Hayson Manning's Blog, page 2

What's in your drawers??

Today is Clueless Wonder's birthday! Clueless when he was little in his fat, bat hat

Today I was supposed to be writing, but really all of the drawers in the bedroom had to be emptied the clothes folded with military precision. After the clothes, I really should Dr. Google how to concrete the driveway. Wandering the aisles at Staples for a hole punch I might need is on the horizon.
Hello, queen of procrastination!

During the drawer procrastination, I came across the fat, bat hat from the above photo. I adored that hat and thought Clueless looked quite jaunty wearing it.
Jaunty Hat
Nostalgia for days gone by creep up now and then. He's getting older and the days of skipping a couple of meals to lose a few pounds are way gone, if they ever existed. Eating only carrots and hummus for days, turning slightly orange and not losing anything is upon me.

Next week is green apple week. If you see a strange woman in the aisles of Staples muttering about the perfect hole punch while lugging a bag of apples, give her a small smile. She needs it.

Is there anything nostalgic you've kept?

I do promise to post why I call him Clueless Wonder.

How I overcame my fear of tomatoes

I'm a tomato and I rock. Bunch in tight people, this is a personal one.
 I loved tomatoes. Wait. I used to love tomatoes. Not a day would go by when I didn’t munch on the red blast of sunshine. Fast forward to when my mum was in Critical Care, barely hanging on. She’d gone from feeling mildly unwell to hooked up to tubes in a matter of days. I asked the lovely doctor what could have happened.
“Could be something like a tomato pip that got stuck in her bowel.”
One tiny, tiny tomato seed could do that?
Whoa. The strawberry vacherin I will never make
Tomatoes and I parted ways. Over the years I missed them, but, the old ‘what if…” hung in my brain. I couldn’t take the risk. I had children. I hadn’t cooked even one of the five thousand recipes I’d painstakingly cut out.  I had so much still to do.
Then one day, not long ago, I ate a cherry tomato. It was heaven. It was delicious. I’d been torturing myself and missing out because of ‘what if’.
What if has turned into ‘why worry about stuff that I have no control over’.
I could be felled by a tomato. I am more likely to get run over by a bus (I always look the wrong way – I blame my Kiwi roots.) The likelihood is the stress my children induce will bring me closer to hanging with my mum.
So, for me, no worrying about ‘what if’ instead I’m going to concentrate on ‘no more worrying about what I can’t control and have a blast while I’m here’.
Me and mum hanging with Skippy.

Today is National Ice Cream Sandwich Day

Today is national Ice Cream Sandwich Day, and I am rejoicing. Becuase I am not in 'whipping down to the shops' shape. (I think it is only fair I don't turn people into stone with my Medusa hair, stretchy pants, and my fav Buffalo Bills T-Shirt with holes.) I am making my own. I give you peanut butter cookies and banana ice cream. Do you have a fav flavor?

I bring you the Fake Gordon Ramsay's balls!

Last night the Fake Gordon Ramsay and I had this conversation. (Gordo is looking remarkably tanned after a 'tough' trip to Honolulu. Note to self: Check out jobs in the scintillating world of freight.

Fake Gordon: "Doll, fancy my balls tonight for dinner?"

Me: Looks up in despair from editing porny manuscript that Larry Flynt might be interested in.
"What?"

Fake Gordon: My balls tonight what do you think?"

Me: Thinking - do I go there?

Fake Gordon: They're pretty juicy."

Me: "Help me sweet baby Jesus."

I bring you coconut laksa with corinader fish balls.

Book News!

After seventy-four years Bound to the Bounty Hunter is Available here. 

Read first three chapters. Click here.

Check it out on Goodreads

Book news! Cover Reveal

I am very, as in (VERY) excited to reveal the cover of my July 18th release with Entangled Publishing - Bound to the Bounty Hunter.


Where alpha males meet their match.
Harlan Franco, Colorado's busiest bounty hunter and security expert, lives by his own rules: be in control, be detached, and never mix business with pleasure. These rules are tested when the woman he's being paid to secretly guard is none other than the sexy, unpredictable, pain in the butt, Sophie Callaghan––a woman determined to stay away from him. If Sophie finds out he’s in her life on an assignment, he'll never get the info he needs. But those lips, those curves, that attitude… If he could only have her for one night where she'd play by his rules.
Freedom-loving private investigator Sophie Callaghan is on a mission. The daughter of a con-artist is not going to be used by a man again. What she doesn't need is hot, broody, and controlling Harlan barging into her life. Her brain may say no, but her body craves this bad boy.After a night where both live out their darkest desires, Sophie tries to fight the explosive chemistry between them. But the ties that bind her heart to this bounty hunter are tight and tangled.

Nature Challenge LA style!

Nature challenge LA style. On Saturday in blistering heat, in the middle of the day, Head of the Clueless Wonders Tribe (me), bitched and complained my way to the top of the Hollywood sign.

It took two hours round trip and shortened my life by three years. The views were great. Fake Gordon Ramsay decided he is now the fake Edmond Hillary and is planning more hikes. I'll go if there's wine, a misting cabana bagels smothered in cream cheese, smoked salmon and capers (my go to bagel). Anyone want to come?

Lets make today 'hug your chicken' day

That's it! What the world needs every day is a hug from a chicken. I know I do and I'm off to find me a chicken.





 What do you need everyday? 

Four things you need to know.

My awesome friend Michelle tagged me and I thought this would make a fun post. Let's see what we can learn about each other curious to read other peoples' (if they fill it out). Auckland - my home townFour names I go by:
1. Hayson
2. Hay
3. Yo, Mom where'd you hide my shoes?
4. Roman Sandals Footwear (long story best told with wine)Four places I've lived:
1. Auckland, New Zealand
2. Sydney, Australia Savusavu, Fiji3. London, UK
4. Redondo Beach, CA
Four things I love to watch on TV:
1. Deadliest Catch. Never missed a single episode.
2. Thee Young and the Restless Newman or Abbot?
3. Survivor - love Jeff Probst. My cracky addiction.
4. Game of Thrones Game of Thrones Enthralls me and kills me at the same time

Four places I have visited:
1. Cairo, Egypt
2. Upper Slaughter, UK, solely for the name. It was gorgeous
3. Fiji
4. MalaysiaFour Things I love to eat:1. Margarita pizza (clearly eat a lot)
2. Handfuls of smoked almonds
3. Marmite on hot buttered toast.
4. Feijoas (a New Zealand fruit. Yum) Feijoa. Yummmmmm



People I think will respond and hopefully be fun.
1. I'm not a tagger, but if people would love to respond then cool! I'd love to read about you as well.




Favorite drinks:
1. A skinny flat white coffee, hold the sugar
2. A crisp Sauvignon Blanc
3. Coke Zero
4. Margarita, lots of salt and lime. GenesisFour Pets names growing up:
1. Genesis - horse
2. Muff Moh - cat
3. Bleebs - dog
4. Chevy - horseI'd love to know something about you. 

Day seven of the nature challenge and we're...

Day seven of the nature challenge and we're everywhere!It's the last day and I'm a little sad. It has been fun to go through photos that trigger great and poignant memories.The first photo is an orange from a friends tree. I can just hear that orange screaming 'eat the lemons' Eat the lemons! Me on Genesis. A feat of nature really - me on a horse
A tiny coastal town - Bland Bay in New Zealand where I spent every summer. It's gorgeous and still has the same twelve people living there.
We drove for hours through freezing fog. It was all druidy. I think I might have chanted

Clueless One and Two who have forbidden me to post photos of them, but I snuck this one in 
 I have loved doing this. I might slip some new ones in. What do you think?