Splashing in the WEST

It is that time of the year when the longest white water race in the world is held. This year it will be the weekend of August5 starting at Northam. I found these images of last year's race and thought I would share them. 
It is not a warm weekend (usually) but it is worthwhile putting up with the cold weather. There are exciting moments even some deaths at times for those who like to watch disasters from the safety of a bridge or the banks of the river.
No, it is not that cold! You won't see any snow but it is a great photo opportunity for those keen enough to embrace the low temperatures and at most times real rain showers or just drizzle.
Some magnificent scenery could be yours and your Canon...of course you will use your Canon Camera. I do or should I say we do. Great practise for timing the exposures and/or snapping some of the interesting observers. At some spots it is possible to grab a B/B/Q or to create one as the boats race over the rapids. Of course it will not be only power poats roaring past but single and double canoes , the paddlers trying to break records. They are not the only ones of course, the tinnies and their smelly and noisy motors try  as well.
It all finishes on the Sunday at Bayswater foreshore opposite the Ascot racecourse. IF... there is enough rain to fill the Avon river in the days before the race. But it is a good day out or even two days out!
I know you are wondering how my books are going...they are growing roots while my publishing company is getting its act together...my dates for publishing have now been brought back to the end of July. I have farewelled 5 friends this
year and I don't mean going overseas either...they are never to be able to enjoy my books. But I want to be around to write more. So as a certain tennis player would say....COME ON!!!!

Mock print 3

Yes..it did arrive and it was perfect! But then I had a surprise waiting for me...photos which I could have included and which would have created some interest I am sure. BUT seeing that would have been mock-print number 4 for Kin Deep (the prints 1-3 mostly not being my fault..ie. index page continued to be misprinted in capitals and small print) I thought it was a bit rough to expect me to pay $100.oo plus for print no. 4. In any case I decided against including photos...there are a number of family members against my publishing this story and instead of causing more aggravation I decided to leave the photos out. I had already considered the privacy thing that these family members have been losing sleep over so when and if they read the book they will be pleasantly surprised....maybe they won't even recognise themselves...maybe!

Yesterday was a day of frustration...no computer...the good souls digging up the Great Eastern Highway I suspect accidentally dug into our internet line...hence Sunday and Monday was out! The world left me and I left the world. A good lesson for me. It made me realise how much this world connection is a part of my life. Scary!

The night was not wasted as Wimbledon started and yes! We had an Australian winner...Samantha Stosur....at last! I am hoping she will keep going.

I rebooted my computer to find another offer from Bookpal for my next book....dream on....my fifth book is still in my head so why would I want another contract and spend a fortune? I have learnt to be patient with these book printings during the last few months and it seems all won't be completed until the end of July/August ?September. Patience!!!

Family Trees

 Here we are again...my favourite SHOE TREE...found in Launceston Tasmania. Below is the the true MOTHER TREE rasing the smaller ones and nurturing all. And also found in Tasmania.
 I promised some pictures so here we are with the DOWN TOWN SYDNEY TREE. The poor little thing trying to improve the atmosphere in busy Sydney.
 Of course if we are going to write about atmosphere the best place to experience that is the salt air of Rottnest Island In Perth. This is THE FAMILY TREE...don't you think? A little worn and gnarly but making up for its disposition by offering a magnificent beach down a series of steps. This is obviously where and why the family have given up on their ride in order to swim and sunbake. We all need our VITAMIN D don't forget!
 Another little corner of the world allowed me to discover the LIGHT TREE of Italy. In fact it was at MILANO the centre of fashion and elegance.
 Even the moon wanted to make an appearance.
 And finally at home where we have experienced all kind of vicious weather lately we find two or three birds finding cover from the blanket of cloud about to settle on us. This is beautiful Ascot Waters for those who don't know...6kms from Perth centre.
 So I kept my promise of pictures. Now I can sit back and wait for my mock-print book of KIN DEEP number 3 to be delivered. But I am about to throw a spanner in the works because I have found some photographs I could include in the book...if only!

