Restoring History

Plaza de la Candelaria

      I read a book several years ago about a victorian traveler who visited the Canary Islands. Her documented account of the places she visited was and still is of great interest to me.

    One such location was, Plaza Candelaria, in the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Even in the mid 19th century by her description, it was a bustling Square, as it is now. Located with easy access to the port, in the days of the steamship the weary traveler didn't have far to go before reaching a hotel, here.

        While many buildings facades will have changed immensely, one which hasn't is the Palacio de Carta. Built in 1721 this excellent example of the Canarian Baroque style was initially built as the family home of Matias Rodriguez Carta.

Palacio de Carta

    This stone structure was the first building in Santa Cruz de Tenerife to be protected as a place of cultural interest and one of the first in the whole of the Canary Islands.

    At present, it is under restoration to return it to its former glory,and the tales of its bloodied past will be retold when it becomes home to a history museum. In days gone by, the building was the site of a military coup in 1936 when 2 people were killed and was also residence to 19 General Captains, its walls bursting to tell a story.

  Amongst the many island's heirlooms to be exhibited will be the famous Tiger Cannon which was used to defend the city from the attack in the Battle of Santa Cruz.  This documented assault was led by Admiral Horatio Nelson and the cannon is said to have fired the shot that cost the admiral his right arm. 

    I can't wait to visit here once fully restored.



https://devilslayingamongstotherthings.blogspot.com/2015/03/romancing-stone.html

The Phantom Ship

    As, Storm Dennis, battered the Irish coast over the last weekend, the small fishing village of, Ballycotton, landed an unexpected catch. An unmanned, Tanzanian registered ship, the Alta, could battle the storms and the waves of the Atlantic Ocean, no longer. Starting its ghostly journey drifting south-east of Bermuda in 2018 for 20 days or so, it somehow managed to sail north all the way to Ireland.

   ' Phantom ships,' are in my mind the haunted houses of the sea, they have many stories to tell, and will continue to inspire storytellers and creators of all forms of art until the end of time.

    The Gothic novel, 'The Phantom Ship', published in 1839 and written by Frederick Marryat, was based on the legend of the 'Flying Dutchman. The 1935 film of the same name, starring, Bela Lugosi derived from the famous mystery of the Mary Celeste, which was also found adrift in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean in 1872, the list could go on and on.

    I've included today a poem by, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, whose mind was also stimulated by these floating enigmas.


    Have a great week, readers.

 THE PHANTOM SHIP

 

In Mather's Magnalia Christi
  Of the old colonial time
May be found in prose the legend
  That is here set down in rhyme
A ship sailed from New Haven
  And the keen and frosty airs
That filled her sails at parting
  Were heavy with good men's prayers
"O, Lord! if it be thy pleasure"
  Thus prayed the old divine
"To bury our friends in the ocean,
  Take them, for they are thine!"
But Master Lamberton muttered
  And under his breath said he
"This ship is so crank and walty
  I fear our grave she will be!"
And the ships that came from England
  When the winter months were gone
Brought no tidings of this vessel
  Nor of Master Lamberton.
This put the people to praying
  That the Lord would let them hear 

What in his greater wisdom
He had done with friends so dear
And at last their prayers were answered
  It was in the month of June
An hour before the sunset
  Of a windy afternoon
When steadily steering landward
  A ship was seen below
And they knew it was Lamberton, Master
  Who sailed so long ago
On she came, with a cloud of canvas
  Right against the wind that blew
Until the eye could distinguish
  The faces of the crew
Then fell her straining topmasts
  Hanging tangled in the shrouds
And her sails were loosened and lifted
  And blown away like clouds
And the masts, with all their rigging
  Fell slowly, one by one
And the hulk dilated and vanished
  As a sea-mist in the sun!
And the people who saw this marvel
  Each said unto his friend
That this was the mould of their vessel
  And thus her tragic end
And the pastor of the village
  Gave thanks to God in prayer
That, to quiet their troubled spirits
  He had sent this Ship of Air. 

 

    

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1807-1882

To My Valentine

We've been together for years

Shared lots of laughter and some tears

Do you remember?

