The Flightless Writer

Early Summer Garden

2010-11-18T11:41:00.000+13:00

I love late spring/early summer.

It is the time when my garden is at it's best.

All winter it looks drab and by Christmas it will be looking "tired" but right now, it gladdens my heart to see it.

Lake Rotoiti Holiday Park I Salute You

2010-11-11T21:18:00.001+13:00

Lake Rotoiti Holiday Park - I salute you!

The lovely lady at the Rotoiti Holiday Park went above and beyond the call of duty in responding to a "domestic emergency".

One of the gorgeous motel units at Lake Rotoiti Holiday Park. You can check out all the facilities at the best Rotorua Holiday Park. From here you could fish any of the Rotorua Lakes whether it be Rotoiti, Rotorua, Okataina, or Tarawera.

Whose emergency you ask?

Mine!!

Regulars will remember that a number of months back hubby got a temporary job at the local mill. He loved the work and it gave us the opportunity to financially recover after several years on ACC after his back surgery.

Despite the surgeons best efforts, some part of the spinal cord was damaged during surgery and left hubby with a foot drop that has made work a little harder to find.

So to get the opportunity of the work was great. But of course, it was only temporary and eventually came to an end.

And then today we suddenly get the call - another temp position at the mill was available - could hubby start in the morning?

The morning!! I didn't even know where said husband was!

Today of all days he had wandered of to a fishing competition on Lake Rotoiti, a popular fishing and holiday destination.

And no that isn't hubby but it is the sort of fishing you can do at Lake Rotoiti Holiday Park

And today - of all days - our phone goes on the blink.

So I leap in the car and race off to the local village and use the pay phone to send a message to his cell phone.

Mmmm - his cell phone. This is the man who doesn't look at his cell phone from one week to the next. Can I really be sure he has the message?

So I email the Lake Rotoiti Holiday Park where the trout fishing competition was being held and ask if they could get a message through to him.

No problem, they say, we'll hand the message on to the competition organizers.

Mmmm - people are always saying they'll pass a message on - and don't. Can I be sure he has the message?

What say they hand the message on but fail to impress upon the competition organizer the urgency?

But here is the lovely part. A few hours later the lovely lady at Lake Rotoiti Holiday Park emails me back to reassure me that hubby has the message and is winging his way home ready for a start back at the mill in the morning.

So tomorrow morning, bright and early, hubby will be back at the mill for another stint. We don't know for how long but with Christmas just around the corner even a few weeks will be a bonus.

And I'm left knowing that the good ol' kiwi spirit where you help out your fellow man even if there's nothing in for you, still shines.

Thanks Lake Rotoiti Holiday Park.

Whakamaru Dam In Full Flow

2010-09-26T17:39:00.000+13:00

We've had a lot of rain over the last few weeks. More than anyone wanted.

Grass is growing - but it's to wet to mow. Weeds are growing - but hard to find a dry morning to attack them.

But there has been one good side to this - the water was let through the sluice gate (or whatever they call these things) at the Whakamaru dam for several days.

The image above and below is from the bottom of the sluice where the water rejoins the river. I never seen it quite this wild. The air was saturated with water and I got wetter than a duck in a downpour getting these shots.

Above and below here show the view from the top of the dam looking down onto the sluice way and the river beyond.

The river is normally quite tranquil beyond the dam but you can see that the waves are just about submerging the tiny island.

Certainly added a new level of interest to the morning walk for a few days.

North Island Kaka

2010-09-11T09:40:00.000+12:00

Wow! Discovered a North Island Kaka in my garden this morning.

Hard to see but it is about half way down the image and one third in from right hand edge. A brown bird just above a cream colored flower.

Here is a closeup of the NI kaka taken from the Tiritirimatangi site . Photographer, Peter Craw, obviously has the talent for getting a whole lot closer that I did!

The kaka is normally only found in large forest areas and is not usually seen then. They are fully protected with only about 10,000 birds of both North Island and South Island kaka combined left.

