With thanks...
AUGUST 2010
I am grateful for new projects, fundraising for the 40 Hour Famine and my beloved...
With thanks... Sunday August 1...
Today I am grateful for the beautiful sunshine, and the first stirrings of spring... The sweet scent of orange jessamine and the gentle breezes cleansing our little abode...
I am so glad I went swimming tonight, and bemused by how much stronger my legs are than my arms :-) But it will all come back eventually. And it will be nice to feel slightly sore tomorrow, and stretched through my back, shoulders and arms...
I am grateful that I was super productive today, and got some writing done, and planned a production meeting with Lucy...
I am grateful that there’s another review of The Book of Faery Magic on our Amazon page...
And I am grateful for the cute night in with my beloved, watching The Secret of Roan Inish and The Good Wife (and later, when Juz couldn’t sleep, The Punisher), and drinking tea, and chatting and planning and reminiscing about our last adventure through the English countryside...
With thanks... Monday August 2...
Today I am grateful for the beautiful sunny morning... which transformed into a rainy wild night ;-)
I am grateful for a fun night catching up with a friend for our Tuesday night dinner club (which had to shift to Monday this time)... Not so grateful that it was pouring with rain by the end so I couldn’t walk home, but bemused that we walked a little way in search of a cab, and I ended up looking like a little drowned rat...
I am grateful the day at the magazines was productive, and that Naomi chased up my invoice from June 7 *again*, and made sure it will finally get paid in a fortnight. The joys of freelancing!
And I grateful for a cute night snuggled up on the couch with my love, and the beautiful card he’d left on my pillow...
With thanks... Tuesday August 3...
Today I am grateful for the beautiful still-winterish sunshine, although the day went wild later on, and took off the roof of a house with its crazy winds!
I am grateful for a productive day at the magazines, although bemused that the big meeting that had been planned for weeks was forgotten...
And I am grateful that my love came and met me after work, and grateful for the invigorating walk home in the cool night...
With thanks... Wednesday August 4...
Today I am so grateful that our Book of Faery Magic is in the top 10 highest sellers of Brumby Books, our national distributor! Which will hopefully lead to even more stores ordering it in...
I am grateful for a hilariously funny, occasionally serious, tea and bikkie-fuelled morning with Lucy, brainstorming our new book, dreaming and scheming and plotting and planning...
I’m grateful that I got some work done, and organised a few more interviews, and managed to feel productive even on my day off :-)
And I’m grateful for a gorgeous afternoon with my beloved, and a sweet night in... For catching up on last week’s Lie To Me on the Channel 10 website (who knew?) before this one screened, and Monday’s Q&A (this election campaign is so frustrating, yet strangely addictive), and for more tea and snuggles...
With thanks... Thursday August 5...
Today I am grateful for bright sunshine and cool breezes...
I am grateful that I motivated myself to swim laps...
I am grateful that I remembered the 40 Hour Famine is in two weeks, and I’d better start getting some sponsors :-)
I am grateful that Cutes and I had some time together, it being our weekend of sorts...
I am grateful that I also got some work done on the new project...
And I must have been tired, cos I fell so deeply asleep just after midnight that I didn’t even hear Cutes come in after rehearsing...
With thanks... Friday August 6...
Today I am so very grateful to the gorgeous friends who have sponsored me in the 40 Hour Famine - only two weeks until it starts :-) (Just in case anyone would like to sponsor me a few dollars, my page is here)
I am grateful for a beautiful sunny morning with my beloved, and grateful that we went to visit our duck and swamp hen friends - although they were a bit odd in their behaviour, which was interesting :-) When they have babies around they are so polite and kind to each other, sharing the bread, taking it in a chain from beak to beak to the bubs. But when they grow up, it’s back to every swamp hen for itself. Even their strange squawky sounds change significantly ;-)
I am grateful I could drop Cutes to work, and glad I got a fair bit of work done myself - although not grateful at all for a stupid migraine that developed late and made it hard to focus :-( But tomorrow is a new day! xx
With thanks... Saturday August 7...
