Friday, May 21, 2010

A little Irish

Ok so Irish music doesn't really go with my blog does it? But I like it so I thought I would indulge just for once :).
The penny whistle is one instrument that I wish I could play well, I have made my play list mostly songs with the penny whistle. So enjoy! I know I will :D.

I took this tag from Cassie. Thank you!

#1-What song are you currently listening to a lot? Irish Washerwoman reel tune from my blog :D.

#2- What is the best book you have read recently? Simple Secrets to a Beautiful Home, Emille Barnes.

#3-Do you sing a lot? Yes I love to much to the dismay of my family, I don't sing very well :P

#4-Sweet or salty? Depends on what I feel like at the time.

#5-What is your favorite hobby? Sewing, writing, reading, walking around the farm and praying.

#6-What books have you read at least 3 times? Uhh why is it so hard to think of???? Jane Eyre, Daughter of Zion, My Friend Flicka.

#7-What sites do you always visit when you get on the Internet? Blogger, other blogs that I follow, my email, and Facebook.

#8-What were the last things you bought? Lunch about a week ago. And before that it was my sister's birthday present.

#9-Which fictional character do you think you are most like? Umm uhhh I have no idea...

#10-Favorite earliest memory? Umm I have no idea, I remember being in hospital surrounded by people in white coats and smelling something like lolly bananas, I think it was just before an operation and I was about to black out.

#11-What do you do to change your mood? Pray, listen to good music, or go for a walk.

#12-What was the last meal you ate? Breakfast, not that it was much.

#13-Do you want to learn another language? I would like to but I haven't done before so I don't know if I would be very good at it.

#14-Five things you can’t live without? 1) My Savior, 2) Family and Friends, 3) Music, 4) Books, and 5) Nature and the Outdoors.

#15- Find the closest book to you, and flip to page 54. What is the first sentence? "While visiting a prison in Africa, I heard about a young man who was sentenced to die." ~Corrie ten-Boom, He Sets the Captive Free


#16-What is something you would like to say right now? I love Irish music! :D

#17-What are you looking forward to? Farm Day, next weekend.

I tag anyone who wants to do this tag. Have Fun!

Saturday, May 8, 2010

An award and a few bits of newsy moments :)

Ok so slightly random title :), I wanted something other than 'news'. Something a little more interesting, or random, whatever takes your fancy!


I have decided that I might need to take a more relaxed approach to this blog. As much as I love it and I would love to be able to keep up with posts like I used to, I don't really know if I have it in me anymore to make the posts interesting if I do one say every day. But anyway I think most people have figured out that I no longer post everyday. Anyway I thought I would make it official that I will post whenever I want to, lol now I go round in circles :).


Ok news... Well we are now entering the birthday season, Ayala (13th May), Dad (17th June, he is going to be 40! Wow GO Dad!!!), Me (18th June, Yay 16!!!), Mum (24th July), Sarah (17th September) and then Dan (26th September, wow my little brother is going to be 14!), in that order. Ayala, my vewy special-est oldest sis (yes that was all misspelled for a reason), the teacher of our family, is going to be 19 in 5 days time (an adult). You know when you are small you dream of becoming 14 and 16 and even 18 but then before you know it its upon you and you aren't even sure what to think... Next year A's is going to be 20. Big milestone there... (please don't mind me if I get teary/nostalgic here) I cant believe it was almost 5 years ago that she got her first job/trainee ship, its hard to believe that not 7 years ago we were taking play picnics down to the 'Valley' with just oranges and cheese and a packet of matches. Ayala was always the one with the matches, she collected the sticks while ordering us to go get dry grass :) always the one to give orders and do the 'important' things. Now she can vote, she can do things without our parents, she can legally be an 'adult' and take care of us 'children' lol! Happy Birthday and love ya sis!

I got awarded by Cassie, Thank you sooo much Cassie!




Here are the rules:

1. Thank the person who nominated you and link to their blog. Thank you Cassie (again)!

2. Copy the award and paste it to your blog. (tick!)

3. Tell us seven interesting facts about you.

4. Pass the award to around fifteen wonderful bloggers you've discovered. (Or as many as you can think of because I don't know if I can think of 15!)

