Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Posts from My Archives 2022 – Christmas and New Year Special – #Story – #Dogs – The Sanctuary by Sally Cronin


While I am on a semi-break and making my way with much enjoyment through my towering TBR, I will be sharing a selection of short stories from my various collections that you might enjoy as you finish off the remaining treats from Christmas.

Today a story of a dog and acts of kindness that will change his life for ever. At this time of year the sancturies are bracing themselves to accept even more unwanted or ill-treated pets. They deserve our thanks and also donations. Especially smaller local sancturies that don’t have the support of the larger charities.

The Sanctuary

The policeman brought the dog in to the sanctuary first thing in the morning and Sarah processed the paperwork whilst their volunteer vet John examined the listless dog lying on the table. She was horrified to read how this emaciated dog had been found in a filthy shed chained up and barely alive.

She could tell from the grim set of the policeman’s lips that he was affected by the terrible condition of the animal and shared her anger.

‘What is going to happen to the owner of the dog, this is appalling cruelty and surely he should be prosecuted and sent to jail?’

‘I agree with you as I have dogs myself, but unfortunately at the moment the most that usually happens is a fine and a ban on owning animals for five or ten years, very few are imprisoned. They are monitored by the animal welfare groups but they move house or even the town, and then we lose touch with them.’

The policeman left and Sarah joined John who had attached a drip to the dog having shaved some of the matted fur on his foreleg. She stroked the dogs ears and they twitched beneath her fingers. As she ran her hand gently down his long nose, his tongue licked her fingers and tears ran down her cheeks.

Over the next few days the team worked to re-hydrate and hand feed the dog soft foods that would be easy to digest. When he was showing a slight improvement, the staff removed his matted coat to reveal his wasted body, washing him gently to remove the dirt that had accumulated over the years. John thought he was around three years old and that he was barely half the weight he should be. Throughout this handling the dog would occasionally lick a hand that stroked his face, and the staff were amazed at his gentle nature, despite the abuse he had suffered.

They had taken photographs at every stage of treatment from his original condition on arrival, and as more signs of abuse were discovered in X-rays. There were forwarded to the police and the animal welfare group dealing with the case, hopeful that some form of custodial sentence would result.

Several weeks passed, and the dog now named Danny, continued to improve as he received loving attention from all the staff. They tried not to have favourites, as so many of the dogs and cars in their care had endured abuse; all needing their time and care to recover. As with all their rescue pets they hoped to find a loving home for this new addition to the kennels, but something about Danny’s temperament made them even more attached.

Eventually it was time to find a foster home where he could begin to adapt to a normal life as part of a family. Because the court case was still pending, it was decided that Sarah, who had recently lost her elderly dog Simon, would take him home until a more permanent solution could be found.

As predicted Danny’s former owner, a twenty-five year old plumber, was fined and banned from owning any animals for ten years. Sarah had attended court and waited outside as he left and joined his cheering mates as they crowded around him. They walked off down the road towards the nearest pub and disappeared inside to celebrate.

Danny continued to thrive and having put on weight and grown back his shining black and white coat, it was easy to see that he was a collie cross, probably with a retriever. Sarah brought him to work with her everyday where he spent time in the office giving any staff on hand his loving attention. It was decided that Sarah would formerly adopt him, and having signed the paperwork, a party was held with a tail wagging dog the guest of honour.

A year later, Sarah and Danny were walking in the local park enjoying a beautiful spring day, when she spotted a man and a dog across the grass. Although he was wearing a baseball cap he looked vaguely familiar and Sarah became concerned at the way he was hauling on the lead attached to the dog. He then raised a stick and hit the dog on the back and it yelped loudly enough for her to hear it across the park. Beside her Danny growled, something she had never heard before and she looked down as he strained against his leash.

‘What is it Danny?’ She looked back at the man who was now walking in their direction with a subdued dog by his side with its head down. Danny gave an even more aggressive growl as the man lifted his head as he neared them, and Sarah recognised him.

She held onto Danny’s lead tightly as she wasn’t sure what he might do, but he just moved between her and the approaching man and dog protectively. As the man passed them he leered at her.

‘Nice dog, want to swap?’

Sarah and Danny followed the pair at a distance to the entrance to the park and saw a van with a local plumbing company logo on the side. The man opened the passenger side door and hauled the dog into the seat by its collar and turned to walk around to the driver’s side.

Unaware that he had been under surveillance for the last few minutes, he started the engine and drove away. Sarah stopped recording and put her phone away, watching as the van pulled into traffic. She headed back to the sanctuary with Danny now calmly walking beside her.

Following enquiries online, Sarah discovered that the plumbing company had a head office in the centre of town, and after she finished work that day she put Danny in the car and drove to their address. She posted an envelope through the door and then dropped off another at the local police station for the attention of the officer Parry who had brought Danny to the sanctuary.

The next day as she manned the reception desk at the sanctuary the door opened and the policeman smiled as he walked across reception.

‘I shouldn’t really be telling you this, but we arrested a suspect this morning for breaking the ban on owning an animal, and we also found in his van several items of stolen property from homes he has worked in over the last few weeks.’

Sarah nodded in satisfaction.

‘What about his dog that he was with yesterday?’

‘He has been removed and is being looked after at a vet’s clinic in the centre of town but I have recommended that he be brought to you to care for until the case comes to court. I hope that is okay with you?’

Later that afternoon a burly middle-aged man came through the front doors and approached the desk. He had a grim look on his face and Sarah reached for Danny who was sat by her side, reassured by his nearness.

‘I want to speak to Sarah; I understand that she works here?’

