#TuesdayTreasure: Guest Post by Marion Ueckermann

Good Morning Friends and Welcome to another edition of Tuesday Treasures!

Today we welcome fellow Pelican Book Group author, Marion Ueckermann back to our blog with something she treasures....

It’s a little difficult to make out my Tuesday Treasure—that’s because it’s really, really, really old. In fact, this piece of paper, handwritten in 1891, is nearly 124 years old. Its shape, no longer square, has an arc to its edges due to the magic tape holding it all together.

This is my grandfather, Adam Morrison’s birth certificate. He was born on November 5th, and every year skies across the world are set ablaze with fireworks celebrating his birth. Joking...but I always thought it pretty cool that he was born on Guy Fawkes Day.

You’re probably thinking this is a strange treasure, but I guard this document with my life. That’s because this birth certificate gives me the right to hold a British Passport. Yet, I’m the only one of my siblings to have this amazing privilege. Why, you ask. Because this document alone is not enough to make me, or my siblings, a British citizen. However, combine this with my own birth certificate and voila—one British passport.

I was born in Northern Rhodesia, a British colony at the time of my birth. Two years later the country got independence from the United Kingdom and in 1964 changed the name to Zambia. My country of birth, combined with my paternal grandfather being born in the UK—Scotland to be more precise—has allowed me to be issued with a British passport, classifying me as a British citizen. Although my siblings can apply for an Ancestral Visa to live and work in the UK for five years with this birth certificate, they cannot get a British passport.

Oh, the privileges that have come with this document. But then, as the most widely travelled in our family, I guess God knew I’d need it the most when he planned my birth in Zambia.

I planned a little Zambian birth, too. My novella, Orphaned Hearts, which released independently this Friday, July 10^th, and as part of the SPLASH! boxed set in June, is set on the banks of the mighty Zambezi River in Zambia. It’s an amazing place to visit, and you can do so from the comfort of your armchair...no passport required. So why not sit back, relax, and take a trip to Africa with me?

Will his past, or her future, keep their hearts orphaned?

When his wife dies in childbirth, Zambian conservationist Simon Hartley pours his life into raising his daughter and his orphan elephants. He has no time, or desire, to fall in love again. Or so he thinks.

Wanting to escape English society and postpone an arranged marriage, Lady Abigail Chadwick heads to Africa for a year to teach the children of the Good Shepherd Orphanage. Upon her arrival she is left stranded at Livingstone airport…until a reluctant Simon comes to her rescue.

Now only fears born of his loss, and secrets of the life she’s tried to leave behind, can stonewall their romance, budding in the heart of Africa.

                                         Purchase Links:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

iTunes 

iBooks

Kobo

I’d love to interact with readers at any of the following places:

WEBSITE       http://marionueckermann.com/

FACEBOOK  https://www.facebook.com/Marion.C.Ueckermann

AMAZON      http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00KBYLU7C

GOOGLE+     https://plus.google.com/+MarionUeckermannAuthor/

TWITTER       https://twitter.com/ueckie

PINTEREST   https://www.pinterest.com/ueckie/

Follow the tour tomorrow:

Wednesday 15^th ~ A Wednesday Wander to the Sycamore Fig

@ http://autumnmacarthur.com/blog/

Marion Ueckermann’s passion for writing was sparked in 2001 when she moved to Ireland with her husband and two sons. Since then she has published devotional articles and stories in Winners, The One Year Devotional of Joy and Laughter, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miraculous Messages from Heaven.

Marion loves writing Contemporary Inspirational Romances set in novel places and has three Passport to Romance novellas published and contracted through White Rose Publishing, a Pelican Book Group imprint: her debut novella, Helsinki Sunrise; Oslo Overtures (August 2015); and Glasgow Grace (2016).

She lives in Pretoria East, South Africa in an empty nest with her husband and their crazy black Scottie, Wally.

 Wow! Hope you enjoyed this Tuesday Treasure as much as I did! See you in a couple of days for Thursday Thoughts and then Saturday Spotlight!

Until later...take care & God Bless!

PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight: HELSINKI SUNRISE by Marion Ueckermann

Good Morning Friends!

