Exciting news ~ Virtually All Sorts is moving to being self-hosted!

Virtually All Sorts is moving… yes Virtually All Sorts has gone self-hosted to http://virtuallyallsorts.com

So…. please bear with me while I make the changes and normal service will be resumed very soon!

Thank you so much for reading 🙂

A snap-shot history of Puffin books

 

I recently received a lovely postcard from a fellow postcircle Seagulls member.  Not only was it so very nice to sit down after the hullabaloo of the day, with a hot drink but it was doubly nice to be able to catch up with a newly-formed pen friend who shares many of my interests.

 

What I loved about this postcard was that it inspired me to do a little bit of research about Puffin Books and that fits in nicely with the #BringBackPaper #PaperyPeep blog series by Jocelyn at The Reading Residence.

 

Until I read about the history of Puffin Books I had no idea just how big this publishing giant really is, and yet it started out, as most things do, very small.  We have Puffin Books to thank for Worzel Gummidge, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Stig of the Dump (and their respective authors too, obviously).  As an advocate for reading from an early age, I love the final line on the homepage of the Puffin Books website.  You might want to call it a strapline:

 

“If it’s got that little Puffin on it – it’s always bound to be good.”

– Puffin Books.  The History of Puffin.

What a great play on words!

Disclaimer: This post was inspired by a lovely piece of snailmail.  It is not endorsed by Puffin Books.

~~~~~~

Is it someone’s birthday and you don’t know what to do?

Let me write a personal rhyme especially for you.

~

A personal rhyme from you to them,
it’s unique, bespoke and easy.
Get in touch today, waste no more time,
It’s really easy peasy…

“Bespoke Rhymes

…for those personal times”

 

Follow Carol Cameleon’s board Parenting blogs I love… And think you might too! on Pinterest.

“The Chip in the Tea Cup” ~ a poem about memories

“The Chip in the Tea Cup”

Washing up in a bit of a rush,

‘Chink’, I hear that sound…

I look on the drainer, the chip

Says it all; slow down, slow down, slow down.

~

“It’s only a mug,” I tell myself,

Just a bit of pottery,

But still it holds memories from long

Ago and my heart goes into my mouth.

~

My stomach lurches, I begin

To feel sad.  That mug was a part of me,

It was used all the time, I hadn’t realised til now

The warm fuzzy feeling inside.

~

So, why use it at all?

Why not save it ‘for show’

In a cupboard to gather dust?

I won’t keep it for ‘best’ for a day far away

Because that just isn’t me.

~

Memories should be nurtured day after day,

Remembered, relived, re-told.

Bring the memories to life, don’t hide them away

Lest they be forgot and fade away.

~

I’ll hold onto my memories with all

My might; I look at the chip again.

The water drains off, swirls down the plug

But my memories still pump through my heart.

~

By Carol Cameleon

~

The Theme Game linky with Redpeffer

~

You know that book you’ve always wanted to turn into an eBook?

You know that you’ve never known how to do it?

Well, Virtually All Sorts can show you how ~ create your eBook the Easy Peasy way today!

Virtually All Sorts of blogs in the weekly round-up 9

 

It’s time to mention a few blogs that I’ve enjoyed reading in the past week or so…  I hope you like them as much as I did:

 

This flash fiction from Etienne Hanratty has a great one-liner…

I love these random 25 thoughts for the day from Suzie Speaks!

This is why I love reading blogs… you stumble upon things that you wouldn’t normally read but are interesting nonetheless.  Like this from Jenny Burnley on London’s famous double decker buses…  Trust me, it’s interesting!

What was your favourite post of the week?  Share by commenting or sending a tweet @AllSortsHere

~

You know that book you’ve always wanted to turn into an eBook?

You know that you’ve never known how to do it?

Well, Virtually All Sorts can show you how ~ create your eBook the Easy Peasy way today!

How I improved my blogging experience and how you can too!

 

When the theme for this week’s The Theme Game linky was revealed, I instantly thought of an old post that I wrote “Doorway ~ Why a blog is like a house” for this very same linky.  I do like to challenge myself to write new content though and began to consider how my blogging has improved over the months and how I have improved my blogging experience…

 

There’s no doubt about it, from reading other blogs I’ve gained so much insight into what works well and what perhaps doesn’t.

I believe I’ve found my personal style and have stuck to it.  I haven’t tried to fit a round peg into a square hole, no matter how much I enjoy reading and respect the bloggers that I follow.

 

But you know what has really improved my blogging experience, aside from liking, commenting and of course following?

 

Sharing!

Yep, when I’ve read a post I’ve really enjoyed, for whatever reason, I really want to share it.  I want to shout it out to the virtual world.  Whether that be by pinning, tweeting or g+’ing (I think I just made up an ‘ing’ there!), I love to share!  It’s so easy too.  I know from personal experience the joy it gives other bloggers to discover that their content has been pinged out virtually, beyond their blog, into the world wide web.

However…  and it is a big however.  There are times when I haven’t been able to find the share icons on a blog post.  A few times this has made me sad and frustrated because I haven’t been able to share in a couple of clicks.

So, if you choose to take one bit of advice from reading this, please remember to include the share icons with your post!

Recently, I’ve found that the fun in blogging really, truly doesn’t just come from posting and promoting.  The fun really does comes from sharing… And that is how I’ve improved my blogging experience!

