Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Weekly Round Up – 13th – 19th June 2022 – Lilies, Top hits 1997, Roberta Flack, Podcast, Poetry, Reviews, New Releases, Health and Humour

Posted on June 19, 2022 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

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

I hope that you are doing okay wherever you live. I know that certain countries in Europe and here in Ireland are experiencing an increase in Covid cases, but it seems that most people are unconcerned and have ditched their masks. Thankfully here it is a matter of choice and with us both having had Covid and not wishing to have again, I will be sticking with the mask for some time to come.

The work on the house continues, but most of the decluttering is now finished with the product of this exercise being collected on Monday. I spent some time in the garden repotting, deadheading and moving plants from front to back as they blossom. This includes one of my favourites. These lilies bloom for a few weeks only. During the winter I stack the containers containing the bulbs at the back of the house in a corner and cover. In April I set them out in the daylight and water them and here we are in the middle of June and they offer their wonderful blossoms again. They shout summer.

As always my thanks to my friends who share their expertise and fun with us each week.

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

Debby Gies takes us to St. Barts tomorrow morning and will of course be finding some funnies during the week to keep us entertained. Over on her blog you can you can catch up with her posts including her helpful June writing links and her review for Paulette Mahurin’s latest A Peaceful Village .. D.G. Kaye

Carol Taylor joins me on Wednesday with a repeat of her wonderful series A-Z of foods beginning with the lette A. Carol is in England for a month to visit her family but has left her blog well stocked. This week Monday Musings, MSG, the cuisine of The Dominican Republic, a close look at the many cooking oils available and an entertaining Saturday Snippets. 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 Pete Springer and Pete Johnson (Beetley Pete)

On with the show

Chart Hits 1997 Part One – Elton John R. Kelly, Shania Twain, Puff Daddy & Faith Evans

William Price King meets the Music Legends – Roberta Flack – The Early Years

#Humour – Chapter Eighteen – Some guests and their Foible

Chapter Nineteen – Full Circle

The Royal Visitors Arrive

Colleen Chesebro’s Tuesday Weekly Challenge – Specific Format -#TankaProse – Murmuration by Sally Cronin

Food Therapy Rewind – Pumpkin Seeds Nutrient Packed snack on the go

#Fantasy – Good Liniment (The Hat Book 5) by C.S. Boyack

#Literary #Thriller – The Silent Brother by Simon Van der Velde

#Historical #WW2 – The Peaceful Village by Paulette Mahurin

Life – I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now! ‘Dad’ by Sue Wickstead

I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now! #Writing by Jane Risdon

I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now! ‘Home’ by Claire Fullerton

#YA #Fantasy M.J. Mallon, #Romance #Military Jacquie Biggar

#Dystopian Terry Tyler, #Prehistoric Jacqui Murray

#Paranormal #Western Sandra Cox, #Sciencefiction #Mystery Richard Dee

Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Flying and Even more Weird Facts

Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Door maintenance and Miracles

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

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Weekly Round Up – May 2nd – 8th 2022 – Voice of Indie, Hits 1994, Ella Fitzgerald, Guest Posts, Short Stories, Poetry, Health and Humour

Posted on May 8, 2022 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

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

A slightly different location for this week’s round up as I am set up in the kitchen whilst our office (that is the official dining room) is given a full makeover. Because we set up our computers in there six years ago it has not been decorated as part of the renovation so a big job ahead for David. We plan to move all our dining room furniture in there and make the kitchen diner our office going forward, as we think it is important when the house goes on the market there is another fully functional reception room. So we are making progress and another job ticked off the list…

There are boxes everywhere, some already packed up to be taken away as we declutter and the next few weeks will be a bit chaotic, but it is exciting to be getting on with something we planned to do before Covid.

Apart from that, we now have a few sunny days and I am taking full advantage of the garden. Sitting in the back of the house I am treated to a revue show put on by the crows, starlings, blue tits, sparrows and the resident robin as they enjoy breakfast, lunch and high tea before they go to bed. There is a large swimming pool that is well utilised, and whilst the starlings love to get in there and splash around, the other birds often join in and it is as wild as any pool party I have ever gone to. Very entertaining and distracting, and if I sit quite still, they forget I’m there and get up close and personal.