Today I am grateful for the beautiful spring sunshine, blue skies and cool breeze, my perfect kinda day...
I am grateful for a long walk with Cutes (I’m hoping exercise motivation will transfer to writing work motivation and inspiration!)...
I am grateful to my faery friends Anita and Tulip for being so sweet... Still no Tassie Devil, but lots of other cute and cuddly creatures :-)
And I am grateful that, despite an aching head, I got *some* work done...
With thanks... Sunday August 8...
Today I am grateful that I got lots of writing done...
I am glad I swam laps - and that I went faster, with barely a pause to catch my breath, because there were other people there and I felt so silly :-)
I am grateful for a cute night with my beloved, glad the painkillers have kept my nasty head almost at bay, and happy I was so productive, while also being slightly panicked by the looming deadline... Which helps shake off procrastination, so it’s all good! xx
With thanks... Monday August 9...
Today I am so grateful to those who have sponsored me for the 40 Hour Famine. Much love and gratitude!
I am grateful that my day at the magazines was so productive, and we’re ready to send one two days early, and getting close on the other...
I’m very grateful to my sweet beloved for meeting me in town after work so we could have our little dinner ritual then walk briskly home together in the cool darkness of a dark moon night...
And I’m so happy that Julia Gillard, our first female prime minister, came across so well in the hour-long interview. She was brave, honest, calm, impressive with the big questions and accusations, occasionally funny, and so very very passionate about the thing that has always been so close to her heart - a great education for all Australians, not just rich ones. She even answered the offensive questions with good grace (you have no kids so what would you know etc). As one person twittered, hooray, we now have a leader!
With thanks... Tuesday August 10...
Today I am grateful for the beautiful rain, that made it so cosy to be working from home (although it was a slightly frustrating writing day, but I have to remind myself that I always have days like that, and it will pass)...
I am grateful for mugs of hot tea and honey...
I am glad I motivated myself to swim laps again, and grateful that I had a lane to myself, and bemused that I feel the need to push myself so much harder when there’s someone else in the pool...
And I am grateful for a cute night in with my beloved...
With thanks... Wednesday August 11...
Today I am grateful for a busy, productive day at work, with a visit to a “toy fair” in my lunch break :-) Not a real one, but some girls from Melbourne brought all the toys they’re releasing between now and Christmas up to show me. Ah, so many things I didn’t know :-)
I am grateful to a scientist from Perth who is sharing some of her research studies with me for our next book...
I am grateful to my beloved, who came into the city to meet me after work, on his day off, so we could have dinner then walk home together before he had to go to rehearsal...
And I am grateful for the beauty of the tiny sliver of the new moon, a perfect little smile, with the faintest outline of the whole moon visible in the darkening twilight...
With thanks... Thursday August 12...
Today I am grateful for my “weekend” day off with my beloved, basking in the sun as we had lunch in our favourite cafe, picking up gear for his gig tomorrow night, and curling up on the couch with tea and cookies and a DVD...
I’m grateful I did get a bit of work done on the new project, sending off more emails and organising a few things...
I’m glad I swam laps again, while Cutes was at the gym, although it got a bit frustrating when a couple of guys joined me, and I felt intimidated and like I shouldn’t be there - I varied between “Screw you, I’m leaving,” to “Screw you, I’m staying!” Ah, the battle in my head :-) I’m not so glad my eyes are stinging like crazy - I had to do more overarm than usual, which meant eyes open in the chlorine, cos my backstroke’s not exactly a straight line kinda stroke :-) Might have to get some little swimming goggles, because my eyes have been painfully stinging all night...
I’m grateful to my faery friends Anita and Tulips, for their encouragement and kindness in my quest for a Tassie devil in Fairyland - I finally found one, and it’s so so cute...
And I’m grateful that although I’ve been strangely and uncharacteristically depressed the last three days, I managed to make this sound like a really happy day. And so that is how I’ll remember it...
With thanks… Friday August 13…
Today I am grateful that I got a fair bit of work done, but a bit frustrated that it was more planning than writing. It's all necessary, I know, but...
