I could apologise...but

I could apologise and I probably should for it being so long since my last post but that would just be pointless instead I will just say it has been a very exciting and interestingly crazy past few months. I have been writing and plotting the next few chapters in the follow up book to The Gift, also working on something completely different for a new short story series and learning the in's and outs of publishing to Kindle. I still find it amazing how characters can become like real people in a way so their stories evolve in your head as you day dream, plot and discuss with sympathetic family members! My poor husband, he is so patient. On top of this there have been lots of visits from over the ditch and some new additions to Peace Haven, twin and triplet lambs, plus plenty of calves! It is a busy season this time of year. As with many writers I have also had to fit some paying work time in so that has messed with the schedule a bit, not to mention it being strange being back in the real world! I must say though reality can provide some interesting writing fodder. I hope you are all well and enjoying the build up to the Christmas season, it is such a gorgeous time of year. Keep an eye on the blog as I update it coming up to Christmas, there is some good things coming! Isobial XXOO

Catch Up

It's been a while and although I have missed updating my blog the various adventures I have been partaking in have been well worth the short absence. Firstly the conclusion of a very sucessful Imagine Day, I am so proud of the whole team it was an awesome day and the funds raised will have such a global impact both now and into the future. Secondly our short notice but fantastic trip home to New Zealand. Not only were we able to greet the newest member of our whanua but we had the lovliest break in Auckland and the Bay of Islands. The new blog picture is of "Peace Haven" the family farm and the place I feel most grounded. It was such a pleasure to be back and enjoy the peace, the fresh air and the sense of home I always feel when we are there. Peace Haven is a very special place for us as a family and I am yet to find any where in my travels that has the same affect on me. The Bay of Islands it's self is stunning and I will definately update the photo file on the blog for you all, our daughter took some amazing shots while we were there which I'm sure many of you will appreciate. So back to the reality of life I have been interviewing people for some of the more detailed chapters in the second book, writing a crazy amount of notes and new characters!It is almost a guilty pleasure to sit writing with my new elephant teapot and chocolate mint tea, but I'm sure I'll cope! Of course there is also the reality of new events coming that need my attention, school activities for the kids and sports in the freezing cold. Life is never boring! On that note we had an interesting situation last week concerning buses. I have heard plenty of stories about kids in the bigger cities needing guards on buses to prevent dangerous behaviour occuring. Well I thought that was a bit over the top until my sweet little year 6 comes home with the story of a year 3 boy marching up to one of the year 6 bus monitors, a very slight young girl and demanding she give him her seat. To which she replied politely no as the teachers and bus company require them to seat in that position. Well unhappy with this he flings his bag at the other monitor and slaps the young girl, then punches her twice in the face before anyone has a chance to stop him. Now this is not normal behaviour at all for a year 3 and most certainly there has to be other issues going on in this childs life BUT at this age to react that way to an older girl for that reason I guess I wonder where exactly this child is headed? The point I guess of what I'm saying is we are all blissfully ignorant of what can occur until it's shoved in our faces, it's the human "it will never happen to me" mentality but as writers it is often our job to describe the "what could could happen" and think beyond the line of what we have seen or experienced into the world of possiblities; scary but life is scary. Incase your wondering my daughter was the other monitor who had the bag thrown in her face and the outcome was the boy losing his right to ride the bus for one day and two weeks of school detention. I ask again I wonder where this child is headed? Stay warm and safe where ever you are! Isobial XxOo

Puppet Masters

If you have ever wondered who controls the global economy check this very scary picture out! Totally crazy when you think only 10 major organisations have such a global monopoly. No wonder so many of us are shifting to buying local, growing our own and steering clear of the super markets. I personally have nothing against the super markets or these companies but I want to know where my food comes from, what's in it and I want to not have prices manipulated because the players are so few. Have a good look you maybe shocked! Enjoy your week, Isobial :)

