Thursday, 6 December 2018

Book Feature: DARKER DAYS by Kenneth W Cain

Darker Days by Kenneth W Cain, speculative fiction, horror fiction
Pre-order link: http://mybook.to/darkerdays

Synopsis:
Now that you’ve warmed by the embers, submerse in darker days.
The author of the short story collections These Old TalesFresh Cut Talesand Embers presents Darker Days: A Collection of Dark FictionIn his youth Cain developed a sense of wonderment owed in part to TV shows like The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, One Step Beyond and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Now Cain seeks the same dark overtones in his writing.
There’s a little something for every reader within this collection. These 26 short speculative stories arise from a void, escaping shadows that ebb and weave through minds like worms, planting the larvae that live just under the skin, thriving upon fear. These are Cain’s darker days.
In this collection, Cain features stories from the Old West, of past lives and future days, the living and the dead, new and unique monsters as well as fresh takes on those of lore. Once more he tackles themes of loss and grief and the afterlife, always exploring the greater unknown. In “The Sanguine Wars,” Cain takes us to a future where soldiers are made to endure the horrors of war. He explores the complexities of global warming and what lengths men and women alike sink to in “The Reassignment Project.” And, as often is the case, he ends on a lighter note, with “Lenny’s New Eyes” and “A Very Different Sort of Apocalypse.”
When the darkness comes, embrace it. Let it wrap you up in cold. Don’t worry, it’s not your time…yet.

INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING STORIES:

  • “A Ring For His Own”
  • “Heirloom”
  • “Rust Colored Rain”
  • “Prey”
  • “Passing Time”
  • “What Mama Needs”
  • “My Brother Bit Your Honor Roll Student”
  • “Outcasts: The Sick and Dying 1 – Henry Wentworth”
  • “The Sanguine Wars”
  • “The Hunted”
  • “Her Living Corals”
  • “Puppet Strings”
  • “The Trying of Master William”
  • “By The Crescent Moon”
  • “Mantid”
  • “The Underside of Time and Space”
  • “Outcasts: The Sick and Dying 2 – Gemma Nyle”
  • “The Griffon”
  • “Adaptable”
  • “When They Come”
  • “The Reassignment Project”
  • “Presage”
  • “One Hopeless Night by a Clan Fire”
  • “Lenny’s New Eyes”
  • “Outcasts: The Sick and Dying 3 – Anna Kilpatrick”
  • “A Very Different Sort of Apocalypse”
Blurbs:

“Wildly varied and always surprising, Darker Days is a fantastic collection of dark wonders. Cain is a gifted storyteller and a writer to watch.”  Jonathan Janz

“I’ve said before that the way to assess the health of a genre is to look at the number of excellent young writers it attracts. There is a new wave of excellent writers showing up in Horror. Kenneth W. Cain is one of these very good writers. His prose is precise, his plotting and pace move seamlessly and quickly, and his stories are compelling. Darker Days is a good example of some of his best work—highly recommended.” — Gene O’Neill, The White Plague Chronicles

“A feast for the senses no matter your tastes! Kenneth W. Cain does it again with Darker Days: A Collection of Dark Fiction.” — Rena Mason, Bram Stoker Award® winning author of The Evolutionist and East End Girls

Darker Days, the latest collection of short stories by Kenneth W. Cain, delivers on its title’s promise. From the very first story readers are dragged into seemingly ordinary situations that serve as cover for dark secrets. Ranging from subtle horror to downright terror, from science fiction to weird fantasy, Cain demonstrates a breadth of styles that keeps you off balance as you move from one story to the next. There is something for everyone in this collection—as long as you don’t want to sleep at night!” — JG Faherty, author of The CureCarnival of Fear, and The Burning Time

Kenneth W. Cain is the author of four novels, four short story collections, four novellas, and several children’s books among his body of work. He is the editor for Crystal Lake Publishing’s Tales From The Lake Volume 5 and When the Clock Strikes 13. The winner of the 2017 Silver Hammer Award, Cain is an Active member of the horror Writers Association, as well as a volunteer for the membership committee and chair of the Pennsylvania chapter.  Cain resides in Chester County, Pennsylvania with his wife and two children.