Yes, you do

The photos we took

Our memories captured forever

Not only on film but in our minds

And importantly in our hearts

Just like the love we share

A Journey North

   

Jose Murphy y Meade

    A couple of weeks ago we decided to travel north from where we live in Tenerife and spend a few days in the capital of the island, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Unlike the UK, bus fares here are very cheap and the service to the city is regular, modern and comfortable. Therefore, our decision to travel by 'la guagua' (pronounced wawa) was a no brainer.

    We chose a hotel in the center of the capital, as I wanted to visit the designer shops that fill the main shopping streets and a girl doesn't want to carry her purchases too far. Does she?

    As well as an abundance of shops, the streets of Santa Cruz, are filled with copious amounts of bars and restaurants. I have to confess that we were forced to make a regular pit-stop at a few of the bars to refresh ourselves with a glass of Rioja Blanco and a tapas. Otherwise, exhaustion would have taken over!!

    Walking among the cobbled streets, the architecture and statues cannot be ignored. Outside, Iglesia de San Francisco de Asis (Church of St Francis of Assisi), a statue caught my eye not because I was particularly impressed by it but because of the name carved in the stone. The name was Jose Murphy, the name, Murphy, not being very common here made me want to find out a little more about the man being celebrated.

Iglesia de San Francisco de Asis

    Born of Irish descent Señor Murphy, born February 1774, was a Spanish, liberal politician, who worked hard for the city to be recognized as the capital of the island. Because of his great accomplishment, he is now known as the 'Father of Santa Cruz de Tenerife'.Unfortunately, Jose Murphy's political views didn't go down well with everyone and he went into exile for many years. His final years he spent in Mexico where he had been appointed Consul General of Spain, never to return to his beloved homeland, a punishment for sure.

    The few days we had in the city we didn't have time to take in every sight, but what I do know is that we will be spending more weekends there. In the next few weeks, the second most popular carnival in the world will take place in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. So if you are visiting the island it's not to be missed.


#Tenerife #CanaryIslands #SantaCruzde Tenerife #JoseMurphyMeade #Carnival

    

Best-laid Plans

   

    Hello again. Remember me? Yeah, I'm the author who used to write regular blogs. For the the last year plus, I haven't been around much online. My writing life has been topsy-turvy; yes, confusing and filled with disorder. I am in general a fairly organised person, however best-laid plans don't always go as planned. Yes, in the words of Robert Burns, " The best laid schemes o' mice an' men, gang aft a gley."

    And mine definitely went wrong. I wrote at the beginning of last year about my move to the Canary Islands, Spain and due to the small problem of a broken ankle my planned journey of 3000 miles was delayed somewhat. Therefore, instead of moving January 2019 I didn't actually reach my paradise island until April 2019.

    Since then I have tell you that my writing has been on the back burner. Putting a pen to paper and my fingers to a keyboard  has been sporadic. My words haven't dried up, I have just babbled more verbally than I have typed. Ask my partner.

    My beloved PC, my writing amigo, didn't enjoy being boxed up, squeezed into a container and rocked about on the decks of a ship. Finally, reaching its new home to find itself stuck in a box for 9 months, or so. It has now made full recovery with a little TLC, and settled down on a new workstation. We are now long lost friends reunited and our mutual agony has come to an end.

    If you are a new reader joining me today for the first time, welcome. If you are a temporary, abandoned, reader I would like to thank you for your continued support and hopefully you will carry on dropping by.

    Happy weekend.

    

   

Only You

You felt my first kick

You brought me into this world

You fed me when I was hungry

You taught me right from wrong

You gave me unconditional love

You hugged me when I cried

You lifted my spirits when I was down

You showed me the way when I was lost

You nursed me when I was sick

You were my number one supporter in all that I did

You got a kick out of me being happy

You are the best

You are my mother

Nadja Losbohm's, Interview series 22, Featuring Me

        I was recently interviewed by the wonderful, German author, Nadja Losbohm. The interview was posted on Facebook and not all would get to read it. So, Nadja kindly said I could share her post  here. Thanking Nadja for this opportunity to be part of her Interview series 22. For Nadja's books pop over to Amazon  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nadja-Losbohm/e/B009SIDWIW

Interview series 22 by Nadja Losbohm

"An achievement in itself"

    Another Monday, another interview. Wootwoot. Today, I'd like to introduce to you British author Christina Rowell, who I got to know via Twitter, where we follow each other since a couple of years now. Christina started to write at a very young age and made handwritten copies to give to family members. In her stories you can meet angels and demons and lots of other fantastical creatures, but there's also a touch of humour to her tales. Hm, sounds like her books and my dear Huntress series would get along with each other very well. Anyway, it's time for Christina to tell us more about her wonderful writing and herself.

