tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53849814347007919132012-01-26T22:54:24.921-08:00Ink DotsDorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.comBlogger941100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-1337073064552655132012-01-26T19:38:00.000-08:002012-01-26T22:31:34.181-08:00Fly That Flag
Yesterday I shared my table with 10 Aussies. We celebrated Australia Day with the traditional lamb bbq, marinated in Mediterranean herbs and garlic. We feasted on the iconic pavlova, dressed with baked peaches and plum syrup, gifts from our backyard fruit trees.
Around the table, a blend of cultures and characteristics mixed in a unique fashion we like to call True Blue. My kids Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-47028334532232666592012-01-16T23:42:00.000-08:002012-01-17T05:40:18.460-08:00The Best Ever Banana Cake Misadventures
I was hoping to start 2012 with a fancy new blog template and other goodies to match my new tag line, The Heartbeat of Yesteryear, but somewhere amidst seaside holidays, Christmas festivities and summer fun... my good intentions got 'lost in the mail.'
Stay tuned though, as they say, and I hope to have more about that, someday soon......
In the meantime, Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-20682416003614782182011-11-14T15:49:00.000-08:002011-11-14T15:49:29.398-08:00Guest Blogging Here Today
http://christianwritersdownunder.blogspot.com/
Come say hello......Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-4030638967183580682011-11-13T11:53:00.000-08:002011-11-13T11:53:50.807-08:00Tell Me About Tomorrow.
Spring cleaning the garage is the best excuse to throw away junk that never made it into the house, or has been sitting there as the last stop before the bin. And then there's 'junk' you just can't part with.
Like the diary I kept during my last year of high school. It's so cringe worthy, I could hardly stand my daughter leafing through its pages when she spied it in a Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-55870402297215022011-10-12T01:00:00.000-07:002011-10-12T01:00:05.311-07:00Wednesday Wishes
On the weekend I followed a walking track along Red Rocks beach on Phillip Island. I have a soft spot for this beach. I've watched my kids play here for the last 17 years, summer after summer. I've walked its length in miserable weather and returned home drenched after a quick downpour. It's delivered everything a beach can, and then some. It's even inspired a story.
This isDorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-41233514272674482142011-10-09T19:51:00.000-07:002011-10-09T19:51:50.082-07:00Victorian Era Remedies
Skin Care
School holidays and second hand book stores are made for each other. At least on my calendar, they are. And last week was no exception. As soon as I could, I scoured the Phillip Island antique shops for holiday loot. As always, there's never a reason to hope for treasures. The dilemma remains... what to leave behind?
This time 2 Australian treasures made it to Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-69819612497525664802011-09-26T18:35:00.000-07:002011-09-26T18:35:09.424-07:00How long does it take to fall in love?A lifetime. Each and every day preferably.
Don't you just love that question... and answer? I read it in Melbourne's The Age newspaper recently. The writer commented anonymously on a relationship blog and gave his answer to why some find love, while others never do. Why some couples who once had it, wonder where it's gone...
When love is something you Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-22845952149038719912011-09-12T17:50:00.000-07:002011-09-14T06:11:22.380-07:00How to cook kangaroo!
A friend recently asked me if there would be a meal of kangaroo in my novel. It made my stomach churn just to think about it. I had enough trouble watching my hero gut a little rabbit. But in the interest of historical accuracy and from my love of all things Colonial Australian, I delved into the history books and found this recipe.
While I know kangaroo meat is easily Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-28473368514210111052011-09-06T00:46:00.000-07:002011-09-06T00:59:42.766-07:00Three things the knitting needles taught me.
When my sweet friend Anthea gave me a ball of wool one Sunday after church, my first thought was to to pass it onto my dear mother, the much better knitter and accomplished crafter. Then I looked around at the groups forming in our church pews. Baby knitters negotiated their way around needles to cast on their first row with the able help of those Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-16040241124023632482011-08-14T21:54:00.000-07:002011-08-14T21:56:29.192-07:00When First Buds Push Winter Away
If there were a way to rid ourselves of Winter and her blues, I'm sure by now we'd be in the flush of Spring. I have a friend who counts the remaining cold weather days and lets us all know on FB how many miserable, sunless skies are owed to us before the weather turns. (16 for those who are not in the know)
Not that anyone told Spring to hold off 'til then. Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-89057338341343048712011-07-07T07:04:00.000-07:002011-07-07T08:00:48.264-07:00Facebook Friday
Congratulations to Nicole O'Dell from Illinois for being this week's Facebook Friday award recipient with this awesome post last week.
At Panera - Need to clear my mind and get some work done today. BTW, when you hear an Aussie speak do you automatically smile? Me too?
Thanks Nicole! I take that as a compliment... even though I sometimes wonder why?
You may be like me and have Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-70265532726287863632011-07-06T02:57:00.000-07:002011-07-06T02:57:55.717-07:00Writing Whispers
Every week I receive a stack of writing tips and encouragements in my inbox.
Here's something from Kate DeCamillo, who wrote Because of Winn-Dixie and The Tale of Despereaux.