Not sure how this angry man had got her name, Sarah hesitated.

‘Officer Parry gave me her details and I want to talk to her.’

Feeling a little less threatened she stood up behind the counter.

‘I’m Sarah, how can I help you?’

I just wanted to let you have this.’ The man slipped an envelope across to her.

She reached for it and looked inside. There was a cheque for a thousand pounds made out to the sanctuary.

She looked up at the man who was staring down at Danny leaning against Sarah’s legs.

‘You sent photographs of the dog that had been abused and photographs of my son and his new dog yesterday.’ He looked up at Sarah. ‘Is this the dog in the first photographs?’

‘Yes, this is Danny.’

‘He told me the dog had been run over just over a year ago and I had no idea that he was capable of such things.’ Tears formed in the man’s eyes and he turned away.

‘I’m really sorry and I hope that the money will be put to good use to help other animals.’

He opened the door and turned to look at her once more before closing it behind him. Sarah could tell that he was deeply affected by the discovery of his son’s cruelty.

She looked down at Danny as he sat leaning against her leg and stroked his head. She may not be able to save them all, but at least this gentle dog’s search for a loving home was over.

©Sally Cronin 2021

 

My latest book is a poetry and short story collection – Variety is the Spice of Life.

One of the reviews for the book

Balroop Singh rated it five stars it was amazing

True to its name, this book is packed with a variety of syllabic poetry, pulling at the strings of your heart with poems like ‘Face in the Mirror,’ accompanied by a beautiful picture of the poet and her mother – a reminder of her laughter. ‘The Waltz’ captures the joy of two hearts beautifully. Cronin’s poems are short and meaningful, most of them capture vibrant colors of life. Even drought doesn’t escape her discerning eye. Robins, starlings, bees and butterflies come alive in her poems. If blossoms remind us of fleeting opportunities, bees convey a profound message of diligence and persistence. I’ve read these poems again and again – such is their appeal!

Sally’s short stories have always been my favorite, as they bring out the best of human values. I loved ‘The Healer’ and ‘Home Help’ but the winners are the marmalade cat and robin of Miss Lloyd. Cronin’s love for furry friends shines through her stories. I highly recommend this lovely collection to readers of all genres. 

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

 

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US –  Amazon UK – More reviews : Goodreads – Podcast – Sally Cronin on Soundcloud – Twitter: @sgc58

 

Thanks for dropping in today and I hope you enjoyed the story.. Sally.

 

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Weekly Round Up – August 1st – 7th 2022 – Hits 2000, Nina Simone, #Waterford, #Nutrition, Podcast, Book Reviews, Health and Humour


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

I hope you have had a great week.. The sun has been shining most days and this has meant that the last of the outside jobs on the house are well underway. Water has been a great attraction for the birds who already enjoy their outsize bathing trays that can hold a flock of starlings at one time. If there is a crow investigating ways to get into the bird feed pyramid we have built they seem to perform a synchronised Haka facing the intruder from the safety of the pool. Very entertaining and effective.

Charlie the crow is exempt from this behaviour and I do think they sense that his permanent disability of being unable to open his beak very wide makes him a non-threat. I had some double cream that had gone sour… and I know a certain someone who is very partial to a bit of dairy for some reason. I managed to catch Charlie in the act as he polished off the small tub ending up with the evidence all over his face.

Anyway they do provide plenty of entertainment through the kitchen window or if I am sitting in the sunshine. Apparently I am not a threat either and they chatter incessantly amongst themselves about the standard of the food and facilities… thank goodness they cannot access Tripadvisor.

As always my thanks to William Price King, currently on his summer break for the Breakfast Show and the life of Nina Simone. You can also find William Blog– IMPROVISATIONWilliam Price King on Tumblr

Debby Gies is back tomorrow morning with a brand new series exploring our spiritual well being.. Over on her blog you can you can enjoy her Sunday Review for Diamonds are for Now by Ruth Harris..and a lovely heartwarming tribute to her husband G’s sense of humour… head over to D.G. Kaye

Carol Taylor  was here on Wednesday with an exploration of foods and culinary terms in her terrific series A-Z of foods with the letter D. This week on her own blog you can enjoy her Monday Musings, Chicken Recipes, Green Kitchen and Saturday Snippets.. all about the word ‘Tickle’. Carol Taylor’s Weekly Round Up

Thanks too for all your visits, comments and shares this week… they mean a great deal..♥

 On with the show…

The Breakfast Show with William Price King and Sally Cronin – Chart Hits 2000s Part Two – Lone Star, Savage Garden, Anastacia, The Corrs

William Price King meets the Music Legends – Nina Simone – Part Four – The 1970s

Size Matters: The Sequel – #Morbid Obesity, #CandidaAlbicans Part Two by Sally Cronin

Alexander Defender of Men part two

Carol Taylor’s – Culinary A – Z Rewind – ‘D’ for Dates, Dragon Fruit, Drupes, Durian and Dirty Rice.