Nowra City Church Imagine Day Protest

This is going to be an awesome day yet again this year but most importantly the causes that the funds go to are so important! If you haven't already checked out the Imagine Day Protest on Face book or Nowra City Churches site have a look it is an amazing thing to be part of! As I'm co-ordinating part of it I will have plenty of post event stories and pic's I'm sure! We are also doing the 300 challenge for the month of May leading up to the day, the 300 challenge is something I picked up from Cheapskates Club, $300 grocery budget for a month. It's going to be full on and busy but well worth it when you see what changes our little efforts can make in other peoples lives! Great thing to do with your kids too, they learn it's not all about them and that they are much better off than they thought when they see who were are supporting. Our kids were horrified when we told them some families don't have toilets...for some this is not the worst issue but unimaginable for our kids. Hope you can check it out. Isobial :)

Update: Nowra City Church raised just over $166,000 AUS to help the various organisations listed in our "protest" manifesto, a huge thanks to all the great volunteers and donors; it was a truely spectacular day. Isobial XxxOoo

What's my grade?

It's going to be one of those crazy weeks in our house and due to this fact I decided to enlist a little munchkin support on the house and yard work. It was so funny though for every job they did they not only wanted praise but some way of telling if they did better than each other or anyone else. It kind of made me think how we as adults can get like this; so achievement based, but I have to wonder what it is that we are trying so hard to achieve. Often it seems to be approval, just like my kids today we want a "good job" an sometimes more than that we want a "your better than". I guess other times our achievement is more about financial reward, a bonus or pay rise that lets us know our boss is impressed with all our efforts. Seldom does just achieving something hold its own reward, unless it is something remarkable that marks us out as special once again gaining other peoples approval. I guess what I wanted to tell my kids was they should feel proud of themselves just for getting it done, they need to feel pride in themselves and their own achievement first not worry about everyone else grading them on the performance. I often laugh when people ask what I do for a living, when I reply writing I often get their story on how they're planning a book one day or have half of one done. It is truly amazing how many would be writers there are out there; when I have asked why they haven't done it or finished it yet the answer is usually time and secondly what others would think of their efforts. See many people think writing a book is a no brainer, easy, simple but writing one that their friends and family will be impressed by well that's a whole other kettle of fish (I would like to say writing a book is jolly hard work!). I think of all the amazing books we'd be missing if their writer's kept them hidden away for fear of a low grade. So I think we should continue to encourage each other to aim for the stars, write if thats what you want or do what it is that grows you without needing a grade from people on your efforts. Think of it this way "we often do things for the feedback of people we don't like, to achieve things we don't care about, for a purpose that was never ours, ending in an emotional slump that could have been avoided by choosing to value our own efforts and decisions in the first place" So have a fabulous week and just enjoy being you! Much Love Isobial xxoo

An Uncertain Future...