5. Contact your nominations and let them know they've won.

Ok so here's my interesting things :)... Hmm let me think...
1. I love writing, I write about a lot of things, mostly about stuff that has happened to me (not very good at writing fiction).
2. I love reading, I read a lot of genres. But I'm not really into fantasy or sci-fi.
3. I pray a lot. About a lot of things, mostly stuff that's just between me and my Lord :).
4. I love being out doors on a warm sunny morning taking deep breaths of fresh, hilly, bushy air.
5. My favorite places are gully's, places where its green for most of the year, sometimes with a creek running down them, gum trees covering the sky making it darker almost like a rain forest, mossy logs and rocks and to walk through them you have to push your way through ferns :). Beautiful!
6. I am right now angry about people being mean to others who did nothing to deserve it.
7. I am thankful for wonderful friends, lovely siblings, the BEST parents and most of all my Savior.

I tag Joy, Sarah, Little Miss Sparrow, and Alaina.

Till next time I post!

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Writing, the love of and a workshop!

OK so here is a challenge for all my fellow bloggers :); write for an entire 5 minutes straight(easy, right?) without using the letter 'E', not so easy but a great lot of fun and it helps make you think of different words other than that one that popped to mind.
Yesterday I went to a writing workshop, it was really good. The lady who ran it, Louise D'Arcy, is an author. She was really great and really knew her stuff. There were about 5 other women there, most of who I knew or knew about, there was one girl who was slightly younger than me that I had met before.
I have never been to anything like this before and I found that it was really good to be in a group situation writing. I mean other than giving my writing to other people to read or sending it in to a competition I have never sat in a group, written something then read it aloud. Do you know how scary that is??? Its like having someone who can see inside your brain and knowing that they know what you are thinking for that 5 seconds. I know that sounds weird as but its true.
The first thing we did was what the challenge that I said first, we had 5 minutes to write as much as we could about any subject that popped to mind, even just random stuff, without using the letter 'e'. Most people only got like three or 4 sentences written in that entire time. I got three written.

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Fog drifting slowly around a paddock as I walk along a dark road. Walking in a row arms around two warm companions. Cold air hangs around us as we stop to look at it.

~~~~

OK so yeah it was more than random but it took a lot of thinking to get that. It really got you thinking about what other words you could use.
The next thing we had to do was write about ourselves, in about 3 or 4 sentences. We had to sell our selves (so to speak) in three or four sentences. That was hard!
Then when we had done that we had to re-write that as a publisher would, making us out to be more than we actually were, but using the basic outline we just wrote. This was also hard.
But then after that we had to write it how our worst enemy would write it. Using those same things we had just written and make it out that our enemies had written it. Weird huh? but it was a very interesting exercise.
Brainstorming was next, I never brainstorm when I write I just write. Think of a scene and get it going from there. I just think of a reason for the story, possibly a plot, then think of where I want it to start and get it going. This way of writing probably seems really weird to other people but this is what I do.
The next thing we were 'ordered' to do was write. We had 1/2 an hour to just write. I got about 2 and a 1/4 pages of the note book my dear friend Cassie sent me a while ago. I hadn't gotten around to using it, because I have this habit of getting note books and starting to write in them, use them once, lose them in the process and then I have about 5 notebooks that I have written two pages in... and yeah...
OK so here is a segment of what I wrote, I am sorry but I cant write the entire thing up because I think I'll enter it into the writing comp.

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The lights flickers on then off. On then off. On, two seconds longer, then off.
Dad glances at the roof "That's it. It wont be back for a while."
Its complete blackness except for the free standing wood heater, which casts a reddish glow over the room.
Mum stands up "OK, where's the torch?"
There is movement as my brother disappears into his room. "Got one!" He holds it up triumphantly. Switching it on he shines it in our faces, I wince as he shines it in my face.
Mum takes it off him "Candles!".
I follow her into the laundry to find our secret stash of tea light candles. There are also the odd half burnt down candles that are from previous blackouts and candle lit dinners, and also the multicoloured ones that we made at Sovereign Hill, on holidays.

~~~~

Ok so that's it. Not telling any more!
Till next time I get around to writing!