Reading books, reviewing books and a little break!

I love to read and do so frequently. So far this year I've read over 90 books.
Mostly they are read on my Kobo e-reader.
Because of this, and because I know how important reviews are to authors, I used to post my review of a book onto Goodreads. Kobo don't have that facility, or I've never found it.
Recently, I stopped doing so - after having had a few people contact me, demanding I read and review their book.

Hello! I am not a book blogger! Simply a girl who loves to read. So from now on, no more reviews, just a simple star rating.
In one way, that's done me a favour, because reviewing takes time.

Now, onto our little break.
We went up the country again, this time to Great Saling.
The weather was beautiful - sunny days at the tail end of October, simply fabulous.
Out by the picnic area I painted plein aire - and very soon had another join me, who was learning watercolour. We spent a good four hours with the brushes, me - in my own little way - teaching him some watercolour basics. It was great fun.

Here are some photos from the area. I hope you enjoy them.

Relax, refresh... and find equilibrium.

'How do you relax?' is a question I'm often asked. 'After all, you can't do reflexology on yourself!'
Actually, yes I can - and I do. I am reasonably flexible, so I can cross one leg over the other and reach my soles. Reflexology is brilliant for refreshing one's sole - and other parts too!

However, it's not the only way I relax. I paint in watercolour,  write fiction and also meditate. All three take me away from the stresses of this world, which yes, of course, I encounter. These practices help me deal with them.


Meditation teaches me to take a step back, to watch my own thoughts and realise that they are indeed just that, thoughts. Be they good or bad, they will pass -  and thoughts do not define the real me. By taking a step back, I do get to see the wood for the trees - and that helps me to plan a strategy for coping with life's little surprises. Finding a way through the wood, past the trees, if you will.

Is there a way through? You betcha!

Painting allows me to create a world of my own.  I like to paint things which attract me, they are usually things that make me smile, and some are filled with light.

Delicious! I can taste it all over again.

Crystal glass, so enchanting. Chocolate and fruit too. It's all good!

In my fiction, again I create a world. It has twists and turns and the odd 'misguided' character; but on the whole, my world faces the sun, being bathed in light.

My own created world.

However, in all these things that I love, you'll notice that there is no balance. Everything I love is sedentary. Back in May, I wrote about finding the balance. So now there is activity. I walk my dog, and now that she is older and not able to do the long walks, I speed walk a minimum of a mile a day. (That's fast walking to me, not the type where you throw your hips out and walk heel to toe.) It is surprising how well that clears the cobwebs from your mind, especially when you do not allow any one type of thought sway. I've stopped and seen some beauty in my surroundings while this was happening.

You walk, I'll snooze!

Just waiting for me to discover

These are my way of relaxing, refreshing and restoring my own equilibrium. They are not the only way. You'll find ones specific to you. I'd love to hear all about them! 


Time - or more correctly, lack of time - is the reason I hear for most people not doing similar. The accountant in me says audit your time. Write down what you want to do, where your time goes and see where you can find the time to relax and refresh. Most of all, find the balance. Otherwise you may find yourself visiting me in a professional capacity. Which is quite a journey, for some of you!
That brings me to my last point: laughter. Humour. It neutralises a lot of angst. Make use of that fact. Laugh frequently.

Laugh. Got it!

ART, and what it means to me.

So, when I say ART, I guess you all think of my paintings?

For me, ART has two meanings - and yes, painting is one of them.
The other one is Advanced Reflexology Training.
I first qualified in Advanced techniques, over ten years ago. I've found them incredibly useful, time and time again. I was fortunate enough to have been trained by the originator of the techniques, Tony Porter.
He has a website HERE .

So when I think of ART, I think of these wonderful reflexology techniques - and I also think of painting.

Both of these great loves of mine come together in this painting:
The Art of Reflexology

My free hour is coming to an end and I must away, to work.
If you get the chance, try a session of reflexology. If you want to try an advanced trained reflexologist, there's a register on Tony's site.