Monday, 29 October 2018

Book Feature: TALES FROM THE LAKE - Volume 5 (pre-order)

“If you’re a short story reader, this is an absolute must-read. Volume five is even better than the four preceding volumes, which is a very hard bar to hit. Go buy this!” — John R. Little, author of The Memory TreeMiranda, and Soul Mates

😱 PRE-ORDER LINK: http://mybook.to/Lake5

The Legend Continues…
In the spirit of popular Dark Fiction and Horror anthologies such as Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories and Behold: Oddities, Curiosities and Undefinable Wonders, and the best of Stephen King’s short fiction, comes Crystal Lake Publishing’s Tales from The Lake anthologies.
Where are the real horrors? Whether they be a family member returning from the dead, exploring the depths of depression or the deterioration of the mind, you’ll find them here.
This anthology contains twenty-two tales and three poems to elicit unexpected emotions, to bring you into the story. Welcome to my lake, where dreams really do come true…
As nightmares!
😱 PRE-ORDER LINK: http://mybook.to/Lake5
This fifth volume of speculative fiction contains:
Poetry:
  • “From the Mouths of Plague-Mongers” by Stephanie M. Wytovich – A wonderful look at our world and the cruel reality of it all.
  • “Malign and Chronic Recreation” by Bruce Boston – Where Internet addiction meets sexual addiction.
  • “Final Passage” by Bruce Boston – A breakdown of mental acuity as it leads to the inevitability of death.
Short stories:
  • “Always After Three” by Gemma Files – A young couple discovers that in a downtown condo you almost never know who your neighbours are, or what they might be doing.
  • “In the Family” by Lucy A. Snyder – A former child actress reveals dark family secrets to her long-lost niece.
  • “Voices Like Barbed Wire” by Tim Waggoner – Sometimes forgetting is more painful than remembering.
  • “The Flutter of Silent Wings” by Gene O’Neill – A heartbreaking tribute to a Shirley Jackson classic.
  • “Guardian” by Paul Michael Anderson – Even creatures beyond time and space need friendship.
  • “Farewell Valencia” by Craig Wallwork – When you’ve got no reason to live, there’s a hotel that can give you every reason to die. So book in, unpack, and prepare to be checked out, forever.
  • “A Dream Most Ancient and Alone” by Allison Pang – A lake mermaid with a penchant for eating children forms a tenuous friendship with an abused girl trying to escape her past.
  • “The Monster Told Me To” by Stephanie M. Wytovich – In order for Bria to deal with her past, she must confront the ghosts of her present.
  • “Dead Bodies Don’t Scream” by Michelle Ann King – If the universe won’t give her a miracle, Allie will make one for herself. But dark magic has a price, and paying it is going to hurt.
  • “The Boy” by Cory Cone – Grief-stricken from the sudden loss of her husband, a young woman fears she may lose her son as well, if she hasn’t already.
  • “Starve a Fever” by Jonah Buck – Fleeing down a bayou highway with a sick criminal in the backseat, a getaway driver must sate his passenger’s horrifying needs while evading the police.
  • “Umbilicus” by Lucy Taylor – A father becomes involved in a scheme to rescue a friend’s lost son—with terrifying results.
  • “Nonpareil” by Laura Blackwell – Maisie’s wedding cake business needs every client it can get—especially rich ones—but between the groom’s unpleasant family and the mysterious bride’s strange requests, Maisie has a tough job baking a cake that will please everyone.
  • “The Midland Hotel” by Marge Simon – If walls of a hotel could talk is one thing, but what if it happens to be a sentient collector of souls?
  • “The Weeds and the Wildness Yet” by Robert Stahl – Still reeling over the sudden death of his wife, Charlie stumbles across a mysterious object at a yard sale—a monkey’s paw, like the one in the legendary story. Despite the terrible events that befall that fictional family, he can’t help but want to give it a try.
  • “The Color of Loss and Love” by Jason Sizemore – A couple set out to rescue an unfamiliar couple, only to face an airborne disease that overtook the world.
  • “The Loudest Silence” by Meghan Arcuri – A woman is trapped by her worst enemy: her mind.
  • “The Followers” by Peter Mark May – The Followers are slow, but they never tire. Nor do they or have to stop to drink, eat or sleep like us living. They are on a relentless death march and we are only delaying the inevitable.
  • “A Bathtub at the End of the World” by Lane Waldman – A little girl plays with her toys in a locked bathroom. Everything is fine, except for the zombies outside.
  • “Twelve by Noon” by Joanna Parypinski – An old farmer goes about his routine tending to the nine scarecrows that preside over his field, when three college student show up and cause a strange disturbance.
  • “Hollow Skulls” by Samuel Marzioli – When Orson’s son is born, the memory of a tragedy creeps back into his life, threatening his very sanity.
  • “Maggie” by Andi Rawson – An intense, disturbing relationship between love and murder is exposed.
With an introduction by editor Kenneth W. Cain. Cover art by Ben Baldwin. Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing – Tales from The Darkest Depths.
😱 PRE-ORDER LINK: http://mybook.to/Lake5


