Category Archives: Other Stuff

Other Stuff

Catch Up

You won’t believe it but I’m writing regularly again — over the 80,000 word mark now. I set myself too big a challenge to do 800 words a day, every day, so I won’t finish it by 5th May. I’m not the least bit surprised, sigh. I’m pleased with progress of the storyline, nevertheless.  I’ve gotten a bit ahead of myself a lot, as one day, instead of writing, I spent the time printing out submission guidelines to various publishing places.  Not only do I have to actually finish the book, but then I have to go over it several times with a fine-toothed comb to tighten story arcs, check character development,  grammar,spelling,  etc, before I give it to my beta-readers.  Followed, no doubt, by more editing or burning it!

Getting healthy — I’m using the treadmill on all days that I do not work, except when I have a sore groin or a sore ankle. I went a bit too hard a couple of times, even broke into a run, shock, horror. I need to get a bit fitter before I do that again. I only have the one repeat left on my blood pressure pills, so I’ll be fronting up to the doctor again in a couple of months.  Losing two kilos in the first week gave me too much confidence, and I went up a kilo to 76  kg when I did my weekly weigh-in today. As my dear old late Dr Wain would have said, unimpressed about losing a kilo or two, ” Chrissie,  that’s only a good shit!”  As to the other exercises I started, I seem to have forgotten about them. I should do those on the days I work, after the dog walk.

We are staying home for Easter. We intend to do some fencing from the back corner of the yard. We have a triangular block and we are just replacing a shortish section from the pointy end down the back, coming up about 20 metres  to the  first side gate. Part of that area was the  chook house. We’re in the process of pulling it down, but will keep a bit for a little garden shed. Two self-seeded peach trees are loving all the old poultry compost. I’ll entertain you with before and after photos. As well, we have to straighten up the old “saplings and tin” garage a bit, its got a bad case of falldownitis.

🙂

 

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Other Stuff, Writing

What mattered to me in 2009.

I found this in My Documents while looking for something else. At first, I had no idea under what circumstances I wrote this back in 2009. While composing this post, I remembered it was a mind-mapping, or brainstorming exercise from some book I got from the library — a right brain, left brain thing. I expect the exercise was “What matters?” and after doodling down keywords I sprang into prose as suggested. Startled by the last sentence, I then recalled it was an unexpected insight then, too.  Anyway, I thought I would share it.

AND WHAT DOES MATTER TO ME?   I ASKED MYSELF!
And the answer came back, it matters to me to have JOY in my life. To have JOY I need to LOVE and TO BE LOVED. This is pretty easy as I have Rob and Vika to GIVE AND RECEIVE LOVE every day. And then there is the JOY I receive from my two children, to whom I freely give unconditional LOVE. That JOY extends with the special grandmotherly LOVE that I have for the children of my children. Over the past years my perspective of myself has changed, as I have unearthed the names and lives of my ancestors. This gives me JOY and RESPECT for their BRAVERY for coming to make a new life in a new land, and makes me THANKFUL for my life. To be JOYFUL, I try my best to be HAPPY WITH ME. I try not to judge myself against the lifestyle and material achievement of others. To own JOY, I do not need money, though it helps! I like to think that I have a POSITIVE outlook on my life, being a ‘glass half full’ person. Like my Heroine, Pollyanna, I LOOK FOR THE SILVER LINING in every dark cloud, and I DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF. I am no longer afraid of being alone.

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