It is with great pleasure I bring you this spotlight. Helsinki Sunrise is one of Pelican Book Group's "Passport to Romance" series where each story is set at exotic places around the globe! So without much further ado, let's get right into it!

STOP AND SMELL (OR TASTE) THE FINNISH FLOWERS

By Marion Ueckermann

Helsinki Sunrise, a Passport to Romance, blog tour follows on from yesterday’s double feature in Australia where we took a look at Finnish things: a travel blog on Finland with Narelle Atkins, and a Finnish wedding with Inspirational Romance hosted by Rita Galieh.

It seemed fitting, therefore, to take time today to stop and smell the Finnish flowers. We can taste some of them, too.

In a country that consists mainly of forests and water, you might be tempted to ask, “What Finnish flowers?”

Flowers like these beautiful pink and purple wild, perennial Lupines, or Lupiini in Finnish, that grow all over Finland along the roadsides in summer. What a delightful sight they were for me when we visited the country two years ago.

  

 

But bright, colored flowers don’t line only the Finnish roads. Like most European countries, the Finns also take pride in their window boxes. We spotted this pretty one in the fascinating town of Savonlinna, in the south-east of Finland.

I loved the forests in Finland so much, particularly the birch tree ones (which was most of them). Two different kinds of birch grow in Finland: the silver birch, which is Finland’s national tree,  and the downy birch. What a versatile tree—so many amazing things are made from the silver birch. The pale wood is used for furniture, skis, and kitchen utensils, amongst other things. Wooden footwear and roof shingles are made from slabs of the bark. Birch brushwood is used for besom brooms and racecourse jumps. In the spring, sap is tapped from the tree trunks and used like maple syrup, or drunk in a variety of ways, possibly out of a kuksa, a Finnish camping cup made of arctic birch burl. The tree is also used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of ailments or conditions.

I experienced one of the fascinating uses for this tree whilst in Finland—the vihta, vasta or simply, the bath or sauna-whisk. An inseparable part of Finnish culture passed down from ancient days, the Finnish vihta is a small bouquet of soft birch branches used to gently hit oneself. This action aids in circulation and cleans as the birch leaves contain natural soap ingredients.

Inside those amazing forests lies a wonderland of berries and mushrooms. At the time we were there, blueberries were just coming into season. We couldn’t keep up with the free supply from the forest and ate blueberry pie, blueberry pancakes, and blueberries in our cereal daily. I really miss those days, especially when I have to pay a fortune in the grocery store for a tiny tub of this power fruit. We were fortunate enough to also find a few wild strawberries to pick. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the right time for cloudberries or lingonberries. In Finland, anyone can pick wild berries, mushrooms or flowers, provided they’re not protected species.

                         

Another forest activity I would’ve loved to have done, was mushroom picking—especially because my hero and heroine in Helsinki Sunrise, enjoyed this pastime together.With a total of two hundred species of edible and wild mushrooms, Finland is mushroom-pickers’ paradise. Boletes (porcini), brittlegills (russalas), and milkcaps are some of the best edible Finnish mushrooms; champignon, shiitake and oyster mushrooms the most commonly cultivated species. The rich yellow-colored chanterelle is one of Finland’s most highly valued mushrooms and can be found growing at the roots of birch trees. There are about fifty toxic species and at least five are deadly. With names like Destroying Angel, Fly Agaric, Deadly Webcap, Brown Roll-rim and Funeral Bell, I’d definitely want a mushroom expert with me if I went foraging in the forests.

          

Here’s a snippet from Helsinki Sunrise for you to enjoy:

Eveliina threw her head back and let out a delightful giggle. “Adam, you have so much to learn. We Finns have a longstanding love of hunting and foraging. In time, you’ll love it too, I’m sure.”

While out rowing on the lake beside my daughter-in-law’s parents’ home, my husband and I saw these beautiful water lilies, which I’ve subsequently discovered are called Ulpukka.

I also learned two other interesting things about Finnish flowers. Firstly, the exquisite small white bell-shaped Lily of the Valley (Kielo) is Finland’s national flower. What a beautiful and special flower to have representing one’s country.

