Get in on the Blitz!!!

Hi folks!

I'm here today to tell you about a little thing called the Blog Blitz blog hop. Never heard of it? Really? Well, then you're missing out!

The Blog Blitz was founded in March 2013 by DL Hammons, with the main aim of offering support and encouragement in concentrated bursts to one lucky member signed up on the list.

We all have dips now and then, believe me I seem to be in a long one, and the Blog Blitz is wonderful at swooping in at the right time to give that extra boost to help us get back on the right track.

All you need to do to get involved and become a part of this valuable support network is head on over and sign up on the linky list. DL will get in touch whenever he has a new victim in mind, and then we can all descend with our love and best wishes. 

And who knows, one day it could be you! What have you got to lose?

Ninja Captain Alex's Top Ten Movie Countdown Blogfest!

 

The host of this hop really doesn't need any introduction, such is his presence in this here blogosphere. If you've not come across his blog yet you must have been living in a cave. So, welcome back to the world and head on over to the Ninja Captain's blog, you won't be disappointed.

So this fest is exactly what it says on the tin, just list your top ten movies that you love.

Here's mine, in no particular order:

  1. Superman - The Movie

     

 

2. Smokey and the Bandit II

3. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

 

4. Paul

5. Skyfall

6. Back to the Future

7. Pirates of the Caribbean

8.  The Grudge

9.  I, Robot





10. The Young Frankenstein

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's time to celebrate, it's Friday!

         
                    *****************************************

This post is part of the 'Celebrate the Small Things' blog hop hosted by VikLit, and is for celebrating even the smallest of victories during the week. Head on over to her blog to check out more people taking part in this hop.

                    *****************************************


 This week I'm celebrating:

• Pub lunch today, nom nom. Lovely beer battered fish and chips with mushy peas. Mmmm, mmmm. A lovely treat after a busy week at work.
• I finally got my assignment finished and sent off. Only two more to go!
• I've made a start on my A-Z Challenge blog posts. Not long to go now folks!

I missed last weeks Friday celebrations, but it's been a good week this week and I'm back on track,

What are you celebrating this week?


                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everybody in for the Blog Blitz!

 

 

In my travels through the blogosphere over the last few days this little blog hop has come up quite a few times, and I just had to get involved.

 

The blog hop has been put together by DL Hammons at Cruising Altitude and is intended to spread the word for bloggers everywhere. All you need to do is head on over to the linky list and sign up your blog, making sure to include your email address.

 

Every so often the host will select a blog, and email the rest of the Blitz Team with the choice and a date. Then we all make the effort to visit and spread the word about the chosen blog, and also hop over to leave a word or two of encouragement in the comments. Brilliant!

 

If you're intrigued and want to get involed just hop on over to DL's and get signed up. You can then post the button on your blog and spread the word too.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's National Wormhole Day!

                   ***********************************

Today and tomorrow we are celebrating National Wormhole Day in honour of Albert Einsteins birthday, which is tomorrow. This little blog hop is courtesy of Stephen Tremp, Laura Eno and L G Smith.

This is a great little blog hop, and it'll only take 100 words more or less, unless you're feeling particularly creative of course.
What would you do and where would you go if you had a fully functioning wormhole, through which you were guaranteed to return home in one piece and to your own world, you know not like they did in Sliders.

                   ************************************


I think if I had a wormhole like this I would take a trip back in time. My daughter is nearly five now, and at times she is just the spitting image of me. It really can be freaky how much of a mini-me she is.
My dad also takes great pleasure in telling me (all of the time) just how much like me she is in character too. She's very fond of dancing around like a twit, singing a lot and talking constantly throughout the day without taking a breath.
I find it hard to believe though that I was as crazy as she is (honestly!) so I'd like to take a trip back to see myself at the same age to satisfy my own curiosity. She must get some of it from her father, surely!


Here is a picture of me and my daughter at a similar age:

                     



                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesday Blog Hop - Hope

       **********************************************

This post is part of the Wednesday Blog Hop, a weekly hop aimed at creating flash fiction inspired by a photo and five words selected by one of the lovely hosts.

To check out the other weekly entries or to link up yourself head over to Carrie, Nicole, Tena or Leanne's blogs for more information.

        *********************************************



I meant to post this entry yesterday but I've been struck down with the dreaded lurgy, so I apologise for it being a day late.

As requested by fellow hopper Chris Shawbell this weeks entry is a continuation of the story I posted in last weeks blog hop. If you missed it then you can read it here first.

This weeks picture:

This weeks words:  pocket watch, cosmic, ghost, vegetable, train

And here it is!

