While my friends in the Northern Hemisphere are currently enjoying the warmth of fresh air, balmy sea breezes and delightful summer evenings, we down south in Canberra, Australia are in the midst of hunkering down for a long cold winter around cosy fires, snuggled in plush blankets and sipping hot chocolate to keep the chills at bay.
What do you like to do this time of year, whether it’s Winter or Summer in you part of the world. Below are 5 ways I am enjoying the delights of this wintery season. I invite you to join me in experiencing Winter in my world, then visit the other #gr8tlogs at the end of this post for more inspiration and smiles.
Seeing Through my Camera Lens.
As we stack the piles of timber and gather kindling to prepare for another freezing season, the last thing I expected to see so early in May, (7th May actually!) was a snow fall that was so thick our entire valley became a white-out of a winter wonderland. I had spent the day at the National Dinosaur Museum reading from my chapter book ‘Fossil Frenzy,’ to an enthusiastic audience, when on return to our little valley the snow was gently floating in a silent stillness that enticed smiles from all the family. Snow ball fights and lots of laughter ensued as we played in sheer delight.
I was invited to do book readings at the National Dinosaur Museum, two months in a row. This was May 7th.
A month earlier, 8th April at the National Dinosaur Museum.
Reading
As the outside temperature plummets and gusty wind billows through the trees, there’s nothing like lounging back in a comfy chair in the middle of the afternoon reading a good book, while brilliant sunlight streams through our double-glazed windows keeping me warm.
My genre of choice, is as always middle grade fiction, as it’s what I like to write, I like to read and keep up with the latest that has been published. During May, I had the opportunity to attend the book launches of two middle grade fiction books, both by two of my favourite local authors.
‘Pearly and Pig and the Lost City of Mu Savan,’ by the incredibly talented Sue Whiting, was the first book launch. As I had missed the launch of the first book in the series, ‘Pearly and Pig and the Great Hairy Beast,’ I bought a copy of both books and enjoyed many an afternoon devouring these two fun adventures.
Pearly is an adventurologist in training and with her best friend Pig by her side she manages to become entangled in quite the adventure in both books. Perfect for readers 8 -12 who love adventure and the chance to travel around the world, these books will take them deep into the depths of the ice cold snow in Antarctica and in contrast to the sticky heat in the jungle travelling down the mighty Mekong River in Laos and Thailand. Having lived in Thailand for two years twenty something years ago, I enjoyed the familiarity of the jungle scenery and the mischievousness of the monkeys. Both books in the series are light easy reads, fun for all the family.
The second book launch was for one of my dear friends, an equally talented author, Cate Whittle. I am in the midst of reading her novel now, and I admit I find it hard to put down. ‘Starberries and Kee,’ is set in a ‘Solar Punk’ world as Cate herself describes it. A future of hope for the upcoming generations where the world has changed for the better. With Fossil Fuels no longer in use, the people rely on solar and wind energy, living in self sustainable communities. They grow their own crops, reuse, recycle and come together to share a life of contentment. This is a wonderful story for readers 8 -14, as it illustrates that if we all slowly begin to make changes in our lives now, we can still have a prosperous tomorrow despite climate change and the devastation man has done to the world today. We all need to learn to live in harmony with nature and the world will be such a better place to live.
Sue Whiting and I at the book launch of Pearly and Pig and the Lost City of Mu Savan.
Cate Whittle and I at the book launch for Starberries and Kee.
Watching
In the evenings I enjoy taking a hot cup of tea, (my tea of choice in the evenings is a chamomile and spearmint) upstairs to our big TV, snuggling under a fluffy blanket while relaxing with my feet up and watching the latest movie or series releases usually on Netflix or Amazon. ‘Ticket to Paradise,’ with George Clooney and Julia Roberts was a lot of fun. Knowing this was filmed in the middle of the pandemic, it tickled my heart to watch the way they transformed parts of Queensland to make it look like they were actually in Bali where the film was set. It’s a light-hearted fun movie that everyone can enjoy..
Somehow I managed to stumble across a great movie on Amazon titled ‘A Walk in the Woods,’ with Robert Redford and Nick Nolte. Have you ever seen it? Based on the novel by Bill Bryson, the two old men plan to try to walk the entire distance of the Appalachian Trail. Filled with lots of hysterical one-liners it’s a joyous journey of discovery and friendship. This is a must watch if you love hiking yourself and love being out in nature like I do.
The series I just finished was season 16 of Heartland. I had been wondering if Netflix would ever show another season here in Australia. When it dropped onto our screens a couple of weeks ago, I must admit I couldn’t help myself but binge watch it. I love everything about this series, the scenery is spectacular, the horses are fabulous and after so many seasons the characters are all so familiar and endearing.
From a writer’s perspective, I just finished watching (or doing) a two week course on Rewriting Fiction. It was incredibly insightful, inspirational and motivational. If you ever struggle with copy or structural editing this course will clarify and enlighten you, making the process that much more doable. Thanks so much to the amazing Jen Storer for putting this course together.
Loving
As winter knocks at our door, we do still experience the occasional warmth of sunny Autumn days that invite you to head outside to walk and explore. I’m loving the opportunity this is giving me to walk further as it’s not too hot. I definitely cope better in cooler climates when it comes to walking in nature, climbing hills and exploring the mountains around us. Being diagnosed with Parkinson’s nearly 18 months ago, has seen me embark on a fitness routine that now has me walking on average 5km (3 miles) most mornings. Living on top of a hill, there is nowhere flat to walk around here, so I have embraced the challenge and enjoy setting my pace to continually improve my personal best. I am now down to walking the loop through our nature reserve and back up the hill in just under an hour. I did it in 50 mins the other day, but I don’t think I will be repeating that any time soon, I was wrecked when I made it home. Luckily my family is encouraging too, and I take the opportunity to head out for walks with my family in the National Parks that are close by. I love walking the trails, listening to the wildlife, spotting the odd kangaroo and reaching peaks where I can see forever.
The climb up Mt Taylor is a massive effort, but the views are worth every last out of breath step.
The path up the hill takes you passed many beautiful gum trees.
Anticipating
From a writing perspective I am anticipating the end of my latest Adamson Adventure. I had originally planned to finish the first draft by the end of April, but I had forgotten about the family commitments that would make that an impossible task. Now May has come and gone and I’m not much further to reaching my goal. I’m now setting a more realistic goal of having the draft finished by the end of July. I hope giving myself two months to complete the story will make it a more realistic possibility. Then it will be time for editing during the rewrite phase. I had anticipated that this book would be complete and ready for release by Christmas, but I fear it may be more likely sometime early in the New Year. The working title has changed frequently, but I think I have finally settled on the right one. You’ll just have to be kept in suspense a little longer.
Thanks so much for stopping by, I hope you have stayed warm with a nice hot beverage of choice while reading this. How do you prefer to survive the long cold winter months? Many friends here tend to plan holiday escapes further north. What might be on your reading or to watch list to help keep those winter chills at bay? If, like my friends on the other side of the world you are experiencing hotter days than me, how do you plan to spend your Summer?
Below are my friends suggestions to help you with a few ideas.