Running free

It seems I have lots and lots to write about...more about books of course. See how you like this. My partner gave me an electronic reader so that I could buy lots of electronic books and so stop filling up my book shelves. Actually I used to do more than that I used to fill up my suitcase with many books  whenever we ventured overseas...books are much cheaper there...so why not...forget the excess baggage charges...HO!HUM! I had been restraining myself until last weekend when my good man left me at the domestic airport to fill in two hours while he zoomed off to the International not to be seen again for ten days.
So what else could I do? I knew it would be raining and storming when I arrived home and what better way to spend ten days ....read and read and read! So I finally found my author...the late Christopher Hitchens...and bought all I could find (3)...Colum McCann (1)...Maria Angels Anglada "The Auschwitz Violin"...and of course not to neglect my interest in neuro science "The emotional life of your Brain" Richard J. Davidson Ph.D with Sharon Begley. For those who like psycho murder cases I bought and read and can recommend "People who eat Darkness-the fate of Lucie Blackman" by Richard Lloyd Parry several young women go missing in Tokyo...the story was covered in the news some years ago. To read another awful experience (and make me feel better listening to the rain pour down outside and lying in freezing temperatures...the doona covering me...electricity costs having risen by 55% in WA) I bought "The Persian Blanket-the life of Janina Milek" by Tim Chappell. An interesting story but I think Tim should stick to Medicine. I can understand his emotional connection to the subject nevertheless. So you might ask the question...Is the printed word dead? Or, is there room for both in this reader's world? I do like to hold a book...one can wrinkle the pages and the cover as much as the situation permits...but the e-reader is compact and...whatever! I have fulfilled "my bookshop withdrawal" state adequately and will return to my electronic choices soon.....you might ask, have you given up writing books, then?....yes and no! Perhaps! Maybe! Who knows?

What a strange question!

I've just tried to delete a few factors on my personal description ie. German born etc. and found the question...how many books have you written? How did that question come into it? I still don't understand the complete workings of this blog spot. Of course the answer is...I have written 4...two in the experience of learning to write with printed copies going to friends and family only (two of which I am now highly embarrassed) the writing was typical of a beginner...and two which I am getting published...I hope before I fall off the perch as it is said but....my new way of thinking has made me much more patient and now I am only amused at what my publishing company try to offer me...ie. temptation to spend thousands on more book contracts. So all will be revealed soon......Oh yeah? I am waiting for my third mock-print of KIN DEEP and my 20 or so hard copies of my novel "Baggage". Perhaps I can think of organising a book launch when I have all in hand. IF ONLY! This reminds me....perhaps I should go on the ABC TV program "IF ONLY" that would hurry things along do you think?
Blurb has contacted me to remind me that I could have a book printed of these blog posts but if I did I would need to include more pictures..I think...after all it is 'words and pictures' so I will do just that...beginning with some favourites of mine. So patience...patience is all one needs....perhaps. My computer is being upgraded today and so is my word program I suspect so where will it leave me? Oh No!

Head Space

New resolutions...seeing I have been so slack and have not followed Alain de Botton's advice and risen at 4am to write and receive my super clever ideas which come to anyone at that hideous hour I am going to trick myself and pretend to be starting a new year. I know it is not THE NEW YEAR...but it could be if only I could change my thinking. I've already been there once...in my memoir KIN DEEP...'I cannot change anything about my past but can change the way I see it.'
Of course this idea is not new. It has always been known that a lack of control of a situation, a lack of options to change things, can result in negative thinking. But to change the negative response one can take back control and realise that the thoughts in one's head space are no one else's but your own. It is possible to change how one thinks and reacts by simply controlling and filtering the thoughts that enter one's mind. negative thoughts out! Unacceptable! Positive thoughts in! Yes, only positive thoughts allowed.
Did I say simply? Well it isn't so. Like all beneficial acts it takes practise to alter age-old habits. By a repetitive effort the brain can change and develop and store new ways of going about things. But, one needs to practise the change every day.
We all have a choice each morning what to make of our day and the challenges we are facing. Events do not cause our life's miseries it is how we choose to react to them that is the cause. So where does it leave me and the white ants eating my timber floor of my house entrance? Or the moisture covering a wall and floor in my study in the recent rain storms? Simple, call Pest Control, move the computer and books from the wet area to a dry corner of the room, empty three book shelves in the process, only to reload them later and ring the gutter expert, continuously. He doesn't seem to want to come...and I don't blame him. Maybe he should change his thinking?