I am grateful that the Platinum Brunette gig was so much fun, and that their friend who filled in on drums cos Boskie broke his hand rocked - and looked awesome as a leather-clad nun - and that my sweet friend Nolita came...
I'm grateful I could help Juz with gear and stuff, since he helps me so much... And I sure was grateful for bed when we finally got home at 3am :-) xx
With thanks... Saturday August 14...
Today I am grateful that I did get a fair bit of work done on the book...
Not so happy that my head hurt all day, and that painkillers didn't make much of a dent...
I am grateful for a great interview with a US marine biologist about dugongs and manatees. They're usually ignored by cetacean researchers who focus on whales and dolphins, but she loves these gentle creatures and has dedicated her life to trying to save and protect them...
I am grateful that I had a sweet morning with my beloved before we started work, not that I was capable of doing much beside sit vaguely on the couch and drink tea, and grateful for head pats, and to Cutes for going to get me a yummy soy chai...
And I am grateful that I managed quite a list, after staring for at a blank page for a while and wondering what I could mention today. There's always something to be grateful for! xx
With thanks… Sunday August 15…
Today I am so grateful that we live in a country where we have the privilege of voting for the government we want to represent us. There are so many places where people don’t have such an important right, who are still fighting, and in some cases dying, for the right to vote. And I hope that people use this privilege wisely next weekend…
I am grateful that I got a fair bit of work done, even though Juz’s shift got mucked up cos the guy who was working the early shift didn’t turn up, and he had to swap his to fill in…
And I’m glad we got to have a sweet night together, instead of our morning, and walk up to Newtown for dinner, hand in hand, marvelling at the beauty of the night sky, the smiling crescent moon and the incredibly bright Venus, along with Mars, Mercury and Saturn… So mysterious and magical…
With thanks... Monday August 16...
Today I am grateful for spring sunshine, and swimming even more laps than I did the other night. (I'm also super grateful it was just me and another girl in the pool, a lane each, then me on my own - no intimidation, no feeling silly, just "just two more" each time I got back to the start :-)
I'm grateful to Lucy, for understanding, intelligence, fairness, good decisions, compassion, respect and the wonderful magic we're weaving...
And I'm grateful to Juliet Marillier for her wonderful books - I just wanted to flick through Wolfskin to check something, but I fell right back in and have started reading it all again...
With thanks... Tuesday August 17...
Yikes! Where has the year gone??? :-)
Today I am grateful for a productive if not totally smooth day at work, sorting out Ben 10, Gruffalo and Hungry Caterpillar activity pages and stories about Tinker Bell...
I am grateful for Faery Magic book sales...
I am grateful to my sweet beloved, for meeting me after work so we could have our cute little thai dinner ritual, then walk home together in the beautiful cool night air, smiling up at Venus and chatting about our days...
And I am glad (albeit super frustrated) that we watched the Tony Abbott Q&A. Nothing much got said, he rarely actually answered anyone, there were so many Dorothy Dix questions it bordered on the ridiculous, and his stretching of the truth beggared belief. (His response to the GP whingeing about Labor putting in new clinics, and giving nurses in remote areas more responsibility was absurd - of course that guy prefers the Liberal anti-bulk billing policies...) Even Tony Jones didn't challenge him on a few obvious ones, whereas he really did go at Julia last week, and got some great responses in turn... I've gotta say though, I'm leaning towards George Negus's summing up of the campaign - "Ignore everything you've heard in the last few weeks and look at what each party really stands for." There is a real difference, and ultimately it is the party, and their ideology and principles that we're voting on...
With thanks... Wednesday August 18...
Today I am so grateful that we have the right to vote, and the right to discuss politics and argue our point without fear of execution or imprisonment. I am grateful to all the people who fought so hard for us to be able to vote, especially the women, for it took us longer to gain such a basic right. We take this privilege for granted, but there are still places around the world where people have no say in how their country is run or who runs it - and who are executed for trying to represent the people of their land... In Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi was elected prime minister in 1990, but the military junta refused to give up power, and she has been under house arrest ever since. (Walk On by U2 was written about and dedicated to her. And anyone in Burma caught with either the single or the album it came from, All That You Can't Leave Behind, face a prison sentence of up to twenty years.)