Sunday, 28 October 2018

The Life of a Writer, and Blogger

www.NaNoWriMo.org
November is almost upon us, and in that month I hide in my writing cave, aka my study, to take part in the writing challenge more affectionately know as NaNoWriMo.
Tomorrow there is a book feature post, if you crave the adrenalin rush of being scared (horror fiction), and be sure to get a copy. These authors don't pull any punches, guaranteed!

If horror is not your thing, so much, you can read a few short stories I wrote in the Writers Write 12 Short Stories Challenge so far this year. Varied prompts, varied story lengths and a mix of genres. I took the challenge to stretch my creative wings in this challenge. I hope you will find something you will like too.


If you prefer something a bit more real, my other blog might interest you. Why not have a look?

Enjoy the break, and if you are writing along with the rest of 300 000+ Wrimos in November, all the best to you.

Until December!
💜✒️🙋‍♀️ Linzé

Saturday, 27 October 2018

Cover Reveal: THE HIDDEN CHILDREN by Reshma K. Barshikar

~ Cover Reveal ~
The Hidden Children (The Lost Grimoire #1)
by Reshma K. Barshikar


What price would you pay to be extraordinary? What would you do to speak to a butterfly? 

Shayamukthy cruises through life: shooting hoops, daydreaming and listening to her favourite books. Even moving from the US to India, to a new school, a new culture, hasn't really rattled her. But something isn't right anymore and it begins when 'New Girl' joins the school. 

She pulls Shui into a world of magic and wonderment, a world she has been hidden from all her life. What starts as a quest to look for a lost book, hurtles Shui into a world where people live in trees, talk to the dead and speak to butterflies. 

But like all power, magic comes at a steep price, and under all things wondrous lie demons waiting to crawl out. The more Shui learns, the more she doubts everything and everyone around her.   

Will she be able to master her powers, or will they devour her and everyone she loves? 


Releasing on 10th November

About the Author:

Travel writer and novelist Reshma K Barshikar is
an erstwhile Investment Banker who, as she tells it, ‘fell down a rabbit hole
and discovered a world outside a fluorescent cubicle.’ As a travel and features
writer, she contributes to National Geographic Traveller, Harper’s Bazaar,
Grazia, The Sunday Guardian, SilverKris, The Mint Lounge and The Hindu. Fade
Into Red, published by Random House India was her debut novel and featured in
Amazon Top 10 Bestsellers. She also holds well renowned workshops for young
adults at both BDL Museum and Kala Ghoda and is keen to build a strong Young
Adult reading and writing community to fill the desperate lack of young adult fiction
in the Indian Market. Her new Young Adult novel, The Hidden Children, will be
launching at the Vizag Junior Literary Festival. Reshma is from the ISB Class
of 2003. She calls both Mumbai and the Nilgiris home. 


