Safe Journey, Grandma.

Ethyl Storer died in the early hours of this morning, aged 90.

Strange how a life can be introduced and farewelled in one short sentence.

But this announcement makes me sad. Ethyl Storer was my grandmother - my mother’s mother.

It’s at times like these that I feel most acutely, the severing of the ties that connected me to my own family. There is so much I don’t know. So much that will pass before I’ll even realise it was there. Can you miss what you’ve never had? Not really. I can only mourn what might have been – the chance that was taken from me – the glimpse into something that could never be.

I was lucky enough to meet my grandmother twice – not long after I found my way back to my family, after 30 years of searching. However, the situation being what it was, I never had the chance to sit and talk with her alone. I never had the chance to get to know her as my grandmother, or even just as a person. We met as adults with no association other than I was once the daughter of one of her daughters. There was nothing to bridge the gap between us in this life. I have no history with her, no photographs of us together, no memories of visiting Grandma on holidays. Nothing to say we’d even met.

Now she’s gone.

I feel somewhat cheated. I feel disconnected. Here is a part of my history that has been wiped. Someone who should have been an integral part of my life and my children’s lives, has now been reduced to a few words on a piece of paper.

So there it is: the way of the earthly body. We reside within it for a short while, then we leave.

The sun is shining here and it is a most glorious day. Somewhere deep within my senses, I hear a former self, Snaru, say: It is a good day to die.

Yes, it is indeed a good day to die, and, Grandma Storer, wherever your journey takes you, I hope the pathway is a joyous one, full of good memories, laughter and sunshine.

Safe journey, Grandma.

Eternal Press

Hi everyone.

Just wanted to tell you about the exciting new Publishing Company I've become involved with.

Eternal Press

I'll soon have my poetry anthology "Whisperings of the Soul" coming out with them, and I've also joined the ranks of their editors.

Wow!

I'm having great fun.

Surf on over to Eternal Press and check us out.

We've also just started an official Eternal Press Blog, so... go ahead, take a look at what's on the minds of the editors at Eternal Press.

Love and light as always....

Brittany

Two of My All-Time Favourite Singers Together

John Denver & Mama Cass Elliot

[via FoxyTunes / John Denver]

The Dreaded Whymeees

Yes, the other day I caught myself out in a dreaded attack of the whymeees.

We all have those days:- why me? what did I do to deserve this...? You know how it goes.

I used to feel really guilty about having the odd whymeee attack. Now, of course, I recognise it for what it is, acknowledge it, accept it, then move on.

We don't need to torture ourselves over being human.

We all have days when we're up and days when we're down. We are what we are after all.

The trick is not to dwell in the land of the whymeees, for there lives envy, jealousy, self pity, bitterness and all those other nasties that can take a hold of you and turn your view of life sour.

On the other hand, it's rather unhealthy to feel totally positive and up all the time. We are allowed to feel negative emotions, you know. In fact we are supposed to feel them.

Negative emotions are our counter-weights. They are our early warning systems and our alert to the possibility that we may in fact be learning something.

Having negative emotions to balance out our wholeness is a healthy thing.

However, if you tip too far the other way, you can become negative yourself and start generating negative energy that can actually follow you around and cause negative things to happen in your life.

None of us want that to happen, and yet, from time to time, we all do it. Congratulations everyone, we're human!

So, folks, take a step back, take a deep breath and take a really deep look into yourself.

Are you harbouring a grudge deep down inside? Are you jealous of a friend's success?

Ask youself, why?

Why am I jealous of my friend? I love that he/she is successful. Why does it make me feel negative when I should feel happy for him/her?

Your answer may be as simple as: Because I wish that could have happened to me. I wish I had what he/she has.

If it is, then own your feeling. Say it out loud. Banish it to the 'dealt-with' basket. That's not to say that you should make light of your own feelings, even such negative ones.

We are allowed to be disappointed, even envious of something we wanted that was given to someone else. But instead of dwelling on that feeling and allow it to gain power over us, look into why that success, or whatever, came to your friend and not to you. And just because it did happen to your friend instead of you, it doesn't mean that you were not worthy, or that you didn't deserve it. It simply means that you travel a different pathway and your own success lies in another direction.

Accept that and move on - hopefully towards your successes.

Look to the sunshine and rainbows of the good times in your lives, my friends, but be really grateful for the dark clouds of learning and enrichment. Cherish all your emotions. Embrace them, feel them, be them, live them. Don't be afraid of them. Be joyful that you can experience them all in their wonderous glory.

Cheers for now.

Brittany

Exciting Stuff

Drawing towards the end of a novel is exciting stuff.

But the end isn't necessarily "the end" of the work.

After you've finished the final chapter - for about the 6th - 10th time - and you're happy with your rewrites, the next step is to get it read by someone who will represent your "reading public".

Hand your manuscript over to someone who is familiar with that genre and enjoys that type of novel.

Then...

Get to work on your next baby.

Don't sit around biting your nails and phoning the reader every day to see how far they've read. You want them to take their time and read it properly.

If possible, get that reader to critique your novel for you.

Some of the things a reader can look for, as opposed to an editor or assessment service, are:

Are the characters likable?
Can a reader identify with them and empathise with them?
Does the book "hook" the reader in from the very beginning?
Is the plot easy to follow?
Are there any inconsistencies in the plot?
Did you leave out any explanations or put too many in?
Do you waffle in places?
Do you repeat yourself?
Does the book have good pace?
Does the climax build satisfactorily towards the end.
Is the ending satisfying and exciting.
If there is a sequel, does the ending make you want to read the second book?

