Kick It

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heather valley shorty autumn

 

Today’s post asked us ‘’what’s the eleventh item on your bucket list?’’

#11 – Find a field of heather, on a misty Scottish hillside to dance around in while imagining I am Fiona from Brigadoon.

 

 

Ok Sorry I don’t actually have a bucket list, there are many things I want to do before I die, but I’ve never sat and wrote them out.

I’d find it rather depressing to have a list sitting there, because unless I won the lotto it would more than likely never be fulfilled.

If I was to sit down and write a bucket list, most of my items would be travel related, places I’d love to travel to. I’ve managed to see some of my dream holiday and adventure destinations in Australia, but I want see ALL of Australia. I’d love to travel to New Zealand, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Spain and Canada, money money money, damn I’d try and see the WHOLE world if I had the money (and armed forces to protect me). Most activities I’ve wanted to try, I have. I got my husband to teach me to ab-sail and ride a motor bike. I don’t want to bungy jump or jump out of a plane like most people seem to. I’ve toyed with the idea of going to Uni, so that would also be on my list and improving my writing skills. The only other thing would be mending burnt bridges of friendship, but I think that’s a constant thing you’ve always got to work at, so probably doesn’t belong on a bucket list.

I assume what the task wanted us to do was to talk about our eleventh bucket list item, what is it, why do you want to do it etc, So I’ll pick Scotland as my eleven item.

My maternal grandmother was born in Scotland and migrated out to Australia when she was eleven years old. I’d love to go to the town where my grandmother was born and visit her grandparent’s graves. I would love to explore Scotland, its warm people, its historic landmarks and beautiful landscapes. But most of all I would love to find a field of heather, on a misty Scottish hillside to dance around in while imagining I am Fiona from Brigadoon.

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The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #5)

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The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #5) by Rick Riordan

Goodreads Synopsis:

All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of a victory are grim. Kronos’s army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan’s power only grows.

While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it’s up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.

In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy’s sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate

My Thoughts: 

NOOOOOO!!!! It’s over. I just wanted to keep reading, I couldn’t stop! I’ve got a major book hangover now, I don’t want to move on. I want to know how Percy and Annabeth’s lives turn out.

This the final instalment of the Percy Jackson series is fast paced from the start and I LOVED the opening line: ‘’The end of the world started when a Pegasus landed on the hood of my car’’ Blackjack is pure awesomeness in Pegasus form. Action, action, action, Kronos defeated (for now!), Nico getting his chance to shine, a twist with Rachel Elizabeth Dare and even a little bit of romance, Percy and Annabeth together at last. There is so much packed into this book, but it flows wonderfully. It also finishes leading the way for Riordan’s follow up series ‘’Heroes of Olympus’’ which gives us a fresh new bunch half-blood campers to get to know and have adventures with.

I wasn’t all that drawn in when I first started to read this series, but oh boy in the end it got me. I’ve just downloaded ‘’The Demigod Diaries’’ short stories involving well you guessed it Demigods, then I guess I’m going to have to purchase and read the “Heroes of Olympus” book series so I can keep living in this world Riordan has created (I better get my looooong to read down a little bit first, or the husband will be mad at me for buying more books hehehehehe)

Brilliant!! Five Stars!! Mr Riordan

Resolved

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I have NEVER made a New Year’s Resolution that I have kept, ever!!!

Each year I always say I’m going to get fit and get some savings in the bank, blah blah blah, but this year I have to do it for my six month old son’s sake.

Hopefully putting my 2014 resolutions on my blog will make me stick to them, you can all help hold me accountable!!!

#1 – Be kinder to myself (I am way too hard on myself)

#2 – Get Fit (I’m going to have a little speed demon to run after and keep up with once he finds his feet)

#3 – Each day complete the 365 writing prompt eBook (Yay! This is post number 2)

#4 – Get my finances in check

#5 – Complete courses to improve grammar and writing skills (I have already enrolled in 2 for February)

I am determined!!! All my resolutions are do-able, I’ve just gotta suck it up and tough it out. I’ve got to dedicate time to my writing, start walking every day again and curb my husband’s spending (yeah wish me luck with that one).

I’m going to channel The Little Engine That Could

“I-think-I-can-I-think-I-can-I-think-I-can.”

I’m going to get all the animals safely through the mountain no matter how dangerous it is or how much snow, UMMMMMM oh wait a minute, no, I’m going to get my shit together, that’s right, be kinder, get fit, writing prompts, finances, improve writing, I-think-I-can-I-think-I-can-I-think-I-can!!!!ithinkican

 

(Book referenced is The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper)

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Stroke of midnight

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Well hello there 2014, nice to meet you.

I was in bed when 2013 turned into 2014 hoping that the crackers that had awoken me didn’t wake up my six month old son as I was exhausted and didn’t want a baby’s cry to ring in my new year.

No this wasn’t really where I wanted to be, I wanted to be camping with my parents, but alas with my husband’s work commitments we haven’t managed to go for the last five years or so. Why didn’t I go without him? Well my parents were away camping at Narrabri and I’d have been looking a 35-40 degree days in a tent with a six month old, yeah just wasn’t going to happen. Obviously we adults could handle the heat no worries, but my son won’t even sleep in his room unless it’s under 26 degrees and I really didn’t think It would be healthy for him in such high heat. Whenever my husband manages to get New Year’s off, Riley will be older and we can take him regardless. I really miss spending New Year’s camping with my family like I did as child.

It’s not all bad though my husband has Easter off and it’ll be cooler then. So come Easter my son will get to go on his first camping trip to Narrabri.

