December 2019 roundup
The year has disappeared very quickly, especially the second half
March/April
A cruise from Sydney to Hong Kong on the Majestic Princess. Enormous ship. One of my highlights along the way was a Crocodile Jumping tour outside of Darwin. I enjoyed Hong Kong. A very different city.
August - a very busy month
I attended the Romance Writers of Australia National Conference in Melbourne. It had to be the coldest weekend of the winter. Great conference though, with wonderful speakers.
I flew to Christchurch, NZ for the Romance Writers of New Zealand conference. Also an excellent conference. Lovely to be back in Christchurch again after several years. My visit was too short.
As at 31 December, 2018
We returned from our 38 day cruise from Europe to Asia, disembarking at Singapore. After a couple of days in that fascinating city, we arrived home on Friday 30 November. I did not anticipate how fast time would pass on board ship. A few of the highlights: Gibraltar, Malta, and Suez Canal. I did enjoy a day spent on the Greek Island of Rhodes. Such a beautiful warm day. Great holiday weather. Hard to believe that nearly all the resorts and eateries in the beachside areas were closed. Rhodes is not marketed as a holiday venue at that time of year. Such a pity as the weather was just right for a summer vacation.
28th/29th
Guest Blogger on
Saturday’s Blurbs on Eclectic Writer
12th
Guest Blogger on
Romance Lives Forever Blog: December Heat Wave
September 2018
Guest Blogger on
Romance Lives Forever Blog: Sweet Temptations
Goals: Planning a short trip to Melbourne to visit family. Finish the first draft of my current work in progress, and whatever else I can fit in writing-wise. Finalise planning for a 38 day cruise from London to Singapore. The next few weeks see me ticking off all those items on my Must Do list. Well, that's my plan!
Damon Suede's book, Verbalize, has now arrived. Back to work for me.
August 2018
Guest Blogger on
LovRR Blog : Second Chance Romance
Anastasia Pollack's Blogspot: Why I chose the Sapphire Coast as a setting for some of my novels
Links have been posted on my FB page.
Earlier in the month, I flew to Auckland to attend my first Romance Writers of New Zealand conference. A fantastic weekend, with inspiring speakers such as Damon Suede, Grace Burrowes and Bella Andre, to name a few. I'm awaiting delivery of Damon Suede's writing craft book, Verbalize, which should arrive in the post any day now. I can hardly wait. I plan to through the my conference notes as well as the book and apply some of his sage advice (or magic) to my own work in progress.
June and July 2018
Continued to work on my current project, and planning another short story for inclusion in my writing group's next anthology, due next year.
May and June 2018
The few months have been quite busy, with two trips to Queensland. One to Brisbane visit my mum and sister, and the second, an escape to Coolum on the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane for some leisurely sister time, some R&R for both of us, and writing time for me. Though I didn't achieve as much writing as I'd hoped, having the downtime to rethink aspects of my story proved invaluable.
April 2018 - Guest blogs
13 April: Eclectic Writer
Before I Became a Writer...
1 April: Books We Love Insider Blog
Choosing the Right Name for a Character
February 2018
I was lucky enough to join a writing retreat in Wales in December last year. Find out about the retreat and beautiful venue on the Canberra Romance Writers Blog
* * * January 2018 - ALL ABOUT ICELAND * * *
Iceland is a country I've wanted to visit for a very long time. I was fortunate to achieve that dream in mid November 2017, spending two weeks there until 3 December.
Highlights of a winter wonderland
Time spent in the north in Akureyri where it snowed for half of my short visit. Very exciting as snow is a new experience for me.
Godafoss Waterfall, the first of many breathtaking falls during my Iceland experience.
The tectonic plates which divide North America and Eurasia
Lake Myvatn Nature Baths, a natural geothermal pool in the middle of lava fields. Though the air temperature was around -5 celsius, the water was lovely and warm. So relaxing for tired travellers.
The Northern Lights - both in the north and south - worth standing out in a field of snow in freezing temperatures at 1.00 am to catch the aurora teasing us as it danced across the sky. Of the four occasions, one in particular was more spectacular than the others.
Spectacular scenery of snow covered volcanoes and lava fields, pillars and other formations full of mystic sagas and tales. Fascinating.
Highlights of the south west and southern shores
Accommodation in country hotels allowed easy access to view the elusive Northern Lights. An experience I could never imagine.
A climb up the Grabok volcano crater. The walk up the steep slopes tested me, but I did get to the top. The descent seemed even more treacherous, with slippery, snow covered, icy wooden steps, and the rail too low to hang on to. Such a relief to make it to flat ground.
Hot springs of almost boiling water, Geysir thermal fields, black sand (lava) beaches, one with chunks of ice. These had been much bigger a few days prior to our visit.
A visit to Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage sight, and where another section of tectonic plates is visible. Such beautiful scenery on a cool sunny day.
Glaciers, volcanic mountains and lava fields were everywhere, and the national park near Europe's largest glacier. Then there was the Blue Lagoon, another thermally heated pool. A dip in the warm water was a good place to spend the last evening prior to returning to Reykjavik.
In between visiting the countryside, I spent time in Reykjavik visiting a select few of the range of museums. One of the most fascinating was the Settlement Museum in the heart of the old town. And a visit to the Volcano museum nearby proved fascinating. The National Museum and the Saga Museum were also worth a visit. The view over Reykjavik from the top of Hallgrimskirkja is not to be missed.
There were more wonderful and fascinating places, and interesting information to absorb about the country, its history, the people, volcanic history, and way of life. Too much to include here.
The short daylight hours were new to me, though I enjoyed every moment of my time in Iceland. Sad to leave such a fascinating and very different country.