Tag: gratitude

Categories
momentous events More about me my novel-in-progress

Hamster wheel spinning time!

So… I did it!

Not quite on the 16th, admittedly, but on the 25th. And that was pretty much all because I was directing a production of The Velveteen Rabbit, whose opening night was the 16th. Yeh, I didn’t particularly time that one very well, did I…

Still, the querying started on the 25th, and I’ve averaged 2-3 queries per day since then. So I’m happy with that. Some fairly immediate form rejections, which is sad but par for the course, I know.

And I’m enjoying learning LOTS. Last time I queried (years ago now) it was *way* too early. Now I’m feeling a lot more ready, but I’ve revised my query letter twice, my biography about five times, and I’m not even going to mention the numbers of times I’ve reworded my answers to the ‘target audience’ and ‘similar works’ questions! Hence the spinning hamster wheel. Am I doing this right? Should I be writing this? Or this? Or even… this?

I’m quite liking the Query Manager / Query Tracker side of things though. It’s a very impressive site! And researching agents and agencies is also fun. I’m constantly wondering ‘who will I be lucky enough to end up working with’?

So that’s my “Ceridwyn is now an #amquerying writer” story. It took a while to actually happen, but it’s happening now! Praise God šŸ™‚

And speaking of God, have brilliant Easter weekends, dear Readers!

Yours,

KRidwyn

Categories
momentous events teaching

Excuses and a photo

Yes, I know. Itā€™s been a while. Life, you know?
On the homefront, Master12 started High School this year, meaning all three cherubs are at the one school again. What a relief! The school notes, the synchronising of term calendars, the transport issues – all cleared up! But yes, settling him into High School was more problematic than Iā€™d expectedā€¦ but thatā€™s more my excuse for the dearth of blogposts, rather than the reason Iā€™m putting fingers to keyboard today.
Because check this out!
Yup, thatā€™s me! Third on the list of ā€˜Top Contributorsā€™ for the conference I attended, the last two days. #NESB2021 – the National Educators Summit, Brisbane, 2021 – was absolutely brilliant, and helped me get my tweeting mojo back again, something I secretly hoped for.

Plus, oh! The learning! Getting back to a space where I can hear latest research on issues from Evidence Based Practice to ensuring diversity in the Library collection, not to mention the joy in listening to authors Aleesah Darlison and Peter Carnavas, and (of course) the networking opportunities presented – wow! So it was a stuff-as-much-information-as-possible-inside-your-brain kind of two days, and now Iā€™m exhausted and happy and eager to start planning what ideas Iā€™ll be implementing first. Because there were just SO many!!!

Thank you to all the presenters for giving up their time and sharing their cumulative wisdom; thank you to the organisers ensuring it all ran smoothly, and also a huge thank you to my boss for covering my classes on Friday, and agreeing to the cost from the PD budget. It was well worth the money šŸ™‚

And now, letā€™s see if I can keep up this whole ā€˜bloggingā€™ thing which Iā€™ve wrestled with for over a decade now. Hopefully more regularly than has been, so far this year!

Have a wonderful week, dear Reader šŸ˜€

– KRidwyn

Categories
family anecdotes Life momentous events

Final milestones

Years ago, prior to children, I couldn’t imagine myself as a mum. Truth be told: I still can’t! And yet, I am. Muddling through as best as I can, and making mistakes left, right and centre. Sorry, kids.

But time passes and things get easier (or, at least, more routinized) and then you realise you can’t remember what life was like before the kids were around. Or in primary school. Or in high school. Or university, et cetera.

Me and my family? Well, Master almsot-12 – my youngest – is about to graduate Primary School. Seven scant weeks after, he’ll be the only pre-teen in my house. And just 16 months after that, all three will be teenagers (and yes, I’m already noticing the grocery bill…) and the eldest will be driving and in her last seven months of school.

Wait, what? Seriously?

Life’s going too fast!

Yup. Breathe. It’ll all happen, and it’s all survivable.

*deep breath* *take a moment*

Well, back to my point – because it’s been quite a rambling one this morning – my little man graduates from Primary School in two weeks. Hip hip, hooray!!

Well done, little man. Congratulations – you made it! I love you.

 

Categories
family anecdotes

Angel at my place

My house is surrounded by trees. I love it! But sometimes it can be a little dangerous. When the tree which is closest to your house dies and then falls over, for example. Which is exactly what happened last week.

Fortunately, we had an angel at my place when it fell. No, we have no human witness to this fact, but I’m convinced of this fact nevertheless. The tree, you see, hit the ground.

