Al Draws Prizes:

Well after posting about my Dad on Saturday I have a change of pace tonight.

It's time to draw the prizes for my giveaway!

I drew the second prize first. The lucky second is: Falen (aka Sarah Ahiers)

Now for the big one: Drum Roll…

And the winner is: Old Kitty (aka Jennifer). Thus proving the benefits of taking a little bribery and corruption :-)


Well I am in a generous mood this evening soooo

I am changing the prizes.

First prize is now:
Six 8” by 10” prints of any of my piccies from this blog; the winner chooses the piccies they want.
OR as an alternative prize, a copy of my book Veiled in Shadows AND three 8” by 10” prints.

Second Prize:
Is now three 8” by 10” prints of any of my piccies from this blog OR a copy of my book .

I know Old Kitty has been printing my extract pages to take on the train, so now you can have a copy that is easier to hold if you choose.

As to Falen, well I know you wanted a copy for Christmas. Now you have the option to get a copy early (if you wish).

So what will you both choose? My book ,or my piccies? Here's a sample
So dear winners you will have to email me and let me know what you want to do.

Guest Post

Tonight I am doing a guest post over at Hart Johnson's Blog Confessions of a Watery Tart, hop over and have a look.
A random Piccie from the archive, a gold rush era mansion in Richmond a suburb of Melbourne.
Isn't it gloriously over the top?
Also, if you haven't seen it check out my Giveaway

Words on Wednesday: Bribery and Corruption

I hate to disappoint those of you who were hoping I’d post more about my youth.
But I have the urge to post more of my novel Veiled in Shadows.

I will try to post more about Mum’s place and my youth next time.

If by some chance you are interested and have not read any of my literary venture you can find my Prologue and Chapter One by clicking the tabs above. Now of course I have added Chapter Two.

There is a bit of a change of pace in this Chapter, but I guess those of you who have read so far will check it out.

Now for my attempt at bribery and corruption.
I think I am over due for running another Giveaway on my blog.

Like last time the prize will be prints of some of my piccies.

Last time I gave away three piccies to Christine from Inwardly Digesting.

I guess I have to top that so this time I will offer two prizes.

First Prize:
Five 8” by 10” prints of any of my piccies from this blog. The winner chooses the piccies they want, OR a copy of my book which ever you prefer.

Second Prize:
Three 8” by 10” prints of any of my piccies from this blog.

As last time there are just a few caveats: a small number of the piccies on the blog are not mine, I can’t give away prints of those; and a few piccies are cropped from larger images and would not print well at 8” by 10”, if the winner really wanted those I could organise smaller prints.

The rules to enter the give away:
1. The competition is open to people anywhere in the world.

2. You must be a follower of my blog (new followers are welcome to enter too).

3. You must leave a comment on this post, leaving a comment gains you one entry.
(This is I guess a free entry for those of you who are not corruptible).

4. True to form my mercenary side comes out, if you post about my giveaway on your blog I will give you an extra 2 entries.

5. If you mention my book and link to this post I will give you another 2 entries for a total of 5.

I will keep entries into the giveaway open until Sunday the 28th of November 2010 to give people time to enter.
Once I have chosen the winners at random (my decision will be final) I will contact them so they can choose the piccies they would like to receive as prints.

Now just a few reminders of what you could win:

Are You tempted?

And the Winner is…

I can’t believe it is a whole week since I last posted.
As usually seems to happen (all too often) the week has flown by.

I feel terribly negligent that I have barely been around the blogosphere this week, that I have failed to comment or respond to comments.

Most of all I have failed to announce a winner for my piccie giveaway!

I had intended to leave it till Tuesday our time anyway, because with international time zones the way they are I didn’t want anyone to miss out.

We are 18 hours ahead of the American West Coast and a full 20 ahead of Hawaii (For us Pearl Harbour and our war against Japan began on December 8, 1941).

But I am rambling, it is not Tuesday it is Friday. I have left this far too long as it is.

So with out further ado…

Drum roll please…

The winner is...

Christine of Inwardlydigesting!

Congratulations Christine!

Christine took advantage of the fact that I gave two extra entries in the draw to anyone who posted about my giveway and it seems to have paid off handsomely.

So according to the rules of the competition Christine can choose any three of my piccies from this blog. Once She has chosen I will organise 8” by 10” prints the piccies and despatch them by airmail.

Now comes the hard part for Christine, she has to trawl through my archives and choose.

I wonder which piccies you would choose?

Perhaps a piccie of odd little Soldier Crabs from one of my first posts?

A fiery sunset?
A rugged seascape?
The surreal mix of snow and a fire blackened landscape?
A mix of old and new?
Something grandiose?
The beautiful
The cute
Or perhaps restful?
Or just as likely three others picked from hundreds more...

OOPS! A Missed Anniversary. (Oh and a Giveaway)

I’m back from my holiday at Merimbula. I realised the other day while I was driving home an important anniversary had passed.

Before you all think I am in the doghouse for missing our wedding anniversary, things are not that dramatic.

The anniversary I missed was my first blogiversary (probably not a word but what the heck).

It was on the Eighth of July 2009 that I posted the first time.

My blog is a year old!

The nerd in me notes I have made 137 posts since then which means I have averaged a post about every 2.7 days.

I have posted 795 piccies over the twelve months, most of them my own photos.

My list of followers has grown to 143 since Kathleen Jones found my blog just a few days after I started.
Kathleen’s blog is well worth checking out by the way. Kathleen is a published author and poet who resides in a gorgeous spot in England’s Lake District (when she’s not spending time with her partner Neil in Peralta in Italy).

I would like to say a big thanks to all of you who have followed my wanderings and a bigger thanks to those who have taken the time to comment. Comments seem like the icing on an already pretty enjoyable blogging cake.

So where to from here?

Probably more of the same. I hope to post a little more frequently (because I’ve been a bit slack lately). Generally I guess I’ll post more piccies as I take them (or more realistically sort them, I’ve got over 2,000 that I have taken just in the past few weeks).
Hopefully I’ll also have more news about my book Veiled in Shadows in the near future.
I guess I’ll talk about the WIP from time to time.
My family and work will also no doubt feature.
Other than that I suppose I’ll just run with ideas as they take me.

In celebration of my blogiversary I’d like to run a little giveaway.
What am I giving away? Well it seems to me that the obvious thing to give away is some of my piccies.

So to that end the lucky winner will receive three 8” by 10” prints of any of my piccies from this blog. The winner chooses the piccies they want.
Just a few caveats: a small number of the piccies on the blog are not mine, I can’t give away prints of those; and a few piccies are cropped from larger images and would not print well at 8” by 10”, if the winner really wanted those I could organise smaller prints.

The rules to enter the give away:
The competition is open to people anywhere in the world.
You must leave a comment on this post.
You must be a follower of my blog (new followers are welcome to enter too).
Now my mercenary side comes out, if you post about my giveaway on your blog I will give you an extra 2 entries.
I will keep entries into the giveaway open until Sunday the 18th of July 2010 to give people time to enter.
Once I have chosen a winner at random (my decision will be final) I will contact the winner so they can choose the piccies they would like to receive as prints.

Now because a post from me would feel naked without piccies:
Rocks and Waves at Bermagui (an hour north of Merimbula)The “Blue Pool”, BermaguiMimosa Rocks National ParkBeach + Nobody, Mimosa Rocks National ParkEastern Grey Kangaroo and half grown joey, Mimosa Rocks National Park
Banksia Flower and bud, Mimosa Rocks National ParkBanksia seed pod (open)Tathra Warf at sunset.Tathra Bay at sunset