Also ask them, if they see any glaring grammar or spelling mistakes to point those out for you, if they wouldn't mind.

As authors, we know what should be in our novels, and so we read them with our eyes and our minds half closed to some things.

A fresh set of eyes is invaluable.

Once your wonderful reader has written all over your manuscript for you, get to work on the rewrites. Fix up any mistakes, no matter how tiny they may be.

After all, you want that manuscript to be as close to perfect as you can get it.

A manuscript assessment service is a good next step.

A glowing critique from a reputable assessment service can go a long way towards pitching your novel to a publisher.

So, people, go ahead. Give it a go... Write, write and then write some more!

Cheers

New Art Site

Hi everyone.

If you've checked out my photo gallery and art gallery and liked what you saw, head on over to Zazzle and buy one of my greeting cards or postcards.

Just follow the link to the left of the blog.

On the writing front:- Shaddow Runners is almost finished. I completed what I thought was the last chapter only to find that I needed another chapter to conclude everything. I'm really looking forward to writing that. The sequal, Mark of the Condemned, is also off to a good start.

On the home front:- GST time again. Yuk! And... it's no surprise to any of you that it's very, very dry out here. No more water for gardens. I'm going to be busy collecting every drop of water I can from the washing machine, where we wash our hands, the kitchen sink, the shower - everywhere - just to keep my garden alive. Bring on the rain!! Anyone know any good rain dances? I think I'll give a few of them a try.

Don't forget to surf on over to Zazzle and check out my personally designed products for sale.

Catch ya next time!

New Year

Well, here we are again. Another year is zeroing in on us at light speed.

I haven't been blogging for a long while. I guess things have been a bit hectic around here.

We're ending the year as we started it - on fire!

Yes, it's fire season again and the hills are alive with the sound of... roaring flames. For some people, there was no Christmas and there'll be no new year celebrations either. It's going to be a long haul. The fires will be burning for months, and this drought is not helping at all.

For me it's been a strange year.

I've gotten lots done with my art work and branched out into new areas of creativity. My writing has also progressed, although, not as fast as I'd hoped.

The Shadow Runners is almost finished. I was making a huge effort to get it finished by Xmas, but I'm not far off now. The end is nigh. The sequal, Mark of the Condemned has gotten off to a good start as well. I've also managed to get a few articles published. So... I'm happy with my writing. I'm looking forward to getting more achieved in 2007.

On the home front: I've been laid up for a few days with another kidney "flare up". I'm not alone, apparently. I visited my Yahoo IgAN group and discovered that many other IgAN sufferers are also experiencing flare ups at the moment. Maybe it's just this time of the year. Who knows? All I know for sure is that I've been feeling awful and I'm looking forward to feeling well again. Oh how we take our health for granted - until it's gone!

Here's a picture of my Xmas present.


Mickey

3 months old.

What Mickey is exactly is a mystery. His mother is a Maltese X Jack Russell. Was his father a Whippet or a Daschund gone wrong? Whatever he is, Mickey is cute.


So we now have a new family member. Mickey. The new year is looking brighter already.

Have a great day, everyone. Don't celebrate too hard.

Happy New Year.

Don't Drink Dishwashing Liquid

Yes, that's what I said... don't drink dishwashing liquid.

I had one of life's little moments a short while ago. I accidentally guzzled down about 300mls of dishwashing liquid.

How on earth could this be possible? you ask.

Well... for many years I've kept my dish washing liquid in a bottle next to the taps so I could grab it and squirt a small amount into the sink whenever I needed to.

It just so happens that I've been drinking cordial out of a similar bottle.

Ahh, yes. Now the penny drops.

For whatever reason, this morning I just grabbed the wrong bottle and had drunk quite a bit before my brain kicked in and said: "Hey dude, do you know you're drinking soap?"

Ugh! Not at all pleasant. In fact, bloody revolting!

I grabbed the water and drank and drank and drank. I then grabbed the cordial [in the correct bottle this time] and drank and drank and drank. Then I drank a cup of tea. Then I ate bread. Then I had lunch. Then I drank some more.

I think I'm all "drinked" out!

Apart from the fact that it burned my throat a little, I couldn't get rid of the taste!

Now I have a headache - probably from drinking too much water - but I'm not brave enough to try taking anything for it in case it fizzes or something. Well... you never know, do you.

My throat is still a little scratchy and my voice is husky, but so far I haven't encountered too many ill effects. I'm still waiting to see if it makes me sick or something.

I simply cannot believe I did that.

For the rest of the day I plan to just sit around. I don't want to jump up and down too much - I might begin to bubble.

Moral of the story: DON'T STORE DISH WASHING LIQUID IN DRINK BOTTLES!!!

Pippin

Pippin
January 2000 - September 2006
Little dog with a great big heart

It's a very sad day today.

My little Pippi died at 2.00 p.m.

He and I were just walking around to the front of the house and came upon a tiger snake laying on the path. It was in a very nasty mood and decided to get us before we could get it. Of course, Pip had to have a go at it.

I didn't see it bite him but I did find a tiny mark above his left eye. Pip was paralysed and died not long afterwards.

I stayed with him right until the end. My poor little Pippi.

I'm going to miss my little mate. He was always happy, always had a big doggy grin on his little foxy face and his tail was perpetually wagging.

Goodbye for now, little Pip Squeak. Go find your little mate Blue and wait for me with the others.

We'll walk this place together again some day. I'll look forward to that.