'READ. You have no business wanting to be a writer unless you are a reader. You should read fantasies and essays, biographies and poetry, fables and fairy tales. Read, read, read, read, read.'
Some Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-70069496517241670762011-07-05T02:40:00.000-07:002011-07-05T02:40:26.661-07:00Wisdom from Australia's first cook book.
If you're a fan of period dramas like Downton Abbey, you won't have any trouble recognising the life of the manor house cook in the following description from a London newspaper circa 1870. Although Downton Abbey depicts life in 1914, the similarities are remarkable, even with nearly 50 years between them.
"(The Cook) must be neat and clean, orderly inDorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-2656137659411313212011-07-04T05:02:00.000-07:002011-07-04T05:17:54.521-07:00The Colonial Cook BookThe Recipes of By-Gone Australia
Can you hear me clapping?
I have a shelf filling fast with historical resources. I know, the things that make me happy! Books and other treasures I've found while scouring junk shops and second hand book stores. And I have a favourite.
For my novel The Everlasting, I've been collecting all I can get my hands on about the early pioneers Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-68181109738320618862011-06-27T21:24:00.000-07:002011-07-01T21:40:56.700-07:00No Walk Today
Writing means lots of re-writing. Scenes I put together many months ago are disappearing from my manuscript... to make it 'sing'. The direction I planned, shifts, and with the help of brilliant counsel, a new route takes shape. It's all good, and sounds very much like life to me, when we live it under the sound of God's word and instruction.
I was challenged this week, to think Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-82919088166568796062011-06-21T04:09:00.000-07:002011-06-23T18:35:12.742-07:00Winter Delivery
I've been waiting for the deliveryman.
Twice now he came to the door with a parcel and each time, there was nothing for me. Imagine my delight when his visit today brought a book I ordered two weeks ago.
Now I'm the new owner of a pre-loved book, English Through the Ages. A must for all writers of romance set in a bygone era, this book tells me when a word came into common usageDorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-56456996079691871862011-06-10T05:03:00.000-07:002011-06-10T05:20:04.579-07:00A Happy Announcement
The grip to be a writer has always had a hold on me. For many years it held me in a tenuous tether, hardly noticeable, but always twisted around my heart. In more recent times, it's wrapped tighter, more insistent and hungry for something to flourish.
Afraid to lose my days in something which may not be God's will for me, I've prayed for Him to close any doors which didn't Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-90273219620165226922011-04-25T18:16:00.000-07:002011-04-26T04:55:29.847-07:00
Learning to Live Gluten Free... and Dairy... and Soy.
In recent months I've had to change my diet to exclude anything with gluten, dairy and soy. These days there's a brighter array of colors on my plate as I load up with lean meats and more vegetables and fruit. Until I find a gluten/dairy free bread with no traces of soy, my sandwiches will look more like salads. Snacks are fruit and nuts, Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-82362299662269170172011-03-15T21:05:00.000-07:002011-03-15T21:08:00.914-07:00
Celebrating with Catherine West
It's my pleasure to introduce Catherine West. When I met Cathy at the ACFW conference in Indianapolis last year, she was an unpublished writer with a manuscript to sell. Today, she is the happy debut author of Yesterday's Tomorrow.
Educated in Bermuda, England and Canada, Catherine holds a degree in English from the University of Toronto. When she’s not at the Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-78415419721107115862011-02-09T15:18:00.000-08:002011-02-09T17:44:23.126-08:00On This Day...
William Bryant and Mary Brand did not meet on a Valentine's Day cruise for young singles. In amongst 600 convicts on route to Australia in 1788, they rattled about the oceans on one of 11 ships we call the First Fleet. Bound for the colony of New South Wales, and with much of their freedom replaced by iron shackles, they sailed into a bleak and unknown future. They made it into Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-31369857610608395382011-02-07T14:21:00.000-08:002011-02-07T18:04:14.122-08:00In the Shadow of your Wings
I haven't lived through a natural disaster, but in the last 2 years I've watched my countrymen and women brave firestorms and raging floods of Biblical proportions. And now, in the last few days, a tropical rain storm blasted its way into our weather system, with a tail so powerful it lashed my own city two days later with devastating results.
When Australia was hitDorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-28003067073021091722011-01-11T03:03:00.000-08:002011-01-11T03:39:10.672-08:00 Australia's 2010 Summer Flood Disaster
"Today is very significant, tomorrow is bad,
and Thursday is going to be devastating
for the residents and businesses concerned."
Brisbane Lord Mayor - Jan 11, 2010
Australian summers normally deliver bush fire stories. Today, Australians have watched in despair as news unfolds of a flood which may end up being the worst in over 100 years. After weeksDorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-87548421755128730002011-01-02T16:17:00.000-08:002011-01-02T16:18:28.947-08:00Summer Reading
This week I'm taking time to read by the beach and savour the summer holidays with family. The beach bag is stuffed with books I've had within reach all year and saved for lazy January afternoons. I would like to say I won't be back 'til they're all read, but even I know my limitations.
