A Wine Glass, Walking, Waterfalls - and Wikinut!

A WINE GLASS

Monster Wine Glass!

It was my husband's birthday last month - and his favourite present was from our son, Phil.  A great, big, huge MONSTER of a wine glass!

 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAVE


WALKING

That's me, in Holywell Dene

It was such a bonny day last Sunday, that Dave and I went off in the car to Holywell Dene in Northumberland, to walk in the woods and meadows.  What a find!  Just 15 minutes drive from where we live in the town of North Shields and we were out in the glorious countryside, sun beating down on us, a flask of tea in our back pack and a smile on our faces at the beauty of the place.  We didn't walk right down to the coastline on this walk, but you can - and we probably will next time.  There'll be an article about our wonderful walk in Holywell Dene written by yours truly VERY SOON.  So watch this space, 
constant readers.

WRITE ON:

It's all happening for me AGAIN on the writing front, folks.  I received some information about a course on writing stage plays.  It looks brilliant.  Doesn't start until next May.  Hope it doesn't get in the way of the forthcoming OLYMPICS.  I'm going to apply, though - and hope I get accepted.
There's another course - a Creative Writing Workshop via Tyne Met College - starting September that I'm considering.  Having given up my writing courses, I'm beginning to miss the company of the writing fraternity (notwithstanding the excellent support I get for writers online, of course: not to mention my dear writing buddy, Fleur, in SA.

 ...And then...I've been getting organised, dear readers and made a start on getting my first novel underway - PROPERLY...AT LAST!!  It's called 'Lavender Cat', a story for young adults.  Wish me luck - keep your fingers well and truly  XX'd for me, won't you? 

Over the last week or so, I've published an article for Purple Slinky online: 

Swan-ee, How I Love Ya!

http://purpleslinky.com/offbeat/swan-ee-how-i-love-ya/

and a feature on my North east Life blog/column:

All Fall Down in Windermere!

Just the Ticket – A Walker’s Paradise on Windermere Lake

http://northeast.greatbritishlife.co.uk/community/blogs/detail/just-the-ticket--a-walkers-paradise-on-windermere-lake/id/5509/

Time to have Fun at the Tyne Bar!

...and...I've been commissioned by the Tyne Bar, Ouseburn,Newcastle to write a feature for them.  I'm honoured, Tyne Bar. Thanks.  I'll be writing the feature soon.  I'll keep you posted, constant readers.

 ...and... there's more (!!!) ... I've been invited to write the jacket of the fabulous BONESHAKERS blues band's forthcoming 
11-track CD.  I'll keep you posted on that too.


  



WATERFALLS

Startling Stock Ghyll Force

Continuing the saga of my jaunts with my Australian sister, my next piece of writing is about the stunning waterfall of Stock Ghyll Force in Ambleside.  It will be featured in North East Life Mag online - and possibly elsewhere.  When (if!!) it's published, I'll give you the link.

WIKINUT

"What a name!" I hear you say.  I did too.  However, I checked them out, applied and got accepted to write for them.  I've written two features for them up to now.  Here they are:

Parc Guell in Barcelona

Viva Barcelona!

http://travel.wikinut.com/Viva-Barcelona!/1hocwet0/

Boneshakers Blues it at the Sand Dancer Pub

The Land of the Sand Dancer

http://travel.wikinut.com/The-Land-of-the-Sand-Dancer/15w3msfv/

I hope you enjoy them.  In the meantime, I must get back to this novel of mine.
Go and have fun, dear readers.  And may all your dreams come TRUE.

A Tale of Two Sisters - An' The Adverb's a Cissy!

A TALE OF TWO SISTERS:

I haven't blogged here for such a long time and I apologise, dear readers.  But there's a reason - a good reason, honest!
My sister Barbara came to visit from the hot deserty salty air of Karratha in the North West of Australia for six weeks, armed with a Brit Rail pass for two - and we travelled the length and breadth of England, trekked hither and thither, investigated every bit of woodland, moorland and craggy landscape we could find. We saw wildlife galore in the strangest places, doing the strangest things!