They enjoy nectar which is what he is doing in our Banksia tree. The Banksia is actually an Australian native tree but I planted it because I know many NZ native birds enjoy its nectar rich flowers in the winter. We always have lots of tuis and bellbirds in this tree but I have never seen a kaka before.

I've never seen one even in the wild so you can imagine my excitement when hubby's friend spotted this one.

I've been following his activity all morning - he is moving around our trees, visiting the 2 Banksia, a winter flowering gum and a vanilla tree and seems to be feeding from them all. He might have just been attacking the bark for grubs in the vanilla tree. Interestingly, none of these trees are NZ natives but that didn't seem to bother him one jot.

For any NZ bird fanciers who should read this post - our garden is at Whakamaru in the South Waikato and there are large areas of forest about 10 kilometres away with a few small tracts closer. The kaka is certainly a bird that I never expected to find in my garden.

Long may he continue!

All Is Well

2010-09-06T15:31:00.001+12:00

I know that with the recent earthquake in the South Island lots of my cyber-friends are concerned about how we are faring.

Hubby and I are fine. We live in the North Island so are 500-600 kilometres away from the epicenter of the 'quake. We slept right through it and never felt a thing!

However, what IS quite surreal is seeing all the images of the devastation on television. These things happen in other countries - not your own. Not sure why it is quite such a shock because NZ sits right on top of several fault lines and we have frequent earthquakes. Usually they are fairly small whereas this last one, at 7.1 was a biggy.

This link shows a few images.

We have built our tourism industry around boiling mud pools, geysers etc - all a good indication of plenty of underground activity. And we have harnessed all that activity to provide geothermal power. So it isn't as if we should be surprised.

I live about 50 kilometres from Lake Taupo which produced the biggest volcanic eruption the world has ever seen about 1800 years ago. So one of these days I will be in the hot seat.

But not today!

Feel Good Post

2010-08-22T06:19:00.000+12:00

Couldn't resist posting this. Just made me feel good. There is so much senseless violence in the world that it is heart warming to see people caring for a baby bird.

Hope you enjoy.

The Advantages of a Less Than Perfect Childhood

2010-08-08T11:30:00.000+12:00

Does anyone want me to mumble some excuse about why I haven't posted recently. No? Okay, we'll get right to it then.

About 6 weeks ago I had my 60th birthday. It's a strange sort of birthday because it sounds so incredibly old. Little children ask if you remember the discovery of penicillin and even teenagers want to know about the first car you ever rode in.

So 60 sounds old - but it doesn't feel old. I mean I've got aches and pains that I didn't use to have and some of my bendy bits are not quite as bendy as they used to be.

But in my head, I'm just a youngster. Full of enthusiasm and waiting to try out my latest interest. And this is where we get to the advantages of a less than perfect childhood. (You were wondering when I would get to it.)

A less than perfect childhood means that life gets better instead of worse as you get older. I feel so sorry for these folk who say that their childhood was the best time of their life.

For them - life goes steadily downhill. How ghastly!

For me, the recipent of a less than perfect childhood - each decade gets better. My fifities were great - not perfect - there is still time for perfection - but pretty damn good.

So I think the sixties are going to be even better. This is not a foolish assumption. Each decade of my life has been an improvement on the one before.

And there are real advantages to being an "old woman".

You can look at young men and admire them and not feel any need to do anything about it.

Nobody cares about how you look so you can stop worrying about any perceived imperfections.

Somewhere along the way you stop worrying about what other people think.

You've either found a good man (or woman) or got the hang of living without one.

You've got this "art of living" thing figured out.

So a less that perfect childhood is a great thing and if anyone out there is perhaps going though the aftermath of one then remember this - your life will steadily improve.

By the time you get to sixty you're going to be having a ball!

Good Luck - Bad Luck

2010-05-03T14:55:00.000+12:00

I'm always fascinated about the concept of good and bad luck. How one can so quickly turn to the other, and how you never quite know if something is good luck or bad luck until after the event.

So today, someone's elses bad luck has been good luck for us.

Some of you will have followed the progress - via Facebook - of hubby as he took a course in operating a fork lift. He has tickets for diggers and such like and has now added fork lifts to the list.