My novel - an update

Good morning friends.

What's been happening here? While my painting self has been taking part in a painting-a-day challenge for June (see HERE) my writing self has also been busy editing my novel, All in the Leaves.

Firstly, I edit a chapter, then it passes over to hubby for a continuity check and then it goes to the proper editor who scours it for all anomalies and sends it back to me, marked up in colour, ready for me to change again.
Honestly, it does feel as if writing was the easy part and this is the perfectionist slog.

The exciting news was that I spoke to Matt at ebookpartnership, who was as helpful as can be - and he gave me a quote for getting my novel formatted as an e-book,  and distributing it to all major retailers.
All in the Leaves should be available to purchase before Christmas - as long as we three keep plugging away at the edit.

How do I fit all this in? Honestly, I've given up watching the tv!  I've read lots of articles from other writers, talking of the anti social element of writing. I can see how easy it would be to become aloof from friends. Writing and editing is so very time consuming. I hope when you all get to read my book that you think it was worth it. I hope I think it was worth it!

Have a great weekend, whatever you're doing.

My May paintings

Here's the roll of the paintings I made in May - just in case you missed a post over on my painting blog. HERE

Always on Duty

The Meeting Place

The Seeds of Time

Quiet Day at the Boathouse

Focus

Robbie

 I hope you've enjoyed this second look at my artwork from May 2013.

Reflexology, Painting, Writing.

I'm a reflexologist, a painter and a writer.

My good friend Lynne recognises all three in these word clouds she made for me.

Reflexology

Painting

Writing

Aren't they fabulous? Did you notice that the writing word cloud relates to my first novel 'All in the Leaves'?
Progress is good on the editing, the process is a quarter of the way through.
We are expecting an end of year debut. I'll tell you more as the time nears.
Have a great weekend.

Balance

For the last few days, I've been considering my lifestyle.
All of my favourite pastimes are sedentary ones. I sit to paint, to write, to tweet and to blog. Then I also sit to work!

It was the forced inaction resulting from the sprained ankle that caused me to think. Nothing like having something denied, to make you want to do that very thing.

I'm an internet lover, enjoying the time when I use it to write, research and have fun tweeting and blogging. It can take an inordinate amount of time, though.
So I need to find balance and plan some outdoor and exercise time into each day. Otherwise I might miss the sunshine - when we have it - the beauty of flowers and the meeting of neighbours for an unscheduled chat. I'd also miss the undoubted physical benefits my body derives from movement.

My first book, All in the Leaves, was written in less than four months. I've now realised that was far too quick. It meant I sacrificed other things to complete it.
Book Two will be written at a slower pace and I'll take time to enjoy the journey more, raising my head from the keyboard at regular intervals to enjoy the view.

How do you find balance in your life?
Are you still working on it?

Missy's Bank Holiday

Yesterday was a Bank Holiday in the UK and it was a beautiful day.
Here's little Missy - and her bank holiday fun.

What are we doing today?

we're having a day in the garden

the apple tree is in blossom

daddy is building a shed

mummy is painting

I can run and frolic in the sun

see off the Essex lion

check the build quality

and claim it for me!

We hope you enjoyed this peek into our holiday.

Painted in March 2013

As the sub title of my blog says 'reflexologist, painter, writer, dog lover.'
Today is all about the painter side of me.

Here are the paintings I created in March.
If you wish to purchase any as a print, card or postcard, email me and I will make them available on my Redbubble page HERE
Of course, I'm quite happy if you just like to look at them on this blog and admire them.

First came London Irish

The story behind the painting is HERE

then there's Kev's Demo

the story behind this can be found HERE

next is Ben Kilt

and his story HERE


then there's Fernando's Demo

info on this demo HERE

then there was the beautiful Saskia

find her details HERE

After Saskia, came En Route

and the story of the painting is HERE

and lastly for March, came Midnight Picnic

and the story behind its creation is HERE

I hope you've enjoyed this wander through my artistic endeavours.
Feel free to follow my blog or to share this post with your friends.
I look forward to reading your comments and to seeing you again soon.

