The eclectic learner

Salads are fun! Who said that salads only mean boring lettuce? I had tons of fun preparing and then eating this salad with my family. One carrot, one cucumber and a bit of iceberg lettuce…. and voilà!

Raw nutella (dairy free ) a rich, delicious chocolate spread! Preparation time: 3 minutes Ingredients: 3/4 cup nuts (I used walnuts, cashews and hazelnuts) 1/4 tsp sea salt 1/3 cup or more cocoa powder (this may change) 1/3 cup of your favourite sweetener (maple syrup, honey, stevia, xylitol…your choice!) a drop of vanilla or spearmint oil (optional) water (enough to obtain a smooth mixture) Instructions: Put in your blender the above ingredients and the water. Don't put too much water in the beginning or you will end up with a chocolate drink. Remember that once in the fridge, the mixture will solidify in a couple of hours or less.  Whisk well! If it's too liquid, add cocoa powder. If it's too dry, add water. I would also consider cold spearmint tea to add a cool aftertaste. When you are happy with taste, texture (the longer you mix, the smoother it will be) and consistency, store in a mason jar and keep in the fridge. This spr...

Chiara Giannini has done a marvellous job with my Pirate treasure design (as found in Colouring Heaven Issue 9, May 2016). The glass bottle looks great and the rich colours add a dramatic tone to the seascape. Even the large seashell on the left has exquisite details. Well done Chiara! Looking forward to more interpretations from you in the future.

I love salads. Fresh, nutritious, filling and delicious. Mmm. Today we had peppers, tomatoes, radish, cucumber and iceberg lettuce, with some bread, broccoli, boiled eggs and coconut. You might wonder what on earth are those lilac flowers sprinkled on the salad. They come from a Borage plant I grow in my polytunnel.  They have a sweet honey-like taste and the mother plant is a good companion for tomato plants. We find the flowers delicious - try them as garnish on your dishes!

Marie Hazelwood has interpreted Reginald in a completely different way: she has divided everything in areas which define the parrot's body in large blocks. The palette is subdued and elegant. For the third time today I am struck by the endlessly choice we have to express ourselves. Well done, Marie! The link was here: https://www.facebook.com/ColouringHeaven/photos/ms.c.eJxFjlsOACEIA2~_04WER7n~_xVVT4Ipl0ShlOPilIRExYP06g7ABinQvIwz3EnRocZZSCBbBiLxF6EqXE2KUY0kp~_EW4lv0wrkDugXepZSriAiVKxqNI402eDnTC8HWvWSdR0ybc23lvNZaGEHyX2Osg~-.bps.a.1577375305909106.1073741851.1461766297470008/1580873195559317/?type=3&theater

I am totally in love with the palette chosen by Samantha. The detail is so crisp and the choice of yellow for the edges and some specs is spot on. And that lead on the left? It's literally glowing! I would have never thought about using those dark colours and the yellow. Which explains why I ruin all my drawings when I colour them! LOL

I love how Marie has coloured my pirate. Such a cute choice of pastel colours. Who on earth said that pirates must wear just black and earth colours! This is great! Brava! I found this on the Colouring Heaven FB page: https://www.facebook.com/ColouringHeaven/photos/ms.c.eJxFjlsOACEIA2~_04WER7n~_xVVT4Ipl0ShlOPilIRExYP06g7ABinQvIwz3EnRocZZSCBbBiLxF6EqXE2KUY0kp~_EW4lv0wrkDugXepZSriAiVKxqNI402eDnTC8HWvWSdR0ybc23lvNZaGEHyX2Osg~-.bps.a.1577375305909106.1073741851.1461766297470008/1580873155559321/?type=3&theater

Well done Karen Lockie! https://www.facebook.com/ColouringHeaven/photos/ms.c.eJxFjlsOACEIA2~_04WER7n~_xVVT4Ipl0ShlOPilIRExYP06g7ABinQvIwz3EnRocZZSCBbBiLxF6EqXE2KUY0kp~_EW4lv0wrkDugXepZSriAiVKxqNI402eDnTC8HWvWSdR0ybc23lvNZaGEHyX2Osg~-.bps.a.1577375305909106.1073741851.1461766297470008/1580870932226210/?type=3&theater

Six illustrations from my portfolio have been chosen by the art director of the magazine Colouring Heaven. Today they are available in all supermarkets, bookstores, WHSmith etc in the UK. I'm feeling good about this! Still working on more illustrations for my upcoming colouring book….

I love the way my art transforms when the right hands handle it! You've gotta LOVE how Nancy has coloured my doggy! Karen has bought a cute bird in my Etsy shop. Here it is, it looks much better now… I love her shadows and choice of colours! Supreme! Keep colouring, everyone! I can almost see these magical creatures around me in the studio now!

This is Dondi Ratliff‎'s version. I love the rainbow colours! So happy and imaginative. Thanks Dondi! Keep colouring! Karen has done two versions! This was to good to be missed. Well done, Karen!