Hope

The man who had spoken her name came further into the barn, expanding his search while the other hung back near the door. She bowed her head, praying for them to turn around and leave. She wanted to find out a little more for before she handed herself over to anyone.

The one by the door was growing impatient, checking the time on his pocket watch. 'Sir, we really need to be going.'

The one in the barn took another step towards me before sighing in defeat. 'Let's go. Davis isn't going to be pleased though if we've lost another one.'

Wendy's body sagged with relief as he walked out and closed the doors behind him, and she waited until the sound of the engine had completely died away before emerging. It seemed she'd narrowly avoided capture, but was still in the same predicament, trying to get out of the barn.

Trying the big doors again was futile, there was nothing else she could do except scramble over the hedge.

Settin off along the road, picking off twigs and leaves from her clothes as she went. She had no idea what the time was, only that the sun was shining high in the sky now. Her stomach was rumbling, reminding her of how little she'd eaten. The road was straddled either side by fields, but there wasn't any sign of civilisation anywhere nearby. Looking over into the neighbouring field there were some plants sprouting, growing uniformly in lines leading of into the distance. A closer inspection revealed they were carrots, and Wendy dug and ate three in earnest. They tasted earthy and raw, but they were food. She pocketed a few more of the vegetables for her journey.

She walked seemingly all day, and now her feet were beginning to drag a little as she grew weary. She almost didn't notice the train track intersecting the road. The section that crossed the road was clear, but either side it had become overgrown with bushes. It certainly hadn't been used for transport for a long time. It extended in both directions for as far as she could see, but in the east she noticed something else just visible on the horizon. She was unsure at first if her eyes were deceiving her but it looked like a city, way off in the distance. It had a hazy, almost ghostly quality to it but she was sure it was real.

She started to head in its direction, the faintest glimmer of hope beginning to tingle within. She crossed my fingers, willing the vision to be real, and if not then the world was playing some giant cosmic joke on her. There was only one way to find out though, and she willed her feet to keep moving.

Word count: 472

                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blog Hop Alert!

March is going to be a busy time in terms of blog hops. There are so many going about but there are three in particular I've chosen to join in on.


I've already posted about the Back from the Future blog hop taking place on the 1st March, and I'm so excited about this one. Lots of ideas are coming to mind I just need to wrestle one to the ground and make it stick.


On 13th and 14th March it's National Wormhole Day, which is being hosted by Stephen Tremp, Laura Eno and L G Smith. It's celebrating the birthday of the one and only Albert Einstein and the idea is as follows:

What would you do or where would you go if you could traverse a wormhole through space or time just once? One safe round trip passage. Would you go back in time and talk some sense into a younger you? Go five years into the future and bring back the Wall Street Journal? See just how the heck the Great Pyramids of Giza were really built? View what the other side of the universe looks like? Kill Hitler?

This is another quick and easy Blog Hop. Since we are all busy, take a moment to tell the world a few moments, and in 100 words more or less, what you would do if you had a two-way ticket to traverse a wormhole. This is my way of getting people excited about all the amazing stuff on the horizon that we as a race are on the cusp of discovering! 

 

 

Head on over to one of the brilliant hosts of this event to find out more and to get signed up. Don't forget to check out who else is taking part too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then, on 18th March there's the Top Ten Movie Countdown Blogfest. This is brought to you by none other than the wonderful Alex J Cavanaugh, who we all know does such a brilliant job of helping us writer/bloggers connect with each other and get our voice out there. Thanks again Alex!

Just sign up and post your top ten favourite moveis and then head on over to check out everyone else's. Couldn't be simpler! Or could it? Hmm, only ten he says ... This could be trickier than I thought.

To find out more and to sign up to any of these blog hops, just click on the links on my side bar. I look forward to seeing you all next month!

                                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank Crunchie it's Friday!

                *****************************************

This post is part of the 'Celebrate the Small Things' blog hop hosted by VikLit, and is for celebrating even the smallest of victories during the week. Head on over to her blog to check out more people taking part in this hop.

                 *****************************************



The things I'm celebrating this week:

• oh my goodness I've actually joined the gym. I'm not sure if this is really something to celebrate yet but it's certainly something positive (apparently). I had my first Zumba class last night and I must say I'm not impressed. It's not dancing and it's not aerobics, what is it?! I just thought it was nonsense!  

• I read The Sign of Four in two sittings this week. It's a set text for my OU course and I've felt a lot like I've been falling behind lately, but this has made me feel like I'm moving forward again.

• the lovely surprise on Thursday morning of a Valentines card and a bunch of tulips. My husband really isn't the most romantic of people so it was a lovely thing to find, especially at 6 o'clock in the morning. He'd made the extra effort to have it ready for me, he's so lovely!

