Being Thankful, No Matter the Situation

Camping at Lowburn reminded me of some of our camps around Australia.

I’m so thankful for this lifestyle.

“Use your smile to change the world. Don’t let the world change your smile.” – Unknown

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Holiday Ends and Friendship Beginnings Continue

Chilled out and relaxed. Stretched and challenged. Books read. Days sitting in the sun. Tanned and burnt bodies. Sand between the toes. And one little dog with separation anxiety.

The excitement and thrill of going away on holiday is beginning to fade as thoughts of returning home begin to surface.

I’m luckier than most. I take my home on holiday with me because I live in my motorhome. But for two weeks I’ve been able to travel and explore with new friends Sharon and Adrienne. Two years ago we didn’t know each other.

What we have in common is a love of travel, and travel in motorhomes in particular. We each have our own motorhome and fix our own meals (or go out). We plan our tomorrow over a few wines.

We’ve had lots of laughs and a few honest tears. And in two days time we will go our separate ways again. But we’ll meet up again at the end of January. It turns out we’re all going to the same festival.

It’s so cool when begin a new friendship and find out what you have in common.

Writing
I took a break for a couple of days from writing, but the new year has begun with a new book.
I rolled over in that half sleep, half wake state, to hold my I hubby’s hand as we used to do in the night when we lay and listened to the surf.
He’d passed away in July 2020. And I realised a small book needed to be written.

Background Photo
The end of State Highway 67 is at the Kohaihai DOC Camp. The start/end of the Heaphy Track. Home of a pretty lagoon and beach with rolling sea.

The Best Use of My Time

“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot” – Michael Altshuler

The end of year is looming at break kneck speed. Smell the roses? Put up a Christmas tree? Hurrying past the people in our lives, all but yelling “get out of my way”. Don’t these people know how busy we are?

And yet…

Once it was important to make time for family and friends. Not to rush to the next place. The next job. The next…whatever has our attention.

At the start of each year, do you set goals? Possible covering all the important areas of life:

Career and business
Finances
Education
Relationships
Health and fitness
Personal growth
Spiritual growth

When was the last time these were reviewed?
How are these goals tracking?

What if we squeezed ten minutes to take a look, now.

Celebrate the wins.

What if the order of these goals were reversed?

My goals have been partially realised, but I’ve been wondering what the outcome would have been if I’d begun with spirituality, personal growth etc.

A long time ago, we decided to get ready for Christmas a week early. And go camping.
Hardly anyone else was wherever we went. They were jostling shoulders with the maddening crowds while we soaked in the sun, read a book, played board games and splashed in the water, enjoy a campfire. Carefree. No hustle. No hassle. We returned home relaxed and ready to enjoy Christmas and our Christmas traditions.

Take time to chill out and celebrate this year’s wins. Its been a tough one very few people would have known to plan for. That makes all you have achieved special.

Go you!

Keep Going. Never Quit. You’ve Got This

“A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” — Richard Bach

Nanowrimo is done and dusted for another year. How did you go?

This year is the first time I didn’t complete my goal and I’ve been feeling a bit down and cross with myself.

Then I looked at what I had accomplished. A manuscript that needs work. Thirty thousand plus words. But thirty thousand words more than if I hadn’t worked on the script when I could.

Life happens.

I’m looking at what I do have and what I can do with it. So I continue to write. Showing up each planned writing day to write 500 plus words (Fast 500).

Build on the habit you began with Nanowrimo. Write each day, in whatever time you have.

If your in the same boat, you’re not alone. Work on consistently adding words, until there is a manuscript to edit.

Be an amateur who doesn’t quit. You’ve got this, my writing friend. Have a fabulous day.

Background photo is one of the beautiful sunsets we had while the Motorhome Babes gathered near Oxford, New Zealand.

Picked up the Key To The Door

Moved into my new home on wheels and I am Loving it. Thank you Karon and the team at RV Supercenter, Christchurch

Its been a stressful week getting it sorted and I keep reminding myself how fortunate I am. It will seem so easy when viewd in a tear from now.

I haven’t been getting many words written, and keep going off on a tangent. My mind wouldn’t settle. It was most likely stress. Or, was I allowing myself an excuse to procrastinate?

Homeless

My dear friends Gerard and Femmy, I’m so grateful for your hospitality while I was homeless. Even havong to share your company with an Irishman turned out to be fun. He happened to be on his way from a MMM project in the top of the south to Karitane near the bottom of the south.

MMM

MMM refurbish and help maintain Christian churches, camps and schools. Check them out on mmm dot org if your interested in volunteering your skills, or seeking their help.

Road Trip

A group of motorhome Babes are getting together tomorrow to plan a North Island tour. How awesome is that? Yep, I’m going. We’re departing the South Island the last weekend in January ’22.

Writing

And finally, we’re down to the truth. I’m settling in to the daily routine in a different way. Cracked my daily goal of 1500 words but didn’t reach my catch up goal of 5k. I’ll keep chipping away at it. There’s two sides to every story. I realised I needed to include the other side. It’s been an interesting insight.

