Life on the High Seas

My Guest this month is Patricia Storbeck.

If you thought my last post was a great escape, wait until you read about a real escape.

I met Patricia through the Jeff Goins tribewriter’s online course. She is writing a life story from her beautiful boat and the blog  Mojito and Me.  http://mojitoandme.com/

Please take a visit to her site and see for yourself, it is an interesting, if not brave and exciting life she and her husband are experiencing. Never dull, as you will see from her spectacular photo’s and she writes with the heart of a poet and the courage of an adventurer.

Like myself Patricia has a dream to write and write something worth reading. I enjoy reading about where she is on any given day and I escape the mundane domestics of my own daily existence by going for a sail out there on the ocean, of which she calls home.

ENJOY

LIFE on the HIGH SEAS

Many people ask me what it’s really like living on a boat, thinking we are on holidays all year round. Our life is not much different from the life we had on land, it’s our lifestyle that is different. In some ways its easier, in others, much harder.

A HARD LIFE

Living on a boat is not always romantic, as glossy magazines make you believe. It’s a hard life, at the mercy from the elements; storms, heat, cold, wind and even pirates in certain parts of the world. Life on a boat involves little sleep, small living spaces, much crawling around the bilges, where stuff is packed like groceries, equipment, spare parts, clothes we don’t often use, you name it. I have bumped my head so many times it’s a wonder I have any brain cells left. Once I slipped on ice, fell overboard and broke two fingers in the process. I am a plumber, electrician, mechanic, handyman, etc. I had to learn all these things from manuals. Living on a boat made us self-sufficient in many ways. Although it is a hard life, I will not change it for anything.

A GOOD LIFE

In spite of these hardships, I love living on the boat. We can go anywhere we please, weather permitting, of course. Our life is uncluttered and less complicated as it would have been on land. We stroll along deserted beaches, leaving only footprints in the sand. Dive in clear water, collect delicate shells and sand dollars. We eat picnic lunches under palm trees. Make bonfires from driftwood, watch the sun go down. Sit for hours under a sky packed white with stars. Stringing up a hammock between palms and read the day away. Cook freshly caught fish on the grill. Feed tidbits of left over fish to stingrays that  swim right up to us, to nibble from our fingers. Life is definitely worth living.

SAYING GOODBYE

Some places we pass through and in others we stay longer. Saddest is leaving good friends behind. Although we keep in contact by way of social media, we miss not being able to chat with dear friends over a cup of coffee. Strange as it may seem, no matter where we have been these past few years, there comes a time to move on. We are reminded there are new places to be seen, new experiences to be had, new people to meet. Something new around every corner.

WHY I LOVE THIS LIFE

I love the freedom of our life onboard our boat. The ocean nourishes my soul. It is never quiet, it tells me stories, whispers to me its secrets. Dolphins come to play on our bow as we sail. I am living life on my terms and breaking a few rules in the process. My favorite pass times is reading, writing, making ice cream, day dreaming, having conversations with my boat and with God. I enjoy my life. I am happy.

C’est la vie

Owning a boat has allowed us to travel. Life at sea is never dull, filled with hard work, sad moments, exhilarating moments, adventure and new experiences. I believe that one day we will arrive in paradise, and decide to stay. Until then, we will wander.

C’est la vie.

By Patricia Storbeck, Mojito and Me

http://mojitoandme.com/

Dancing on the waves of life as I sail along the edge of heaven. Sharing bits of wisdom and art through words and my photography.

Thank you Patricia my new friend for sharing your world with me, please leave a comment if you enjoyed this post or visit Patricia’s site you won’t be disappointed.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Escape

ESCAPE

The weekly photo challenge, spoke volumes to me. As parents we give all that we have to our children. Life is a struggle at times especially if we seek any kind of peace in our day. We all need the gift of serenity at some point, to sooth the nervous system and slow the active mind. A place where we can nurture the self with hopes and dreams. To give the  body a recharge and thus share the better parts of ourselves with little people in our lives when we return.

I thought about a place of escape, my dear friend offered up her houseboat for some catch up time and recreation last spring. My daughter and I enjoyed the simple pleasures of home-made pizza warmed on a barbecue, kayaking across the lake, fishing with no bait, a bush walk and fish and chips on the deck for dinner. My friend and her daughter were the perfect hosts and we felt blessed at such an invitation, a unique haven. Sipping wine and simply watching the sunset was revitalising to say the least.