I am grateful for a busy but productive day at the magazines...
And I am grateful that my beloved came into town to meet me after work, so we could have dinner (an amusing misunderstanding saw me served up a plate of mashed potato and nothing else), then walk home together, fired up with political discussion and a combination of frustration and hope over the coming election...
With thanks... Thursday August 19...
Today I am grateful to everyone who has sponsored me for the 40 Hour Famine, which starts tomorrow night (eek!). If anyone would like to sponsor me a few dollars, my page is here.
I am grateful for a day off with my beloved (although I did have to check in with the magazine a couple of times, to sort out approvals for various properties as our deadline approaches), reading together in the sunshine, and many cups of tea...
And I am grateful that I got the proof copy of the US version of A Magical Journey back... It will be available soon on Amazon, with extra pages...
With thanks... Friday August 20...
Today I am so grateful to everyone who has sponsored me for the 40 Hour Famine. I've been so touched, especially by the faery friends I haven't even met in "real" life. It means so much to me that together we can help people who can't afford to eat...
I am grateful that my beloved met me in the city after work so we could have a yummy dinner before it started, then walk home (very briskly!) so we had enough time for tea and cookies before the 8pm cut off...
And I am grateful for a cosy night in, venting our frustration at certain biased election reports, watching Merlin, and marvelling at how much extra time we'll have tomorrow since we don't have to buy food, prepare it, eat it or wash dishes :-) xx
With thanks... Saturday August 21...
Today I am so grateful to my beautiful husband, who is doing the 40 Hour Famine with me to keep me company, so very grateful to all those who have sponsored me (it's not too late – click here), and also to those gorgeous friends who sponsored Juz. I was so overwhelmed by everyone's kindness, and so was he. From thinking he only had one sponsor, he ended up with eight! And he wanted me to thank you all so very very much. It does make it a bit easier to be hungry when you know how much it will help those who are desperate for assistance in Kenya, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal and India. Thank you for your wonderful generosity.
I am grateful to Cutes for staying strong even when we had to line up for half an hour to vote, with the scent of the sausage sizzle tantalising him... It was the cupcakes I wanted :-)
I thought I was going to be able to write I am so grateful that Julia Gillard remains our prime minister, but alas, the outcome is still a way off, with the most likely outcome a hung parliament and either her or Abbott the mad monk having to form government with the Green and Independents members. I am still so stunned, and really worried about what this says about us as a nation...
I am grateful though for all the wonderful discussions I had on Facebook over the evening - I gave up thinking I was going to work on the book and just watched the election coverage, checked out the AEC.gov.au website and chatted about politics all night. I am so glad that so many of my friends are so passionate about our future, and so well read, and that even in diversities of opinions there is a level of compassion that is sadly lacking in Abbott's future plans...
And I am grateful that by the time Juz got home from work, and we'd had a peppermint tea and despaired over the results, there was only 100 hours left until we can eat! xx
With thanks... Sunday August 22...
Today I am grateful for all the support, encouragement and well wishes - and sponsorship - I got as I finished up the 40 Hour Famine, and so grateful I could finally eat :-)
I am grateful for a lovely night out with Juz and a friend, and a yummy dinner...
And I am grateful for lots of political discussion following yesterday's election, and that we now have a 24-hour news channel, and the interest (but not the stress!) generated by our probable hung parliament. Interesting times!
With thanks… Monday August 23…
Today I am grateful for the beauty of the moon, almost full and so misty and golden, after a long, long day at work...
I am grateful that Juz and I had a tiny bit of time together (so pesky when I work normal hours and he has late shift)...
And I am grateful that, with the tension of waiting for the election results, Good News Week was so funny... although we've only seen half so far, as I fell asleep halfway through watching the video. So tired!
With thanks... Tuesday August 24...
Today I am grateful for getting a lot of work done, even though I was side tracked on another project :-)
I am grateful for all my wonderful friends, and glad that I have stayed close to those who have moved far away (especially, today, my sweet friend Amanda, from my uni days, who moved to New York via China. Happy first birthday to your darling little Dylan!)...