I always pack more books than I know I could possibly read, and I wouldn't have it any other Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-49981047318186951502010-12-24T04:59:00.000-08:002010-12-28T04:19:55.289-08:00Christmas Blessings
From my family to yours...May the love of God, and gift of His son the Lord Jesus,fill your hearts with hope as you share the Christmas season with your loved ones.
For when the time was right God sent His son.Galatians 4: 4Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-90997799003275761152010-12-22T22:33:00.000-08:002010-12-23T05:21:41.642-08:00You Knit Me TogetherSome years, the weeks leading up to Christmas fill with more than what we pencil into our diaries. With two children graduating and one celebrating her 18th birthday, we thought the windup to the school year would keep us on our toes, but God allowed us to cram a hospital stay into the busyness of December.
Tom, our sports mad son, found himself nursing a torn ACL (Anterior Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-63740690436598226932010-10-26T03:34:00.000-07:002010-10-27T20:50:17.234-07:00Wake up Honey-Girl
When my daughter finished her first year of kindergarten, I made a batch of almond bread biscotti as parting gifts for her teachers. Since our Australian school year finishes just before Christmas, I added green and red sugared cherries to the mix and tied them in cellophane bags with raffia. It was a labor of love, following a 'new to me' recipe, as I worked apron clad late Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-84754017573329349332010-10-14T15:19:00.000-07:002010-10-14T15:49:28.536-07:00Would you like to read my story?Remember when Dorothy went to see the Great Wizard of Oz, and discovered he was only a man behind a curtain? Somehow he managed to find 'a brain', 'a heart' and 'courage' for her dear friends, but Dorothy was not so hopeful for herself.
She shook her head at the Wizard and cried, "Oh, I don't think there's anything in that black bag for me." And there wasn't.
Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-58715548116525941032010-10-06T05:03:00.000-07:002010-10-06T05:03:02.149-07:00Somewhere Over The Rainbow - Part Two
So what happens when Dorothy gets to fly beyond the rainbow? One Dorothy met a band of new friends, squeezed into a pair of sparkly shoes and followed a yellow brick road to adventure. For this Dorothy the story is similar. (Ok, indulge me here a little.)
I must admit, a pair of ruby slippers would have been a fabulous welcome to the 2010 ACFW conference in Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-6761916174283083902010-09-27T23:39:00.000-07:002010-09-29T23:13:29.358-07:00Somewhere over the Rainbow - Part One
Many thanks to those who prayed and thought of me during my recent travels to the US for the ACFW annual conference. I sensed your prayers each day as God heard and answered them... and boy, did I have myself an adventure!
You will be pleased to know I made it there and back safely, with or without the help of Sir Richard Branson who journeyed on the same Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-74102720833963366952010-09-06T04:37:00.000-07:002010-09-06T04:37:43.280-07:00A Time To Fly
Some days we dream about far away places and the secrets they hold. Other days, when God unlocks a door, we slip away for a while and venture into the world beyond our doorstep. On very special days, we even get to fly away.
This time next week, I'll be somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. My bags will be packed and with dreams in a vice-like clutch, I'll make my way to Indianapolis Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-555799960388215872010-09-02T14:53:00.000-07:002010-09-02T14:53:42.773-07:00 Today and Yesterday
On a church camp earlier this year a dear friend sat beside me and asked how my writing was going. I was surprised she even knew I was working on a novel. Tucked under her arm she had a book on photography, and tucked in her heart a dream to pursue the art beyond mere dabbling. We got to talking about our respective desires and have cheered each other on ever since.
When I Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-38375207652453209632010-09-01T03:31:00.000-07:002010-09-01T03:31:28.582-07:00Happy Spring
and other celebrations
Today we brought in 6 eggs from our chickens. No mean feat, when only 5 hens occupy the coop. How did this happen? I'm guessing one hen laid a little later yesterday, adding her egg to the nest to be gathered with this morning's fresh ones.
My chickens must have an inkling Spring is here, although you would be forgiven for thinking no one told Dreary Winter, Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-53646295920501087112010-08-09T15:02:00.000-07:002010-08-09T15:03:29.583-07:00
HOLIDAY TIME
I'm taking a holiday week from blogging to recharge ... and take care of a few small chickens I love.
Blessings,Dorothy
Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-37803001079717124322010-08-06T05:08:00.000-07:002010-08-06T18:13:41.799-07:00Who's the Boss?
Don't we just love to think we are in control?
We mark the calendar with our plans, decide what meat we need to defrost for tomorrow's dinner and lock the doors. We kiss our kids goodnight, and set the alarm before we tuck ourselves into bed, and who could blame us when the sun rises next morning, for believing we're in control of our little worlds?
We smile when our kids Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-23066543818299078582010-08-04T04:57:00.000-07:002010-08-05T02:00:35.831-07:00
An Open Hand
If you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, can you judge a painting by its title? I almost overlooked a key detail in this painting by Michael Frederick Halliday until I read the title;
The Blind Basket Maker and his First Child.
It reminded me of the four devoted parents who presented their babies at church for a dedication ceremony last Sunday. In their limited capacityDorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-19471813893525733802010-07-30T04:59:00.000-07:002010-07-30T18:33:43.155-07:00
Facebook Friday
I must confess when it comes to the newspaper, I'm a skimmer. I flip through those pages in record time as I scan for important words, get the gist of each article and then move on. If a chunk is too long I move onto the next paragraph. All I want is the details and if the story grabs me, I might re-read it properly to make sure I didn't miss anything.