Seagull eating chips in St Ives

Squirrel in Sefton Park, Liverpool

Red Robin, Red Lion, Dittisham, Devon

Hareshaw Linn, Northumberland

Bunny on Northumbria University Campus, Newcastle

St Bees nr. Whitehaven, Cumbria

Preening Swan at Windermere

Digitalis Overdose in Durham!

  

Heron up a Weeping Willow, St James's Park, London

Moorhen makes a nest in Dover

Family of Ducks in Calais

We flew to Corfu for a week of wonderful wild scenery awash with birds, butterflies and beautiful critters.

Beautiful Butterfly settles on Ground

Stunning Bird in Treetops

Tortoise Crossing the Road

 

Yellow Butterfly in the Pink (Orange?)

Cheekiest Parrot EVER!

Window-Box Wild Cat?

We rediscovered our roots in LOVERLY LIVERPOOL.

Back to my street in Liverpool 1

My Nanna's house in Liverpool 15

In short, we had a BALL and I'll blog each trip in GLORIOUS DETAIL - so - WATCH THIS SPACE!

WRITE ON:

On 16th June, I was published FOR THE SECOND TIME by the fabulous FLASH FICTION CHRONICLES with a tongue-in-cheek, 'about writing', piece about the ADVERB.

 Here's the link:

Flash Fiction Chronicles: Adverb: Amigo or Adversary

http://www.everydayfiction.com/flashfictionblog/adverb-amigo-or-adversary-2/#comments

...and if you go to the 'Little Leaf Guesthouse' Facebook page at:

https://www.facebook.com/littleleafguesthouse

you'll find 'Adverb' posted there too!!  Thank you Little Leaf - the best B and B not only in St Ives, Cornwall, but in the whole country too!!

 My commissioned article about GORGEOUS LA GREZE and the stunning countryside and hilltop villages of the MIDI-PYRENEES in Southern France has been published online by TRIFTER.  Here's the link:

Gorgeous La Greze of the Tarn

http://trifter.com/practical-travel/gorgeous-la-greze-of-the-tarn/

John and Judi of La Greze

So...thank you for your patience constant readers...

...And I'll talk to you soon

No Further than the Garden Gate

 

SPRING GARDEN
Easter time at our house has been a garden fest of glorious sunshine.  We've been making changes to the 'forest' out back and buying new plants, transplanting - and admiring the spring shrubs and trees.

 
The cherry trees look amazing this year.  One of them is lit up at night.  In fact there are lots of colour- changing lights springing up on shrubs and trees - and in tubs too.
My son says it's kinda cheesey - but what the hell, I LOVE IT.
 
Phew - gardening's hard work and I'm absolutely KNACKERED!  But you know what they say - 'the sun shines on the righteous', so that must be ME!

WRITE ON - AU NATURELLE 

Haiku

The cherry trees in the garden inspired me to write a little haiku.  A Haiku should always be based in nature.  I entered it into a Fan Story competition.  It's entitled:
'CHERRY TREE AT DAWN'
You can take a look at it, artwork and all, at the link below:
http://www.fanstory.com/displaystory.jsp?hd=1&id=422764
You can even read the really super reviews I've been getting - EXCEPTIONAL, they're saying.  My! My!

Waterfalls and Fairies

I also got it into my head to write a piece for Authspot online about waterfalls, fairies and pixies - what a wonderful combination, don't you think?  It's entitled,
'FROM SORTA SMALL TO WONDERWALL'.
You can read it at the link below:

http://authspot.com/poetry/from-sorta-small-to-wonderwall/

Midi- Pyrenees - Gites et Les Plus Beaux Villages de France

My commission to write about the 'gite' (cottage) we booked for a week's stay in 2009 is complete.  Next stage is to add the photographs and get it off to the online publisher, Trifter.  The article describes the hilltop villages we visited in the Tarn region of the Midi-Pyrenees.  I enjoyed writing this article and I hope you'll enjoy reading it when it's published. It's to be entitled:
 'GORGEOUS LA GREZE OF THE TARN'



For now, it's au revoir, adieu, bon vacances - I'm off to pull some weeds from my beau jardin!

Talk to you soon, Constant Readers.