I’m looking forward to a good 2014 – I wish you all well.

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The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #4)

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The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #4) by Rick Riordan

Goodreads Synopsis:

Percy Jackson isn’t expecting freshman orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears on campus, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to worse.

In this fourth instalment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos’s army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop the invasion, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth – a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn.

My Thoughts:

Oh wow, jam packed teenage action awesomeness!! This the fourth book of the Percy Jackson series and is By Far My Favourite (so far). So much happens in this instalment and the ending leaves you wanting to open the fifth book straight away.

I don’t even know where to begin.

All my favourite characters back together, Tyson, Percy, Grover & Annabeth Yay!!! And they all return alive by a mortal miracle. There’s danger at every turn, Pan is found, non-stop action the whole way though, Kronos awakens. We even get some teen angst romance in this instalment. This book reads really fast because you don’t want to put it down. But I will point out that you have to read the previous three books to know the characters backgrounds and to understand the drama or otherwise you’d be like “what the hell are these teenagers running around doing”.

Five Stars!!!!!

Well that’s all I’m going to say, I’m off to read number five now!!!!!

2014 Must Do Activity

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I’m going to do it this year, I’ve promised myself.

Every year I see this note (or similar) passed around Facebook

Note

Starting the 1st of January write down the good things that happen to you, on little bits of paper: Surprise gifts, Accomplished goals, The beauty of nature, Laugh out loud moments, Memories worth saving, Daily blessings – Then on the 31st of December you get to open the jar and read all the amazing things your 2014 was filled with.

I really will do it this year, I’ve made my jar!

2014

It’s sitting on my desk next to a pile of paper and pens, so I will be forced to look at it each day, which might actually be rather depressing until it’s got some paper in it.

desk shot 

Anyways onwards I go – wishing you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

From Where I Stand

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From Where I Stand, Poetry by Robert Zimmermann

Goodreads Synopsis:

From Robert Zimmermann comes From Where I Stand, an emotional debut poetry collection. Zimmermann explores strained parental relationships, loss of life, and the despair associated with grief. Alongside these darker themes, he delves into the small areas of life that often go unnoticed but become the hope we are searching for.

My thoughts:

Just from reading the forward you already know your about to see a man’s soul laid raw on the pages that follow!

Now normally I look for myself in poetry and I find the more I’ll like a poem is due to whether or not I can place its emotions in my past or present. I went into this collection telling myself, you are not looking for yourself, you are here to learn about this man. Robert really has given us a look at the emotions and experiences he has been exposed to. After reading this collection of poetry I appreciate the man whose blog I’ve come to enjoy reading even more.

I really do think this is a great collection of work. Yes I did prefer the poems I could find myself in, but I found myself drawn into all the poems and at times wanting to jump through the pages into the past and smack Robert’s father in the face.

I find it hard to say I enjoyed these poems, because there is a lot of pain and anger and you can’t really enjoy that, but the collection was emotionally beautiful and I am glad I read it and I will read it again I am sure.

I read to experience what my life can’t give me and to escape my day to day and this book certainly did that, it took me and placed me in another’s life.

I would recommend this collection not just for poetry fans, as I think it’s more of a book for people who like to feel what others feel, to get a glimpse into other peoples life, anyone with empathy could get into this book.

 

I hope that makes sense, I am rather nervous writing a review on Robert’s work as I enjoy reading his reviews, oh dear, better go have some wine now!

The Titan’s Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #3)

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The Titan’s Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #3) by Rick Riordan

Goodreads Synopsis:

IT’S NOT EVERYDAY YOU FIND YOURSELF IN COMBAT WITH A HALF-LION, HALF-HUMAN.

But when you’re the son of a Greek god, it happens. And now my friend Annabeth is missing, a goddess is in chains and only five half-blood heroes can join the quest to defeat the doomsday monster.

Oh and guess what. The Oracle has predicted that not all of us will survive…

My thoughts:

Oh dear. . . I hate it when a book lets you down, it’s like being betrayed by an old friend. I liked the first book in the series, loved the second, than felt let down by the third. I would think that the third’s down fall was probably be due to the second being so good.

For some reason I didn’t like the presence of the character Thalia, I can’t explain it. I really like the way Annabeth and Percy bounce off of each other and of cause as it’s Annabeth Percy’s off to save (among others) she’s not present for most of the book.

However I like the ending as Grover is off on his search for Pan again and I do so want the ‘Goat Boy” to succeed.

I must remember that this series is aimed at kids and that if I was fourteen, I probably would have been enthralled the whole way through. Even though I had to force myself through parts of the third installment of the Percy Jackson saga, I would still highly recommend this story for younger teens – there are lessons to be learnt, thrown in with fun, action and adventure.

As a ‘whole’ the series is quite good and I am enjoying reading it. I think I’ll take a break and read from another genre before I then return to the fourth book.

Shine

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Shine by Justine Edward

Goodreads Synopsis:

Shine is a children’s book with a BIG difference. Designed to empower and encourage, this series of positive affirmations will have children smiling from ear to ear. Illustrated by 7 yr old Karl Gabriel who has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Shine helps all children to understand that anything is possible if they believe in themselves.

My Thoughts:

This is a truly beautiful book, a book you should read to your children over and over again.

Justine’s words are heart felt, beautifully written, flow together and roll of the tongue with ease.

I actually feel this is not just a children’s book, us adults need to be reminded that anything is possible also.

Five stars all round

More info on this book see – https://www.facebook.com/JustineEdwardAuthor