Storytime

A few years ago I attempted Nanowrimo...well not only attempted I successfully put down over 50 000 words. I put it aside for about a year, then finally looked at it. Surprising myself that there was actually something there to work with. I did a bit of rewriting...then left it for a long time. Being brave I gave the opening chapter to my writing group...they all wanted more. So I printed the whole mismatch out and on our writing retreat I worked on it. This led to a major rejig of time line and since then I've been slowly plodding away on it. I'm 9/10 of the way through when bang... I have discovered A HUGE HOLE. Why I didn't notice this earlier I have no idea. Perhaps I was too focused on getting there. I had the end in sight and I was merely putting one foot in front of the other. Whatever the reason, here I am with a hole. A gap. A huge slice of emptiness that needs to be filled.  Interestingly enough I had thought the plot made sense. And it doe...

It's a truth that we see things from our own narrow perspective. Sometimes we can glimpse how other's view the world, but mostly it is from our personal viewpoint. And that viewpoint is tinted by so many factors. How we were raised...our beliefs, both spiritual and religious...whether we are an optimist or pessimist.....our political and ethical beliefs. Ingrained parts of ourself. We are also tinted by mundane layers such as are we happy or sad, hungry or full, sleepy or wide awake. Everything can twist how we view something or someone. So even though our main beliefs won't change (or probably won't), those peripheral 'things' can change and our perspective may alter. I know I love to travel. Love seeing new places and trying new things..but also love coming back home. That ahh moment when you see your own bed, and the cat once again is winding itself around your legs. Everything is golden and lovely. It doesn't take long to notice that the...

Alas and alack my two weeks of leave have gone. Frankly I'm wondering where they went. I'm sure I didn't relax for two weeks, I would have known. But I did get to meander to the countryside... spent some time at home spent quite a bit of time in the garden Even got a spell of babysitting with the grand daughters I did very little writing. Well no, I did work a lot of my adult WIP...redrafting and editing. Added about 3000 so far as I've gone through. Wrote a few poems. But I must have been thinking, and pondering, and wondering. Because in the last few days of my break I began playing with an idea. Before I knew it I had a story at the tip of my fingers. I managed to write down about 3000 words in a spurt before I took a break. And then...then...another idea came about. This was during a sleepless night. Usually I sleep like the proverbial dead. I read for a bit, then head hits pillow and it's good night. But ...

Week one of holidays and I've done bugger all. Well, actually that is a bit of a misleading statement. I have accomplished a few things. Some planned, some not so planned. I did plan zooming up to my sister's for a few days. I find it a great place to simply relax. Mainly because my phone doesn't work there. I have no internet, no facebook, no messages. Nothing. If I need to contact home or someone I can use her house phone but....do I really need to? My sister has a menagerie. There are cats...a pony...alpacas... dogs...chickens...and a stray duckling that wandered in while the guys were jackhammering. I go up there to spend time with the folks (and animals). Sometimes I take lots of books and plan to read, this time I took my camera and mooched around and took photos. I walked a bit...  did a bit of art work in my sister's studio had a discussion whilst walking the dogs to school- if the world was dying and you could save 10% of t...

Yep I'm on holiday. For two weeks. Two lovely, wish I had put in for more, weeks. No, we are not going anywhere. Not this time. And surprisingly for me, I don't have a lot planned. It has been a hectic past few weeks. Lots of Tinies and Storytimes and kinder visits and Halloween shows....there has been new libraries to meet... if near Narre Warren you must check out Bunjil Place! AMAZING. Reading nooks to try out.... There has been Charlie Chaplin capers for a friend's 50th... we even began a saga about the mystery of the meandering moustache.... There has even been a tad of culture Much Ado about Nothing at the pop up globe...AMAZING. With this lovely lady.  So I'm a tad tired.  And in my wisdom have decided to simply take it easy. I do have some things pencilled in the diary...getting my back seen today....car service tomorrow...hair cut on Friday. But for once I don't have a huge TO DO list as is my wan...

On Saturday I got to see one of the reigning, if not THE king of shock rock. Alice Cooper. Not my first concert of his, I think his third (or perhaps fourth). And I must admit, a few of us did wonder could he still deliver a great show. The answer was HELL YES! Nearly 70, he still manages to give it his all. Perhaps not quite as much quick movements, a more controlled stroll across the stage...and maybe some of those high notes on some of his songs were not quite hit...but...he delivered a show that had the audience screaming for more. Age is one of those things we can't avoid. It's a natural progression..and the alternative is very real and harsh. Death. So to avoid the above mentioned death, we must age. For a lot of us it is quite traumatic. Some birthdays are easier than others. We zoom through then all of a sudden we are hitting 40 and wondering what the hell happened. Then we hit 50 and are shocked. Where have the years gone? What have I done with them? H...

Most of you know I do like my garden...in fact I like anyone's garden. So when I venture off to ooh and aahh over other's works of greenery art, I happily snap away. Only to return home with a lot of photos and a desire to change, add or construct in my own plot. It has taken me a long time to finally realise that although I admire, love and covet what others have and how they garden...it's not always for me. I go and admire something like this. My potting area is a shambles and our deck looks like this... With a few more pots... actually a lot more pots on it. I fell in LOVE with this dragon...how awesome! and I have this.. Actually I do have another dragon who is AWESOME...and a dragon pot!    yet so different. I fell in love with the creative way this gardener set out their planting... Mine are in an assorted tumble of pots on the deck. Now it has taken a long time for me to understand that while I totally admire and love ...