You might be like me Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-866481478304075382010-07-28T06:29:00.000-07:002010-10-04T17:48:22.583-07:00Arthur Stace and his Yellow Chalk
There are some things I just don't like. I'm tempted to say I hate them, but that would be too strong a word for small irritations. Like the feeling of wet wool when I'm hand washing a knitted cardigan. That squeaky sound always gives me the shivers. Then there's the feeling of cornflour between my fingers. Is it just me or is that another squeaky kind of shiver?Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-62057068133226617302010-07-23T17:43:00.000-07:002010-07-23T18:04:07.925-07:00
Facebook Friday
A few years ago our electric kettle died. In the days between our loss and me getting to the shops to buy a new one, we boiled water like they did in The Little House on the Prairie. Ok, I deliberately stalled for a week or two because I wanted to play like Laura. I didn't have a creek to fill my bucket and we didn't chop wood or light an indoor fire, but we did fill an enamel Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-91961558577718804652010-07-21T06:30:00.000-07:002010-07-21T18:04:34.595-07:00
Wisdom with a dash of Coffee
I wonder whether the authors of The Habits of Good Society compiled for Victorian ladies and gentlemen, ever imagined their words of wisdom would do a complete flip flop in the 21st century. That their well thought out rules of etiquette would not only be ignored, but reversed.
In the Victorian era, lovers of tea and coffee were advised to hold their delicate cups Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-34905344435106967582010-07-19T06:59:00.000-07:002010-07-19T20:19:39.751-07:00 Happy Tears and Crumbs
I am one of those mums who cries at every assembly and presentation at my kids' school. I cry when I watch the Qantas commercial where the Australian Children's Choir sings 'I Still Call Australia Home.' And I cry every Sunday during the worship time at church. Many times I cry because my heart is sad. Other times, I assure my family everything is ok, and my tears are Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-82140149626271256362010-07-16T05:58:00.000-07:002010-07-16T06:19:14.961-07:00
Dreaming of Pitchforks and Haylofts
Anyone else get that satisfied feeling when you fill your car with petrol and know you won't have to do that chore for another few days? Or the sweet knowledge that there's an unopened 3 litre milk bottle in the fridge for the hungry hordes with the cold cereal addiction?
Sometimes I think about the daily grind of growing, harvesting and preserving Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-89968009852490305552010-07-14T06:43:00.000-07:002010-07-14T07:41:43.359-07:00Three Awards... and An Award
Like most of my writing friends I shut myself away and spend many hours at the computer working on my story. Some say writing is a lonely occupation and there are days when I feel it. Thanks to the blogging world, the most unexpected bursts of 'love' came my way recently, and once again I'm awash in the glow of cyber-warmth.
In this last fortnight I have been the Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-64814594508829822502010-07-12T05:16:00.000-07:002010-07-12T06:24:49.006-07:00
Bread and Water can so easily be Toast and Tea.
There's one question my children ask me everyday in the car on the way home from school.
"Mum, what's for afternoon tea?"
At the end of a long day at school, food is a much anticipated comfort. When I mentioned to my sweet Tennessee writing buddy that I had to organize something for afternoon tea one day, she wondered whether I meant our Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-25811181720080955992010-07-09T04:30:00.000-07:002010-07-09T16:54:42.714-07:00Christmas In July
I promise after today I'll stop gushing about winter. It seems many of my blog posts these last few weeks have focused on the glories of this season. How could I not, when we have enjoyed/endured (take your pick) one of Australia's longest cold snaps in years?
This month, many Aussies who yearn for a Northern Style Christmas, will gather to celebrate Christmas in July. Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-68821282135956553412010-07-07T04:06:00.000-07:002010-07-07T20:25:29.521-07:00
Highland Blessings Jennifer Hudson Taylor
What better way to spend wintery days than reading. We're in the middle of school holidays here and the writing schedule gets a bit lost on lazy mornings and during trips away from home. Fortunately reading fits into my holiday routine as naturally as the peppermint tea in my tea pot.
Last week I read an amazing story set in the Highlands of ScotlandDorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-65653745278104792812010-07-04T18:29:00.000-07:002010-07-04T18:29:40.582-07:00
Giving and Receiving
It's a thrill when people want to play your games. Facebook Friday has brought out the competitiveness in a few of my dear FB friends and I've watched in fascination as they've challenged each other and jousted for the win.
Today I need to give a special award to Evan, who played the game like a true gentlemen this last week. When he offered to sweeten things and increaseDorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-49142673746585995972010-07-03T01:47:00.000-07:002010-07-03T02:47:39.099-07:00Facebook Friday
Humble apologies for the late post this week. The school holidays can mess up the ol' blog routine but it's so worth it to get away for a few days with the family.
