Share and share alike

It is good to share our feelings and thoughts with each other. Today is the start of a new day. New days mean that you can leave the past behind for a moment and plan for the present and the future. Sharing is caring and caring is a prerequisite of love. With love anything is possible.

Royalties and libraries

Each time a book is borrowed, a small amount is paid to the writer. To receive this money, Google - Public Lending Rights, fill in the form and send it off.

A new project

I can't say too much at the moment but I am working on a new book. This will take me an enormous of amount of time as it will be all facts and very different from the ones I've written before. Therefore, I may not have much time for blogging!

Decorating and creativity

Decorating a room whether from scratch or one already decorated, is wonderfully therapeutic. I like to decorate thoroughly which means including the ceiling, walls, skirting boards etc. It's so creative as you can choose from a great variety of wallpaper and paints but of course if you keep the floor coverings like carpets or boarding, this has to be borne in mind since colours clash. As we are decorating a spare bedroom, I can get into the swing of things but then trouble comes as bedding and curtains need to match. I have seen days when we have had to repaint walls which we've just done to get the colours right. Also to bear in mind whether south or north facing rooms etc. - don't want dark rooms. Well, on with the job!

Creation

With certain skills you can create something from a small amount. Take a poem, you don't need many words to create this and of course all your own work. Let's see, I will take a few random words - Monday, work, song,

Ok, it's a Monday
But make it a fun day
We know we must work
And mustn't shirk
But if we sing a song
It won't take long.

It's easy because all you have to do is sing along with the radio to tunes you know - or put on a CD and then make up a rhyme using easy words with one syllable e.g. day - which rhymes with hay etc. Have a go.

Tending the garden

January 22nd and very cold here with fog in the morning. However, in last few days we have sowed some tomato seeds in a small pot and brought it inside for warmth. I have sowed delphinium which will be beautiful in the summer and at moment in a seed tray in our cold greenhouse along with sweet pea seeds I planted. I've also laid some seed potatoes in a tray ready to sprout. Around the garden, work needed doing in last day in the way of pruning straggly roses and raking up wet soggy Autumn leaves. It is heartening to see snowdrops ready to open with plenty of celandines showing heart shaped leaves before they burst into bloom. Lots of Spring bulbs showing. It is good to see birds taking the wild bird seed and nuts I've put out - chaffinches, robins, blackbirds, magpies and squirrels of course pop in and out. How lucky I am to be able to watch nature in action.

An extract from "Easter in Eden" - my book

An extract from "Easter in Eden" - a lovely holiday we spent at St Margaret's at Cliffe, near Dover, England. One day we visited Dover Castle and had look at the Secret War Tunnels. This is what I said in my book "From there it was time to go in the Secret War Tunnels. A young woman showed a group of us round. We were warned that if we suffered from blood pressure or heart troubles we should not go in, but we were okay. In places it was dark and scary. There were exhibits of the hospital casements and tunnels where the injured were operated on - medical equipment, operating tables, red bloody bandages and swabs (red dye). Also we saw tables where they ate, with plates of food on (which smelt of food), and tables with packs of cards, etc., for amusement. .......

Now I must add that my mother-in-law worked as a cypher officer in the second world war and worked in the underground tunnels (not Dover) and moved about a lot because it was secret work. Read my book and learn about places like this and others such as beautiful Canterbury Cathedral.

Little things lead to big things

In response to the last blog, little things lead to big things. When I was at school, I loved writing essays and always liked to write a title first and work round that. At senior school, I showed my English Teacher a book of a long story I had written - really a short novel. She was interested and said keep writing. At l3 I wanted to be a roving reporter. I never became one but writing had already taken a hold and when the children were very tiny, I sent a clothing tag to a woman's magazine which had a funny misinterpretation to it - the fault of the manufacturer. My letter was published and now I regularly write letters to magazines and get them published now and again. Recently, I had a letter and photo published in Yours magazine and I received two shopping vouchers. So as they say, one thing leads to another. Keep persevering. Finally, going back to the essay when I started with a good title - Charles Dickens did just that!

my website

Have a look at my website www.marianbythell.com which features all my books together with some lovely extracts.

Comic verse

A verse from one of my poetry books:-

JONATHAN JOE

There was a man called Jonathan Joe,
Who ate the nail from his big toe.
When asked if he ate the one from his thumb,
Replied, "Of course, when it's dipped in rum!"

More Valentine card suggestions

Visualize two eskimos and one says to another - share my igloo - be my valentine
" a wizard and a witch and the wizard says - let's make magic together
" two red indians and one says to the other - share my wigwam - be my valentine
" a boy playing on a drum and a girl singing at a microphone - the boy says to the girl "let's make music together" - and "Be my valentine"

Use my suggestions to write and draw your own Valentine cards.

a poem from my book "Poems of Love, Life and Laughter"

A PUPPY CALLED SAM

I've heard of a puppy called Sam
Who ate a whole jar of jam.
He licked the pot clean
His face turned dark green
And thought - "I prefer a nice ham!"

Buy my book (I write under my own name - Marian Bythell) "Poems of Love, Life and Laughter" - via Amazon.

Some Valentine messages

Card manufacturers - visualize my ideas and use them on forthcoming Valentine cards:-

The caption on the front is "Be my Valentine"

The series will be called "Be Mine"

Examples:-
l. a man is walking over hot coals and he says "I would walk over hot coals if you would - BE MINE"
2. a man is sitting on a bed of nails and says "I would lie on a bed of nails if you would BE MINE"
3. a man is getting into a rocket and says "I would fly to the moon if you would BE MINE"
4. a man is walking a tightrope over a waterfall and he says "I would walk on a tightrope over the Niagra falls if you would - BE MINE"
5. a muscular man says "I would move heaven and earth if you would BE MINE"

My new website

Hi, I've written 7 books and these together with extracts are on my new website www.marianbythell.com I think the site is brilliant and from the statistics website, I find I'm progressing very well. Look me up and let me know what you think.

If you like poetry, there are three poetry books on my site.