Mothers Day here in the UK. and the clocks have gone forward. A time to reflect on the important things in life before it’s too late. You only ever have one mother, soneone who gives you unconditional love. When she’s gone, something irreversible happens, never to return. Many Ukrainian mothers have been arriving on these shores, the trusting hands of their little ones clutched tightly in theirs as they settle into an alien culture and lifestyle far away from everything they’ve ever known. I’ve just finished reading the lifestory of another mother who, 70+ years ago, also came to these shores after fleeing the terrors of the Holocaust. Just like today, young refugees back then, traumatised by war, arrived in the UK where good people welcomed them into their family and set them on the track of a completely new life in a ‘foreign’ culture. How difficult their transition must have been, errors sometimes being made - not because the newcomers were bad people but simply because they didn’t understand the unwritten laws of life in this country. So, if Mothers Day tells us anything, it should be: be kind to others for we know not what they may be suffering inside.
20th March 2022
13th March 2022
Fifty years ago my dear mother (o.s.) passed away. Her condition in 1972 was undiagnosed, as my family never went to the doctor’s: “if you go into hospital, you never come out.” Unfortunately, this proved true. For my poor mother, by the time her symptoms became too severe to be ignored any longer, it was too late. What is pertinent to me, today, as the last remaining member of that generation, is that all my family died, too young, from different forms of cancer. For years, therefore, I’ve wished that there was some way of detecting any type of cancer long before symptoms become apparent. Last year, I was interested to read about a new NHS research study, which proposed to do just what I’ve been looking for. It’s a research study called Galleri, involving volunteer members of the public aged 50 - 77. Perfect for me. I contacted various health directors until I found the researchers I needed. After a long wait, yesterday a letter came in the post inviting me to take part. And, I don’t need to go far: in a few weeks I must present myself at an NHS mobile unit at my local supermarket and have a simple blood test. If my blood sample subsequently shows any early signs of cancer, I’ll be referred on and given early treatment. If only this had been available for my grandparents, parents and brothers. May they rest in peace.
First review
I’m delighted to read the first review of THE MANDARIN SEEDS on Amazon.com and it’s 5*! Thank you Heidi Slowinski. For your copy, click the book image on the right and post your review on Amazon.
(sic)
“From the United States
H. Slowinski
5.0 out of 5 stars
An engaging story of hope
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2022
Set in 1930s Vienna, no one wants to believe the horrors of war will cross the Austrian boarder. But with the terrors of the Nazis increasing, Eva and Michael, along with showgirl, Marta, needing to find a way out. As the situation continues to grow increasingly desperate, planning their escape becomes increasingly difficult, until they encounter a Chinese gentleman who assists them in securing visas to Shanghai.
Swan crafts a beautifully story of love, loss, and survival. The two key characters, Marta and Eva couldn’t be more different. Marta being accustomed to the glare of the spotlight and appearing self-assured. And Eva, far more reserved and shy, struggling with the separation from her boyfriend Michael, who is left behind in Vienna. This creates an interesting conflict within a conflict to the story.
Jewish immigration to Asia, seeking freedom and safety from the turmoil and Antisemitism of Europe is an under told aspect of Jewish history. This story helps to shed further light on this path many took in their journey to flee oppression, violence, and tyranny.
The Mandarin Seed is an engaging story of hope. I look forward to reading more from this author.”
6th March 2022
When we returned to the UK in 2017, after 12 years in France, I thought that at last I could relax. With all its faults, England was a country I understood, so I looked forward to a future that would be peaceful and calm. But, no sooner had we reached Dover, the disaster rollercoaster was already running downhill fast. Brexit triggered a national meltdown, every FB post ridiculing the PM in cartoonish fashion. Then, just when the Brexit debacle reached its climax, along came the pandemic - costing the UK c.£250 billion! Pessimists like me, though, were reassured. As soon as the pandemic’s over, we’ll all be in a roaring-twenties mode to offset the years of misery. I was just about to rummage in the attic for an age-old flapper dress, whilst Him indoors was relishing a return to prohibition-era spirits when, out of the blue, Putin’s tanks rolled into Ukraine. UK voters were now experiencing internal turmoil. No longer could they continue to parody the PM, ridiculously calling for his resignation for domestic faux-pas. We had a country to defend and our PM was standing strong on behalf of us all. Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité. We may have left the EU, but we can still learn what’s important in life from the French. Voila.
27th February 2022
A week about war and heroes. So many wars are fought over land expansion, with no apparent relationship to size. Just look how vast Russia is - 68 times the size of the UK. Compare that to the size of minuscule Israel - 11 times smaller than the UK - and nothing makes sense. Why, when Russia’s so vast, would it want yet more land? The answer, of course, is one man’s obsessional desire to restore the past grandeur of the former USSR, ignoring completely that the world has moved on. Former Soviet states no longer wish to be part of it, now that modern tech has shown them how much better life is with individual freedom and democracy. I know that Russia was allied to the UK during the last war, each fighting the scourge of Nazism. But, for Russia to call Ukraine today a ‘Nazi’ State, when its president is Jewish, is absolute lunacy. Wars, though, can throw up unlikely heroes. Volodymir Zelenskyy is one. In true Jewish style, he used to entertain the nation as a comedian. Now he roars like a lion, holding his democratic nation together in true heroic style. There’ve been other unlikely heroes in the past - rather like the unsung Chinese hero in my new novel The Mandarin Seeds - who, when the chips are down, risk their own lives in the name of humanity. Zelenskyy (and posthumously, Ho Feng Shan) - I salute you.
20th February 2022
That’s why I would dearly love The Mandarin Seeds to be a global success - not so much for me personally (I’m too old now) - but to make the name Ho Feng Shan synonymous with what a real hero looks like.
