Writing for my Life: Red Letter Days

Monday 14 March 2011

Red Letter Days

I haven't posted for a couple of weeks, but oh, those couple of weeks have been eventful. I've had so many red letter days it's quite astonishing:

A SQUIRRELLY SORT OF A GOOSE-BUMPY DAY

First, I had a trip to Sheffield to stay with friends and managed to get photographs and a video of a squirrel, out from his lair to eat the bird food my friend had set out on a tree stump.
I have to call it a red letter day because I adore squirrels. There were robins out there in the woodland of Graves Park too - and a larger version of a tree-creeper I can't remember the name of. And then there were my favourites - the geese - all bad-tempered and hissy-fitting because Spring is here!

WRITE ON

SEX-DRIVE AND SWEATY SOCKS
http://www.wanderlust.co.uk/mywanderlust/forum/the-weirdest-thing-youve-eaten-on-your-travels_2930

The link, above, takes you to my comment about the fruit, Durian. I tasted it on a trip to Kuala Lumpur. It is famous, they say, for improving libido - increase your sex-drive! I've entered this into my 'red letter day' posting, because it was the first time I had used the 'My Wanderlust' site on the Wanderlust website. It costs nothing to join and it's amazing: a great place to post information, photos etc. about holidays and trips.
There's also a members forum, which is where I posted my comment. Have you ever tasted Durian? It's an experience, I can tell you! Some people say it tastes like rancid cheese or putrid fish. I rather liked it!

THIS RIGHT HONOURABLE WRITER

"Well, I never," I said, when I looked at the Writers' Weekly 24-hour Fall Contest winners page, "I got an honourable mention." There was a first, second and third prize, followed by 20 honourable mentions - and I was one of them. My 850-word story, 'Meet Me off the Train' had won me a year's subscription to 'The Write Market' magazine and an e-book of my choice.

Any writer out there interested in entering the Spring 24-hour contest, here's the website link:
http://www.writersweekly.com/misc/contest.php
Now that was a red letter day indeed!

COMMISSIONED FOR CASTELNAU - Moi? Bien sûr!

La Greze, Castelnau de Montmiral, is the location of the wonderful gite where we stayed with our friends in 2009 as part of a tour of Annecy, Provence and the Midi-Pyrenees in France.

The owners, John and Judi have invited me to pen an article about our stay at La Greze, including the romantic hilltop villages amongst the vineyards, the meadowland and forest areas surrounding it.
I'll be writing about their beautiful gites, swimming pool and gardens - and their wonderful hospitality. I'll be publishing text and photographs of the villages around and about. I'll give the reader tips and hints on the best places to visit for day-trips away. To view 'La Greze', go to: http://www.lagreze.iowners.net/

Barbeque at La Greze (the Grange) '09

POETIC LICENSE

Below, there are links to my attempts at poetry. I've written about HAIKU, SONNETS, the SENYRU and the SESTINA. If you like poetry (or even if you don't and you just want to try it out for the heck of it!)
Go to the links below for my published poetry pieces to date, with the publishers, Authspot and Bookstove - and the writing community, Fan Story.