I'm a regular blood donor, and this week is National Blood Donor Week. Today was my 66th donation and so I'm almost to 2/3 of my goal of 100 donations in my life time. Where else do you get a medical check, the ability to lie down for an hour and read a book ( The Diabolical Miss Hyde by Viola Carr ), then be fed.
The blood service is also correct in that the Chocolate Chunk Cookie by the Byron Bay Cookie Company is the Best. Biscuit. Ever. And they are only available at the donor centres. Rather than sharing a photo of me in the chair, needles or any blood, I thought I'd share a photo from this morning. I walked across Southbank Parklands to the city and for a second, had the bougainvillaea covered arbour all to myself. It was magic. I'm sure you've heard me say it before - I'm a Taphophile - a lover of cemeteries. But the term sounds a little...disturbing, so I went hunting for something a bit less creepy. Here's some I came across:
Lots of people ask why???? I love the history, the tributes and the way nature, no matter how hard you try, always wins out. Like the stone above. In 1914, this monument was standing, but over 100 years (and three more burials) later it has fallen and is now being reclaimed. Here's a few more of my photos from my writing group's visit to Balmoral Cemetery. I have lived in Brisbane my entire life and have never seen a koala in the wild, until we went walking last Sunday.
We know we're slow, but we're only now (23 months in) exploring all the local parks and wildlife corridors around our new house. We blame our teenage dog - our downtime went into training and spending time with her. So last Sunday, we took the dogs to the park in the morning and snuck out in the afternoon to explore Vickerman's Track, in a wildlife corridor about 2km from our house.. Apologies for the quality of the image - we didn't want to get too close and the light was fading. Isn't it gorgeous? I'm thrilled to announce that Follow Your Dreams has been accepted into the Romance Writers of Australia Sunstone Anthology. I know I've said it before - I love writing short.
Congratulations to the place-getters and all the other Little Gems for 2016. A special shout out to Fiona Marsden who had two entries accepted. Officially, there are more Fionas than any other christian name this year, so you can't be unhappy about that. Sunstone anthology will be available in digital and POD from August 2016 from the RWA shop.. We're in the middle of a heatwave in sunny Queensland, and while I've seen worse, this one just seems to be going on forever. Most nights, the storms scout around Brisbane and we miss out on the cooling rain. The humidity is the killer. Right now, its 85% humidity and 32 degrees inside. I've ditched the office and have set up shop in the dining room, between two sliding doors. Hopefully, we'll get some breeze.
This morning I went down to our local produce store and this guy (above) was in the garden section where the sprinklers had been running. The photo doesn't do him justice - he was at least two feet long and had blocked the path. I went round the other way. Writing wise, I'm editing the parked futuristic (working title Man and Wife) and so far that involves a rewrite of the first 3 chapters. Already, I can see its much more immediate, even if I did have to kill a few darlings along the way. Wish me luck... I've come to the conclusion Australia Day means different things to different people at different times of their lives. I celebrate that I live in a diverse country with opportunity, without war.
In the 1990's I went to concerts and fireworks in and around Brisbane, in the 2000s I used the public holiday to visit the farm and in the 2010s I alternate between the farm and avoiding the farm and the end of school holiday traffic. This year I'm at home - the only thing worse than lots of traffic is lots of traffic in wet weather, and it looks ominous for heavy rain. This morning saw a visit to the off lead park (in the rain) with the puppies playing in puddles while next door a fiercely contested cricket match unfolded. Home, doggie bathing, washing soggy leads, towels and shoes, and finally I am about to sit down for some quiet time. However you celebrate, hope you are having fun and staying safe. Writing wise, I've just finished a short story for an anthology and am busting to get back to a futuristic I parked. I had a vision for rewrites of the first 3 chapters, and I can't wait to see how that unfolds. Wish me luck. Yesterday there was a bit of a chill in the air - perfect temperature for a morning walk. I arrived a bit early for my appointment at the Chermside Blood Donor Centre and decided to explore the local park. It doesn't look like it, but these photos were taken within one kilometre of the biggest shopping centre on the north side of Brisbane.
I grew up on the north side, so its always great to head back and see what's changed. Once donation #60 was over and done with, it was home via Nundah village, Toombul shopping town (my teenage stamping ground) and the Gateway. Lots of change since the last time I visited. I'm heading back for donation #61 in a month's time, so I'll have to find somewhere else to explore. So, when was the last time you headed back to your teenage hangouts? |
Fiona Greene AuthorWhen you set out on a journey and night falls, that's when you will discover the stars." Archives
November 2022
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