Christina‘s website: devilslayingamongstotherthings.blogspot.com

1. Please introduce yourself in 3-5 sentences.

I'm Christina Rowell, author of fantasy for young adults and poetry for all ages.

2. What is the title of your current book? In which genre does it play and what is the story about?

I have three books published to date. Two in the Salvation series, fantasy for young adults and a small collection of poetry.

Salvation No Kissing Required was first published in 2013 and Salvation Hyperlink to Lost Souls in 2015 by indie publisher Featherweight Press. As my contract has now expired with the publisher, the rights of the books have now reverted to myself I am in the process of self-publishing both books. However, Salvation No Kissing Required is available in paperback at present via Amazon. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Salvation-Kissing-Required-Christina-Rowell/dp/1608208567/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1553516501&sr=8-1&keywords=salvation+no+kissing+required

The series follows seventeen year-old Dan Pierce, a spirit fighting for his place in Heaven, into a fantastical world where evil forces are causing chaos and heartache amongst the human race.

Evil tries to seduce him in many ways and Dan finds himself fighting with human emotions as well as demons in all shapes and forms.

3. How did you get into writing?

Since an early age I loved to write stories. Making multiple handwritten copies of them to share amongst my aunts and uncles to read.

4. What can you learn about writing and what can you not learn?

You can't learn what to write about, but the craft of writing is an ongoing learning experience.

5. What is your favourite task in the writing process and what do you not like about it (like writing blurbs for example)?

My favourite task is developing the characters.

6. Is there something that drives you crazy regarding the writing/ publishing process?

Editing isn't something I particularly don't like doing, but it is a necessity in the whole process.

7. Where do you get the ideas for your books?

Every day life. There isn't any mythical creatures roaming our world, however there is bullying, grooming and Internet dangers facing our youth and my books do feature this.

8. Which of your written books is your own favourite?

I don't have a favourite because each publication is special to me. It would be like asking a mother to say she has a favourite child.

9. Who reads your manuscripts first?

My partner.

10. How long do you revise your manuscript before you say, "Now I can share it with others?"

Months. Probably too long, because my confidence can waiver slightly.

11. In which genre would you like to write but haven't dared yet? And in which genre would you never write?

I would like to write erotica but haven't as yet. But, never say never. I would never write nonfiction.

12. Are there writers you admire?

Carlos Ruiz Zafon is my favourite author. His words take me straight into his world.

13. What is a successful author in your opinion?

How do you measure success? But, all authors should think of being a success because writing something for others to read is a great achievement in itself.

14. Regarding your books: Would you do it all over again in the same way? What would you change, if you could?

I wouldn't change anything. I love the books I've written, even the unpublished ones.

15. What do you say about the competition among authors, especially about the fact that some authors deliberately give bad ratings to others to spite them? Have you ever experienced something like this yourself?

I haven't had any bad experiences. I've met lots of lovely people in my writing journey. In my opinion negatively is a waste of energy.

16. What was the worst, most annoying, least beautiful thing that has happened to you as an author and what was the most beautiful thing?

The worst thing that has happened to me is my computer crashing just as I was doing final edits. The most beautiful thing was being published for the first time.

17. How do you motivate yourself when things don't go the way you want them to?

I have a real stubborn streak and that motivates me to achieve my goals.

18. Why do you think some authors make it in the book industry and others don't? Do you have any advice?

If I knew I would bottle the secret and sell it. However, I don't have the recipe for this potion and my only advice is do your best. Never give up.

19. Many authors are reserved and shy, especially when it comes to readings and book fair appearances. You got any advice for them?

Remember we're all human and each and every one of us has fears and anxieties.

20. Which authors and books do you think deserve more attention?

All authors deserve equal attention, writing anything takes time and lots of love.

21. Which books do you like to read yourself? Which ones would you never read?

Fantasy and murder mystery. I cannot say there was a book in any genre that I just wouldn't even try to read.

22. What are you dreaming of as a writer? Is there a wish you would share with us?

I don't have any particular dream. The only dream I ever had was to be published and I've achieved that.

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deep-Christina-Rowell-ebook/dp/B01MA4YTUS