I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and are enjoying the days leading up to New Year.
This time two years ago we were anxiously awaiting the arrival of my youngest grandson, worrying about how my daughter would get to hospital in the snow. He finally put in an appearance on New Year's Day so it is a double celebration every year for us now.
The Kindle my beloved gave me for Christmas is already stuffed with books.
I was also given two donkeys, Danny and Adele - well they were adopted on my behalf from Hillside Animal Sanctuary. I've always had a soft spot for donkeys. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to go and visit them on one of their open days.
I am giving away You Can't Love a Stranger & Other Stories on Kindle free from today, Friday 28th December until Sunday 30th.
For anyone on Facebook, if you go to the Petplan Equine page and click "like" you can then "donate" a scoop of feed (free) to Redwings. Last time I looked they'd donated more than 700 kilos of horse feed.
Now where did I put those leftover mince pies...
Friday 28 December 2012
Saturday 22 December 2012
And it's Happy Season's Eatings from Him!
She didn’t mention my latest glucose curve and how brave I
was did she? Well as she didn’t, I won’t either, but suffice to say I now have
an ear with more holes in it than a tea strainer!
I had to have a proper blood test at the vet’s yesterday
too and before we went, she chased me round the garden with an empty Clover
tub, then blow me if she didn’t hold it under me when I was about to do what a
chap has to do! Talk about off-putting. Still it made her happy.
I’d put on a bit of weight which made everyone smile.
Never thought I’d hear myself say that!
The vet said my cataracts are a little worse and they
talked a bit about operations, but Herself said it wasn’t something she’d want
to put me through as I get so stressed about such things. Me? Ha, what is she
like? But all the same – phew!
The proper blood test showed that my glucose levels are
still going too high and too low and Tom thinks it might be a rebound effect
(my body going into panic mode and dumping a load of glucose into my system),
so he’s reduced my insulin. Another two weeks and it’ll be another curve to see
how I’m doing.
I hope all you lovely peeps have a brilliant Christmas! I’ve
peeked and I’m getting toys instead of eatables and I happen to know one of
them has a squeaker – arf, arf, arf!
Friday 21 December 2012
Merry Christmas!
Just stopping by to wish everyone who visits a warm,
peaceful and happy Christmas.
Whatever you are doing, I hope you’re where you want to be
and with those you want to be with.
And remember, if you’re writing short stories you should
be turning your mind to spring now – or autumn if you’re down under!
Ahh, spring, now there’s a lovely thought.
Happy Christmas - I hope you have a good one xxx
Tuesday 18 December 2012
Writers' Office Christmas Party + Free Book
If you haven’t heard about Sally Quilford’s brilliant idea
for a Writers’ office party, you can join in here or if you're not on Facebook, here!
People from all over the world are there. How fantastic is
that? And the fun has already started.
To celebrate I am giving away A Portrait of Louisa & Other Stories free on Kindle today and tomorrow. It is also available free in the USA.
I hear a rumour there will be a large stationery cupboard
available – can you imagine it? All those writers jostling to get in to fondle
the notebooks!
I’ve heard talk of a photocopier too…
But best of all, you don’t have to drive home after so you
can really let your hair down!
Happy Christmas. Now where’s that stationery cupboard..?
Sunday 16 December 2012
And The Winner Is....
See in my mind it went like this. Indy wears Santa hat. Indy picks name out of cowboy hat. I take photo of Indy with name in mouth
clearly showing winner. Post winner on blog.
Very cute!
What happened was: Indy wore Santa hat. Santa hat fell
off. Repeat six times.
Indy thinks this is a great lark and gets very excited!
Put Indy’s collar on and tucked Santa hat into it. Hat
stayed on. Indy picked up cowboy hat and threw names all over the floor. Returned
names to hat. Repeat six times.
Indy kicked hat around the room like a football,
scattering names everywhere. I gathered up names and returned them to the hat.
Indy picked name out of hat and began to chew.
I retrieved winning name, opened it out, asked him to hold
it in his mouth with the name showing so I could photograph the evidence.
Indy ate the name.
But I think I got the cute pic I was hoping for - as well as a smile (well actually he's chewing, but I think he looks smiley)!
Fortunately I’d read it before asking him to pose with
it, so I can tell you the winner of a copy of Writers for Animals is Jenny!
Congratulations, Jenny. If you would like to send me your address you can pm me
on Facebook or email me at Teresaashby at ymail.com.
With thanks to Isabel for letting us play with borrow her hats!
Tuesday 11 December 2012
Stars!
Thank you so much Patsy for passing this award on to me
(and Indy for “winning” it for me)! I’m so chuffed!
The rules for this are –
1 Select the blog(s) you think deserve the ‘Blog of the
Year 2012′ Award
2 Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have
chosen - and ‘present’ them with their award.
3 Please include a link back to this page ‘Blog of theYear 2012′ Award - and include these ‘rules’ in your post (please don’t alter
the rules or the badges!)
4 Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given
them this award and share the ‘rules’ with them.
