Sammy, the Squirrel and Sharing my Story

This week I did something I have been waiting to do. I let my sister read the first draft of my NaNoWriMo novel. I still have lots of work to do but I needed to share the story. I was surprisingly nervous and excited. She was great and sat and read it all in one day.

"She's reading it.

Stepping into the world my mind spawned.

Getting to know the figments of my imagination.

My words through her eyes. I am no longer alone.

She is living the story too."

It was so great to share the characters and storyline with her. Now I have to get on and finish the editing. The story is there and complete. Now to tidy up the grammer and stray comma's.

Sammy and the Squirrel!

Now I didn't even have to leave my desk to watch this unfold right beside me...

There it was!
Sammy had just woken up and the
squirrel was there, bold as brass!

He had to get a closer look.

The Squirrel was looking at him too.

He settled himself down to watch the squirrels antics!

He was engrossed.

And then they came eye to eye again!

Up close and checking each other out.

The squirrel persevered trying to get into the feeder.

Doing acrobatics while Sammy watched.

Fascinated by his new squirrel friend.

Until all at once, he had gone!

Leaving Sammy peering through the window
waiting for his squirrel friend to return.

I also gave a couple of my blogs a makeover, designing new headers. I love it, it is like redecorating! I hope you like the new more colourful look here. :-)

I hope you have all had a good week too.

Thought of the week

"The way you treat yourself sets the standard for others."
- Sonya Friedman

I am linking this post to week 20 of I Saw Sunday why not join in with us! and tell us what you saw this week. :-) You have all week to post your link - words or pictures or both!

Glimpses of Sunshine and Pretty Cats all in a Row

This week the sun came out and what a welcome sight it was. When it has been dark and grey for too long then just to see that yellow glow, that blue sky and that most welcome light, lifts my spirits and makes me smile.

The cats too sought out any available puddle of sunshine and bathed in it until their fur was warm and their purring was deep and rhythmic, inviting stroking hands and my head resting on their warm backs with their soothing sounds filling my ears.

I've been editing my novel too, still slow work and more deletions. I started with approximately 76,000 words and I'm now down to 69,5000 and I am only half way through this read through.

The good news though is that I am in love with a couple of my characters and when I read through some chapters I am so caught up in the story that my heart begins to sing!

"The world is its own magic." - Shunryu Suzuki

Some sunshine for you!

"I hang from the moment. Twisting each second,
stopping the tick, before it tocks." - SB

Pretty cats all in a row - I was so surprised to find all three of them lined up in a row like this. Usually this is the favourite spot of Ms. Mitz (the middle cat and mother of the other two) and at times I have seen her daughter Bina the other tortoiseshell join her but to see Sammy too, now that was unusual!

You can see here that Bina couldn't believe her eyes! What is he doing here?I think the sunshine through the window was just too much too resist!

This morning the sunlight was slower to dawn, it was chilly too.

Sitting beside the window...

"Morning, beginning the slow ascent into the day. Opalescent sky reflected in my cup.
A movement in the still surface, there is a bird flying in my coffee. I drink it up."

Taken from my blog - My Name Is Zing

Other New Posts at my blogs this week!

Blocked Doorways at Joy Frequencies
Writers Block at Out of My Ocean

Come and say hello!


Thought of the week

"You are in integrity when the life you live
is an authentic expression of who you are."

- Alan Cohen

What was your week like?

I am linking this post to week 19 of I Saw Sunday why not join in with us! and tell us what you saw this week. :-) You have all week to post your link - words or pictures or both!

Reading Glasses, Birds and My Fridge Door

This week I have been trying to edit at least one chapter a day of my NaNoWriMo novel. I have found that instead of weaving beautiful poetic writing around the bare bones. What I have actually been doing is hacking out great chunks! Still I think I'm making progress.

"Everything that people create is a projection of what's inside them."
- Stuart Lichtman

I have finally had to admit that I am having trouble seeing close up without glasses!
So have got my self a couple of snazzy off the shelf reading glasses.