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 Monday to share his thoughts on I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now about his love of Tap Dancing. The Breakfast show this week for the first part of the hits from 1994 and for the next part of the series on Friday featuring Ella Fitzgerald. – You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr

Debby Gies has had another busy week on her blog D.G. Writes with a book review for the latest collection of poetry by Frank Prem – The Garden Black – A post on the ending of the positive blog series Goodbye We Are The World Blogfest And a powerful poem as part of Colleen Chesebro’s weekly challenge on Women’s Rights Taste the Rainbow Senyru

Debby will be taking us to St. Thomas this week in the Travel Column...and I hope you will join us for some sunshine and sparkling blue waters.

Carol Taylor has been to Cyprus this week to explore the wonderful fusion cuisine, shares a wonderful Chicken Pasanda recipe and one for pull apart garlic bread – do not eat all on your own…a food review on Ramen Noodles and should you be eating them…Monday Musings and Saturday Snippets featuring the word ‘candle’. You can catch up with all her posts by following the link to her Weekly Round Up. Carol will be with us on Wednesday with recipes to ensure you are getting sufficient magnesium

CarolCooks2 weekly roundup… 1st -7th May 2022-Monday Musings, Health, Food Review “” and Saturday Snippets where “Candle” is my prompt.

On Wednesday I was the guest on the Voice of Indie podcast with presenters Beem Weeks and Gary “Stephen Geez” great to talk about life, books and publishing. You can listen on Blog Talk Radio Voice of Indie Episode 92 – Sally Cronin and you can comment on Twitter @VoiceOfIndie – You can also listen to the podcast and the other editions and comment on Voice of Indie Youtube episode 92 – And Spotify

If you would like to get in touch with the team Website/Blog: Beem Weeks – And: Stephen Geez

On with the show…..

Chart Hits 1994 Part One – Collective Soul, The Cranberries, Bruce Springsteen, MC Sar & The Real McCoy

William Price King meets the Jazz Icons – Ella Fitzgerald Part Four – The Collaborations

Chapter Six – Ladies Fashions and shop lifters

Chapter Seven – The Cosmetic Department

#MirrorCinguain -Storm Front by Sally Cronin Posted on May 7, 2022

Tales from the Irish Garden.. The Dapperman

#Action #Supernatural #AncientEgypt She who comes forth by Audrey Driscoll

Food Therapy – #Mushrooms – The Egyptians believed they granted immortality

I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now! by Darlene Foster

#Tapdancing by Jazz singer and composer William Price King

I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now! by Gwen M. Plano

#Life #Change – Linda’s Midlife Crisis by Toni Pike

#Poetry #Memoir – More than Coffee: Memories in Verse and Prose by Lauren Scott

#Fantasy The Prince’s Heir (The Five Kingdoms Book 4) by Deborah Jay

May 4th 2022 – #Spotlights Winona Kent with The Story Reading Ape, Marcia Meara with John W. Howell, Robbie Cheadle with Colleen Chesebro, #Poetry Elizabeth Gauffreau

Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin -Bathtub test and more Weird Facts

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

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

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Weekly Round Up -April 18th – 24th 2022 – #Contributors, Hits 1993, Podcast, Stories, Poetry, Book Reviews, health and Humour

Posted on April 24, 2022 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

Welcome to the round up of posts on Smorgasbord that you might have missed during the week…

I hope you have had a good week and thanks for dropping in here today for the catch up. On the home front decorating has gone well with David finishing the utility room which now looks very bright and cheerful with bright yellow walls and glossy white woodwork…next job is our joint office and I will be decamping to the dining room for a couple of weeks with my desktop so there will be no break in service (hopefully).

Outside I managed to get half the pot planting done before high winds blew in and delayed the other half until tomorrow. Still it is beginning to look bright and cheerful out there too.

I did capture the blossom on the tree that has appeared this week before it gets blown away…

Lots to be grateful for, including these three amazing contributors.

William Price King joined me on The Breakfast show this week for the first part of the hits from 1993 and for the second part of the series on Friday featuring Ella Fitzgerald. – You can also find William – Blog– IMPROVISATION– William Price King on Tumblr

Debby Gies caught Covid on the Friday before Easter and has had a tough week, but being the trooper she is it didn’t stop her keeping her blog up to date with her trip to Puerto Vallarta Part Two, A Q&A with talented artist Jerry Rubin, a post sharing her experience with Covid and her Sunday Book Review – Just Before Sunset by Carol Balawyder..head over to enjoy them all..D.G. Writes

Debby is back Monday morning with her Travel Column and this week it is the beautiful island of St. Kitts.

