Reading:
Watching:
Listening to:
Writing:
Doing outside of writing:
So, that's me in a nutshell right now. What are you up to?
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. Recently, I discovered the bullet journal system and while seated on the couch unmoving after a surgical procedure on my back, I watched a few videos showing very organised people using the bullet journal.
Ooh, better organised! More productive! Sounds like me. I buy a Personal Planner and this year I was determined everything was going in there - work, home, farm, writing, health and fitness and social. I designed it with lots of blank pages (essential for bullet journalling) so after several video tutorials, I was ready. Here's the day 18 progress report: Youtube: I find the such-and-such felt tipped pen from x-y-z works really well for bullet journalling. Reality: Ten minute search through handbag for a pen. Any pen. Youtube: Colour coding your tasks with different colour pens works really well. Reality: Today we have black pen. For variety, every so often it globs the ink and smudges everything. I have highlighters...somewhere... Youtube: I like to decorate my journal with tape and stickers. Reality: Is the dog's flea treatment sticker acceptable? What about white out tape? Youtube: I love looking back through my bullet journal. Reality: Ummh?? My bullet journal looks a bit like the entry exams for a handwriting remedial class crashed into a paper shredder and spewed all over my diary. To start with, this worried me. Now, not so much. Youtube: You get such a great feeling when you tick something off. Reality: Yes. Yes. Yes. Right now I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed because now I have everything written down in one spot, its confronting. But I am managing to tick tasks off the list, and keep the many and varied things I do in order. Wish me luck. Vale David Bowie - 1947-2016
I was dreadfully saddened yesterday to learn of the passing of David Bowie, so I thought I would share some memories of growing up a fan. 1. Scary Monsters and Super Creeps - 1980 - I vividly remember this album. My step brother bought the cassette and we used to listen to it in his V8 Premier, driving to the coast. How is it possible to still be hearing after sitting on top of his speakers? 2. Let's dance - 1983 - my first Bowie purchase and the soundtrack to year 10. We did dance a lot that year and I fell in love a tiny bit more with David Bowie as an artist. 3. Dancing in the Streets - 1985 - this was a staple in the dance lessons we took for the formal. I was in year 12 and two of my teachers died - one from cancer, one unexpectedly. We were lucky to have a sub teacher from a nearby school with a music program. His school's library burnt down and every student at our school purchased a book to donate. To say thank you, he came to the formal with his (rock) band and played a set that included "Dancing in the Streets". A very special night. 4. David Bowie exhibit - Melbourne 2016 - I saw the ad for this when I was in Melbourne for a conference and decided I didn't have enough time to visit. I mentioned it to my sister and in one half hour phone call we had planned and booked a whirlwind visit to Melbourne, just to see the exhibit. I'm so happy we threw caution (and budgets) to the wind and went for it - It was such a special experience. Up until I went into that exhibit I failed to recognise how much of a genius Bowie was. I loved seeing his art, costuming, acting and listening to the evolution of his music as we walked through. I've had his greatest hits on repeat in my car ever since. Last night I repurchased and downloaded Let's Dance. This morning I've just purchased Blackstar. This afternoon, I'm going to find an hour and just listen. Thanks for the sharing your creativity David - we will miss you. Recently, a friend from western Queensland who only knows Jade through social media sent me the card on the left. It's by artist Daniel Mackie and the artwork is called "Black Labrador". There's more of his artwork at www.thedmcollection.com - images of animals with their natural habitat depicted within them. Gorgeous artwork!
The photo on the right is one of mine. Nowhere near as artistic, but sums up my puppy to a T - play until you fall asleep, then crash. It's her first birthday in a few weeks and I'm busy on plans for a sensational day for her. Park, water play, pup-cakes and some sort of celebration dinner. There was a lot going around Chez Greene in the last week.
First up, almost snow on the farm. We were sent photos of snow - just a light dusting - about a 10 minute drive away but nothing at our place. It was cold though - apparent temperatures of minus 5 and 6. We have a very shy group of cows on this year - most have calved, but as you can see by the photo above, the babies are doing great. That's them checking out the trough. Their mothers were hiding in the trees. Then there was the Pluto Flyby - I was glued to Twitter watching it unfold. Funny, because when they launched New Horizons in January 2006, it was another two months before Twitter was developed and another six months before it was launched. That's how long it takes to get to Pluto. I think I need some serious world building for my interplanetary series I'm writing, because everyone would be dead by the time they get where I'm sending them. And last, but by no means least - Home For Christmas finalled in the Romance Writers of Australia Ella Competition for novellas published in 2014. What a lovely surprise. I've added the other finalists to my to-be-read pile and am looking forward to finishing their works before I see them in Melbourne in August. |
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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