As you might know, I enjoy artwork and illustration very much. Lately, I've been working on a colouring book for adults and I've also joined Adult Colouring book pages on Facebook (Although I do not like using Facebook for personal friends and to check on their lives). So, last week I posted a horse and some ladies have posted their interpretation; it's amazing how we all see things differently! I love both versions, but especially the golden one as gold is a favourite colour of mine. I'll post them here as I don't have a current art website apart from my shops in Zazzle, Redbubble and Etsy. Enjoy! Franz This one has been coloured by Marilyn And this one has been coloured by Sherry

Shall we be able to sense brainwaves in the future? In my novel, The Strangers, two cyborgs named Naadir and Ashante are able to communicate with one another by using an EEG device which is implanted by their brains. With EEG, they have a virtual gate that can be kept ajar indefinitely so each can perceive a buzz of what the other is thinking, without being disturbed. When one of the cyborgs wants to communicate directly to the other, he pushes that virtual gate and full communication commences.  I have always assumed that this was just my idea, simple science fiction. Mistake! As I can see in today's article from CNN, a basic device is already able to achieve a similar result, although for now restricted only to controlling a small flying drone. In this article,  futurist Tiana Sinclair says that the drone she controls is a huge biosensor. She also believes that problems in our world can sometimes be fixed with the use of technology. One can only...

Will robots help the elderly in the near future? The answer is a resounding yes , at least by looking at the news reported by Komo News, in the article here: http://www.komonews.com/news/offbeat/Robocoach-Your-cybernetic-personal-trainer-336440471.html A collaborative idea from Singapore's IDA and MSF, Robocoach was developed by Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP). The robot is part of a larger effort to help various segments of society including seniors, enhance their quality of life through infocomm. Due to the rise in the ageing population, there has also been high demand for healthcare and eldercare professionals.  T he first Robocoach is currently being tested at a Senior Activity Centre (SAC), the Lions Befrienders.  Trained volunteers are also present to help seniors during the routine. This exercise robot, has been well received by seniors who have been able to enjoy physical exercise in a novel way, while enhancing cognitive abilities. This is ...

What DARPA scientists are working on is 10 to 20 years ahead of the technology that's out in the public domain. As the author of a novel about Strangers (both cyborgs and humans) I keep my eyes open for all the new stories regarding cyborgs and the science behind them. Today I read this article about cyborg warfare today - here: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/latenightlive/darpa-double-edged-sword-us-military-industrial-complex/6854474 I will quote just 2 paragraphs because they made me think! 'Science fiction writers might set that kind of cyborg warfare in a distant future. But as Jacobsen writes, at any given time, what DARPA scientists are working on—especially in the agency's classified programs—is 10 to 20 years ahead of the technology that's out in the public domain.' 'DARPA's movement is towards coupling man and machine, so putting neuro-prosthetics in the brains of soldiers so that they can have what is called augmented c...

https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/the-retail The Retail by  Joshua Danker-Dake   Fiction - Humor   318 Pages   Reviewed on 09/19/2015              Author Biography Joshua Danker-Dake lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with his wife and two children. A writer and editor by trade, he also serves as the Strategy and Tactics Editor for Diplomacy World, the flagship publication of the Diplomacy hobby. Other things he gets rather excited about include He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, bombastic European power metal, and St. Louis Cardinals baseball. Book Review Reviewed by  Franz Sidney  for  Readers' Favorite The Retail by Joshua Danker-Dake tells the story of a would-be Christian author, Penn Reynard, who works returns in a hardware store after gaining his English degree. Writing in his journal, Penn describes with dry humour how some customers try t...

Readers Favorite I review books for Readers Favorite https://readersfavorite.com The fastest growing book review and award contest site on the Internet  Recipient of the "Honoring Excellence" and "Best Websites for Authors" awards by  the Association of Independent Authors, and BBB Accredited with an A+ rating. I love reading, escaping in a different world where the impossible can happen. What's better than playing some piano music (maybe jazz?) and curling up with a good book? Maybe drawing …but for me that's another story altogether! Happy day everyone!

Cyborg Chips Boost the Brain - sounds like somebody read my manuscript! Three years ago I wrote the first draft of a novel. I am now on the fifth draft and the 4th is circulating among ten beta readers who will hopefully point out where my prose or plot need improving. I'll talk about my novel in the next few day but for now I will let you know that it tells the love story of a man and a woman who live in Norwich and work for a robotics company. Although mine is a speculative, contemporary romance novel, there is more than a touch of sci-fi in it. Except, I refuse to label as  sci-fi what is actually happening daily under our eyes: the embedding of technology in each layer of our lives and all over our body, when not directly implanted in it. My lead characters work in a company where cyborgs are created and employed just like anyone else. Three years ago it was science fiction, but now, reading the news, I realise that my predictions were not so impossible ...

Home-made Powdered fruit smoothies Nowadays we are spoilt for choice when it comes to the so called healthy foods and their recent marriage to convenience foods. Browsing the net for fruit powders I found a delicious powder here: http://www.squires-shop.com/uk/product/sk-real-fruit-powder-strawberry?gclid=CP799pC0-8UCFSPItAodrSEAIg Sounds good huh? All the hard work is done for us. Health at your doorstep! Eating healthily is possible and cheap. Boy, was I wrong! This powder costs £10 X 100 g! Which means £100 - US$152 per kg!!!!! That's $69 USD per lb. This is how much we are asked to spend for a strawberry powder from an average company. (Some are cheaper, some a tad more expensive than the one above.) I wen into 'Back to Basics' mode and tried to make my own version. Here is the result.  If you want to save ££$$ and make your own, go ahead, you deserve it! Ingredients: a blender jar full of your favourite fruit (no added water or...