Contact the Author:

Website I Facebook I Twitter I Goodreads






Sunday, 21 October 2018

It's purple people, everywhere you look!

Drawing of Jacaranda tree with dog, copyright protected
Art by Linzé
Yes, October is the month for exams, the start of our rainy season, and the blooming Jacaranda trees. Last week I talked about all the trees we saw driving around our city (shopping for a couch, not to look at trees) but this week the scenery is a little different. It rained the past two days, hard, and the result is that those purple flowers now adorn the sidewalks and roads. There is still an abundance of flowers on the trees, but the purple carpets now extend the sheer volume of purple to double of what it was last week. Gorgeous!
Speaking of exams, I handed in my last assignment on my Training and Development Management short course this past week. After three months of studying and doing homework assignments, I suddenly felt at a loss of what to do with my time! A really odd sensation for me. But after two days of procrastinating (writing projects), reading a bit, and editing a lot, I finally got stuck in on finishing a craft project and doing the drawing of a Jacaranda tree.
With my artistic self-satisfied for a bit, the coming week will be spent on doing some research for my next non-fiction book.
I emailed the journal book manuscript, Take your Journal to the Next Level, to my editor on Friday. If everything works out (still not sure on what I want to do for the cover design), it will be ready for publication in January 2019. Watch this space if you are a journal writer, or are interested in starting the practice.
Since purple is the colour of creativity (and one of my favourites), I already feel inspired to tackle this week.
May yours be purple too!
💜 Linzé


Sunday, 14 October 2018

Living in the Jacaranda City

Today we went to breakfast in the Brooklyn Mall, then we we drove to a place in East Lynne (they were closed), then via Queenswood and Colbyn onto the N4 highway to a camping and outdoor store. After a bit of shopping we followed Lynnwood Road to Lynnwood Bridge Mall for a coffee stop over before heading home again. Quite a roundtrip through our beautiful city.
Lots of blooming Jacarandas - all over the city!
(pictures taken with Linzé's iPhone)

Although Pretoria is known as the Jacaranda city, it is a fact that Johannesburg has more Jacaranda trees. But in my (not so) humble opinion, our city is prettier especially in October with all the splashes of purple to brighten up the rainy day.

Speaking of purple, our mulberry tree is bursting with berries since the rain started. And I am off to gather some more fruit for the freezer to do some delicious things when I will have a little more time in December.

Until next time!
💜💜💜Linzé

Sunday, 7 October 2018

I found a tree!

  Well, technically the tree has been in our garden since we moved in thirteen years ago, but it has never produced any fruit until this year.
photograph, white mulberries, morus alba tree
White Mulberries in my garden
  I found the evidence as purple bird droppings on our driveway, but the origin of the evidence baffled me until yesterday. I found the tree. It has been years, literally since I have had the pleasure of eating mulberries. Well, eating would be an understatement. We gulped them down by the handfuls when we were kids, my brother and I, and then had to spend hours trying to get the purple washed from our hands and faces.
  This particular tree, I think, is a white mulberry but it can also be a bastardised black mulberry. I am no expert however.
  I love the smell of the tree when I stand under it. Then again the close proximity of the yesterday, today and tomorrow bush could definitely have an influence on my olfactory experience.
Mulberries
  But I do know, the fruits are lovely and sweet. I already picked several handfuls today. Some I kept for my lunchbox tomorrow, and the rest went into the freezer after a thorough rinse.
I plan to use the frozen berries to make smoothies, ice cream, and sauces for ice creams and other desserts. I can hardly wait to gather some more tomorrow, even though I can only reach about 10% of the crop because of the size of the tree.
  Oh well, the birds do seem to enjoy the delicious berries almost as much as I do.

