You can be whisked off to Easter Island, Suwarrow, and Pitcairn while driving through rush hour traffic, relaxing on the lounge, or working on a mindless task.
Not only does this book have a new narrator, but a snazzy-new cover too. My publisher, New Street Communicationstrawled through my photos and came up with the perfect picture of me doing what needs to be done to boats!
Narrated by the wonderful Caroline Doughty, you can join me onboard our sailboat Pyewacket II as we traverse the bejewelled Pacific Ocean, riding the troughs and peaks.
With six-and-a-half-hours of breath-taking adventures – you can indulge in storms of emotions and oceans.
I learned some interesting stuff this morning. Which is interesting in itself, as it is my birthday and I plan to do very little today.
While ‘playing’ on the internet, I found some fascinating facts about my birth date.
First, once I had put in my birth-date, they stated my age (44) – very helpful!
Some useless facts (1970)
Music
#1 R&B song: Stoned Love by The Supremes
Today – well it depends where you look. One said something about Tuesday in the title, which put me off as it is Friday today. Another had the ‘F’ word in the title. Yup, nice, I don’t want to know!
Movies
#1 Movie: Love Story
Today – The Hobbit –The Battle of Five Armies. I did notice that Annie is number 3. I simply adored this movie when I was a kid and can’t wait to see this one.
(Best Birthday present: EYES RIGHT! 😉 )
Books
#1 novel for 1970: Love Story by Erich Segal
Today – Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Price of a new car: $3,645. In 2013 it was over $32,000!
Phase of the moon: Waning crescent – 25% illumination
Today: Waxing crescent 25% illumination
(Waning is getting smaller each night, waxing is getting bigger each night (think wax ‘on’!)
Apparently my tarot personality card is The Wheel of Fortune. That sounds pretty good to me.
World Population: 3,766,155,556. Today at 9:15 am it was 7,283,683,299.
Deaths and births Here you can watch people die! And be born! Goodness. Actually, you watch the numbers change for births, deaths and population growth. The numbers change rapidly! Do they have someone sitting there logging up to the minute deaths!
A Sobering Thought
I found this last one shocking. But it is another neat reminder that my time is ticking away. I’m included in the numbers on the birth log, one day I will be on the death-log too, what a sobering thought!
Positive Thoughts
I think I’ll focus on the love and good fortune theme that runs through my birth-date. The best birthday present I’ve received so far is really – good health and happiness.
For everyone with a birthday today – Have a Great Day and don’t be sad you are another year older… it is better than the alternative.
Of Foreign Build is for sale for just 1.99 cents for 24 hours! At Amazon.com (your location must be USA – you can set it there temporarily – wherever you are!)
“Did you know, the average women walks three miles a per day more than the average man?” I said to Noel.
“Walks or talks,” says Noel!
Aside from my humorous husband, I’d like to make today, Little Toe Day.’
Those little, wiggly, appendages on the edge of our feet need some recognition.
The little toe on your foot has many names. It is known as the little toe, baby toe, pinky toe, and the fifth toe. But its real name is Digitus minimus pedis. I refer to mine as Pinkies.
Image courtesy of artur84 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
We are bare-footed a lot, especially when sailing and cruising. Our little toes have taken some severe bashings over the years…. rigging, stanchions, anything solid really.
Basically they are strong little critters and very tolerant – so let’s say a big ‘Yay’ for our little toes and learn a bit more about them:
Interesting facts
Toes can be used to replace fingers
Stalin’s were webbed
You can wrestle with them (and there you were wondering what you were going to do tonight!)
When walking, each time your heel lifts off the ground it forces the toes to carry one half of your body weight
Butterflies taste with their feet (imagine doing that!)
Gannets incubate eggs under their webbed feet
Elephants use their feet to hear – they pick up vibrations of the earth through their soles
The average foot gets two sizes longer when a person stands up
Mmmmm yummy flower! Image courtesy of dan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
I talk about shoes and ‘spreading’ feet in Cruisers’ AA (accumulated acumen). Over the years of being bare-footed on our boats, my feet spread and changed size.
‘…I haven’t slept more than 6 hours in two days! I loved both [her] books. Informative, funny, intelligent writing by a talented lady.’
‘You won’t be able to put it down.’ (Image courtesy of Phaitoon at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)
And, the reviews continue…
‘As always, she writes with honesty and humour to engage sailors and non sailors alike.’