Best laid plans

The best laid plans often go astray.
That's what's happened here since my last post. I've sustained an injury to my left foot, which needed a trip to the hospital, x-rays, crutches and some pain medication.
Luckily, the foot is not broken, but I have tears to ligaments and tendons. Its going to take a while to be right again.

Mentally, I'm not in a place to do much writing or painting!
Foot and ankle exercises, then sleeping seem to be all I want to do. I'm sure as time goes on that will change, but for the time being, forgive me if I'm quiet.

There is some good news to report, and that's with the darling Missy.
Our vets offered a free arthritis check so hubs took her along.
The vet was delighted with her, she's at an ideal weight, has the right number of short walks for optimum well being, has plenty of soft places to sleep for ease on her bones and is on a minimum level of arthritis medication. Missy showed him a few of her tricks in exchange for a piece of duck and everyone parted on good terms. We just have to keep on doing what we do and Missy will have a reasonably happy old age. That news cheered me no end. She deserves to have a happy life.

Fingers crossed I'll be back to blogging shortly. Until then, I'll enjoy coming to visit your blogs as and when I'm able.

Website and writing

Most of you know me from my painting blog - but did you know I have a painting website?
It is a gallery site that shows all of my paintings.
I created it when we first moved into this house, some four years ago.
It has gallery sections for my dog paintings, my alphabet painting and my cowgirl paintings.
If you'd like to see it, the link is here


I also have a reflexology site.
Reflexology is my working life - and its this life which gives the time and ability to paint and to write.
If you'd like to see my reflexology site, its here

Yesterday I was reading some more of Mary Mackie's Creative Editing.
I want to finish the book and absorb the lessons before I start editing my novel.
However, its so difficult not to write, having got used to doing so daily - that a short story was on the cards. That has been completed and it will sit awhile in a drawer, before I look at it again and make any necessary changes.

Its a funny way of working, but apparently a good one, according to the writing tutor.  It makes you detach from the story and then see it clearly when you return to it.

Do you have any odd little rules for your work?
I'd love to hear them.

this painting 'Almost Home' you can find on my gallery site!

Why I paint.

Why do I paint?

When I first became a reflexologist, I looked for something to fill my spare time whilst I built the business up. Being so used to a busy work week in publishing, time hanging on my hands was the last thing I wanted.
Scouring local adult colleges, I found a watercolour painting class for beginners.

This was the beginning of a love of painting, watercolour in particular.
As my business got busier, I moved from painting in the daytime to an evening art club type lesson. I go there once a week, we are free to follow the demo or to paint our own thing. Usually, my own thing is what gets painted!

Painting takes me to another place. A place where things are calm and time doesn't exist. I can lose myself in painting and time flies by.
That's especially useful when you are seeing sick people daily.
I know from when hubby was ill, that you need time away from anything illness related in order to recharge your batteries. The time away is essential for the carer of a sick person. If you have ever looked after a sick person long term, you know the truth of it. Without that time away, you are prone to becoming run down, even to the point of depression. You will know too, that friends and even family drop by the way, as they find it too difficult to witness. Having something social to go to is literally, a life saver.

That's why I paint. Because I used to care for an injured husband.
To read about his injury, see my earlier post on why I'm a reflexologist.
I continue to paint because I care about my reflexology people.
Painting refreshes my soul, allowing me to give of my best.
Its crucial for me.

I love watercolour painting.
The bonus that other people might love my paintings is fabulous.
I enjoy seeing people happy. If my paintings do that, I'm over the moon.
The fact that I've sponsored many kennels at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, the rescue where Missy was housed, by commissioned dog paintings, gladdens my heart.

Painting. Pure joy.

If you'd like to see my latest, click here
If you'd like to see my dog paintings, click here
If you'd like to view my reflexology site, click HERE