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Hi everyone, it’s Robbie Cheadle with you today and I’m sharing my review of Tales from the Irish Garden: The Missing Pieces by Sally Cronin.

Sally Cronin has a marvelous international blog styled as a magazine where she shares excellent articles about health, nutrition and diet, music, recipes, and numerous book reviews and book promotions. If you don’t know Sally’s blog, head over there and follow here: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/

I’m also sharing my recipe for bacon and avocado scones. This recipe was inspired by my good blogging friend John Rieber. John really enjoys bacon and I love using bacon as an ingredient. I gave it some thought and these delicious avocado and bacon scones were born. If you like bacon, here is one of John’s great bacon posts: https://johnrieber.com/2020/11/10/bacon-wrapped-oreos-pickles-burritos-and-maple-glazed-bacon-wrapped-turkey-too-a-bacon-wrapped-primer/

Click on the heading for the Amazon US link.

Tales from the Irish Garden: The Missing Pieces by Sally Cronin

What Amazon says

In the Irish Garden there is fantasy, magic, friendship and love to be found in this green and welcoming haven. For some of those who find their way to the garden there is a renewal and an awakening of the spirit and special gifts lost through tragedy. For others it is the end of a long and arduous journey to find their soulmate.

The Irish garden has been a sanctuary for centuries for those escaping persecution, invaders and grief. Its guardian is the storyteller, a man who has lived for hundreds of years and who is part of a network of guardians around the world, offering a safe haven to those worthy of their protection.

It is not only humans who travel from afar to this garden, but animals which are hurt or lost. One creature in particular has travelled across time following the elusive melody remembered from its time in an ancient civilisation, a cat who has reached its ninth life.

There is fantasy, magic, friendship and love to be found in this green and welcoming haven. For some of those who find their way to the garden there is a renewal and an awakening of the spirit and special gifts lost through tragedy. For others it is the end of a long and arduous journey to find their soulmate.

You are welcome to join the storyteller, Finn, Lilah, Ramon, Michael, Bebechat and Flaco in the garden to enjoy their company, discover their stories and be amused at some of the antics they get up to as they finally find a peaceful home to call their own.

My review of Tales From the Irish Garden: The Missing Pieces

Following in the footsteps of the first two books in this series, The Missing Pieces is a delightful fantasy that focuses on how nurturing goodness makes it multiply and grow. It’s been two hundred years since the fairy folk left the magic garden and the Storyteller is lonely. This starts to change when a young man, Finn, who has been dealt a harsh blow by life, comes to live in the sanctuary. The peace and beauty of the garden slowly works its natural magic and Finn starts to heal and find happiness again. Gradually, other wounded souls find their way to the garden, finding solace in the quiet surrounds and the kindness of the Storyteller.

Lilah a skilled healer who has been persecuted by ignorant men who fear her abilities finds sanctuary in the garden. She comes to the aid of an orphan who is suffering much physical and emotional abuse from his foster parents. Michael finds a new home and parental guidance and support in the garden. Ramon, a talented musician who lost his sight as a young boy due to trauma, finds a way of sharing his beautiful music from the shelter of the garden.

As each newcomers emotional wounds heal, they are able to pass on the light and love to other broken people and the circle of love grows. Naturally, nothing is ever perfect and the occupants of the garden are challenged by external hostilities. Their relationships with the nearby villagers and others living in the area are tested. Will love and peace overcome fear and suspicion? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

Sally Cronin has a wonderful insight into the hearts and minds of people and this shines through in her novels and short stories. If you enjoy character driven stories set in an enchanting environment where love and light triumphs, you will love this book.

Purchase any of Sally Cronin’s many wonderful books from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Sally-Cronin/author/B003B7O0T6

Bacon and avocado scones

Ingredients

450 grams self raising flour

1 large avocado

5 ml salt

5 ml freshly ground black pepper

1 egg

150 ml milk

1 250 gram packet bacon, diced and fried

Method

Preheat the oven to 220 C. Skin the avocado and de-pip. Chop the flesh into cubes. Sieve the flour and the salt into a mixing bowl.

Rub the avocado into the flour using your fingers until a crumb like mixture forms. Add the pepper and the fried bacon.

Crack the egg into the milk and beat lightly. Pour into the dry mixture and mix using a round bladed butter knife until a soft dough forms.

Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and press with your hands until approximately 2 cm thick. Do not use a rolling pin.

Cut rounds from the dough with a cookie cutter and place on a greased baking tray.

Brush milk on the top of the scones using a pastry brush.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes until the scones have doubled in size and a cake tester comes out clean.

Delicious!

About Sally Cronin

Sally Cronin is the author of nineteen books including her memoir Size Always Matters in 2024. This was an updated version of her first book, Size Matters published in 2001 which followed her weight loss of 150lbs and the programme she designed to regain her health. A programme she shared with her clients over her 27 year career as a nutritional therapist and on her blog. This has been followed by another eighteen books both fiction and non-fiction including multi-genre collections of short stories and poetry.

Her latest book is part of a three book series set in a garden in Spain and then in Ireland. Tales from the Irish Garden: The Missing Pieces brings together creatures and people in need of a sanctuary, where they can spend their lives in peace.

As an author she understands how important it is to have support in marketing books and offers a number of FREE promotional opportunities on her blog Smorgasbord Blog Magazine and across her social media.

After leading a nomadic existence exploring the world, she now lives with her husband on the coast of Southern Ireland enjoying the seasonal fluctuations in the temperature of the rain.

About Robbie Cheadle

South African author, photographer, and artist, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated seventeen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, written and illustrated four poetry books and written and illustrated one celebration of cake and fondant art book with recipes. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.

Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/

Social Media Links

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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15584446.Robbie_Cheadle
TSL Publications: https://tslbooks.uk/product-tag/robbie-cheadle/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robbie-Cheadle/author/B01N9J62GQ
Unsplash profile: https://unsplash.com/@r_cheadle