DarkIsle: The Final Battle

Scary! Oh and some nice pics of textures

/ darkislethebooks / Leave a comment

wood-texture-1514524

So I’ve gone and done it…I’ve signed up to take part in a mini triathlon and am feeling scared. I think the distances are doable and it’s not til next year (September in Stirling) so I have plenty of time to train, but it’s still a bit terrifying! Am sure I’ll be fine. I’ve already been walking and swimming twice this week. Next week I plan to start running again…

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

So how’s things in your world? Hope you’ve had a good week. I’ve been really busy at work, but it’s been good. I don’t take the car into work any more, I find the traffic too heavy and too stressful and I’m just not prepare to do it any more. On Wednesday, I was all over the southside of Glasgow taking pictures for work and it was great – I got the bus to Pollok, took an underground train to Kinning Park and also got the train to and from the city centre. I loved it. There is nothing better than sitting at the top of a double decker bus (at the front of course) living out my childhood memories. I used to love doing that as a kid and it’s still good doing it as an adult. You can see loads from up there! Such good fun. I waved to an old lady who was staring out of a third floor tenement flat, but she didn’t wave back…probably was wondering who the mad bus top stranger was!! I enjoy travelling by underground too…so long as it’s not busy. It’s so quick to get about the city centre. And then there’s the train journey to and from work…I love travelling by train and it enables me to get some very relaxing reading in!

 

textures-3-1169860

Yesterday, I took hubby up to B&Q to buy a new wheelbarrow for the garden. This might sound like a boring trip, but I love B&Q (I like any DIY store) and hubby was stir crazy  so it was good for both of us. Then we had lunch at McMonagles (a famous fish and chip restaurant/chippy) – my cod was huge!! And delicious!

texture-1177402

Today I did the housework, went swimming with two friends, came home and made lunch. My step-kids were visiting so I made pasta bake, which is basically penne pasta, a Bolognese sauce (home-made, secret recipe and all that) and cheese baked in the oven. Oh it was good…even if I say so myself. It’s kind of a Nelson family favourite which I brought with me when hubby and I started going out. Everyone loves it! My mouth is watering at the memory! It was probably a million calories, but I didn’t care as I scooped it into my mouth.

Convento do Cristo a Tomar

This weekend I’m having a quiet-ish time. My parents are visiting tomorrow and I’ll go swimming as usual on Sunday, but I’m planning to do some reading and writing and that’s it. I do have ironing to do, but I could get that done in a couple of hours tomorrow morning. Hmmmm. Anyway, before I know it it’ll be Monday and I’ll be moaning that I have to get up for work! Sigh.

I had to laugh. The girl is still reading the DarkIsle trilogy and she said it’s really good. I said: “Don’t sound so surprised!” and she said: “It’s just that I didn’t think you would write a book like that.” and I said: “What do you mean?” and she said: “It’s just that you are so boring!”   Out of the mouth of babes!!

Right, am off. Got home-made pizza to make (yes we are on a bit of an Italian trip today!). Til next time!

Dawn xxx

Why writing is good for you and Bette Davis is wonderful!

/ darkislethebooks / Leave a comment
Inspiration

Inspiration

 

Writing is very good for your mental health apparently. I’ve been researching some information on writing for health for an article I’m doing for a work publication and came across some excellent facts. If you write about your problems for 15 minutes a day for three to four days, it can help. I suppose you could refer to it as your problem journal. But anyway, a professor in America (sorry, I don’t have details about him here) did some studies on it and it found that folk who write about a difficult situation they are dealing with were healthier than those who did not. That’s a simplistic way of putting his findings (I must get his name), but it was interesting to read. Researchers on this and other studies found that folk were not only mentally healthier, but physically healthier too plus experienced better sleep patterns, felt better and had a more positive outlook. You don’t have to write tonnes and you definitely don’t have to show anyone your writing. You can even destroy it as soon as you’ve done it.  So there you go. If you’re feeling crap about something, get it down in writing and hopefully you’ll be able to work through it.

Here are my other top tips for feeling better if you’re a little down:

1) get outside and go for a walk, even in crappy weather – ‘blowing the cobwebs away’ also blows negative thinking away

2) take up knitting…it’s wonderfully calming and great to do whilst you are watching an old movie on tv

3) bake some cakes and eat them with family and friends with a huge teapot of tea

4) read – that can be fiction or non fiction, I’ve found myself fascinated with books on writing recently (in saying that I find books fascinating generally)

Bette Davis 1

Talking of old movies, been listening to Bette Davis In Her Own Words in the car going to work this week. I love Bette Davis. She was a fantastic actress and one of my all time favourites. I just love her films – All About Eve, Now Voyager and Jezebel are just stunning.

Bette Davis 2

The CD is a collection of interviews she did with the BBC ranging from the late 50s to the 70s. She comes across as warm, witty and full of fun. I also think she as a lady you wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of. Anyway, I love Bette Davis! Who could forget her in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Eugh Creepy!!

Bette Davis 3

Anyway, moving on. Got a box of books delivered to me on Monday…yes it was my copies of my new book DarkIsle: The Final Battle. Woohoo! So exciting!! It’s available now on Amazon and most good book shops.

Right am off to do some more writing. Til next time.

Dawn x

PS Bette Davis was also a knitter…see, told you it was a good thing to take up!!

New DarkIsle out April 11!!!!

/ darkislethebooks / Leave a comment

Darkisle the final battle

Ta-daaaaaaaah!!! DarkIsle: The Final Battle is out on April 11!! Woohooo!! Am very excited. Pre-order yours now on Amazon and other outlets!

The Hairy Bikers' bean burgers...a lot neater looking than mine!

The Hairy Bikers’ bean burgers…a lot neater looking than mine!

After all that excitement, let’s get back down to Earth with some normality (ie what my life is normally like!). Let me start first with my little success story from last night. I made the Hairy Bikers’ Eat for Life bean burgers for tea last night and they were lovely. There were three left over which I had in a pitta bread with salad for lunch. Delish!! I’ve got a few Hairy Bikers’ books and I love their recipes…they are down-to-earth, proper food for families, not the posh stuff you have to buy weird ingredients for. Unfortunately the kids weren’t as enamoured with the burgers as I was, but never mind. Hopefully, they’ll like them at some point in the future.

Yesterday afternoon I had some friends round for our craft club. Well, it was supposed to be craft club but it turned into ‘drink tea and eat cake and gab club’ instead and we got nothing done on our projects. We didn’t even have them out. That’s not the real point of craft club though…it’s really just an excuse to get together to gab and have a nice time. It was good. I’m still working on a top I was knitting for myself. It’s funny – when I’m knitting for other people I will knit and knit and knit. When I’m knitting for me…it takes ages. Still haven’t finished those socks I started over a year ago!!

Missed my walk last night as was feeling too tired and off colour. Went to bed early last night and woke up refreshed. This morning I watched the last episode of series 2 of Lilyhammer…that’s a funny series. I’m hoping there are further series…I’ll need to look it up. I also did a bit of yoga. I used to go to a class in a town near here, but it was on a night I worked and I was so stressed trying to get home, take my daughter to Rainbows, pick her up and then go to yoga, that I decided it wasn’t worth it. I have a few DVDs at home, so am trying to do a wee session every couple of days. Hopefully, I’ll eventually get back to a proper class…I really enjoyed the class when I was there, it was just getting there that was the problem!!

After this blog has been written, I am GETTING BACK INTO WRITING THE TWO BOOKS I WAS WORKING ON. I am shouting in text to give myself a metaphorical kick up the backside to get it done.

Anyway, I’m off to write. Til next time!

Dawn xxx