#Memoir #Waterford #Ireland #History – The Colour of Life – James the Landlord 1939 by Geoff Cronin

#Memoir #Waterford #Ireland #History – The Colour of Life – Work on a Timber Gang – 1942 by Geoff Cronin plus an audio extra

#WWII #Family – Leora’s Letters by Joy Neal Kidney

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Posts from Your Archives 2022 – ‘Potluck’ – #Family #Storytelling by Jennie Fitzkee

I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now! – Guest Round Up – Part One – Claire Fullerton, Noelle Granger, Pete Johnson, Sharon Marchisello, Jane Risdon, Balroop Singh, Pete Springer, Carol Taylor D.Wallace Peach, Sue Wickstead

#Romance #Comingofage – Hope at the Ocean’s Edge by Chantal MacDonald

#Cancer – The Winding Road: A Journey of Survival by Miriam Hurdle

Summer Book Fair 2022 – #Flash #Life Pamela S. Wight, #Thriller Simon Van der Velde

#Ireland #Music #Romance Claire Fullerton, #Poetry Elizabeth Gauffreau

#Teaching Pete Springer, #Poetry Balroop Singh

#Interview Marcia Meara and D.G. Kaye, #Bookreviewing Robbie Cheadle, Jacqui Murray, Alison Williams, #Fear Cheryl Oreglia

Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Masks and Funfair spells

Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Tech Support and Crafty Poodles

 

Thanks for dropping in today and I hope you have a wonderful week ahead… and if you have time to visit me that would be lovely… Sally.

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Weekly Round up July 25th – 31st July 2022 – Hits 2000, Nina Simone, Waterford, History, Podcast, Book Reviews, Summer Bookfair, Health and Humour


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

I hope that you have had a good week.  I know some of you are on holiday either at home or abroad and enjoying different surroundings. Hopefully not too long in the airport and reunited with your luggage. The UK is definitely in a mess in that regard and the strikes don’t help. Whilst it certainly gets the attention of the media, it seems that the only people who suffer are those ordinary citizens trying to get to work or take their families on well earned breaks. I am all for fair wages for a days work, but when a train driver is earning almost three times more than a nurse and considerably more than a fireman, it does seem a little aggresive. Whilst the leadership of the UK is in flux I suppose it is seen as an opportunity to cause as much chaos as possible.

On the home front, rain has caused a stoppage of work for the main contractor. To be honest he has painted three quarters of the outside of the house including all the window surrounds and corner stones in white and it looks amazing. I am quite happy that he has to take a break from climbing ladders after 12 days solid. There are some inside jobs that need attention so you can rest assured he won’t be wasting any time!

Thanks to my friends William Price King and Debby Gies for their music and humour contributions this week and you can find out more about them on their own sites. .

William Price King joined me on The Breakfast show this week for the second part of the hits from 1999 and for the next part of the new series about the legend Nina Simone. William is on his usual summer break until September with his family but he has left me well stocked with his selections for the Breakfast Show and also his posts on the music legends..You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr

Debby Gies is on a short break until August 8th when she returns with a brand new series exploring our spiritual well being.. Over on her blog you can you can enjoy her Sunday Review for Count the Stars by Lois Lowry,a fascinating Q&A with Denise Finn, and the perks in living in a mainly senior community.. head over to D.G. Kaye

Carol Taylor  will be here on Wednesday with an exploration of foods and culinary terms in her terrific series A-Z of foods with the letter D. This week on her own blog you can enjoy her Monday Musings, an exploration of the cuisine of the island of Dominica, storecupboard basics with the benefits of bulk buying and cooking and then freezing and her Saturday Snippets exploring the word ‘Magic’. Carol Taylor’s Weekly Round Up

Thanks too for all your visits, comments and shares this week… they mean a great deal..♥

 On with the show…

The Breakfast Show with William Price King and Sally Cronin – Chart Hits 2000s Part One – Destiny’s Child, Santana, U2, The Baha Men

Price King meets the Music Legends – Nina Simone – Part Three – 1960s and Civil Rights

-#Memoir #Waterford #Ireland 1930s – The Colour of Life – The Price Of A Habit – 1937 by Geoff Cronin

#Ireland #History – The Colour of Life – The Shop and Bakery – Family 1840s -1940s by Geoff Cronin

What’s in a Name? Volume One – Alexander – Defender of Men Part One by Sally Cronin

The Obesity epidemic – Where in the Lifestyle can we Intervene? 7 – 14 healthy diet for brain function and hormones by Sally Cronin

Size Matters: The Sequel – #Morbid Obesity, #anti-biotics,#Candida #hormones #yo-yo dieting by Sally Cronin

The new series of posts from your archives will be starting soon and so I thought I would kick the series off with one of mine.

Posts from your Archives – Why I am skipping old age and heading into my second childhood by Sally Cronin

July 2022- #Romance Jan Sikes, #Poetry Harmony Kent, #Dogs #Caravans Jacqueline Lambert, #Flash #Poetry M.J.Mallon, #Dystopian Teri Polen, #Western #Romance Sandra Cox

I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now! #Family #Writing by Judith Barrow

#Reunion Jennie Fitzkee, #Poetrystars Colleen Chesebro, #beefstew Robbie Cheadle, #Communityliving D.G. Kaye, #Raptors Cindy Knoke, #Bears Tofino Photography

New Book on the Shelves #YA #Friendship #Faith – Heroes by Design by D A Irsik

Making Your Mark | Leaving a Legacy | And then… A Grand Exit That’ll Have Their Tongues Waggin’ by Peter Davidson

#1920s #Historical Beem Weeks, #Psychological #Thriller Stevie Turner

#History #Britain Mike Biles, #Poetry Colleen M. Chesebro

#Ireland #Family Mary Crowley, #Thriller Jack Talbot

July 26th 2022 – Another Open Mic Night with author Daniel Kemp – Lottery Win and Appearances Count

Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Grammar Police and Butlers

 

Thanks very much for dropping in today and during the week… look forward to seeing you again in the coming days.  Sally.

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Weekly Round Up – June 27th – July 3rd 2022 – Chart Hits 1998, Roberta Flack, Podcast Story, #Waterford 1930s, Reviews, Guest Posts, Health and Humour


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

As well as decluttering in the house this week I have also been working through my posts and files, updating and cleaning up links.. I found a promotional video that I thought I would dust off and share on social media again.. the view has changed but the invitation is the same.