We have just come back from our favorite holiday spot, Phillip Island and I can report the wind is out in full force today, cutting an icy path up from Antarctica and into the very heart of those who venture Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-69964884270968786102010-06-30T02:57:00.000-07:002010-06-30T02:57:34.674-07:00Wednesday Wishes
If I had more hours in my day, and quite possibly a few extra days in the week, I would love to volunteer for the National Trust of Victoria. What better way to learn and share with others the fascinating way of life for our early pioneers and settlers than to guide others through historic homes and gardens?
Or maybe I would dress up in 1850s attire and work in an historical Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-52435733476408959962010-06-28T02:17:00.000-07:002010-06-28T02:28:02.770-07:00
Anybody know where I can find a frock?
Main Entry: frock Pronunciation: \ˈfräk\Function: nounDate: 14th century1 : an outer garment worn by monks and friars : habit2 : an outer garment worn chiefly by men: a : a long loose mantle b : a workman's outer shirt; especially : smock frock c : a woolen jersey worn especially by sailors 3 : a woman's dress
When chatting with a dear friend from Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-24716024455652451992010-06-25T06:15:00.000-07:002010-06-25T21:27:31.396-07:00
Facebook Friday
Reports from those who play Facebook this week tell us we have soldiered on and survived the wintery week on apple crumble and coffee. How I rejoiced at the many status declarations of winter baking and feasting.
My other friends, who are playing in the summer sun, have limped through their scorcher of a week with grateful thanks to God for air-conditioning, frozen berries Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-48792378293189965242010-06-23T04:38:00.000-07:002010-06-25T21:07:13.633-07:00Victorian UnderwearWednesday Wishes
Here's an invitation I would love to accept (click). That's why it's here under Wednesday Wishes. It's a Reader's Getaway with one of my favorite historical writers Deeanne Gist. Her novels are a treat to read and I savor each chapter so the story won't end before I'm ready to put the book down. I wrote about it that (here) last year.
Anything with the label Victorian has Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-71918191942089459922010-06-21T03:59:00.000-07:002010-06-21T03:59:31.410-07:00The Longest Night
Winter in Australia doesn't always bring snow flurries. Here in Melbourne we rarely see snow unless we drive to the snowfields or the alps further away. But many trees are leafless, the mornings are frosty and most people I know wouldn't want the temperatures to get any lower.
Today is the Southern Winter Solstice. It occurs every year on June 21 when the southern hemisphere Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-90438546444847436252010-06-18T02:47:00.000-07:002010-06-18T02:47:15.039-07:00Facebook FridayAre you one of those people who goes to the letter box 100 times a day? If you have Facebook, you may well be. According to Facebook's own media release, over 500 billion minutes are spent on Facebook each month.
Like me, you may dabble in web links, news, blog posts, photo albums and much more. Now that the digital letter box has entered our homes, we have embraced it and even Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-45357506134885817332010-06-16T00:13:00.000-07:002010-06-16T00:15:12.516-07:00The Weekly Op Shop Run
Once a week I love to visit my local thrift shops. In Australia they're called Op Shops or Opportunity Shops. You know the ones. Sometimes they're so overstuffed with second hand items you need to sift through small mountains of junk to find what you're looking for. Other days you just dash past the front window and there, on a trestle by the open door, you may find an Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-26179242707130327652010-06-14T01:16:00.000-07:002010-06-14T04:36:46.226-07:00
From the Scullery
If you ring my doorbell and I answer draped in a woolen shawl, you will know I am writing. If you smell the smoke from a newly snuffed candle, or spy the butter in my pantry now residing in a new covered butter crock... you will know I am writing. And pretending.
These days I'm having lots of fun acting out tiny slices of daily life, lived by my characters in the late 1800s. Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-42539359058983696002010-05-11T03:15:00.000-07:002010-05-12T19:19:50.669-07:00A Mother's Legacy
When Mothers' Day draws near my family never fret about presents. It's a well established fact that a book will always impress me more than perfume, chocolates and even jewelry. Yes, incredibly books beat diamonds. So where does this heartbeat for books come from?
It would be safe to put the spotlight on those delicious days when as a little girl my mother would 'read' to me Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-75067326725583872622010-04-13T18:21:00.000-07:002010-05-11T04:38:31.937-07:00A Surprise PackageWhen I agreed to review a book by Kaye Dacus I immeadiately thought of heroines in tea dresses with parasols and sea captains in eager pursuit. I quickly signed on with great anticipation of the historical romance I would soon receive. But when my parcel arrived I was surprised to find a contemporary romance, the last in the Brides of Bonneterre series, A Case For Love. But theDorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-80987083557369767372010-04-11T22:03:00.000-07:002010-04-11T22:10:09.465-07:00FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Let it shine, Let it shine, Let it shine!
When my garden is behaving it's a beautiful display of of pink, white and blue flowers. That's just how I like it. Reds and yellows are fine in their own world, but they are not generally invited to clash with my flower beds. So when a golden cluster caught my eye at the foot of my creamy rambler rose I went closer to inspect this Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-75796920295220944292010-03-21T20:20:00.000-07:002010-03-21T20:20:12.198-07:00
Unravelling the Past
If you lived in 1880s and needed a fly trap what would you do? You may have added this cleverly designed glass fly catcher to your household possessions and outsmarted the many bugs looking for a free meal in and around your kitchen.