Ok yes I have been very slack with updating the blog recently but the title of this one should give you a hint as to why. Now it isn't that anything dramatic has happened to us personally; we've had our fair share though ver the years blieve me! But it's more those around us and it seems to have been a very common theme in the stuff I've been reading. There seem to be lots of people we are coming into contact with who have ended up in a future they would never have picked for themselves, be it a major devastating event in their lives, a loss of work or a change in relationship they are all facing an uncertain future. A future that they had not seen for themselves prior to that day. My question is though aren't we all facing a uncertain future in some ways? No matter how much we plan, save and think that we have everything worked out life happens and sometime when it does the plan goes out the window and the future changes. I've been reading my daughters Hunger Game novels prior to her reading them over the last few weeks and it is clear in the plot of this story that good intentions and decisions can often effect the final outcome of your future, but not change it; no matter how well intended, a good reminder to our younger ones on decision making. I did really enjoy the books though so if your looking for a good book, head that way. Back to my main point though what to do with this idea of an uncertain future. Often we waste precious time fighting it or worse blocking it out like it's not happening; I get that. It's an emotional response to something we find too difficult to accept, but basically it is pointless. Once we are on that new path, its time to get moving. I guess for me it's the basic certainties that have enabled me to work through the abrupt changes to where we were going and what we had planned. Our faith, the love of our family and good friends we trust were amazing strength builders. With these things in place it was hard to stay sad and down for too long. I also realised blocking everything out mean't that I'd miss the good stuff not just the bad, that's not living is it? not really. The other book I have been reading is Courageous Living by Michael Catt, he devotes a whole chapter to this topic in his book, it made me cry actually. I was blubbering away not realising the people sitting around me were noticing until halfway through the chapter. I just held the book up and said "really sad story" a few people nodded, most just went back to what they were doing but thus is the power of written re-count! As I've been writing this my husband has just this minute walked through to tell me one of his clients was killed yesterday with his wife in a plane crash, a horrible but close to home reminder of what I am saying. As it is Easter I would like to just finish by saying that although our future here on this earth can be very uncertain please make sure you have an eternal certainty; Jesus Christ died for every single one of us and his only request was that we believe in him to accept his gift of eternal life. I guess really then if we do accept this gift that was so amazingly given by Jesus at Easter my title should really be changed because as believers what we have is a very certain future! Much Love to you all this Easter Isobial xxoo

Road Trip

Our first official road trip in Australia was a wonderful experience and reminded us that we now live in a very vast place! The weather was up and down but the views were amazing!

Courageous

Yay it finally sunny here! I hear we may actually have three straight days of good weather which would be an absolute miracle! Last weekend we went to a friends place and watched the movie Courageous. It was a fabulous movie and the fact that basically these guys have done these movies with no training and with the actors being people from their church is amazing. My favourite movie of theirs will aways be Facing The Gaints because it spoke into a very difficult point of our lives but I was very impressed with Courageous as it really did seem to have stepped up that next notch of film making. Without spoiling the movie plot for people I really just wanted to say what it caused for us was a lot of dicussion about the changing role of men in society, the premise being that the main male characters are fabulous in their chosen careers yet not so great in their home an family life. Their not terriable but this movie is all about stepping it up a notch. Now this theme isn't much a of a shock for most people, often the choice is between more time at home or doing your job to get to the next level, payrise or in some cases even to retain your job. From the discussions I've had with a lot of family men life can be a guilt ridden road which often making them feel torn in too many directions, always letting someone down and lacking the personal time they actually need to survive life in general without high stress levels. What I found interesting was the discussion in our house that it caused. My son is study the middle ages at the moment for history and throughout all his text books their are famous quotes and pictures of men who are living in a brotherhood. Knights and soldiers, with famous writers describing their devotion to each other and protecting their families and kingdoms. There is accountability in these relationships, there is friendship, trust and a sense of that old fashioned all for one mentality that I wonder if most modern men have lost due to time and pressure. With the stresses of work, social life and family it seems like a hard ask to expect men to keep up this kind of relationship yet I wonder if that is what is missing in our young men? Do they feel this need for a brotherhood, accountabiliy and respect yet can't find it in the world we live in now. Just seeing a lot of young men sit back almost letting the world carry on around them as they leave school to do nothing but play games and eat I wonder if they have seen their Fathers life experiences and maybe even their Grandfathers and thought this is just not what I want to spend my life doing. We made the decision a long time ago that regardless of my husbands job our family would come first. It is at times very hard to stick to but the benefits we have seen in our kids and the health benefits for my husband totally outweigh a rise in pay or a new title. I've always enjoyed the saying "when your in that hospital bed dying you're never going to be wishing you'd spent more time at work but you will be wishing you'd spent more time with your loved ones and living life" When I spent time planning the characters in my book it was very easy to look around me and find plenty of inspiration for work focused stressed out Dads and husbands, yet it was incrediably hard to find good examples of balanced happy fathers enjoying life and their families. I find that really sad but I hope movies like Courageous will really encourage men to look at where their priorities are and for us women in their lives to encourage them every step of the way. Isobial :)