We had been given a "heads-up" that a temporary position for a fork lift driver was coming up at the local timber mill. The mill is a massive place and very hard to get into. With wages a clear cut above any where else locally, jobs there are as scarce as the proverbial hen's teeth.

So this morning hubby set off for an interview at the mill with his newly acquired fork lift ticket in his hot little hand.

And just got home an hour ago with a job contract clutched in the other hand.

Yee- har!!!!!!

This will make a big difference to us even though it is a temporary position. We don't know for how long - he is relieving for someone who has to undergo medical treatment.

And so whilst we wish the ailing fork lift driver all the best - we really really do - we're in no hurry for him to race back to work.

And if he feels inclined to take a lengthy world tour to facilitate his recovery - and goodness knows, if he has worked at the mill for any length of time he can afford to - we'll be the last to try and talk him out of it. In fact, we'll drive him to the airport of his choice!

Good luck, bad luck - who really knows. But this sure looks like good luck to me.

Bye Bye Lorain

2010-04-28T08:50:00.000+12:00

My editor at HarperCollins NZ, Lorain Day, is leaving and that makes me feel strangely sad.

The heady days of excitement as Ripples On The Lake was accepted and published are long gone. You'd be hard pressed to find a copy for sale on any of the book shop shelves now. Heaven knows, my royalty payments have dried up like a creek bed in the Sahara!

And as someone who doesn't even classify themselves as a writer anymore I have no reason to mourn her leaving for new adventures.

But I do.

There are still stories in my head. One day, I might have taken that lonely, courageous step of trying to find the words that match the tale I can see.

And it would have been very nice to have someone who liked what I did in the past read it and give her verdict. (I am, in fact, legally obligated to give HarperCollins "first peek" at any future writing.)

But their next Head Editor might not like my style - or my love of the exclamation mark!

As someone who has written and submitted a number of stories, I know how dreadfully hard that first "break" can be. And after all my efforts, I sort of "lucked" into it in the end when an Australian agent who rejected me said try Lorain Day at HarperCollins NZ.

I did. I sent her a first chapter with a postcard that had two options: "Please send complete manuscript" or "Idea does not interest me at this time" - please tick one.

She ticked the first option.

It was one of those times when life seems to stop for a moment and the universe imprints upon you. I felt as if I had spent half my life collecting mail and always wondering if there would be a reply from some publisher or agent.

And there it was! Someone wanted to read the whole story.

I fell in love with that woman right there at the mail box!

So although we never met and although I am not currently writing, I am indeed sorry to hear that she is moving on.

Bon voyage, Lorain, I wish you well.

Sunday Stroll

2010-04-18T14:32:00.002+12:00

Drat! My lovely Sunday stroll which was supposed to be a bush walk turned into a hunt. I guess there is always that danger when your "bush walking" companions are a hunter and his 2 dogs.

Anyway, before I go any further, a warning for the faint hearted. There is an image of a dead animal lower down. If seeing that is going to totally trash your day then I won't hold it against you if you click away now although you can safely look at the first 5 images.

Most of the images are of dogs and bush - nothing gory.

With that warning out of the way, we'll continue. Now I know that most of you probably neither like nor approve of hunting. I don't actually like it myself, BUT, I married a keen hunter, we have hunting dogs that I adore so inevitably I do end up on the odd hunt.

I'd gone along this morning because hubby was trying out tracking collars on the dogs for the first time and we were both interested in seeing how far the dogs went. Our NZ bush is very dense so that once the dogs leave the track you have no idea where they are until they "open up".

Our dogs are pig dogs and the idea is that they find a pig in the bush and then bail it. This means that they stand and bark at the pig, circling round it if necessary, so that it can't run away. The hunter hears the dogs barking, rushes in and dispatches the pig.

This first image is our old dog Diesel. He is the father of our two "boys" and he knows he won't be going along. His days of hunting are behind him. The collars have just been taken of Jem and Bruiser and Diesel is forlornly curled up beside them.