In some Australian homes and verandahs, a little pool of milk or sugar water was added to the reservoir at the bottom of a glass trap, along Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-62637965672895318642010-03-18T19:34:00.000-07:002010-03-19T14:46:41.199-07:00A Glimpse of Yesterday
During our anniversary getaway last week, John and I took the ferry from Phillip Island to the neighboring French Island. In contrast to Phillip Island's hum, French Island is a quick escape for those wishing to experience a quiet eco friendly day in the bush by the sea. After a short bus tour we stopped at the historical Bayview Chicory Kiln where our hosts offered a Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-14408409155396752602010-03-10T18:26:00.000-08:002010-03-10T21:23:12.474-08:00
Buckets Full of Treasure
This week, to mark the occasion of our 20th wedding anniversary, John and I spent some time away at Phillip Island. I have written about this island here before. It's the setting for my current historical romance. But it's also the setting of real life for my own family.
Papou and Yiayia's beach house represents so much more to us than just a getaway. It holds Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-65762139917215554052010-02-28T19:08:00.000-08:002010-02-28T19:09:24.694-08:00
The Note by Angela HuntThis week I read the sort of book I would like to write one day. It had me thinking about the characters even when the book was out of reach while I was doing other things. You've read books like that too, I'm sure. You think you'll finish the chapter and put it away until later on.... but then later on arrives and you're still sitting where you were an hour ago. And Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-67264042273161107002010-02-22T00:30:00.000-08:002010-02-22T00:30:49.173-08:00
Lessons
I am a first year student. According to those who run around in the halls of the school of writing, I am a freshman with many years of study and crafting ahead of me.
Many times I have used the word fledgling to describe my position as writer. Fledgling.
I love that word. I like its meaning as much as I like to say it. Fledgling. Fledgling (It's up there with some of my other favorite Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-16454743330914830782010-02-15T16:02:00.000-08:002010-02-15T16:05:00.773-08:00Motives of the Heart
Have you ever wondered why God allows you to be drawn into circumstances which are not of your choosing, often painful and maybe even dangerous? Are you trapped and wondering what purpose God could possibly have for you in the midst of distress?
These are the same questions asked by Grace Wescott in MaryLu Tyndall's The Raven Saint.One minute Grace is ministering to the Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-75768421142018057172010-02-08T17:31:00.000-08:002010-02-09T01:17:04.332-08:00Matters of the Heart
February has colored us red. Blogs and emails hint at what many celebrate with great delight. Valentine's Day is hard to ignore as it beckons from shopfronts and TV commercials.
In our household, a different 'matter of the heart' is remembered. On this day last year, our daughter Sophie was wheeled into theatre for a small procedure to correct an arrhythmia of her heart. Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-8369274488075058062010-02-02T02:13:00.000-08:002010-02-02T02:45:54.300-08:00Congratulations
I am thrilled to announce the winner of the Ink Dots book giveaway.
Raymonde, today is your 'lucky day'! You will be receiving your very own copy of Amanda Deed's The Game, and I know you will not be disappointed!
Thanks to Amanda for generously offering a copy of her book for our winner, and to my beautiful daughter Sophie for randomly choosing the winning entry.
Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-31289911779090451922010-01-31T03:20:00.000-08:002010-01-31T03:36:44.682-08:00
What makes you happy?
One of the blessings of blogging is the many new friends I have made in the last few months. We chat about the things which are important to us or just interesting, and encourage one another in our writing and in our walk with God. The greatest gift has been those who uphold me in prayer, and whose prayer requests have in turn, been shared with me.
One Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-17799192986006538482010-01-28T00:56:00.000-08:002010-01-28T14:24:44.498-08:00The Game by Amanda Deed
My First Book Giveaway
The Game by Amanda Deed
Some of the books I took away with me to the beach this year have come back with signs of having been well loved. They are the sort of book you don't want to put away when the rest of the family is splashing around in the water or digging huge holes along the shoreline. These books return to the real world with the marks of summer - tiny Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-61252685511987497372010-01-23T17:30:00.000-08:002010-01-23T01:40:31.546-08:00Home Again
It's time to brush the sand away, buy school shoes and dead head the summer roses. In less then 2 weeks schools will reopen and most Australian families will be back to familiar routines. It takes me some time to move on from holiday mode. Sleeping in is a luxury we have all enjoyed as well as catching up with friends. And I couldn't neglect to mention the wonderful weeks we spent Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-80594482201680739812009-12-22T22:45:00.000-08:002009-12-23T04:15:01.190-08:00Celebrating Christmas
Australian Style
In 1957 Australia issued its first Christmas postage stamp. The image that slipped into millions of letter boxes around the world that year was one of worship and awe as the praying girl knelt in an attitude of reverence. Since then there have been many stamps depicting the Christmas season and the way Australian's celebrate.
One of my favorites isDorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-37548596294036543692009-12-18T00:21:00.000-08:002010-02-01T02:03:54.569-08:00
Kindred Spirits in the Classroom
How God blessed me in 2009 - Part 3
How do you make a writing dream come alive?