We have had some wonderful new visitors to the feeders outside my window.
This flock of long tail tits swoop in on mass to feed.

This green man keeps a watchful eye on all who approach the door.

I'm not one for fridge magnets but I enjoy the rather surreal arrangement on my fridge door!

The red timer was first, I liked it because it looked a lock on a safe or something, then I came
across the pencil. Very recently they have been joined by my discarded 'favourite' moustache!

For some reason this threesome makes me laugh every time I see them.
Actually it would make a good writing prompt, what story does it suggest to you?

I hope you've all had a good week!

Thought of the week

"Our greatest example we can give anyone, is our life working for us."
- Karen K. Truman

I am linking this to week 18 of I Saw Sunday why not join in with us! and tell us what you saw this week. :-)
You have all week to post your link -
words or pictures or both!

Blog Birthdays, Looking Back, and The Colours of Nature.

A couple of days ago I was looking back through files and realised that on the 7th January 2011 this blog was one year old. It seemed fitting that I had just given the place a bit of a makeover! I remember when I began it, I wasn't at all sure of where it would go? I just knew that I needed a place where I was free to post my photo's, memories and my thoughts.

So that is what happened! and my memories surfaced. . .
n A Time Machine to the Past I remember running in the dark, 1972, & believing I could fly!
In A Photo and Memory it Contained I was whisked back in time by a photo.
In Dogs have Aha Moments too - I remembered my old dog Harvey and a special moment.
and then in Explosive Memories I laughed once again at this particular memory!

And my photos captured beautiful moments. . .
- Like - Watching the day leave.
- And Spring Arriving in My Garden.
- Like the Lilacs in my garden.

And then there were the thoughts. . .
- Natural Connections - where I talk about my connection to Nature.
and Here before we came - things we found in our garden and kept.

Then for the last few months this blog has been given over to I Saw Sunday, where each week I talk about or post photos of things that I've observed and that stuck out for me in the week gone by. So without further ado, lets see what I noticed this week.

The snow has gone, relieving the buddha in my garden of his snowy overcoat.

A walk around the village revealed a pallette of greys and greens.And lots of wonderful natural textures.And bursts of colour that almost took my breath away!Happy 1st Birthday to The Streaming Now!

Thanks to all of you who have visited this blog over the past year!

What else has been happening this week?
I updated Joy Frequencies with a new post - "Shall we stop waiting for the magic?"
Come and visit it will be good to see you.


I am linking this to week 17 of I Saw Sunday why not join in with us! and tell us what you saw this week. :-)
You have all week to post your link -
words or pictures or both!

White Squirrels and Loved Ones

Well I looked out of the window as a flash of white caught my eye and there on the fence post was an albino squirrel. We have been seeing it around for at least five years now, scampering through those trees that you can see in the distance and it once visited our bird table where Joe managed to capture him on video - you can see it on youtube - click here.

But we hadn't seen it lately and it was a real surprise to see it in
our garden investigating and obviously looking for food.

It then took a giant leap and landed in the bush right outside the window
where we stared each other in the eyes for a few seconds. Sorry about the
poor quality of the photos, I really will have to clean my windows! ;-)

Then yesterday on new years day we went to my Mums for a new year celebration, it was also her 72nd birthday. It was so much fun! We dressed up in wigs and fake moustaches. :-)

My lovely sister Deborah before she started handing out wigs and distributing moustaches!

And here's me in my favourite moustache and fetching black wig!

Well, tell me the truth, who WOULDN'T want a moustache like that?! LOL

(if you had a choice of moustache styles what would you choose?)

As I am just a tiny bit hungover this week I am keeping it short. . .

But I would just like to wish a HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all!


I am linking this to week 16 of I Saw Sunday why not join in with us! and tell us what you saw this week. :-)
You have all week to post your link -
words or pictures or both!
Click here to visit - I Saw Sunday