Fiona Tarr's Blog, page 25
August 6, 2014
The Farmer’s Wife – Four Wheeled Motorbike Art
Four wheeled motorbikes have been designed to ride on all four wheels, preferably at all times. Now I have already explained my preference towards four wheeled motorbikes rather than two wheelers, but the reason I chose them was they were supposed to be more reliable and easier to ride. It just so happens that is not always the case……click for the full story
The Farmer’s Wife is a series of short stories about some of the moments which shaped who I am today. It highlights how planning and control are really only an illusion and that knowing which opportunities to take and when is a gift.
July 27, 2014
Positive People!
Surround yourself with positive people; those who energise you. That doesn’t mean you should not spend time with people who share their views or disagree with you from time to time. Those people are valuable; they challenge you, your ideals and your beliefs. But people who constantly criticise, antagonise, complain and gossip are negative people who can suck the life out of you. If you can’t help them see the good in people or find the positive side of life, then remember not to let them bring you down into despair.
“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.”
The same is true in reverse.
July 25, 2014
What are you Afraid of?
Are you crippled by fear? Or do you fear nothing?
At the root of fear is often the fear of failing. Some people worry about losing their money – losing love – or sustaining a permanent injury.
A young guy I know is an extreme sports person. He skates downhill with a full face helmet doing 80km/hr or more. He had competed and never sustained a significant injury. Recently he had a freak work accident which landed him in hospital with severe injuries. It was a terrible accident; this story isn’t to highlight the accident, it is to highlight the fact it was not the extreme sport which resulted in his injury. There are so many similar stories of people who never try anything risky but still end up injured or losing their money or the love of their life through an unexpected and often relatively risk free event. Theft, a workplace accident like my friend, a car crash or so many more unforeseeable events which you have little or no control over.
Most people have fears to overcome. Some fear heights, loss of control, water and more… Whatever your fears are, don’t let them hold you back from the opportunities that come your way. Or you might find the most ordinary event takes the choice away from you.
So how can you overcome fear? Trust and faith are both words associated with the opposite of fear. So how do you find faith and trust and who or what do you have faith or trust in? The choice is yours, but find faith and trust yourself to overcome your fears.
July 16, 2014
The Farmer’s Wife – Truck Driving Lesson
Truck Driving….Double D clutch!…..Hay Pick Up?….Seriously!!!
We had not been married very long, when George’s parents went away for a short break. No biggy! We were more than capable of running the farm on our own. The only problem was the irrigated Lucerne hay had just been baled and we needed to pick it up before the irrigator came around again. It couldn’t get past the bales laid out on the ground and the water would have destroyed the hay……click for full story
The Farmer’s Wife is a series of short stories about some of the moments which shaped who I am today. It highlights how planning and control are really only an illusion and that knowing which opportunities to take and when is a gift.
July 13, 2014
Destiny of Kings Paperback Release!
Amazon have released the paperback version of Destiny of Kings today. For a limited time, they are offering it on special at Amazon.com visit to buy – http://goo.gl/NxRGvT or Amazon.co.uk – http://goo.gl/Rx1eBD
It should be available on Amazon.com.au very soon. If you have already read the Kindle version you can download the revised edition for free for 2 days 14-15th July on the US site.
July 8, 2014
Cow shit all over my head, running down my back.
Have you ever had cow shit on your head? Runny, green, grass filled, warm and steaming cow poop. Not many people have, but I have. For the full story……
The Farmer’s Wife is a series of short stories about some of the moments which shaped who I am today. It highlights how planning and control are really only an illusion and that knowing which opportunities to take and when is a gift.
June 23, 2014
Education or Indoctrination?
Is our current education system offering education or indoctrination? The later is usually associated with religious or political ideals. As schools are generally getting bigger, they appear to be becoming less able to offer students the freedom to learn without indoctrinating them into the system. Or maybe they never were. Those who can’t be indoctrinated, are left behind, often resulting in them not reaching their full potential.
A few years ago I home schooled our son, who was struggling with year 6. He just was not learning in the current school environment. The harder the school tried to push him, the more he resisted. After 18 months of home schooling, he went back to main stream high school. He was more confident, able to work more independently and in a position to see the benefits of what he was learning. Much of the work we had done at home included the practical application of what he was learning in year 7 and 8. The difference in his attitude to education was remarkable. I am not advocating this approach for all families, yet the need to find alternatives appears to be evident.
There seems to be quite a lot of discontent with our education system of late. People are asking questions about what education is hoping to achieve. Do we want the next generation to work like drones or do we want them to be entrepreneurs, lateral thinkers, ideas people, looking for new ways to do life? This interview with Seth Godin offers more questions, good questions which I think we need to start looking at answering. Seth has a TEDX video on the subject, also well worth a look.
With so many students now studying degrees or even double degrees, where is the future heading with employment opportunities going for the next generation? Do they really need to spend 16 or more years at school in order to gain satisfying and fulfilling employment?
If we are serious about our children’s future, then we might want to consider an overhaul of the current education system. Where have our trades schools gone? How many university graduates are actually utilising their degrees? To do this, more people need to be asking questions. Where do we want to be in the next decade or two with education in this country? Do we want our children to do as they are told? To simply pass school and move on to university just because it is expected? Or do we want our kids to ask questions and learn about their options? To go on to university if it is really necessary otherwise learn on the job through real life experience? Or use their creative ideas to make their own careers? Can we educate children without forcing them to do it our way, or the way it has always been done?
June 15, 2014
The Farmer’s Wife – Motorbike Moment
The Farmer’s Wife is a series of short stories about some of the moments which shaped who I am today. It highlights how planning and control are really only an illusion and that knowing which opportunities to take and when is a gift.
June 6, 2014
The Farmer’s Wife – Hay Carting Initiation
Not our actual truck – camera’s were not so common in the 80’s but strikingly similar to ours.The Farmer’s Wife is a series of short stories about some of the moments which shaped who I am today. It highlights how planning and control are really only an illusion and that knowing which opportunities to take and when is a gift.
May 30, 2014
Destiny of Kings launched on Amazon
All my friends and family, especially all those who helped edit and produce the book can get a copy for Kindle at a special introductory price of approximately $1.37 AUD or 99cents USD on Amazon until the end of June. All reviews on Amazon would be very much appreciated. Paperback copies will be available on Amazon very soon (in final edit now), but I will have a limited number available directly for $12.99 AUD, so if you would like to secure a copy, please contact me.
If you don’t have a Kindle, but you have an iPad, Tablet or Smart phone, you can download the Kindle Reader from your app store. The Kindle Reader runs perfectly on all platforms, I have it on my iPad. If you are having issues finding the app, please see these links.
Amazon Download of Destiny of Kings
I really hope you get a chance to read the book, early reviews from my editing team have been surprisingly good ;) – they are bias though.
Your feedback is very welcome, seriously. The only way for me to improve is to know what you, the readers are thinking.