This is where we headed. We're taking the gate on the right and will wind up the mountain in the old ute until the track becomes undrivable. I have actually been right to the top of Mt Titiraupenga - admittedly with hubby providing much pushing from behind. That last bit is steep.

Hubby putting the tracking collar on Jem. Note the cigarette dangling from lips - the health revolution has completely passed him by!

Jem in the lead with Bruiser not far behind as they race across a clearing. Just stretching their legs.

Jem coming up out of a creek after having a drink. This hunting/bush walking is thirsty work! (This is the point where all vegans probably want to leave although the images are not gory - I promise.)

At this point, the dogs opened up and hubby grabbed his gun and knife and dashed off after them. I dashed quite a bit more slowly after them all - I like "the action" to be all over by the time I get there!

Jem and Bruiser had surprised a deer on the side of a gully. It jumped into a creek where the two dogs bailed it until hubby arrived and he shot it. And yes, I did say deer - they're supposed to be pig dogs but with no pigs about they decided a deer would do!

Oh dear, did I mention it was on the side of a gully? The deer ran to the bottom. It took about an hour for the two of us to manhandle it back up to the track. Before the back surgery, hubby would have put it on his back and carried it up, but not now.

That's steam coming up of hubby; that is the deer to the left. I'm supposed to be on the other end of that rope pulling but as you can see, I was actually taking a photo!

We finally make it back to the track. You'll note that the deer has been gutted and head off. This lightens the load. The deer will be kept in a chiller for about 4 days to tenderize and then hubby will divide the meat and share it out amongst family members.

Final shot is of me showing off my bloody, dirty hands and scratches.

And in fact, I can truthfully say, if it wasn't for the blood, dirt and dead animals, I really would enjoy hunting!

Why I Love Working From Home

2010-04-14T09:52:00.000+12:00

I love working from home.

The days when I happily sprung out of bed before the sun had rose to raise off and feed bawling calves or exercise racehorses are long gone. Oh, and the pumping gas - do you remember my days at the gas station.

I do have very happy memories of those days (except the gas station!) but no great desire to do it all again.

No, nowadays - I do still spring out of bed before the sun is up - but it is to light the fire, make myself a cup of coffee and wander into my "office" to see what has happened overnight to my two website.

These are a couple of my "work colleagues"! As soon as it is daylight, I race out in my pj's and let the young dogs out of their kennels. Needless to say they are all very happy to come in and help.

You'll remember I was always a "stat-fan" - haven't changed a bit. The pulse still quickens if an extra person or two has visited. The Probiotic site gets about 1500 visitors a day, but the Charm site is just a baby in comparison and gets only about 30 or so visitors.

I've no doubt the Charm site will grow - it isn't getting much of my attention at the moment. You'll remember that the hubby had back surgery and was left with foot drop as a result so I'm proud to say that we now get the bulk of our income from my website endeavors. I'm concentrating on where the money is until we are clearly supporting ourselves adequately.

At the moment we are supporting ourselves - so long as we don't have an emergency!!

You'll note I have not lost my love of the exclamation. Such a useful punctuation mark.

So, yes I do love what I do. Winter is almost upon us and I know that I will be tucked up snug and warm, beavering away on my websites, helped by my trusty companions.

A Blogger Returns

2010-04-12T16:30:00.000+12:00

Is it really almost 9 months ago since I last posted here?

I can't quite believe it is that long but I guess blog dates don't lie.

Saw a few old blogger friends over on FaceBook and thought I'd just take a sentimental look at the old blog and discovered it spammed to the max! Have removed over 70 comments from the post below this and still hundreds to go on other posts.

Ghastly wretches!

I feel as if these spammers have trashed my humble little blog with their links for their pills and potions.

I bet they've left cigarette butts in the potted palms too!

Anyway - there is a silver lining to every cloud - it's bought about a burst of love and activity for the old blog. I'm filled with maternal concern for it.

So I shall spend the next few days removing spam, cobwebs and cockroaches. And if anyone remembers me, do pop by and say hello.

I'm the one with the can of 'roachkiller!