 MEDITATE

To describe the peace is to smell the salty air, feel the soft breeze on your cheek and enjoy the feeling of the gentle sway, that only floating on water can give. This escape calmed a tired worn out, over forties mother. Question to myself, how did I let it get to THIS point, the end of my emotional tether? It is only when you stop, breathe and take a look inside that you realise you are destroying your nervous system, creativity, resilience and general health if you don’t stop and recharge. Meditation for me is observing nature.

These pictures I captured, after waking early to the squeals of seabirds and the shear stillness of the morning. I felt alive and appreciative of just being there. The birds are my peace, I find beauty even in the common seagull. Savouring those moments I can reach for them in the depths of my mind and enjoy the feelings of quiet over and over again.

BE SELFISH

Since this trip I have made a conscious effort, be aware of what I am doing to  my mind and body, I know I am a better parent when I  give myself ME time! This may be a quiet walk, on a cold morning, with only the birds singing their morning song, for company. Yet I know since taking that time, I have so much MORE to give my family. Sometimes we need to be selfish, so that we may continue to flourish, nurture and love one an other.

Please share with me your secrets, the places you escape to? We only have one life and it seems, we try to cram far too may things into it when all we need to do is stop and yes take in a new day, be thankful and remember to find that peace.

The Magical Change of Seasons

OPEN YOUR EYES 

As the autumn mist moves up over the gullies and rolls along the hill-sides I shiver and hustle to start the fire, at 5am in the morning writing is the last thing on my mind. Winter will soon be upon us. A sobering thought; heavy coats, home-made beanies, knee-high bed socks and a warm pumpkin soup sprinkled with parmesan cheese are the order of the day. I will change my writing place and move in by the fire in our lounge room as my hands freeze solid and my circulation fails me.

 Upon that cold autumn morning captivated is the word I would use to describe the feeling when the sun eventually streamed through the fog, leaving minute images of divine beauty.

PRECIOUS DEW DROPS

Who would have thought, cow hair on the barbed wire fence could be so appealing. My camera in hand I took a walk up the hill, puffing and snorting steam and feeling the bite of a heavy frost still fresh in the air, the change in seasons brings with it a new perspective. The multi-coloured trees and deep green paddocks are a welcome sight. My favourite due drop art is from my least favourite arachnid (prefer them to live outside). A spider’s web is a golden moment on a dewy morn, even as a child I enjoyed discovering freshly made spider webs brought to life with a sparkle of moisture.

TIME to MULTIPLY the BODY of WORK

The change of seasons is also a good excuse to breathe new life into my world of writing, I see things differently; feel and smell the earth in all its richness, a depth of the senses that only the colder months can bring. It is time to start new lists, prioritize and see where I am heading with my visions. It is time to move forward set new goals and buckle down to write. Along the way I will enjoy the scenery, walks on the beach finding shells, laugh with my children on a star filled night when we light the fire buckets and sit around telling stories; draw pictures in the air with sparklers and dance in the dark with glow sticks.

What are you planning for the change of seasons, many of you are heading into spring, fresh scented flowers, the seaside, light clothing, outdoor barbecues and sunshine please share your thoughts with me.

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FABULOUSLY FLAWED.

If you enjoy reading my mad musings please feel free to Subscribe and join my group of followers who receive my monthly newsletter. Meet Sugar the calf who loves the colour pink. Come see what I am working on at the moment there are too many projects to mention here. This month 15th of May take a peek at my picture book work and updates on The View from Kookazoo and my dragon story The Stone of Vala. I love feed back it helps to give my work clarity. I appreciate you stopping by and spending some time in my little corner of the world.

THE BEST MOMENT AWARD

Awarding the people who live in the moment

The noble who write and capture the best in life

The bold who reminded us what really mattered

Savoring the experience of quality time

I’ve been nominated for the Best Moment Award by one of my favourite places to visit,

The thought-provoking Grandma at

http://crankycaregiver.wordpress.com/

Grandma I don’t know your real name but your site inspires me to write about whatever comes across my path. Grandma has just about been nominated for every award in the blogging world including 2013 Campnanowrimo.org and if you take a visit you will understand why. Entertaining to say the least, heart warming and a direct approach to whatever ails her. Enjoy reading her words, I have immensely.