I had a story idea, and wonderful historical details. I had a first draft outline (of sorts) and character charts with lots of scribbled and highlighted notes. I even had a collection of 1870s photographs of my location and its people. But where do you start and how do you know if Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-6810318870389824452009-12-15T14:57:00.000-08:002009-12-17T22:14:51.198-08:00Treasures from the Sea
How God blessed me in 2009 - Part 2
When I opened my birthday card from John in May this year, I was delighted to receive the top request on my 'birthday wish list'. I had asked for 'time' and in my hand I held the promise of a week of uninterrupted writing at Mum and Dad's beach house, while John the Generous One offered to do the Mr Mom thing and keep the home fires Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-10663556559704306732009-12-14T05:53:00.000-08:002009-12-17T19:59:42.919-08:00How Four Seconds Changed My Life
How Four Seconds
Changed My Life
How God blessed me in 2009 - Part 1
The first full week of the Summer holidays began today. Even though my children finished school last Thursday, Friday whizzed by with many errands and commitments, followed closely by a weekend of Christmas service rehearsals and performances at church. The pace didn't really slow down for us until this morning, when theDorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-25965985958063783172009-11-30T17:49:00.000-08:002009-11-30T18:18:15.056-08:00
A Work In Progress
Yes, I disappeared a bit in November. I've been writing madly. Not blog entries, but words which went towards my tally for the NaNoWriMo competition. The National Novel Writing Month has grown to become an international machine which grinds its way through the month of November, as thousands of competitors scribble their way to a writing goal of 50,000 words. Lasting the Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-16577352273044465632009-11-16T21:04:00.000-08:002009-11-16T21:04:08.685-08:00
And the winners are....
Well, the results are in, and we have our winners in the
"Name that Character" competition.
Many thanks to those who played the game with me last week and suggested names. You were great sports and I am thrilled you helped me out. As the days went by I found myself thinking about how I could use all the names.
Yes, I bonded with these 'wannabe' characters and decided Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-40789014237111348542009-11-10T16:25:00.000-08:002009-11-10T17:15:09.497-08:00Is your name the one I'm looking for?
A good name is more desirable than great riches;
to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
Proverbs 22:1
When a friend asked me if I would name a character in my book after him, I had a good laugh and then politely told him why I couldn't use his modern sounding name in a story set in the 1870's. But as a last name it would work well, as a Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-57897864627117588612009-11-06T02:37:00.000-08:002009-11-06T03:20:04.135-08:00Do you want to get lost in a book?
Just before I turned 9, my Uncle Peter asked me what I wanted for my birthday. It was an easy question. All I wanted was a book. I knew, just like the girl reading by the window, that stories could take me anywhere in the world, while I was safely tucked in my own bed. Uncle Peter generously gave me about 10 books that year, all Enid Blyton titles including Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-47918955097236927802009-10-30T21:54:00.000-07:002009-10-30T23:26:03.963-07:00The Noticer by Andy Andrews
Are you a ‘glass half empty’ or ‘glass half full’ kind of person? Do you notice things from their ‘Oh no’ potential or their “Oh wow” possibilities? Last weekend at the Agape Women's Retreat I read a Thomas Nelson book, The Noticer by Andy Andrews, an award winning writer and speaker. Against a backdrop of busy quilters with their whirring machines, and those Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-39699977157988089212009-10-28T18:05:00.000-07:002009-10-29T03:06:54.864-07:00
God's Perfect Sequence
My GPS told me we were 40 minutes away from our destination as we barreled down the freeway towards Bacchus Marsh for the Agape Women's Retreat last Friday. Sitting beside me, my good friend Ola studied her own GPS, showing an alternate route for the same destination. So why, with 2 navigational devices did it take us more than an hour to arrive?
Choices. Let's just Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-677514327071442412009-10-26T04:30:00.000-07:002009-10-26T04:30:55.432-07:00"You'll hang by the neck until you be dead."
Last week I visited the Old Melbourne Gaol Education Unit with Matthew and his class. This excursion was focused on the justice system and how the courts worked in the 1860s. Matthew and his classmates were given a script and some costumes and ushered into an old magistrate's court room to re-enact the 1863 trial of 24 year old Elizabeth Scott, the Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-50890303384470805442009-10-19T18:08:00.000-07:002009-10-19T20:09:33.559-07:00What's in a name?
Someone recently asked me why I named this blog Ink Dots.
Ink, is for the beautiful way a word appears on the page when it is written with an ink pen. One of my favorite Christmas presents ever is an elegant fountain pen which I use every day. There is something very romantic about the way the nib scrapes the paper and the purple ink flows, (yes I use purple ink) even if Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-38394921618109560202009-10-16T03:44:00.000-07:002009-10-16T15:43:06.976-07:00
The Raw Material
My daily Bible reading, historical research for my novel and writing studies collided today in one simple image. Clay.