Mother's Little Helpers

2009-06-06T11:07:00.004+12:00

As most of you know, we keep hens. Six brown shavers who have never been named - they're simply referred to as "the girls". I like to let them out of their run most days so they can have a peck around the lawn and garden at what ever takes their fancy.

They do make a mess scratching mulch away from where I've carefully put it and taking dust baths in the middle of some cherished plant. But I like that we rescued them from what would have been a life in a battery cage.

They live as hens should live. Bit of company, bit of sun, bit of dust - it isn't much to ask.

Snow at Whakamaru

2009-05-24T21:19:00.004+12:00

Well - snow on the top of Kaahu really but it was a grand sight to wake up a couple of mornings back and see a sprinkle of snow on top of the hill out the back of us.

I realize this is a total non-event for most of you who trudge round up to your armpits in snow for half the year but, for us, this only happens about once a year.

We do have decent snow falls in many places in New Zealand but not in my back yard!

It had been a very crisp frost earlier but once the sun came out was beautiful. Winter is upon us.

Swans - we have swans!

2009-05-17T11:43:00.005+12:00

At last the issue with my camera is sorted. If you want to read the whole story I made a Squidoo lens out of it which you'll find here at Cannot Detect Camera. (That is just my cunning ploy to give my newest lens its first link in! I have just under 30 lenses now under several different "names".)

The solution was as simple as buying a cheap memory card reader.

Anyway - the images finally got transferred.

There we have the mamma swan and her four babies. The father is just out of shot.

And another shot showing their more general setting. You can see that most of the ducks that arrived for the beginning of the duck shooting season have now moved on.

So we're back in business folks!

Can you imagine?

2009-05-10T21:49:00.005+12:00

Can you imagine two black adult swans and their entourage of gray fluff balls?

Mmmm?

Well, you have to - because my computer and camera are still not talking to one another. I've given up fretting about it. I have so much going on at the moment that it seems like a waste of energy to worry about what's happening with the images. I'll sort it out "later".

So there was going to be an image of the swans and their 4 babies - but there isn't!

I've been following their progress for a few weeks because these babies have hatched WAY too late. We're going into winter and the rest of this season's ducks and swans down by the dam are indistinguishable from their parents. Not this lot.

Four little gray balls of fuzz bobbing along behind mom and dad swan. They appear to be thriving and although there are many extra beaks at the dam at present I have no concerns about feed running out. I see the adults lifting lake weed to the surface so that the little guys can bob their heads under and fish for bugs or weed or whatever they eat.

I'm sure they're going to do just fine.

The dam is a busy old place at the moment as duck shooting season started about a week ago and many out-of-towner ducks have arrived for a visit. It always amazes me how the first few arrivals start turning up before the hunting season has started. They some how seem to know that "that" time of the year has arrived. Every morning I'll see a few more ducks swimming about.

I have to confess that my images - the ones you can't see - aren't that great. Very distant. So perhaps you're better off with your imagination!

Okay you digital camera experts!

2009-05-04T20:39:00.004+12:00

Tell me what I'm doing wrong. Please!!

It's most frustrating. My digital camera is refusing to download onto the computer. It is hoarding its images like a miser.

Normally, I just plug the camera (a Cannon) into the computer and hey presto a screen pops up in ZoomBrowser and I download the images.

Now, all I get is a polite message in ZoomBrowser saying "cannot detect camera"!

Does anyone have any idea what's going on? Ever run into this sort of thing before? Do I need to go to my local computer guy - or digital camera guy?

I have images - I will blog - but first we need to beat this camera into shape!

Anzac Day

2009-04-25T16:30:00.004+12:00

It's Anzac Day here in New Zealand and I've spent much of the day watching remembrance services and documentaries on the Gallipoli campaign. It is a time for remembering our soldiers.

The poppy represents the fallen - it is, I believe, an allusion to the blood soaked fields in Europe during the first World War.

Photo courtesy of FreeFoto

Many thousands of New Zealand and Australian soldiers lost their lives on the beaches of Gallipoli during an ill fated landing in 1916. And many Turkish soldiers lost their lives in the campaign that followed.