For this award I must comply with the rules of acceptance to truly be worthy of this honor.  The rules are quite simple:

1. Create an acceptance speech either by video or a written speech post
2. Pass the award on to 15 other bloggers.

Thank you Grandma Crankycaregiver it is people like you that inspire me to keep going. I started this blog  at the beginning of the year and did not know one single blogger in the world.

Five months down the track and I now have a wonderful network of blogging friends from all over the world. My decision to complete the Jeff Goins writing course has changed my life and my attitude to writing. I have also met many new and talented writers within that group. I am still slogging away at my novel, but my muse gets caught up in ideas and well, it’s going to be a long ride for me and that is okay.  I appreciate the readers support and I thank you all for every comment of encouragement I have received. I look forward to building on my dreams and sharing my world with you.

I thank those who support and inspire me by nominating their great sites.  There are more than I could write a few more but these are the ones I feel share some great moments. Some take photographs, some illustrate and most just write about great moments in time.

To my nominees, I will tell you that I give you this award with the standard “No Strings Attached.”  If you want to, pass it on..if you don’t want to, just take the award and know that I think you deserve the recognition for your great posts! I know we are all busy.

Here’s my list:

The Restless Pen

http://www.shelleydupont.com

Shelley inspires me with her moments of writing she captures the journey of a writer and all the elements that meet us along the way.

Barbara C Rowe Author

barbrowehttp://barbaracroweauthor.wordpress.com

Barb is a very talented Author/artist and poet her poetry captures many emotions some painful and some beautiful yet most of all when I read her work I feel human and not alone in the struggles that life brings.

Anne Peterson Writes

annepeterson http://annepeterson.wordpress.com/

Anne is an amazing Author who writes from the heart. Beautiful descriptive stories of her life experience of which she has fought many hard battles, she inspires me to hold my head high and keep going no matter what. Her Book Real Love Guaranteed to Last is out now.

Along The Edge of Heaven

patriciastorbeck http://mojitoandme.com/chasing-the-sun/

Patricia gives us moments on the high seas with stunning visuals of peace and serenity with the dolphins on one day and a storm brewing on another. No matter where Patricia writes from, she paints a picture like no other and if you dream of a different lifestyle please join her on the deck in the sun sipping a good strong cup of coffee each morning.

Urban wild life diary

Della Lawhttp://urbanwildlifediary.wordpress.com

I have enjoyed the delightful tales of Della’s back yard, often about her budding garden or the birds that come to visit. She writes a lovely story and I enjoy visiting  her beautiful garden.

The Travel Spotlight

Sarah P | The Travel Spotlighthttp://travellingismypassion.wordpress.com

Sarah I love her informative pieces from all over this world often about delicious dishes, that often make my mouth water. She captures every city she visits with her own personal style of writing and I know one day she will publish an awesome book.

The Vibrant Wonders of Life

Lotta Wannerhttp://lottawanner.com

Lotta is a wordsmith worth reading, she brings wonderful heartfelt moods to her poetry, She can paint a picture with a few words this is a hard thing to do. I look forward to my extra dose of beautiful poems from Lotta.

Just Shot Right Photography

snappychathttp://sjri.wordpress.com

Suzanne captures beautiful Australian images from where ever she travels. She inspired me to draw one of her photos’s of a preying mantis for my children’s book. Beautiful shots of Australia, please take a look at Suzanne’s website.

Full of Life SOUL FOOD

kathleencaronhttp://kathleencaron.com

Kathleen consistently writes with a passion for life, with a great sense of humour and compassion for others her site is never dull, there is always something interesting going on in Kathleen’s world.

Susan Call Hutchisonhttp://susancallhutchison.wordpress.com

Susan writes stories and rhymes for children she is a fabulous positive force for anyone aspiring to capture a child’s imagination through her adorable characters she teaches the basic skills of reading out loud.

A blog from an alternate world.

ontyrepassageshttp://christinahawthorne.wordpress.com

Christina is writing her first novel, she has an in-depth blog on writing a fantasy novel, she is also a poet and adores cats. If you love fantasy like me you will adore Christina’s world.

