal Dragonfly Book Award 1st Place – Historical Fiction
  • 2020 Royal Dragonfly Book Award 2nd Place – YA Fiction
  • 2020 Royal Dragonfly Book Award Honorable Mention – Sci-Fi/Fantasy
  • 2020 RONE Cover Award 1sr Runner-Up – Fantasy/Sci-Fi
  • 2019 Readers’ Favorite Book Award Winner
  • 2019 eLit Award Winner – Juvenile/YA Fiction
  • 2019 National Indie Excellence Award Finalist – YA Fiction
  • 2019 International Book Awards Finalist – YA Fiction
  • How to feature in the series?
    • All I need you to do is give me permission to dive in to your archives and find two posts to share here on Smorgasbord either by leaving a note in the comments or by emailing me. (sallygcronin@gmail.com)
    • Rather than a set topic, I will select posts at random of general interest across a number of subjects from the last six months of 2025. (it is helpful if you have a link to your archives in your sidebar by month)
    • As I will be promoting your books as part of the post along with all your information and links so I will not be sharing direct marketing or self- promotional posts in the series.
    • If you are an author I am sure you will have a page on Amazon or on your blog with the details, and an ‘about page’ with your profile and social media links (always a good idea anyway). I will get everything that I need.
    • As a blogger I would assume that you have an ‘about page’ a profile photo and your links to social media.
    • Copyright is yours and I will ©Your name on every post… and you will be named as the author in the URL and subject line.
    • Previous participants are very welcome to take part again.
    • If you are new to Smorgasbord then pleasue email me with all your links in full to Amazon or your blog and social media.
    • Each post is reformatted for my blog and I don’t cut and paste, this means it might look different from your own post especially if you are using the block editor

    N.B – To get the maximum benefit from your archive posts, the only thing I ask is that you respond to comments individually and share on your own social media.. thank you.