Other than that it has been a quiet week getting on with the house redecorating (my role at this point is purely supervisory lol) I just make sure the working half of the partnership is fed and watered on a regular basis.. strawberries seem to be a great motivator..

I did have a mishap this week and clearly whilst I am more than happy to lay the blame at the feet of WordPress, it is more likely I hit the wrong button. A post I was working on published and whilst I was able to delete from the automatic postings to social media of course an email notification was sent to thousands!

I have now inserted a fail safe and schedule the post for the correct date before I format. That way if anything goes wrong it won’t hit the airwaves.

I did send a notification out to all those who receive then to apologise and hope you will pop in on the 16th to read the finished post.. a heartwarming I Wish I Knew Then by Hugh Roberts.

Thanks to my friends William Price King and Debby Gies for their music and humour contributions this week and you can find out more about them on their own sites. .

William Price King joined me on The Breakfast show this week for the second part of the hits from 1997 and for the third part of the series about Roberta Flack. You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr

Debby Gies shared some great funnies earlier in the week and is taking us to The Bahamas tomorrow morning.. Over on her blog you can you can catch up with her posts including her book review for Ending Forever by Nicholas Conley, a social media rant and a surprise and an exploration of epistolary writing.. D.G. Kaye

Carol Taylor will be joining me on Wednesday with a repeat of her wonderful series A-Z of foods with the letter B. Carol is in England for a month to visit her family but has left her blog well stocked. This week a recipe for Chicken with Mango, a look ahead at July’s Friday food reviews including special food celebrations, Spices in the Larder, the cuisine of Denmark and Saturday Snippets with ‘Glory’ the theme. You can find all her posts Carol Cooks2

Thanks too for all your visits, comments and shares this week… they mean a great deal..♥

On with the show…..

Chart Hits 1998 Part One – Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Mariah Carey & Whitney Houston, Boyzone.

William Price King meets the Music Legends – Roberta Flack – 70s and 80s Collaborations

– Tales from the Irish Garden – The Royal Wedding by Sally Cronin

Memoir #Waterford #Ireland 1920s – The Colour of Life – My Grandfather’s Story 1930 by Geoff Cronin

#Ireland 1930s – The Colour of Life – The Crane by Geoff Cronin

Size Matters: The Sequel by Sally Cronin -#Obesity #Weightloss Introduction.

The Obesity epidemic – Part One – Finding a point to intervene in the life cycle

July 2nd 2022 – #Writing D.G. Kaye with Wendy Van Camp, #Review Olga Nunez Miret, #Stress David Kanigan, #Idioms Janet Morrison, #WIP Stevie Turner, #Personalities Cheryl Oreglia

#Romance #Music – Flowers and Stone by Jan Sikes

Smorgasbord Book Reviews Round Up – June 2022 – #Shortstories Stephen Geez, #Malaya Apple Gidley, Fantasy C.S. Boyack, #Thriller Simon Van de Velde, #Poetry Balroop Singh

I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now! #Equality by Noelle Granger

I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now! #Life #Loss by Staci Troilo

#Humour – Gerard Philey’s Euro-Diary: Quest for a Life by Brendan James

First in Series – #Fantasy Yvette M. Calleiro, #Fantasy Audrey Driscoll

First in Series – #Psychological Thriller Lucinda E. Clarke, #Paranormal Romance Staci Troilo

#Romance Linda Bradley, #Paranormal Thriller Mae Clair

Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Therapy Dogs and Age Memoire

June 30th 2022 – Another Open Mic Night with author Daniel Kemp – Law Suits and Pit Stops

 

Thanks very much for dropping and I hope you will join me again next week.  Sally

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Weekly Round Up – June 6th – 12th 2022 – Chart hits 1996, Puerto Rico, Phosphorus, Reviews, Poetry, Health, Podcast, Stories and Humour


Welcome to the round up of posts you might have missed during the week..

I hope you have had a good week and are enjoying the weekend. There has been some more work on the house and it is really beginning to take shape… Ironic that we will get it looking great only to pass on to someone else lol.. Anyway that is a month or so away but I am already looking at property pages in the areas we are planning to look at seriously in the coming months. I am trying to be sensible about downsizing!!!  Apart from anything else with heating oil having almost tripled in the last three months, heating a large house becomes an expensive luxury.

I am hoping that are luck with finding just the right house for us will hold, and whilst I am not looking forward to the packing up process, I am excited about finding our next home, intended to be our last. And also to finally welcome a new dog into the family, long overdue.

This week my friends William Price King, Debby Gies and Carol Taylor have given us music, sunshine and sea in Puerto Rico and wonderful recipes and I cannot thank them enough for their wonderful contributions. They are also busy on their own blogs and I hope you will head over to check them out.

William Price King joined me on The Breakfast show this week for the second part of the hits from 1996 and for the fianl part of the series about Aretha Franklin.  Next Friday a new series featuring Roberta Flack… You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr

Debby Gies took us to San Juan on Monday and found some great funnies. It was also her birthday this week… on facebook it shows up as 107.. always a talking point as she certainly does not look her age lol..Over on her blog you can you can catch up with her posts including her Sunday book review for the compelling thriller Where There’s Doubt by Terry Tyler…. D.G. Kaye

Carol Taylor joined me on Wednesday with her recipes to include sufficient phosphorus in our diets… and as always a busy week on her own blog including her Monday Musings and the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations, Store cupboard Basics, Green Kitchen Bread Rolls and strawberry stems, Saturday Snippets all about ‘Spin’. You can find all her posts Carol Cooks2

Thanks too for all your visits, comments and shares this week… they mean a great deal..♥

Coming up this week on the I Wish I Knew Then series are Sue Wickstead, Jane Risdon and Claire Fullerton.