Kony 2012

If you haven't already seen this movie or heard of this I have no idea under what rock you have been hiding. I have watched this before and have known about Ugandas orphans since I first saw the Watoto Children's choir back in 2007 but watching this movie with the hubby and a big group just made me even more determined to list this on my blog for others to discover. What ever you personally think of the organisationwho are running it or what you have heard good or bad about it the thing is they are achieving their mandate of making Joseph Kony famous in an effort to stop his unrelenting abuse of children in Uganda and now other African nations. Konys 26 years of terror in Uganda which included the rape,abduction,mutilation and brainwashing of over 30,000 children turning them into sex slaves or child soldiers must be brought to the world stage to insure not only his capture and trial for war crimes against humanity but also it must be done to prove that in this generation of massive digital media no one can again rise to this level of power and destruction without the people of the world standing up for those who can't and saying No we will not let our governments ignore this. For some of you this clip will be amazingly moving, for others it will make you frustrated and for some it will mean absolutly nothing but at the end of the day if you pass it on that is the main thing. So please watch this following clip if you can or have a look yourself on Youtube, check out Watoto too, because they are also doing amazing things on the ground floor so to speak with the millions of orphans that now exist because of this evil man. Isobial

Kony 2012

http://youtu.be/Y4MnpzG5Sqc Just keep in mind it is nearly half an hour long, it is well worth it though! Cut and paste address and enjoy the movie.

Revenge...right or wrong?

William Shakespeare said "If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die and if you wrong us shall we not revenge?" From that I assume the point he was trying to make is that we are only human. Lately the theme of revenge seems to be floatng through my sub-concious; not because I myself have a bone to pick with anyone...maybe just the computer honestly! But because I am watching a new series on T.v entitled revenge, my latest J.D Robb book was all about a long and drawn out revenge plot, plus I'm working on a small revenge plot for one of my new characters in the follow up to The Gift. So you kinda get why I'm a little pre-occupied about the subject. It is rather facinating the way each of us reacts differently to a situation and how given the right or wrong circumstances we may choose to succumb or hold off from the temptation of revenge; well I think it is anyway as people facinate me in general. I wonder is one sex more capable of it than the other? Or is it a personality vrs a experience arguement? Does it depend entirely on the original offence? I wonder if revenge in any form, for any reason is ok? From what I can see Biblically it doesn't look like it, Romans 12:19 "Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: It is mine to avenge: I will repay you says the Lord" , Ephesians 4:26-27 "In your anger do not sin: do not let the sun go down while you are still angry" and Psalm 37:8 "Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret-it only leads to evil" They all seem pretty decisive on the fact that vengence is Gods job not ours; check them out an see what you think. Yet we are each given the capability for such clever scheming, violence and judgement. Some may argue that in is in our very nature to seek revenge as the charactistics are all there waiting for us to find a motive, thus the statement "To ere is human to forgive divine" Can we ever come close to God's way of looking at things and forgive or is it just to be expected that eventually something will be bad enough for us to give in; cop-out or not? I am and remain intrigued, so I will continue to look into the subject and work on my characters plans. One thing I have found so far in my delving: often revenge is used no matter how it is packaged for personal gain, not so much for pay back or righting a wrong. Check out this quote "In human history, the desire for revenge and the desire for loot have often been associated" John McCarthy. I'll keep you updated! Isobial :)

One of the few reason's I love our church...have a guess what it says!

Reasons why I love my dogs...

