'Tis the Season and Links

We have had the most brilliant Christmas including the days that have followed. The most cherished gifts of the season have been each other and the laughter being together has brought. The nail biting worry of whether DH would make it from Dubai I think added to the realization yet again that Christmas is a time for family and friends and this year our Christmas has been blissfully full.

I hope your holidays have brought you joy and lifted you as we all prepare for 2011. This year we will be seeing in the new year with Biddy which should make for a lively evening. We will all don our best and each of us will recite a favourite poem. I haven't chosen mine yet nor have the rest of the family...must set them working on it today. Life passes so quickly and I think poetry stops us in our tracks and makes us think differently even if just for a moment.

So I think New Year's Eve is a wonderful time to be 'stopped' by poetry - just before we plunge into the new year with energy. 2011 will be a big year in out house. DS1 will sitting his A levels and all being well will set off to university, DS2 will sit his GCSEs and begin to think about what is next...I have more work to do on my writing. This past year I lost my mojo and regained it. I hope that I have dug deep to hit a higher level. No one had ever said that it would be a short process and back in 2004 when I declared that my resolution was to write more I never imagine the road it would take me on...

So I am not publicly declaring my goals but I assure you I have set myself some tough targets. Since I made that declaration back in 2004, I have written six books and have rewritten them countless times now. I have learned so much and hopefully this will be an on going process with each new book and each rewrite...

So on that note, I  point you in the direction of a brilliant post by Julie Cohen on rewriting.

Finally many of you know Flowerpot from the Novel Racers and her wonderful blog. On boxing day she lost her beloved husband and somehow she managed to write the most beautiful post here. As writers we write of illness and death frequently and many times struggle to convey the emotion. Her words are so beautiful and simple that they tell of a life, a love and loss that goes straight to the heart.

The Best of Tanzania - Beho Beho

It has taken a while but finally we have entered our photos into Beho Beho's photo competition. They are here. To state that we love taking photos is an understatement and to try and limit each of us to just four was cruel and took us a while.

I just have to say that the camp that we stayed at made the trip for us. Beho Beho is luxury that is just right for a wilderness setting. It felt like a family home, a very nice one indeed, and my lot used it as such enjoying all the facilities and the company of the other guests. I'm not sure what the honeymoon couples made of a family of five, but I hope we didn't frighten them off. We certainly loved their company and that of the other guests realizing that six degrees of separation is definitely true and in a few cases it was much closer than that.

But what really made this an experience of a life time was the staff. From the management through to the Masai who guarded us at night they were amazing. Nothing was ever a problem from my dietary requirement or DD's eating nothing but bread rolls some days. The guides were simply brilliant and at Beho Beho you always have a different guide which means that you see the bush in a different way each excursion. Simply and utterly fabulous....so fab we want to go again.

So above are a few of the photos that didn't make our finals....and because of the all the recent stuff -just a reminder that the copyright on these photos remains with the photographer  (so if you want to use them just ask- thanks).

It's Beginning To Look Like Christmas in Cornwall

Yesterday was glorious...cold and frosty (we won't mention how icy it was underfoot). I'll let my photos tell the tale, but the day ended beautifully with a carol sing in the village hall. I have to say I'm definitely feeling Christmasy. Now if I could just have DS1 and DH arrive safely it will be perfect....

PS...still looking for a recording of the Cornish arrangements of the carol  WHILE SHEPHERDS WATCHED THEIR FLOCKS BY NIGHT by 'Lingham'

What is Sexy?

Over at the Heroine Addicts blog I'm talking about what is sexy or what makes a hero sexy to be more preceise...please pop by and add your thoughts...

We Are Not Pleased

The scene of my leaving yesterday.....

Country Life Frontispiece - A Relic

Yesterday I mentioned my fifteen minutes of fame - actually I've had more than my fair share beginning fairly early in life. However in the UK this was the pinnacle....'twas a long time ago... but yes there I was just before I married. I was the second 'girl' in colour (big editorial shift from black and white)...and of course I haven't changed at all....

Fifteen Minutes of Fame or Wing Envy

I probably have actually had my 15 minutes of fame (frontispiece in Country Life did that I think - long story) but I was snapped by the local paperazi at the Dubai 7s when I was have wing envy with a very naughty Kiwi angel :-) Ahlan

Dubai Rugby 7s - Saturday Fun and an England Win

Ben Gollings, England Captain

James Rodwell (facing)

Dan Caprice

Saturday began well (see limo pic) and proceeded to improve culminating in an England win. Only thing that would have improved the day would have been a better result for the US team but one can't have everything.

As you can see I have fellow Heroine Addict, Biddy Coady, with me in many of the photos.

Biddy and Liz

Biddy and Moi avec wings

Ben Gollings and England Fan

Needless to say the fabulous actual rugby photos are courtesy of DH...he also did a great job of capturing the end of the evening celelbrations with the England team and their ...ahem..fans

James Rodwell

Biddy and Chris Cracknell

Biddy and James Rodwell

Chris Cracknell

The Trophy

Ollie Lindsay-Hague

Dan Norton

Chris Cracknell