I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys ~ Song of Songs 2:1

The other thing I discovered is not actually a flower at all, although it resembles one. Frost flowers are truly fascinating and creative. It seems that, even in the snow-covered winter, there’ll be flowers in Finland.

And on that note of creativity, Finns love to put flowers on their postage stamps, as well as on their décor. It was during our time in Savonlinna that I was introduced to the vibrant, distinctive floral prints of Marimekko® with their Unikko (poppy flower). My Marimekko® tin was truly a special gift. 

I don’t know about you, but I’m quite exhausted after walking the roads, dashing into the forests and rowing on the lakes, smelling (and tasting) this amazing Finnish flora. So, if you don’t mind, I’m going to relax for a while on this Finnish swing. Why don’t you join me? You’ll be sure to find one in a Finnish garden near you.

 

He needed the island to himself. So did she.

Three weeks alone at a friend’s summer cottage on a Finnish lake to fast and pray. That was Adam Carter's plan. But sometimes plans go awry.

On an impromptu trip to her family's secluded summer cottage, the last thing Eveliina Mikkola expected to find was a missionary from the other side of the world—in her sauna.

Determined to stay, Eveliina will do whatever it takes—from shortcrust pastry to shorts—to send the man of God packing. This island’s too small for them both.

Adam Carter, however, is not about to leave.

Will he be able to resist her temptations?

Can she withstand his prayers?

Monday is the last stop on Marion Ueckermann’s worldwide blog tour of Helsinki Sunrise for a final author interview at The Vince Review.

There will be an eBook of Helsinki Sunrise up for grabs today. To be entered into the draw, please leave a comment with your email address before September 19th.

Numerous eBooks of Helsinki Sunrise will be given away on the blog tour, so take a journey to each of the stops and leave a comment. Don’t forget to include your email address.

Helsinki Sunrise is available to purchase from Pelican Book Group, Christianbook.com, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble

Watch the Helsinki Sunrise book trailer on YouTube.

Watch the Passport to Romance book trailer on YouTube.

Marion Ueckermann’s passion for writing was sparked in 2001 when she moved to Ireland with her husband and two sons. Since then she has published devotional articles and stories in Winners, The One Year Devotional of Joy and Laughter (Tyndale House Publishers), and Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miraculous Messages from Heaven, and her debut novelette, Helsinki Sunrise (White Rose Publishing, a Pelican Book Group imprint, Passport to Romance series).

Marion blogs for International Christian Fiction Writers and Beauty for Ashes. She belongs to Christian Writers of South Africa and American Christian Fiction Writers. She lives in Pretoria East, South Africa in an empty nest with her husband and their crazy black Scottie, Wally.

Connect with Marion Ueckermann:

Website / Amazon / Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest

Blogs: A Pebble in my Pocket / Foreign Affaire

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Permission to use images obtained.

Wow Marion sure has had a blast with this book! I certainly hope you enjoyed this Saturday Spotlight as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you!

Until later.... take care & God Bless!

PamT

#ThursdayThoughts: Special Guest post by Marion Ueckermann!

Good Morning Friends,

Today my fellow PBG author, Marion Ueckermann visits with some thoughts about life and loved ones.....

I SEE YOU

Mommy, this morning, like every morning, I tuck the pink teddy I gave you years ago when you had your shoulder operation, and the brown one I got with my own shoulder op, against my pillows. I fold up the cream and beige blanket and place it at the bottom of my bed—your birthday gift this year from me—and I remember how much you loved sleeping under its soft covering. My thoughts turn to Dad’s crocodile tail lamp we’ll be fetching this weekend—a hunting trophy that through the art of taxidermy he turned into a light source that’s been in our family home for decades. I think of the framed ribbon embroidery landscape that hangs on my lounge wall—a gift from Hanlie, and of the hours of needlework done by her late mother to create it. These things now grace my home, and fill my life, because you all don’t.