From the minute we decided to move to Australia there was no doubt in our minds that our animals would be coming with us, they are part of our family and for us we would not felt like it was home without them. Sometimes though they do make you wonder! Well after a particularly bad thunder and lightening storm last night I am sitting down to reflect on two of my most constant campanions; our dogs. It is very true that there are cat and dog people we have both but I have to say the cats although I love them have a very distinct way of letting you know that they control the relationship not you! Like my daughters one peeing in my mothers hand bag as a farewell present! The dogs however wait on your every move, look and sometimes noise, they are always at the door waiting when you get up to go outside, flopped at my feet when I'm writing and generally as close as is possible if there is any crumb of food around. But I digress. Last night we had a particularly nasty storm and although safely tucked away in their run and bundled up in toasty kennels our smaller dog (as in medium sized no handbag editions here) Jenna who hates anything like loud noises or lightening decides she will start her routine of neurotic bad weather behaviour. First comes the trying to squeeze out through the walls of the run, luckily it's covered. Next is the trainee yoddler crossed with very bad opera singer. This can last for hours, oh the neighbours must love us! So we put the outside radio on to mask her noise and of course to calm her according to my vet investigations. Well no it doesn't so next stage of the process the dig and chew, she digs a little the attacks the kennel with her teeth and claws hoping to use up all that adrenaline. At this point we give her and her calmer friend in the kennel next door a lovely chewy so the kennel and floor stay in one piece. We are hoping beyond all else that the chewy, the fact that the storm has now moved on and the sudden quiet means that all is well. But that would be too easy wouldn't it? So we check them before bed and all is good but come morning what is this Jenna has gone? Well actually no; after leading us into a false sense of security she decides to try a prision break and digs a small trench under her side of the wall, jigglin and wigglin along until she was trenched and wedged under her kennel mates pallet which then has a kennel on top. So when we have a good look in the run an we realise she is still in there some how as she is making a small noise. Then we have to begin the rescue mission of pulling everything out so we can release this deranged animal who got herself into this mess. Needless to say we were unimpressed at 6:30am, Nahla our other dog was super non-impressed as she had obviously put up with Jen under her kennel all night. So did we get the thank you of all time for our efforts to rescue her? No she ran straight to the grass for a toilet stop and back into her kennel to have a go at her untouched chewy! Now I may sound like I'm being particulary uncaring but as this dog does crazy things like this on a regular basis and is completely unharmed bar a little mud I am merely sharing the joy of my delightful pets! Now after all that drama they are conked out sleeping, being watched suspiciously by the cats and I'm sure dreaming of more chewy treats and digging tunnels; you've got to love them don't you? Isobial :)

Precious Time..

I was watching the news yesterday an they showed this horrid story on drivers in Australia behaving badly; now I'm sure this is not just an Australian thing but it was scary and shocking watching a usually reasonable 40 something year old reach through a car window whilst ranting and belted a very old man repeatedly. The journalists carried on saying they had questioned many drivers and some huge percentage claimed they were more likely now than ever before to get angry whilst driving and they felt the drivers around them were increasingly agressive. I guess we have all got used to hearing and seeing road rage but the part which intrigued me was the shrink at the end claiming this build up of agression was due to our lives becoming more busy than ever; as he see's it the latent anger is a direct result of the frustration we feel at loosing time in our lives. Well that is rather interesting isn't? We are all so busy an stressed that we've become horrid people who get angry at the slightest provication and belt other drivers? Well not quite that bad but you do get what he's saying; or at least I do. We are in such a rush all the time with work, social obligations and family requirements that the lack of personal time and stress just builds into a cresendo of frustration that when pushed to the limit causes us to lash out. Now I'm not saying it's ok or that all of us are going to lash out like deranged animals whilst driving but what I am asking is how do we get to this point? How do we reach the point where we feel that way when we are often the ones who take these things on. Why do we cram our lives so full of doing that we get to this point? Well once again it's time isn't it? Like never before our society seems to be obsessed with the now, do it before it's too late, experience it, try it, buy it! I can honestly say I have fallen for the whole routine of do..do..do more often than not and yes it does build up a sense of frustration especially when I feel that I can't do what I want including rest because I have to do other things for other people. I guess the only real solution to the problem is for us all to get smarter, to make sure we set me time aside and that we prioritise what we must do and choose some not all of the stuff that we can do; because lets be honest for those of us with kids they are watching and experiencing this crazy routine of cronic business and how will they ever learn that life doen't have to be that way if we don't role model it? Not to mention the fact I'm sure they and others would appreciate us being calmer, saner, more pleasent people in the long run. I for one would much rather enjoy the time I do have rather than being so frustrated that I can't enjoy a thing; Bon Jovi has this great line in one of their songs "Live while I'm alive, sleep when I'm dead" Well in theory that's a cute slogan but as I don't plan on dying anytime soon and I like many others would not be able to think, write or converse without sleep I think I'll aim for more of a life balance and enjoy the things I have and choose to do it with the people I care about. I'm quite happy to sleep some of the time while I'm alive because not doubt God will keep me busy when I'm dead! Have a fabulous week everyone! Isobial :)