Carol Taylor has also had an amazing week on her blog and you can catch up with all the action in her weekly round up including Monday Musings.. a wonderful exploration of Chile’s cuisine.. A look at Regenerative Agriculture and her usual entertaining Saturday Snippets. Carol is with us here on Wednesday with Cooking from Scratch to ensure we are taking in sufficient amounts of Calcium.

CarolCooks2 weekly roundup… 17th -23rd April 2022-Monday Musings, A-Z World Cuisine, Chile , Food Review “Regenerative Agriculture” and Saturday Snippets where “Space” is my prompt.

As always my thanks to you for your visits, comments and sharing of posts to social media.. it is appreciated.. ♥

On with the show…..

Chart Hits 1993 Part One – Sting, Whitney Houston, Ace of Base, Haddaway

William Price King meets the Jazz Icons – Ella Fitzgerald Part Two – the 1940s -Oh Lady Be Good

Chapter Two – The Curriculum Vitae

Chapter Three: The Interview

Tales from the Irish Garden – Chapter Four – Flight to the New Land

#Historical #1920s Jazz Baby by Beem Weeks

Shortstories #Fame – Backstories by Simon Van Der Velde

Sally Cronin – Smorgasbord Blog Magazine · Smorgasbord Poetry – Dolphins By Sally Cronin

Text of poem – Double Etheree Dolphins

Apricots – no honeymoon should be without them! by Sally Cronin

I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now! by Jennie Fitzkee

I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now! by Richard Dee!

New Book on the Shelves – #YA #Dystopian The Insurgent (The Colony Series Book 2) by Teri Polen

#Historical #Biography Leora’s Dexter Stories: The Scarcity Years of the Great Depression (Leora’s Stories) by Joy Neal Kidney

#Children’s – #New – #Playtime – David’s Bin Day by Sue Wickstead

#Action #Adventure SHE Who Returns by Audrey Driscoll.

Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Horoscopes and Advertising Fails

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

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Weekly Round Up – March 28th – April 3rd 2022 – Oscars, Chart Hits 1991, Cruising, B12, Book reviews, Podcast, Humour

Posted on April 3, 2022 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

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

I hope everyone is doing well. There seems to be little change in the main headlines in the last week, apart from celebrities behaving badly which considering all that is going on in the world seems very ill advised.

I love movies and I used to look forward to the Oscars and would stay up late to watch the whole red carpet and award ceremony. The last few years however, it seems to have become a traversty of its origins, which were to honour those within the industry for their excellence.

Although I have to say that many of the fashion designers seem to be getting their own back for previous slights or insults from certain celebrities and dressing them in some appalling outfits, and no doubt charging a fortune for them.

I also think the $140,000 gift bags sent to 28 of the top nominees for Oscars did not send the right message any year let alone this one – The Academy does not send the gift bags but since it has become a tradition, they seem to condone it.

If you would like to know what the selected nominees received here is a list courtesy of CNBC.com

The most expensive item in this year’s bag is a $50,000 three-night stay at Turin Castle in Scotland, inspired by Denzel Washington’s “Best Actor” nomination for “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” Guests who accept the offer will have full access to the 17th century castle, complete with butler service and a bagpiper welcome when they arrive.

The bags also include 52 other items and experiences. Here are a few highlights:

A $12,000 “Celebrity Arms” liposuction procedure from cosmetic surgeon Dr. Thomas Su
The title of “Lord” or “Lady of Glencoe,” along with a small plot of land in Scotland
$25,000 worth of home renovations from Los Angeles-based Maison Construction
An assortment of “flavor wrapped” popcorn packages from Opopop
Up to $10,000 worth of “treatments and rejuvenation procedures” from Dr. Konstantin Vasyukevich
A $15,000 four-night stay for two at the Golden Door luxury resort and spa in Escondico, Calif.
A small batch tea gift set from Oprah-approved The Chai Box
A $1,200 life coaching session with wellness expert Kayote Joseph

Clearly many of the celebrities will not be availing themselves of all the gift items but the total worth is almost $4 million. Having said that some of the gifts require a high tolerance to pain! Perhaps some of the recipients might auction their gift bags off for a good cause!

There is a sting in the tail as those who do accept and use the gifts will have a price to pay as they are liable for tax…

Anyway… enough griping…

My thanks as always to William Price King for the music, Debby Gies who shared her excellent tips for enjoying a cruising holiday and Carol Taylor for her wonderful recipes to ensure we are getting sufficient B12 and Vitamin E.