On with the show…..

 

The Breakfast Show with William Price King and Sally Cronin – Chart Hits 1996 Part Two – The Wallflowers, Alanis Morissette, Take That, Eric Clapton

William Price King meets the Music Legends – Aretha Franklin – Greatest Hits

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – The Travel Column Rewind with D.G. Kaye – San Juan, Puerto Rico

Cook from Scratch to prevent nutritional deficiency with Sally Cronin and Carol Taylor – Phosphorus – Dairy, Poultry, Pork, Nuts, Wholegrains

Food Therapy Rewind- Make the most of Summer – Homemade #Fruit Salad and Smoothies by Sally Cronin

Chapter Sixteen – Killbilly Hotel – A promotion

Killbilly Hotel – The Opening Weekend Party

Tuesday Weekly Challenge #Colour #Etheree – Strawberries by Sally Cronin

The Royal Banquet – Preparation and Menu by Sally Cronin

 

 

#Children’s – Make Believe: Bedtime Stories for Children by Janice Spina

Advance Review – #Malaya #1950s – Have You Eaten Rice Today by Apple Gidley

#Life – I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now! by Carol Taylor

#Life – I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now! by Diana Peach

#Life – I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now! by Sharon Marchisello

First in Series – #Family Saga Judith Barrow, #Mystery N.A. Granger

#Thriller John W. Howell, #Mystery #Romance Marcia Meara

#Fantasy C.S. Boyack, #Fantasy D.Wallace Peach

Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Age and Skipping

Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Street signs and Diet Pills

 

Thank you for joining me this week and look forward to seeing you again soon  Sally.

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Weekly Round Up – May 23rd -29th – Crows, Aretha Franklin, Chart Hits 1995, Curacao, Manganese, stories, reviews, health and humour


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

I hope you are well and had a good week. It has been busy here as we continue the redecoration but the dining room is now completed and we will be moving all the furniture back in over the next couple of days. I will share some pictures next week of the before and after. Because of the comings and goings this week I did not have a chance to do the podcast but Tales from the Irish Garden will be back again next Sunday.  Instead a short story that I wrote recently as one of the new collection slowly being written and hopefully out later in the year.. It did appear earlier in the year on Allan Hudson’s blog.

Charlie Update

In the spring we rescued a crow who had probably been injured by a car and was unable to open his beak very far and appeared to have some brain damage. Whilst there might have been an option to put him to sleep humanely, we decided to see if we could rehabilitate him.  For six weeks he lived in a hutch David built and I hand fed him pureed chicken for the first few days which was messy but he seemed to get the idea. He then was able to move his beak sideways and moved on to bread and butter, tuna, enriched fat balls and other soft foods. He couldn’t fly and would fall over if he tried to walk but this too improved over the weeks until he began to flutter short distances.

He got used to drinking from the bird bath on the ground and even copied the starlings who use it as a bath several times a day.

Here he is enjoying his bread and butter

Eventually he was able to fly further and and seemed to regain his balance. He would sit and look up at the sky watching the many crows who fly around us from the neighbouring woods and he would try to launch himself up to join them. Eventually one day, he did and we didn’t see him for about a week, fearing the worst.

However, he did return and we know it is him because he still is unable to eat normally so uses the sideways movement to grasp bird seed and demolish his favourite fat balls. He loves Basmati cooked rice too. He is much smaller than the other crows and he is still a bit of a loner as I guess being disabled he may not be as accepted by the others, but we notice he is in the company of a larger crow much of the time which is great.

He knows when I put out the breakfast for the birds and is always first on the scene and when I shoo off the other crows he stays and gets on with eating but he looks over as if to say.. ‘you don’t scare me missus’.  He still enjoys the bird bath to wash down his food.

As always a thank you to the amazing contributors who share their expertise and entertain us every week.

On the blog front

This week on the series by guests are Sandra Cox, Debby Gies and Balroop Singh and I am sure you will find them as fascinating as I did..

William Price King joined me on The Breakfast show this week for the second part of the hits from 1995 and for the next part of the series on Friday featuring the legendary Aretha Franklin. You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr

Debby Gies took us on a visit to Curacao..a wondeful island.. and of course found some funnies and a video to share with us this week. Over on Debby’s blog you can enjoy a Q&A with author Jan Sikes very interesting and entertaining..Catch up with other posts in her archives D.G. Kaye

Carol Taylor joined me on Wednesday with amazing recipes to ensure that we get sufficient Manganese in our diets… and as always an informative and entertaining week on her own blog including store cupboard basics, food reviews, The Bon Bon fruit, Chicken Kebabs and her Saturday Snippets

CarolCooks2 weekly roundup… 22nd -28th May 2022-Monday Musings, Health, Food Review “Real food v Processed Food” and Saturday Snippets where “Dance” is my one word prompt.

Thank you too for the support during the week and your wonderful comments that always gives me a boost.

On with the show

Chart Hits 1995 Part Two – Tom Petty, TLC, Annie Lennox, The Rembrandts

William Price King meets the Music Legends – Aretha Franklin – The Rise to Fame.