5 You can now also join the Facebook group.
6 As a winner of the award — please add a link back to the
blog that presented you with the award — and then proudly display the award on
your blog and sidebar … and start collecting stars… Unlike other awards which
you can only add to your blog once — this award is different!
When you begin you will receive the ’1 star’ award — and
every time you are given the award by another blog — you can add another star!
There are a total of 6 stars to collect.
I'm passing this on to –
Patsy who is so generous with sharing links to
competitions and other opportunities for writers and who also posts lovely
pictures and usually leaves you with a smile on your face. (I believe the rules
allow you to award a star back).
Klahanie where Gary writes so compassionately and with
such understanding as he shines a light for those with mental health issues – and who also includes posts from lovely
Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet star.
Reading and Writing – I’m sure you’ll find Rosemary’s blog
as uplifting and cheerful as I do – and she posts beautiful pictures too.
Ten Lives and Second Chances – well just go there and
visit Old Kitty and you’ll see! Charlie and now little Gumtree appear in every
lovely post!
An English Travel Writer – fantastic blog by Jenny Woolf
chock-a-block with fabulous photos and interesting snippets from Jenny’s
travels.
First Draft CafĂ© – meet Maria who inspires with her goal
lists and lovely posts!
Don’t forget there is still time for your name to go in
the hat for a copy of Writers for Animals (see my last post).
Saturday 8 December 2012
Free Paperback Book!
I may have mentioned once or twice that I have a story in
the anthology Writers for Animals which you can buy in paperback or for Kindle.
Proceeds will go to three animal charities chosen by the
editor, Jenny Elliott-Bennett.
Hillfields Animal Sanctuary. There are lots of ways you can help Hillfields – donating money is one, but you can also sponsor an animal at the sanctuary for £5 for six months or £10 for a year (a great Christmas gift for an animal lover!). Of course they need other things too, such as building materials and sheds. Read more about them here.
Forget-Me-Not Animal Rescue is there for all animals,
farmed, domestic and wild. Donating is easy via PayPal or you could sponsor
Kelly Ryan when she jumps out of a plane to raise funds! Visit them here.
ARAN – Animal Rights Action Network is a peaceful organisation
committed to fight animal abuse across Ireland. Check out their campaigns here.
They are campaigning against all animal abuse, from fur farming to the use of wild animals in circuses. They are also trying to
educate people not to buy pets as Christmas presents.
It is widely believed that this year will be worse than
usual for the amount of animals dumped around Christmas. Battersea is already
seeing the start of a “cat crisis” with 50% more people this year giving up
their cats.
I promise, if you follow any of the links I’ve put here,
you won’t see any distressing pictures.
Now to win a copy of Writers for Animals – which contains
some great stories both fiction and real life – all I ask is that you read this
post and leave a comment by next Sunday 16th December – even if it’s just to say hello! I’ll put all the
names in a hat and get Indy to pick out a winner and I'll try to get it sent off in time for Christmas.
I should say that the book is intended for adults, not
children.
It would be great if you’d follow one or more of the
links, but I’m not going to insist on it. I just want to give one of these
lovely books away.
Indy says “Go on, you know you wanna!”
Friday 7 December 2012
Are you ready to party?
Thursday 6 December 2012
Story Timeline
We all know how hard it is to juggle dates, ages, events and so on when writing anything that spans any length of time.
Well Wendy's clever husband has come up with a tool to help and you can read all about it here.
I'm not going to post a picture of the snow. I'm fed up with it already - mutter mutter.
Well Wendy's clever husband has come up with a tool to help and you can read all about it here.
I'm not going to post a picture of the snow. I'm fed up with it already - mutter mutter.
Monday 3 December 2012
Happy December!
Thank goodness November has gone. It certainly lived down
to my expectations and was a very tough month for my family, but it was nowhere
near as bad as it could have been, so I’m not complaining.
We put the Christmas decorations up at the end of the
month and when you think it’s only just over a couple of weeks till the longest night, we’ll
soon be able to look forward to spring.
But first December with all the Christmas songs and
carols, parties for the kids, school plays, wrapping up presents and writing
cards – lovely!
I did Indy’s glucose curve yesterday and I had high hopes
for a good result because he’s been so much more energetic and lively since he’s
been on the diabetic food.
What a shock then that his glucose levels were high and at
one point went right off the top of the chart. His curve was more of a zig-zag.
So his insulin has been increased a little and I’m to do
another curve just before Christmas. I knew it was never going to be easy and I
know it can take many months to get the condition stable.
For his first blood test he sat and shook so much, it was
hard to get the tiny blob of blood onto the miniscule thing on the test strip.
What with my morning eyes and him trembling, it took fifteen minutes and three
test strips to do that first one.
But the next 15 tests went really well and he was so blasé about
it by the evening that he didn’t even bother to sit up when I was jabbing his
poor ear. Apart from his early morning wobblies, he was such a stoic. This
would all be so much more difficult if he wasn’t as good as he is.
Hope you are having a Happy December!
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