Debby Gies has returned to the frozen north from Mexico and has shared one of the reviews from books she read on her break…

Sunday book review Flowers and Stone by Jan Sikes

Carol Taylor has had a packed week and here is the link to her round up with something for everyone…

Monday Musings, Health, A-Z World Cuisine Bulgaria , Food Substitutes and Saturday Snippets where “Bluebell” is my prompt.

On with the show…

Chart Hits 1991 Part Two – Extreme, Lenny Kravitz, Whitney Houston, Bryan Adams

William Price King meets the Music Legends – Dionne Warwick – Into the 1970s

The Travel Column Rewind with D.G. Kaye – #Cruises Part Two – Ship Tips, Deals and Dining

Cook from Scratch to prevent nutritional deficiency – Vitamin B12 combined with Vitamin E – Beef, Broccoli, Eggs, Bananas and Wholegrains

1993 – 40th, MR2, M People, Mrs Doubtfire

1994 – New Responsibilities, Toronto, family loss, Celine Dion and Four Weddings and a Funeral

Food Therapy Rewind- Beans – 12,000 years of history that we know about by Sally Cronin

-#Fantasy – A Threat from the Past (The White Dragon Saga) by Paul Cude

Book Reviews Round Up March 2022 – #Romance Jan Sikes, #Scifi Richard Dee, #Thriller Stevie Turner, #Africa Wilbur Smith, #Poetry Frank Prem, #Fantasy Paul Cude

#Spotlight Sharon Marchisello/ Marie Sinadjin, #Refugees John Howell, #Writers Gwen Plano, #Countrymusic Jan Sikes, #Peekytoecrab New Vintage Kitchen

#Fantasy – Good Liniment (The Hat Book 5) by C.S. Boyack

Share an Extract from your latest book – #YA #Fantasy – Golden Healer (The Curse of Time Book 2) by M. J. Mallon

Personal Recommendations – #Children – #Travel Darlene Foster, #Safety Miriam Hurdle, #Mystery Elizabeth Merry

Personal Recommendations -#Paranormal Jan Sikes, #Historical Ailish Sinclair, #Poetry Balroop Singh

Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Car Expenses and The Ostrich

– Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Dog owning and Clever Cats

Thanks for all your support and I hope you will join me again next week… thanks Sally.

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Weekly Round Up- 21st – 27th March 2022 – Hits 1991, Podcast, Book Reviews, Poetry, Health and Humour

Posted on March 27, 2022 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

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

A glorious week of sunshine and we have been taking full advantage of the weather to get the garden tidied and readying the pots for replanting later in the month… we have another very cold snap this week but hopefully after that the major frosts will be over.

Amazing responses by people around the world to the Ukraine crisis and there are some signs that the courageous defiance of the forces and people on the frontline, diplomacy and sanctions might bring an end to the conflict but it amazes me that one man out of over 7 billion has been allowed the power to inflict this much destruction.

John Howell celebrated wonderful people doing all they can to help refugees from the Ukraine with support, essential supplies and transport in Poland. John Howell. Good News

In other news on the homefront

One of my offline projects in recent weeks was an interesting assignment, narrating a video/slide presentation on the history of refractive eye surgery. Based on an award winning presentation from 2021 by renowned opthamologist Patrick I. Condon. I certainly found it fascinating to see some of the procedures and considering corrective eye surgery is only 200 years old it has come a long way in a short space of time.

If you are interested in watching here is the link on YouTube: The History of Refractive Surgery by Patrick I. Condon

My thanks to William Price King for joining me on The Breakfast Show and for his weekly show featuring music legends, Debby Gies for finding the funnies and this week Daniel Kemp shared his humour in an Open Mic Night.

Coming up this week Debby continues her series on cruising holidays on Monday’s Travel Column, and Carol Taylor will be here on Wednesday with Cook from Scratch to prevent Deficiency and this week it is Vitamin B12. In the meantime you can catch up with Carol’s own posts on her blog.. always interesting and entertaining.

Carol shares her weekly round up with some helpful and interesting post on Cuisine in the Bahamas, 10 common food substitutes, preparing Tom Kha Gai (Thai Chicken Soup), Monday Musings and Saturday Snippets… head over to be entertained.

CarolCooks2 weekly roundup… 20th -26th March 2022-Monday Musings, Health, A-Z World Cuisine,The Bahamas , Food Substitutes and Saturday Snippets where “Mother” is my prompt.

On with the show….