Next time I will tell you about my new writing buddy, Jack.
Until then, take care!

💜💜 Linzé


Sunday, 30 September 2018

Two months to go...

This is my year of becoming 50 years of age. In two months I will achieve that milestone, if milestone is in fact the correct word.
As I ponder this year so far, I also like to think about what I have achieved thus far. Overall, I have to say it has been a busy year. Busyness is however not an indication of any success, I am sure you agree. On that point I like to track my progress of my goals, and aside from a record, these graphs also serve as motivation for me to keep going.
Linzé's Word Count Target for 2018
This past week I also managed to finish the first draft of my book, Take Your Journal to the Next Level. I am editing it this coming week. If you are following my blog you will know that editing is an activity that I don't particularly like, but I have to say that it is much less of a chore when it comes to non-fiction books.
Tracking my exercise goals in 2018
I have also received the Adobe InDesign file of my first non-fiction book, Negotiating the Maze - from self-published writer to successful authorpreneur, from the publisher of the print book. I now have to fix a few things in the file (I still have to learn how to do that) to prepare it for ebook publication with PublishDrive. I am looking forward to have it available again in ebook format.
With my course's assignment done, I now have a day to relax before I have to tackle the coursework of Module 8. It will be a challenge since Stoic Week also starts tomorrow. Challenging times indeed, but I look forward to every moment.
Until next time! Keep one eye on your goals, but focus on the present to do what you need to do to get there.
💜 Linzé

Sunday, 23 September 2018

I still hate ironing

Happy vernal/autumnal equinox day!
I remembered that I wrote a story about this a few years ago. You can read it for free on Wattpad.

This week my homework assignment prompted a few hours of thinking about my course about to start in October. Yes, it will still go ahead as planned, so book your place super quick, there are only 10 spots available.
My thoughts centred around the possibility of a second book, but I am not yet sure if it will happen.
Since it is now officially spring around here, we are hopeful that we will have rain soon. It is so dusty that the sky is not even blue anymore. The haziness of all the dust in the air reminds me of smog, and Pretoria isn't that kind of city. Until this week it would seem.
With my course, and the book, my chores have been piling up. Good thing that tomorrow is a public holiday, Heritage Day. Although most people refer to it as Braai Day, because we dig out the barbies to braai in celebration of summer. Cooking over a fire is the second most popular sport in this country (after rugby that is) and even a vegetarian like myself can enjoy food prepared this way.
And on that note, I need to see what I can find in the freezer and attempt some dent in that pile of laundry to be ironed.

Until next time, keep the good times rolling!
🙋‍♀️ Linzé

Monday, 17 September 2018

Keeping up...with me

Photo Hannah Olinger on Unsplash
How hard can it be to be an adult? Apparently harder than I sometimes tell myself. Read about that life lesson here.

Writing, studying, working, exercising, and a change of diet all together tends to keep me pretty busy. I took a leaf out of my current writing project, Take Your Journal to the Next Level, and restarted using a Bullet Journal. I have used it before, but I made a simple mistake which I now fixed: I am using a separate notebook.

In the past I used my normal journal to add the bujo activities, but it wasn't effective. Two weeks ago I dug out a blank journal out of my cupboard and have been using it with much greater success. I changed the format slightly to suit me, but that is just one of the benefits of the simple planner style-it is adaptable.

All the things I need to do are now in one place, and I can better see what I will have time for - yes, priorities. It helps to prioritise my study hours for the week, and when to work on my assignments so I can hand in early, leaving me more time to work on the book mentioned above. With better planning, I can make better progress, while studying. As it stands the first draft is now 75% complete, and I am back on schedule.
Go bujo!
If you are a journal writer stuck in a rut, or want to start a keeping journal, or just want to experiment with different styles of journal writing, then I want your input.
If you live in Pretoria, South Africa, and would like to learn more about journal writing, contact me to get your name on a mailing list for a course that will start in October.
If you are not living in my home city and still want to learn more about journal writing, you too can pop me an email to be a beta reader for Take Your Journal to the Next Level.