~

You know that book you’ve always wanted to turn into an eBook?

You know that you’ve never known how to do it?

Well, Virtually All Sorts can show you how ~ create your eBook the Easy Peasy way today!

Virtually All Sorts of blogs in the weekly round-up 8

It’s time to mention a few blogs that I’ve enjoyed reading in the past week or so…  I hope you like them as much as I did:

As I read this from EmilysPage I was swept along and really felt the heartache.

Here Sandra Danby writes a very good post about what I will call ‘random books’.  You will understand what I mean by that when you read it…

Finally here is a little gem in the world of flash fiction from Rochelle Wisoff-Fields.

~

What was your favourite post of the week?  Share by commenting or sending a tweet @AllSortsHere

~

You know that book you’ve always wanted to turn into an eBook?

You know that you’ve never known how to do it?

Well, Virtually All Sorts can show you how ~ create your eBook the Easy Peasy way today!

“The blood was now like the rubber from melted red balloons.”

Photo copyright – Ted Strutz

It was a like a scene from a suspense thriller.  The white vans being the forensics, ready to take samples from the blood that had slowly dripped through the slats of the stairs; the blood was now like the rubber from melted red balloons.

As he looked out of his window, he sat and wondered how long it would take for them to knock on the door of his dentist practice; how long it would take to go through the motions of  ‘door to door enquiries’.  The questions would be asked.

Good thing he’d cleaned up his tools well, he thought.

101 words

~

Main picture source: via FridayFictioneers

with Rochelle Wiseoff-Fields’ Friday Fictioneers prompt

Please do feel free to comment but likewise, please do note that I would prefer not to

receive constructive criticism.  

(This time anyway…)

Thanks in advance…

Carol Cameleon

‘Love’ aka simply ‘L’

What do you do when

They’re there all the time?

Waking. Breathing.

Eating. Breathing.

Sleeping. Breathing.

Working. Breathing.

Dreaming.

~

You can dream.

But you know it has been.

Not a has been,

But it has been.

Could it be again?  You like to

Think so.

~

Mixed are those signals.

Am I no good at decoding

Those signals?  Reading

Too much into them.

Both good and bad.

Hanging like a floating bubble,

Changing colour and waiting to

Burst.

Building up to a big bang.

Good or bad.

~

Could be good.  Can’t help thinking

It will turn out bad.

Why hope for good?

Loneliness could be the key.

It’s a key that doesn’t fit the lock.

Something is around the corner

Waiting to unlock it properly.

~

The world is full of  ‘L’.

Everywhere you look there’s ‘L’.

All you need is ‘L’.

But a different kind for me.

Mine has to be perfect,

Otherwise that big bubble could burst before time.

~

Too many ‘been there and done that’

Scenarios.

Want to,

Need to get somewhere with that

‘L’ thing.

~

Wherever, whatever, however, whenever

The bubble bursts,

I know that way into the far

Distant future…

I know that they will be there

All the time.

Breathing. Dreaming… dreaming.

~

By Carol Cameleon

~

This is my take on the theme of ‘love’ with The Reading Residence and Redpeffer.  I wrote it back in January 1999 and, apart from my college tutor, this is the first time it’s been seen and ‘published’… It’s been archived in my college writing portfolio all this time.  I knew it was in there, so when this week’s theme was announced, I knew I had to dig it out!  I’m so glad I have because I’m very proud of my writing portfolio.  Maybe I should air the other pieces too…

Why not share the love of The Theme Game and join in?

~

You know that book you’ve always wanted to turn into an eBook?

You know that you’ve never known how to do it?

Well, Virtually All Sorts can show you how ~ create your eBook the Easy Peasy way today!

Virtually All Sorts of blogs in the weekly round-up 7

 

 

It’s time to mention a few blogs that I’ve enjoyed reading in the past week or so…  I hope you like them as much as I did:

 

First this week, I would like to share some flash fiction from Alicia at Up From the Ashes.  This extremely well written with lots of atmosphere.

An incredibly humbling, touching and (arguably most importantly) true post about living your dreams from Jacqueline at 6 months to live.

A 42 word story that I wish I’d written from The Uncheshire Wife.

~

What was your favourite post of the week?  Share by commenting or sending a tweet @AllSortsHere

~

You know that book you’ve always wanted to turn into an eBook?

You know that you’ve never known how to do it?

Well, Virtually All Sorts can show you how ~ create your eBook the Easy Peasy way today!

Cancer, jog on! A poem for Race for Life…

 Cancer, jog on!

In July I will  be running Race for Life.

I’ve blogged about how much I’ve achieved through the Couch to 5k app here.

I’ve come from barely being able to jog for 60 seconds at any one time, to jogging for 30 minutes non-stop…  how good is that?!

For me, it’s very good.  I’m very proud of myself.  I’ve shocked myself and found a new hobby that I love…

(aside from blogging of course!)

Please, please get behind me… re-blog, like, comment, share, share, share ……and share again across all of your social media platforms!  It’s not for me, it’s for everyone who has been touched by cancer.

And let’s face it, that really is everyone.

My justgiving page link is at the bottom of the poem (in the main blog picture above) but here it is again for good measure.

Thank you 🙂

~

My #Word of the Week this week is ‘jog on’.  Okay so actually it’s 2 but I’m sure that’ll be allowed, just this once 😉

Disclaimer: this post is not endorsed in any way by Race for Life, Cancer Research or any other charity.