Fantastic Artist

G. Olivohttp://gustavoolivo.wordpress.com

I just love his artwork a must to see.

Awesome Poetry

Masks of Ivoryhttp://anigerianperspective.wordpress.com

A poetic writer with something to say about life and a love of Africa. His poems are beautiful and unique worth a visit for poetry lovers. He also writes short stories and songs.

Inner workings of an untamed mind

bodhisattvaintraininghttp://bodhisattvaintraining.wordpress.com

A spirited writer, practicing the craft like me,with stories of his own journey through life a positive thoughtful writer.

Jennifer’s Journalhttp://jenniferkellandperry.wordpress.com

Jennifer is worth visiting with her talent for poetry a love for her grandchildren and cats. She is a writer with substance and appreciates the world in all its splendour, she is also on a writing journey like many of us.

Waiting for Schmiddy

Please visit this ABC OPEN website and read my story, a tribute to a mad fisherman. Follow the link and leave a comment there if you enjoyed this.

https://open.abc.net.au/posts/waiting-for-schmiddy-26ct6as

A Visitor from Across the Seas

Today I’m going to share my writing space with another writer. It is funny how things turn out. I went wandering through Amazon and found Charles’s book here, I follow Charles on facebook etc, always interested in another writer’s perspective on this mad world of writing and publishing.

I ordered Legends of Windemere and now waiting for my delivery. I  love fantasy novels but am nowhere near finished my first draft of my first fantasy novel so instead I want to share Charles’s story with you enjoy. I believe we as writers should help each where ever possible and learn from each other. Wishing you every success with your novels Charles and I am looking forward to reading all about Luke and his journey.

First, thank you to Kath for giving me this opportunity to write a guest blog for her site.  I’m the fantasy author behind Legends of Windemere: Beginning of a Hero, which I self-published on Amazon.  I’ve been interested in fantasy since childhood and I’ve been writing fantasy stories since high school.  So, I’m going to talk about what inspired me to create a world of swords and sorcery and why I’m trying to make a career out of it.

Let me start by explaining a little more about my writing.  I write epic fantasy with humor, action, and a focus on character development.  I feel that my characters can pull the story more than a narrator and the ooh-aah factor of magical worlds.  I try to have the reader explore and learn about the world as the characters progress.  To that end, I spent most of my free time in college designing Windemere to its depth and making sure it was an immense playground for my characters and readers.  That is one of my driving factors when I write and it has led me to take in influence from various areas, which I’ll explain later.  I should probably start at the beginning and explain how I got into this genre.

Truthfully, I don’t really know what drew me to fantasy when I was younger.  I’ve always had an interest in swords to the point where I made them out of Kinex, drew them in my notebook, and eventually took up fencing.  So that might be part of it.  The overall influence might be nothing more than the right combination of factors.  I never considered writing my own stories until high school, but I always enjoyed playing games that involved an element of magic and medieval combat.

If I’m not being clear or exact then I apologize.  I’m simply not sure what lit the fuse on my desire to be a fantasy author.  I played Dungeons & Dragons in high school and college, which is where many of my characters and stories came from.  For those that don’t know, D&D is a table-top role-playing game where you design a fictional character using a rule book and journey through adventures in a magical world with other players.  The adventures revolve around various quests that can be bought at a store or made up by the person running the game.  All actions are done through dice rolling, so there’s a touch of luck in there, which doesn’t translate too well to story writing.

Dungeons & Dragons is the big influence if I had to pick one.  At first, I made a toss away character and went around slaying monsters with no real plot or character.  When I hit college, I had to design characters with depth or I’d be nothing more than a worthless player who barley knew the rules.  My first college game is where Luke Callindor and the Legends of Windemere came about.  It’s been suggested that my writing style of present tense third person is also a result of me using these games as influences.  In a game, there is a sense of immediacy and being in the action as opposed to being a bystander or reading a history book.  So, I try to translate that sense into my writing to varying degrees of success.  It’s not a common or popular writing style, which gives me an uphill battle.  Still, it’s what I am and I plan on sticking to my guns . . . or is that swords?  Maybe crossbows to keep the range weapon thing going.