Talking of head space...I watched Q&A and watched each panel member's reaction not only to the questions posed but to each other. I couldn't help but be amused by Professor Brian Schmidt's astonishment at some of the outlandish and impulsive behaviours of some. While I respect and admire Professor Schmidt's love of Physics his almost horrified look stimulated me to wish I could have been in a position to pose the question I have heard answered by other scientists before.....all scientists need to have an Aspergher/Autism proponent in their personality make-up to be effective and successful scientists. Would Professor Schmidt agree? I thought I saw evidence of both in his reaction to some of the outbursts. You wonder why it is important to me? Because I live with a scientist and it has taken me years to understand his personality.

More great news!

For a tennis tragic I haven't stopped smiling. Thank God Nadal beat Djokovic!!! This moment I had been waiting for with fingers crossed. But the mystery left with us is why Djokovic did not play up to scratch? All we need now is Beppi from Italy to feature more and he will and the top 4 will never be the same.

With all due respect

What a turn around! Here I am in my old age and knocking on the door of oblivion and I find that I am capable of completely changing the views I have held for years. Yes, I have spent a lifetime avoiding going to funerals. That is until I saw a snippet of Robin Gibbs' farewell on the news. Never have I seen such an elegant farewell dripping with appreciation of a life lived. It was in my opinion the most tasteful farewell anyone could imaging. The marvellous black horses and the coffin carriage, indeed was fitting for a KING! What a crying shame Robin wasn't around to appreciate it all. I certainly did and wish that it would be screened again sometime...call me sick but what about U-TUBE? Come on Barry. You and yours have outdone any Royal procession I have ever seen....talk about service to the community...he was only sixty-two and hailed from good old Australia...that is, he learnt it all here and then moved off-shore.
Now back to us poor earth-lings...my walls are being lined by paperbacks (30) of my Novel 'Baggage' to be followed by (20) hard copies. And then of course come the same number of my Memoir 'KIN Deep'.
All I need to do is hold a book launch! That should be easy! Oh yeah? The scary thing is...I've been scribbling notes for my new book.

Why oh why?

I've been sitting her since last Friday now and waiting......having received an e-mail to say that two items have been lodged to be sent to me...so where are they? All wrong! Apparently June 4 doesn't exist over in Qld. and now the date has been moved to June 7...and I have received several e-mails to say so. Of course this means the package won't leave QLD until that date and if I am very lucky it will be delivered to my address on Friday. But so far I have not been that lucky! So what happened to my Book printing, books despatch and e-book on my todo list for "Baggage"? Suddenly June 18 has disappeared off the QLD calendar and we are due to connect again on the 28th of June..AMAZING!

Why is it so......

Yes fill in the space...irritating? to be so unused to computer ways. It is not that I haven't done computer units in my degree but that was years ago...now all I want to be able to do is enter my daily blog.  And I am still waiting for my books to get a move on but filling in my time as a Tennis Tragic watching the French Open.... but my books have not left my mind, in fact, I am about to show you the cover of my Autobiography/Memoir...I know the photo is there and here it is... By the way the women in the top left hand corner is not me but...I wish! Come on June! Come on Sam Stosur! Come on Australia...I'll be watching!