Phyllis Goodwin's Blog, page 3
December 8, 2017
Christmas Cards
Each year the number of cards I send decreases – yet I have more friends! Our way of life changes and I suppose we try to change and keep up. We may not always manage it but is it important to try?
In my opinion, it is. As we are lucky enough to live in England, we are free to choose though considering fake news and all that other stuff, I know that some of our people are locked into misery of some kind or another. Others are not interested or just don’t want to join in the rush. So what I’m getting at is that I still send a few cards to relations and friends in the latter category. Some receive both!
I enjoy trying to design my own card each year including my best friends who live at Maydene – my four Field Spaniels. Secondly, I save money on postage and cards. I can send my Internet cards to friends all over the world and I can feel smug about wasting paper and chopping down trees in the Amazon jungle. So tips about Christmas Cards:
1. Make your own
2. Save on postage
3. Do your bit saving the planet from more rubbish
4. Don’t worry about BREXIT
5. Just enjoy Christmas in your own way!
December 3, 2017
My visitor last Saturday made a delicious salad. This ...
My visitor last Saturday made a delicious salad. This dressing would be good on meat and mixed in with pasta. I think I shall use this recipe and cook it with a roast dinner.
November 24, 2017
Punctuation
[image error]I’ve just had part of my novel edited and I’m ashamed to say that the bulk of my red crosses (sometimes green) appeared where I omitted or used the incorrect punctuation. At my Writing Group we usually read out our latest chapter followed by members giving us a critique. They don’t see the punctuation or lack of it. The spelling mistakes are also hidden. What is the answer? How do we save time?
TAKE more Time and care in the first place! I expect most authors have a system of checking for errors. Apparently there are 14 common punctuation marks in the English language!
Please share if you can help…
November 10, 2017
Remember
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Sybil buried her head in her mother’s shawl. ‘How can God be so cruel?’ She sobbed. ‘There is no answer to that question. At least he showed our family some mercy when he sent Jason back to us.’ My Books – Cry for me Argentina
November 7, 2017
Hot Pink Music Stand
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The piano and the guitar are the two instruments that I have endeavoured to play in the past. The piano I never kept up because I preferred netball and hockey! The piano lessons were during the lunch hour and I preferred to be out with my team mates.
The guitar I tried when my children were in their early teens. I worked hard on one tune that was in my Guitar book – ‘Land of the Silver Birch’. I really liked it but my family members thought it was a joke me, playing the guitar!
Well, so why have I bought a music stand. I’ve been rather quiet lately on my media sites. It’s because I have had an excruciating pain in my neck and shoulder. My R.A. Consultant arranged for me to attend physiotherapy at a local clinic. So what? You are probably thinking. Well firstly I had charming young man treating me and that lifted my spirits.
Then he told me what the trouble was – too much looking down at my iPad and laptop when I’m writing. So now I have three exercises that I have to do. Also I need to have my iPad at eye level and not look down.
Discussing this situation with a friend brought forth the idea of a music stand. It came from Amazon and includes a carrying bag so I can take it with me when I go visiting!
An extra bonus – my friend has given it to me as a Christmas present – how cool is that?
October 29, 2017
Autumclean 2
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Runner Bean seeds are dry. I need to find a paper bag to
store them in. Last time I ordered bananas from the supermarket they were in a brown paper bag with handles. I found that they remained fresh for longer than usual. Was it the dryness and darkness. What do you think?
As for the marrows – I don’t know what to do with them! My Freezer is full of ratatouille. I expect they will be hard to cut… The trouble with me is that I have a thing about wasting food or anything else. That is why I can’t ever move house because I would have to discard all my special items that other people consider to be rubbish!
October 21, 2017
Autumnclean
Time to clear the table in the conservatory. Start with the sunflowers by hanging them up to dry. Food for the birds and squirrels.
October 13, 2017
Fed up!
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Visitors coming next week. I have to keep my ears clean. People don’t like having my dinner on their trousers or skirt. Hard to understand because I offer to lick it off after!
Madge, Mungo and Merlin are little angels. They don’t have to wear hats!
October 7, 2017
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October 5, 2017
Are you inspired by Nature?
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These mushrooms or fungi in my garden are an inspiration to Writers in several ways:
1. Can encourage a Writer to research the subject by trying to identify the mushroom – I found this difficult to do because there were so many the same colour and shape. You maybe more successful. They are not poisonous & are being eaten by something, probably slugs!
2. In a Detective Story – who killed the little old lady. Was she poisoned? Or did she cook them herself not realising they were poisonous?
3. In a Mystery novel when the coroner cannot find the cause of death.
4. In a novel that includes voodoo or other superstitions.
5. In an historical novel. Almost any era can have an evil character who uses poison. For example France before and after the revolution, England in Tudor times or Rome when the Emperors were around.
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