And since I have now committed myself to finishing the book by October, I better get back to it.

Wishing you a terrific week!
💜 Linzé

Tuesday, 4 September 2018

Interview with... Dan Weatherer

The Dead Stage by Dan Weatherer, non-fiction book cover
Linzé: This week I am privileged to have a playwright on the Broomstick and he is telling us about his upcoming book.
The Dead Stage – the period of time between completing the working draft of a stage play and placing it with an interested party.”- Dan Weatherer

Dan Weatherer, an author turned playwright, learned quickly that there are practices playwrights can implement to dramatically increase the appeal of their work.
Inside, you’ll find advice that will enable you to better tailor your work to the needs of the theatre industry, without having to compromise on style, content or subject matter. Dan discusses his early mistakes, and presents the advice of notable theatre professionals including the award-winning playwright, Deborah McAndrew, noted actor Matthew Spence, and London Horror Festival producer, Kate Danbury (along with many, many more!).

You’ll also be able to read several of Dan’s completed stage plays, which are presented in a preferred industry format, and often contain side-notes detailing the success (and failures) of said pieces.
From budgets to set design, run-time to cast size, if you ever felt the desire to write for the stage, following the advice presented in this book will help improve your chances of pairing your script with an interested party, hopefully making The Dead Stage pass almost unnoticed.

Brought to you by Crystal Lake Publishing – Tales from The Darkest Depths.


Dan Weatherer
Interview with the author:

What makes this non-fiction book so special?
“Placing a stage play with a theatre company is (in my experience) more difficult than placing a book with a publisher. Open theatre calls are highly competitive, seeing hundreds of entries for a call that can possibly stage only three or four pieces. Quality of work is no longer enough to guarantee consideration for performance.
The tips and advice contained in The Dead Stage allowed me to build an impressive portfolio of theatre work in a relatively short space of time. I believe it is important to share experiences if they may be able to help others achieve success.”

Tell us more about why you wanted to write this guide.
“Throughout my career, I have worked to create opportunities for others, believing it is better to be a small fish in a thriving ocean, rather than a big fish in a stagnant pond.
This book is about sharing my experiences and mistakes, in the hope that I can help others avoid the pitfalls that I fell into.
Theatre, more than any other medium, is a tough industry to break into. Every piece a playwright will write will always be in competition with work from the greatest playwrights of all time. Theatre is a business: seats need to be sold in order to keep theatres running, and so often established pieces are booked instead of the work of what many might term the ‘New Writing’. This is because they are considered safe bookings, and the theatre will, in most instances, not lose money. New writing is considered a risk. Usually, theatres set aside a budget for new writing, but this is often small and tightly contested.
But theatre needs new voices and there are theatre companies willing to give new writing a chance. This book is my way of saying that yes, it is possible to see your work performed on stage, no matter your previous experience in the theatre industry.”
If you have a passing interest in the theatre industry, either as a playwright, director, producer, actor or working behind the scenes, then this book is for you. It includes insights and advice from an array of professionals working at all levels of the industry today. Their advice helped me see my work performed on stage, now it’s their turn to help you.”

The book is due for release in October 2018. We will update you closer to the date for a pre-order link.

Thank you, Dan. We are looking forward to another excellent book from the Crystal Lake stable.
~Linzé