After the battles were all ended, Turkish General Kamal Ataturk made this moving and gracious speech about our soldiers who had died there.

"You are heroes who spilled your blood and lost your lives.
You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country.
So, rest in peace.
There is no difference to us between the Allied soldier and the Turkish soldier.
They lie side by side in this country of ours.
You, the mothers, You sent your sons from far away countries.
Wipe away your tears.
Your sons are now lying close to our hearts and are in peace.
They lost their lives on our land.
So they have become our sons as well."

Matai Bur

2009-04-24T12:32:00.005+12:00

This matai bur resides in my garden and I love it. It's an honored guest. So much character in that knotted face.

You may know it as a bur, or a burr, or a burl. All are accepted spellings in various parts of the world of this type of knobbly overgrowth of wood.

The matai tree it came from would have been maybe 800 years old and we found the bur in an area where the native bush was logged about 40 years ago. It had been cut from the trunk when the log was milled and left lying on the ground as an unwanted waste product. How could anything so lovely been seen as waste? The area was then replanted in pine trees for timber and pulp where once again this fabulous matai burr was covered with scrub and blackberry until it was re-exposed when the pines were harvested. This time, the land is being converted to dairy farms.

So I'm happy to offer a home for this "old-timer" in my garden. He doesn't deserve to be buried or burnt or have cows poo on him!

The matai tree is a New Zealand native and can grow up to 25 meters tall and live for over 1000 years. A bur is usually the result of some injury where the tree responds by making too much growth. This one is about knee high and is the biggest we've ever seen.

Times have changed and now he is of value to people like wood turners. But he'll grace my garden with his wonderful presence until I shuffle off!

We have a number of matia burrs about the garden but this old man is our pride and joy.

Hello

2009-04-21T13:35:00.005+12:00

It's me.

What do you mean "who am I?"

I haven't been gone that long - have I?

I shan't embarrass myself with excuses. It was the thought of coming up with a decent sounding excuse for my long absence that has delayed my return to blogging even further. Somehow I just couldn't get a story about a lengthy bout of yellow fever or black plague to sound convincing!

I shall simply say thanks to one of you for commenting on Facebook "Get back on the blog horse, Dawn. Please. You are missed."

UPDATE: Followed half an hour later by another person writing "You are missed in blogland! Good to see you here, though."

Luckily Facebook tells me when folk comment on my page because I'm never there either! But obviously all of you are! And the reason I was spotted on Facebook is because another one of you lovelies found my name and invited me to be a friend and it was while I was responding that my blog presence was suggested.

All of you lovely people know who you are.

So I've broken the ice and I'm back. Tomorrow I shall be able to nonchalantly carry on as if I've never been gone!

I shall leave you all with a lovely photo of our three dogs. That's Diesel in the foreground, and his 2 sons, Jem and Bruiser in the background. Diesel has been retired from pig hunting now and the two "lads" have taken over.

Diesel gets to stay home with me and whilst he still misses going out, he is getting used to it.

Morning Walk

2009-01-01T17:03:00.005+13:00

I try to get out for a walk more or less every morning.

This summer I have an additional reason in that I intend to climb several mountains this year. These are, I hasten to add, mountains that one tramps up rather than attacks with pic ax and crampons!

Every year I TALK about wanting to do these mountain walks so this year I'm doing it. No more talk! Am just over a week away from the first tramp and doing everything I can to ensure I'm fit enough and that gammy knee is going to hold together for the process.

So I take the road that leads to the foot of the dam (that gray structure is the dam) until I come to ...

... the first flight of the 160 steps (I counted them once) that lead up from the bottom of the dam to the top.

At the top there is this fabulous view of Lake Whakamaru with the small mountain Kaahu in the background. The white line is a float that keeps any weed from going through the turbines.

And then out over the dam and back again, and return via a little track through the bush rather than the 160 steps again.

It's a beautiful walk and I do feel privileged to live where I can keep fit without having to breathe in city smog and exhaust fumes.