The Travel Column Rewind with D.G. Kaye – #Caribbean Welcome to #Curacao #Lesser Antilles

Manganese – Spinach, Chicken, Tomato and Basil

#Romance, #Humour – Chapter Twelve – Advertising Sales by Sally Cronin

Chapter Thirteen – Makeover and the art of buying a car by Sally Cronin

On the Run by Sally Cronin

Colleen Chesebro’s Tuesday Weekly Challenge – #Themeprompt – #TankaProse – Useful by Sally Cronin

Main-parts-of-the-Brain-72dpi

The Dynamics of Change – Part Two – Our Mental Approach to Life by Sally Cronin

Food Therapy – #Walnuts – Not just any nut… by Sally Cronin

#Poetry – Life & Soul (Book 2 in the Soul Poetry series) by Harmony Kent

#Flashfiction – Tell Me A Story in 99 words by Annette Rochelle Aben

#Goodnews John Howell, #Steampunk Richard Dee, #Poetry Robbie Cheadle & Yvette Calleiro, #Characters Gwen Plano, #Reunion Pete Springer & Jennie Fitzkee, #Interview Marcia Meara & Mike Allegra

I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now! #Life by Terry Tyler

#Wedding – I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now! by Alex Craigie

I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now! #Letter to my younger self by Dorothy Grover-Read

– Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Vet Care and Pirates

Another Open Mic Night with author Daniel Kemp – Out of the mouths of Babes and Church Notices

 

Thank you for dropping in today and I hope you will join me again next week… Sally.

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Weekly Round up 9th- 15th May 2022 – Ella Fitzgerald, St. Thomas, Magnesium, Short Stories, Podcast, Health, Travel, Books, Reviews, Health and Humour


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

I hope you are doing well in your neck of the woods. In this one we have had some glorious weather this last week and I have taken advantage of the garden. Decorating is going well with the dining room now pearl grey and white woodwork.. Awaiting the floor to be sanded and I am off to buy new curtains during the week.

The young plants I potted a couple of weeks ago are beginning to flower and it is a bit of mystery as to the colours as I bought variety packs and in a week or two I will share the results.

On the blog front

I am delighted that I Wish I Knew Then series is being enjoyed and there are several more scheduled for the coming weeks and so grateful to those who are participating and sharing their stories. This week Jacquie Biggar, Rebecca Budd, Denise Finn and Jacqui Murray share their thoughts on the prompt.

As always I will be putting on a Summer Book Fair featuring all the authors that I have personally recommended who are on the Smorgasbord Bookshelf. In the first posts beginning in June, I will be sharing books that are the first in a series to encourage readers to start at the beginning and hopefully then read the following books. I will then continue with authors with stand alone novels, non-fiction, memoirs etc.  Look out for that from June 6th through to September.

As always I must thank these three amazing contributors as the blog would not be the same without them.

William Price King joined me on The Breakfast show this week for the second part of the hits from 1994 and for the last part of the series on Friday featuring Ella Fitzgerald. – On Friday William begins a new series about the legendary Aretha Franklin. You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr

Debby Gies took us to St. Thomas this week on the Travel Column… and on her own blog shares her thoughts on being back in Toronto after her Mexican winter break and adjusting to the solitude again, weather and how grief plays its role in her perspective on life and the future. How Am I Doing?  Head over to her blog to catch up on her posts including her Sunday Book Review D.G. Writes

Carol Taylor shared some amazing recipes this week to ensure we are getting sufficient Magnesium in our diet… on her own blog she reminds us about animals waking up after hibernation in our gardens and in particular what to and not to feed hedgehogs in her Monday Musings,

In her ‘My Kitchen Post, she shares some store cupboard basics, in her Food Review what constitutes ‘processed food’ and in Saturday Snippets her prompt is Glass.

Head over to catch up on Carol’s posts this week: CarolCooks2 weekly roundup… 8th -14th May 2022-Monday Musings, Health, Food Review “” and Saturday Snippets where “Glass” is my prompt.

Thanks to you for all the support, likes, comments and shares during the week and now on with the show….

The Breakfast Show with William Price King and Sally Cronin – Chart Hits 1994 Part Two – Celine Dion, Prince, Wet Wet Wet, Corona

William Price King meets the Jazz Icons – Ella Fitzgerald Part Five – Live Performances

The Travel Column Rewind with D.G. Kaye – #Caribbean Welcome to St. Thomas #Virgin Islands

Cook from Scratch to prevent nutritional deficiencies with Sally Cronin and Carol Taylor – Magnesium – Coleslaw, Pumpkin Seeds, Tom Yum Soup, Morning Glory

#Olive Oil…keeps your body moving by Sally Cronin

Butterfly #Cinquain – Blossom by Sally Cronin

Chapter Eight – The Steak House by Sally Cronin

Chapter Nine – Pub Landlady and Skinhead invasions

Chapter Seven – The Magic Garden comes to life by Sally Cronin

#Psychologicalthriller – Means to Deceive by Alex Craigie

I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now! by Jan Sikes

I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now! by Harmony Kent

#Western #Paranormal Mateo’s Blood Brother by Sandra Cox

#Romance – Love, Me – A Christmas Wish Novel by Jacquie Biggar

#Romance – Unbranded (Montana Bred Series 1) by Linda Bradley

Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Burgers and more Weird Facts

– Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Cures and more Weird facts

 

Thanks so much for dropping in today and for your visits and support during the week.. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and stay safe.

Smorgasbord Book Reviews – #Shortstories #Fame – Backstories by Simon Van Der Velde


Today I am sharing my review for a short story collection by Simon Van Der Velde – Backstories published by Smoke & Mirrors Press.

About the collection

Can you find the famous person hidden in every story? And once found, can you understand them?