Back to it!

It's kind of hard to come back down to earth after having so much fun running a big event but just like everyone else who helped I now have to get my head back into work mode. Not that it won't be fun, I've had characters and scene's running through my head non-stop over the last few weeks, they will definately be making it onto paper shortly. Not to mention the fact I left Kate in a rather precarious position in the third chapter of the next book! Letting go of all that adrenalin and excitement isn't easy, it is a huge buzz making people happy; luckily for me writing is a huge buzz too and with those who have read the whole of The Gift getting ansty to know what has happened to Kate I do need to get busy! Like most parents with school back in for the year and summer holidays all done it is time to get back to the schedule of work and home life. So over the next few weeks I hope to be writing up a storm, doing lots of blog additions and some hard out investigating! If you have read the first chapter of The Gift, firstly thanks I hope you enjoyed it and secondly you will know that part of the book is based in Auckland New Zealand and the other location is Chachapoya's in Peru so due to the interesting locations I thought it maybe fun to post some of the gorgeous location pictures and information I have used during the writing process. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed hunting them out! Also keep an eye out for other pic's in the gallery page there will be some nice additions from the 26th soon. Enjoy your week! Isobial :)

All things Australia Day....

I guess I have to talk a little about this as it has taken up not only a fair amount of my time but it has also been quite the experience. In three days, so January 26th it will be Australia Day and some how which is still unclear to me I will be running the Australia Day Celebration's for our small area of NSW called Nowra. Now those of you who have logged on before will realise this is funny because I'm actually English by birth, New Zealander by legal defination and very recently as in the last year moved to Australia but I must say even with all that I am very proud to be running this day. Firstly because the community here has been so supportive and lovely to us it is a pleasure to be able to give something back. Secondly because our church who have been amazing and now hold some of our closest friends run this day for the local community I am able to serve them as well as our area and thirdly how often as an adult do you get to plan the biggest most elaborate, crazy party ever? So tomorrow we head into the office to be interviewed for the local paper, the final meetings will be held to tidy any loose ends up and some how we will order a mass of food and drink to feed thousands of people; not a bad job really! There will be a bit of suffering too with setting up for hours, late nights and five am starts but that is why energy drinks exist isn't it? The totally best part for me is the huge amount of people that will be blessed this Thursday by all the work that has gone into this day, not just me by any stretch but stacks of dedicated people who are giving up their day off to come in and serve their neighbours, friends, family and community. It will be an awesome day I am sure but personally I want to thank those few who yet again have stepped up to help make such an important event happen for the many. I will try to post as many pictures as possible of what we get up to but check it out on face book if you get a chance Austrlia Day Brekky Nowra or Nowra City Church website. If you'll be celebrating with us have a great Australia Day, an if your Kiwi's don't worry Waitangi's not to far off and we are sure to celebrate that in style too! Welcome Malaysia and South Korea to the blog, nice to have you visit :) Isobial xxoo

A post-decision making society?