Usually see rabbits, ducks, swans, and swallows. And cows, of course! This is dairy country! I'll show you them on another post!

Piglets

2008-12-29T17:19:00.005+13:00

This morning a friend of hubby's stopped off with two intrepid young travelers on the back of his ute.

They were actually traveling inside the drum for safety but made a brief appearance for publicity!

These are two young pigs about 2 months old, fully weaned and ready to venture forth. In their case, this means being released into the wild where they will take their chances as to what life holds for them. These two little boys were smaller than they looked in the pic.

This is something that many New Zealand pig hunters do - release pigs into the wild. Some will grow to a ripe old age and father or mother many youngsters. Others will be caught and killed.

It's the luck of the draw.

Their release point will be a quiet place where by common agreement no one will be hunting. As they mature they'll roam further afield. One day, they will likely run into a pig hunter and his dog.

I wished these two young fellows rapid growth, long legs and a wily brain. If I ever see them again, I hope it's dashing up a steep hill, laughing at the dog laboring behind them and escaping back into the bush.

I love Santa!

2008-12-27T11:14:00.006+13:00

Well, I did hand out a few clues as to what Santa hid under the Christmas tree for me this year.

That is a photo of our deck.

In case you still haven't guessed - let me throw in another clue. Below is a view taken from the deck of Kaahu.

You got it! Santa bought me a digital camera. This is so great because it has been such a pain having to get film developed and put on to disk.

The camera is a Cannon A2000IS and is a joy to operate. I just have to remember not to keep raising it to my eye! Old habits die hard! It takes wonderful pictures - I'm impressed with the quality.

So prepared to be inundated with snapshots of my life from now on.

Hope every one had a wonderful day yesterday (or the day before - depending on just where you live). Time to start preparing for the new year now.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T17:44:00.004+13:00

Here in New Zealand it is Christmas eve.

I'm rather excited because I got a sneak look at what Santa has in his sack for me - and I like!

My lips are sealed BUT there will be no more waiting for me to get film developed!!

Anyway, have a wonderful Christmas. To everyone who bought Ripples on the Lake during the year - thank you. You made a penniless writer very happy!

To readers of Ripples who emailed me with your thoughts, I truly enjoyed basking in your praise. You'd be surprised to know how insecure we writers can be. It is your support that keeps us going.

And to the people that have contributed to my blog, whether by adding your comments or simply by visiting and reading - thank you. I enjoy the contact that the world of the web provides. I feel as if I've developed real friendships all over the globe.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

and if you don't celebrate Christmas, have a lovely holiday anyway.

I'm on YouTube

2008-12-18T19:35:00.005+13:00

I really am quite excited.

I'm on YouTube - or at least my little probiotic website is.

You may or may not be aware that I started a raw food diet a few weeks back. I like to try and eat healthily and this seemed like a good way of losing a few pounds and getting a healthy diet as well. Now I don't eat 100% raw or anything like that, but I am eating a raw food breakfast and loving it and usually another meal too.

And I've lost almost half a stone in under a month and so me and Probiotics LoveThatBug are featured on this video clip about raw foods diet. (It's quite save to click through without being press ganged into eating raw nut cutlets for life!)

Now one or two of you will be wondering just how this raw food diet fits in with my obsession for cream filled apple donuts! In fact THAT temptation has been totally eliminated by the little shop down the road changing hands and no longer having them on the menu! Haven't had a cream filled apple donut for months (although I dream about them!)

The latest temptation is ice cream. We have raspberries galore and they are just so nice with ice cream. Not just any type of ice cream. It has to be Tip Top's vanilla.

I try not to yield to often and must be doing fairly well because I AM losing weight. Mostly, I mix a handful of raspberries in with other raw fruits for breakfast. Sometimes, I eat a plate full with yogurt. And occasionally - I confess - I do have them with ice cream!

But most days I eat two raw meals a day and have cut right down on the amount of meat I'm eating - much to hubby's horror. He's one of those men that thinks you die of lack of protein if you don't eat meat every day.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the video clip.