Sunday, 2 September 2018

Coursework, writing, blogging and life

Photo by Emily Rudolph on Unsplash
I was a bit quiet this week, and not entirely of my own doing. I am doing an online course in Training and Development Management and the homework this past week was a bit more challenging and required more of my time. It is one of those things that you cannot just email the lecturer and tell him: "Sorry, I need more time because my blogs required my attention."
But I have a sneak preview of a new book for you on Tuesday, an interview with author and playwright Dan Weatherer where he reveals the story behind his upcoming book, The Dead Stage.
If you are an author or working on your first book, make sure you bookmark the post, because I will give you a pre-order link very soon.
Speaking of books, I have not only been studying, and the first draft of my next book, Take Your Journal to the Next Level is now at 69% complete. If you are a journal writer, and you live in Pretoria keep a lookout for the Facebook invitation to take part in a special project involving this book. But I am not going to reveal all the details yet.
Another exciting thing that is in the making is the republication of Negotiating the Maze - from self-published writer to successful authorpreneur. The ebook was withdrawn after Pronoun went under, but I have found a new publisher and hope to tell you the good news on where to find the ebook again very soon.
The paperback book is still available for South Africans if you want a signed copy.
The library indie book fair will take place again in November, and my place is secured. But more on that closer to the date.
Enough of all the exciting things going on right now. I have a book to write and more coursework coming in the week ahead.
Until next time!

Linzé
PS: I have another blog about life, wellness and life coaching. Take a look here.

Sunday, 26 August 2018

Books, and all things life...of sorts

I had a run in with my garage door opener on Friday. It wasn't pretty. When I was ready to go to work, the door didn't open. Stuck, I decided to take leave for the day and do other stuff. Several hours later, I got that incredibly jittery feeling of being trapped. Not literally, but not being able to just get in the car and go somewhere, makes me feel that way.
So there I was trying to figure out how to do this. Of course, I knew what to do, but the problem was getting it done. Disengaging the motor drive was a challenge (because I refuse to get on a ladder) but I finally managed to stretch at just the right angle to reach it.
Here comes the not so pretty part. I had to lift the wooden door by hand. Given the angle and space, I had to work with, I was glad I was alone in that garage. I managed to lift it just enough so I could go outside (via Francois' garage door), stick my fingers underneath and then haul that load up.
The door is still damn heavy, but I was sure grateful for all those weights my personal trainer had me lifting these past eight months.
Door open I had now to try and get it closed again; otherwise I couldn't leave. Back to the same problem, the car was now outside, but the door now had to be closed again. But luckily the empty space was sufficient to get the door in the right position. I tried again to engage the motor drive, and thank goodness it locked the gear and closed by itself.
If any of my neighbours saw my efforts, they would probably have been laughing their butts off or popped over in a second to come and help. Since I managed, I went off to refuel the car and get a few things for home.
And the new book, Take Your Journal to the Next Level, is making good progress too. According to my project plan, the first draft is now 64% complete.
Something that makes me motivated to keep going, that's for sure.

Until next time!
💜  Linzé
PS: There are more book features coming soon!