The Breakfast Show with William Price King and Sally Cronin – Chart Hits 1991 Part One – R.E.M, Bryan Adams, C&C Music Factory, Rod Stewart

– William Price King meets the Music Legends – Dionne Warwick – A hit filled 1960s and beyond

#MirrorCinquain – Fire and Water

Tales from the Garden – The Last Summer Ball and the Winter Fairy – Part Two

1991 – Perfume, Posh Bird, Diana Ross and The Commitments

1992 – Margaritas, London Docklands, Roy Orbison and The Crying Game

#Poetry #Fantasy – The Garden Black and other speculations (Free Verse Poetry) by Frank Prem

Food Therapy – Green Tea – One small leaf with terrific health benefits by Sally Cronin

Blogger Weekly 27th March 2022 – #Interview Janice Spina and Allan Hudson, #Reviews D.L. Finn, #Interview Colleen Chesebro and Elizabeth Gauffreau, #Timecapsule Jacquie Biggar, #Characters Richard Dee

Share an Extract from your latest book – #Psychological #Thriller – Scam by Stevie Turner

#Paranormal #Historical #BoerWar A Ghost and his Gold by Roberta Eaton Cheadle

New Book on the Shelves – #Family – Coming of Age – Hope for the Tarnished by Ann Chiappetta

Personal Recommendations -#Paranormal #Thriller JP Mclean, #WWII Marina Osipova, #Crime Jane Risdon

Personal Recommendations – #Psychological #Thriller Lucinda E. Clarke, #Memoir Jaye Marie, #Poetry Joyce Murphy

Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Illegible and Tennis Balls

March 24th 2022 – Another Open Mic Night with author Daniel Kemp

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

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Weekly Round Up – 14th -20th March 2022. 90s Hits, Cruise holidays, Vitamin B6, Earthquakes, New Zealand, Podcast, Poetry and Book reviews

Posted on March 20, 2022 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

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

How quickly the weeks are flying by and hard to believe the Spring Equinox is just around the corner. It should be a time of joy and new beginnings but unfortunately for millions around the world either victims of conflict or opportunistic pathogens, the day will pass without the will to celebrate.

People around the world are however, uniting in offering homes, much needed aid and support and in the news today…Daily Mail

A group of British firefighters are on their way to support firefighters in Ukraine, stocked with more than 5,000 items of fire and rescue kit. In social media footage, 22 vehicles were captured beginning their journey from London as another 22 fire engines also left Ashford, Kent, as part of a humanitarian aid campaign. The convoy of trucks will make its way into Poland, where fire engines will be able to cross the border and support firefighters in Ukraine.

Millions have been raised by not just celebrities who are donating personally or leading donation drives but ordinary people determined to do their bit. There are a number of funds set up for donations but please do check them out thoroughly before donating to confirm their status.

My thanks as always to William Price King, Debby Gies and Carol Taylor for their amazing contributions and this week William joined me on the Breakfast Show for hits from 1990 and then shared the early years of the amazing Dionne Warwick. Debby shared her top tips for planning your cruise holiday in the Travel Column and Carol cooked up a storm with ingredients containing Vitamin B6 in Cooking from Scratch to prevent Deficiency… If you missed any of Carol’s interesting and entertaining posts on her own blog…. here is the link.

CarolCooks2 weekly roundup… 13th -19th March 2022-Monday Musings, Health, A-Z World Cuisine, Belgium, Glace Cherries and Saturday Snippets where a “Heart” is my prompt.

My thanks to you for all your visits, likes, comments and shares… it is always appreciated.

On with the show

Chart Hits 1990 Part Two – Phil Collins, Aaron Neville and Linda Ronstadt, Michael Bolton, Janet Jackson

William Price King meets the Music Legends – Dionne Warwick – The Early Years

The Travel Column Rewind – with D.G. Kaye – #Cruising – Reports and Tips Part One

Sally Cronin and Carol Taylor – Cook from Scratch to prevent nutritional deficiency – Vitamin B6 – Prunes, Chicken Tagine, Sweet Potatoes

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Podcast – Tales from the Garden – The Last Summer Ball and the Winter Fairy – Part One

1989 – Houston Reunion, San Francisco, Earthquake, Guns N’ Roses, When Harry Met Sally

1990 -Advertising, Chinese Food, Family Celebrations, Elton John and Pretty Woman

Title: Russian Dancers Artist: Edgar Degas (French, Paris 1834–1917 Paris)
Date: 1899 via https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/459097