And I am grateful for a cosy night in with my sweet beloved, snuggling on the couch watching magical Merlin...
With thanks... Wednesday August 25...
Today I am grateful for a really cool review of A Magical Journey...
I am not so grateful that I woke up with a bad head, and it has been plaguing me in varying degrees all day, but I am glad we got the magazine off to the printer (lucky I was so organised I was able to adjust for my vagueness)...
I am grateful to my sweet beloved for meeting me after work, so we could have dinner, and walk home together, loving the cold night air and the incredible, huge and golden full moon...
And now I am grateful for painkillers and bed. Sweet dreams! xx
With thanks... Thursday August 26...
Today I am grateful for a day off with my beloved (although I did do a few small bits of work)...
I am grateful that we got U2 tickets - so exciting!
I am glad I swam laps - and relieved I had the pool to myself :-)
I am grateful for a lovely night out with Juz and Nigie, and thankful to Daniella, who gave me the dinner for my birthday, and grateful for the beauty of the incredible golden just-passed-full moon rising over the harbour...
And I am sad - and very sorry - that I knocked over a scooter that had snuck into the back of my parking bay while I waited for Juz to go to the bank, since I couldn't see it in the rear view mirror, thankful that there was no damage (an onlooker who rides a bike picked it up for me, and said it was okay), upset that the guy was so mean to me that I ended up shaking and tearful (especially as I could have driven off, there being nowhere to leave a note, but I didn't, I waited and waited for him to come back), sad that it put such a dampener on our afternoon, but ultimately resigned that there's no point worrying about it until he contacts me and tells me what he wants...
With thanks... Friday August 27...
Today I am grateful that A Magical Journey is now available in the US... Next up, Seven Sacred Sites!
I am grateful that my day at the magazines was productive, if a bit of a struggle cos of my pesky head...
I am grateful that the Platinum Brunette gig went so well, and I could help my beloved with gear and loading out and stuff, since he helps me so much, and by the time we got home, at 3am, I was very grateful for bed!
With thanks... Saturday August 28...
Today I am grateful that I got lots of work done, getting Seven Sacred Sites ready for US release...
And not so grateful that my head has been plaguing me and distracting me...
I am grateful for a cute morning with my love, watching Merlin and marvelling at the amazing effects and the beautiful dresses of Morgana, and the fascinating meld of traditional legend and myth with a new and fun twist...
And I am grateful for the fun Anita, Viv, Anita and I had in Fairyland, helping each other find creatures - but most importantly laughing a lot and leaving little messages for each other and expanding our circle of faery friends ever wider...
With thanks... Sunday August 29...
Today I am grateful for a lovely sunshiney morning...
For getting a bit of work done before going to see Beauty and the Beast in 3D, and spending a bit of time with my faery friend Viv and her little princess Serafina...
I am grateful for the brisk walk home in the warm sunshine and cool breeze...
I am so glad I got so much work done in the afternoon (although there's always more, sigh)...
And I am grateful for a beautiful night with my beloved, snuggling on the couch, watching magical Merlin, drinking tea and chattering into the night...
With thanks... Monday August 30...
Today I am grateful that I got so much work done. And it's been really interesting re-reading my first book, which I haven't really looked at for two years...
I am not so grateful that my stupid head has been plaguing me all day...
I am grateful for a sweet email from my aunty, and glad I got the phone call to the nasty scooter man over with...
And I am grateful for a few hours with my beautiful love, after he had to stay back at work...
With thanks... Tuesday August 31...
Today I am grateful that my beloved met me in town after work, so we could have our little dinner ritual and walk home together hand in hand in the cool night air, marvelling at the huge shiny thing in the sky (Venus?)...
I am grateful for a productive day on Disney Playhouse magazine, despite being plagued by another migraine...
I am grateful for the chiropractor (I guess!), for putting my rib back into place (I didn't realise they went out!), and trying to sort out my neck. Lots of "homework" before I see him again next week...
And I am grateful for lovely messages from a friend...
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