Sleep deprivation and PTSD have both made very interesting research.

Soundtrack and Speedrun – Nanowrimo Instagram Challenge

Todays two challenges are soundtrack (best music to write to, or specifically chosen to lend a specific mood to the story) and speedrun (a summary of your story in five words).
When I write it can only be music – no words. Currently I’m listening to brain stimulating classical music.
The story: heroine ignites people; saves country.

Quote for Today
“Wake up thinking Thank You”

Meditation
Think of three things your grateful for.

The sermon on Sunday was about how we wake up, thinking grrr I didn’t get enough sleep. We rush through our day and then go to bed late at night thinking grrr I didn’t get enough done.

Each time you take a break, write down what you’ve done in the last hour or so. At the end of the day you’ve created a “ta dah” list. Focusing on what was done, not left undone, go to bed with a grateful heart.

Let me know if this practice changes your day.

Nanowrimo is nearly here. I now have a mindmap of my plot. (She does a little dance).

The background photo is of the beautiful Tarawera Falls, New Zealand

Nanowrimo Instagram Challenge: A Writing Buddy

Yesterday’s challenge was Oops and todays challenge is a writing buddy.

This applies to any time in life. When we have an oops, there is relief and encouragement to get over it, when the oops is shared with a writing buddy or friend.

The writing community are an incredibly supportive bunch. Avid readers abound and there’s always a need for a new good book to read.

I’ve found my writing buddies in Jessie’s Coffee Shop (International Writing Group), The Eastside Writers, Romance Writers of New Zealand (Christchurch – my local chapter), and in Gillian St Kevern’s YouTube writing sprint’s community.

Quote for Today
“Happiness is having a co-worker who becomes a friend.” – unknown

Writing Today
Sunday is my day of rest. Even if you’re not a Christian, you need a day of rest. Choose one that works for you and your family.

Todays background photo is the sunrise over Oamaru.

Did I mention Nanowrimo offers discount on amazing writing tools and courses to writers who participate and clock a win?

Nanowrimo Instagram Challenge Best Writing Memories

I’ve been working my way through the Nanowrimo Instagram Challenge including a bite along with my six days a week postings.

Today the Challenge has front seat.

I discovered Nanowrimo in Australia at the end of October 2017 (thank you Raine) and with no preparation worked on my first book. 50,000 plus words. 1667 words a day. It was in the back of my mind for years.

To get the writing done, I needed to get up early (and I was an owl so a big adjustment to the old body clock).

We were traveling Australia chasing sunsets and exploring places the likes of which I’d never seen before. Big red rocks, long stretches of highway with road trains screaming past, wild life intent on suicide moves, or quietly passing near our campsite, red gorges where crocodiles roamed, colourfull birdlife including a shy cassowary, homes underground, gems sitting on the ground, dust storms, rain storms, hail storms, a rare orchid, and lying in bed at night listening to the whales sing, plus so much more including the beautiful people we met along the way, or shared journeys together.

The dining room table my office, the word count my guide, letting the words flow straight through my fingers to my laptop.

This lifestyle is a precious writing memory as I shared the adventures with my soulmate. He passed away last year, taken far to early. We had more adventures planned. But it wasn’t to be.

Six years of travel together, no regrets. Precious memories.

Now, I’m working on a new adventure. Six days a week I begin with my butt in my seat and the goal to write 1500 plus words.

I believe everyone has at least one book in them and that you can write yours. Nanowrimo is a great platform to use.

Lifehacks: Put Your House To Bed

Day 5

Today’s lifehack is: Put your house to bed each night, before you turn in.
It’s a pleasure to wake up to.
To do this, have a clean and shiny kitchen sink,
do a five minute declutter, throwing out or putting things away in the main living area.
There are heaps of YouTube videos on how to do this. Knock yourself out.

Quote
“Be the best version of your self.” – Unknown

Writing Today
I had my second COVID jab yesterday. It has left me with the mother of all headaches and I’ve been rather sleepy. So I listened to my body. Kept up the panadol, water and slept. No writing today. Completely missed the O’Dark Club.

October is InstaWrimo where authors post a photo from prompts.
Todays: Meet your MC.
Currently her name is Lauri (names often change by the end of the story. I use a name generator but sometimes the character doesn’t fit the name.).
Lauri is the wife of the local vicar. As she deals with empty nest syndrome and the death of her mother, she is given a companion dog named Teddy.

Todays photo is called Freedom.
It was our first motorhome on her maiden voyage. We escaped flooding for peace by the sea. In her we escaped earthquake after shocks. Eidlewize gave us freedom to reset our equilibrium. She was easy to put to bed at night.

Freedom to Escape and reset our Equilibrium

Happiness is Enjoying the Little Things

A dog, a walk, the stars, the beach, girlfriends – new and well known, fish and chips, a wine, cheese and crackers, coffee with a friend, camping out.

The start of daylight saving slipped in unnoticed.

No writing on Sunday.

The photo is during Benji’s and my last walk of the day. It was so peaceful. Everyone was turning in for the night and the sky was a profusion of stars.