‘Ingenious idea, brilliantly executed‘ – Daily Mirror

Backstories – ‘the stand-out most original book of the year’ – is a collection of stories each told from the point of view of one of my personal heroes, (or villains) back when they were just another Jew or black, or queer – back when they were nobody. Bullied, assaulted or psychologically abused, their road to redemption was never easy, and for some there would be no redemption, only a descent into evil.

These are the stories of people you know. The settings are mostly 60’s and 70’s UK and USA, the driving themes are inclusion and social justice – but the real key to these stories is that I withhold the protagonists’ identities. This means that your job is to find them – leading to that Eureka moment when you realise who’s mind you’ve been inhabiting for the last twenty minutes.

I should also add that this is a book that operates on two levels. Yes, there’s the game of identifying the mystery activist or actor, singer or murderer, but there is then the more serious business of trying to understand them. This in turn leads to the challenge of overlaying what you now know about these famous people onto what you thought you knew – not to mention the inherent challenge to your moral compass.

These are people you know, but not as you know them. Peel back the mask and see.

This book is dedicated to the victims of violent crime, the struggle against discrimination in all its forms and making the world a better place for our children. That is why 30% of all profits will be shared between Stop Hate UK, The North East Autism Society and Friends of the Earth. Simon Van der Velde January, 2021

My review for the collection April 23rd 2022

What a fascinating concept. We are bombarded by the details of those in the media who are the focus of the headlines. Most of the time we see what is in front of us, be it a glamorous celebrity, superstar athlete, award winning musician or even an infamous serial killer. Sometimes if a tell all biography is available we might be party to their past lives and motivations, but most of the time we never see passed the hype.

In this collection of short stories we are invited to speculate on the past lives of many of those known for their fame or infamy.  There are subtle clues inserted, with perhaps a reference to a song lyric, or a mention of a name associated with the subject of the story.

All the stories have an edge to them as they explore the reasons for a fall from grace or a rise to fame, most rooted in childhood or teenage experiences at the hands of others.They are in some cases disturbing and it is easy to accept that these could indeed be a catalyst for what comes later.

This is a brilliantly written and compelling short story collection that I can highly recommend.

Head over to read the reviews and buy the collection: Amazon UKAnd: Amazon US

About Simon Van Der Velde

Simon Van der Velde has worked variously as a barman, laborer, teacher, caterer and lawyer, as well as traveling throughout Europe and South America collecting characters for his award-winning stories. Since completing a creative writing M.A. (with distinction) in 2010, Simon’s work has won and been shortlisted for numerous awards including; The Yeovil Literary Prize, (twice), The Wasafiri New Writing Prize, The Luke Bitmead Bursary, The Frome Prize, and The Harry Bowling Prize – establishing him as one of the UK’s foremost short-story writers.

Simon now lives in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, with his wife, labradoodle and two tyrannical children.

Connect with Simon Van Der Velde: Amazon UKAnd: Amazon US – Goodreads: Simon Van Der Velde Twitter: @SimonVdVwriter

 

Thanks for dropping in today and I hope you have enjoyed the review for this collection of shortstories..

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Podcast – Tales from the Garden – Pearly Girl and the Stone Band by Sally Cronin


Over the coming weeks I will be sharing the stories from Tales from the Garden which I hope you will enjoy in audio

Tales from the Garden is a collection of short stories I wrote in tribute to our home in the mountains to the north of Madrid where we lived from 1999 to 2016. We inherited a number of statues from the previous owners that were too big to take with them, and I also found some discarded around the garden. Perfect characters for stories, some of whom moved on with us to Ireland and appeared in Tales from the Irish Garden.

About Tales from the Garden

Tales from the Garden reveals the secrets that are hidden beneath hedges and trees. You will discover what really happens at night as you sleep unaware in your bed. Stone statues and those hidden worlds within the earth are about to share their stories. The guardians who have kept the sanctuary safe for over fifty years will allow you to peek behind the scenes of this magical place. They will take you on a journey through time and expand your horizons as they transport you to the land of fairies, butterflies and lost souls who have found a home here.

In the garden were a collection consisting of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.. but with musical instruments attached which inspired this story in the collection

Pearly Girl and the Stone Band

Images ©Sally Cronin

I hope you have enjoyed the story and will join me again next week for another.

You can find out more about my books and reviews: Sally’s Books and Reviews

Smorgasbord Short Stories – Life is Like a Bowl of Cherries – #Winning Streak – The Charity Shop by Sally Cronin


As is my custom, I am serialising one of my past books here on the blog, and over the next few weeks, stories from my 2020 collection, Life is Like a Bowl of Cherries, Sometimes Bitter, Sometimes Sweet. I hope you will enjoy.

Winning Streak – The Charity Shop

Mary Jane Brown was thrifty when it came to shopping, and she dropped into the charity outlets in the high street every week in search of bargains. A keen fan of the antique shows on television, she was always on the lookout for an unexpected find; hopeful it might achieve thousands in the auction rooms.

Until now she had been lucky in so much as she had discovered a leather coat for £20 which was a little 1980s, but very smart all the same, and a handbag, which though scuffed was a very good make and only cost £10.

Today Mary Jane had a fiver burning a hole in her pocket – she had won it at the bingo session at the church hall on Friday night. Perhaps her lucky streak would continue? She popped into her favourite charity shop tucked in a side street, often overlooked by other bargain hunters. She spent a pleasant half hour browsing the book shelves and the crockery displays, hoping for a first edition or ancient Chinese bowl.

Disappointed, she was just about to leave, when she noticed a large vase by the door holding a number of umbrellas all for £1 each. It was very decorative but clearly not worth much to have been relegated to a brolly holder, but she thought it might look nice in her hall by the front door.