Ok so this is kind of a weird observation and possibly it could just be us but have you noticed how hard people seem to find it now days to make a decision on something? From the brand of cereal, to going out some where it just seems so hard. Personally I like to make a quick evalution of the options and get on with it but it seems for some this is in the too hard basket; especially our younger darlings. From the clothes they where to the take out they'll eat everything is second guessed and eventually swayed by someone else's opinion. Now from observing all sorts of people around me and this behaviour I have concluded that there are various reason's behind this trend. The first and generally attributed to the younger group would be sheer laziness, if someone else can do it for them it is less taxing for their poor brains. Second it seems is the concensus reasoning, if we all discuss it and agree I can't be pinpointed as the one who made the mistake if it's wrong or someone gets upset. Thirdly and finally the full dither, not wanting to risk being wrong the group or individual goes around in circles till nothing has been achieved by the time it is too late to decide. Often this affects both young and old from what I've observed and results in frustration from those who wanted a decision or self aimed frustration for non-achieved goal. I guess what I'm wondering is where has this all come from? it seems so much more common now and I would hate to see myself or family members slipping into it. What happened to the days where deciding what to wear was as easy as looking at what was clean or heading out to do something depended on how much gas you had and money to spend. I do have some idea's, my first would be expectations, I think our expectations of the average child has dimmed some what. Gone are the days of chores, pocket money and responsibility. Now it seems a cash hand out is expected, chores don't fit their agenda and responsibilty is something discussed after the fact; I know this is generalising some what but it fits too many kids observed not to stand out. Secondly I would say media, all those shows that have highlighted the benefit of sticking with the status quo, not rocking the boat and ditching any form of backbone, how easy they have made life look if you just cruise along. Thirdly I guess it is the case of having too many choices, thousands of them. We are bombarded with so much to choose from that it becomes a negative experience that makes us feel like a failure either way. At the end of the day I guess there is really one decision to make...to make a decision to do something about it. Teach your kids to evaluate a situation and form a plan forward, hold them accountable for their actions but praise the good decisions and go over the what if's of the bad. For the older bunch well live your life is what I guess is fair to say. If you float along with no input to where you are going or feeling bad that you didn't decide to do what you were planning then there is only one way to change that isn't there? For me as a human, wife, mum and writer my goal is to lead by example; make as many good decisions as I can, learn from the bad ones that I got wrong and of course give my characters the strength to make decisions! How boring a book would I be writing otherwise? Have a great week! Isobial :)

Bend over an kiss your butt goodbye.....

Well after a fabulous holiday in New Zealand we jumped on an early flight back home to Aussie and from that point on it all went pear shaped. Our late night packing mean't we had missed the toy gun in our son's carry on so immediate confiscation ensued. Then we had to run to get on the flight as it had taken sooooo long to get through. We had to weigh all carry on again for no apparent reason, I got the lovely pat and wand treatment etc so lots of airport fun! Then we were treated to a flight of horror movie capabilities, turbulance the entire way, cold food and disembarking on the tarmac via stairs onto a bus. So white as a sheet from holding off hurling we enter the airport only to find it packed, luggage missing as it was put on the wrong flight and lots of tired grumpy passengers. The only sunshine in the entire experience was exiting two and a half hours later to a much loved family member who was sweet enough to drive us home. Over that flight though I had plenty of time for praying we wouldn't crash and trying to think of distractions which would keep me from hurling all over the poor people infront. One of the things that worked really well was thinking of the kids movie Madagascar 2, where the penguin's instruct everyone during the crash landing in Africa to bend over and kiss their butt's goodbye. It worked really well, kept me chuckling and wondering if it was at all physically possible? Maybe if started pilates or something? Anyway home gain and settling in to routine once more. The two hour time difference has caused a little issue with our body clocks waking us up early wanting food at random times and bed so early we feel like old people but I'm sure it will sort it's self out soon enough. I guess the benefits of all these lovely experiences is the ability to tuck them away into the writers closet so to speak, I have a fabulous vocab now for near death plane rides, holidays filled with continuous rain and crazy body clock antic's; I'll just have to find a story line to match! Hope all your holidays were filled with adventures too. Isobial xxoo