Monday, 13 August 2018

Follow Me: A long weekend - Part 2

Friday, 10 August 2018

The fog was the consistency of milk soup this morning. I would say denser than yesterday's even.
Driving in the fog
We went to the Wheelbarrow for breakfast this morning. Amazingly enough, I remembered this place from way before. It has a lovely nursery, and the gardens give you a tropical forest feel when you walk through the gardens. They have all these nooks and crannies which are lovely, and secretive(?), to explore.
Do you know what these blue flowers are called? Please leave your answer in the comments, since I have never seen anything like it before and am curious to know.
At least the waiter knew what an Americano was. If memory serves, we still had to explain that style of coffee the last time we were here. But the breakfast was nice, and the coffee good too.
Now we are off to our next adventure, and I am grateful that the sun came out to burn away the fog. We saw too many drivers being irresponsible in the almost zero visibility conditions on the road.
It is 12h27, and we are having lunch at the Eatery in Haenertsburg.
After breakfast, we went into the forest looking for old trees. As in more 100 years old, but we didn't find them. Somewhat tricky to spot very tall trees amongst a lot of other tall trees. Maybe next time.
The entrance to the
"secret nook"
@ The Wheelbarrow
We did see lots of pine trees, masses of them. Okay, they were planted for their wood, so the truck filled with huge logs that drove past should have been my cue. And we also saw blue gum trees. They were huge. When I stood next to one looking up and up towards its crown, I felt slightly sick when I did. Motion sickness kicking in perhaps?
All the off-road driving brought some beautiful scenery too, and real motion sickness for me. That was rather yuck. I told Francois to stop so I could get out and interact with the ground on my own feet. While I sipped a little water, he turned the car around, and by then I felt marginally better.
Spotting the time, we went food hunting in some other parts of the forest area. A wedding venue looked promising, but they only provided the venue for day visitors for picnics and such, so no food in sight.
The "secret nook" @ The Wheelbarrow
Then we went back to the access road to the organic cheese farm we saw on the way in. Missing the turn-off, we went down the access road for busses. Which was funny. To accommodate a bus the road didn't have sharp turns and was a bit longer, but we reasoned that it was going to get us there. It did, right behind the butt of a big bus. My first thought, how on earth? Francois' reply: he is going to get out using the same struggle to get in.
The funny part? The bus access road ran past the homes of the staff working on the farm. There were these small steel rods planted across the road (Francois almost didn't see them in time) with string spun between them. It was a holding pin, if you want, to keep the pigs and a shed full of piglets from running all over I suppose. One of the men saw us, removed a pin for us to cross, and then he chased the pigs. The adults walked off by themselves, but the babies probably thought it was a game and came running towards the car. The man chased them again and boy can they run! If was funny to see those short legs move those round little bodies out of our way.
Amazing blue flowers
@ The Wheelbarrow
Then we got to the parking space and the bus mentioned above. Off to the bathroom it was for me while Francois walked around to spot a picture or two.
Side note: I have been to facilities on this trip that will give most people nightmares. And that is all I am going to say on that subject.
The cheese farm was a short visit. Their food offering looked uninteresting, and their set up not really geared for casual visitors. So we decided to go back to Haenertsburg. And here we are at the Eatery.
The food was delicious, and I liked the interior of the place too. The staff was lovely and knowledgeable about the food on the menu (dairy allergies can make for an exciting test of the waitress' knowledge).
We are now back at the cottage taking stock of the morning's excursions and thinking about what we are going to do after we finish our coffee.
17h19 settled in to wait for our dinner (pizza on both counts) to be served.
After we finished our coffee, we went damming. First off the Ebenezer Dam. To get there, we had to drive on what is known as Blue Gum Lane. It is not the official name of the road (gravel again, but not as bad as this morning's) because of the giant blue gum trees that line it on both sides. I collected a few blue gum leaves from the ground and took a few more pictures. I don't know if you have ever been close to such big trees, not only tall mind you, but they do give one a sense of timelessness. I also felt in awe that such living entities exist and are not cut down when the pine forest is harvested. The people of this country are not known for their environmental awareness, so seeing these beautiful big trees, almost made me cry.
Yes, we have all those national parks, but their existence is no longer because people feel the need for preservation of our fauna and flora, it is money that ensures their survival. These trees, however, have no monetary value, and yet there they stand. Doesn't say a lot about the new South Africa, does it?
Magoebaskloof Dam, photographer taking a picture, Limpopo province
Francois taking a photograph of Magoebaskloof Dam
Our next stop, down the mountain, was the Magoebaskloof Dam. Neither of us had been there, and it is a sight for sure. Especially with all those trees on the opposite shore. The water was mirror calm, and I am sure Francois' photographs (I will steal one with his permission) will tell the story. The angle of the sun made mobile phone pictures challenging, that is why I want one of is.
Back up the mountain, the sun is about to leave us for the day, and we are awaiting our pizzas with hungry anticipation.
Tomorrow morning we take the road back home to Pretoria. One the one hand the break was nice, but I like being home too. Since it is a long weekend, there is still a weekend ahead for doing things like drawing and shopping for supplies for next week. I have laundry to do, and the rest of the house to clean. Long weekends also go by faster than we want them to, don't they?
So this has been a short Follow Me, but I trust that you enjoyed my stories and our pictures documenting yet another beautiful part of my country, South Africa.

Until next time!

💜 Linzé

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