I hope you've had a good week, and have an even better weekend!

                                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesday Blog Hop - Something for Nothing

Phew! I've just about managed to get this in this week before I'm too tired to concentrate. The last two weeks have just raced by and so have the prompts for this blog hop.

But here I am this week, rushing it at the end to hand it in before the deadline ticks round. You'll have to bear with my entry this week, it's still fairly rough around the edges, but something is still better than nothing.



So, as usual the rules are:

• use the photo prompt
• use the five words given
• do not exceed 500 words
• post your entry before the following Wednesday
• link up with the wonderful hosts
• check out the other contributions
• have fun!!!

This weeks photo:

This weeks words:    bill, chisel, title, system, bicycle

Our lovely hosts:  Carrie Sorenson at Chasing Revery, Nicole Pyles at The World of My Imagination

And my contribution:

Something for Nothing

-->

The weather system had been malfunctioning for months now, and Sylvia was coming to the end of her patience with it. In the beginning, it had been wonderful being able to control the weather, but the warranty on it must have been running out or something because all it seemed to do now was break down. It wasn't so bad when they'd had the heat of summer for six months, although that too began to wane towards the end of it. It was no fun riding a bicycle to work when it made you sweat out of every pore before you'd even arrived.

Of course, nobody was allowed to make any complaints about it. She remembered the debates had raged for years before it was decided to take the technology on, it was to be the saviour of mankind in the face of the devastation brought on by the changing climate. So many bills had been passed to make way for its construction, it's a wonder it went into operation at all.

Then there was a spate of deaths surrounding the final months of construction. It had fallen behind schedule and there was one last push to get it out on time. The men who sat up in their sky high offices, wearing their expensive suits and carrying their fancy titles, sacrificed the lives of too many men in order to reach their ambitious targets. They all but forgot about the people doing the actual work, the chisels and the hammers as they called them. All that became of them were statistics.

But Joey hadn't been a statistic to Sylvia. He'd been a loving father and husband, a hard worker who'd do anything he could to help out for the greater good. At least that's what he used to call it. She thought he should concentrate on doing more good nearer to home, with his family. He'd been away for weeks at a time working on the project, and the last time he'd come home it had been the shortest of visits, just a day and a night before he had to return.

She felt like her heart had been ripped from her chest the day she'd got the news, the day he became 'just a statistic'. She didn't care what the weather did now, all it was to her was a reminder of what she'd lost. And it worked so well, or so she thought, that his efforts seemed to have been for nothing.

Word count: 419

                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's Friday, let's celebrate!

                        ***********************************

It's time again to celebrate any of the small things that have happened during the week, and of course the fact that it's Friday.  Woohoo!!!

For more places to go to celebrate the small things head over to Scribblings of an Aspiring Author, and you can sign up to!

                         ***********************************



Today I'm celebrating:

• Submitting my latest OU assignment. The topic was poetry, which I was a bit apprehensive about, but I actually enjoyed writing the essay. It was sent two days late, a considerable improvement on the last one!
• My daughter is doing well at school, learning her letter sounds. It's a pleasure sitting with her as she's learning the process of reading, I can't wait to introduce her to some of my favourite stories and books.
• Managing to get Bon Jovi tickets for Hyde Park! I'm so excited about this, I think I might just burst!

I hope you've all had a good week, why don't you share your successes?

                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself Blog Hop

So, this blog hop is all about reintroducing yourself to the blogosphere. There's still time to sign up, just head on over to Stephen Tremp's blog and check out some of the others while you're there too.




                                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wish I could say that I wrote my first story when I was four and have been writing off and on all my life. The truth is, I think I did write a story when I was about six or seven, but we were doing it as a class so it kind of takes away the sentimentality of it.

The next venture I had into the world of novel writing was when I was 11 and my English class wrote one together. I only had a couple of pages to write but I found I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately not everyone in the class took to it as enthusiastically and the end product turned out to be rather lacking in anything resembling a readable novel.

Following on from school, I went to college, studied science with The Open University and now work for a recognised Institute doing DNA sequencing. Throughout my studies, every year I would look for what course I was going to do next, and more and more I started to err towards the arts courses. Thinking back on it, I'm not sure why I did science instead of English, particularly as I did better in English at GCSE.

About two years ago I got talking to someone at work about writing stuff, and it turned out we had similar interests, so we started a little writing club and wrote stories to share. We even began the first stages of a collaboration, but work and family commitments inevitably get in the way so we haven't got very far with it.