During the week I finished reading Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell. Looking like a coloring book, there are many passages highlighted there I plan to revisit. In the section, Keep them Reading, I read about the raw material used to stretch the tensionDorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-56049153022280737712009-10-13T19:21:00.000-07:002009-10-15T17:09:37.782-07:00
Black Saturday
When a cluster of raging firestorms exploded through large areas of the Victorian bush in February this year, it destroyed property and livestock, and claimed the lives of 173 people. The town of Marysville, known to locals as 'God's Eden' became front page news when it was wiped off the map, as the day etched itself into our history and memories as Black Saturday. With Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-83993067001842834482009-10-11T07:06:00.000-07:002009-10-11T07:18:34.591-07:00That Dude Romeo
Who is responsible for the deaths in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet? This is what my son Tom was exploring this afternoon as he contemplated an essay question for English.
As he worked away at the computer, he yelled out in frustration, "This Romeo dude makes me so mad. It's all his fault and I don't like him at all!"
Wow. My sports mad boy was actually moved to dislike a Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-14691548494944765302009-10-05T15:42:00.000-07:002009-10-11T21:10:43.239-07:00The School Bell Is Ringing
After 2 1/2 weeks of sleeping in and 'pajamas 'til lunchtime', the holidays have ended and all my chickens are back at school. There is always a little grieving for me each new term, as I contemplate how quickly our children are growing up. Last night I filled in their medical forms for 2010. I have been doing this since 1998, when Sophie started school. Yesterday Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-18845277760505100692009-10-01T07:30:00.000-07:002009-10-11T19:29:49.146-07:00The Road Ahead
My wonderful new friends at the ACFW have been helping me with a writing question this week. There has been much discussion from all over the world, and emails have gone back and forth in earnest contemplation. There is a wealth of experience there and I am privileged to listen in.
I even emailed my question to an award winning author, who generously took time from her Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-28167272471205245312009-09-27T04:54:00.000-07:002009-10-29T02:19:55.321-07:00 Waiting For God’s Perfect Timing
Maybe one day I will get to the
American Christian Fiction Writers conference.
This year’s conference finished last weekend in Denver Colorado, and many generous bloggers have shared their experiences of what sounds like an amazing and memorable (and possibly even terrifying) few days. Fortunately for those who are not able to attend, each Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-55221983336333271022009-09-24T01:32:00.000-07:002009-10-11T19:03:51.263-07:00
The Essence Of Lilacs
Early this morning a visitor crept up our garden path and hung a surprise package on the front door handle. The thoughtful creeper was my mum, and, assuming we were all asleep during these blissful school holiday mornings, tiptoed in and out unseen and unheard.
Her little gift was a spray of lilacs, which quickly found a happy home in my study. The perfume is Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-80388710694870414642009-09-18T05:34:00.000-07:002009-10-11T19:04:25.056-07:00Girls In White Dresses
I was sharing some of my writing dreams with a friend earlier this year, in particular my desire to write in the historical romance genre. My friend, obviously not the biggest fan of historical fiction (yet), made this comment.
"Do you mean those books with the ladies in long dresses on the cover?"
Ah yep. Those ones.
I must admit there are a lot of book covers Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-15916200189533044982009-09-13T04:30:00.000-07:002009-10-11T19:25:19.484-07:00A Basket Of Trouble
During the Father’s Day service at church last week, you would’ve thought a poisonous snake had slipped out of its basket and was escaping into our midst. Instantly, there was a shift in the church. Those who were terrified shrunk in their seats to hide behind the people sitting in front of them. Others quickly hid their gaze and refused to make eye contact with the service Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-68936529258006188172009-09-09T16:43:00.000-07:002009-10-11T19:09:15.010-07:00
An Appetite for Food and Words
When I was 4 years old, my European immigrant parents enrolled me in our local primary school. At that time I only knew a handful of English words and only one English phrase. My clever Greek mother had equipped me with the words she thought would best get me through the day. Most necessary of all was “toilet please” and whilst I don’t have a memory of using Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-33094227698564511662009-09-03T04:19:00.000-07:002009-10-11T19:11:09.795-07:00
Where did it come from?
Ever wondered where a particular everyday phrase originated? Commonly heard sayings like
No strings attached,
Not enough room to swing a cat
or
Red letter day are all used often enough and we get the gist, as most people use them properly. But they all have a story and a place of origin. History can sometimes tell us about the events which drew people to use Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-90323704937993938632009-09-01T04:34:00.000-07:002010-09-01T01:54:58.607-07:00Spring Chicken
For nearly 2 months now I have been watching five little girls play in my back yard. Well, they’re hens actually, little more than chicks when they first arrived, and with very few ‘chicken’ skills to speak of. They were scared to death of me in the early days, constantly fell off the ladder leading to their roost (they still do this) and as for laying eggs.....forget it!
ButDorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5384981434700791913.post-87402161404093586462009-08-27T06:15:00.000-07:002009-10-11T19:13:38.954-07:00Welcome to Yesterday
Did God make a mistake, when I was born in 1968? Of course not, but there have been days when I secretly imagine it had been 1868!
I love all things yesteryear. Well, nearly all things. Give me a modern day hospital any day. But there is something enchanting about a country lane leading to an old farm house, with a neglected windmill or chicory kiln in the distance, Dorothy Adamekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13622521834128746217noreply@blogger.com1