She went over to the desk and asked for the price for the vase, expecting it to be around £20, but was delighted when the assistant told her it was only a fiver. The chatty assistant revealed it had been brought in after a house clearance following the death of an old lady. She had stipulated in her will, that despite there being nothing of value, she hoped it would bring in a few pounds for her favourite charity.

Delighted, Mary Jane put her heavy new purchase into her supermarket bag-for-life and, wrapping her arms around the package, wondered how she would get it home. Luckily she spotted a taxi in the rank at the end of the road, and arrived home in style. She displayed the vase in the hall, adding some silk flowers she had bought a couple of weeks earlier and extremely happy with the day’s foraging, she got on with making the supper.

Over the following weeks the vase was much admired by family and friends who spotted it on their arrival, and after a few months, Mary Jane forgot it was actually there.

The local paper announced the news that the well-known antiques television show was coming to town. Mary Jane excitedly looked around the house for anything that might be of interest to the programme, and get her a few minutes on the telly. Although she knew the vase was not worth anything, it looked impressive and she decided it might at least get her in front of the appraisers before the show. She rang the number and was directed to a contact form on their website, which she completed and waited for her tickets to arrive.

Wrapping the vase carefully in bubble-wrap for the taxi ride to the event, Mary Jane looked forward to spending time watching the appraisers with other hopefuls. She had splurged out and had her hair done and paid special attention to her make-up, she also hoped she might get a few seconds on camera. It would be a great opportunity to have family and friends around when the segment aired and make a bit of a party of it.

There was a long line of people waiting to show off their treasures, and the vase was very heavy by the time she got to the head of the queue. In fact she had almost decided to abandon the quest and go and park herself on a handy bench with a cup of coffee from the mobile café, when she was invited to sit down at a table with a young man in a smart suit.

At first tongue tied, Mary Jane launched into the tale of buying the vase and how she didn’t think it was worth anything, but it was so attractive she could not resist bringing it along. The young man whose name was Alistair according to his name tag, smiled and nodded in the right places before holding his arms out for the said item. He examined the bottom of the vase and ran his fingers over the decoration, peering inside to check for damage.

Asking her to wait for a moment, he headed off to confer with an older man standing by a linen covered table. The vase was examined thoroughly again and the older man nodded.
Alistair returned and came around to Mary Jane’s side of the table.

‘Would you like to come with me Mrs Brown, our expert would like to have a word with you.’

Three months later the screening of show filmed in the town was scheduled to be aired. Mary Jane invited her two sons and their wives, her three sisters and their husbands to come around for tea followed by the screening. She had only told them she had been at the event and they might catch sight of her briefly. She wished her husband Donald could have been alive to see her moment of fame, but she hoped he would have been proud of her for putting herself forward.

Everybody sat in front of the television in the front room with added chairs taken from around the dining table. Mary Jane brought through some bottles of wine and bowls of crisps and everyone eagerly waited for the show to begin. She sat back and sipped a very nice glass of red wine her son Michael had brought with him and smiled to herself as the introductory music began to play.

After the show finished there was a stunned silence in the room and all eyes turned to look at Mary Jane, who smiled back at them.

‘How much money did he say the vase was worth again Mum?’ Michael looked ashen faced.

‘£500,000, but in fact at auction it made £900,000 as a Chinese buyer bought it for his collection.’

The room erupted with everyone trying to talk at once, until Mary Jane raised her hand in the air and shouted at them to be quiet.

‘I have given half of the proceeds to the charity shop where I bought the vase which they were thrilled about. She laughed. ‘I think they will be making more of an effort to check the worth of the items they receive in future.’

‘I have invested £200,000 in a pension fund recommended by my bank manager, which will provide for me for the rest of my life. I have some money now in the bank to pay for extras such as holidays and family celebrations.

She went around to her two sons and her sisters and handed them an envelope which they opened eagerly and gasped when they each saw a cheque for £25,000.

‘You will need to pay some tax I expect; so don’t spend it all at once!’

They all laughed and took their turns in hugging her leaving her rosy cheeked and happy.

More than anything Mary Jane felt a great sense of satisfaction at the result of her £5 investment. She felt she had honoured the memory of the original owner of the vase, provided for her family and now had plenty of cash in the bank. She was determined to enjoy life to the full, including scouring the local charity shops for more bargains.

©Sally Cronin 2020

My Books

One of the reviews for Life is Like a Bowl of Cherries

Jun 02, 2021 Colleen Chesebro rated it five stars it was amazing

Short story and poetry anthologies are all the rage now, and Sally Cronin’s “Life is Like a Bowl of Cherries” does not disappoint. This eclectic mix takes the reader through a gambit of feelings that revolve around the themes of love, loss, humor, revenge, and life’s second chances.

A few of these tales brought tears to my eyes, such as “Long Lost Love,” which tells the story of Tom and Elaine, a pregnancy, and a visit from beyond the grave. However, the poetry is as exceptional as the short stories. The butterfly cinquain, “Ritual of Mehndi,” shares a glimpse into the traditional wedding custom of painting symbols in henna on the bride’s hands.

This author is known for an empathetic approach to her writing. She writes what she senses, sharing the ups and downs of her characters with love and compassion. A true storyteller, Sally Cronin’s stories will leave you wanting more feel-good moments

Amazon: Amazon US – Amazon UK: Amazon UK – More reviews : Goodreads

My latest book is a collection of poetry and was published on July 2021

 

Thanks for dropping in today and I hope you have enjoyed the story.. I always love your feedback. Sally.