Colleen Chesebro’s Tuesday Weekly Challenge – #Etheree – Exuberance

Food Therapy Rewind – Brown Rice so much more than just a grain by Sally Cronin

#Writing Traci Kenworth, #Audiobooks #Children Robbie Cheadle, #Review Elizabeth Gauffreau, #Interview Judith Barrow, #Blogging Hugh Roberts

#Adventure #Thriller #Africa – Legacy of War – Wilbur Smith with David Churchill

#YA – Amanda in Malta: The Sleeping Lady (An Amanda Travels Adventure Book 8) by Darlene foster –

#Contemporary – Matilda Windsor Is Coming Home by Anne Goodwin

Personal Recommendations – #Thriller Jane Buckley, #Thriller Jack Talbot, #Supernatural Yvette Calleiro

Malcolm Allen – Mother substitutes and Potholes

Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Long climb and Estate Planning Posted on March 17, 2022

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

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Weekly Round Up – March 7th – 13th 2022 – Hits 1990, Mel Torme, Food Therapy, Book Reviews, Book extracts, Poetry, Personal Memories and Humour

Posted on March 13, 2022 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

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

I hope that you are all well.. I know that there is another cold front hitting the USA this weekend and also much of Europe which hopefully is the last gasp of winter. We seem to have escaped the cold thankfully but we have had all of March’s rain in the first week. Not much help for the farmers who are beginning to put their stock back out. High winds don’t help much.

All challenging but at least the majority of us are safe and not facing the daily horrors and dangers in Ukraine.

I am very grateful to only have to worry about getting my feet wet! At least the majority of the world is united in efforts to bring life saving supplies into the country and 500 metric tonnes left Ireland, mostly with volunteer drivers carrying aid this week. And in a gesture guaranteed to irritate those in powerful positions in the Russian diplomatic circles, the road where their embassy is located in Dublin is in the process of having it’s named changed to Independant Ukraine Road! Not going to look good on any snail mail to the property or on their letterheads! It has passed council approval and just waiting for the residents of the road to sign off on it.

Goodness knows what this coming week will bring but we can only hope it is a positive outcome to talks which seem to be stalled at the moment.

On a personal level…. I have been out an about this week in quite an extraordinary way…

–

The collective members of Story Empire decided to give me a surprise party on Thursday with all eleven authors posting their own feature showcasing my blog and books.. What a wild and wonderful day and extremely grateful for the generous boost.

A mega promotional blitz by Story Empire: It is not often you get a day like this!

And a thank you to the lovely Marcia Meara who not only visited every post and left individual inspiring messages, but also shared her own post on Saturday Celebration Story Empire – International Day of Awesomeness

This week William Price King joined me for the Breakfast Show and hits from the 1990s followed up on Friday when William finished the Mel Torme story. Next week the amazing Dionne Warwick and her music.

Debby Gies with help from her neighbour continues to find great funnies for Laughter is the Best Medicine and tomorrow she begins a short series as part of The Travel Column on the best way to make sure you get the most from your luxury cruise.

Carol Taylor will be here on Wednesday for our Cook from Scratch series to prevent deficiencies.. and this week it is Vitamin B6 and some wonderful recipes to make sure you are obtaining the optimum amount of this essential vitamin.

In the meantime… catch up with her own amazing posts on her blog during this last week.

Carol Taylor’s Weekly Round up -6th -12th March 2022-Monday Musings, Health, A-Z World Cuisine, Bangladesh, Eggplants and Saturday Snippets where a “Hand” is my prompt

Thanks very much for all your visits during the week and comments… very much appreciated and on with the show

The Breakfast Show with William Price King and Sally Cronin – Chart Hits 1990 Part One – Sinead O’Connor, Luther Vandross, London Beat, MC Hammer

William Price King meets the Jazz Icons – Mel Torme – The Finale

1987 – Texas Wedding – British Hurricane – Labi Siffre and Dirty Dancing

1988 – Hydraulic failure, New Zealand, Wind shear and Gold Panning.

Colleen Chesebro’s Tuesday Weekly Challenge #Rokugana – Superstitions

Podcast – Tales from the Garden – The Boy, his Dog and a Fairy Princess

Food Therapy Rewind- The Banana – Pre-Wrapped nutrient boost on the go by Sally Cronin

#Psychological #Thriller – Scam!: : An Electric Eclectic Book by Stevie Turner

#Military #Romance – Jagged Feathers (The White Rune Series Book 2) by Jan Sikes.