While I do write in fantasy, I’ve let other fields and interests influence me.  I became interested in astrology, so I designed zodiac signs for Windemere.  I got into archaeology and used this information to create ruins around my fantasy world.  Windemere evolved as I came in contact with geography, various mythologies, video games, books, movies, current events, and many other things.  I learned earlier on that inspiration can come from anything, including something that has no real association with your genre.  For example, I watched a Western when I worked at a video store and it gave me an idea for Windemere.  Being a fantasy world, I didn’t have gunslingers running around, but I did have magic wands.  This led to the creation of a group of magic-users called wand-slingers, who carry an array of magic wands while traveling for various reasons.  So, I have a version of Hollywood cowboys in Windemere, patiently waiting for their time to shine.

That’s my convoluted and confusing story of influence.  If you manage to take away anything coherent from it then you’re a lot smarter than me.  Seriously though, I do have a parting suggestion to anyone attempting to be an artist and worried about finding inspiration.  Remain calm and let your surroundings talk to you.  It sounds crazy and new age-y, but artists are typically observant about details of the world.  A simple birdsong or object out of the corner of one’s eye can lead to an idea.  If you force inspiration then you will probably struggle and get more frustration than progress.  It’s best to relax and let the initial ideas come to you.  Yes, you might have to wrestle a few temperamental ideas, but those issues can be fixed by seeing if there is something in your notes or finished work that you missed.  It also helps to discuss your ideas with outside minds like friends, significant others, and anyone willing to genuinely listen to your mad ramblings.  You never know what they will pick up on that you missed because you’re focused so much on the big picture or another detail.

Again, thank you to Kath Unsworth for letting me litter her blog with the ramblings of a madman.  If anyone cares to say hello, I’ve listed my various social media sites below along with my book’s Amazon page.  I still feel awkward making a blatant sales pitch.  I need an agent or a brave clone to do the PR stuff.

Blog-  www.legendsofwindemere.com

Amazon Page- http://tinyurl.com/c3bhykf

Facebook-  https://www.facebook.com/CharlesYallowitz

Twitter- https://twitter.com/cyallowitz

Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17447896-legends-of-windemere

Google+-  https://plus.google.com/107849489939227507620/posts

Please support Charles by leaving a comment or even better head over to his site and see what else he is up to.

A Melody to Lift the Soul

WE ALL HAVE DAYS OF MELANCHOLY, YET THERE IS HOPE

The other day I felt like I had walked through an invisible field of melancholy, it clung to me as I made the trip down to the beach with my son. The numbing feeling that life is too hard. I do not wallow for hours in these pastures, the ones of negativity and self-doubt. I am an optimist and know that my internal dialogue needs a positive narrative, as much as I hate to admit it, I am only human after all. I am not a super mum I am someone who takes each day along with the good and the not so good I pick out the good bits, savouring them for days like these. I measure my emotions and assure myself it is only natural to feel down every once in a while.

I sat watching my boy on the beach trying to shake off the grimness, feeling sad was not going to help anyone least of all him. When you have a child on the spectrum, the challenges we face are many. In the end the fact is he will always be an original, also unique and talented, but oh so gorgeously different. When I go to the beach I often think of my Dad and wonder how he would handle certain issues. It occurred to me that his anniversary was only days away. I counted the years, seven years without his smile. Seven years without his strong hugs and seven years of missing his sense of silliness and fun. I imagined what life would be like if he was still here. My mood swung to an all time low.

It was then I heard a soft yodel, at first I thought I was imagining it, when I looked up into the sand dunes behind me, there sat a Magpie singing to the wind, with wings spread he sang the most melodious tune, so gentle and beautiful. I knew it was a message from the heavens. The sun shone through the storm clouds and I smiled.

I gave thanks for a Father who shared love and compassion, I gave thanks for my children and how different they are and how much they teach me every day. I gave thanks for a supportive loving husband and a giant-sized family to share this life. I dusted myself off and stood up knowing tomorrow would be a better day, if I just let it be.

That Magpie kept singing for the longest time. It was a magical minuscule moment that I will treasure. What little miracles or magic have  you experienced just when you needed them? Please leave a comment I love hearing your stories.

GOOD MORNING EARTH

The morning frost upon the dawn

A song rings out, a melodious tune

Tis but a Magpie

A  black and white bird.

Yet his song lifts the heaviest of hearts

He calls to me

Good morning earth

I give praise to thee

my one true gift

is a song for you.