I’d forgotten about my scheduled blog today on Thursday’s Thoughts. Fortunately I had written this blog one morning about a month ago. I forgot because life, if I can call it that, has gotten in the way. You see, at the end of last year, my mother fell ill. Heart failure the doctor said. For months we watched her steadily decline. We prayed for God to strengthen her and, dared we even hope, heal? Until the night before her death when we earnestly prayed the hardest prayer—“Your will be done. Lord, heal her quick, or take her fast.”  In the presence of my sister and two nieces—and without a doubt from the wonder in my mother’s eyes, Jesus and a myriad of angels—our prayers were answered as my dearest Mom stepped out of our lives and into an eternity with her Savior. That was life up until July 17 this year.

We gave Mom the most beautiful funeral, filled with hope and praise for her life, and the life that she now lives.

Dad couldn’t remember you had gone, Mommy. Altzheimers does that. But we could see how much he missed you, how empty his life was without you at his side, although we tried to fill it with our love and attention. He’d been so sick with flu the week you landed in hospital. The day you passed away, I had him at the doctor. Bronchial pneumonia they said, but he didn’t need hospitalization, just nebulizing and physio.

We gave Daddy the best nursing we could, but 17 days after you died, we rushed him to emergency. He lay in ICU for nine long days, struggling to get well again. And he seemed to be. But a week after the ICU trips began, he took a turn and we watched him regress. Once again we had to pray—“Your will be done. Heal him quick, Lord, or take him fast.” The awful mask that pressed tight against his face, breathing for him…his hands that were tied to the bed so he couldn’t remove the mask or pull out the feeding tubes—they were all too much to bear. For him, and for us.

Still, the call from the hospital the next morning was unexpected. We tried so hard to get there in time, but were too late. By minutes. Thirty-three days of separation from you were all Daddy could bear. A week later we stared into your open grave again as we laid Daddy to rest at the place he’s been for nearly 66 years—beside you.

We have come to learn to thank God you didn’t have to do life without each other. But it’s still hard for each of us who are left behind.

Eight days after we buried Daddy, we waved goodbye to Lenny and Hanlie. They immigrated to Scotland. Yet another sad goodbye, but at least we have Skype and WhatsApp—we can still chat to our brother and sister-in-law on a daily basis if we like. And we can visit them, too. If only heaven had Skype. If only I could send you an instant message, and you could send one back. If only heaven wasn’t a one-way destination.

But I thank God that I still see you here in life. I see you and Dad in peanut brittles, Nic-Naks chips, Turkish delight, and beetroot salad (the sweet and sour one) standing on Pick ‘n Pay shelves. I see you each time I make a potato salad. I see you in garlic plants with their delicate mauve blooms (how you loved that color), and in the red Christ Thorn blooms. I see you in the list of all your favorite foods that decorate Ryan’s kitchen wall. I see you in the jersey keeping Hanlie warm in Scotland, the one that hung in your cupboard since I was a little girl. And I hear you…in a joke I suddenly remember you enjoyed telling, in the choruses at church you loved to sing. And I see you, I hear you, in the faith and love of our family.

As I stare into my tear-filled eyes, the same shade of brown as yours, mirrored as I do my makeup this morning, I see you…for I am, and always will be, a part of you. You and Dad live on through each and every one of your children and grandchildren in so many ways. Every day.

In the Old Testament God commanded people at various times to build altars of stone to remind them of what He had done for them. The pink and brown teddies that lie side by side on my bed each day are my pile of stones, for every morning they remind me of you, of your lives, and of how incredibly blessed I was to have had such a wonderful mom and dad for so many years.

Every day, I see you. Every day, I hear you. Every day, I miss you.

What a lovely tribute....

We've all lost loved one's, but it is especially difficult when you lose them close together. I know, since last year my Mother in Law and Mother passed away within days of each other. 

The holidays are extremely difficult to enjoy when missing those who've passed on, so take extra care of yourself, Marion and Each and Every one of YOU dear Friends!

Oh and if you're looking for something to read over the Thanksgiving Holiday, check out Marion's newest release, Oslo Overtures or her debut PBG title, Helsinki Sunrise, both Passport to Romance titles!

MARION UECKERMANN's passion for writing was sparked when she moved to Ireland with her family. Her love of travel has influenced her contemporary inspirational romances set in novel places. She now lives in South Africa in an empty nest with her husband and their crazy black Scottie, Wally. http://www.marionueckermann.com

 Until next time...take care and God Bless!

PamT