As in, just the ground. Not the house, not the large green water tank nor the small one behind it, not the clothes line behind the tanks, not even the garden! There was one angle and one angle only at which this tree could fall and not hit anything – and this angle is EXACTLY where the tree fell.

It hit the ground in the best possible place. And our dogs and birds got to enjoy the show (and werenā€™t hit either!)

So, THANK YOU Lord for the angel who was at my house… and have an incident-free day yourself, dear Reader!

  • KRidwyn
Categories
momentous events More about me Technology

Dash cam

I love my privacy. Iā€™m not the biggest fam of security cameras and Big Brother watching everything we do, so when Hubby organised a dash cam for my car I sighed, but agreed.

I was gym-bound one morning when I was surprised by a car, parked, right in the middle of the road. It was 4am, dark, and this section of road was remote – not even street lighting. And the single-lane-each-way with a large ute stradling the centre line, meant I couldnā€™t have passed even if Iā€™d wanted to! So I slowed, stopped my car a few metres away, wound down my window and called out an offer of help.

A man emerged, explaining his engine wouldnā€™t start. (How did it stop while he was driving? I wondered. And why keep your headlights on? Wouldnā€™t that drain the battery further?)

He started walking toward me, while I suggested I call RACQā€¦ but then he stopped, turned around and got back into his ute. ā€œIā€™ll just check it again,ā€ he said – then started his vehicle and drove off, passing me quite quickly.

Uneasy, I continued on my way. At home later that morning, Hubby was quick to check the dash cam footage. ā€œHeā€™d been stalking you,ā€ he suspected. ā€œHeā€™d figured out your routine and was planning (something I donā€™t even want to type right now) but he saw the light on the dash cam and knew he was being recorded.ā€

And the policemen who he gave the footage to, agreed completely.

Iā€™m quite fond of my dash cam now, I must admit.

Have a safe day yourself now, dear Reader!

– KRidwyn

Categories
#blogjune teaching Work

#blogJune day9

The first 5 weeks of this current school term was hard – but what I love about my workplace is that everyone pulls together. As in, Day 2 of ‘online learning’ we received a special delivery of hand-made and hand-decorated cookies made by the children of a school family.

And the school contributed $5 per person for whatever they wanted from a coffee/food van they organised to have on-site on a weekly basis…

Just fantastic!

But it was good when the students returned. I missed them!

I hope your day is a surprising one too, dear Reader!

  • KRidwyn
Categories
#blogjune

#blogJune day 5

It’s started getting cold here, and regular Readers of this blog may remember I don’t do well in the cold. My athsma plays up: less sunlight equaling less vitamin D equaling a weaker immune system, I guess.

This year, however, I’ve been more healthy than usual. And I put a large part of that down to Hubby. He has a bit of a citrus obsession, you see.

Every Saturday morning he heads to the local fruit market and stocks up on our fruit and veg for the coming week… and citrus forms quite a significant portion of that purchase. He then juices said citrus each morning: about 1.5L for him and 300ml for me. (Yes, he likes his juice!)

It started with just oranges. Then he started adding lemon, and grapefruit on occasion. And I would raise an eyebrow at the cost of it all.

Eyebrow raise no longer. Check out this year’s addition: homegrown!

And they’re beautiful šŸ™‚

Here’s wishing you a fruitful day too, dear Reader – and a safe one, as well.

– KRidwyn

Categories
family anecdotes momentous events

48/52

Miss14 graduated Middle School last week. Her Graduation Dinner was a truly enjoyable occasion, honouring the efforts and achievements of the young men and women who had made this milestone in their journeys.

She wore her first ‘formal dress’ with high heels, and was wearing jewellery and perfume.

It was a beautiful evening! I laughed, I choked up, but mostly I was proud of the young lady God had given to Hubby and me to raise.

What a memorable event. I trust your own week is just as memorable, dear Reader šŸ™‚

– KRidwyn

Categories
momentous events Random thoughts Writing

40/52

I’d been saddened over the last couple of years at noticing human encroachment (ie litter and worse) at my favourite writing spot. I’d even given up going there… for months.

Imagine my surprise when this greeted me the other day:

Evidence of humanity’s more disgusting habits: gone!

I like it when things go well.

Have a beautiful week yourself, dear Reader!

– KRidwyn

Categories
places to visit

15/52

Holiday perfect views. And boy, were they needed!

I hope you’re also able to receive what you need this week, dear Reader!

– KRidwyn