Childrens The Messenger Misadventures: The Dylan, Deirdre & Dougall collection (The Princelings of the East) by Jemima Pett

#Memoir – Uprooted: A New Life in the Arizona Sun by Linda Strader

Personal Recommendations -#Mystery Anne Goodwin, #Psychological #Mystery Joan Hall, #Historical Andrew Joyce

Personal Recommendations – #Historical Noelle Granger, #Mystery #Thriller Harmony Kent, #WWII #VichyFrance Paulette Mahurin

Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Happiness and Conundrums

Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Peacocks and Bilingual applicants

Thanks for all your visits and support this week and I hope you will join me again next week. Sally

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Weekly Round Up – 28th Feb – 6th March – Mel Torme, Puerto Vallarta, Vitamin B5, Aubergines, Texas, Poetry, Podcast, Book Reviews and Humour

Posted on March 6, 2022 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

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

I am sure that I don’t need to mention the ongoing conflict between Russia and the Ukraine, as it is headlines news around the world. I will however share a quote that allegedly was by Edmund Burke but is attributed to a number of other religious and political leaders over the last 100 years or so, in relation to a number of issues.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

Many good men and women are in the process of taking action and are certainly not standing by and doing nothing. This includes millions of Russian men and women who don’t support the invasion and are being made to pay the price for their views. Very brave people of all ages on both sides.

Apart from millions donating to the refugee fund, it is interesting to read this morning that westerners are booking AirBnB’s in Ukraine to the tune of £1.5million even though they know they cannot take advantage of the bookings.. their way of supporting the hosts.

On the home front, cases of Covid for Ireland are only provided for PCR tests… and don’t include those who test positive and report it. This means that there are actually around 8,000 cases a day still, which for a populaton of 5 million is still too high, and a reflection of dropping most restrictions except for masks in stores etc. The UK is seeing the increase too at nearly 45,000 a day following their drop in all restrictions. Some way to go before we can become complacent.

We have have had some lovely weather this week and when the wind dropped I was able to sit outside and read for an hour which was amazing. Seems like ages since the end of last summer and a great boost. Lovely to see all the spring flowers brightening up the garden..

As always my thanks to William Price King, Debby Gies and Carol Taylor for their amazing contributions this week and if you have missed any of Carol’s posts on her own blog this week you can find them at the following link… always terrific information and entertainment.

CarolCooks2 weekly roundup… 27th February-5th March 2022-Monday Musings, Health,A-Z World Cuisine, Brazil, Black Gold and Saturday Snippets where a slice apple becomes a human ear.

Thank you too for all your generous support during the week, it is very much appreciated…

Chart Hits 1989 Part Two – Madonna, Gladys Knight, Bette Midler, Soul II Soul

William Price King meets the Jazz Icons – Mel Torme – The 1970s and 1980s

D.G. Kaye – Puerto Vallarta, #Mexico Part Two – What to pack, Tipping, Online Guide, Excursions, Renting, Property guidelines

Sally Cronin and Carol Taylor – Cook from Scratch to prevent nutritional deficiency – Vitamin B5 – Raw Vegetables, Spring Rolls, Chicken Livers, Salmon

Memories, Music and Movies – 1985 Part Two – Medieval Fairs, Fire Ants and The Alamo

1986 – Halley’s Comet -Hawaii – Magnum PI – Top Gun

Tales from the Garden – The Goose and the Lost Boy

Chesebro’s Tuesday Weekly Challenge – #CrownCinquain – The Colour of Life

Food Therapy Rewind – Aubergines -Don’t forget to eat your purples!

#Egypt Rebecca Budd, #Reviews D.Wallace Peach, #Africa Robbie Cheadle, #Spotlight Marcia Meara, #Writers Gwen Plano, #Brazil Carol Taylor

Personal Recommendations – #Dystopian #Elderly Alex Craigie, #Shortstories D.L. Finn, #Poetry Elizabeth Gauffreau

#Childrens Sue Wickstead, #Flyingboats Jemima Pett, #Portugal Louise Ross, #Thriller Alex Craigie, #Fantasy C.S. Boyack, #Romance Linda Bradley, #Suspense Joan Hall

#Military #Romance – Jagged Feathers (The White Rune Series Book 2) by Jan Sikes

The Senior Team pass the the funnies along – Aging and Catfish

Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Splitting the Bill and Oil fires

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

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Weekly Round Up – 21st – 27th February 2022 – Hits 1984, Mel Torme, #Bulls #Houston, Reviews, Poetry, Podcast, Health and Humour

Posted on February 27, 2022 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

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

I don’t think anyone around the world will have missed this week’s headlines when Covid was eclipsed by the unfolding battle for the Ukraine. The courage and patriotism of the people and their president is astounding and they deserve all the support the rest of the world can provide.