This is what started my current adventure into the world of writing, and indeed blogging. Ever since then I've tried to work on some kind of writing routine, using various different techniques to practice my skills. My confidence has grown slowly and I'm becoming much more comfortable in this new world.  It may sound crazy, but the whole experience is helping me to find who I am, and I'm finally getting to the point where I'm happy with myself and what I'm doing. It seems to have taken a long time but I'm finally getting there.

I've also started doing the arts courses that I've been looking at so longingly and I've really enjoyed getting into a completely new area of study, although I'd be lying if I said it hasn't been a struggle at times.

And so now here I am, I've had this blog for a little over a year now and I feel I'm growing with it all the time. My productivity is increasing and I'm finding it easier to get motivated to sit down and do the work. I've made so many great friends that seem to be on the same level and understand exactly some of the things I've been going through. You can't put a price on support like that really, and I'm glad to have been accepted into the community.

Hopefully this is the beginnings of a long and successful journey, which I will be more than happy to share with you all as time goes on.

Here's to the future ...


                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celebrate the Small Things!

It's Friday, yay! And time for a new blog hop. This one is the brainchild of VikLit at Scribblings of an Aspiring Author and is to celebrate even the smallest of achievements that you manage in the week. It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it evoked a positive feeling of satisfaction and joy at having done something.

This is a weekly hop so head on over to Vik's blog to get more details and to sign up, or click on the badge on my side bar.  Enjoy!


This week I want to celebrate:

• Getting through the whole week without slipping over and hurting myself. It has been very icy the last week or so, so it's been quite a challenge!
• Making good progress with my current read, Interview with the Vampire - I'll definitely be finishing it this weekend
• Deciding on a topic for the A-Z Blogging Challenge in April (although this is bound to change between now and then!)

Until next time ...


                                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Allow Me to Re-Introduce Myself ...

There's a great blog hop taking place next Monday and it's all about re-introducing yourself to the blogging world. I've been doing my blog for over a year now and any new followers (or even old followers) may not know that much about me and my writing hopes and ambitions. So I thought I'd take part in this hop to enlighten you a little as to my background and how I wound up on this crazy course.

The hop is brought to you by Stephen Tremp, who I've only been following myself for a short while, but I love reading his posts and he's got some really interesting stuff going on at his blog Welcome to Author Stephen Tremp's Website. You should definitely check it out, and while you're there sign up for this blog hop too, there's still time!

In fact, he's got lots of future blog hops listed and I may just have to have a look at a few of them. Thanks Stephen for the tips!

            
                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My Favourite Martian Blog Hop!

  

So the guys over at The Geek Twins are hosting a brilliant blog hop along with Just a Dash of Geek and L K Hill.

It's looking at what everyone's favourite martian or alien is from anything you like.
I've been thinking about this one all day, and I just can't seem to make my mind up. There are just too many possibilities.
I'd finally decided on one but the first post I see on this blog hop had the very same character I was thinking of. Darn it!

So, after much deliberation I've finally decided that my favourite alien is .......

Lwaxana Troi!

 

Image courtesy of nl.memory-alpha.org

 Daughter of the Fifth House,  

Holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, 

Heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed.

She is such a wonderfully strong character, never failing to bring some colour and humour to the Universe wherever she appears. She has such exuberance and seems on an endless mission to find herself a new mate, something that makes both Captain Picard and Odo quiver in their boots.

She does still have a softer side though, which comes out now and again, giving a much fuller dimension to her character. And of course she was portrayed by the excellent Majel Barrett Roddenberry, an actress that managed to get onto every incarnation of the Star Trek series, and will certainly have a treasured place in the heart of every Trekker.

So, who's your favourite martian? Head on over to one of the hosts to sign up and check out everyone else's.

               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

Back from the Future - coming 1st March 2013!

 

As soon as I saw this blog hop I knew I had to be involved. The logo alone was enough for me!

It's brought to you courtesy of M. Pax, Suze at Subliminal Coffee and Nicki Elson's Not-So-Deep Toughts and if you want to be a part of it just head on over to these guys, sign up and have a little peek at who else is doing it too.

Here's what it's all about:

 You’re up before dawn on a Saturday when the doorbell rings. You haven’t brewed your coffee so you wonder if you imagined the sound. Plonking the half-filled carafe in the sink, you go to the front door and cautiously swing it open. No one there. As you cast your eyes to the ground, you see a parcel addressed to you … from you.

You scoop it up and haul it inside, sensing something legitimate despite the extreme oddness of the situation. Carefully, you pry it open. Inside is a shoebox — sent from ten years in the future – and it’s filled with items you have sent yourself.

 

What’s in it?