‘A wonderful read. Jackie’s writing style exudes energy and joie de vivre.’
‘I got it this morning and I can’t put it down.. .’
Be Warned! You may lose yourself in the pages…. (Image courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)
These readers are reading about:
My husband working in a brothel in Barbados
Nine years on a ten metre boat
Pirates
Muggers
Man-eating crocodiles
Boat crashes
Storms
Sinking
Whale collision
French Gigolos
An impossible love
Mending a broken heart…
…and so much more….
Playing with sealions
Rescued from man-eating crocs!
For about the price of a decent cup of coffee you can lose yourself in my world – where I stepped into a fairy-tale relationship with one man, while grieving for another….. More details HERE….and…
Don’t forget to write – let me know what you think….
We are loving Buzet sur Baise. We’ve perfect autumn weather, a safe and quiet port, nice friends just down the road, all within a wonderful quaint village.
With one week of good weather forecast, Noel and I are busily painting the top sides of Rouge Corsair. It’s so easy to forget how hard painting is, this morning every part of my body aches, including my fingers!
Sunday morning we took a break and cycled 5 kilometres (uphill) to a vide-greniers (garage sale). Although it was more like a huge market with just about everything you could ever want – good stuff too.
Image courtesy of federico stevanin at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Within the bustling, friendly market we met, an Australian, an Irishman and an Englishman, who have invited Noel to play cricket, tennis and go cycling. Noel thought this was rather nice, but did wonder, ‘can’t we just sit under the shade of a tree and drink beer?’
Chestnuts! Image courtesy of jiggoja at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
While Noel tried to convince the locals that beer, shade and trees, really was the way to go, I had great fun searching for rugs to insulate our floor for the coming winter, some blankets and bits and pieces. We had great fun with Lorna and Kim from MV Sunflower and a great giggle coming home – thankfully it was downhill!
3 rugs on the back of Noel’s bike, our work-mate bench in Kim’s basket (as well as their stuff) – I had a full back-pack and panniers (as did Noel!)
To find out about the calendar of garage sales, flea markets and flea markets of France, Switzerland and Belgium, dial up: http://vide-greniers.org/
And if ‘coins’ are your thing, look up Richard Lytton. He is a numistatist (and a rather nice chap), www.gascogne-monnaie.com (Australian and world coins).
I am rewiring my brain. No, I haven’t decided to start with a clean slate and induce a frontal lobotomy, (although I think my husband would be keen on this idea!)
Half way through the simple exercise of thinking and writing 3 positive thoughts each day for 5 days, it feels as though I am training my brain in a new way to think.
Image courtesy of renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
I’m enjoying the process so much that I am doing more research. I have no time for additional projects, my schedule is already bursting at the seams. However, I think it is worth the effort and investing time now may save me time (and stress) down the line. AND make me happier!
During my research I found this article on How Positive Thinking Re-Wires Your Brain. It’s by Barrie Davenport who is a life passion coach and founder of BarrieDavenport.com, a site devoted to helping people uncover and live their life passions. She is also the author of The 52-Week Life Passion Project.
In the article she talks about:
‘How positive thinking really does change your brain. Not in some magical, woo woo kind of way, but in a real physical way.’
‘It means that repetitive positive thought and positive activity can rewire your brain and strengthen brain areas that stimulate positive feelings.’
This article is part of Steven Aitchison’s web site and personal development personal development blog.
So, I plan to continue my personal development with actively finding the positives in everything I do. I think I have quite a bit of work in front of me, but for now, here are my 3 positives:
The next editing stage of my manuscript Of Foreign Build will be a fair bit of work, but it is going to improve the story out of sight – thanks to my editor Danielle Rose.
Of Foreign Build
As well as positive thinking leading to a positive attitude – this nomination has given me so much more. Many people are making contact, saying ‘hi’ and revealing lovely stories about positive thinking. I’m making new friends.
Image courtesy of Vlado / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Cooking for five people each day with vastly different tastes has re-awoken my passion for cooking. I am enjoying the creativity (and the compliments!)
Image courtesy of Apolonia / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
I’d love to hear your positive comments and as requested, I nominate Jill Budd and Patrishde. I can’t wait to read what you have to say.
Jackie Parry - author 