It certainly makes the storms we have been facing over the last three weeks simply weather, and mother nature reminding us that we cannot contol everything in our world. But there is no malice, greed or hatred which is the dubious perogative of human nature.

Book Promotion.

Delighted to have had some lovely extracts for this new series beginnning in March and here is a reminder of how you can give your most recent book a plug by sharing a 500 word extract… All the details are in the post link below.. Look foward to hearing from you.

Share an extract from your most recent book published within the last twelve months

As always my thanks to William Price King and Debby Gies for sharing their music and humour with us this week.. Debby is back on Monday with her travel column which is part two of Puerto Vallarta, William is here Tuesday for the Breakfast Show and Friday with the final part of the Mel Torme story.

Carol Taylor is here on Wednesday with our column, cook from scratch to prevent deficiency. This week it is Vitamin B5. If you have missed any of Carol’s post on her own blog this week you can catch up in her round up.

Australian Cuisine, Porcini Mushrooms, Home cooked rotisserie Chicken, and Saturday Snippets all about tongues.

On with the show…..

The Breakfast Show with William Price King and Sally Cronin – Chart Hits 1989 Part One – Simply Red, Janet Jackson, The Bangles, Cher

– William Price King meets the Jazz Icons – Mel Torme – The 1960s

Tales from the Garden – Little Girl Lost

1984 – A Year of Two Halves – Tring and USA Opportunity

1985 Part One – Houston Arrival, TGI Friday’s, New Apartment, New Friends

Chesebro’s Tuesday Weekly Challenge – Butterfly Cinquain – Metamorphasis

Food Therapy Rewind – The pungent defenders Onions and Garlic

#Contemporary #Romance – Maggie’s Way by Linda Bradley

#Suspense #Thriller Cold Dark Night: Legends of Madeira by Joan Hall

#Mystery #Crime #Family – Brother of Interest by Karina Bartow

New Book on the Shelves #Preorder #Crime – Twisted Vendetta (Foxy Mysteries Book 4) by Fiona Tarr

Personal Recommendations – #Poetry Annette Rochelle Aben, #Family Sagas Judith Barrow, #Fantasy Richard Dee

Personal Recommendations – #Thriller Mark Bierman, #Family Lisette Brodey, #UrbanFantasy Mae Clair

Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Sinatra and Dentists

– Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Driving and a moral story

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

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Weekly Round Up – February 7th – 13th 2022 – Computers, Interviews, Hits 1988, Mel Torme, Shortstories, Book Reviews, Health and Humour.

Posted on February 13, 2022 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

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

I hope you have had a good week. The world stage has certainly been dramatic with political upheavals and threats which makes you wonder just how much progress we have made towards building a peaceful and productive future for all of us. Along with the misbehaviour of sports personalities and celebrities it is becoming increasingly difficult to find something positive to read.

Thank goodness for bloggers with their creative, informative and often entertaining approach to life and I am reminded on a daily basis that in fact there are billions of really good people in the world who should be the subject of the media’s attention, rather than the motley crew supposedly in charge of us all.

Yesterday I noticed that I was not able to access my photo index and I have learnt that when I seem to have even a small technical problem I tell David right away. Just as well I did as it turned out my hard disk was crashing. He spent the rest of the day moving computers around so I could use another. Thankfully we back up regularly so very little data lost but it could have been a great deal worse… so do back up your work regularly to an external drive, especially if you are half way through your next novel!

I have also been out and about this week virtually.

I was delighted this week to be the guest of author and podcaster Louise Ross to chat about my nomadic life of travel and adventures. Here is the link to the podcast with a transcript of the interview: Interview Sally Cronin Nomadic Life and Weight Loss

There are also other places to listen including on Youtube where you can subscribe to Louise’s channel and leave your comments. Louise Ross Interview Sally Cronin Youtube

As you will see later in the round up I have reviewed one of Louise’s books Women Who Walk which I can highly recommend.

As alway my thanks to William Price King for sharing his love of music with us, and Debby Gies for her wonderful funnies foraging.. Debby is back tomorrow with the Travel Column and a look at Puerto Vallarta where she is currently enjoying a winter sun break… and on Wednesday Carol Taylor will be with us with delicious recipes to ensure we are getting sufficient Vitamin B3.