I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cheers, Cavanaugh Blogfest!

I know I'm a day late with this, but we bloggers have the chance to show our thanks and appreciation for the wonderful Alex J Cavanaugh for all he has done for the online writing community.

I only came across his blog and the Insecure Writers Support Group four months ago, but I wanted to show my thanks for what is a lovely and friendly place for all the writers traveling on the same journey together. I for one get great encouragement from the posts each and every month.

  

So for this hop there are four questions to answer:

1. In +/- 20 words, what does Alex look like?

2. In +/- 20 words, who could play Alex in a documentary? (Living or dead.)

3. In +/- 20 words, who does Alex remind you of?

4. In +/- 100 words, (excluding the title) write flash fiction using all these prompts:

                                                 • Cavanaugh

                                                 • Ninja

                                                 • IWSG

                                                 • Cosbolt

                                                 • Guitar For

Bonus Points:  In+/- 40 words, leave a comment for Mrs. Cavanaugh - thanking her for sharing

Rules:        • Join the Linky List

                   • Be a follower.

                   • Post your 200 (total) word contribution Monday, Dec. 10.

                   • Have Fun!

Two winners – chosen by Alex – will each win one prize:

FIRST PLACE: A signed copy of CassaStar.

GRAND PRIZE: A picture of Alex and a download of him playing the guitar. (*One caveat: Alex asks the picture or download NOT be shared online.)

 
I'm going to have a go at these questions but I think my limited exposure may restrict me a little in my answers. Here goes:

1. In my mind, Alex is dark haired, very laid back and more than at home in some jeans and a hoodie, probably with a university logo on it.

2. When I try and picture him, all I see is Josh Radnor from How I Met Your Mother.

3. This is a tricky one. I guess my dad, no matter how much he's got going on, he still has time to help others out.

4.  Short and sweet:

Alex Cavanaugh, super Ninja.  Selflessly coming to the rescue of writers everywhere, asking nothing in return other than the success of said writers. Armed with Cosbalt and Guitar, the leader of the IWSG battles fearlessly for the virtue of the written word. Giving a voice and platform for undiscovered talents and tales, he truly is a hero for all of us.


Thanks Alex for starting this for all of us! 

'And you are ..?' Blog Hop

This is a fun little blog hop that I came across today, several of the blogs I follow are participating so I thought I'd put in my tuppence's worth.


The hop is hosted by Emily King and Tammy Theriault and if you fancy it you can have a go at answering the questions too.  Don't forget to head on over to these guys and link up, you can have a look at what other people have done and get some new viewers too.

So, here goes:

1. How many speeding tickets have you got?
Surprisingly, none. If you ask any of my friends they'll probably all describe me as some kind of speed demon behind the wheel, a reputation which I think is wholly undeserved. I'm really a bit of an old granny with my driving nowadays.

2. Can you pitch a tent?
Of course! My Duke of Edinburgh instructor would be most dismayed if I couldn't manage a tent after four years of practicing. Although now I think about it that was over ten years ago, tent technology can't have changed that much. Can it?

3. What was your worst vacation ever?
It would have to be when my parents took my brother and me for a weekend to a Pontins holiday camp.  It was really cold, the room was damp and the entertainment was dire. The only real memory I have is all of us in sleeping bags watching Robocop on a tiny television.

4. What was the last thing you bought over $100?
Our new tumble dryer. I get very depressed in the winter because I cannot get any washing done, we have piles of clothes all over the place. When I came home one afternoon it was all set up ready to go, I had much fun doing the washing that weekend! 

5. We're handing you the keys to what?
Hmm, this is a tricky one. There are so many things I'd like the keys to. At this moment in time I'd have to say a Toyota GT86. The guy across the road has been bringing one home lately and it just sounds soooooo nice. 




6. What was the last meal you cooked that made even you sick?
I can't remember the meal in detail, all I remember was that it had butter beans in it. It was while I was pregnant and I had funny aversions to tastes and textures. My daughter is now four years old and the thought of butter beans still makes me sick.

7. Fill in the blank: Oh my gosh! Becky, look at her butt! It is so big, it looks like ...
Two badly parked Volkswagens. (One of my favourite quotes from Red Dwarf, I'm laughing a lot as I type this)

 


8. What was your first car?
A 1983 Ford Fiesta. This was the transition year between the MkI and MkII models. I was so proud to have one of the first MkII's!



 
9. Your best friend falls and gets hurt. Do you ask if they're ok or laugh first?
I would try my best to help them up while we both tried to stop ourselves laughing in hysterics.

10. What's the worst song ever?
Definitely the Mr Blobby song!